Auburn University men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl, who led his team to the NCAA Final Four earlier this month, is taking on a new role off the court — chairman of the board of directors for the pro-Israel nonprofit, U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA).
His new role comes after he used his team&#8217;s successful season to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote</a> the release of the 59 hostages still in Hamas captivity, including 21-year-old American Edan Alexander. Pearl will replace former Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019 and was the ranking member until 2021.
“I’ve dedicated much of my life to teaching young people about the importance of leadership, values, and understanding different perspectives,” Pearl said in a statement. “My work with USIEA aligns with those principles, and I’m excited to continue building a bridge of understanding between these two great nations.”
<div id="attachment_891963" style="width: 938px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-891963" class="size-large wp-image-891963" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg" alt="This photograph taken on January 21, 2025, shows a poster bearing a portrait of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. (Photo by AFP)" width="928" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-928x576.jpg 928w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-300x186.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander-768x477.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Edan-Alexander.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 928px) 100vw, 928px" />Israel-American Edan Alexander was taken hostage by Hamas during the terror group&#8217;s October 7, 2023, massacre. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Pearl led the Auburn Tigers to the program&#8217;s first-ever Final Four appearance and has been a <a href="https://auburntigers.com/staff/bruce-pearl">head coach</a> for 29 seasons, with his teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament 22 times.
He and his wife, Brandy, first became acquainted with USIEA when he went on the group’s 2019 Partners Tour to Israel, during which participants had high-level briefings on Israeli defense, artificial intelligence, and U.S.-Israel foreign policy.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-heats-up-ground-offensive-in-gaza-in-effort-to-pressure-hamas-to-return-hostages" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISRAEL HEATS UP GROUND OFFENSIVE IN GAZA IN EFFORT TO PRESSURE HAMAS TO RETURN HOSTAGES</a>
“My experience in Israel was transformative,&#8221; Pearl said. &#8220;I felt it was my responsibility to become more involved in the mission of USIEA and educating senior government leaders in America on the importance of supporting Israel.” 
The 2025 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-ap-coach-of-year-1e4d079d3caaab71ad3d9d6848f6f7de">Associated Press</a> College Basketball Coach of the Year — an award he shared with St. John&#8217;s head coach, Rick Pitino — is expected to help USIEA educate and assist government leaders who are involved in advancing U.S.- Israel relations.
<div id="attachment_900387" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-900387" class="size-large wp-image-900387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2207690199-864x576.jpg" alt="Bruce Pearl alongside the court while wearing his Auburn University sweater." width="864" height="576" />Auburn University men&#8217;s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has called for the release of 59 hostages held captive by Hamas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)d</div>
“Since Coach Pearl and Brandy’s involvement with USIEA, we’ve experienced significant growth and interest in our organization, benefiting from the respect and recognition he commands in both the sports world and the broader community,” USIEA Founder and CEO Heather Johnston said. “But most of all, we’ve been inspired by his generosity, passion for Israel, and unwavering commitment to our mission.”
Johnston added that Pearl’s commitment to Israel and love of America are “at the core of his personal beliefs, topics he frequently addresses in interviews.” 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-apologizes-for-inaction-after-students-antisemitic-abuser-pleads-guilty?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=University+Apologizes+For+Inaction+After+Student’s+Antisemitic+Abuser+Pleads+Guilty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNIVERSITY APOLOGIZES FOR INACTION AFTER STUDENT’S ANTISEMITIC ABUSER PLEADS GUILTY</a>
Pearl said he has shared his journey of advocating for Israel with his team, including having Auburn University become the first Division I basketball team to play against a professional Israeli team. Pearl described the game as “marking a historic moment in both college athletics and U.S.-Israel relations.”
Pearl, who has been wearing a “Bring Them Home” dog tag as a necklace, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vocally-pro-israel-coach-leads-auburn-to-the-final-four?row=0&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;title=Vocally+Pro-Israel+Coach+Leads+Auburn+To+The+Final+Four&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opened</a> a postgame press conference last month by drawing attention to Alexander. 
“I just felt compelled to say his name when I knew everybody was listening and have the discussion,” Pearl <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bruce-pearl-uses-final-four-spotlight-for-american-hostage-edan-alexander-nobody-knows-his-name?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bruce+Pearl+Uses+Final+Four+Spotlight+For+American+Hostage+Edan+Alexander%3A+%E2%80%98Nobody+Knows+His+Name%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire.</a>
“It just bothers me tremendously that people are gonna pay attention to a basketball coach winning a basketball game when we have an American held hostage in Gaza, named Edan Alexander, and nobody knows his name,” he added.
<div id="attachment_808863" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-808863" class="size-large wp-image-808863" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg" alt="Edan Alexander with Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump at the grave of the leader of the Chabad Lubavitcher movement." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2177310884-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Edan Alexander&#8217;s family has met with leaders and influential people around the world, including President Donald Trump and Ben Shapiro. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)</div>
Edan was born in Rockville, Maryland, before moving to New Jersey. He joined the Israel Defense Forces after high school and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-american-held-by-hamas-adi-alexander-shares-sons-story-at-cpac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken captive during</a> Hamas’s October 7 massacre while at a small outpost by Kibbutz Nir Oz. He has been seen in Hamas <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-teases-release-of-last-living-american-hostage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">propaganda videos</a>.
Pearl said that he hopes President Donald Trump is close to crafting a deal that will bring home the remaining hostages still in Hamas captivity.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yarden-bibas-describes-hamas-brutality-thanks-trump-in-first-interview-since-release?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Yarden+Bibas+Describes+Hamas+Brutality%2C+Thanks+Trump+In+First+Interview+Since+Release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YARDEN BIBAS DESCRIBES HAMAS BRUTALITY, THANKS TRUMP IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RELEASE</a>
Following the remarks, Pearl was connected to Alexander’s father, Adi, and learned that his other son, Roy, was a basketball fan.
“He called me and told me just how much it meant to him,” Pearl recalled. “I said, ‘I’d just love to meet you, I don’t know what else I can do for you.’”
Pearl said he decided to bring him to a basketball game that weekend in Atlanta and invited the whole family as his guests.
“I just wanted to spend time with him and just to let him know that they’re not alone,” Pearl said. “There are so many, so many people, including so many American Jews that are praying for him and his family to bring his son home.”

