7. Texas and Oklahoma officially request to join the SEC

• In an anticipated move, the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma have officially requested admission into the SEC, which Texas president Jay Hartzell and Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz, Jr. said would be beneficial to the schools and the SEC.
• It was announced last week that the schools intended to leave their current conference the Big 12 to join the SEC. The request is to be admitted to the SEC on July 1, 2025, so the next few years of Big 12 football should be awkward.

6. OK, this incentive might actually work

• Governor Kay Ivey says there will be no vaccine incentives in Alabama, but the city of Gadsden, the Alabama Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama have all created some version of a vaccine incentive to see if they can increase the vaccination rate in their domains. Now, Auburn University is getting in on the game, and their offer may be the best yet.
• Auburn is offering up a bunch of potential perks, including $1,000 scholarships, an unlimited meal plan, priority class registration, student organization perks and even A-zone parking (which is apparently pretty sweet).

5. U.S. Capitol police testify about January 6 riot, lots of baseless claims treated as testimony

• U.S. Capitol police officers who were at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 have testified to what they experienced on that day during the riot, and some have also blamed former President Donald Trump for the mob getting so out of hand to the point where they broke into the Capitol.
• Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges also requested that Congress “address if anyone in power had a role in this. If anyone in power coordinated or aided abetted or tried to downplay, tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack.” U.S. Capitol Police Private First Class Harry Dunn discussed how there were racial slurs used against him by rioters, and he said they were Trump supporters that were sent over to the Capitol that day.

4. The DOJ says Mo Brooks must defend himself

• The Department of Justice has officially declined a request from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) to substitute the federal government as a defendant in the civil lawsuit filed by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)  that alleges Brooks, former President Donald Trump and others should be held responsible for their alleged role in inciting the U.S. Capitol riot.
• The DOJ says that they did not believe that Brooks was acting within the scope of the duties of his office when he spoke at the rally hours before the riot at the U.S. Capitol. They specifically noted his statement about how “today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking a**,” which Brooks himself said was a reference to the 2022 and 2024 elections.

3. Hospitalizations surpass 1,000

• The Alabama Department of Public Health has said that there were 1,083 people hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Tuesday, which is the highest it has been since at least February 17. That date is when the state started to see a decline from the winter surge of cases.
• Since July 4, there has been a 500% increase in hospitalizations, and 94% of those who are hospitalized are unvaccinated, according to assistant state health officer Dr. Karen Landers. According to the department, 96.2% of deaths are also with those who are unvaccinated. Once again, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed their mask guidelines, and now they’re saying that everyone should be masking indoors, no matter what their vaccination status is. The science is interesting and under-scrutiny.

2. No statewide mask mandate is expected

• Coronavirus cases are rising and so are vaccination rates, but it’s not expected that Governor Kay Ivey will reverse course on her decision not to reinstate the statewide mask mandate, as State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris has confirmed he doesn’t expect that to happen. Harris said that the Alabama Department of Public Health will continue to “encourage unvaccinated people to wear masks in just about every situation,” and added that it’s still “optional for vaccinated people but there are certain situations where it makes sense to wear a mask, even for vaccinated people.”
  
• Ivey penned an editorial imploring people to get vaccinated to keep the economy going and kids in school. She wrote that the vaccines are “safe and effective vaccines,” adding, “[W]e can thank former President Donald Trump and all of those involved in Operation Warp Speed for making this medical miracle happen.”

1. Federal employees will have to get vaccinated

• President Joe Biden is expected to announce plans to require all federal employees to get the coronavirus vaccine, saying that the plan is “under consideration right now,” as coronavirus cases are increasing across the country. This plan would go against Biden’s previous statements against federal agencies requiring vaccines. The Department of Justice has announced vaccine mandates are legal for the federal government, state and private entities.
• It’s speculated that included with this plan would also be required regular testing for employees, even after proving that they’re vaccinated. While discussing the plan, Biden added, “[I]f you’re not vaccinated, you’re not nearly as smart as I thought you were.”