7 Things: Severe weather hits Alabama, lottery bill lives, lack of racial motive in Atlanta shootings doesn’t deter the media and more …

7. Bessemer Amazon employee gets a national stage

• The U.S. Senate Budget Committee held a hearing over the Bessemer Amazon employees wanting to unionize, and an employee from the fulfillment center testified at the hearing, saying that unionizing would help employees be “more comfortable.”
• The hearing also related to overall topics of wages and large corporations, but U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) did say that he wants to ask Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, “Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Ala., from joining a union so they can negotiate for better wages, better benefits and better working conditions?”

6. Biden taking shots at Putin

• President Joe Biden is assisting in reviving the Russian interference in elections narrative, as declassified information has shown that Russia and Iran may have tried to influence the 2020 presidential election. According to a report, Iran was trying to harm President Donald Trump’s reelection, while Russia was trying to prevent Biden from being elected.
• In a recent interview, Biden discussed the issue and specifically spoke about what repercussions Russia and President Vladimir Putin could face. He said, “The price he’s going to pay, you’ll see shortly.” Biden also said that he thinks Putin is a killer.

5. Democrats want to increase taxes on families and employers

• It’s been revealed that President Joe Biden is planning one of the largest tax increases in decades, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki has clarified that this tax increase will be focused on families making more than $400,000.
• Biden described this tax increase as “significant,” but Psaki failed to clarify what the threshold for increased taxes would be for individuals. Biden is already aware that it’s unlikely he’ll get any support from Republicans on this plan.

4. McConnell could go ‘scorched earth’

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is preparing for the event that Democrats look to end the filibuster, saying that could result in a “scorched earth” approach where they stall any and all normal operations.
• If Democrats successfully end the filibuster, their majority power would only become more significant. McConnell also said that the legislative conflict seen during President Barack Obama and Donald Trump’s terms would just be “child’s play” in comparison.

3. Even without a racial motive, shooting at massage parlors sparks racial uproar

• On Tuesday, Robert Aaron Long killed eight people in a series of shootings in Georgia, and law enforcement has determined the shootings were not racially-motivated, but the American media have decided they know better, saying — without evidence — that the attack is actually about anti-Asian hatred.
• Jay Baker, a spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, said Long had visited these establishments in the past, struggled with sex addiction, and that they were “targets of opportunity” to “eliminate the temptation” he was feeling. This, of course, has made him a target of the media as well.

2. Lottery bill passes committee

• A lottery bill by State Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville) has been passed by the Alabama Senate Tourism Committee. This bill is similar to State Senator Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) in the way that it’s proposed as a constitutional amendment.
• McClendon says this is just “a plain and simple lottery.” The committee took a voice vote, and no one voted against the bill. There would be an Alabama Lottery Corporation and Alabama Lottery Commission created. Gaming is still not allowed within the bill, which explicitly states “video lottery terminals or any casino or similar gaming establishment” can’t be approved to operate.

1. Alabama weathers the storm

• Severe weather led to multiple tornadoes, flooding, a lot of damage and power outages across the state of Alabama, but it appears large-scale destruction was avoided.
• Some schools, daycares and businesses across the state saw delays on Thursday morning, but the severe weather event has passed.