7 Things: DOJ is leaking in response to the special master decision, one-time tax rebate for Alabamians and more …

7. Colbert County is getting more funding for tourism, because of the pandemic

• Federal funds are coming to Colbert County in the amount of $1.7 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce, but there will also be $829,000 of local funds used. The federal funds are part of the American Rescue Plan Act. The American Rescue Plan Act was purportedly meant to help deal with the pandemic, but really was just a slush fund for the government.

• The funds are meant to increase tourism to the area, and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said, “Colbert County has so much to offer. From Helen Keller’s birthplace to the Muscle Shoals Sound that continues to influence American music, there is much to see and do. I’m glad this new center will help even more people explore this culturally rich area of Alabama.”

6. They keep telling us that no one is trying to indoctrinate kids

• In Provo, Utah, a Back to School Pride Night was held by the RaYnbow Collective. Before the event, the founder and executive director of the RaYnbow Collective Maddison Tenney said it is “family-friendly because it really is family-friendly. All songs are only clean versions, there’s going to be nobody in nudity or partial nudity. If you enjoy clowns or you enjoy the circus or Disneyland and talking to the princesses, it’s that vibe.”

• However, the event also featured a “family-friendly” drag show, where some of the performers had names such as “Jenna Tailia,” “Ana Lee Kage,” “Peter Pansy,” and “Kitty Kitty.” The show included provocative moves, all while at least one young child was in the front row.

5. Make sure to get your flu and COVID shots

• Flu season is approaching, and the Biden administration has started pushing for individuals to get their coronavirus vaccine while they get vaccinated for the flu. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashisha Jha said, “I really believe this is why God gave us two arms, one for the flu shot and the other one for the COVID shot.”

• Jha went on to say, “barring any new variant curveballs … for a large majority of Americans, we are moving to a point where a single annual COVID shot should provide a high degree of protection against serious illness all year.”

4. Tuberville seeking to prevent long power outages

• U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and 11 other Republicans wrote a letter to President Joe Biden to urge for more preparedness as the storm season approaches in southern states and there are still supply chain issues concerning electric and utility equipment.

• The letter asks that Biden “direct the Department of Energy to temporarily suspend its most recent conservation standards for transformers,” and “engage the Federal Emergency Management Agency to engage with suppliers and utilities to determine whether stockpiles of transformers … may exist and can be called upon in emergency situations.”

3. Democrats don’t want the blame for learning loss

• More reports have been released detailing how students in America lost substantial academic progress during the coronavirus pandemic. And now Democrats are attempting to distance themselves from the narrative that they supported schools shutting down and staying shut down.

• White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to questions over reading proficiency being at its lowest in about 20 years and math scores dropping for the first time, saying, “we were not too long ago when this president walked into this administration: how mismanaged the pandemic – the response to the pandemic was.” She said a majority of schools reopened during Biden’s presidency, “That was the work of this president and that was the work of Democrats, in spite of Republicans not voting for the American Rescue Plan, which $130 billion went to schools to have the ventilation, to be able to have tutoring and – and the teachers and being able to hire more teachers.”

2. You could get an Alabama tax rebate 

• The presumptive Alabama Speaker of the House, State Rep. Nathanial Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) states he is ready to support a one-time tax rebate for Alabama taxpayers during the next legislative session in early 2023.

• There has been talk of a change to the Alabama Tax Code, but Ledbetter doesn’t seem to be heading down that path. Ledbetter told Yellowhammer News’ Yaffee, “[T]he economy is not going to stay like it is.” He said the one-time federal pandemic dollars are going to be used, “We’ve been flush with federal money in the state – something like $60 billion has been dropped into our state over the last two years, and we’re not going to have the revenue going forward. So, I think a one-time deal, giving rebates, I’m not opposed to that.”

1. The DOJ has leaked to the Washington Post, again

• Once again, after being told that there were no “Trump judges” or “Obama judges,” the decision by a Trump-appointed judge to appoint a special master to look at the documents seized in the raid on Mar-a-Lago has angered the media and their Democrats to the point where they are lashing out. Now the Department of Justice is also upset as well, so the leaking is continuing and the outlets that were fed partial information about the Russia investigation are the beneficiaries. 

• As usual, “according to people familiar with the matter,” the Washington Post says documents describing “a foreign government’s military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities” were found by FBI agents who raided the Mar-a-Lago residence of former President Donald Trump.