7 Things: Biden’s blame game on Afghanistan falls on deaf ears, only two ‘net’ ICU beds available in Alabama, UAB ready to test kids for the coronavirus and more …

7. Double-masking a new punishment for the unvaccinated

• It is becoming pretty clear that a large portion of the American people, and those who populate various government and bureaucratic entities, are willing to make the lives of people who refuse to get vaccinated as painful as possible. In Philadelphia, the city is now requiring new hires to be vaccinated or double-mask, even though the Center for Disease Control and Prevention does not support that.
• In a ridiculous move that is sure to spread, the city now requires “employees who are not fully vaccinated by September 1 will be required to wear two masks (a cloth mask over a disposable or surgical mask) at all times while working on-site.”

6. Lawsuit says Alabama should have to accept federal dollars again

• A lawsuit has been filed in Montgomery County that seeks to force Governor Kay Ivey and Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington to move the state back into a federal program that offers additional unemployment benefits. Ivey ended the state’s participation as a way to push Alabamians to go back to work.
• The plaintiffs claim that the decision to end additional benefits was not made with any expert opinions, stating that Ivey and Washington “have not commissioned or presented expert studies indicating that the federal pandemic unemployment benefits are the cause of continued unemployment in Alabama.” They cited that the state has a duty to use experts and publish those opinions when dealing with unemployment. Currently, Alabama’s unemployment rate is at 3.3%.

5. SPLC going after Alabama schools

• There are 22 schools in Alabama that are being targeted by the Southern Poverty Law Center for being named after Confederate figures in history. The SPLC is advocating for these schools to change their names.
• SPLC chief of staff Lecia Brooks has said these schools are “supporting the Confederacy” and they need to recognize those in their area “directly affected by the pain and oppression these names and images represent.” Brooks added, “There is a real difference between acknowledging factual, historical events and promoting the false Lost Cause narrative.”

4. UAB working out free coronavirus testing for schools

• All Alabama public and private K-12 students will be able to get tested for the coronavirus for free this school year through a program organized by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.
• The testing is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant of $147 million. Testing is available for students until at least July 2022. Currently, rapid testing is the method sites will use due to how cases are spreading in the state, but the program could change to PCR tests in the future.

3. There are two ICU beds left but that’s not really true

• The Alabama Hospital Association has announced that there are 1,560 ICU beds occupied in Alabama, with only two beds available, according to president Dr. Don Williamson.
• However, Williamson did clarify that there are two “net” beds available since the situation changes so frequently at each hospital. Alabama’s peak of hospitalizations was at 3,084, and currently, there are 2,634 people hospitalized, with 40 of those being pediatric patients.

2. Consequences of Biden’s actions come to Afghanistan

• The Taliban is clearly in control of the country of Afghanistan and the capital city of Kabul, the Afghanistan president has fled the country with a ton of money, and the Taliban is now surrounding the airport, creating a no-go zone for Americans and their allies. 
• With the Americans on the way out, the Taliban is going door-to-door looking for American allies, women are being oppressed and executions of adversaries are happening.

1. Biden places all blame on Afghanistan

• President Joe Biden finally addressed the situation in Afghanistan, but he did so by blaming Afghanistan entirely for the way the country fell so much faster than what was initially estimated. Biden also said that this is a result of a situation that was created through peace deals started by President Donald Trump. He also blamed former President Barack Obama for good measure because he didn’t leave after we killed Osama bin Laden.
• Biden said that he’s “learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That’s why we’re still there,” but added that the Afghan army has lacked “the will to fight.” Just over a year ago, Biden pledged to do his job and “take responsibility,” which he said was “unlike this president” in reference to Trump during the campaign. U.S. Representative Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) says Biden’s blame game is silly and that Biden is clearly to blame. He stated, “Biden has fallen completely flat and has severely damaged America’s standing in the world. The brave men and women who have risked their lives serving our nation in Afghanistan deserve much better than President Biden passing the buck and offering no explanation for his abject failure. It’s time for President Biden to start acting like a real leader.”