7 Things: UAB coronavirus vaccine showing good results, Alabama schools close over virus concerns, RNC tries to make Trump’s case and more …

7. Hillary Clinton never conceded

• In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton said that former Vice President Joe Biden “should not concede under any circumstances” in the 2020 presidential election, adding that she believes “this is going to drag out.”
• Clinton went on to say that as the election will drag out, “eventually” Biden will be named the winner, “if we don’t give an inch and we are as focused and relentless as the other side is.”

6. Crossover voting is still illegal

• Alabama law currently prohibits crossover voting, but Secretary of State John Merrill is currently working with county officials to investigate potential crossover voting that may have taken place during the July 14 primary runoff.
• Of the votes that have been examined, seven votes in Madison County were returned to Merrill’s office as crossover votes, 18 votes were returned in Jefferson County and one vote was returned in Montgomery County.

5. Confederate monument supporters face uphill battle

• Recently, those in favor of keeping the Confederate monument in front of the Madison County Courthouse in downtown Huntsville voiced their support and concerns, but County Commission Chair Dale Strong continues to show the county’s intention to remove the monument.
• Strong has said that the commission is working to “proceed with the preservation, the relocation,” and he’s also confirmed that the monument will have to be removed for repair and restoration. There’s been speculation that once the monument is removed for repairs it could be returned to a different location.

4. Automotive company investing in Alabama

• DURA Automotive System will invest $59 million into Alabama, according to Governor Kay Ivey, as they will be opening a plant to manufacture battery trays for electric vehicles in Muscle Shoals.
• This will also directly create 279 new jobs. The project is going to be supported by the Shoals Economic Development Authority. Ivey said she’s “very excited to see DURA Automotive Systems make a significant investment in Alabama and create career opportunities for our hard-working citizens in the Shoals.”

3. RNC night two angers the media and their Democrats

• The media continues their attempt to paint the RNC as a bleak and dark affair like they do every election cycle, while adding complaints about President Donald Trump using the office of the presidency to his advantage. In reality, it is pretty clear that Donald Trump and his team are pretty good at putting on TV shows, accentuating positive points about the country and highlighting those who have benefited from his policies.
• The President of the United States used his TV time to pardon a person, naturalize five new American citizens and introduced America to 34-year-old Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who blasted the Democratic candidate for his history of foolish racial comments. He stated, “Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am Black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own. And you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin.”

2. Universities and K-12 schools seeing coronavirus cases

• The University of Alabama has seen 500 new coronavirus cases in the first week of classes,. This should only get worse as the virus spreads through the community, and Mayor Walt Maddox warned that DCH Regional Medical Center could be “stretched beyond its capacity within four to six weeks.”
• Some high schools are seeing cases. East Franklin Junior High joins Elkmont High School as a public school that will be shut down until September 8, and the plan is for students to move to virtual learning. Franklin County Superintendent Greg Hamilton didn’t specifically say how many positive coronavirus cases the school had, but the Alabama Department of Public Health did recommend the closure.

1. Vaccine showing promising results

• At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, there’s evidence that a nasal spray vaccine could be effective against the coronavirus, as they’ve had a vaccine candidate show promising lab results, but the question about how long immunity lasts is still unknown.
• Expert on immunology and senior scientist at UAB’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Troy Randall has said that a nasal spray “may be able to attack it and prevent the infection,” but “[r]ight now, we only have a couple months of immunity to look at. We don’t know how long that immunity will last.”