Greene County Democrat

Category: Health

  • Newswire : Trump ramps up attack on Manhattan DA with violent imagery and call for ‘Death’ and ‘Destruction’

    Trump ramps up attack on Manhattan DA with violent imagery and call for ‘Death’ and ‘Destruction’


    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Former President Donald Trump has ramped up the rhetoric and the threats as potential criminal charges loom in New York, Georgia, and Washington. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and posted a photo of him swinging a bat to the head of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
He also threatened that his anticipated arrest would lead to “death and destruction.”
“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country? Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truly hates the USA!” Trump wrote.
Then in all capital letters, Trump continued his tirade:
“EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG, BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!”
A week before, Trump predicted that authorities from New York would arrest him, however, that has not happened yet.
Bragg’s office said Trump simply misled the public about an imminent arrest.
“We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” Bragg said through a spokesperson.
Bragg, 49, maintained that no one is above the law, and everyone receives equal treatment. “In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth,” his statement continued. Our skilled, honest, and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work.”
Trump’s social media attack on Bragg could reveal the frustrations and even the concern he might possess over all of the legal problems he currently faces.
Bragg’s case, in which the former President allegedly paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and committed campaign finance crimes, is just the tip of the iceberg for the bombastic Trump.
Most legal experts believe Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis might have a more serious case. A special grand jury disbanded in January after reportedly recommending charges that include obstruction, bribery, and interfering with a presidential election.
Additionally, a Special Counsel’s investigation into Trump allegedly mishandling classified documents at his Florida home has amped up with a federal judge ordering the former President’s lawyer to testify.
Finally, the Congressional committee that investigated the January 6 insurrection has recommended serious charges against Trump to the U.S. Department of Justice. Those charges could include treason.
“It would be a travesty of justice,” Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson said if Trump isn’t prosecuted by federal authorities for his role in the insurrection.
“Nobody is above the law, not even the President of the United States,” said Thompson, who chaired the commission.
“What we saw after interviewing more than 1,000 people – the majority of who identify with the Republican Party – we are convinced that whatever happened, happened because of one person. So, we are clear in our recommendation.”

  • Newswire: At least 26 dead in Mississippi tornado, predominately Black community devastated

    By Hazel Trice Edney

    DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and other emergency management officials speak with a survivor of the devastating tornadoes that impacted Rolling Fork, Mississippi. (PHOTO:FEMA)

    TriceEdneyWire.com) – A couple of mornings of national news focus on the tornado that killed at least 26 people in 80 percent Black Rolling Fork, Mississippi and many news agencies have now  turned to another mass shooting in Nashville. Competing news interests have faded from the people of Rolling Fork, but they are receiving help from politicians, private and public disaster assistance agencies, churches and kind-hearted volunteers.

    “Friend – a series of violent tornadoes have devastated Mississippi and neighboring areas: destroying homes, damaging businesses, and tragically taking at least 26 lives,” the NAACP wrote in a mass email appealing for help from its members. “The NAACP is urgently responding to Mississippi’s state of emergency. We’re coordinating relief efforts with the Red Cross, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, and local branch leaders so that every Mississippian gets the support they need ASAP. Your donation, no matter how large or small, will help our teams on the ground provide shelter, food, water, and other essentials to NAACP members and others who are suffering.

    According to Abre’ Conner, NAACP director of Environmental and Climate Justice, author of the email, “In some areas, the destruction evokes horrifying memories of record-breaking storms like 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 2011’s Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado.”

    He concludes, “A rapid and robust response is essential. With hundreds of Americans displaced and untold damage done, we’re calling on our nationwide NAACP community to come together and support the families and individuals suffering from this disaster.”

    Emergency responders are on the scene, but the rare tornado which was on the ground for more than an hour, destroyed homes, businesses and cars beyond imagination. According to initial reports, Diesel trucks were flipped over and cars were picked up and dropped on top of buildings and debris piled as high as 20 feet tall. Rolling Fork, Silver City, Black Hawk and Winona were hit hardest by the EF-4 tornado that tour through the area late Friday night, March 24.

    Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency for all the counties affected by the severe weather, describing the state as “devastated.” President Biden has approved escalated response to that declaration. Rolling Fork Mayor, who led the governor on a tour of the destruction, expressed appreciation for those who are sending help and expressed hope amidst the tragedy. 

