7 Things: January 6 committee promises more hearings, Alabama House Minority Ldr Daniels predicts ‘political awakening’ on abortion and more …

7. Many without power after storms move through Alabama

• In the Birmingham area, around 30,000 people have been without power due to storms that moved through the area on Thursday. The National Weather Service’s Birmingham office reported that there were wind gusts up to 70 mph.
• Trees were reported down, some flooding was reported in Hoover, and there was also hail reported in some areas. By Thursday evening, power had still not been restored to a majority of people amid high temperatures.

6. Parker Griffith pushing to be chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party

• State Representative Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) has already announced that he would not be seeking another term as the chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. Former U.S. Representative Parker Griffith (D-Huntsville) has already expressed interest in the position and also criticized the party’s current state.
• Griffith said there needed to be an overall change in the state party and that they needed to distinguish themselves from the national party. Griffith explained, “We’ve got a lot of things to change. We should change our attitude. We should change our direction and change our ability to lead. We really are stuck on the Edmund Pettus Bridge…We are reliving the ’60s and the ’70s a half-century ago. We have given our Democratic members an excuse to fail – to blame someone else. They have no accountability for themselves. They want to point the finger at the opposition party. In fact, the Democrats’ biggest problem is Democrats.”

5. White House handling COVID-19 as competently as they handle everything else

• The White House announced that President Joe Biden tested positive for the coronavirus and is showing mild symptoms. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed concerns over where Biden caught the virus.
• Jean-Pierre responded to questioning about where the president was exposed to COVID by saying, “Look, I don’t think that that matters, right? I think what matters is we are prepared for this moment.” She added, “[W]hat matters here, is making sure that we continue to do the work. And the good thing is that the president, again, has been vaccinated and double boosted.”

4. Shelby won’t vote for equal marriage; Tuberville seen as a potential yes vote

• The Respect for Marriage Act that would solidify equal marriage in the country has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but there could be issues as the bill approaches the U.S. Senate. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) has already indicated he won’t vote for the measure.
• Some media outlets believe this bill has a chance and cite U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and his comments on the matter in which he stated, “I’m all about live life the way you want to. It’s a free country.” However, Shelby’s spokesperson responded to a request for comment on the issue saying, “Senator Shelby believes that marriage is meant to be shared between a man and a woman.”

3. U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in an immigration case; Trump policy stays

• President Joe Biden’s administration will not be able to prioritize deporting some illegal immigrants based on public safety risk after the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 against overturning a lower court’s ruling. The Biden administration tried to stop deporting illegal immigrants and focus only on violent criminals.
• Previously, during former President Donald Trump’s term, the policy for deportation was not based only on the threat posed to public safety, but rather a blanket rule for all illegal immigrants. Biden had been working to change this.

2. Alabama could have a ‘political awakening’ over abortion law

• Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) recently said that there could be a political change in Alabama over the current abortion ban if it isn’t changed. Governor Kay Ivey has already rejected his call for a special session on the issue.
• Daniels advised that “more than 70%…of the people of Alabama were unaware that there wasn’t an exception for rape and incest, so I think that the more people find out that there was not an exception for rape and incest, and once doctors start turning away treatment from those individuals that have had miscarriages, I do think that you’ll see a political awakening on this particular issue.”

1. January 6 committee holds primetime hearing, and to the joy of no one, promises more

• The takeaway from last night’s January 6 committee seems to be that former President Donald Trump did not do enough to call off the rioters at the U.S. Capitol, which they still haven’t shown he planned and organized, as they have claimed. Smaller news appears to be that Trump was, in fact, mad at his Secret Service agents but that was not the bombshell allegation made in the past. There is still no confirmation Trump got into a physical altercation with the agent.
• Declaring a massive victory, as the media and their Democrats have done after every hearing, the committee talked about how more hearings would be held in September. Those hearings will reportedly cover even more information the committee hasn’t told us yet, which is sure to be the part where they lay out the much promised and never delivered evidence of what they claim to be criminal acts of Trump.