7. Maybe Texas will build a border wall to keep Vice President Harris out
- Vice President Kamala Harris is having an interesting few days far-south of the border as she attempts to deal with the disastrous immigration policy of the Biden administration. With Harris out of the country, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced the state will build some border wall of its own.
- Abbott referenced the new administration’s failure and the influx of illegal immigrants into his state while making the announcement as part of a $1 billion dollar plan for border security. Abbott said, “While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows. The state is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally.”
6. Alabama will never miss the playoffs again
- Great news for fans of college football but bad news for the purist in the college football fandom as it appears an expanded playoff is all but inevitable at this point. The proposed system has no guaranteed bids, but the six highest-ranking conference champions are in and then the six highest-ranked determined by the CFP selection committee are in, too.
- This is great news for the University of Alabama, who have never come close to falling below the 12th best team in college football since the playoff era has been taking place. This would be great for the SEC as well because there is no limit on the number of teams a conference can send.
5. New report says vaccinating those with prior COVID-19 infections is unnecessary
- The vaccination of those who already had COVID-19 may end up being unnecessary if a new study from the Cleveland Clinic is accurate. According to the study, those infected previously gain nothing by being vaccinated.
- The study shows that vaccines should be prioritized to those individuals who have never been infected; it also means that counting those with vaccinations as the only metric is a flawed way to discuss where the country is at this moment.
4. Tuberville wants you to get your vaccine
- High-profile public figures in Alabama have tried to convince vaccine-hesitant individuals to get the coronavirus vaccine. We have seen Nick Saban, Governor Kay Ivey and others record videos for the effort.
- Now, former Auburn head coach and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has recorded his own where he tells Alabamians, “Getting the vaccine is safe, effective, and free. I got mine. And let me tell you, it’s worth it. Vaccines have slowed the rate of hospitalization and death down dramatically – and we want to keep it that way.”
3. District Attorney has trespassing complaint tied to Mo Brooks and his wife
- The man that served U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) for U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) by “accosting” his wife in the Brooks home is now facing a potential legal problem and a charge of misdemeanor trespassing. The case is now in the hands of the Madison County District Attorney.
- The process server, Christian Seklecki, agreed with the account given by Martha Brooks even though that account was disputed by Swalwell’s attorney on CNN. All of this may be for naught as Madison County district attorney’s office has said they would not seek to extradite Seklecki, who lives in Georgia but could be arrested if he returns to Madison County.
2. Alabama legislators looking to ban Critical Race Theory
- Even though the Alabama Legislature seems like it just finished meeting last month, some legislators are ready to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the state. Alabama is hardly alone.
- State Representative Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) has already proposed a bill for the next legislative session that would ban teaching “that this state or the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist” or “that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
1. Shelby endorses Katie Britt for U.S. Senate
- U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has endorsed his former chief of staff and the former head of the Business Council of Alabama Katie Britt, saying, “She’s like family. She’d make a good candidate. She’s probably the best-qualified candidate to come along in a long time” but said he will not be active in her campaign.
- The endorsement of Britt by Shelby is a good get for Britt but al(dot)com tried to plagiarize the headline from Politico and make it about former President Donald Trump with a headline that read, “Shelby distances from Trump with Katie Britt endorsement,” even though Shelby didn’t mention or reference the former president in any way, shape or form.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.