Bruce Pearl and wife Brandy

Star NCAA Coach Bruce Pearl Takes New Role In Pro-Israel Advocacy Group

Alabama

Celebrities

College basketball

Hostages

Israel

U.S.

For the first time in 17 years, the four top-seeded teams in the March Madness tournament will meet in the Final Four — and in the same city as the last time it happened.
On Saturday, the University of Florida Gators beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Duke University defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide. On Sunday, Auburn defeated two-seed Michigan State, while Houston defeated Tennessee. Florida and Auburn, both from the SEC, will meet in the semifinals, while Houston plays Duke on April 5 at the Alamodome.
Such a matchup hasn&#8217;t happened since 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA met in San Antonio. That year, Kansas defeated Memphis to take the crown.
Duke, coached by Jon Scheyer, is favored to win the title, with star freshman Cooper Flagg seeming a probable choice for the most outstanding player.
However, the Blue Devils face a tough match against Houston; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6243379/2025/03/31/final-four-no-1-seeds-duke-auburn-florida-houston/">according</a> to statistical archivist Ken Pomeroy, Duke has the best offense in college basketball, but Houston has the best defense. Additionally, Houston led the country in 3-point shooting, making almost 40% of their shots. One key difference could be Duke’s youth: their frontcourt of four freshmen will face three players who are 22 or older.
Florida, led by star player Walter Clayton Jr., defeated Auburn earlier in the season 90-81/
Duke has won the national title five times, all coached by Mike Mike Krzyzewski, who also brought the team to the finals four times. Florida won the national title in 2006 and 2007 under Coach Billy Donovan. Houston made the finals twice, in 1983 and 1984.
Auburn has never played in a national championship game.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – Elite Eight – San Francisco

Final Four Is All No. 1 Seeds For Only The Second Time In March Madness History

Basketball

Duke University

NCAA

An Alabama library board member threatened to “involve the authorities” after a local mother reached out to the library with concerns about sexually graphic books that have been available at libraries around the state. 
Last month, Limestone County resident Rachel Homolak reached out to newly-appointed Athens-Limestone Public Library board member Vicki Hereford to flag several sexually explicit books that have been in circulation at public libraries throughout Alabama. In response to the emails, which contained images from the books, Hereford warned Homolak on Sunday to never contact her again and that she would call the authorities if Homolak reached out to again. 
“The disgusting pronographic [sic] material that you chose to send to me twice via email &#8211; UNSOLICITED &#8211; is filth. Because you choose to send this for whatever reason — shock value, perhaps — you are distributing the very material that you say you fight against. I will not meet with you,” Hereford said in a Sunday email shared with The Daily Wire. “Do not contact me via email, phone call or text, or in person again. Any communication from you will be considered harassment and I will be forced to involve the authorities.”
The response came after a pair of emails on February 10 where Homolak flagged two sexually explicit books aimed at kids for Hereford amid a statewide fight between parents and leftist activists over library control. Hereford responded on March 16, after Homolak reached out to see if her messages had been received. Homolak said she just wanted to make Hereford aware of the issues and flag one book that was in circulation at the Athens-Limestone County Public Library. 
Homolak, who used to live in Missouri, previously <a href="https://www.alreporter.com/2024/05/27/alabama-library-critic-led-defamatory-campaign-in-missouri-lawsuit-claims/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made headlines</a> for arguing that male librarians should not be allowed to wear women’s clothing while staffing the children’s sections of libraries. She told The Daily Wire that she was really disappointed with the response because she was hoping to work with Hereford. 
After being contacted by The Daily Wire, Hereford said that she shared a commitment with Homolak to protecting kids from explicit materials. 
“I understand all too well the challenges that families face in seeking to protect and guide our children and grandchildren,” she said. “It is my goal in this service role to ensure that concerns are addressed and particularly that children are protected. While our methods used to reach that goal may be different, I do believe that this parent and I share a commitment to protect children and guide them toward adulthood. One task in support of that goal is to deliver age-appropriate content within our county library to our patrons of all ages.
The two books that Homolak flagged were “Let’s Talk About It,” and “It’s Perfectly Normal.” The latter contains graphic depictions of sex and is <a href="https://alcpl.bywatersolutions.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=89619&amp;query_desc=kw%252Cwrdl%253A%2520It%E2%80%99s%2520perfectly%2520normal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available</a> in Athens-Limestone County Public Library within the adult section, though the book itself is aimed at kids. 
&#8220;Please take a stand and make sure these vile books stay out of the hands of our children. You have statewide support through the [Alabama Public Library System] so there is no reason to cater to the loud and obnoxious democrat demons in our county. Stand strong and do what is right,” Homolak wrote in her first email. “I will send you more images from other hot topic books that these leftist lunatics push.”
The second email focused on &#8220;It&#8217;s Perfectly Normal,&#8221; which includes illustrations of kids masturbating.
&#8220;This is porn. It also encourages kids to masturbate with illustrations of kids masturbating. Evil. Can you believe that grown adults draw kids masturbating??&#8221; Homolak wrote.
In her response to The Daily Wire, Hereford focused on the email on the book &#8220;Let&#8217;s Talk About It,&#8221; which is available in the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library System.
&#8220;A person within our community sent me disturbing images from a book, Let’s Talk About It, that is not offered in the Athens-Limestone Public Library,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The constituent noted that our library does not carry that book but that other libraries in nearby counties may have it. I checked again with our library staff regarding the book title in question and they confirmed that we do not have that item in the library. That book had been reviewed prior to my appointment, and it was determined that it would not be added to the books available in our library.&#8221;
Last year, the Athens-Limestone County Library was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-the-fight-to-shield-kids-from-graphic-material-in-a-deep-red-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">embroiled in controversy</a> after a group of activists raised concerns that the county had no representation on the library board, despite organization bylaws. Recently, two county appointees, including Hereford, were appointed to the board, in response to those complaints.
Under new guidelines established by Republican Governor Kay Ivey, the Alabama Public Library System has directed all libraries receiving state funding to implement policies to keep sexually explicit books out of the kids&#8217; sections of libraries. The policies have been opposed by leftist groups, who claim that such policies are akin to book bans and violate free speech.
Other conservative areas across the country have also taken steps to shield kids from explicit content. In Tennessee on Monday, the Rutherford County library board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-town-faces-down-liberal-protests-votes-to-remove-books-promoting-transgenderism-to-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved a resolution</a> that all books promoting transgenderism to kids should be removed from the shelves.

