The Justice Department has approved Mel Gibson’s rights to own guns again after a 2011 domestic violence conviction.
Attorney General Pam Bondi approved the restoration of the actor’s gun rights, along with nine other people, the New York Times reported.
Gibson, who in January was named a “special ambassador” to Hollywood by President Trump along with Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, would be permitted to own firearms again depending on state laws.
Gibson is a resident of Nevada, which prohibits felons owning guns, but Gibson’s conviction was a misdemeanor.
The debate over Gibson’s gun rights caused considerable upheaval in the Justice Department, and the department’s pardon attorney Elizabeth G. Oyer was fired by the Trump administration in March after expressing concern over letting the “Passion of the Christ” director be able to possess firearms.
“Giving guns back to domestic abusers is a serious matter that, in my view, is not something that I could recommend lightly, because there are real consequences that flow from people who have a history of domestic violence being in possession of firearms,” she said at the time.
A senior Justice Department official denied that her firing was related to the debate over Gibson’s gun rights, the NYTimes reported.
New regulations were recently published by the Justice Department that restore gun rights to certain people with criminal convictions as long as they have “earned the chance” to own guns again.
Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of battering a former girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. He was sentenced to 36 months of probation as well as community service and counseling.
For the fifth consecutive year, Alabama saw more deaths than births, a problem that an expert says will become increasingly difficult to stop.
In 2024, 52 of 67 Alabama counties saw more deaths than births, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The problem is so multifaceted and dynamic that it is difficult to pin down exact causes for the shift, said Nyesha Black, the director of demographics at the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama.
“These demographic numbers, the averages, they are a consolidation of people’s stories,” Black told AL.com. “There can be changes from county to county but even just down a street.”
Only eight states saw a higher rate of natural population decline in 2024. Alabama has one of the older populations in the nation, which also results in more deaths, Black said.
“However, a big demographic tipping point was 2020 due to the huge amount of excess deaths from COVID,” she explained.
The borders of the state feature the most consistent patterns of decline. The more central metropolitan areas are where most of the growth is found.
Choctaw County, in the southwest region, saw its population affected more than any other by natural change — or the number of births minus the number of deaths. The population there has declined each year since 2020, according to the Census. In 2024, it shrank by 1.7%. About 1% was due to natural change.
Cherokee, Lowndes, Tallapoosa and Coosa were the next highest in the rate of natural population decline. The common trend is their rural status and aging population, according to Black.
They are all relatively poor compared to state averages and very poor compared to national averages, according to the Census. Each of the five counties has seen more deaths than births in every year since 2020.
Many rural areas are losing younger families and children as they leave in search of better infrastructure in more metropolitan areas. This leads to fewer children being born and an older population which sees more deaths.
“Most commonly, people are moving for jobs, opportunities,” Black said. “If there’s not a robust labor market in an area, then see where people are likely to move in, and more people are likely to move out. So across time, you kind of have this, you know, erosion in population.”
Black added that this cycle can be self-fulfilling. As people leave, the market becomes less strong, leading more people to leave as a result to find better opportunities.
“The school systems get worse, the housing gets worse, these are the types of things that will appeal to young families.”
This pattern could explain why many of the metropolitan centers of the state are the only ones growing. Individuals of child-rearing age are moving there in search of opportunities. Black said that this is why Alabama is seeing most of its natural growth in suburban areas.
The major population centers of Montgomery, Birmingham, and Huntsville and their neighboring counties are some of the only areas in the state to feature natural growth over the last few years. Shelby, Autauga and Marshall counties are all examples of this suburban growth.
Alabama as a whole saw 1,732 more deaths than births last year. Despite those numbers, the state’s population still increased by about 40,000 from 2023. The data shows that this change can be chalked up to both international and domestic migration.
Black said that the trend is in no way unique to Alabama. The entire nation is likely to have a downturn in population over the coming century due to a decrease in childbirth and an aging population.
Black added that the downturn can be hard to stop. She said future and even current consequences of this decrease include the closure or merging of K-12 and college-level schools, like Judson College and Birmingham Southern, economic downturn, and increased need for health care for aging populations.
“It’s a policy prescription to solve this, I believe,” Black said. “It’s tough because it can take such a long time to see results.”
“Once these trains start, it’s on the rails, it just gains momentum. It gets harder and harder to stop.”
China announced Friday that it will impose a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products beginning April 10, part of a flurry of retaliatory measures following U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” slate of double-digit tariffs.
