7. Department of Labor pleased with Ivey decision
- After it was announced by Governor Kay Ivey that the state would be removing participation from the federal unemployment programs, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington has come out in support of this decision.
- Washington talked about how this decision is meant to improve unemployment numbers and get more people back to work. He also said he applauds “the Governor for being the fourth governor out of 16 states to make this decision.”
6. Space Force officer removed, proving him right
- U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier has been removed after making controversial comments in a podcast that resulted in a “loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead,” according to an official at the Defense Department.
- Lohmeier made the comments during “The Steve Gruber Show” where he said he’s seen “what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be” in the military. He added that he “recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature.”
5. Pompeo is warning of bioterrorism from China
- Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reinforced that current evidence suggests the coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan, China, and now he wants people to realize how real the threat of bioterrorism from the country could be.
- Pompeo said the threat of bioweapons and bioterror is “very real” from China. He went on to add that the Chinese government “covered it up terribly” in regards to the origins of the virus. He warned that China is “operating and conducting activities that are inconsistent with their capacity to secure those facilities. And the risk of bioweapons and bioterror emanating from this region is very real.”
4. Israel has to fight Hamas, the media and Democrats in Congress
- The battle between Islamic terrorists who are launching rockets into cities filled with civilians and a sophisticated modern military rages, and the media around the globe is condemning Israel for striking a facility that housed both Hamas leadership and intelligence facilities. Multiple media outlets that knew those entities were in the building, falsely and misleadingly suggesting the media was the target.
- As the far-left wing of the Democratic Party has chosen to side with the terrorist group Hamas, President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have refused to sign on to that narrative but they have remained silent.
3. Half of COVID cases in Alabama are the UK-variant
- In Alabama, about 50% of the new coronavirus cases are the UK-variant of the virus, but cases are continuing to fall as more people are getting vaccinated. Mask mandates are going by the wayside with major retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, Publix and Starbucks, and theme parks like Walt Disney and Universal all dumping their mask mandates.
- Other variants of the virus have also started appearing in cases throughout the state, and while they’re becoming more common, not common enough to have an individual name yet.
2. 8% of Alabama gas stations are out of gas
- Due to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, 8% of gas stations in Alabama are still without gasoline, but “normal operations” of the pipeline resumed over the weekend.
- Alabama has continued to be one of the southeastern states with the least amount of gas stations on empty, compared to areas like Washington, D.C. with 80% out, North Carolina at 58%, Georgia at 44% and Tennessee at 28%.
1. No gambling, no duh
- Alabama State House Speaker Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) has confirmed that both lottery and gambling won’t come up on the House floor today, making it dead for this legislative session.
- McCutcheon said that there are different issues that take priority. He stated, “There are many bills that need attention and we need to address those bills rather than get caught in a filibuster over gaming.”
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