    “On behalf of this entire community, first we want to say thank you. We want to thank you for all you’re doing for the families of this community and making sure the city of Rolling Fork will come back bigger and better than ever before,” Walker told the media. “Now, I’m having to meet my families, those who have lost loved ones, and help them make it through this traumatic time,” Walker said. “But you know what? I’m a firm believer that when you do right, right will follow you. And I think that I’ve been prepared to take on this task and I am going to do it in the name of the mayor of Rolling Fork and the man that I am and the man that God has made me to be.”

  • Newswire : Vice President Kamala Harris to reset relations with Africa on her first trip to continent

    VP Harris welcomed to Ghana

     


    Mar. 27, 2023 (GIN) – The U.S. has been sending its best and its brightest to Africa with gifts and promises aimed at winning back the continent from its partnerships with China.
     
    This week, Vice President Kamala Harris went off on a 9 day trip designed to discuss increased investment in three countries to help spur economic growth.  Starting with Ghana, she will stop over in Tanzania before winding up in Zambia.
     
    It is the fifth major trip by a senior administration official since the U.S.-Africa summit in Washington, DC, following trips by Secretary Janet Yellen, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the First Lady, and Secretary Antony Blinken, most recently.
     
    This reality tour reflects a growing awareness of the need to deepen U.S. engagement with the continent when it faces growing competition from other global powers, especially China and Russia.
     According to an official statement, the trip will build on December’s US-Africa summit in Washington where President Joe Biden said the U.S. was “all in on Africa’s future.” 
     
    But Ghana’s once-thriving economy is going through its most difficult financial crisis in decades which has presented President Nana Akufo-Addo with rare opposition from the youth. Once described as Africa’s shining star by the World Bank, today it is no longer the economic poster child of West Africa. 
     
    The country is seeking to restructure its debt amid surging inflation of over 50%. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has just been in Beijing leading negotiations with the Chinese government.
     
    “So far, very positive and encouraging meetings in China,” the finance minister tweeted as he expressed optimism that it would secure external assurances “very soon”.
     
    It is not clear what, if any help, Ms Harris can offer, but she will be under pressure to act like a willing partner in the wake of Mr Ofori-Atta’s China visit.
     
    Her bilateral meeting with President Akufo-Addo will be followed by a visit to a local recording studio in Accra and a meeting with young people in the creative industry.
     
    Next, after delivering a major speech to an audience of young people, the VP will visit the Cape Coast slave castle where she will give a major speech about the brutality of slavery and the African diaspora to an audience of young people. 
     
    On Wednesday, in Accra, the Vice President will meet with women entrepreneurs and discuss the economic empowerment of women.  She will announce a series of continent-wide public and private sector investments to help close the digital gender divide and to empower women economically more broadly. 
     
    Ghana will be followed by Tanzania where she is scheduled to meet President Samia Suluhu Hassan and take part in a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy there followed by a session with entrepreneurs at a tech incubator and co-working space in Dar.
     
    Finally, off to Zambia which finds itself in a similar position to Ghana. The copper-rich nation became the first African country to default on its debt when the Covid pandemic hit. Zambia is in prolonged discussions with China to restructure its debt and has also sought financial support from the IMF. 
     
    Lastly, in Lusaka, on Saturday, April 1st, the Vice President will convene business and philanthropic leaders, from both the continent and from the United States, to discuss digital and financial inclusion on the continent.  They will discuss how to best partner together and build on the work of her trip and all the private sector announcements that she announced on the trip. 
     
    For decades, the perception of the U.S. has been that it treats African countries like charity cases, according to several regional experts. That was exacerbated during the Trump administration, which largely ignored the continent or reportedly disparaged it. Former President Donald Trump, in a 2018 meeting, referred to some African nations as “shithole countries.” At the same time, China enhanced its investments in Africa, helping to build roads and other infrastructure projects and creating firmer economic and political relations.
     
    “Washington is playing catch up in Africa,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Program. “With all of the business investment that the Chinese have made comes a lot of leverage and political influence in those countries. It’s not just that they’re making money there. It’s that they now have skin in the game in Africa in ways that we don’t. And that gives them leverage that we don’t have.

