7. Fauci needs to leave his job now

• Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to retire by the end of President Joe Biden’s current term after working as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease since 1984. Fauci rose in notority during the coronavirus pandemic.

• The White House chief medical adviser has regularly been criticized for his polarizing statements and conflicting opinions. About the coronavirus, Fauci advised, “I think we’re going to be living with this.”

6. COVID-19 cases are way up; State Health Officer says hospitalizations not a concern

• Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the new surge in COVID-19 cases was not as big of a concern as previous increases in cases the state and country have seen because “we aren’t seeing the same number of deaths.” The good news is clear, but there is some concerning news. For example, Madison County has seen more cases so far in 2022 than it saw in 2021 altogether.

• Harris laid out the way mortality has dropped and explained, “For the first year and a half of the pandemic, if we got 100 cases today, we knew in two or three weeks one or two of those people were not going to survive. It was just the 1% or 2% mortality rate. It was really consistent for most of the pandemic, but now that we have vaccines, now that we have monoclonal antibodies that are effective, now that we have oral medications that are effective, and because the variant strain itself is a little less deadly on average, we’re seeing that decoupling, if you will, from the case numbers and the numbers of deaths.”

5. Young Decatur city councilman is in the news again

• Decatur City Councilman Hunter Pepper has made headlines again after an Independence Day weekend encounter with Decatur Police officers over fireworks at his home. In Decatur, individuals cannot possess, sell or use fireworks within city limits.

• Pepper denied owning the fireworks at his residence, and while speaking with officers, he denied complying until the sergeant was on the scene. In a Facebook post, Pepper wrote, “During this gathering, within city limits of Decatur, I and many others watched and took part in celebrating my blowing up the sky with [fireworks] and it was a wonderful time!” Pepper acknowledged that he acted improperly and broke the law. Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling commented on the situation, “Mr. Pepper finds himself in situations in which he often has to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ or ‘I won’t do it again.’ Hopefully, he will eventually learn not to get himself in these situations.”

4. Moore joins the argument against federal abortion protection

• After President Joe Biden signed an executive order that attempts to support federalizing abortion laws, U.S. Representative Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and 56 other Republicans in the House sent a letter demanding that the order be rescinded.

• The letter says the order “is undoubtedly a first step in circumventing Americans’ voice on the issue.” It adds, “We urge you and expect you to rescind your recent Executive Order and refrain from taking any other executive action that threatens Americans’ right to self-determination and the democratic process as it relates to protecting innocent unborn children.” Since the executive order was signed, the U.S. House has passed a federal abortion act.

3. Britt is leading in the U.S. Senate race, obviously

• In an expected update of the U.S. Senate race, Republican candidate Katie Britt has a dominating lead over Democratic candidate Will Boyd in the latest fundraising reports for the second quarter.

• In the second quarter, Britt reported $1.33 million, while Boyd reported $16,824. When it comes to cash-on-hand, Britt has also reported $1.2 million, compared to Boyd’s reported $921.

2. World Games end with dozens arrested for human trafficking

• During the World Games in Birmingham, an investigation took place to expose and capture human traffickers and rescue victims that were being trafficked. Special agent in charge Katrina W. Berger explained, “Major sporting events like this routinely attract transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors involved in illicit criminal activity such as human exploitation crimes, drug trafficking and the sale of counterfeit merchandise.”

• There were six arrests made on human trafficking, dozens of arrests of those seeking to buy sex and multiple arrests of adult men trying to lure a minor. Four minors were rescued from labor trafficking, seven adults were rescued from labor trafficking, two minors were rescued from sex trafficking, 15 adults were rescued from sex trafficking, and 11 minors were identified as victims of exploitation. Many other arrests related to drugs and counterfeit goods also occurred.

1. Biden celebrating drop in gas prices, despite prices still being the highest in years

• While inflation is costing the average American family $718 a month, President Joe Biden and his administration are taking a victory on gas prices falling by “about 50 cents a gallon.” He posted on Twitter that this “saves the average driver about $25 a month.” He continued, “I know those extra dollars and cents mean something. It’s breathing room. And we’re not done working to get prices even lower.” Gas prices are still up over $2.00 from when he took office when the price was $2.39.

• During a White House press briefing, senior economic adviser Jared Bernstein said, “It’s one of the fastest declines in retail gas prices in a decade.” He went on to add that Biden “put his head down and got to work, and got us to work, to do everything we could to achieve that goal.” This praise continues to ignore that the current gas prices are still the highest seen in several years.