7 Things: No confirmed ‘coronavirus parties’ in Tuscaloosa, Tuberville’s handling of a 2nd-degree rape case becomes political fodder, Ivey open to changing Confederate holidays and more …

7. Pelosi is just out here ‘trying to save the world’

• Recently, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for not commenting on protestors who have taken to tearing down statues like the one of St. Junipero Serra at the Golden Gate Park in Pelosi’s district.
• Pelosi said that McCarthy “hasn’t had the faintest idea of our dynamic in our district,” and that she’s “trying to save the world from coronavirus.” Now, as coronavirus cases have increased across the country, the Senate will take up the relief package HEROES Act, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has called a “liberal wish list.”

6. Coronavirus cases in Madison County jail, Clanton mayor also positive

• In Madison County, an employee at the jail has tested positive for the coronavirus, which is the first case at the facility, and Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner has said that they are taking “precautions” within the facility “concerning the affected employee’s contact with the inmates prior to the positive test result.”
• Mayor Billy Joe Driver in Clanton has also tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently at St. Vincent’s Birmingham for treatment. At 84-years-old, the mayor is at higher risk regarding the virus.

5. More than 1,100 coronavirus cases in one day

• The Alabama Department of Public Health has added 1,162 coronavirus cases in the state in just one day. There were also 22 more hospitalizations bringing the total currently to 797, and there were 14 people who died, bringing total deaths to 961.
• Ten counties have 57% of the new cases, which includes Mobile, Madison, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Marshall, Morgan, Baldwin, DeKalb and Montgomery counties. There were 5,788 tests conducted across the state in one day.

4. Record jobs numbers as economy continue to recover

• The headlines screamed of June numbers far better than the experts expected. Much to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow’s chagrin, there were 4.8 million jobs created and an unemployment rate that fell to 11.1%, with President Donald Trump saying, “Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back. It’s coming back extremely strong.”
• But tens of millions are still out of work as the American economy continues to reel from the effects of rising coronavirus numbers and a patchwork of economic lockdowns that seem to be increasing in number again.

3. Ivey open to making changes

• Governor Kay Ivey’s spokesperson Gina Maiola said that “Ivey is certainly open to the discussion” of changing Confederate holidays, but those decisions have to go “through the Legislature.”
• Maiola added that Ivey “believes that while we cannot change the past or erase our history, she is confident that we can build a future that values the worth of each and every citizen,” and the holidays in question would be Robert E. Lee’s birthday, Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis Day.

2. Tuberville attacked for his handling of a player’s rape case from Auburn

• With less than two weeks to go before the run-off for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, voters are starting to see what type of attacks former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville could see in November from U.S. Senator Doug Jones and the media.
• The attack stems from the 1999 season when wide receiver Clifton Robinson received a one-game suspension after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor (a misdemeanor) as a plea deal following being charged with the second-degree rape of a 15-year-old girl. Robinson would later be arrested on assault charges and subsequently convicted for the battery of an off-duty police officer years after leaving Auburn.

1. No, there were not coronavirus parties in Tuscaloosa

• A Tuscaloosa City councilwoman repeated a stupid rumor that students at Alabama colleges and universities were hosting parties with bowls full of money as prizes for getting the coronavirus, and the national media ran with the story as if it was fact, but don’t expect a retraction.
• There is obviously no evidence that any such events actually took place — not a single Facebook post, tweet or Instagram story supports this narrative, but the narrative was helpful for the media and the desires for a mandatory mask ordinance from Tuscaloosa’s leaders.