The new tariff matches the rate of the U.S. “reciprocal” tariff of 34% on Chinese exports Trump ordered this week.
The Commerce Ministry in Beijing also said in a notice that it will impose more export controls on rare earths, which are materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries.
Included in the list of minerals subject to controls was samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.
China’s customs administration said it had suspended imports of chicken from two U.S. suppliers, Mountaire Farms of Delaware and Coastal Processing. It said Chinese customs had repeatedly detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies.
Additionally, the Chinese government said it has added 27 firms to lists of companies subject to trade sanctions or export controls.
Among them, 16 are subject to a ban on the export of “dual-use” goods. High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company, were among those listed.
Beijing also announced it filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization over the tariffs issue.
“The United States’ imposition of so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order,” the Commerce Ministry said.
“It is a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order. China firmly opposes this,” it said.
In February, China announced a 15% tariff on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products from the U.S. It separately added a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.
The latest tariffs apply to all products made in the U.S., according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance’s State Council Tariff Commission.
It has gotten to the point, Jase Robertson said, that he gives friends and fans the straight truth.
“I’m just giving the blunt truth. I’ll say, ‘Not good,‘” he continues. “… We’re making them comfortable and we’re doing the best we can. So I think that’s just what you do.”
Jace Robertson did have a more positive reports on Kay Robertson’s recent hospital stay.
“For my mom, it’s been a lot better this past week, because she was really not doing good,” Jase Robertson said. “She got an infection from a fall, from a cut that had happened earlier…she’s still in the hospital, but (now it’s) more rehab, physically, and trying to get her to eat.”
“We were kinda dealing with the fact that maybe this is it,” he continues. “That’s what it seemed like in the moment. It seemed close there. So it was difficult.”
Phil Robertson, 78, starred on “Duck Dynasty” from 2012 to 2017.
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.
We’ve reached the championship round in our bracket to determine the greatest Alabama football player of the modern era.
The last two men remaining are a Heisman Trophy winner and one of the great defensive players of any era. In the semifinals, No. 1 seed Devonta Smith beat out No. 4 John Hannah, while No. 3 Derrick Thomas won a battle of Derricks against No. 2 Derrick Henry.
So now it’s Smith vs. Thomas for the title. Do you go with the Heisman Trophy winner, two-time individual national champion and all-time leading receiver in Alabama history, or the Butkus Award winner, Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and author of perhaps the greatest individual defensive season in SEC history?
It’s on to the championship round, so be sure to vote. Here is the matchup (click the links to vote, or vote in the polls below).
For the last four months, that is exactly what we did.
We laughed. We hugged. We prayed.
We talked about his days at Pell City High School and his childhood.
We drank coffee (and plenty of it).
We celebrated Christmas, New Year’s and my birthday.
We watched Auburn win four games in the NCAA Tournament.
We celebrated being together as a family all the while knowing that the next day was truly not guaranteed.
For us, the next day came Saturday, March 29.
Donald Vaughn Thomas, my father, died at his home in Gainesville, Ga., with his wife of nearly 63 years by his side. They would have celebrated their anniversary on April 8.
It was something we expected since receiving the diagnosis of esophageal cancer in late November.
It was something I spent four months preparing for, yet I still wasn’t ready. How could you be really?
My father was my hero. And he was gone.
Dad was stern when he needed to be but always loving.
He had unwavering support for his wife, his three sons and our families. My wife jokes sometimes that we are like the Cleaver family because we are blessed with an increasingly rare closeness.
Dad enjoyed laughing, and, boy, did I enjoyed laughing with him.
A lot of times during my high school days, I stayed home and watched TV with him instead of choosing to go out with my friends.
We watched sports together. He loved watching the Braves, except when they were terrible – like this year apparently. In the 80s, we would watch Dale Murphy bat, then turn the channel until he batted again.
Dad liked watching John Wayne movies, the Andy Griffith show and Newhart. He loved drinking coffee and playing golf. He was an award-winning salesman who was quick with his wit and easy to get to know. And he and mom modeled a God-centered marriage for six decades.
In the last four months, because of his cancer diagnosis, he was limited to only liquids. He lived on Carnation Instant breakfast, Boost, soups, broth, ice cream and a few other items we could find that could slip through whatever hole was remaining in his esophagus.
His eyesight had mostly been taken away by macular degeneration.
He didn’t have much feeling in his hands, a result of neuropathy.
But you wouldn’t have known all that.
He spent his last four months like he did his previous 92 ½ years – happy.
