7 Things: Putin readies nukes, Alabama’s U.S. senators react to Biden Supreme Court pick and more …

7. Demand for free coronavirus tests wasn’t as expected

• President Joe Biden’s administration has been providing free coronavirus tests to households across the country, and while the tests take weeks to arrive, there are almost 250 million tests still unclaimed. 

• The administration bought 500 million initially, and demand for the tests from the government has fallen greatly, with less than 100,000 orders per day, compared to the 45 million orders received in January.

6. Dr. Scott Harris looking toward the end of the pandemic

• Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris was recently interviewed and reaffirmed that the coronavirus pandemic has not ended, saying “we’re in a pandemic whether or not we change our behavior or not.”

• Harris went on to add, “I think I would say that in just about every way, people are back to normal, at least for the most part.” When asked about the potential return of mandates, Harris replied, “I don’t see any situation right now where that’s likely to happen. America seems to have by-and-large moved on from this, the tolerance of the public for that has worn thin.”

5. Keeping Mobile and Baldwin County tax funds in the area

• State Senator Chris Elliott (R-Daphne) is pushing to ensure that money stays in the coastal region that’s generated from taxes on oil and gas leases, and now his legislation on the matter has been passed by the State House of Representatives and State Senate.

• Elliott said, “It’s about making sure we get our fair share here in Coastal Alabama and using that money to improve our communities and way of life.” He added, “Much like the TVA money is for North Alabama, this should be a source of funding raised in our coastal communities for our coastal communities.”

4. With half the session in the books, Alabama State Senate leadership looks to continue working hard

• The big-ticket item of the first half of the legislative session actually took place during a special session where the Alabama Legislature agreed to spend $772 million in coronavirus relief funds. Including that in their list of accomplishments, leaders in the ALGOP believe they have a good foundation to jump into the second part of the session with.

• With broadband expansion, tax relief, the largest-ever general fund budget and a military package all successfully passed, Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) stated, “At the halfway point of the session, there is no doubt that my colleagues have already made a positive impact on their districts and our entire state for years to come.”

3. Trump won the CPAC poll

• In a straw poll taken at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), respondents were asked to select the candidate they prefer to run for president in 2024, and former President Donald Trump had a strong lead in the poll. Trump received 59% of the votes, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in second with 28%, but all other candidates were below 2%.

• When respondents were asked who they would vote for if Trump doesn’t run in 2024, 61% said DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received 6.3%, Donald Trump, Jr. was at 5.9%, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was at 3.3%, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was at 3.3%, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was at 3.1%. In a related poll, 62% of Americans believe that the Russian invasion would not be happening if Trump were in office.

2. Biden picks a SCOTUS justice nominee, Shelby and Tuberville react

• President Joe Biden announced that he’s selected U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the U.S. Supreme Court nominee to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) have reacted to the announcement.

• Shelby said that there must be “a fair and thorough review of Judge Jackson’s qualifications.” He added that he’s “supported judges who respect our Constitution and interpret the law without prejudice.” Tuberville remarked that he wants “a justice who respects the Constitution,” and went on to say, “Judge Jackson deserves a full and fair evaluation of her record.”

1. Putin has nuclear forces on high alert amid Ukraine invasion

• With talk of a peace summit afoot, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that the country’s nuclear weapons be placed on high alert. Putin said of the decision, “Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country.”

• Putin’s mental state has been questioned as the invasion of Ukraine has continued, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki claiming that Putin being isolated during the coronavirus pandemic could be impacting his decision making. She added, “[T]he rhetoric, the actions, the justification that he’s making for his actions are certainly deeply concerning to us.”