7 Things: Doug Jones unsure as coronavirus relief battle rages, bars in Tuscaloosa reopen, Jones and Biden think Alabama must be redeemed and more …

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September 9, 2020

7. Police chief and staff retire — This is becoming a trend

Due to criticism and protests over the handling of Daniel Prude’s death in March of this year, Rochester, NY Police Chief La’Ron Singletary has announced that he’ll be retiring and taking his senior command with him.
This is not only happening in Rochester. Resignations are happening all over, and there are other issues that will start to impact every community as members of law enforcement decide that they are not going to take proactive policing measures while choosing to react after crimes have already been committed.

6. Voter issues from primary coming out

During the state’s primary on June 9, 1,000 people in Georgia voted twice, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. They did this by voting absentee and then voting in person, but the state will be pursuing charges against the voters.
Raffensperger didn’t clarify if these votes changed the outcome of any races, but the voters were spread across 100 counties. While only 1,000 actually voted twice, about 150,000 voters showed up to vote in person after requesting an absentee ballot.

5. Optimism and uncertainty on the rise with small businesses

The National Federation of Independent Business has released updated Optimism Index data from small businesses showing a 1.4% increase in August. This could be attributed to signs that a vaccine is in sight, even as the media and their Democrats attempt to downplay it.
While optimism has increased, there was also new data on the Uncertainty Index released showing a two-point increase in August, which is the highest it’s been since March 2017. NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said that they’re “seeing areas of improvement … but small businesses are still struggling and uncertain about what the future will hold.”

4. Tuberville has launched his first ad

The first television ad released by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville takes aim at U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) and presents him as a candidate that doesn’t actually represent his constituents.
In the ad, Tuberville brings up how Jones voted to impeach President Donald Trump, adding that Jones “supports open borders and gun grabbers.” The spot also mentions how Jones “wants to raise your taxes then use your money to pay for abortions.”

3. Jones will use any excuse to talk about Biden

During a campaign event in Leeds, Alabama, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) spoke about when he was first elected to the Senate in 2017 and how former Vice President Joe Biden had actually encouraged him to run for office.
Jones went on to imply that a large portion of Alabama voters and American voters need to be redeemed, saying, “We’ve got to redeem the soul of America.”He added that the evil people in America oppose him. He advised, “There’s not an evil person in this state who supports this campaign.”

2. Bars have reopened in Tuscaloosa

After being closed for two weeks due to crowds from the University of Alabama, bars in Tuscaloosa are allowed to reopen. More recently, the university has seen a decrease in new coronavirus cases and no increased strain on the local medical system.
Bar owners have voiced opposition to the closure, saying that it’s been hurting their businesses. There’s continued criticism that if bars reopen, coronavirus cases will spread at a rapid rate again, but there have been 11,000 cases and zero hospitalizations in 17 states across the country showing the illness is of little risk to college students.

1. Democrats are playing games with coronavirus relief

Negotiations over a new coronavirus relief package continue, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said that Democrats are playing “Goldilocks games” by refusing to pass a bill until it’s just right.
McConnell added that leaders have “complained” about every proposal made. He said, “But they’ve produced nothing of their own with any chance whatsoever of becoming law.” Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) has no idea if he supports the bill or not, saying, “I don’t know what’s in it, so I can’t say.”