US-BOOKS-LITTERATURE-CENSORSHIP

An Alabama Mom Complained About Pornographic Kids Books. The Library Threatened To Call The Cops.

Children's Books

LGBTQ

Library

An Alabama drug dealer who was freed from prison after being granted clemency by former President Joe Biden was arrested again this week. 
Willie Frank Peterson, 52, was <a href="https://www.dothanpd.org/2025/03/18/mugshots-of-the-day-03-17-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> on Monday for alleged drug possession and having a gun. He was arrested in Dothan, a city of about 70,000 people in Southeast Alabama. Peterson faces two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, three counts of illegally being in possession of a gun, and possession of drug paraphernalia. 
Peterson was previously freed from prison in January after Biden <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-pamd-1_14-cr-00070/pdf/USCOURTS-pamd-1_14-cr-00070-23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted clemency</a> to thousands of people convicted on drug charges. 
In March 2023, Peterson <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdal/pr/dothan-man-sentenced-federal-tax-evasion-mail-fraud-and-drug-charges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and he was later <a href="https://www.wtvy.com/2025/03/18/dothan-man-arrested-weeks-after-biden-commuted-his-sentence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced</a> to 75 months in prison. Biden committed his sentence to 20 months and he was no longer in Bureau of Prison custody as of January 21, 2025. 
According to the Justice Department, Peterson sold cocaine to a man named Kenneth Cherden Glasgow in 2018 and 2019. Glasgow, the half-brother of leftist activist Al Sharpton, was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison for tax evasion, mail fraud, and drug charges. 
Peterson’s clemency came as part of Biden’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-commutes-sentences-of-another-2500-drug-offenders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> to commute the sentences of more than 2,500 drug offenders in his final days in office. 
Biden said that those whose sentences were commuted were “non-violent” offenders who had been given “disproportionately long sentences.” 
“Today, I am commuting the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses who are serving disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice,” Biden said at the time. “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.”
Biden said the individuals had “received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine” and “outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes.”
That action came after Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-announces-mass-commutations-after-criticism-over-hunter-pardon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commuted</a> the sentences of 1,500 people, issued 39 pardons for individuals convicted of non-violent crimes, and gave a mass pardon for people convicted of marijuana possession.

Screen Shot 2025-03-20 at 7.27.37 AM

Drug Dealer Let Out Of Prison By Biden Charged With More Drug Crimes

Clemency

Cocaine

Crime

Drugs

Joe Biden

Alabama Senator Katie Britt praised the Trump administration for firing three more FEMA employees after it conducted an investigation into a supervisor&#8217;s directive for relief workers to skip homes with Trump flags or signs.
Britt made the comments in response to a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Chair-Britt22.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> she received from Acting FEMA Director Cameron Hamilton telling her that he had fired three employees who had a supervisory role over Marn&#8217;i Washington, the woman who told federal relief workers in Lake Placid, Florida, to &#8220;avoid homes advertising Trump.&#8221; Hamilton wrote in response to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-senator-demands-mayorkas-answer-over-fema-employee-guidance-to-skip-trump-homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter Britt sent</a> on November 9, one day after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first reported</a> on the guidance, demanding answers from then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“I am sincerely grateful for FEMA’s efforts along with President Trump and [Homeland Secretary Secretary Kristi] Noem to ensure every American in need of critical aid, regardless of political affiliation, receives impartial assistance,&#8221; Britt, the chair of the subcommittee that appropriates money for Homeland Security, told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;I also appreciate FEMA taking necessary action to fire these individuals complicit in bypassing homes and conditioning aid as well as to provide additional training for the agency’s employees,&#8221; she added. &#8220;As I wrote in my letter to FEMA last November, the American people must have assurances this outrageous behavior never happens again.”
Hamilton&#8217;s letter to Britt closely mirrored a letter that was sent to Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and the House Oversight Committee. He noted that the guidance, which led to around 20 homes being skipped, was investigated internally by the Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Special Counsel, and FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
“The OPR investigation found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership,” he added. “However, it did determine that those in the immediate supervisor chain of the single staff member who engaged in this conduct should have had more direct control of their subordinates’ behavior. Thus, they failed to meet my expectations of leaders in this organization and have been terminated.”
“This action has been taken both because of their failure to meet our standards of conduct and because it is essential that the entire workforce understand that this incident was reprehensible, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated at FEMA,&#8221; he added, saying that FEMA employees were given additional training to make sure they knew that politics were not an acceptable consideration during disaster relief operations.
Britt&#8217;s initial letter to Mayorkas demanded answers on why the direction was given and that he make assurances that it would not happen again.

