7 Things: Vestavia church is site of shooting leaving 2 dead, Biden could cut off funding to Alabama children over LGBTQ issues and more …

7. Removing big tech from politics

• The Political BIAS Emails Act would attempt to prevent big tech platforms from engaging in politically biased behavior online. U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said of the legislation, “It is unacceptable for Big Tech to discreetly tip the scale in their direction and take advantage of consumers by altering the viewing preference for certain political emails.”

• U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and 26 other senators have announced their support of the legislation. The bill was brought forward after a study from North Carolina State University showed that within the 2020 presidential election, 8% of Democrat campaign emails were marked as spam by Google, while 70% of Republican campaign emails were given the same treatment. The issue has been discussed, especially since the 2020 election, due to the allegations that big tech companies have exhibited bias toward Democrat candidates and campaigns.

6. Whatley is blaming loss on crossover voting

• In the Senate District 27 GOP primary election, Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey beat State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) by only one vote. Whatley blamed potential crossover voting by Democrats in the Republican primary for his loss. 

• Whatley, who has dropped his request for a recount, said, “In 2016, I sponsored a Bill to stop Democrats from voting in Republican runoffs that was unfortunately defeated by Democrat special interest. This defeat unfortunately just inspired them to attack our primary elections instead…We need to ensure that Republican primaries are for Republicans ONLY. Closing our primary is key to securing our election integrity.” Hovey advised, “I didn’t fight a recount, I simply asked for documentation that the timeline for the request and requirements for assurance were met. All of which were known long before my certification as the Republican nominee was official.”

5. Majority of people support still sending aid to Ukraine

• With three Americans missing in Ukraine, a new unrelated poll conducted by Fox News shows that a majority of voters still believe that the United States should be sending aid to Ukraine in different forms. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they supported sending financial support to Ukraine, while 32% oppose the idea.

• Additionally, 61% of people support sending more weapons to Ukraine, while 30% oppose it. In the same poll, respondents were asked who was more to blame for high gas prices, and 50% said President Joe Biden, 32% said Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, and 13% said both were to blame.

4. Border crossings still at record levels

• According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the number of migrant encounters at the southern border was 239,416 for May 2022, which is a staggering increase from the 180,597 encounters in May 2021.

• Of those encountered at the border, 42% were expelled under Title 42. It’s estimated that over 800,000 migrants have crossed the border unknown since October 2020, with more than 50,000 happening in May 2022.

3. Britt continues to poll ahead

• More polls for the Alabama Republican Senate race have been released supporting previous data that shows U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt leading U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in the runoff election. The most recent surveys were conducted by Emerson College Polling and Auburn University Montgomery.

• In the Emerson poll, 1,000 likely voters were surveyed, and Britt received 50%, while Brooks had 34%. In the Auburn poll, 400 likely voters were surveyed, and Britt received 50.4%, while Brooks had 29.5%.

2. Biden ready to punish Alabama school children

• Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that President Joe Biden was working to hold food “hostage” from students to push his agenda. Marshall said this in response to a decision by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to include gender identity and sexual orientation within Title IX.

• Marshall asserted that if schools didn’t comply with the new discrimination definition under Title IX, there could be funding cuts under the National School Lunch Program. Marshall signed a letter with other attorney generals that says, “[T]he Guidance flouts the rule of law, relies on patently incorrect legal analysis that is currently under scrutiny in the federal courts, and was issued without giving the states the requisite opportunity to be heard…under the present circumstances we are constrained to ask that you direct Secretary Vilsack and the Department of Agriculture to rescind this Guidance.”

1. Tragic shooting in Vestavia Hills’ church during “Boomer Potluck”

• St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church was the scene of a shooting leaving two dead and one injured. While details are scarce, Vestavia Hills PD Capt. Shane Ware told al.com that a “lone suspect” entered where a small group of people were having a potluck and started shooting.

• The motive of the murderer is unknown as of this time, and the Vestavia Police Department is planning to provide more information this morning. Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement, “As we are learning about the shocking and tragic loss of a life at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia, we want to offer our prayers for the victim’s family, the injured and the entire church community. I am glad to hear the shooter is in custody. This should never happen — in a church, in a store, in the city or anywhere. We continue to closely monitor the situation.”