7. SPLC: Racial extremism is declining
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The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that the number of racist extremist groups is declining, with 733 identified in 2021. In 2020, there were 838, and for the two years prior to that, the number of groups had been declining.
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In 2018, there was the highest number recorded with 1,021. The SPLC also reported that there has been a steady decline of anti-government groups.
6. COVID-19 money relief for actual COVID-19 related issues
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After awarding a grant to volunteer fire departments, Governor Kay Ivey has taken additional coronavirus benefits totaling $80 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to create grants for nursing homes and hospitals.
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Ivey declared, “Alabama is showing the rest of the country that we can learn to live with this virus and move on with living our lives. As we close the door on this thing, I once again give my utmost appreciation and thanks to the medical professionals and staff in our hospitals and nursing homes across the state.”
5. There’s still a push for public health reform as the pandemic ends
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The coronavirus pandemic is largely considered to be over, but there is a continued push to reform the public health system in Alabama. State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) previously introduced a bill that would limit the powers of the State Health Officer with emergency orders.
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There is also pieces of legislation being considered that would limit what county health officers can do without the approval of the State Health Officer, penalize schools with mask mandates, vaccine mandate protections, and protect parents’ ability to enter daycare centers during a statewide health emergency.
4. Plan to send $13.6 billion to Ukraine passes the House
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The U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to send $13.6 billion to Ukraine in an effort to support the country. The total bill’s price tag is $1.5 trillion and also keeps the government from shutting down.
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The U.S. Senate is expected to easily pass the measure before the deadline to fund the government after Republicans objected to new COVID-19 funding without accounting for the previous dollars spent on the pandemic. That provision was removed from the bill after Democrats begrudgingly removed the new spending and agreed to use existing funding for COVID-19 priorities.
3. Mo Brooks dropped from January 6-related case
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It was all but inevitable, but it finally happened in a courtroom. U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) joined Donald Trump, Jr. and Rudy Giuliani in being dismissed from a frivolous lawsuit by Chinese honeypot victim and failed presidential candidate U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).
- U.S. District Judge Mehta Amit dismissed all claims against Brooks over Swalwell’s objection. Brooks declared victory and wants retractions. He stated, “In order to restore my name against these sad, malicious attacks, I demand that each and every Socialist Democrat, Fake News Media outlet, and RINO ‘Surrender Caucus’ Republican who sullied my good name by accusing me of inciting violence, publicly apologize and retract their statements.” That seems unlikely.
2. Biden and the media need you to think it is only Putin’s fault
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Despite inflation already causing massive price increases in the United States, the White House has blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for price increases on gasoline, with the trend of #PutinPriceHike starting.
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White House communications director Kate Bedingfield advised, “For months Putin has been saber-rattling, and for months gas prices have been going up – up 75 cents since he began his military build-up. This is the #PutinPriceHike in action, and @POTUS is going to use every tool at his disposal to shield Americans from pain at the pump.”
1. All options are on the table, except domestic oil
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President Joe Biden and the White House has insisted that they are examining all possible options to ease the fuel issues created by banning Russian oil and to prevent gasoline prices from increasing more than they already have. Those options include groveling to the worst people on the planet.
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However, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that “[i]f we’re trying to bring about more supply,” restarting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline “does not address any problem.” She added, “The pipeline is just a delivery mechanism, it’s not an oil field, so it does not provide more supply into the system.” Psaki went on to say there are “no plans” to restart construction, as “it would not address any of the problems we’re having currently.”
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