Senate Judiciary Cmte Holds Confirmation Hearing For FBI Director Nominee Patel

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senator Praises FEMA For Firing Employees Over Directive To Skip Trump Homes

Alejandro Mayorkas

Department of Homeland Security

FEMA

Hurricane Milton

Kristi Noem

Trump Administration

One of the most common rebuttals you’ll get when you criticize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in any meaningful fashion are historical red herrings. If you’re so opposed to DEI, such arguments go, then you must have a problem with people learning about America’s history of slavery, the civil rights movement, and anything to do with race relations. Obviously, these arguments are fallacious ones — but that hasn’t stopped them from coming up in the middle of modern debates over DEI and America’s struggles with racial division.
Recently, the Air Force was forced to confront this argument. In the wake of President Trump’s executive order prohibiting discriminatory DEI practices at the federal level, reports <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/air-force-reinstates-tuskegee-airmen-backlash-pete-hegseth-katie-britt">surfaced</a> that the Air Force had removed (for “review”) instructional materials pertaining to the historical legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first black military pilots, along with material on the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), a paramilitary group that served during World War II. Among those outraged over the implications of this review was Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who <a href="https://x.com/SenKatieBritt/status/1883623739763429512">deemed</a> the move “malicious compliance” on X, a sentiment Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1883628784160809314">echoed</a>. “This will not stand.” Shortly after, the Air Force <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74e175p40qo">confirmed</a> that “no curriculum or content highlighting the honor and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen or Women Air Force Service Pilots [was] removed from Basic Military Training.&#8221;
If, as some of DEI’s most outspoken allies maintain, critics of modern DEI initiatives are truly motivated by racial animus, or a sincere desire to whitewash America’s history, the <a href="https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458979/tuskegee-airmen/">story</a> of the Tuskegee Airmen would definitely be on the chopping block.
<div id="attachment_866641" style="width: 755px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-866641" class="size-large wp-image-866641" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-115600234-745x576.jpg" alt="Tuskegee AirmenAugust 1944 - Fliers of a P-51 Mustang Group of the 15th Air Force in Italy shoot the breeze in the shadow of one of the Mustangs they fly. Tuskegee airmen, pilots of a P-51 Mustang Group of the 15th Air Force in Italy, shoot the breeze in the shadow of one of the Mustangs they fly, August 1944. They are, from left to right, Lt. Dempsey W. Morgan, Jr., Lt. Carroll S. Woods, Lt. Robert H. Nelson, Jr., Captain Andrew D. Turner, and Lt. Clarence P. Lester. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)" width="745" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-115600234-745x576.jpg 745w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-115600234-300x232.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-115600234-768x594.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-115600234.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px" />PhotoQuest/Getty Image</div>
Hailing from central Alabama, the Airmen had to overcome the pervasive Jim Crow laws often used to block black soldiers from becoming pilots. The Airmen, recognizable by their planes’ iconic red tails, <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/tuskegee-airmen.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">served</a> honorably in World War II despite facing bigotry and racism during their time in the armed forces, flying more than 15,000 missions. According to the National WWII Museum, “In all, the Tuskegee Airmen earned eight Purple Hearts, fourteen Bronze Stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.”
To understand their story, and the story of the many minorities who achieved success and greatness in America during that time, is to understand what real structural racism and anti-meritocratic prejudice looks like. Furthermore, to understand their crucial role in American history is to understand exactly why many modern arguments for DEI simply do not pass muster. The reality is that a black pilot in 1940 facing Jim Crow racism is not at all <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ibm-hosts-internships-that-bar-whites-asians-and-men-with-exception-for-men-who-identify-as-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analogous</a> to a potential IBM intern who happens to be an “underrepresented minority” facing a normal meritocratic selection process. And using the valor and perseverance of the former to justify “diversity” quotas that serve the latter is to cede that past discrimination requires present discrimination.
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a devastating argument against much of the modern DEI space. Thus, it’s suspicious that it’s even part of a conversation about ending DEI. The reality is that no serious DEI skeptics have any problem with the Tuskegee Airmen. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Katie Britt (R-AL) stating the obvious truth that DEI doesn’t just mean “anything involving minorities” is a win for sanity and normalcy. It’s a sign that conservatives can walk and chew gum at the same time — we can repudiate the extremes of DEI while being honest about what America’s victories over racism have actually cost.
As litmus tests go, that’s a basic one. But, given how many DEI advocates seemingly can’t pass it, it’s an important one.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-POLITICS-DEFENSE-HEGSETH

