7 Things: Gambling still being proposed in the Alabama Legislature, COVID-19 relief spending moves on and more …

7. Katie Britt: U.S. should back out of Beijing Olympics

U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt is advocating for the United States to not compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics set to start in Beijing, China. Britt deemed the games, which are set to begin in February, the “Olympics of genocide.”
Britt brought up concerns of China’s human rights violations they’ve committed against their own citizens and added, “[F]or us to allow such a celebration, such a monumental event to occur right there in the midst of it, is disgusting. And I understand that we have many people who have trained or years to be there, and certainly, everyone wants them to have that opportunity.” Britt also said that “standing up against genocide is far more important than anything else we could possibly do.”

6. There’s another variant

Another coronavirus variant has been discovered in 40 countries and is being called BA.2. Worldwide experts have tied the variant to about 8,000 cases. Cases have been found in the United States, UK, Germany, Australia, India and more.
So far, experts believe BA.2 is a variant from the Omicron variant, but there is very little information available on the variant beyond that. Denmark, Norway and Sweden have seen an increase in the variant and it has become the dominant variant.

5. Biden vaccine mandate is pulled as new vaccine is being developed

President Joe Biden’s administration is now officially ending their private employer vaccine mandate after losing multiple battles at the federal court and Supreme Court level. The Biden administration is ending its legal battle over the mandate, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is pulling the rule off their website while asking for all court cases related to it to be dismissed.
A new coronavirus vaccine is being developed and tested by Pfizer to help prevent infection from the Omicron variant. Currently, adults are being enrolled in tests to see how the vaccine holds up under a study. Pfizer vaccine research chief Kathrine Jansen said they “recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address omicron and new variants in the future.” Other studies have found that a second booster shot doesn’t offer additional protection against the Omicron variant. The new study will include people ages 18-55, with a maximum of 1,420 participants.

4. Troops could be sent to Europe soon

As Russian troops and artillery have been flown to Belarus, President Joe Biden says that it’s likely U.S. troops will be sent into Europe in the “near term” to counter Russia’s forces that threaten Ukraine.
If there is a large military operation posed against Ukraine by Russia, then troops would likely be placed at NATO countries that are considered the front lines in this scenario. Americans were already encouraged to evacuate the country, and Biden has already compared the movements to World War II.

3. Ukraine sovereignty must be defended, U.S. sovereignty is another story

There were a record number of migrants apprehended at the southern border in 2021, and while President Joe Biden and his administration have maintained a “Remain in Mexico” policy, in December, only 267 migrants were enrolled in the program. The program was only re-established on December 6 after being ordered by a federal judge. Additionally, only 19% of families were placed under Title 42 at the border, which allows for the expulsion of migrants. These figures have created more concern over how the border is being handled. Now, single men are being let in without minors and being dispersed around the country.
This does not mean that American politicians aren’t serious about border security. It just means they aren’t serious about American border security. But, when it comes to Ukraine, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is pushing for immediate passage of legislation that would spend $500 million in American tax dollars to keep Russia from entering Ukraine and threatening their sovereignty.

2. Coronavirus relief spending plan advances

The Alabama Legislature’s plan on how to spend $772 million in relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act has advanced after the State House of Representatives voted in favor of the plan 100-1.
The State Senate also voted on the plan, which passed 26-1. Most of the projects in the funding will be focused on broadband, water and sewer, health care services, and unemployment. The funding was expected to be approved since it had already passed last week as well.

1. Regulate and tax gambling in Alabama

State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) said that he will continue to push for legislation on gaming, especially gaming that’s already happening in Alabama, ensuring that the activity is regulated and taxed. Albritton is currently attempting to go about this without a constitutional amendment.
Albritton said that a lot of gaming is already happening in Alabama, despite it not being legal statewide. He advised that his “concept is going to be to put the state in a position that we can capture all of this activity, all of these transactions at one time through one legislation to capture it all and put the state in charge of that – to control it, regulate it, tax it – and doing that by setting up the proper gaming commission, but initiating that without a [constitutional amendment].”