7. No tolls in Mobile

• State Senator Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) reacted to the new proposal for the I-10 Mobile Bay Bridge that would include a toll. he argued that a toll should not be considered for the bridge.

• Under the current proposal, individuals could get an ALGO pass that would allow them to use the bridge at $40 monthly or $2.50 each way, but for individuals without a pass, it’s $5.50 each way. Elliott stated, “I think no matter what the toll is proposed that Alabamians shouldn’t have to pay that toll – that Alabamians are investing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on the front-end should not have to pay when they have made an investment like that.”

6. Mobile County Health Department urges to mask up

• While COVID-19 is not over by any stretch, the danger from the illness has lessened because of the weakening of the virus, treatments available and vaccinations. The Mobile County Health Department is advising people to continue masking up indoors, even though that sounds unlikely.

• The department’s message states, “Our COVID-19 community level is now in the high-risk category for transmission. Much of lower Alabama, Mississippi coast, and Florida are in the high-risk category for transmission. It is recommended that a mask be worn in public indoor spaces, maintain social distancing, get tested if you have symptoms, and stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.”

5. State could streamline adoption next session

• State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) has already made it clear that she would be pushing for a simplified adoption process in the upcoming legislative session, and now she’s reaffirmed that she wants to “streamline” the system.

• Collins stated on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” that the legislature would look at improving the adoption process through foster care and added, “There’s been a group with the Alabama Law Institute for the last several years that are experts in working with adoption and foster law, and they’ve been working to rework the laws that we have so we get rid of some of the bureaucratic tape – so that we not put anybody in a place that’s unsafe, but that we still streamline the process itself.”

4. Biden is selling American oil to China and Europe; Hunter kickbacks unknown

• On the same day when the White House responded to a question about President Joe Biden’s obvious knowledge of his son’s business deals around the globe, it was also reported that oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve had found its way into foreign hands.

• The premise that this was going to lower gas prices was laughable from the beginning, but few expected this oil would be exported. Cargo ships carrying American reserves are heading all over the world with ships heading to Italy, France, India, the Netherlands and China, which seems unlikely to benefit Americans in any substantial way.

3. Brooks responds to January 6 committee subpoena

• In a letter sent to the House January 6 committee, U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) responded to the subpoena for testimony he received from the committee. Brooks said in the letter, “Congress’s subpoena authority is not without limitation.”

• Brooks went on to state, “[T]he Committee is not even operating in compliance with the rules its own members voted to put in place.” The objections Brooks raised were “Failure to Allow Required Minority Representation,” “Failure to Comply with Ranking Member Requirements,” “Committee Does No Engage in Valid Legislative Tasks,” “The Subpoena Does Not State the Deposition Place,” and “Minority Party Excluded from Depositions.” The North Alabama lawmaker went on to note that he was still willing to testify but under terms that he had previously laid out.

2. Threats of political reckoning over abortion laws are already starting

• The director of Planned Parenthood Alabama Stephen Stetson has expressed that in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, there would be a “political reckoning” in the state. Similar ideas were pushed previously when the Human Life Protection Act was passed in 2019.

• Stetson stated that “politicians are going to be less inclined to take a stand that they feel is out of sync with their constituents.” He added that a majority of people don’t think the ruling should’ve been overturned. He went on to say, “People have taken for granted that we’ve had this right and when they realize they don’t, I think there may be a political reckoning from that.”

1. 2020 abortion data released for Alabama

• While abortion has been made illegal in Alabama, there has been data released by the Alabama Department of Public Health showing the demographics of those who had an abortion in 2020. According to the data, a vast majority of abortions occurred in the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

• About 30% of abortions were at six or fewer weeks pregnant, about 20% were done at seven weeks, and about 15% were done at eight weeks. After eight weeks, the percentage decreases rapidly, with no data showing after 22 weeks, except for in the “Not Stated” category. The data also showed that 32.32% of people who had an abortion had no previous children, but 28.5% had one child, 22.61% had two children, 10.61% had three children, and 3.95% had four children.