John Archibald

Thanks so much for listening!

He’s my favorite part of Episode 1, and my favorite takeaway of the whole series.

Archibald: When bombs shook the South, and an unsung hero stepped up “It looked kind of weird because this guy … didn't turn around to see what happened,” he told police.

Man, I wish there were more people like Jermaine Hughes.

American Shrapnel History Podcast · Weekly Series · The Olympics explode on a July night in 1996. The largest pipe bomb the country has ever seen. A string of bombings shakes Atlanta for the next year. Thousands of pho...

I honestly don’t know what else to say about "American Shrapnel." I’ve been working on it for years now with Becca Andrews and John Hammontree. The first three episodes dropped today, and I hope you will listen.

Sure, it's history. But it's about now, too.

Thank you. 🙂

You are kind

If you’re around Birmingham tomorrow come my way!

Three weeks to release but climbing the charts.

Thanks so much for your help. Follow at Apple Podcasts to keep it going.

@kbeccaandrews.bsky.social
@johnhammontree.bsky.social

American Shrapnel History Podcast · Weekly Series · The Olympics explode on a July night in 1996. The largest pipe bomb the country has ever seen. A string of bombings shakes Atlanta for the next year. Thousands of pho...

Apple link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Long time coming.

@kbeccaandrews.bsky.social, @johnhammontree.bsky.social and I are about to drop an 8-part podcast about serial bomber Eric Rudolph and the rise of Christian/white nationalism.

We're excited about it. First episodes out July 30. Follow on Apple Podcasts to help us get it started.

Beth is great. So happy to have her and Rob Cairns as part of this podcast.

Archibald: Taylor Swift’s version of the Bill of Rights is what America needs today Is the Boston Tea Party a New England gossipfest? Is Independence Day just a movie kids these days don’t remember?

I got a note this morning that this was overly sarcastic. I was like "I'm totally serious." Mostly.

www.al.com/news/2025/07...

Archibald: It was like ‘Lord of the Flies’ with flamethrowers They danced around those fires, shooting bursts of flaming disinfectant and terrorizing smaller kids.

Newsflash. America does not live by the values it claims.

Birmingham’s water system has a new name and new coalition firmly in charge Tuesday night's water works board meeting was tense at times with a 5-2 split that illustrated a political and regional divide among board members.

The Birmingham Water Works Board has long been corrupt and wasteful.

The only think I disdain more than that board is the suburban takeover of it.

TBut the coup is complete. This from @newsmanbryant.bsky.social

www.al.com/news/birming...

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

Wow, @johnarchibald.bsky.social, wow. Very well done.
Y’all gotta read this skewering of our “elite” institutions right next to a speech from the day after the Sixteenth Street Church bombing.

Archibald: Congresswoman ghosted? UAB shows the cowardice of its convictions In the words of Noah Kahan: "You once called me forever, now you still can’t call me back."

When what you have to lose is more important than what you stand for, you’ve already lost.

A coward with a good excuse is still just a coward.

Are the good guys the ones trying to follow the rules? Or the ones with a piece of paper that lets them think rules don’t apply to them?

Here are a few pics from Studio by the Tracks.

Archibald: Federal budget cuts land hard on Alabama autistic artists This is not some daycare, some Bohemian way to pass the time. It is a working studio for working artists.

NEA grants were cut to agencies like this studio for autistic artists because they are “outside the priorities” of the Administration. Clearly, this country needs to assess its priorities.

www.al.com/news/2025/06...

Archibald: 10 reasons Charles Barkley should run for governor of Alabama Let's face it, the bar is low.

It’s not that he’s Charles Barkley. It’s that he’s … not Tommy Tuberville.

www.al.com/news/2025/06...

This is really a thing of beauty.

I’ll have more to say on that. 🙂

Oh man, this is gonna get ugly. Of course, it has been ugly for a long time.

I am of mixed mind, though. The only thing worse than the Birmingham Water Works Board might just be a Birmingham Water Works Board taken over in a coup by the suburbs.

Archibald: ‘It strains credulity,' skeptical judge says of Alabama lawyers’ AI snafu How many lawyers does it take to ask ChatGPT for sources?

They threw themselves on the mercy of the court this morning. They get 10 days to sweat.

Archibald: High-priced Alabama lawyers apologize for AI snafu, throw colleague under the bus “What happened here is unacceptable,” the firm said of AI hallucinations.

Well, yesterday was Mea Culpa day for these Alabama lawyers.

www.al.com/news/2025/05...

Ridiculous