Restoring America Means More Tuskegee Airmen And Less DEI

Air Force

Blacks

Department of Defense

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Opinion

Pete Hegseth

Racism

U.S. Military

World War II

Governor Tate Reeves (R-MS) slammed CBS News host Margaret Brennan after she suggested during an interview with Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.D. Vance</a> that states like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mississippi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mississippi</a> wouldn’t be able to coordinate a response to natural disasters without the federal government’s help. 
Reeves ripped into Brennan on X after she pushed back on President Donald Trump’s proposals to transform the role of FEMA during her Sunday interview with Vance. Brennan said that states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Kentucky would suffer if FEMA took a reduced role in natural disaster response. 
“HILARIOUS elitism by [Brennan] claiming that Mississippians know less about emergency management than DC bureaucrats — all because her favorite Democrats in CA and NC have failed their constituents,” Reeves posted on X. “[Vance] did a great job handling her condescending questions. The disdain these people have for any Americans outside of their little bubble is so pathetic and revealing.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HILARIOUS elitism by <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CBSNews</a> claiming that Mississippians know less about emergency management than DC bureaucrats &#8211; all because her favorite Democrats in CA and NC have failed their constituents.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> did a great job handling her condescending questions. The… <a href="https://t.co/YHWqWJhp6h">pic.twitter.com/YHWqWJhp6h</a>
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) <a href="https://twitter.com/tatereeves/status/1883581254114930958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-promises-overhaul-of-fema-floats-getting-rid-of-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> on Friday that he would sign an executive order that would “fundamentally” overhaul and transform FEMA. He also suggested that he may get rid of the agency altogether and hand over responsibility to the states. 
“You know FEMA has specialized expertise that some of these states just don’t have,” Brennan told Vance. “How will lower income states, the Mississippis, the Kentuckys, the Alabamas, be able to do this for themselves without federal help?”
Vance replied by saying that the reason behind Trump’s proposal to revamp FEMA was to ensure that disaster victims were able to receive support and aid as efficiently as possible. 
“The president, to be clear, is not saying we’re going to leave anybody behind,” Vance said. “He’s saying that the way that we administer these resources, some of which is coming from the federal level, some of which is coming from the state level, we’ve got to get the bureaucrats out of the way and get the aid to the people who need it most.” 
Trump has said it would be better if states were in total control of recovery efforts and the federal government would fund a certain percentage of the response. His proposals to change FEMA come after he has criticized the agency’s response to both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, saying that the agency slowed its response because many of those impacted were in conservative rural areas. 
During a Friday stop in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-nice-trump-speaks-out-about-fema-denying-aid-to-his-supporters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke out about</a> a FEMA scandal first reported on by The Daily Wire where relief workers skipped homes because of Trump signs or flags.
“A whistleblower testified that some FEMA employees refused to help people who display Trump signs on their property. I think that’s true, isn’t it? I read that. That’s not nice, that’s not too nice, is it? But whoever those property people were, thank you very much,” Trump said.
In November, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs">broke a story</a> that FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington had ordered relief workers in Lake Placid to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” These instructions were given in person and verbally, whistleblowers told The Daily Wire. At least 20 homes were skipped due to the orders.

Mississippi Votes To Remove Confederate Symbols From State Flag

‘Hilarious Elitism’: GOP Governor Fires Back After CBS Says State Can’t Handle Emergency Response