When I would walk into the kitchen on occasion to get some more coffee for him – even with all his ailments and knowing his life on earth was coming to an end – I could hear him talking to Jesus.
You know what struck me?
He wasn’t asking the Lord to take away any of his illnesses.
He was thanking Him for his family, for the blessings in his life.
What a powerful testimony. I hope I never forget that.
My father is gone, and I’ll never stop missing him.
But the great promise of the Gospel is that he is healed now, and I will see him again one day. In the meantime, I hope I can follow his lead.
These lyrics by Trace Atkins have always reminded me of my dad and how he raised us.
“But when I bow my head tonight
There’ll be no me, myself and I
Just watch my wife and kids please Lord
That’s all I ask for any more
Let them outlive me by a hundred years
Let their laughter dry up all their tears
Let them love and be loved back like I have been.”
I truly hope you can love and be loved back like I have certainly been.
Love you always, Dad.
Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com.
We’ve reached the championship round in our bracket to determine the greatest Auburn football player of the modern era.
The last two men remaining are both Heisman Trophy winners. In the semifinals, No. 1 seed Bo Jackson beat out No. 5 Cadillac Williams, while No. 3 Pat Sullivan pulled a slight upset over fellow Heisman quarterback and No. 2 seed Cam Newton.
So now it’s Jackson vs. Sullivan for the title. Do you go for the Heisman-winning running back and multi-sport star who helped usher in the greatest era of sustained Auburn success in the modern era, or the Tigers’ first Heisman winner who was one of the first great passing quarterbacks of the modern SEC?
It’s on to the championship round, so be sure to vote. Here is the matchup (click the links to vote, or vote in the polls below).
The SEC’s scale-tipping of the brackets to begin the NCAA tournament has led to two things.
An all-SEC national semifinal, and the first SEC team playing in a title game since Kentucky in 2013.
With a spot in Monday night’s national title game on the line, Auburn looks to avoid what happened the last game between the two conference rivals.
Florida entered the Feb. 8th matchup as the No. 6 team in the country and would go on to knock off its second No. 1 ranked team defeating Auburn 90-81.
That was the Tigers first conference loss at home until the regular season finale against Alabama.
Florida forwards Thomas Haugh, left, and Alex Condon (21) celebrate after defeating Auburn in an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP
Here’s a film breakdown of the Tigers and Gators first and only matchup of the season:
The Good: Auburn
Auburn came out of the gate leading 12-5 at the 14:47 mark of the game. The Tigers outran the Gators in that stretch, blocking two shots during the game’s opening sequence.
Despite letting Florida go a run to take a 48-38 halftime lead, Auburn forced seven turnovers on the Gators in the first half. The Tigers only committed three turnovers in the early going and scored seven points off the Gators turnovers, all in transition.
In the second half, Auburn began to dominate on the offensive glass leading 15-11 in offensive rebounds during the game. The Tigers led with 22 second chance points and finished with 38 points coming from inside the paint.
The Good: Florida
When Florida got down early, they turned to Walter Clayton Jr. for 16 first half points against the Tigers. Florida leaning on Clayton has worked out well for the Gators in the NCAA tournament, with standout performances vs. UConn and Texas Tech.
Over the final six minutes of the first half, Florida outscored Auburn 23-7 to take a 48-38 lead at halftime.
The Gators were without starting guard Alijah Martin, so Florida got key minutes from Denzel Aberdeen and Klavar Urban who combined for 19 total points in the game.
Florida shot 39.4% from beyond the arc, the fourth highest percentage the Tigers allowed this season. The Gators were almost 60% from the floor on two-point attempts, the third highest percentage Auburn allowed all year.
Florida’s frontcourt presence of Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh served as difference makers with the duo combining for 33 points and 19 rebounds.
Condon shot 7-of-8 from the floor while holding Dylan Cardwell to five points and Chaney Johnson to one rebound.
Florida vs. Auburn: This expert prediction is based on thousands of data-driven simulations of the game.AP
The Bad: Auburn
What disrupted Auburn in the first half sparking Florida’s lead were the backdoor cuts and one side pick and rolls with either Condon or Haugh.
Florida’s frontcourt presented the perfect mix of physicality and skill. Haugh entered the break with 10 points, on one missed shot from the floor.
Condon led the Gators with 12 second half points as Florida stretched its lead to 60-43 at the 16:20 mark of the second half. Auburn allowed a 35-12 run during that stretch from lack of pressure on ball, allowing easy baskets in the lane from dump off passes to its Bigs.
