Michael G. Vickers is a low-key guy. His unassuming demeanor would never leave anyone with the impression that he has, as the New York Times put it, “participated in virtually every significant global crisis of the past four decades.” And yet that statement would not be met with even the slightest resistance in the shadowy […]

Alabama native and former Auburn University and NBA basketball star Charles Barkley is doubling down on his support of police, in spite of intense criticism for his previous comments on race and policing in the African-American community. During an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show several weeks ago, Barkley acknowledged that police “have made […]

A lot has happened since the Democratic National Convention got underway on Monday. And since you probably did not have the stomach to sit through it all, here’s a recap of pretty much everything you need to know. Leading up to the DNC: When Mitt Romney warned about the resurgence of Russia as a geopolitical […]

(Video above: Gov. Robert Bentley makes his pitch to the people of Alabama to approve a lottery) MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has thrown in the towel on pushing for tax increases to fund the growth of the state’s Medicaid program, announcing Wednesday that he is instead calling a Special Session of the […]

(Video above: Alabama’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention is short one vote) PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — With anticipation building for the Democratic Party to officially put forward Hillary Clinton as the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party, Alabama led off the roll call vote with an embarrassing flub that quickly made […]

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has for months withheld protective gear from Alabama law enforcement agencies because some of it is “militaristic looking” and may cause local residents to feel “scared.” The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, for example, had previously received two unarmed, tracked armored vehicles under Congress’s “1033” program. The program, which has been […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A Special Legislative Session is increasingly likely in the late summer or early fall and Alabama lawmakers are considering options to bring more money into the state’s beleaguered General Fund Budget. With Medicaid approximately $85 million underfunded and little appetite for tax increases, various lottery proposals are getting consideration as legislative leaders […]

TUSCALOOSA and AUBURN, Ala. — With security threats growing nationally and around the globe, the University of Alabama and Auburn University are both taking steps to make sure football game days are safer than they’ve ever been. With that in mind, both universities have announced they are implementing clear-bag only policies at their football stadiums. […]

(Video above: “The Gary Vee Show” gives a more in-depth look at Gary Vaynerchuk’s time in Birmingham at SlossTech, starting at the 2:50 mark) Gary Vaynerchuk is a bonafide internet success story. In the early 2000s, he turned his father’s local liquor store into a $50 million-per-year web-based, wine-selling juggernaut. In 2009 he launched a […]

DEATSVILLE, Ala. — Someone in Deatsville does not want their local Holtville High School marching band to perform “Amazing Grace,” but it looks like they’re going to end up being disappointed at halftime of the Bulldogs’ first home game this fall. After receiving a complain from a parent, the local school board initially sent out […]

With the Democratic National Convention set to start this week, it seems like a good time to remember what the Clintons did last time they occupied the Oval Office. No, no, no, not what they — or more specifically, he — did in the Oval Office, but how then-President Bill Clinton used the perks of […]

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — In addition to building the Ranger utility task vehicle, Alabamians working at Polaris’s newly-operational Huntsville facility are also assembling a vehicle that more closely resembles something off the set of a Batman movie than it does the world-class off-road vehicles Polaris is best known for. The Polaris Slingshot is a reverse trike […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After watching this week’s Republican National Convention and listening to Donald J. Trump’s nomination acceptance speech Thursday, the chairman of the Alabama Minority GOP has come to the conclusion that Trump is going to be swept into the White House by a wave of support from Americans whose top issue are safety […]

TROY, Ala. — An Alabama man who pledged in a Facebook post to kill police has been arrested and charged with making a “terrorist threat,” a Class C Felony. Troy police Chief Randall Barr told WCBI Thursday that “20-year-old Javon Keontre Pryor threatened to kill several Troy police officers in a July 8 post. Court […]

Donald J. Trump is set to accept his party’s presidential nomination Thursday night during a primetime speech from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. His prepared remarks, which come in at 4,319 words, were predominately penned by Stephen Miller, a 30-year-old former staffer for Sen. Jeff Sessions. Trump is scheduled to go on stage […]

When Donald J. Trump delivers the biggest speech of his short political career Thursday night, most of the words he will say will have been crafted by a 30-year-old former staffer for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Stephen Miller, who worked for Sessions for seven years–most recently as communications director–prior to joining the Trump campaign in […]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) set the political world on fire Wednesday night after not endorsing Donald J. Trump during his speech at the Republican National Convention. Cruz’s remarks sparked fierce debate among Republican primary voters, some of whom credited the Texas senator for making a principled stand, while others criticized him for being a sore […]

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) bounced between interviews Wednesday afternoon, fresh off of his star turn on the big stage the night before when the Republican National Convention’s theme was “Make America Safe Again.” No subject could have been more fitting for Alabama’s junior senator, who has spent much of the last decade […]

In an in-depth piece titled “How Donald Trump Picked His Running Mate,” the New York Times on Wednesday unearthed some of the back story on the process that ultimately led to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence getting the nod. But for Alabamians, the most interesting insight may have been that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — a […]

MOBILE, Ala. — The City of Mobile is expressing its support for the city’s law enforcement community this week with a stunning blue light display igniting the bayside skyline. “Our skyline will shine blue this week,” reads a post on the City of Mobile’s Facebook page, “in honor of the men and women in blue […]

(Video above: Alabama officially pledges 36 delegates to Donald J. Trump) CLEVELAND, Ohio — Donald J. Trump officially became the Republican Party’s presidential nominee on Tuesday evening, with Alabama kicking things off by casting 36 of its 50 votes for the billionaire real estate mogul. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) announced the state’s votes, while also […]

Brooke Smitherman is a Sylacauga, Alabama, native and Auburn University graduate who now works for a major defense contractor in California. This past weekend she traveled back to Alabama at a time when the United States as a whole is experiencing heightened racial tensions. What she saw during her trip prompted her to write a […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In the wake of numerous attacks in which law enforcement officers were targeted and killed, one Alabama lawmaker is urging his colleagues to pass a bill that would categorize such heinous acts as “hate crimes.” Hate crimes are prejudice-motivated acts targeting an individual because they are part of a group, such as […]

(Video above: Sen. Jeff Sessions’ RNC speech) CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) delivered an eight-minute speech at the Republican National Convention Monday night, taking his turn in the spotlight as the intellectual force behind Trump’s immigration and trade policies. Sessions, the chairman of Trump’s national security advisory committee, said a Hillary Clinton presidency […]