CBS News

Donald Trump

J.D. Vance

Kentucky

Margaret Brennan

Mississippi

Natural Disaster

ATHENS, Alabama—As van loads of Haitian migrants began arriving over the summer, residents in Alabama started to wonder whether their already-swelling community could handle the influx. 
Not satisfied with the answers they were getting from local officials, Jarrod and Amanda Schulte started investigating for themselves. They soon found themselves walking around north Athens, a run-down part of the city where migrants from all over the world live in dilapidated homes.
“What we found was not very pretty,” Jarrod Schulte told The Daily Wire. “The city of Athens, our politicians, they all need to do better.”
The Schultes and others in Alabama worry that their cities will become the next Springfield, Ohio, where a large influx of Haitian migrants was accompanied by a surge in crime and traffic accidents. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-has-my-town-become-springfield-residents-say-its-falling-apart-amid-haitian-influx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Springfield</a> made national headlines after former President Donald Trump mentioned the city during the September presidential debate, during a discussion of the impacts of mass migration on small cities across the country, not just in border states. Similar problems have arisen in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-not-just-springfield-this-small-town-in-pennsylvania-is-overrun-by-haitian-migrants-too" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pennsylvania</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-midwestern-town-inundated-with-haitian-migrants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana,</a> where residents worry their small cities don&#8217;t have enough resources to handle the influx.
The Daily Wire traveled to Athens and spoke to more than a dozen current residents, consisting of both longtime residents and migrants. The concern is not only that migrants are impacting the lives of those who were already there, straining already scarce resources in the town, but also the lives that migrants lead upon arrival.
Pierre-Marc, a 44-year-old Haitian migrant in Athens whom the Schultes befriended, is currently living alongside four other Haitian adults and two children in a rundown home in north Athens. 
When Pierre-Marc first met the Schultes, the facade of his home was covered in peeling paint and dotted with cracked windows. There was no furniture in the home, and residents washed their clothes in the sink they shared.
<div id="attachment_817983" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-817983" class="size-full wp-image-817983" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/MixCollage-24-Oct-2024-09-23-AM-4078-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />A migrant home in Athens / The Daily Wire.</div>
The Alabama cities of Albertville and Enterprise have also seen an increase in migrant workers coming to their area. As locals seek answers about the migrants&#8217; legal status, city officials have shifted the blame to the Biden-Harris administration.
“We are aware that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ program allows refugees from Haiti to be placed in our community,&#8221; Enterprise Mayor William Cooper said last month. &#8220;It is unfortunate that we as a city were given no advanced notice nor additional resources to accommodate this influx.”
Cooper admitted that his city was being &#8220;taxed&#8221; by the influx, and said he was working with other communities throughout Alabama.
Athens spokeswoman Holly Hollman told The Daily Wire that the city is forced to reach out to federal authorities when pressed by locals about the increase in migrants.
&#8220;As this is a federal issue, Athens officials reached out to state and federal officials, including the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Hollman said. “Federal officials have advised there are new immigrants from Haiti with federal work permits in the area, and they are here working legally in Alabama.&#8221;
In Albertville, about 110 Haitian students have joined the school system of about 5,800 since June.
“It’s complicated,” Albertville Superintendent Bart Reeves <a href="https://aldailynews.com/north-alabama-officials-schools-respond-to-immigration-shifts/">told</a> the Alabama Daily News in August. “When kids get here, we want to educate them to the best of our ability and give them a first-class education. And we’ll keep doing that. But we need help. I cannot emphasize that enough.”
Reeves said that the district did not have nearly enough translators to help with the influx. “We do have some translators, but certainly not the number we need,” he said. “So that’s challenging.”
State Rep. Brock Colvin of Albertville <a href="https://1819news.com/news/item/albertville-community-gathers-in-prayer-for-city-as-it-continues-addressing-ongoing-haitian-migrant-influx">told</a> 1819 News earlier this month that the school district was still struggling to handle a wave of migration that brought many people who only spoke Spanish.
Athens City School told The Daily Wire that about 669 of its 5,373 students were classified as English learners and that the district had 24 students in the system from Haiti. Superintendent Beth Patton said the district had no plans to hire any additional ESL teachers. 
The Schultes say they were surprised to discover the home their Haitian friend Pierre-Marc was living in was <a href="https://alabamacompanysearch.com/company/000-330-586">owned</a> by a city councilman, Chris Seibert, who owns 87 properties in Limestone County. 
The migrants in the house said they were paying $2,000 per month to stay in the 1,216-square-foot home, but were recently told their rent would be reduced to $1,500 per month in December, according to a text message viewed by The Daily Wire. Brenda, a lifelong resident of Athens who lived in the home for over 10 years until October 2023, told The Daily Wire that she paid just $325 to rent the home. 
Seibert told The Daily Wire the rent hike reflected $25,000 of repairs he made, and that the previous tenant had a specific agreement because she was on a fixed income. According to county records, the property value has increased by around $4,000 from 2023 to 2024. Seibert said that the $2,000 amount the migrants first paid included a security deposit and not their monthly rate, but did not specify what the current rate was. He did say that the rent was not fluctuating and the migrants were clear on the &#8220;amount per my property manager.&#8221;
There are still issues with the home, including exposed outlets and a poor-fitting front door. Some minor repairs, including painting and plumbing, were done shortly after the Schultes started poking around. 
Seibert said that the property had been examined by the city and was compliant with building codes, but did not specify how the repair money had been spent.
The Daily Wire spoke with several other migrants from Haiti and Latin America living at similar Seibert-owned homes, who said they paid at least $800 per month. Multiple local residents living in rundown homes told The Daily Wire that the rates they paid were hundreds of dollars less than the migrants.
<div id="attachment_818979" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-818979" class="size-full wp-image-818979" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_150928740_HDR-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />A home occupied by migrants in north Athens: Daily Wire.</div>
Mark Wilson, a 65-year-old African-American man who&#8217;s lived his whole life in north Athens, has been on a crusade to improve his neighborhood for years. Wilson has filed numerous complaints with the state over Seibert’s rental properties and believes that local officials are looking the other way on home maintenance.
“What it all boils down to is revenue, it boils down to money,” Wilson told The Daily Wire, adding that he wants city officials held accountable. 
Seibert said that his rates were determined by the market value and whether the home had been renovated. He also said that all maintenance issues were responded to when his property managers were told about issues. He added that all of the migrants in his homes were legally in the United States and that there was no assistance from the government to help pay the rent.
&#8220;All maintenance issues with my company’s properties are dealt with in a timely fashion as my property managers are made aware of these issues,&#8221; Seibert said. &#8220;There is zero truth that any tenant is being exploited due to nationality or that any tenant is being charged differently due to nationality.&#8221;
The housing concerns have exploded into controversy at city council meetings, with some locals demanding Seibert step down.
“He has a vested interest in migrants that fill his properties, and it is unclear whether Athens citizens have been harmed by this conflict of interest,” a recent <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfgTAws-bnlUmtfAiwa_cTVI0L5KYeZpuufx_ogQoNV7ziKyg/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawFMgitleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHR6dMHChxAvo39CfqNDiGiCdpKZqZwtK7WZu7GCPGNUyXzhSwGM8Z90gGg_aem_DEiGcrdZNePwlm5xmMBPVg">petition</a> said. “It is also a conflict of interest for a sitting Council Member to investigate inhumane treatment of these migrants in housing properties that he owns.”
Seibert says he has been the target of a &#8220;smear campaign&#8221; because of his position on the city council and says that he has spent hundreds of thousands in improvements in north Athens.
&#8220;All of my company’s tenants willingly enter into an agreement to rent upon personally reviewing the property and are free to move if they are unhappy with location, price, etc,&#8221; he said.
<div id="attachment_818091" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-818091" class="size-full wp-image-818091" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/IMG_20241010_152530382-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />A Mexican flag flies in north Athens.</div>
Concerns about housing are not unique to Athens. In nearby Enterprise, there have been reports of migrants staying in homes that are outside of city code. In response, Mayor Cooper said that the city would be watching landlords closely.
“We are holding landlords responsible. We are ensuring that everyone has access to essential services like clean, running water as well as safe living conditions,” he <a href="https://www.enterpriseal.gov/news_detail_T22_R255.php">said</a> last month.
Similar housing issues have been the focus of the Justice Department&#8217;s investigation into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-doj-sues-colony-ridge-for-bait-and-switch-sales-predatory-financing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colony Ridge,</a> a Texas neighborhood where developers have been accused of misleading non-English speaking customers about development plots sold to them without water, sewer, or electrical infrastructure.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Locals wonder what is drawing so many migrants to their communities. Many immigrants told The Daily Wire they work at Pilgrim’s Pride or other chicken production locations.
Pierre-Marc has a job working at Pilgrim’s processing plant in Russellville, Alabama, which is over an hour away. He has a United States employment authorization card that is valid until 2025. He and dozens of other migrants are picked up at Northside Church of Christ in vans commissioned by Pilgrim’s to transport the workers back and forth.
An employee at Dollar General across the street from the church told The Daily Wire that he observes dozens of migrants every day being picked up and dropped off at the church. 
<div id="attachment_818073" style="width: 2366px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-818073" class="size-full wp-image-818073" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM.png" alt="" width="2356" height="1026" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM.png 2356w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM-300x131.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM-1024x446.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM-768x334.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM-1536x669.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Screen-Shot-2024-10-24-at-10.45.53-AM-2048x892.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2356px) 100vw, 2356px" />Migrant drop off in Athens after a day of work.</div>
<div>
Pilgrim&#8217;s says that its Russellville plant &#8220;had an expansion that resulted in increased job opportunities,&#8221; and that it chose to hire applicants living further away and provide transportation.
&#8220;Our neighboring facility that experiences low turnover has had an applicant waitlist for quite some time. Because of this, we hired many of those individuals and provide transportation to and from the Russellville plant for our team members who live in the surrounding areas, something we have been doing for months. We are not using a hiring agency in Alabama,&#8221; a company spokeswoman told The Daily Wire.
</div>
Athens residents are still wondering why the migrants are traveling over two hours every day for work, and worried that Limestone County, the fastest growing in Alabama, cannot absorb an additional influx of migrants. Communities across the country, from Indiana to Ohio to Pennsylvania, have dealt with similar issues.
Enterprise Mayor Cooper said he would be working with other communities in Alabama to address the issue.
“To the citizens of Enterprise: we hear you. We are as frustrated as you are that our resources are limited and taxed by this federal program,” he said. “We are working with other communities that are experiencing a similar influx. We are seeking out resources where we can, while ensuring that all city, state and federal laws are followed.”

