7 Things: Flu spreads in AL, Trump rages as ballots are slowly counted, and more …

7. Republicans select leaders after new members were sworn in

• Representative Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) was elected Thursday as the new Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives over State Rep. Steve Clouse (R-Ozark).
• Ledbetter will be replacing the previous Speaker Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) who served in the position since 2016.

6. What in the world is going on in Tarrant?

• A Tarrant councilman with a history of saying the n-word at a public meeting, punched the current Black mayor of the city in the parking lot after a city council meeting.
• Councilman Tommy Bryant struck Tarrant Mayor Wayman Newton after an altercation that followed a meeting where Bryant called for Newton to resign. Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major witnessed the event and placed him under arrest.

5. Biden’s student loan giveaway blocked

• While the media calls President Joe Biden’s student loan giveaway, “loan forgiveness,” a federal court has called it unconstitutional because the administration does not have the power to act on the matter. This was believed, in the past, by many Democrats.
• The group that brought this case is called the “Job Creators Network Foundation,” which calls itself “a nonpartisan organization founded by entrepreneurs who believe the best defense against bad government policies is a well-informed public.”

4. Inflation drops a bit and the market reacts

• The stock market has surged on news that inflation has dropped to… 7.7% annually. This is still astronomically high but at least it is heading in the right direction.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,203 points, up 3.7%, and other markets were up as well. This increase is the largest since 2020.

3. Counting goes on, trust getting destroyed

• Control of the U.S. Senate is still very much in doubt with voting in Nevada and Arizona slowing down somehow. The outstanding races have gaps that are closing and both campaigns are declaring that they have the inside track.
• As of now, GOP nominee Adam Laxalt is leading U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) by less than two points, while U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) has a roughly five-point lead over Blake Masters. Arizona’s race is made more interesting by the gubernatorial contest in that state, which appears to be turning toward the Republican nominee.

2. Trump continues attacking DeSantis and people hate it

• In an odd storyline from election week, former President Donald Trump, who backed quite a few dog candidates, has decided that he needs to attack a popular Republican governor from a state that actually saw a red wave while he is dealing with Hurricane Nicole.
• Trump has now called DeSantis an “average Republican governor with great Public Relations,” which is wildly untrue and shows that Trump is insecure about his handling of this election and his future. Trump’s reference to “loyalty and class” is just projection on steroids with a bump of cocaine and chased with a double-dose of meth.

1. Flu continues to surge in Alabama

• The flu is getting worse in Alabama, with two adults and one child dead in the state so far, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). The ADPH also says that all regions in the state are seeing an increase in the illness.
• Young people aged five to 24 are making up the largest number of outpatient cases in the state. Nola Ernest, president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said, “Outpatient visits for influenza increased over 10-fold between September and October, and have shown no signs of slowing in the first five days of November.”