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Alabama congressman pushes to defund NPR: ‘A mouthpiece for the far left’

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Monrovia, has introduced legislation that would cease federal funding for National Public Radio.

The bill, entitled No More Funding for NPR Act of 2025, states that after the act is signed no federal funding will be allocated either directly or indirectly for NPR or any successor organization.

“NPR has become nothing more than a mouthpiece for the far left, serving as an extension of the Democratic Party’s communication arm,” Strong said in a statement.

“Hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund liberal propaganda. It is past time for Congress to stop subsidizing media that undermines the values and beliefs of everyday Americans.”

For years, NPR and public media have faced threats of funding cuts because conservatives contend the services have a liberal bias.

In 1967, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was founded to provide universal access to telecommunication across the country. CPB is responsible for providing funding to NPR and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Republican presidents have consistently threatened to pull funding for public media but the funding has remained.

However, under President Donald Trump’s latest administration, there is belief that those threats could finally come to fruition.

According to The Guardian, following Trump’s re-election in November NPR member stations were warning that federal funding could actually be cut unlike past administrations.

In April 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social that NPR was a scam and a “liberal disinformation machine.”

“NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM!” Trump wrote. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!”

One section of Project 2025 titled, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, details how to defund public, “leftist” media and why doing so is beneficial for the conservative cause.

Alabama Public Radio is one of the member stations of NPR that could be impacted if federal funds were cut. According to APR’s website, funding cuts could result in cost cutting measures being taken to offset lost revenue and severely impact local programming.

Also, without federal funding many rural and underserved communities could lose access to news and information, according to APR.

“In many rural areas, public broadcasting is the only source of free local, national and international news, public affairs and cultural programming – and with such small populations they often rely more heavily on federal funding,” APR’s website reads.

“Without it, these stations would likely be unable to continue to provide local communities with news, information, cultural and educational programming that they currently provide, and could even go off the air altogether.”

General

21 kilos of cocaine seized in Calera traffic stop; pair in US illegally jailed on $10 million bond

A weekend traffic stop in Calera led to the seizure of 21 kilos of cocaine.

Two men, both Colombian citizens in the U.S. illegally, are being held in the Shelby County Jail on bonds totaling $10 million each, according to police.

Jhorman Zapata is charged with drug trafficking. Cristian Yesid Lugo Beltran is charged with drug trafficking and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Calera police officers stopped the vehicle about 8:30 p.m. Friday because the tag light was out. The vehicle as traveling on Interstate 65, and the stop was made at a gas station just off the interstate.

Chief David Hyche said investigators believe the suspects were traveling from California to south Florida.

“If they chose I-65 to avoid heavy drug interdiction areas, it didn’t work out well for them,’’ Hyche said, applauding the work of his department in the stop.

One of the suspects, he said, is wanted in Atlanta on drug trafficking and failure to appear charges.

The DEA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office are assisting in the investigation.

“Many departments around the U.S. have ceased making traffic stops for minor traffic violations,’’ Hyche said.

“I have repeatedly spoken out against this and other instances where law enforcement leaders apologize for enforcing the law or change policy to appease critics.”

“We in law enforcement don’t make laws,’’ he said, “we enforce them.”

Hyche said in his five years in Calera, officers have rescued two children during stops for minor traffic violations, and now 21 kilograms of cocaine will never make it to the illegal drug market.

“Weak and passive law enforcement encourages criminal activity,’’ he said.

General

Alabama bill would expand list of crimes that prohibits you from owning a firearm

State Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery, has filed a bill that would expand the list of people currently prohibited from possessing a firearm in Alabama to include anyone convicted of any felony offense.

Under existing law, an Alabamian may not lawfully possess a firearm if the person has been convicted of a violent crime, a misdemeanor offense of domestic violence, or a violent offense, or if the person is subject to a valid protection order for domestic abuse or is of unsound mind, according to the bill’s text.

SB119 would also prohibit possession of a firearm by a person who has been charged with committing a violent crime, a misdemeanor offense of domestic violence, or a violent offense, and who was then released pending or during trial, it says.