Jasper, Alabama

Overrun By Haitian Migrants, These Alabama Towns Could Be The Next Springfield

Haitian immigrants

Springfield

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justice Department</a> sued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a> on Friday over its efforts to clean up its voter rolls and ensure that non-citizens are not registered to vote, saying its actions come “too close” to an election. 
The lawsuit comes after Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen <a href="https://www.sos.alabama.gov/newsroom/secretary-state-wes-allen-implements-process-remove-noncitizens-registered-vote-alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> an effort last month to remove non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls. In its <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-alabama-violating-federal-laws-prohibition-systematic-efforts-remove" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a>, the DOJ said that this effort violated federal law because the National Voter Registration Act restricts actions states can take within 90 days of a federal election. 
“The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama redress voter confusion resulting from its list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law.”
On August 13, 84 days before the November 5 election, Allen said that Alabama officials had identified up to 3,251 people on Alabama voter rolls with non-citizen identification numbers assigned to them by the Department of Homeland Security. 
In response to the findings, Allen sent letters to the 3,251 people to give them a chance to update their information to discover if they had become naturalized citizens since entering the country or if they should be taken off the rolls because they were not U.S. citizens. Allen said that the federal government had refused to answer requests for information on foreign nationals living in his state, prompting his initiative. 
This action triggered a DOJ review, which found that “both native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens have received letters stating that their voter record has been made inactive and that they have been placed on a path for removal from Alabama’s statewide voter registration list.”
The DOJ said it wants to make Alabama send out “remedial mailings” in order “to educate eligible voters concerning the restoration of their rights and adequate training of local officials and poll workers to address confusion and distrust among eligible voters accused of being noncitizens.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Allen argued that his action was necessary to clean up the voter rolls and that individuals would still be allowed to vote if they were actually American citizens. 
“I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” he said back in August. “I have even gone so far as to testify before a United States Senate Committee regarding the importance of this issue. We have examined the current voter file in an attempt to identify anyone who appears on that list that has been issued a noncitizen identification number.”  
Earlier this month, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/undocumented-individual-charged-connection-voting-fraud-and-passport-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> in Alabama with using a fake identity to vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections, as well as obtaining fake passports.

Overhead shot of a person filling out a voter registration and absentee ballot forum at home.

Justice Dept Sues Alabama Over Efforts To Remove Non-Citizens From Voter Rolls

2024 Election

Courts

Department of Justice

Politics

Voting Rights

The powerful storm that slammed into northern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday night has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves across the southeast.
Hurricane Helene made landfall around 10 miles west of Perry, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. ET, Fox Weather <a href="https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/tracking-hurricane-helene-florida-landfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Helene <a href="https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-helene-florida-georgia-09-27-24/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set the record</a> for the strongest hurricane to hit Florida&#8217;s Big Bend, the area of the state where the panhandle meets the peninsula.
As the storm moved inland into Alabama and Georgia, it weakened to a tropical storm. Helene, however, remains dangerous, causing flooding and high winds that knocked out power for nearly one million customers in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. That&#8217;s in addition to the over 1.2 million customers without power in Florida, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-helene-florida-georgia-09-27-24#cm1khxftz00003b6oef4s78ww" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. At least three storm-related deaths have been reported as of early Friday morning, and around 25 people in Atlanta have been rescued from flooding, authorities told CNN.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ATLANTA WATER RESCUES: Fire crews conducting water rescues as neighbors in Peachtree Park apartments evacuate due to rising flood waters from Peachtree Creek. Full report starting at 4:00 <a href="https://t.co/bT0o9IktH0">pic.twitter.com/bT0o9IktH0</a>
&mdash; Lindsay Tuman (@LindsayOnTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindsayOnTV/status/1839573660480282771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have all declared states of emergency over Helene, with authorities warning of catastrophic flooding. As of Friday morning, Tropical Storm Helene was centered just east of Macon, Georgia, and moving northward at 30 mph, according to <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2024-09-26-hurricane-helene-forecast-landfall-florida-southeast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Weather Channel</a>.
The storm is expected to bring high winds and potential flash flooding to Tennessee and Kentucky and parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia later on Friday. The east coasts of North and South Carolina are also at an increased risk of tornadoes on Friday.
Videos posted to social media showed the massive damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Florida. Footage of Cedar Key, Florida, posted by a storm chaser showed water nearly reaching the roofs of some houses as waves and high wind battered others.
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Insane footage of storm surge coming from Cedar Key, FL. Please continue to pray for those in the path of Hurricane Helene. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Helene?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Helene</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HurricaneHelene?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HurricaneHelene</a> <a href="https://t.co/rU6MSAmUNq">pic.twitter.com/rU6MSAmUNq</a>
— James Jinnette (@james_jinnette1) <a href="https://twitter.com/james_jinnette1/status/1839625146786599282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Florida saw extreme flooding as far south as Maderia Beach — near Tampa — as video showed water rising in the lobby of a resort.
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Really bad flooding going on in Maderia Beach area. This is the lobby of the All Season Resort. Stay safe out there! Get the latest on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Helene?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Helene</a> -&gt; <a href="https://t.co/qyo9QUAXi9">https://t.co/qyo9QUAXi9</a> 
Couresy: Randy Paradine <a href="https://t.co/U6ycY2DQRz">pic.twitter.com/U6ycY2DQRz</a>
&mdash; Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) <a href="https://twitter.com/BN9/status/1839465048726507899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Hurricane Helene

