7 Things: Trump signs coronavirus stimulus bill, GOP senators urge Tuberville to not join election challenge, both prison reform and a new statehouse will have to wait and more …

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December 28, 2020

7. His name rhymes with ‘Funnymaine’

In a puzzling move, Jermaine “Funnymaine” Johnson was named one of AL.com’s “Alabamians who made a difference in 2020.” In doing so, the publication specifically cites a speech he gave to a large crowd that would later attempt and fail to tear down a Confederate monument before damaging local businesses.
While Johnson did not face charges for his obvious incitement of violence, his intent was clear on the night of the protests and riots. He told an assembled mob, “[W]hile the whole world is on national TV tearing stuff down, we need to tear something tonight. They need to see Birmingham, the home of the Civil Rights Movement, tear some sh*t down tonight.”

6. Biden: The worst of coronavirus is yet to come

President-elect Joe Biden has said that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t even happened yet, and now Dr. Anthony Fauci has echoed these claims by adding that “the numbers really are quite troubling” right now.
Fauci went on to say that he’s hoping it’ll “be by the middle to the end of the summer” that we can reach herd immunity through the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. He added, “[B]y the time we get to the fall, we will reach that critical percentage of people.”

5. No new Alabama statehouse ‘any time soon’

With the upcoming legislative session approaching in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, there are questions about where they’ll be able to meet due to the conditions of the statehouse, but State Senator Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) said the location likely won’t change “any time soon.”
Waggoner also said that they “do have some inadequate facilities based on the space involved…but it would be a very expensive ordeal.”

4. Prison issues won’t be fixed overnight

State House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) recently talked about the issue of the Department of Justice filing a lawsuit against the state of Alabama for the unconstitutional prison conditions. He said the lawsuit is “a little bit aggravating.”
Ledbetter also pointed out that the issues within Alabama prisons aren’t going to be fixed overnight, but he said that they’re already “working on it.” He added that there’s more legislation that’s going to be introduced in the next legislative session.

3. Trump says Republicans didn’t fight for him enough

President Donald Trump has continued to claim that the election was “Rigged & Stolen,” and now he’s going after prominent Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY), for not fighting for him enough.
Trump made the argument if a Democrat were in the same position that he is, “the Democrat Senators would consider it an act of war, and fight to the death. Mitch & the Republicans do NOTHING, just want to let it pass. NO FIGHT!” He also said that the “‘Justice’ Department and the FBI have done nothing about the 2020 Presidential Election Voter Fraud, the biggest SCAM in our nation’s history, despite overwhelming evidence.”

2. Republican Senators pushing Tuberville to not join Brooks’ election challenge

While U.S. Representative-elect Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has signed on to U.S. Representative Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) attempt to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, U.S. Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) hasn’t officially announced that he will join him on January 6, but it’s expected that he will.
Mitch McConnell has already made it clear he wants to avoid this, and Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) has already said that senators will advise Tuberville against challenging the vote. U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has also said that challenging the vote is “a futile exercise.”

1. Coronavirus relief signed

President Donald Trump had refused to sign the coronavirus relief bill due to the fact that there are only $600 stimulus checks included. He had requested that those checks total at least $2,000 per person and threatened to veto, but he signed the bill on Sunday.
Before this announcement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said they’ll hold a vote today to increase the stimulus check amount, but U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that what Trump “is doing right now is unbelievably cruel.” He added, “There’s money in that bill and this president is diddling around and he may actually veto it.”