Auburn cut the lead to 76-67 with 7:14 remaining, However Florida got two offensive rebounds on one possession from Haugh, resulting in a made three putting the Gators back up by double digits.
The Tigers allowed 13 made 3-pointers, the most a team has hit against the Tigers this season. Clayton’s 16 first half points were also detrimental as Denver Jones entered the break with just one point scored.
Jones finished with a season-low two points in the contest. Miles Kelly became the primary defender on Clayton, holding him to three second half points.
Kelly was Auburn’s leading scorer with 22 points. Tahaad Pettiford added 14 points rounding out the Tigers backcourt.
Johni Broome finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. However, the Auburn big was not as dominant as he looked against other conference opponents.
Broome finished 8-of-19 from the floor and struggled scoring from close range against Florida’s frontcourt. As a team, Auburn was 13-of-28 on layup attempts.
Adjustments for Saturday
Florida has only lost once since winning at Auburn, in a road upset to Georgia. However, the Gators enters Saturday’s contest as the favorites after winning the SEC tournament championship.
With Martin missing the first game, his presence will be felt this go round as he scored in double figures in each of Florida’s NCAA tournament games.
With Auburn’s frontcourt carrying them to the Final Four, they will have to continue its brilliance down low flustering opposing Bigs. Throughout the Tigers tournament run, Cardwell and Broome have shut down some of the nation’s best big man in Ryan Kalkbrenner and Vladislav Goldin. The rematch between Haugh and Condon will be one to watch.
All eyes will be on the Tigers backcourt as well. Since the start of the SEC tournament, Auburn has shot around 30% from 3-point range. Despite the shooting slump, Pettiford and Jones has stepped up throughout the Tigers run, combining for 40 points in their Sweet 16 victory over Michigan.
As both programs are familiar with each other’s skills and tendencies, Saturday’s semifinal game has the chance to be a classic.
A Florida win would complete the season sweep against Auburn. An Auburn win would put them one step closer to the goal of winning the national championship.
Auburn and Florida will play the first semifinal game in San Antonio, with tipoff scheduled for 5:09 p.m. on CBS.
Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3 or email him at JHumphreyIII@al.com.
Dear Eric: I’ve been “friends” with a couple for more than 20 years. In retrospect our engagements always seem to be about partying. We attended both their sons’ weddings. Yet I still feel that they hold me at a distance.
The wife of the couple has no trouble telling me about a gathering she’s having to which we are not invited. Or how she’s having another person over for a holiday dinner (because they will be alone) without asking if my husband and I will also be alone for that day.
Recently, I initiated an invite to get together for happy hour when my sister was visiting from out of town. I got a reply that was somewhat hurtful. They couldn’t possibly meet for an hour or so during the seven days she would be here. My “friend” was hosting a 70th birthday party for her husband and they would be busy. Geez, way to tell me our friendship isn’t valuable enough to invite us to a milestone birthday for someone we’ve known for 25 years.
Years ago, I got disgusted and felt that I was the one who always initiated getting together, so I stopped calling. Two years went by without her contacting me. I eventually called and things went on as usual. Ironically when I explained why I “dropped off”, she didn’t really understand.
Why do I keep this relationship going? Is it even a relationship?
– Are We Friends?
Dear Friends: Do you actually like this couple? This behavior is tough at best, unacceptable at worst. Friendship needs to be reciprocal and if they’re sending ambivalent messages, you can either have a direct conversation about why that is and how you can work together to fix it, or you can accept it at face value. Frankly, I’d suggest doing the latter. I’m sorry you’re not being treated in a way that shows thoughtfulness or care, but you don’t have to keep subjecting yourself to it.
Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.
DEAR ABBY: When my niece walks into a room, she immediately takes over any conversations in progress. Everyone has allowed this to continue, so I assume they are OK with it. However, I find it extremely rude and disrespectful.
I have often gotten up and gone home rather than confront her, which appears to be condoning her behavior. Is there a way to confront her without her or the family getting mad at me, or should I just keep “going home”? — HURTING EARS IN OREGON
DEAR HURTING EARS: There are two kinds of people in this world. The first are those who enter a room and say, “HERE I am!” The second are those who enter and say, “THERE you are!” The first individuals are self-centered.
The second are people who are truly welcomed. Because the family has condoned your niece’s behavior for years, I don’t think saying anything to her now would help the situation. For a quick exit, make sure your car is parked somewhere accessible.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
