Alabama

An unprecedented winter storm has left roughly 4.3 million Texans without electricity due to a surge in demand, with people not having electricity for over 24 hours. Other states, including Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and Oregon, were also affected by the severe weather conditions.

Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has urged "all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather" and air travellers were warned that they should expect delays or cancellations.

Employees at an Amazon logistics center in the U.S. state of Alabama want to organize themselves into a union - voting on the matter began there by mail ballot on Monday. At stake is the online retailer's Bessemer branch with about 5,800 employees, and the vote is expected to last until the end of March. If the vote is positive, it would be the first Amazon site ever to be represented by a union.

Amazon is seeking to block workers planning to unionize from voting by mail, demanding the 5,800 employees at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama to vote in-person. Amazon has requested to block a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that would allow employees to cast ballots by mail.

Author Winston Groom has died at the age of 77. He is best known for his novel Forrest Gump, which was eventually turned into a global box office hit and award-winning movie.

"Saddened to learn that Alabama has lost one of our most gifted writers," Alabama governor Kay Ivey said when confirming Groom's death. "While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history. Our hearts & prayers are extended to his family."

Following the introduction of a bill that would make vasectomy mandatory for men under certain conditions, the Republican Texas senator Ted Cruz tweeted " Yikes. A government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take everything...literally!". Ted Cruz is known for his conservative stand towards abortions.

Following the complete ban on abortions in 2019 in Alabama, the Rep. Rolanda Hollis introduced House Bill 238. While currently there are "no restrictions on the reproductive rights of men" the new bill would require men to undergo a vasectomy if he either turns 50 or after the birth of his third biological child. She argues that following the abortion ban, not all responsibility can be put on women. "Men need to be responsible also."