7. Ted Cruz under fire for vacation to Cancun
- The state of Texas has seen a major energy crisis as they were impacted by severe winter weather, and Democrats have attacked U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) for going to Cancun during this time, and some have even called for him to resign.
- When asked about the issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said their focus is working with those in Texas and surrounding states, and while she didn’t take a direct dig at Cruz, she said, “We expect that would be the focus of anyone in the state or in surrounding states who is elected to represent them.”
6. Effort to not let Trump be buried at Arlington
- Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking to prevent “twice impeached” Presidents of the United States from being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, which is just another attempt to display how much they despise President Donald Trump.
- The bill is being called “No Glory for Hate Act” and would “prohibit the use of federal funds for the commemoration of certain former Presidents,” but specifically those who were impeached twice. It also prohibits funds being used to “create or display any symbol, monument, or statue commemorating” such a president.
5. Blocking funds from states that are still locked down
- U.S. Representative Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has announced his support for a bill that would prevent states from receiving coronavirus relief funds if they’re still on lockdown. Moore said, “Congress must stop bailing out states that implement burdensome restrictions on small businesses struggling to recover from the economic impact of COVID lockdowns.”
- The bill would still allow states to receive funds from the Paycheck Protection Program and coronavirus testing. Some of the others cosponsoring the bill are U.S. Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Alex Mooney (R-WV), Matthew Rosendale, Sr. (R-MT) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO).
4. Herd immunity by April is possible
- After almost a year of really bad news, there is reason to have some hope that the coronavirus pandemic is coming under control with new cases down 77% in six weeks, and we could be closer to herd immunity than many think, according to Dr. Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.
- With 15% of Americans getting the vaccine and the focusing of that vaccine on the most vulnerable — coupled with speculation that there is some natural immunity for about 55% of Americans through previous mild infections — the media would argue this is all about masks, but that is just silly.
3. First U.S. Senate candidate announced
- Businesswoman Lynda Blanchard, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump as the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia, has announced that she’ll be entering the U.S. Senate race in 2022 for U.S. Senator Richard Shelby’s (R-AL) seat.
- Blanchard put out a video to announce her candidacy and she said she’s “a proud member of the MAGA movement.” She listed some of her top values as “free speech, the right to bear arms, religious freedom, the sanctity of life for all of God’s children – born and unborn, lower taxes, a secure border, the belief that America is the greatest nation the world has ever known.”
2. Alabama looking to dismiss the Department of Justice lawsuit
- The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama for the unconstitutional conditions inside some of the men’s prisons, and now Alabama has filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
- The argument to have the case dismissed is the conditions in the prison don’t actually reach unconstitutional standards. The attorney for Alabama has said that the Department of Justice “does not specifically allege that anyone associated with the state acted or failed to act in a manner that caused these alleged attacks.”
1. Biden wants to steal an Alabama U.S. House seatOn the same day the Biden administration announced plans to cut back on arrests and deportations by
- On the same day the Biden administration announced plans to cut back on arrests and deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the administration is arguing that the case brought by Alabama to keep illegal immigrants from being included in changing the congressional districts based on 2020 U.S. Census data should be dismissed.
- They’re also arguing that the case should, at the very least, be stalled until Alabama knows if they’ll lose a congressional district after the Census Bureau released apportionment data. Attorneys said, “Alabama might well retain seven House seats regardless of whether undocumented immigrants are included in the apportionment base.”