Apr. 30, 2025

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The lineup for Thursday night's pre-commencement event at the University of Alabama got a lot heftier on Tuesday.

In addition to an address by President Trump, former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban will make an appearance, reports AL.com's Patrick Darrington.

Trump announced on social media last week that he'd be giving a commencement address at UA. The school later said the president would speak at a special event a day before graduation ceremonies begin. Then on Tuesday the university announced that he'd be joined by Saban and outgoing UA President Stuart R. Bell.

While politics and college football are probably the most contentious supper-table topics in Alabama, both Trump and Saban are in friendly territory. Trump carried Alabama in all three of his presidential elections, and Saban won six national championships in Tuscaloosa.

However, multiple protests are being planned in reaction to Trump's appearance, including one that's expected to feature former Texas Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke and former U.S. senator Doug Jones.

Saban, who famously steers clear of politics, has so far not attracted any announced protests.

The Alabama Legislature has given final passage to a pair of crime-related bills, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

One would increase the penalty for firing a gun into a home or vehicle to a Class A felony. That'll get you 10-99 years in prison.

The other is a constitutional amendment that would broaden the list of charges that allow a judge to hold a person in jail without bail. It's an expansion of Aniah's Law.

Both bills were from state Sen. Will Barfoot of Montgomery. A governor's signature would put the legislation on the ballot for voters to decide.

On Tuesday, Alabama state troopers responded to a call about a car crash involving a kangaroo, reports AL.com's Carol Robinson.

Your first thought might be that whoever called that in was hopped up on something. But no, there actually was a kangaroo on the loose along Interstate 85 between Auburn and Tuskegee.

It's not a unique situation in Alabama. There was a kangaroo chase early last year in Bessemer. And a few years ago, Jackie Leggs the Cullman kangaroo made a couple of brief escapes and was recaptured.

But back to Tuesday's kangaroo.

An ALEA dispatcher contacted the owner of a local Lee County petting zoo, who confirmed that there was a missing a kangaroo. Both sides of the interstate were shut down while officers tried to wrangle the 'roo.

The animal's owner finally used a tranquilizer gun to make the capture.

There were no reports of injuries to motorists or marsupials.

Here's a national story, but one that directly or indirectly affects all consumers. And it's an update on one of the points of conversation William Thornton and I had on the podcast regarding tariffs and the shipping industry.

Obviously, import tariffs have downsides for businesses that make their bottom lines off imports -- such as those at the Port of Mobile.

But higher tariffs and taxes can also lead to not only higher prices but also less economic activity: If the cost of business is higher, firms and consumers might choose to do less business. I like the idea of my next golf driver having a "Made in America" tag on it, but if it's going to cost an extra hundred bucks I might choose to hit what's already in my bag.

Caught in between are companies like the United Parcel Service. And Bill just reported that UPS announced on Tuesday it would be shutting down 73 facilities and cutting 20,000 jobs at least partly based on projections of people doing less business under the Trump Administration's tariffs.

Likely, part of the equation here is also UPS's thin profit margins it previously said it makes off delivering goods from Amazon and increased labor automation. CEO Carol Tomé said the cuts "could not be timelier" amid the shifting and uncertain trade environment.

“For a graduating senior to have a sitting president speak at their commencement service is a memory they should have their entire life.”

Charles Patterson, the man who, at age 23, found himself at McDonald's sitting at a table with President Reagan, on the range of opinions regarding President Trump's upcoming visit to Tuscaloosa.

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