7 Things: Calls for more U.S. involvement in war in Ukraine, gallon of gas reaches $4 in Alabama and more …

7. Merrill getting backlash for pushing voter ID using former President Donald Trump

There is probably not a more controversial Secretary of State in the country than Alabama’s John Merrill. Between his personal scandals, willingness to call out other politicians and his Twitter fights, he is constantly the butt of jokes while grabbing the attention of his enemies. Now he finds himself defending the use of posters of former President Donald Trump to promote Alabama’s voter ID program with his opponents ignoring that notorious liberal Jimmy Buffett posters were also given away.
The problem with this campaign is based on the fact that Trump is one of the faces of the ads, which as Merrill’s press secretary points out is actually very smart. “State law requires Merrill to inform the public about the photo ID requirement,” Merrill press secretary Cameron Mixon said in an email. Merrill advised that no one is better at drawing attention to the issue than Trump. In the past, Merrill has employed Nick Saban, Taylor Hicks, Lionel Ritchie and others to inform people of their need to have the proper ID. This backlash is just anti-Trump silliness.

6. EPA is looking into sewage issues in the Black Belt

Over the weekend, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan visited Alabama’s Black Belt and reviewed some of the sewage systems in the area, and said, “It’s very sobering to see that in 2022, in the United States of America, there are people who are subjected to situations that I don’t think any of us would want to be subjected to.”
Regan outlined the issues included “[s]traight piping into lagoons, failing septic systems, waste and raw sewage backing up into yards into homes, seeing children have to walk around delicately so that they don’t sink or get bogged down into their own front yards.” There were three homes toured in Lowndes County.

5. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Selma this weekend

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Selma to commemorate Bloody Sunday, when voting rights activists were beaten by Alabama State Troopers on March 7, 1965 after their march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Confusingly, the crowd was chanting for “fair elections” before the vice president spoke even though the L.A. Times reported voter turnout is dropping in Selma itself.
The media and their Democrats seem perplexed that Alabama Governor Kay Ivey would not meet with Harris, but her behavior at the event provides some clues. While speaking at the anniversary event, Harris said, “Freedom and democracy can never be taken for granted…We will keep shouting, we will keep making good trouble, and we will march on until victory is won.”

4. Alabama man is now being targeted by leftists, but he is turning it into a positive

The Alabama man, Nathan Kirk, who wanted to put “LGBFJB” on his license plate, and is now challenging the Alabama Department of Revenue’s denial of this request, is now receiving backlash from those on the left.
Kirk said that some of the negative attention has been directed at his wife’s business page online, with fake reviews “just bashing us, telling us our family was ugly all kinds of stuff, leaving my wife reviews on her salon page saying that she was a nasty person and that her salon was nasty and they wouldn’t recommend it…people form New Hampshire.” Kirk also said that his own business page has been suspended on Facebook after individuals reported it. He lamented, “Facebook doesn’t review any of them leaving comments saying they hope my family dies, but they do suspend me for sharing my business page two months before that.”

3. Significant tax relief bill considered by Alabama Legislature

An effort to provide more tax relief in the state is ongoing in the Alabama Legislature. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) recently spoke about the “most significant” legislation for this effort while appearing on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal.”
Reed detailed that the legislative package will include five bills that include eliminating the business privilege tax, which he said was the “most significant element” of the week, and cutting taxes for families and retirees. Reed went on to say, “The package is going to be as big based on all the elements that we have $130 million a year in tax relief coming back to the People of Alabama.”

2. $7 gas hits America

A combination of foolish domestic energy production policies and a war involving a major exporter of international oil have driven American gasoline prices up significantly in the last few weeks with California seeing over $7 a gallon for gasoline at some locations with the average price for gas being $5.24 in Los Angeles.
The national average for gasoline is now over $4 a gallon, which is the highest it has been in a decade. Alabama is sitting at $3.81 with $4+ a gallon gas in Macon County and elsewhere. The expectation is that gas prices will increase, driving prices up everywhere, as the American government seeks to balance support for Ukrainians with buying gas from the Russians while figuring out what role OPEC, Iran and Venezuela will play in the future.

1. Ukraine requesting more aid and no-fly zone, Americans want it

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met on a video call with U.S. Senate and House members, pleading with them to send more aid, including lethal aid and planes, to the country. Zelenskyy also asked that the United States stop exporting oil from Russia and impose further sanctions on the country.
Reportedly, 74% of Americans support this, but far fewer understand what it actually means. This would likely lead us to war. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) advised, “I think we need to be clear that we are not going to go to war with Russia, that would be the beginning of WWIII, and it would drag all of Europe into a much broader war.”