7 Things: Independence Day protests, mass shooting hits parade in Chicago and more …

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July 5, 2022

7. Travel was a nightmare over the holiday weekend

Over the July 4 weekend, many travelers were left without flights or experienced delayed flights. The number of people traveling was back to near pre-pandemic levels, with 2,490,490 people traveling on Friday, July 1, according to the Transportation Security Administration. This is just under the number of people traveling on February 11, 2020, at over 2.5 million.
On Friday, 464 flights were canceled, and over 6,600 flights were delayed. On Saturday, 655 flights were canceled, and 5,893 were delayed. Sunday saw over 200 flights canceled and over 930 flights delayed. The ongoing travel issues result from staff and pilot shortages across the country. The shortages started during the coronavirus pandemic when airlines started requiring all personnel to get the coronavirus vaccine.

6. Best days are still ahead, according to Biden

In his Independence Day speech at the White House, President Joe Biden stated, “Make no mistake, our best days still lie ahead.” Biden later said on Twitter, “While we celebrate the Fourth of July, I am thinking of the countless service members who have pledged their lives to defend our nation and democracy around the world.”
Vice President Kamala Harris stated, “This Fourth of July, as we celebrate the liberty our brave service members fought and died for, let us fight to ensure every American can enjoy the freedoms promised in the Declaration of Independence and the rights secured by the generations who came before us.”

5. Effort being made to impeach Clarence Thomas

There is now an effort to impeach U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after he voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. About 1 million people have signed a petition to impeach Thomas, with the petition stating that Thomas “made it clear what’s next: to overturn high court rulings that establish gay rights and contraception rights.”
There have also been accusations of conflicts of interest between his ruling on releasing “Donald Trump’s records regarding the January 6 insurrection and attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.” The petition adds, “It has become clear that his wife – long time conservative activist Ginni Thomas – was actively urging the White House to overturn election results both leading up to January 6 and after the deadly insurrection.”

4. Election theft averted in State Senate District 27

In the State Senate District 27 primary, Auburn City Councilman Jay Hovey has officially been declared the winner by the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) after a long debate over whether to include an unregistered voter’s provisional ballot.
Hovey will now face Democratic Party nominee Sherri Reese on November 8 in the general election. While the ALGOP did decide that Hovey beat State Senator Tom Whatley (R-Auburn) by one vote, the party said, “This election cycle has revealed several areas of serious concern in the election process. These issues led to problems that hurt the Alabama Republican Party, our candidates, and our voters. We plan to work with lawmakers, the Secretary of State, Probate Judges, Boards of Registrars, and ALEA to find solutions to these problems, and make sure they don’t happen again.”

3. Brooks has received a subpoena from the January 6 committee

U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) said that he received a subpoena from the House Select January 6 committee but that it was “legally defective.” Brooks went on to say, “I’m going to reiterate to the January 6 committee that I’m more than happy to voluntarily testify provided that they meet certain terms and conditions that make it a better process.”
Today, Brooks is sending his official response to the subpoena. He also discussed how this looked bad for former President Donald Trump, adding, “I have a high degree of confidence that the Democrats are trying to figure out a way to prevent Donald Trump from running for president in 2024…if they can find a way to get a criminal prosecution in front of an overwhelmingly Democrat court and jury, then Donald Trump is at risk of being convicted. Now, how great of a risk I don’t know.”

2. Mass shooting at July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois

Six people were killed, and dozens were injured in an attack on a parade in a Chicago suburb. This mass shooting attack added to the large number of gun deaths that already occurred in Chicago the weekend where 54 were shot prior to this shooting, and seven had already died.
The shooter has been identified as 22-year-old Robert E Crimo III, who is believed to have taken up a position on a rooftop overseeing the parade before firing on the crowd below. Crimo was taken into custody after a manhunt and is now being detained.

1. Protesting Independence Day is all the rage this year

The effort to protest July 4 emerged after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The idea of protesting the holiday has been shared across the country, but even in Mobile, individuals at an abortion rights rally stated they wouldn’t be celebrating due to the ruling.
One individual stated, “There is nothing to celebrate. We’re not independent when people are making choices for our bodies.” Other individuals stated they wouldn’t be celebrating because “We are not free anymore.” On Independence Day, there were rallies held in Huntsville, Auburn, Cullman, Dothan, Tuscaloosa and Mobile to protest the ruling.