7. At least this isn’t Canada… yet

• As of yesterday, no one over the age of 12 in Canada is allowed to travel by plane or train without first being vaccinated against the coronavirus. The country also won’t be allowing individuals to provide a negative coronavirus test to travel. This policy was previously announced at the end of October but is only in effect completely now. The edict comes as countries around the world, including the United States, are discussing the new Omicron variant of the virus and deciding how to deal with a possible increase in cases.
• President Joe Biden is considering some wild regulations of his own involving travel, and it’s not just for people from other countries. On Thursday, Biden is expected to announce that everyone entering the country one day prior to their trip and three to five days after they arrive, vaccinated or not, regardless of where they come from, get tested. And all travelers, including Americans, will need to self-quarantine for seven days, even with a negative COVID-19 test.

6. Heritage group is fighting monument removal

• In Macon County, the United Daughters of the Confederacy have been advocating for a Confederate monument to remain in Tuskegee. Currently, the Daughters of the Confederacy own the land that the monument stands on, but the county is attempting to get the deed.
• The city of Tuskegee has a population that’s 97% black, and there has been consistent pressure to remove the monument that’s positioned outside the courthouse. This monument was also put in place around the same time as many others around the state, about 115 years ago. 

5. CNN’s Chris Cuomo suspended

• CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been suspended indefinitely after reports emerged that he used some of his resources at the network to investigate some of the women who accused his brother, former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), of sexual misconduct.
• CNN released a statement after the New York attorney general’s office released the documents showing Chris Cuomo’s behavior. CNN said they weren’t aware of the report until it was released and added, “When Chris admitted to us he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.”

4. Majority of people view China as a threat

• The top threat to the United States is China, according to most people who responded to a recent poll by the Reagan National Defense Survey, from the Ronald Reagan Institute. This was the first time that China was identified as the top threat.
• The institute’s report said, “Fifty-two percent of Americans name China when asked which country they see as the greatest threat to the United States, while only 14% say Russia.” In 2018, only 21% of people viewed China as the top threat, and 30% said Russia. According to the survey, 64% of Republicans view China as the top threat, while 44% of Democrats view China the same.

3. Alabama Legislature will consider gaming again in 2022

• It’s expected that the Alabama Legislature will take up gaming legislation again during the regular session in 2022. State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) said he thinks “that’s going to be fought over again this time and hopefully passed this time.”
• Albritton also spoke in favor of legalizing gaming in Alabama and added, “The state has got to get control of the gaming that is already occurring in the state of Alabama. We’ve got to get some controls on it. We’ve got to have some taxing on it. We’ve got to have some benefits on it and make sure we make it legal where it’s going on because most of where it is going on is not legal or unregulated.”

2. The supply chain issues aren’t made up

• In Alabama, supply chain issues have become very real for many cities and citizens, as well as across the country. One specific issue of supply chain delays was in Mobile, where materials necessary to repair a road were delayed for months.
• Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson stated, “Every single project we are dealing with, any contractor…is being challenged right now.” Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan advised, “[T]he supply chain issue means that we cannot always provide the level of service that our citizens deserve.” Due to supply chain issues, there are now delays on city projects across Alabama.

1. Health care worker mandate is heading to higher court

• Another day, another big setback for President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate scheme, and this time it is national. A federal judge has ruled for Louisiana and 13 other states (including Alabama) when he issued a stay against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service emergency order that mandated vaccines for full-time employees, part-time employees, volunteers and contractors who worked for medical providers that receive federal funding.

• Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the ruling and took a shot at the president as well. He declared, “President Biden has abandoned persuasion for brute force in launching an unprecedented series of federal mandates aimed at compelling most of the adult population of the United States to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but his unlawful, unconstitutional, and un-American decrees are being met head-on in court by the force of law.”