A man was fatally shot inside an abandoned Ensley Wednesday morning, the city’s second homicide in less than 24 hours.
The city’s West Precinct officers were dispatched at 10:45 a.m. to a call of a person inside the house in the 3200 block of Avenue S.
Police entered the house and found the victim unresponsive. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene.
Officer Truman Fitzgerald said investigators believe there was some sort of struggle that took place inside the house which led to the fatal shots being fired.
Officers and detectives quickly fanned out over the neighborhood.
“The community stepped up and provided tips to our officers,” Fitzgerald said.
Because of those tips, two people were taken into custody at a nearby home.
They are being questioned at police headquarters and Fitzgerald said one of them is believed to be the shooter.
“We’re trying to determine what exactly took place,” Fitzgerald said.
“As far as what they were doing, I don’t want to speculate however our officers do see signs of criminal activity taking place inside the house.”
President Donald Trump has yet to publicly weigh in on Tuesday night’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election results after calling eventual winner Susan Crawford a “liberal lunatic.”
Trump posted up a storm on his Truth Social media platform after Republicans were victorious Tuesday night in two U.S. House special elections in Florida.
But the president was silent when it came to the high-profile Wisconsin race.
Instead, Trump truthed about Wisconsinites approving a voter ID ballot amendment Tuesday night while trumpeting his own success in the midwestern state.
“VOTER I.D. JUST APPROVED IN WISCONSIN ELECTION. Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT,” Trump posted. “This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT. IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!
But on the big race of the night — Crawford vs. former Republican Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel — Trump was silent.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump accused Crawford of being a “radical left liberal” who has “a history of letting child molesters and rapists off easy.
“She will be one of the most Liberal Judges ever elected, which would be a DISASTER for Wisconsin and, the United States of America,” Trump posted.
On Monday, Trump referred to Crawford as a “liberal lunatic.
“Brad Schimel’s Opponent, Susan Crawford, is a DISASTER! She is so Far Left that even her own Party, the Radical Democrats, don’t want ANYTHING to do with her,” he posted. “Wisconsin Values are perfectly represented by Brad Schimel. He is Conservative, Strong and, above all, SANE. His Opponent is a Liberal Lunatic who will throw our Country, and the State of Wisconsin, into TOTAL CHAOS. Vote for Brad Schimel!”
Crawford, 60, has served as a Dane County Circuit Court judge since 2018.
She won election to the seat that year and again in 2022 in the county, which is home to the liberal state capital, Madison.
Crawford previously worked as an assistant attorney general for both the Iowa and Wisconsin departments of justice and as an attorney in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
In 2009, she joined Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s staff as his legal counsel. After Doyle left office in 2011, Crawford joined a liberal Madison law firm that filed numerous lawsuits challenging Republican-enacted laws.
In that role she represented Planned Parenthood in a pair of cases challenging limitations to abortion. She also spoke against the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Two cases challenging an 1849 Wisconsin abortion ban law are pending before the state Supreme Court.
Tens of millions of dollars were flowed in to the Wisconsin race.
Billionaire Elon Musk and his affiliated groups sank at least $21 million into the normally low-profile race and paid three individual voters $1 million each for signing a petition in an effort to goose turnout in the pivotal battleground state contest. That made the race the first major test of the political impact of Musk, whose prominence in President Donald Trump’s administration has skyrocketed with his chaotic cost-cutting initiative that has slashed federal agencies.
Crawford and the Democrats who backed her made Musk the focus of their arguments for holding the seat, contending he was “buying” the election, which set records for the costliest judicial race in history.
Liberal comedian and talk show host Bill Maher walked away impressed after dining with a man often at the receiving end of his punchlines: President Donald Trump.
Kid Rock, the Trump-supporting recording artist who facilitated the White House dinner between liberal Maher and MAGA Trump after the musician appeared on Maher’s podcast “Club Random” and HBO show “Real Time,” said all the dinner guests were amazed at how well it went.
