7. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) has been appointed to a climate change panel in the House; All Republican members come from energy-producing states

— While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) climate change panel may take up the Green New Deal and other legislative matters involving climate change, it seems unlikely that Republicans are prepared to play ball with them. The Republicans appointed to the committee are skeptics and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made it clear that Republicans will not be wrecking the economy to placate Democrats fringe ideas, “We will ensure we continue to make strides towards a healthy environment without sacrificing the other priorities of the American people.”

6. Radical Democrats attempt to beat back a resolution calling out Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) anti-Semitism

— After a week of back-and-forth, House Democrats have indefinitely postponed a resolution condemning anti-Semitic language because Democratic members do not want to see a rebuke of one of their freshman members. President Donald Trump seized on this opportunity to call out Democrats, saying, “It is shameful that House Democrats won’t take a stronger stand against anti-Semitism in their conference.” He added, “Anti-Semitism has fueled atrocities throughout history and it’s inconceivable they will not act to condemn it!”

5. All are accounted for in Lee County after tornadoes claimed 23 lives in total

— The search for the dead has stopped in Lee County as officials overseeing the recovery say all that has been reported missing have been accounted for and there has been no increase in the death toll. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris doesn’t believe there are more dead, but advised the county is “in standby mode on the outside chance they find somebody else, which is not likely.” The E4 tornado cut a wide path and 34 total tornadoes struck the Southeast, with at least 11 twisters in Alabama, 14 more across Georgia, five in Florida and four in South Carolina.

4. Two companies are paying for all funeral costs for the dead in Lee County

— In the midst of every tragedy, there are people who look to do good things for those who are suffering and the two companies that have offered to carry the freight for the families of the lost are doing just that. Lee County Coroner Bill Harris would not name the two companies that will be covering these funerals and said, “I got a phone call from an individual that said, if the details get worked out, there’s a very large corporation that will probably pay most, if not all, of the cost of every victim’s funeral. I got another call from another company that will do the same thing. So, between the two, these expenses, which can be up into the thousands, will probably be covered by these two companies.”

3. As border crossings are up, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) calls out Democrats for their hypocrisy on the border

— It is entirely possible that the numbers for February border crossings could help lead to the most border crossings for a February in 12 years. While the media is blaming the president, as usual, Rogers believes the Democrats’ hypocrisy is to blame. Rogers started by slamming the media’s false statements on drug seizures and ended by slamming his Democratic colleagues for their partisanship. He stated, “Border security and keeping Americans safe used to be priorities for both our parties. I’ve been on this committee since, just like the chairman said, since inception. We never argued about whether barriers worked until Donald Trump wanted them. This is not rocket science.”

2. The dumbest teacher alive has been sent home from school in Hoover for using the “n-word” during a discussion on racism 

— If true, a Hoover teacher made a mistake that could, and should, easily cost her as she decided to make a racially insensitive and stupid comment in the middle of a controversy over students making racially insensitive and stupid comments on social media. Allegedly, the teacher from Spain Park High School in Hoover used the “n-word” while explaining to students that, according to AL.com, “everyone uses the n-word, so she could use it, too.” The teacher was sent home and the school system is investigating the incident.

1. The vote over the gas tax may be really close — The pressure is on

— Speaker of the Alabama House Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) believes they are close to the number of votes needed to pass the gas tax advocated by Governor Kay Ivey. At issue is the fact that the bill has been changed and re-filed and some members are still not sure what the final product looks like. Ivey told WSFA-TV that the tax will not “go any lower” and addressed lawmakers asking for more time by saying they had been briefed before the last election. She said, “[T]hey were vetted before the House and Senate leadership and if they were not for the gas tax for infrastructure, they were not encouraged to run.”