     

  • Black Women in Political Office in Greene County

    Judge Lillie Jones Osborne is first Black Woman Probate Judge in Greene County.
    Mrs. Brenda Goree was first Black Woman elected as Greene County Revenue Commissioner
    Honorable Hattie G. Edwards served as first Black Woman on Eutaw City Council and first Black Woman Mayor of Eutaw.
    Mrs. Elzora Fluker served on Greene County Board of Education and Greene County Commission

    Judge Lillie Jones Osborne has served Greene County as District Judge since 1999, when she was appointed to follow in the footsteps of her late husband, Judge Richard Osborne, who was the first Black District Judge in Greene County.  He served in that position from 1985 to 1999.
    She is a 1982 graduate of Tuskegee University with a B.S. Degree in Political Science. She received her Juris Doctor in 1985 from the University of Alabama School of Law. She served as staff attorney with Legal Services Corporation of Alabama, Inc., Selma Regional Office from 1996-1999, when she was appointed to the position of District Judge in Greene County. From 1984 to 1995, she served as staff attorney with Legal Services Corporation in the Demopolis Satellite Office.
    Prior to that, she was Teaching Assistant, University of Alabama School of Law Minority Retention Program from 1984-1985. She was a law clerk with England & Bivens Law Firm from May 1984 to September 1984.
    Judge Osborne currently serves as President of the Greene County Children’s Policy Council; directs various youth initiatives including the local youth group, SPOT (Strategically Preparing Our Students); initiated the countywide project Little Free Outdoor Libraries, providing children and adults access to books in their local communities; initiated Strengthening Families Program in Greene County. She is a member of the Alpha Beta Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. which sponsors the local Youth Leadership Institute (YLI).
    Judge Osborne has two sons and one grandson. She is a members of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Eutaw, AL.

    Mrs. Brenda Jackson Goree was the first Black Woman elected to the position of Revenue Commissioner in Greene County in 2002, when the county offices of Tax Collector and Tax Assessor were combined by state legislative action. Prior to her election as Revenue Commissioner, Mrs. Goree served as Greene County Tax Collector. She was first elected to that office in 1990 and served until her election as Revenue Commissioner.
    Mrs. Goree is a graduate of the Greene County School System and Stillman College, where she earned a degree in Business Administration. Prior to running for public office, Mrs. Goree was employed with West Alabama Health Services where she served as Clinical Administrative supervisor.
    Organizations she has served with include the following: Deep South Network for Cancer, Sickle Cell Disease Board, Greene County Self Help Project and the Greene County School System PTA.
    Mrs. Goree is a native of Forkland, AL, but currently lives in Clinton. She was married to the late Edward Goree. She has two children and several grandchildren.

    Honorable Hattie G. Edwards graduated from Farragut High in Chicago, Illinois. She furthered her education at the National Career Institute obtaining a degree in Business Administration Management 1986-1989. She began her work experience with the Greene County Engineer’s Office in 1985 as the first Black woman. With the Engineer’ Office, she worked in the field or on the road with the repair crews working her way up to the position of Office Manager.
    She retired from the county after 34 years.  She loved her community so much that she became a true advocate. She had 46 years as a public servant, 34 years with the county commission, eight years, (2004-2012) on the Eutaw City Council, where she served as mayor Pro Temp, and four years as Mayor of Eutaw from 2012 to 2016.  She was the first Black Eutaw City Councilwoman and Mayor for the city.
    She served on several boards and organizations, including the following: Greene County Democratic Executive Board, Greene County Chapter of Alabama New South Coalition, Greene County Chapter of SCLC, Greene County Schools PTA; a member of the Civil Rights Freedom Movement; a member of the Eutaw Housing Authority Board and the Board of the Housing Authority of Greene County and Greene County Parks and Recreation Board.
    Mrs. Edwards had four children. She was a member of Pine Grove Baptist Church.

    Mrs. Elzora Fluker is the first Black Woman in Greene County to serve as an elected official on the Greene County Board and later as an elected official on the Greene County Commission. Mrs. Fluker was elected to the school board in 1990 and served until she was elected to the District 3 County Commission seat in 2010. While on the Board of Education, Mrs. Fluker served as Chairperson for 12 years.
    Mrs. Fluker began her career in law enforcement with the Tuscaloosa Sheriff Department in 1989, remaining there two years. She joined the Greene County Sheriff Department in 1991 and was the first certified deputy in the county. She transitioned to the Eutaw City Police Department in 1997, was the first certified officer, and remained with the force until 2007. She returned to the Greene County Sheriff Department in 2007 as a Sex Offender Officer and served as Director of the Junior Deputy Program, until her election to the County Commission in 2010, where she served one term.
    She has been an essential volunteer with the Greene County Children’s Policy Council since 2007, and an active member of the Greene County Chapter of Alabama New South Coalition.
    Mrs. Fluker is a 1972 graduate of Paramount High School and enrolled in Miles College in Eutaw in 1973.
    She has three children, eight grandchildren and is a member of Christian Valley Baptist Church.