“We came to dinner with me, Bill, [Ultimate Fighting Championship President and CEO] Dana White, and it could not have been better,” Kid Rock, real name Robert Ritchie, told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday. “Everyone was so surprised, so pleasant.
“The president was so gracious. He took us up to the private residence. We saw the Gettysburg Address, we saw the Lincoln Bedroom,” Kid Rock said.
On the March 23 episode of his podcast, Maher told fellow comedian Andrew Schultz that his decision to accept Kid Rock’s offer to facilitate the dinner with Trump was a repudiation of liberals who believe Trump should not be platformed. Maher said Trump’s success with voters proved he is a voice worth listening to.
“F— you. I’m not playing this game that you mean girls play. Where, like, ‘oh, you know what? You can’t sit at my lunch table because I’m just not talking to you.’ Not talking to you? You lost the election. Who the f— do you think you have to talk to?” the comedian said.
Kid Rock said the dinner was not contentious or awkward.
“How about this? President Trump extending this olive branch. And we talked about things we had in common – anti-wokeness, securing the border,” he said.
“It blew my mind,” Kid Rock added. “I was very proud.”
Maher was surprised by the impression Trump left on him, according to Kid Rock.
“There’s never been someone that’s ever met the president in any scenario that’s walked away without saying, ‘wow, what a great guy.’ He’s so funny, he’s so engaging, he’s so smart,” he said.
“Bill even said to me, he goes, ‘Wow.‘”
While Maher has yet to comment on how the dinner went from his view, he told Shultz that he would use the same approach to Trump that led him to have a good relationship with the father of a former girlfriend despite not seeing eye-to-eye with him on politics.
“That’s my model for meeting Trump,” Maher said. “It’s, like, be respectful, which he deserves. He won … twice.”
Being respectful also factored into Maher’s fashion choice for the evening, he said.
“It’s funny, my girl said to me, ‘what are you gonna wear?’ I said, ‘I’m not gonna dress like Zelenskyy. It’s not gonna be a black T-shirt, I’ll tell you that.’ I’m wearing a suit and tie. … It’s a sign of respect. It’s the White House.
“You also have to respect that the guy did win. It’s half the country. I keep saying it: you can not like Trump – you can hate him. You can’t hate everybody that voted for him. … I don’t hate half the county and I don’t want to hate half the country,” Maher continued. “It’s an honor to be invited to White House under any circumstances.”
Kid Rock said Trump, like all the dinner guests, were initially apprehensive.
“Everyone was a little suspect going into this and even the president alerted me a little bit like, ‘what do you got me doing?‘” Kid Rock said. “And I go, ‘man, we’re just trying to show people … even though we’ve been pretty hard on each other, when you get face to face maybe we can have a little more civility in this country and bring people together.”
Maher said viewers will have to tune in to the next episode of “Real Time” to get his take on the dinner:
Cleaning out the notebook before a flight to San Antonio for the Final Four …
Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara is a well-traveled basketball player.
He gets a bad rap for some of his on-court antics, but he’s a fun personality in the locker room and Auburn loves him.
Does anyone better represent this new age of collegiate athletics? Eight of the 10 players who are projected to start in Saturday’s matchup between Auburn and Florida began their careers at other schools. Baker-Mazara has played for four schools in five years.
CBM is originally from the Dominican Republic and moved to The States for high school. He started his college career at Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State. From there, CBM went to a junior college in Florida.
Auburn recruited him out of Northwest Florida State College, and now he’s in the Final Four after two seasons with the Tigers.
“I’ve been everywhere,” Baker-Mazara said. “East Coast, West Coast and now I’m in the South.”
Thanks to basketball, CBM has a better understanding of the different cultures across the U.S. than most Americans.
“Everybody got their own [culture] … like the East is different from the West and the South,” Baker-Mazara said. “It’s so different to me because in the DR it’s not really like that. Everybody is pretty much the same.”
CBM has found a home in Auburn and he loves it. It’s genuine, too. I’ve never seen a college player wear his letterman’s jacket more than CBM.
He cherishes that jacket. For him, it represents a new start and a second chance. It’s a good-looking jacket, too.