Additionally, it would increase the penalty for discharging a firearm into an occupied building or other designated space from a Class B felony to a Class A felony.

According to state code, Alabama’s standard sentence range for a Class B felony is two to 20 years imprisonment. Class A felonies are punishable by life in prison or a definite term of 10 to 99 years.

SB119 would also allow the Board of Pardons and Paroles to revoke parole, or a court to revoke probation, when a parolee or probationer has been found in possession of a firearm.

Under existing law, a parolee or probationer found in possession of firearm is subject to a period of confinement of no more than 45 days in a county jail, according to the bill’s text.

Although this bill would cause new or increased expenditure of local funds, the text says it would be excluded from further local requirements and application, because it defines a new crime or amends the definition of an existing crime.

If passed, SB119 would go into effect on Oct. 1.

It is currently pending action in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

Barfoot is also one of several Alabama lawmakers that has filed legislation to ban Glock switches in the state.

Under SB 116, possessing any part or combination of parts designed or intended to convert a pistol into a machine gun would become a Class C felony, punishable by a term between 366 days and 10 years, according to state code.

Efforts to reach Barfoot for comment were not immediately successful.

General

Football player turned west Alabama teacher charged with sex act with student

A Tuscaloosa County high school teacher is under arrest on sex charges involving a student.

Rodrigue “Peyton” Ramzy, 28, is charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and school employee engaging in a sex act, law enforcement officials announced Monday.

Ramzy, of McCalla, worked at Sipsey Valley High School.

The charges against Ramzy were issued Saturday, said Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy. His bond was set at $15,000.

Ramzy formerly played football at Tuskegee University and the Birmingham Stallions,

Tuscaloosa County Schools Superintendent Keri Johnson said Ramzy has been placed on administrative leave.

“The Tuscaloosa County School System has high expectations for all faculty and staff,’’ Johnson said in a statement following Ramzy’s arrest. “We expect our employees to conduct themselves professionally and with honor.”

“Please know that TCSS takes all reports of wrongdoing – whether by staff or students – seriously,’’ Johnson said. “TCSS cooperates with law enforcement and works to ensure all matters are appropriately resolved. The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority, at all times.”

“We realize situations like this are very upsetting to our entire community,’’ she said. “Students, please know that school counselors are here to support you, if you need someone to talk with. Also, if you ever have a safety concern to report, please remember our Speak Up for Safety confidential tip line.”

General

Suspect charged in fatal weekend stabbing of 59-year-old man in Montgomery

One man is dead, and another is behind bars after a weekend stabbing in Montgomery.

Montgomery police and fire medics were dispatched at 9:09 a.m. Sunday to a report of a person dead in the 1600 block of South Holt Street.

Lt. David Wise said officers arrived to find 59-year-old Charles Harris dead on the scene.

Court documents state Harris was stabbed in the neck sometime between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Investigators identified the suspects as 25-year-old Deiontae Westery. He is charged with murder and is being held without bond in the Montgomery County Detention Facility.

A motive has not been disclosed.

General

Bradley Cooper sings Jalen Hurts’ praises: ‘This guy’s just a killer’

Bradley Cooper is celebrating his Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday.

The 50-year-old actor was at the game with daughter Lea De Seine, 7.

“I’m just one of thousands and thousands that get the opportunity to love this team and live for this team, be a part of Philadelphia,” Cooper told Fox after the game. “I used to come with my dad and now I get to bring my daughter, it’s just a beautiful thing in life.”

Cooper was asked about quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he had nothing but praise for the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback.

“Ah men, he deserves it,” Cooper said. “You know people are always saying this and that. This guy is just a killer. It’s the best.”

On Sunday, Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, and Vic Fangio’s defense was so dominant that the Eagles didn’t need much from Saquon Barkley.

He went 17 for 22 for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 72 yards and a touchdown that avenged a Super Bowl loss two years ago against Kansas City.

