7. 2020 Olympics postponed to 2021
- Due to the coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to delay the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, until 2021.
- Details have not been decided yet, but Dick Pound of the IOC stated, “[T]he Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
6. State Tax Day pushed
- Governor Kay Ivey has announced that Alabama’s state tax day will follow the federal tax day and be pushed back to July 15.
- Ivey says that this move is to help “reduce the burden upon Alabamians and get folks back on their feet financially. The safety and wellbeing of Alabamians is the paramount priority as we do everything within our power to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus.”
5. Absentee ballots accepted for runoff
- Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill is emphasizing that absentee ballots will be accepted for the postponed runoff date of July 14.
- Merrill brought this up for those who are concerned about the coronavirus. The deadline to register to vote in the runoff is June 29.
4. Trump floats lifting “restrictions”
- Nationwide restrictions over the coronavirus have hit the economy very hard, and with one week left in the initial round of restrictions, President Donald Trump is signaling that he really wants to “reopen the economy.” He said, “This is a medical problem. We are not going to let it turn into a long-lasting financial problem.”
- The media and their Democrats have reacted to this notion with absolute attacks, op-eds and dishonesty while there has been no directive, and Trump’s suggestions have absolutely no teeth. However, the entire premise of Trump’s comments is that we can’t shut down the American economy for months and he will look at lessening the restrictions in some areas while leaving them on in other places.
3. Coronavirus numbers
- Alabama Department of Public Health’s Dr. Scott Harris held a press conference to address the state of the coronavirus, saying that a majority of cases are still in Jefferson County, followed by Shelby, Madison and Lee counties.
- By the numbers, about 53% of patients are male, patients range from ages 2-97, roughly 7% of those are hospitalized with some in the ICU, and there are currently 17 coronavirus testing sites throughout the state, but they’re working to have 25 open by the end of the week.
2. Jones flip-flopped
- U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) initially voted to block the coronavirus relief package and then within 24 hours changed his vote to support the legislation. Jones is the sole U.S. Senator breaking from his Democrat colleagues.
- Originally, Jones sided with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after she came out opposing the bill, but Jones has claimed that he was “embarrassed” about the partisan arguing over the bill.
1. Democrats want to weaponize the coronavirus stimulus package
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) voiced opposition to the coronavirus stimulus package and then released her own that included many unrelated items such as paying off $10,000 of student debt per person, bringing back the “Obamaphone” program, diversity mandates, climate change, voting rules and mandating airlines to reduce carbon emissions.
- The legislation would also prevent colleges from giving citizenship status information and forgiving the U.S. Postal Service debt. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Michael McAdams said, “People are dying and all Nancy Pelosi and Democrats can focus on is ripping off the American taxpayer to help pay for their liberal wish list of government handouts.”
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