Every student-athlete at Auburn gets a letterman’s jacket after their first season, but CBM might be the only one who’s going to wear it when it’s 80 degrees outside. That’s how much he loves that jacket.
“Just something to carry on the tradition,” he said.
Chad Baker-Mazara wearing his Auburn letterman’s jacket before the NCAA Tournament.Joseph Goodman
CBM has grown fond of the Deep South. He says it’s different from anywhere else he’s been, but in a good way.
“It’s weird how the East Coast people are way different from the people from the South and the West Coast,” Baker-Mazara said. “That really shocked me a lot. People down here in the South are really nice.
“In the East Coast, you might find some people who … [points at head] … you might clash heads.”
Due to a court ruling allowing junior college transfers to play an extra year, CBM can return to Auburn next season. I’d be surprised if he left. He’ll be Mr. Auburn in 2026, a designation that teammate Dylan Cardwell has crafted for himself after five seasons with the Tigers.
People said NIL money and the transfer portal would kill school spirit. I haven’t found that to be the case while covering Auburn’s run to the Final Four. Most of the players might have started out at other schools, but they all love Auburn and they play for each other. That chemistry is one of the things that makes this team so good.
Auburn is a 2.5-point underdog against Florida, but I like the Tigers in the national semifinals. They’re the more experienced team and players like CBM and guard Miles Kelly are long enough defensively to disrupt a few of the 3-point attempts by Florida red-hot sharpshooter Walter Clayton, Jr.
The All-SEC semifinal adds an extra layer of intrigue to the game. Florida defeated Auburn 90-81 back on Feb.8. Five Gators scored in double figures at Neville Arena with Clayton, Jr., going for 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 40 minutes.
Finding a way to limit Clayton, Jr., will be a key to the game.
This NCAA Tournament has been a redemption tour for CBM, who was ejected in the opening minutes of the 2024 Big Dance. Auburn ended up losing to Yale and CBM has carried that weight with him ever since. It says something about Auburn coach Bruce Pearl that CBM was even allowed to return to the team. Pearl gave CBM a second chance and now they’re both in the Final Four.
Baker-Mazara has been all over the country. What makes Auburn different?
“They really let me be myself around here,” Baker-Mazara said. “I feel like in other places, they really tried to make me be someone I really wasn’t, and I wasn’t comfortable with that. Because if you can’t take me for who I am, then it’s not meant to be.
“Everyone here has accepted me for my ups and downs and has trusted me to be the best version of myself because of that.”
CBM is 25 years old. His road to the Final Four began years ago back in the Dominican Republic. His dad is a basketball coach back home. As the story goes, Baker-Mazara didn’t know he was moving from the Dominican Republic to the United States until his parents hit him with the news during the summer before his junior year.
He had about a week to say his good-byes and then he was off to live with his grandfather.
Baker-Mazara told me all about his journey to Auburn last year during the Tigers’ run through the SEC tournament. Then came the infamous game against Yale in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
CBM has sneaky elbows. The refs were ready last year and they’ve been watching him closely this tournament, too.
There was a moment at the end of the first half against Michigan State when CBM went up for a rebound and might have slipped an elbow into an opponent. No one noticed, but Pearl saw the play. Luckily for CBM and Auburn, the halftime buzzer sounded at the exact moment of the would-be foul. Pearl rushed onto the court and wrapped his arms around his volatile player.
It was a close call.
“He believes in me,” Baker-Mazara said about Pearl. “Yeah sometimes I might go over the edge, but he knows that I’m not really trying to do that. Obviously, that’s who I am. I’m a fiery person, and he talks to me every day.”
Auburn will need CBM’s best against the Gators. His journeyman’s career has led him to the top of the mountain. Maybe it’s time to lean over the edge one last time.
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Beads of sweat dripped from the cheeks of Jaeden Roberts. A few yards away, Wilkin Formby’s white fourth quarter shirt looked like he had just jumped into a pool, sticking to his 6-7, 322-pound frame.
Minutes prior, each Alabama football offensive lineman had completed another spring practice. You didn’t have to know the schedule to know that, though. Their sweat told the story during post practice interviews.