Hurts was outstanding in that game, throwing for 304 yards and a TD and rushing for 70 yards and three more scores but could only watch as Harrison Butker kicked a go-ahead field goal with 8 seconds left for a 38-35 win.

According to The Associated Press, Hurts is now just the fourth quarterback ever to lose his first Super Bowl start and go on to win one as a starter later in his career, joining Hall of Famers John Elway, Bob Griese and Len Dawson.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Guess where Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl MVP, is headed

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, the MVP of Sunday’s Super Bowl, is now part of an even more exclusive club after winning the Lombardi Trophy.

He is among the select few who have said those magic words after winning a Super Bowl.

“I’m going to Disney World,” the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback said after the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Sunday.

A representative for Walt Disney World confirmed to The Orlando Sentinel that Hurts and his family will be part of a parade on Magic Kingdom’s Main Street around 2:30 p.m. local time on Monday.

Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push Sunday. He went 17 for 22 for 221 yards and and ran for 72 yards.

According to The Sentinel, the “I’m going to Disney World” promotion started in 1987 with Phil Simms, the quarterback for the New York Giants.

Since then, football greats like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have been a part of the festivities.

General

Alabama redistricting battle returns to federal court today

The fate of Alabama’s congressional lines and the future of a new seat held by a Black Democrat returns to federal court this morning.

Rep. Shomari Figures is just a month into his term as the state’s newest member of Congress, and a decision by three federal judges in Birmingham could determine his political fate and who will represent the south Alabama district for the next decade.

Figures in Nov. 2024 won a race to become Alabama’s second Democrat and the second Black member of the state’s legislative district following a surprise Supreme Court ruling that forced the Republican-controlled Legislature to draw a new map.

U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, participates in a ceremonial investiture on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at the John Archibald Campbell U.S. Courthouse in downtown Mobile, Ala. From left to right: Figures; wife, Kalisha; and mother, State Sen. Vivian Figures.John Sharp

But the state of Alabama and parties for two federal lawsuits are back in court because the earlier order from Birmingham-based judges to redraw the map was only an injunction that was used for the 2024 race. The order could now be either rescinded or made permanent.

“This is a clear-cut case, and it should be an easy decision for the court,” said Marina Jenkins, the executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation.

The foundation is one of the legal representatives in the joined cases, along with several others including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Jenkins is also executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, an affiliate organization which is chaired by Eric Holder, a former U.S. attorney general in the Barack Obama administration.

Lawyers representing the state of Alabama and State Secretary of State Wes Allen have argued that the earlier map drawn by the legislature was fair.

The judicial panel hearing the trial today includes the same judges that ordered the current district map. Jenkins notes that Alabama has never enacted a complaint district map with judicial intervention.

“This case isn’t just about a Congressional map,” Jenkins said during a pre-trial press briefing. “It’s about representation and living up to the fundamental ideal that should guide our democracy, that every individual has the right to exercise self-determination at the ballot box.”

The Supreme Court ruled in the Allen v. Milligan case that Alabama’s 2021 congressional voting maps diluted the power of Black voters, in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Republican-controlled legislature then pitched a new map that still featured just one majority Black district. That map was also tossed out. Finally, a new map was drawn and approved under federal court oversight.

Figures then bested Republican Caroline Dobson to represent the district that includes portions of Mobile and most of the Black Belt.

In court filings the state restates previous arguments that the Legislature’s district maps were based on traditional methods with allowed partisan goals rather than plans for racial exclusion.

“Defendants will demonstrate with expert and lay testimony that the political processes in Alabama are open to all, and that “what appears to be bloc voting on account of race is instead the result of political or personal affiliation of different racial groups with different candidates,” the latest court filing states.

Before the ruling, Alabama, which is about 27 percent Black, currently had just one Black member in Congress – Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham.

Today’s trial could last up to three weeks.

General

Three masked teens captured after armed carjacking, chase in southwest Birmingham

Three teens are in custody after police say they carjacked a man in southwest Birmingham.