  • Alabama A&M University awards nine scholarships during bus tour to GCHS

    The Greene County Board of Education held its regular meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023 with all board members present except Ms. Carrie Dancy.
    In his positive news for Greene County High School, Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones stated that nine seniors received scholarships from Alabama A&M University, totaling $168,000, when the Alabama A& M Bus Tour visited GCHS on March 2, 2023. Adopt-A-School partners and community leaders read to scholars at GCHS for Read Across America Week. Act testing at the high school was successful with nearly 100% student participation. GCHS seniors attended Stillman College TIGERFEST, with several scholars showing interest in enrolling at Stillman College. GCHS Honor Society and Peer Helpers read to scholars at EPS for Read Across America Week. GCHS football team participated in community service, picking up litter and helping to repair a house.
    In positive news for Greene County High Career Center, Jones noted that Career Tech Student organizations recently competed in regional and state events: National Career Association (NCA) – 4th place winner at regional events; DECA; Skills USA. The Career Center has scheduled Parent Night for April 6 at 5:30 pm at the Career Center; Awards Banquet for April 27 at 5:30 p.m. at GCHS gym; Cosmetology Hair Show for May 5 at 5:00 pm GCHS gym.
    In his positive news for RBMS, Dr. Jones noted that as Teacher of the year, Ms. Vanessa Bryant was awarded the Digital Discovery Scholarship for Title I Schools. Ms. Bryant was chosen over 200 plus applicants. This is her second year winning the award.
    RBMS also hosted Muffins for Mom, a living Wax Museum and their annual Black History Program during the month of February. Parents were involved in all three events. RBMS hosted its first Mardi Gras Extravaganza on March 16.
    The City of Eutaw hosted a job fair for RBMS students on March 14. According to Jones, Eutaw City is a faithful sponsor of RBMS.
    Superintendent Jones included in his report the school system’s testing schedule. The ACT testing at Greene County High School was held March 15 through 17; ACAP Summative at Eutaw Primary School 2nd grade is scheduled for March 28 – April 4; ACAP Summative at Eutaw Primary 3rd grade is scheduled for April 5 – April 12; ACAP Summative at Robert Brown Middle Schoo 4th – 8th grades is scheduled for April 4 – April 21.
    The board acted on the following personnel items recommended by Superintendent Jones.
    Approved 2023-Language Essentials of Reading and Spelling Stipend: Danielle Sanders; Quenterica White; Chandra Toney.
    Approved Employment: Canesha Ray, Long-Term Substitute Teacher for 2022-2023 Eutaw Primary School; Shelia Wade, Substitute Cafeteria Worker.
    * Approved One-time Supplemental – COVID Testing: Jacqueline Raby, RN, Lead Nurse, $5,000; Brenda Lawerence, LPN, $2,500; Dorothy Jones, LPN, $2,500.
    Approved FMLA Maternity Leave\Catastrophic Leave: Ms. Chandra Toney effective February 13, 2023.

    The board approved the following administrative service items.
    * Payment of all bills, claims, and Payroll.
    * Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Marquita Lennon, CSFO.
    * UWA Black Belt Stem Institute Stipend Agreement.
    * Service Agreement between Greene County Board and Stericycle Medical Waste Disposal.
    * Contract between Greene County Board and Demisha Stough, Child Find Gifted Specialist.
    * Contract between Greene County Board and E-rate Technologies Wide Area Network. For FY-23 School Term.
    * Agreement between Greene County Board and Stericycle Service
    * Agreement between Greene County Board and ABSS Staffing Solutions
    Approval of Robert Brown Middle School to travel to Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium.
    The CSFO, Ms. Marquita Lennon prepared the following Financial Snapshot as of February 28, 2023. Operating Reserve totaled 5.10M combined general fund reserve; 3.24M cash reserve, with all bank accounts reconciled. The General Fund Balance totaled $3,892,135.82, reconciles to the Summary Cash Report; Accounts Payable Check Register totaled $227,189.46; Payroll Register totaled $929,917.04 – total gross pay to include employer match items; Combined Ending Fund Balance totaled $6,157,563.17. The report indicated that the system is financially stable and maintaining the state mandated operating reserve.