“Me and J-Rob are in a competition of who sweats the most at this point,” Formby said.
So, who’s winning?
“I got him beat,” Roberts said, as sweat trickled from his hair onto the turf.
“He just naturally sweats that much, but every time you see us in the facility, we’re just pounding fluids,” Formby said.
How do the right guard and right tackle measure the winner of this unique daily practice competition? Well, it’s more so qualitative data, not quantitative.
The dieticians used to help judge the winner of the competition, but there’s a better method now.
“When you lay on the floor to do abs, whoever has more of a stain on the ground,” Formby said.
Roberts estimated he loses about 10 pounds of water weight any given practice.
“I’m a big sweater,” Roberts said.
Alabama is in the back half of spring practices, which will conclude with A-Day on April 12. Roberts is expected to retain his job as the starting right guard this season. Formby is competing to start at right tackle, but the third-year player seems to have the inside track to be the starter after he rotated some with Elijah Pritchett at right tackle in 2024.
Alabama offensive guard Jaeden Roberts said he’s enjoyed working with Grubb, who took over as primary OC and playcaller after a year with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
“I love his intensity,” Robert said Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. “I love him as a coach. I mean, he’s just that guy to be out there, the guy that we need to push the offense and make us better.”
Roberts, entering his fifth season with the Crimson Tide, was asked to compare a Grubb butt-chewing with those from his former coach, Nick Saban. The man who won six national championships at Alabama was also known for his fire, and could be spotted, usually multiple times per season, yelling at players during games.
“A little similar,” Robert said. “He gets into his mode, you know, but I think that’s every coach. But him and Nick Saban, it’s a little different, but the energy is still there.”
Saban’s penchant for intense correction was legendary throughout his tenure. One of the final recipients of a Saban butt-chewing, former Crimson Tide defensive back Terrion Arnold, described how he dealt with them.
“You just have to not hear how he’s saying it, but you have to hear what he’s saying,” Arnold said during the 2023 season, after Saban got in his face during a win over Mississippi State. “It’s another thing when you look at it as far as never knowing when the camera’s on you and being coachable. And I feel like the relationship that I have with him, he knows that I can take coaching like that, and it’s hard coaching. And when you choose to come here, you never know when he could chew you out. Like people always say, you should be worried when he’s not saying something.”
Grubb had initially followed DeBoer from Washington, where the two had helped lead the Huskies to a national championship game appearance. However, when the NFL opportunity arose, he opted to stay in Seattle.
He was fired by the Seahawks following the 2024 season. Grubb then returned to work with his old friend, after the Alabama offense battled consistency issues during DeBoer’s first year on the job.
Grubb was an offensive line coach early in his career. Roberts said that background has shown up throughout spring practice.
“He was definitely an offensive line guy,” Roberts said. “Even for his small height, definitely an offensive line guy. You can see that sometimes during practice, he gets on to us. But he only does that because he knows how capable we can be.”
Alabama will continue spring practice through April 12, when it will hold an open session for A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. A-Day will not be scrimmage or game this year, and won’t be on television, though admission remains free at the stadium.
The Washington Capitals play against the Carolina Hurricanes in an NHL game tonight. The matchup will begin at 6 p.m. CT on TNT. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV Stream. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Capitals enter this matchup with a 48-17-9 record, and they defeated Boston 4-3 in their last game.
During the victory, Dylan Strome led the Washington offense. He scored one goal and accrued one assist, so he will look to perform similarly this evening.
Strome currently leads the team with 72 points and 48 assists.
The Hurricanes enter this matchup with a 45-24-4 record, and they have won two games in a row. In their most recent game, the Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders 6-4.
During the victory, Seth Jarvis led the Carolina offense with two goals. He has scored 29 goals this season, which leads the Carolina offense. With this in mind, Jarvis will be a key player to watch this evening.
Fans can watch this NHL game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV Stream. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
Former Alabama guard JD Davison is the Kia NBA Gatorade League Most Valuable Player for the 2024-25 season, the NBA announced on Wednesday.
