7. 8 dead in mass shooting
- A mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility left eight people dead and five injured before the perpetrator finally turned the gun on himself, ending the rampage. It has not been confirmed that the shooter was an employee at the facility. Authorities have ruled out terrorism.
- While most people have done far less socializing and traveling, the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that tracks gun violence in the United States, has found that more than 19,000 people died in gun homicides last year, which was the highest number in more than two decades.
6. Alabama affirms its support of the Second Amendment
- In the Alabama Legislature, the State Senate has passed the Alabama Second Amendment Preservation Act, which is meant to prevent local and state governments from enforcing gun control laws and regulations. This only applies to regulations made effective after January 1, 2021, and the Senate approving this measure is after President Joe Biden announced executive action on gun control.
- State Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa), who sponsors the bill, said this is going to protect people in Alabama “from any unnecessary overreach by the federal government and is meant to be a check on proposals that infringe on our right to self-defense coming from the Biden Administration or the Democrat-controlled Congress.”
5. Another fake news story completely discredited after an election
- In news that will shock absolutely no one, one of the more salacious stories of the 2020 election cycle turned out to be completely based on nothing. The reports of Russian bounties places on U.S. troops came from Afghan prisoners of war looking to “get out of a cage.” Friendlies in the media and now-President Joe Biden treated them as fact. He stated in 2020, “I don’t understand why this president is unwilling to take on Putin when he’s actually paying bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan.”
- Even with the low confidence the intelligence agencies now say they have in this story, it was a main thread in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it was referenced in debates, and received wall-to-wall coverage even after it was denied by the Trump White House and the intelligence communities.
4. Bill protecting women’s sports passes
- The legislation that prohibits biological males from competing in female sports in K-12 has been passed by the Alabama State Senate. It has been clarified that this doesn’t apply to sports that don’t have separate genders for competitions, as with football, where both genders would be able to compete still.
- In the Senate, the bill passed 25-5 and now goes back to the State House of Representatives where it has already passed in a lower chamber vote of 74-19. Currently, many other states are considering similar legislation as there’s been a stronger push to allow transgender females to compete with biological females in sports.
3. Pelosi attempts to end the conversation on packing the U.S. Supreme Court
- As legislation came up in the U.S. House of Representatives to expand the U.S. Supreme Court to 13 judges, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that she doesn’t “know that that’s a good idea or a bad idea.” Pelosi did note that there are “no plans” to put the issue to a vote, but that “it’s an idea that should be considered.” She supports President Joe Biden’s method of having a committee study the issue.
- After she said this, other prominent Democrats held a press conference on the matter. Incrompehensibly, U.S. Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) declared this isn’t about packing the court, stating, “We are not packing the Supreme Court, we are unpacking it.”
2. You’ll probably have to get a third shot within a year
- It’s expected that people who received the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine will “likely” have to get a third shot within a year of their initial vaccination, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. This third shot would act as a booster to keep people protected from the virus.
- Bourla is also anticipating people will need to get the vaccine every year, but Pfizer has been testing booster shots since February; Moderna is also testing booster shots for their coronavirus vaccine.
1. Palmer: This isn’t about science anymore
- U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) is speaking out against how public health officials, such as White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, are releasing information and guidance to the public.
- Palmer said this guidance to continue coronavirus precautions after being vaccinated isn’t following the science, adding, “If they followed the science, kids wouldn’t be required to wear a mask … schools would be open.” Palmer also noted that he has “zero confidence” in those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He went on to add that “we’re to the point where it is more about control than it is about science.”
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