Helene Downgraded To Tropical Storm After Battering Florida

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Police are looking for multiple shooters who killed four people and injured 17 over the weekend in a “targeted” shooting in an entertainment district in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a>.
The shooting occurred at around 11:00 p.m. Saturday in the Five Points South neighborhood in Birmingham as police say multiple shooters opened fire on a man they were hired to kill. Police have not yet named any suspects or made arrests in the case. 
“We believe this was a targeted shooting,” said Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond at a press conference on Sunday. “We feel comfortable in saying that at this time.”
Thurmond said that at least 20 people were caught in the crossfire as the shooters opened fire with “automatic” weapons as they drove by the target. Thurmond noted that the individual they believed was targeted was among those killed.
He said that police had collected more than 100 shell casings at the scene and were still determining if anyone fired back at the shooters. The shooting took place not far from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 
Both the ATF and the FBI were on the scene and helping local police in leading the investigation. Additionally, Thurmond asked members of the public to come forth with any information.
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&#8220;It’s going take everyone to work together to get these individuals off the streets who inflicted this carnage on our city last night,” he said. “No one in our city wants these people on the streets.”
The police <a href="https://www.wbrc.com/2024/09/22/birmingham-police-believe-someone-was-paid-kill-targeted-victim-mass-shooting-that-killed-4-injured-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> three of the four killed as 21-year-old Anitra Holloman of Bessemer, 27-year-old Tahj Booker of Birmingham, and 27-year-old Carlos McCain of Birmingham. 
&#8220;To the victims and the victims&#8217; families, just our heartfelt condolences go out to them,” Thurmond said. “That’s 21 people whose lives were forever changed, that’s 21 families that were, some were destroyed, some were just altered and our hearts go out to them.” 
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called on the public to help the police “find these shooters and get them off the streets.”
Woodfin also called on the state legislature to ban “Glock switches,” a device that is designed to allow semi-automatic firearms to fire automatically. Devices like this are already <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20231218/does-the-us-attorney-for-dc-know-full-auto-conversion-switches-are-illegal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal</a> under federal law. 
“Glock switches are the number one public safety issue in our city and State,” Woodfin posted on Facebook. “Though illegal under federal law, there is no state law that makes glock switches illegal.”

Police tape and crime scene

Alabama Shooting Leaves 4 Dead, 17 Injured As Police Search For Suspects In ‘Targeted’ Attack

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Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend the Alabama vs. Georgia game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on September 28.
A person with knowledge of Trump&#8217;s campaign plans told the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/sec/2024/09/16/donald-trump-alabama-vs-georgia-game-schedule-confirmed/75255424007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuscaloosa News</a> earlier this week that the former president plans to attend. The game, which features the two biggest SEC powerhouses currently ranked among the top four teams in the country, will take place under the lights beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
This will be the second Alabama-Georgia game for Trump after he attended the 2018 national championship matchup between the two teams while he was the sitting president. It will also be Trump&#8217;s second time attending a game at the historic Bryant-Denny Stadium. He was in attendance in Tuscaloosa for the 2019 game between the Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, which marked the first time a sitting president had attended an Alabama home football game, according to Tuscaloosa News.
When Trump was introduced at the Alabama game in 2019, the crowd erupted in cheers.
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WATCH: President Trump is introduced to thunderous cheers at Alabama vs. LSU football game Saturday. <a href="https://t.co/IDDGE48oNo">pic.twitter.com/IDDGE48oNo</a>
— NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1193285759207432194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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John Wahl, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, confirmed that he was aware of Trump&#8217;s plans to visit Tuscaloosa and watch the game, saying he&#8217;s &#8220;extremely excited about the prospect.&#8221;
&#8220;The people of Alabama have a special relationship with Donald Trump and the Republican Party is always excited to welcome him to our state,&#8221; he added. &#8220;With that said, I’m not directly involved in the planning, and I don’t know if the most recent assassination attempt changes anything here in Tuscaloosa.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s reported plans are always subject to change, and as mentioned by Wahl, the second assassination attempt on Trump on Sunday has brought questions surrounding his security back into the spotlight. The former president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-praises-agent-who-spotted-rifle-on-golf-course-very-different-story-from-butler-rally?topStoryPosition=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> his Secret Service detail on Tuesday for spotting the barrel of a rifle and stopping a gunman before he was able to fire any shots at the president or others on Trump&#8217;s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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&#8220;In this particular case, you had a very sharp agent, as good as you could find, and did a fantastic job, but somebody could have missed the barrel of that rifle,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Somebody of lesser talents or somebody that was distracted could have missed or could have been shot, I mean, frankly, could have also been shot.&#8221;

Trump Set To Attend Major College Football Rivalry Game Later This Month

Trump To Attend Major College Football Rivalry Game Later This Month

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