The young suspects – ages 14, 15 and 17 – were captured after a short chase. Police recovered a gun, three ski masks, and the victim’s vehicle.

The investigation began just after 10:35 p.m. Friday when a man was carjacked at gunpoint in the 1700 block of Pearson Avenue S.W. The victim was not injured.

Within an hour of the crime, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald, the Birmingham Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center alerted officers the stolen vehicle was traveling through the West End neighborhood.

West Precinct patrol officers, along with BPD’s Tactical Unit and Special Enforcement Team officers assigned to Operation Knight Rider, spotted the vehicle and were involved in a brief car chase with the suspects.

The three suspects bailed from the vehicle near 26th Street Southwest at St. Charles Avenue S.W.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Star One helicopter assisted officers in the search.

The teens were captured not far from where they abandoned the vehicle.

The 17-year-old is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a first-degree robbery charge.

The 15-year-old is charged on a juvenile petition of first-degree robbery and attempting to elude.

The 14-year-old is charged in juvenile court with first-degree robbery.

The two younger suspects are in the custody of the Jefferson County Juvenile Detention Center.

General

Watch Alabama native Channing Tatum channel ‘Magic Mike’ in this Super Bowl commercial

We’re used to watching Channing Tatum’s showstopping dance skills on the big screen. This weekend, the “Magic Mike” actor’s latest starring role brought his moves into millions of homes with a Super Bowl commercial for STōK Cold Brew Coffee.

In the spot, Tatum steps into his role as the new choreographer for the Welsh football club Wrexham AFC, co-owned by fellow actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. The mission: teach the players some new dance moves to show off when they score a goal.

Donning a black and white tracksuit, Tatum throws open the door to the Wrexham AFC locker room and flips onto a table.

“Alright boys. Your bosses are not happy with your celebration dances,” says Tatum, as some team members exchange quizzical looks.

“So, drink up,” he says, tossing a bottle of STōK Cold Brew to the team.

“Try to keep up,” he adds, taking a sip of a glass of the cold brew before launching into a routine set to “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” by C+C Music Factory.

There was breakdancing, voguing, and, in a standout moment, Tatum did the worm on the table.

“They saw you score. Now, let ‘em feel score,” said Tatum, while gyrating his hips in a headstand.

Once he finished the routine, breathing heavily, he asked the team if they understood–“You guys got it?”.

After a moment of awkward silence, the team erupted into cheers and started dancing along with Tatum. It was all good, until someone tossed a jersey– an obvious nod to the movie “Magic Mike,” the film based on Tatum’s brief stint as an exotic dancer before his big break into Hollywood.

“No, no! I promised Ryan and Rob I’d keep it classy! Put your clothes back on!” Tatum exclaimed.

In a press release about the spot, Tatum said he was immediately down to take the role for the commercial, produced by Reynold’s production studio, Maximum Effort.

“When Rob and Ryan asked me to help their team master the art of the celebration dance, I knew I had to accept the challenge,” said Tatum.“It was fun showing the lads how it’s done just in time for the biggest American football celebration.”

In an interview with the New York Times, Tatum admits that, while he had fun, he was initially nervous about working with the Welsh football club and following in the footsteps of Sir Anthony Hopkins, the acclaimed Welsh actor and two-time Oscar winner who starred in STōK’s first Super Bowl commercial last year.

“ I knew I was going to have to make a fool out of myself the next day in front of them. It could have gone one of two ways,” said Tatum. “They could have been, ‘Who is this dumb American actor, coming in here and doing whatever?’ This is their job. They work hard at what they do. They are having an incredible season. I didn’t know what the vibe was going to be. But they were just so sweet.”

Tatum, a Cullman native, is known for his starring roles in “21 Jump Street,” “Step Up,” and the “Magic Mike” franchise. In 2021, Tatum made his directorial debut in the film “Dog,” starring as an Army ranger who races against time to bring his dog Lulu to their best friend’s funeral. In 2012, People Magazine named Tatum the “Sexiest Man Alive.”

Watch the full commercial below: