7. Lawsuit alleges that free speech was violated in Florence
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The group Project Say Something has filed a lawsuit against Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler, claiming that the free speech of over 150 protesters was violated during protests that were held in 2020 after George Floyd’s death.
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There are two city ordinances in question in the lawsuit, which states, “The City’s law enforcement officers have given inconsistent guidance to Plaintiffs on how they can comply with the ordinances, forcing them to conduct silent protests for fear of breaking the law.”
6. Minor marijuana charges will be pardoned for 4/20
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It’s been announced that all misdemeanor marijuana charges in Birmingham will be pardoned by Mayor Randall Woodfin. Woodfin made the announcement on April 20 that there would be pardons, referencing the “over 15,000” pardons he delivered at the same time last year.”
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Woodfin said that the pardons were “the right thing to do.” He added, “Too many Alabamians are left out of economic opportunities due to prior marijuana convictions. Legalize marijuana and end this injustice.”
5. Brooks supporting a bill to eliminate the Department of Education
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U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) will co-sponsor legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would seek to eliminate the Department of Education within the federal government. Massie has made it clear, with the bill stating, “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2022.”
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Brooks explained his support of the legislation, saying he’s “long supported eliminating all federal K-12 mandates that infringe on local and state control of education.” The congressman added, “Abolishing the U.S. Department of Education supports states’ rights and achieves that goal. If the federal government wants to block grant education dollars to states, it can do that without restrictive mandates.”
4. New sanctions are out against Russia
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New sanctions against Russia have been announced by the United States, with the State Department and U.S. Treasury Department focusing on “a global network of more than 40 individuals and entities led by U.S.-designated Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev,” as well as a large commercial bank.
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There will also be a focus on “companies operating in Russia’s virtual currency mining industry, reportedly the third largest in the world.” These new sanctions are a direct response to “undermining democracy in Belarus,” according to the State Department.
3. Ivey endorsed by pro-life PAC and strangely called anti-Semitic for it
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The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund has endorsed Governor Kay Ivey in her reelection campaign. The pro-life PAC’s vice president of government affairs Marilyn Musgrave said of the governor, “Ivey is a trailblazer and a champion for unborn children and mothers in the deeply pro-life state of Alabama.”
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The endorsement drew some higher profile attention from Hollywood television writer Bill Prady, who said in a tweet to Ivey, “The [SBA List] believes it should be illegal for Jewish women to follow the teachings of their religion. Is this the only [anti-Semitic] position you agree with, or are there others?” This strange position is not held by all Jewish people, obviously.
2. Removal of Title 42 won’t be delayed
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As more legislators are advocating for President Joe Biden and his administration to delay removing Title 42, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said that delaying the removal won’t be an option considered.
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Psaki reaffirmed that the administration is “planning and preparing for the end of Title 42 on May 23.” Title 42 allows for the quick deportation and removal of migrants and was originally put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Many legislators have been advocating to keep the policy as the flow of migrants to the border has reached record levels in recent months.
1. Durant’s immigration position includes bringing in more legal immigration
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Video acquired by Breitbart News of a March 10 Zoom call between U.S. Senate candidate Mike Durant and supporters at an Alabama consulting firm shows the candidate saying that legal immigration is an answer to businesses’ labor issues. He explained in the video, “If there’s a shortage of labor, you’ve got to pay labor more to do the jobs that you need done.”
- Durant advocated for more green cards and argued a position of less immigration may play well with the GOP base but not with “the people that I represent.” Breitbart’s Neil Munro noted that those people are these business supporters on the call and that this position is a “direct threat to the jobs and wages of many American workers in Alabama, including nurses, engineers, software experts, accountants, and many professionals at the state’s universities.” U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) responded to the story by stating that Durant wants to make “it even easier for cheap foreign workers to take jobs from and drive down wages of American citizens!”
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