Davison averaged 25.6 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 45 games with the Maine Celtics as he earned the MVP honor over Salt Lake City Stars center Oscar Tshiebwe and Capital City Go-Go guard Jaylen Nowell.
The G League’s head coaches and general managers voted on the MVP Award.
Since the Boston Celtics selected Davison at No. 53 in the 2022 NBA Draft, the guard has been with the team on a two-way contract. A two-way contract allows an NBA team to share the player with its NBA G League affiliate without the waiver process.
During that time, Davison has become Maine’s career leader in points and assists while appearing in 32 games with Boston, including 12 this season.
Davison earned Alabama’s Mr. Basketball Award for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons while leading the Calhoun School in Letohatchee to the AHSAA Class 2A championship in each campaign. Davison averaged 33.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior and 32.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists as a senior at Calhoun.
Davison averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in his only season at Alabama.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
The Atlanta Braves play against the Los Angeles Dodgers in an MLB game tonight. The matchup will begin at 7:38 p.m. CT on MLB Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Braves have struggled during their 2025 campaign, as they enter this matchup with a 0-6 record. The team has already lost two games to the Dodgers in this series, so the Braves will try to avoid the sweep tonight.
In order to win this game, the Braves will need to improve their offensive play. The Atlanta squad has only scored two runs in the past four games.
The Dodgers enter this matchup with a 7-0 record, and they are coming off a 3-1 win against Atlanta. During the victory, three Los Angeles players scored a run: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Tommy Edman.
Ohtani and Betts have combined to hit five home runs this season, so they will try to continue their offensive success tonight.
Fans can watch this MLB game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
A brand new episode of the hit competition series The Amazing Race premieres on CBS Wednesday, April 2 at 9:30/8:30c.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing Race titled “It’s Not Personal, It’s Business,” show host Philo Keoghan shocks the teams when he announces a surprise where teams must cast their vote live. The two teams with the most votes are required to complete both detours, putting them further behind in this season’s race.
Where can I watch season 37 of The Amazing Race?
Those interested in catching this historic season of The Amazing Race can stream the long-running series through Fubo or DirecTV Stream—both of which have free trials set up for new subscribers to enjoy before committing to a paid plan.
What is Fubo?
Fubo is much like any other streaming service, but instead of simply offering on-demand streaming, it offers a plethora of live TV channels such as ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, TLC, MTV and more.
Fubo considers itself a sports-focused live streaming service but also offers over 100 live TV channels through its basic package at just $84.99 a month following its free trial.
Users can stream a variety of shows and movies on-demand and even have the option to record favorite shows and movies through Fubo’s unlimited DVR feature.
What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream offers subscribers with a plethora of live TV channels and helpful features, too. The Entertainment package, also known as DirecTV Stream’s base package, starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular TV channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, BET, CNN and more.
Two other DirecTV Stream packages are the Choice package (original price $114.99) and the Ultimate package (original price $129.99), both of which are part of an ongoing promotion that offers new subscribers $25 off the original price for the first three months of their subscription.
Those interested in comparing all DirecTV Stream’s channel packages can check them out here.
This season’s eliminations
Mark Crawford and Larry Graham (best friends)
Jackye Clayton and Lauren McKinney (sisters)
Ernest Cato and Bridget Cato (father/daughter)
Courtney Ramsey and Jasmin Carey (co-workers)
Bernie Gutierrez and Carrigain Scadden (friends)
Who’s left in The Amazing Race season 37?
Alyssa Borden and Josiah Borden (married nurse anesthetists)
Brett Hamby and Mark Romain (married vegas performers)
Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge (best friends/gamers)
Han Nguyen and Holden Nguyen (siblings)
Jonathan Towns and Ana Towns (married parents)
Melinda Papadeas and Erika Papadeas (mother/daughter)
Nick Fiorito and Mike Fiorito (brothers)
Jeff “Pops” Bailey and Jeff Bailey (father/son)
Scott Thompson and Lori Thompson (married parents)