7. No, Republicans will not draw another majority-minority U.S. House district for Democrats
- The Montgomery Advertiser’s Brian Lyman wrote a strange piece about Alabama retaining all seven of its U.S. House seats. His article assumes that the Republican super-majority legislature will draw one of the six Republican U.S. House seats into a Democrats seat. There is no real reason for this, and almost every Democrat quoted in the story scoffs at the idea.
- Two Democrats players in the state, Wade Perry, the executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, and House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), told Lyman the idea of a new majority-minority U.S. House seat is far-fetched, but Lyman suggests the courts will step in and do so, even though a Supreme Court ruling from 2019 says otherwise.
6. Kids are really honest and it’s not helping Biden
- President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited a fifth-grade classroom in Virginia, where students were extremely honest about what virtual learning actually allows them to do, and it’s not helping the argument for keeping kids out of the classroom.
- Some students suggested that if you didn’t know the answer to a question, you act like your mic doesn’t work to avoid answering, while others said that virtual learning allows them time to sneak in naps, and one student just described the virtual school as “terrible.”
5. Birmingham is holding a gun buyback — go get some cheap guns
- On Saturday, May 8, the Birmingham Police Department will be hosting a Spring Gun Buyback event with the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.
- Sgt. Rod Mauldin said, “This is one of many calls for actions to fight against gun violence occurring in our communities.” Mauldin also added that the payment people will receive will be a Walmart gift card.
4. No Republican support for Biden’s infrastructure plan
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has confirmed what could already be suspected — that no Republican senators will be supporting President Joe Biden’s hefty $4 trillion infrastructure plan, which includes the “American Jobs Plan” and the “American Families Plan.”
- McConnell said, “I don’t think there’ll be any Republican senators, none, zero, for the $4.1 trillion grab bag.” He also emphasized that reconciliation would have to be used to pass anything, but that’ll only work if they can actually get every Democrat on board.
3. Four separated families united as chaos at the border reigns
- Hilariously, the American media is transfixed on a Biden administration accomplishment of reuniting four families separated at the border after they entered the country illegally as the issue at the border continues to be a massive problem that this administration will not acknowledge. These parents were committing crimes and were incarcerated, which forced the separation.
- Meanwhile, 6,000 people are caught every day on the border. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) says the idea that the border is under control is false, and Vice President Kamla Harris is closer to ending up in space than she is making a trip to the border.
2. Hearing on lottery and gambling bills held
- A public hearing has been held on the lottery and gambling bills currently in the Alabama House of Representatives, but with only three more meeting days in the legislative session, the future of these bills is uncertain.
- The House Ways and Means Committee will be meeting again today to discuss adopting a new version of the lottery bill, which could be considered by the House on Thursday. Gambling packages are already being considered today, as well. After Thursday, the final meeting day is May 17.
1. All coronavirus guidelines are coming to an end
- For the final time, the “Safer Apart” emergency health order has been extended until May 31, 2021. Most restrictions have already been lifted, and most remaining guidelines are for hospitals and nursing homes.
- Governor Kay Ivey also announced that the state of emergency will officially end on June 6, 2021. Ivey noted how hospitalizations have fallen drastically and that “over 1.5 million Alabamians have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
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