  • Newswire: Researchers find Obamacare has significantly reduced racial disparities in health care access, especially in states that expanded Medicaid

    Poor People’s Campaign holds rally for Medicaid Expansion at the steps of the Alabama State Capital on March 11, 2023  and  Pictured : President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act in 2010

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    Former President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation has proved the gift that’s kept on giving for Black and Brown communities in America.
Since its passage in 2010, the Affordable Care Act – better known as Obamacare – has helped cut the U.S. uninsured rate nearly in half while significantly reducing racial and ethnic disparities in both insurance coverage and access to care – particularly in states that expanded their Medicaid programs, according to a new report issued by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit that promotes a high-performing healthcare system.
Obamacare has reduced racial and ethnic disparities in both insurance coverage and access to care — particularly in states that expanded their Medicaid programs, the report’s authors noted.
    Alabama is one of eleven states, most in the South, that have not expanded Medicaid since it was available in 2013. North Carolina recently approved the expansion of Medicaid to serve over 350,000 low income working people in that state.
While much of that progress occurred between 2013 and 2016, federal data show that more than 5 million people gained coverage between 2020 and early 2022, driving the uninsured rate down to a historic low of 8 percent.
Researchers found that insurance coverage rates improved for Black, Hispanic, and white adults between 2013 and 2021.
The coverage gap between Black and white adults dropped from 9.9 to 5.3 percentage points, while the gap between Hispanic and white adults dropped from 25.7 to 16.3 points.
Additionally, uninsured rates for adults in all three groups improved during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a finding that held true in states that had expanded Medicaid and those that had not.
The report further noted that Black and Hispanic adults experienced larger gains in Medicaid and individual market coverage than white adults between 2019 and 2021.
Between 2013 and 2021, states that expanded Medicaid eligibility had higher rates of insurance coverage and health care access, with smaller disparities between racial/ethnic groups and larger improvements, than states that didn’t expand Medicaid.

Obamacare attempted to improve coverage rates in several ways, including by allowing states to expand Medicaid eligibility to everyone below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (in 2023, $20,120 for an individual and $41,400 for a family of four), funded nearly fully by the federal government; and by subsidizing and regulating coverage purchased through the individual market.
According to the report, uninsured rates for adults in each of the three racial/ethnic groups fell after the coverage expansions went into effect in 2014, and Black and Hispanic residents reported the largest gains.
Uninsured rates for Hispanic adults fell by 15.7 percentage points between 2013 and 2021. Also, the Black adult uninsured rate dropped by 10.9 points, and the white uninsured rate declined by 6.3 points.
“These gains reduced coverage disparities considerably,” the authors determined.
The gap between white and Black adults has dropped from 9.9 percentage points to 5.3 points, and the gap for Hispanic adults has declined from 25.7 to 16.3 points.
While the largest coverage gains occurred from 2013 to 2016, adult uninsured rates for these three groups, and for the nation overall, dropped again between 2019 and 2021, as new federal policies aimed at boosting coverage took effect.
“In fact,,” the researchers wrote, “they reached historic lows, despite modest declines in employer-based coverage from pandemic-related job losses.”
They concluded that Obamacare “has been a powerful force for racial equity in health and health care over the past decade.”
“The expansion in access to affordable coverage has served as the backbone for this progress, helping to remove financial barriers and increase access to primary care clinics and other providers where people can get the care, they need to stay healthy,” the authors wrote.

  • COVID-19

    As of March 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,646,423 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (1,890) more than last report, with 21,091 deaths (59) more
    than last report.

    Greene County had 2,313 confirmed cases, 4 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 3,182 cases with 55 deaths

    Hale Co. had 5,734 cases with 110 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
    Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
    ages 5 and up.

  • Newswire: Racist attacks and ‘fake facts’ on videos spark African migrants flight from Tunisia

    African migrants leaving Tunisia

     

    Mar. 13, 2023 (GIN) – A campaign targeting Black migrants in the north African nation of Tunisia has escalated with misleading videos on social media. The African Union has responded – cancelling a major conference on illicit financial flows due to take place in in Tunisia this month.
     
    The misleading videos repeated remarks by President Kais Saied who called migration a “plot” to change the country’s profile from Black to Arab.
     
    But according to Reality Check and BBC Monitoring, nearly all the videos that claim to show African migrants in Tunisia were actually filmed elsewhere.
     
