7. Biden’s cages are different than Trump’s, so that makes it OK now
- News outlets have been reporting on the new facilities President Joe Biden had built for migrant children at the southern border. Of course, there was less than minimal outrage from the same sources that previously raged against President Donald Trump keeping kids in cages.
- White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Biden’s facilities and how they were different from what Trump was doing, and said, “These are facilities. … This is not kids being kept in cages.” She added that the goal is for children “to then be transferred to families or sponsors.”
6. U.S. Representative Brooks supports constitutional carry
- State Representative Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) has introduced a constitutional carry bill that would remove the requirement for citizens of Alabama to have a permit for concealed carry of a pistol.
- U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has voiced his support for the legislation, as has the National Rifle Association. While voicing his support, Brooks said, “The Constitution doesn’t say the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed unless a state government disagrees.”
5. The battle over unionization Amazon heats up
- Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin upset labor activists by failing to outright endorse the unionization effort in Bessemer, a city he is not the mayor of. He instead stated, “I think if employees want to unionize, they should have that right.” Because of this, he was attacked and completely changed his position.
- Additional attention is being brought to a program that has been a part of the Amazon culture for years where they pay employees to quit. This program is offered every February, just like it is this year, but activists are claiming that it is an effort to weed out union activists.
4. Officials at U.S. Capitol hearings argue the Jan. 6 insurrection was pre-planned
- What is sure to be one of many public hearings that take a look at the riots at on U.S. Capitol on January 6 took place yesterday with a focus on the root cause, response to, communication failures, delays on deploying the National Guard, focus on white supremacists and conspiracy theorists, and the personal stories of those on the ground.
- Interestingly, and almost surely to be forgotten, is the number of officials who laid out that the attack on the U.S. Capitol was a planned and pre-meditated event that could not have been spurred on by speeches made by now-former President Donald Trump and others, including U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville).
3. Alabama’s legislative priorities are set
- After a one-week break to access how coronavirus affected the beginning of the legislative session, the Alabama Legislature is back, and new Senate Pro Tempore Greg Reed (R-Jasper) returned with a set of new priorities. These priorities include supporting economic recovery, state agencies and Alabama’s critical military presence and veterans, as well as the legislature’s annual responsibility to pass the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets.
- Reed notes that they are back and building on the work they have already done. He advised, “Heading in to the first two weeks of session, we in the Senate came to an agreement with House leadership on three priority pieces of legislation – a bill to protect groups from frivolous COVID-19 lawsuits, a bill to ensure federal COVID-relief dollars aren’t taxed by the state government, and legislation to reauthorize important economic development incentives that expired last year.”
2. Action on lottery delayed
- State Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) wants to work on the enabling bill for the lottery and gambling bill before there’s further action taken, so the legislation has been put on hold.
- This is being done to work out more details in the bill, specifically with gambling and casinos. There’s going to be work done to further explain how gambling in the state would work if the constitutional amendment is approved by voters.
1. Herd immunity likely coming soon for COVID
- University of Alabama at Birmingham epidemiologist in the School of Public Health Suzanne Judd, Ph.D. has said that the United States is likely approaching herd immunity with the coronavirus.
- This estimate is based on a recent study from Columbia University, which said that by the end of January, one-third of the population has already had the coronavirus. Judd said that herd immunity should be reached by May as more people get infected or get vaccinated. She added that the coronavirus “is going to be like the seasonal flu, something we have to tolerate regularly.”
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