7 Things: Trump owns shutdown, Schumer, Pelosi, gas tax movement gains steam and supporters, Hoover boycott leaders try to take their movement national and more …

7. Jury recommends white nationalist get 419 years in jail

— A jury recommended 419 years for James Alex Fields Jr., who was convicted of killing Heather Heyer by intentionally plowing his car into a group of protesters that were at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

— The jury deliberated for four hours over two total days and reached a sentencing recommendation that includes life in prison, 350 years on five malicious wounding charges, 60 years for three malicious wounding charges, nine years for fleeing the accident and $480,000 in fines.

6. Ben Shapiro to speak at the University of Alabama in the Spring; Protests almost guaranteed before and during his speech

— Controversial conservative talk show host and commentator Ben Shapiro will come to Tuscaloosa as part of Young America’s Foundation’s speaking tour of college campuses. Protests are almost guaranteed before and during his speech.

— Last year, Auburn lost a lawsuit when it tried to ban a speaker from their campus. The school was required to let Richard Spencer speak and pay $29,000 in legal costs for litigants.

5. A Christmas market in France is the scene of a terror attack

— At least four people were killed and eight were wounded in a shooting near a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, by a 29-year-old that was suspected of radicalization and was being watched.

— The name of the individual who is suspected has not been released. The reports say he is known as “Cherif C” and he is still on the run, and he has a long record as a “Gangster-Jihadi” with “a significant criminal record and has been in prison several times.”

4. Former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in Montgomery

— Sessions told a large crowd that in spite of all the drama surrounding his time and his departure in the Trump administration, “I’m proud of Trump’s policy agenda, and proud to have a part in it.”

— Sessions did not address his potential future running for office, including whether or not he will run for office in 2020 against U.S. Senator Doug Jones.

3. Boycott “leaders” declare Yellowhammer News to be “the enemy” and now want people to boycott any company that has a location in the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover

— Student minister Tremon Muhammad, who leads the Nation of Islam’s Birmingham mosque, repeated that protesters are at war with Hoover, with the goal being to “Boycott Hoover and build up black Birmingham.”

— Additionally, protesters are now calling for a nationwide boycott of chains with stores at the Riverchase Galleria, this includes “Bath & Body Works, Belk, Dave & Busters, Express, Gap, GNC, H&M, JC Penney, Macy’s, Old Navy, Sears, Victoria’s Secret, and Von Maur just to name a few,” according to a press release sent to media outlets.

2. House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter declares there is a 75 percent chance of a gas tax passing

— Ledbetter appeared on the radio laying out a strategy to get this gas tax passed. It includes enlisting county commissioners in the process. He also acknowledged individual carveouts for certain projects could doom the legislation.

— The mayors of Vestavia Hills and Alabaster are lobbying for an increased gas tax. Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon wants constituents to reach out to legislators. She wrote, “I can’t stress enough how important it is for our legislators to hear from their constituents about the public safety issues and escalating need in their communities. It would be wonderful if the voice of local government and public safety professionals were enough; however, it is always going to take the voices of the voters to make the difference between crumbling congested roads and safe highways.”

1. President Donald Trump owns a government shutdown over the border; He also owns Pelosi and Schumer

— During an insane meeting with the future speaker of the House and Senate majority leader, the president declared he would welcome a government shutdown and own the shutdown himself.

— The issue is border security and the wall. Trump wants $5 billion for the wall, while Democrats are prepared to offer $1.3 billion. Neither seems prepared to move.