    One of the videos, with millions of views reads, in Arabic: “Tunisia under occupation.” Another says “Tunisia has become the kingdom of Africans.” While the video purports to be filmed in Tunisia, a Senegalese flag can be seen and the language heard in Wolof, a Senegalese language.
     
    There are an estimated 20,000 sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, which has a population of 12 million.
     
    Tunisian rights researcher Kenza ben Azouz told the BBC: “This is not a matter of legality or illegality. It’s about being Black in this country”. Black Tunisians, who make up around 10-15% of the country’s population, suffer discrimination because of the color of their skin, she said. 
     
    Hundreds of people have protested In Tunis to denounce Saied’s speech, accusing him of racist comments against refugees while Ivory Coast, Mali and Guinea have begun repatriating their citizens from Tunisia.
     
    Tunisia has rejected responsibility for the racial violence, saying it only sought to ensure “laws of the land are respected to avoid spreading chaos”.
     
    According to Lawyers Without Borders, an advocacy group, approximately 800 sub-Saharan Africans have been arrested. Others have been evicted from homes they had rented, or have lost their jobs.

  • COVID-19

    As of March 7, 2023, at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,644,533 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (2,471) more than last report, with 21,032 deaths (31) more
    than last report.

    Greene County had 2,309 confirmed cases, 7 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 3,176 cases with 55 deaths

    Hale Co. had 5,728 cases with 110 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
    Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
    ages 5 and up.

  • Newswire: Chairman Thompson says classified tapes House Speaker McCarthy turned over to Fox News has ‘serious national security implications’

    Chairman Bennie Thompson with Vice-Chair Liz Cheney

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson revealed that some of the 41,000 hours of video footage from the January 6, 2021, insurrection that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) turned over to Fox News included classified material that could threaten national security.
    In an exclusive 65-minute interview with Let It Be Known, a live daily news show put on by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Thompson, the head of the January 6 Commission, said he wanted to see what document McCarthy signed with Fox News to transfer the footage.
    “There are serious national security implications, a lot of what we saw and did not share with the public as a committee,” Thompson said in a no-holds-barred discussion with Black Press reporters on the program. “There are safeguards in place, and some of this material is privileged,” he continued.
    “You can’t just open the store and let someone come in and clean it out. We want to see what document was executed for that transfer of information. I chaired the [January 6] committee, and I can tell you that there is clearly information in there that we choose not to put in the public arena because of its sensitivity.”
    The bold and unusual move by the House speaker of handing over such information reportedly comes after McCarthy faced intense pressure from his right flank to relitigate the work of the House select committee.
    \While it took an unprecedented 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to win the speakership, one of the reasons Republicans relented was because he vowed to hold hearings on the Capitol riot.
    Thompson noted that the cause for alarm rose further when McCarthy gave the classified information to Carlson, the most outspoken Fox host, to promote the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
    “You turn the tapes over to a guy who was the cheerleader of lies being told, and even when he knew what he was saying was wrong, he kept saying it,” Thompson railed.
    “I don’t know what it means from a journalistic standpoint, we can have differences of opinion, but when facts say something different and are irrefutable, and you try to promote alternate situations, that’s not journalism,” he continued.
    “You turn this kind of information to these people who have been proven in a court of law not to tell the truth about a subject they had already acknowledged in court. Fox News has turned this information over to the courts in a lawsuit, and now that same Fox News has access to information about January 6. The speaker should have said, ‘I can’t let you have this.’ But he did.”
    While Thompson doesn’t expect McCarthy to pay the price for his action, he stated his belief that he, a Democrat and African American, most certainly would have it been him who turned over classified information.’ “I, and every other member of Congress, take an oath that you are not supposed to release that kind of information,” Thompson declared. “If you do, you have violated the oath of office and broken the law.”
    Thompson, who led the investigation into the January 6 insurrection, called it challenging to work with Republicans like McCarthy, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and others.
    “I think Speaker McCarthy, because of his challenge to become speaker, made so many off-the-record commitments to become the speaker that he can’t say no to certain people,” Thompson asserted.
    “He can’t say no to Marjorie Taylor Greene or some of those other folks. So it took him too long to become the speaker. Every time a vote was taken, they [negotiated, and ultimately McCarthy got the number he needed. Still, it’s clear that he had to give up all authority and power inherent in a traditional speakership to get [the job].
    “So, I’m not surprised he gave this information to Fox News. They’ve been in his corner promoting an alternate reality, which is part of the payback to the Fox Network.”