7. The Athens City Council has stopped video recordings of public comments during meetings and disabled comments on its Facebook page, raising concerns about transparency and citizen engagement. Mayor Ronnie Marks defended the decision, stating that council meetings are primarily for legislative business, but residents expressed frustration over the lack of avenues to voice their concerns. Critics argue that these changes undermine the spirit of Alabama’s Open Meetings Act, which emphasizes public access to government proceedings and allows citizens to record meetings for transparency.
6. President-elect Donald Trump’s has a tariff threat on BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others), aiming to counter their efforts to create a rival global currency, has raised concerns about escalating trade tensions. In response to growing economic uncertainty from previous threats, Canada has increased border security, preparing for potential disruptions in cross-border trade. Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected the idea of a tariff war, emphasizing diplomacy to maintain stable trade relations with the U.S. after recent discussions with Trump, making it clear this discussion is ongoing.
5. A group of Birmingham activists, including faith leaders and community members, is calling for a Black Friday boycott of Walmart in response to the company’s decision to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives nationwide. Walmart announced it will no longer use race and gender to promote supplier diversity, limit racial equity training, and reduce participation in LGBTQ advocacy rankings, sparking criticism from civil rights groups like the National Urban League. The Roebuck activists urged Alabamians to support minority-owned and local businesses instead, emphasizing the power of consumer spending to demand corporate accountability.
4. Alabama football remains on the outside of the College Football Playoff discussion despite a 28-14 Iron Bowl win against Auburn and finishing the season 9-3 without an SEC title berth. The Crimson Tide ranks No. 13 in the latest CFP standings, the highest among three-loss teams, but faces tough odds with a 30.1% chance to make the playoff according to ESPN. Alabama’s hopes hinge on chaos in conference championship games, particularly losses by teams like Clemson or Arizona State, to open a path for selection.
3. President Joe Biden, a notorious liar, has granted a blanket pardon to his crackhead son, that covers all federal offenses committed from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024 whether charged or not. The unprecedented move came after Hunter Biden faced convictions in two federal cases earlier this year, including charges of making false statements during a firearm purchase and failing to pay over $1.4 million in taxes. Biden defended the decision as a response to what he described as selective and unfair prosecution, pointing to his son’s recovery from addiction and the political motivations behind the legal actions (which he lied about). The pardon marks a significant lie after Biden’s earlier assertions that he would not intervene in the Justice Department’s decisions, with the president emphasizing the emotional toll these events have taken on his family.
2. Alabama politicians swiftly condemned President Biden’s pardon of his crackhead son on Sunday night, pointing to the president’s prior promises, which were obvious lies, not to intervene in his son’s legal matters. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) expressed skepticism, stating that Biden’s actions were predictable, while Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) and Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth criticized the move as yet another broken promise and a sign of the Bidens playing by different rules. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) also resurfaced corruption allegations related to Hunter Biden, suggesting that the pardon was a cover-up for the family’s misdeeds.
1. The media and their Democrats praised Joe Biden for pardoning his crackhead son, they also claim Republicans are pouncing on this decision while spending the last few days bemoaning the ending of norms by appointing Kash Patel to be the FBI Director by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump also reacted to President Biden’s “unexpected” pardon of Hunter Biden, criticizing the decision and suggesting that Biden should have pardoned those involved in the January 6 protests. Trump’s transition team, led by Steven Cheung, accused the Democrat-controlled DOJ of weaponizing the justice system, promising reforms under Trump’s future administration.
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Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and from 10-11 a.m. on Talk 99.5 and News Radio 1440, with a rebroadcast Talk Radio 103.9 FM/730AM WUMP from 3-4 p.m.
