7 Things: DeSantis suspends prosecutor who won’t enforce abortion law while Alabama AG pledges to enforce it himself, monkeypox emergency declared and more …

7. Brittney Griner is going to prison

• WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was arrested in Russia for drug possession and smuggling due to bringing hash vape cartridges into the country, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined about $16,400.

• In reaction to the sentence, President Joe Biden said, “Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”

6. Officers involved in Breonna Taylor death charged

• In Louisville, Kentucky, four of the officers involved with Breonna Taylor’s death in 2020 have had civil rights charges filed against them by the U.S. Justice Department. In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland declared, “Breonna Taylor should be alive today.”

• The officers being charged are Seargent Kyle Meany and former officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, and Kelly Goodlett. The only officer being charged that was present the night Taylor was killed is Hankison. Garland has clarified this decision by saying the other officers “were not involved in the drafting of the warrant, and were unaware of the false and misleading statements.”

5. Inflation Reduction Act is all about climate change

• Alabama Public Service Commission President Twinkle Cavanaugh recently commented on the “Inflation Reduction Act” and how it could negatively impact the country. She deemed it a “climate socialist boondoggle.”

• Cavanaugh went on to say, “[T]he Biden administration is making everything more expensive and it’s really putting a real burden on consumers and the citizens in Alabama.” Cavanaugh outlined on Twitter that the legislation spent “$369B on an environmental wishlist; $300B on green loan guarantees; $80B to hire IRS agents; $60B for environmental justice initiatives.”

4. Democrats’ tax, climate and inflation plans hit a snag from the middle and the far left

• U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) has signed on to President Joe Biden’s so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” that spends more money and raises taxes during a recession. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), however, are now potentially stopping the whole deal. 

• Sinema had a call with business groups where she asked if the bill’s proposed 15% tax on corporations “was written in a way that’s bad.” They let her know that it was and now she wants some provisions removed. In the past, she has said, “I am unwilling to support any tax policies that would put a brake on that type of economic growth, or stall business and personal growth for America’s industries.” These issues may be resolved, but the Senate Parliamentarian could still cause a problem for her. As for Sanders, he is just being a grump because it doesn’t go far enough with the”Build Back Better” plan.

3. University of Alabama students can now use ‘chosen’ name

• The Action Card office from the University of Alabama announced that students can now change their student ID card to a name they choose for themselves or prefer over their birth name.

• The co-founder of the University of Alabama LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Will Thomas has commented on the change, saying, “Everybody says they want to be welcome…So let’s give people more tools to be even more welcoming than they knew they could be and even more inclusive than they knew they could be.”

2. Monkeypox is a public health emergency, but is it really?

• Nationally, there have been less than 7,000 probable or confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus since the outbreak started, but now, President Joe Biden and his administration have declared a public health emergency as more cases are diagnosed. Biden appointed a White House national monkeypox response coordinator, assigning the position to Robert Fenton this week, and the virus was already declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization in July.

• Incompetent public health officials and super-successful HIV activists are unhelpfully fighting against declaring the virus as a pandemic among men who have sex with men when recent numbers show 98% of the people getting it are gay men, even when the virus is only contagious once symptoms begin and stay that way until fully-healed, according to the CDC. When this disease breaks out in the general population, they will say, “See, we told you.” In Alabama, there are 19 monkeypox cases.

1. Florida will suspend attorneys that won’t prosecute abortions; Alabama AG Marshall will prosecute cases himself

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced his decision to suspend Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, claiming that Warren was not willing to prosecute crimes that violated the state abortion ban. DeSantis said that Warren made it clear he would not be enforcing the law in its entirety and said, “It is not for him to put himself above the law.” There were 90 attorneys, including Warren, who pledged to not prosecute women who receive abortions in states that have bans.

• Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall addressed this issue late last month when Jefferson County prosecutor Danny Carr declared he wouldn’t prosecute the law if he disagreed with it. Marshall’s office made it crystal clear to everyone paying attention, “The Attorney General’s job is to enforce the state’s laws,” adding, “Should a District Attorney refuse to enforce Alabama law, the Attorney General may step in to prosecute the case.”