Kyle Whitmire

Is this the sign of a man who will let go of power? The president and his allies are acting as though that’s something they’ll never let happen.

Glad to have you along for the ride!

Remember when Trump yanked funds from Mississippi after learning that the state's welfare chief had directed millions in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to sports celebrities, including not only Brett Favre, but the Million Dollar man and his two pro-wrestler sons?

Wait. He didn't.

11. But altogether, it’s a very well-researched story and one Alabamians can be proud of. Just don’t spike the football yet, guys. And read the whole article. Not just the headline.

10. Alabamians often don’t know what they’re giving up to win big projects until it’s too late to have any say, something that has become a big problem with unpopular datacenters eyeballing the state.

9. While capturing how much the state has had to give up for some of its early wins, one thing I think the story misses is how much of a black box economic development has been.

8. Also, Alabama has struggled with home-grown businesses, going from five Fortune 500 companies in the early 2000s to just two today, and both of those are shaky: Regions (433) and Vulcan Materials (500).

7. The scoreboard for recent governors is not as favorable, unless you count Kay Ivey building the world's most expensive prison.

6. One thing I believe the story misses is how much of this success has been the downstream effect of 1996-2010 Alabama policies. Work set in place by Folsom, Siegelman and Riley (sorry, Fob).

5. Also (bonus points to the reporter for catching this) the state’s tax system still favors rich districts over poor districts, trapping much of the state in a cycle of poverty with little opportunity.

4. Alabama is thriving in places and suffering in others. What you get out of it depends a great deal on where you live.

3. Alabama is doing better in aggregate than Canada economically, but largely because of Huntsville and, to a lesser extent, Birmingham.

Out of nowhere, Canada became poorer than Alabama. How is that possible? For an overdue wake-up call, The Globe travelled to the Deep South to understand how the state is breaking stereotypes and, at times, looking richer than Canada

2. First of all, the Globe & Mail reporter did his homework and folks should read the whole story, not just the headline. There’s nuance here, and it’s worth paying attention to.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Alabama is waving this Globe & Mail story like an Olympic gold medal today. But is it true? The answer: A big YES with a lot of buts. Some thoughts …

Republicans says they believe in voter ID, but when one of their own got caught in the snare, what happened? Donald Trump endorsed him. I give you the curious case of John Wahl.

A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the “banality of evil personified” in the U.S. immigration crackdown.

A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a prank to expose the most cruel among us, and then it caught a kindergarten teacher.

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

A George Wallace presidential campaign thimble. It is made of (once-white?) yellowed plastic with VOTE WALLACE FOR PRESIDENT printed in red block letters.

I’m from the same era - born during his second governorship and remember his third. But yeah, no one ever voted for him.

Then again, sometimes you find things like a campaign thimble in your grandmother’s sewing box after she passes.

Right back at ya. Thanks!

Alabama’s past is America’s future. Ever met anyone who brags they voted for George Wallace?

When did police start dressing like Fortnite characters? And what is camouflage good for in a city?

Dress is a form of speech and we need to pay attention to the message we’re being sent.

Tommy Tuberville, 2023: “The constant malignment of Americans exercising a constitutional right has to end.”

Tuberville, 2026: “Why would you take a gun? I don’t understand that.”

www.al.com/news/2026/01...

Stanley Milgram’s cruel experiment explains the ICE-y obedience to authority breaking America.

65 percent of us will consent to horrible things — a demographic grossly over-represented in Congress.

If you want fine wine, go to France. If you want to do great journalism, go to Alabama. Congratulations to The Alabama Solution!

Why do police dress like characters from Fortnite? How we dress is a form of speech, and we should pay attention to the message law enforcement is sending us.

Power is a drug and should be regulated like all other controlled substances, only more so.
www.al.com/news/2026/01...

When did police start dressing like Fortnite characters? And what is camouflage good for in a city?

Dress is a form of speech and we need to pay attention to the message we’re being sent.

I’m not sure how to fix the economy, but political prosecutions of Federal Reserve Board members is a hell of a way to break it.

Tuberville hid from the Jan. 6 mob. Now he calls them ‘great American patriots.’ Senator attempts to filibuster reality.

You can’t filibuster reality, but Tommy Tuberville will try.

www.al.com/news/2026/01...

Where does Tommy Tuberville live? Florida or Alabama? If he wants to run for Alabama governor, he needs to put this issue to bed. Release your state tax returns and show us, Senator — if you can.

Kyle Whitmire (@kwhitmire) Paul Finebaum on his political skeletons, Nick Saban, Black Lives Matter and what it’s like getting Laura “Loomered.”

Paul Finebaum on his political skeletons, Nick Saban, Black Lives Matter and what it’s like getting Laura “Loomered.”

Paul Finebaum’s road not taken Talk show host tells why he didn't run for Senate and what he learned along the way.

Paul Finebaum received a text message asking whether he would like to trade one life for another.

Would he consider running for the U.S. Senate?

“As long as I live, I cannot explain the next thing I did,” he says.

My column: Paul Finebaum's road not taken
www.al.com/news/2025/12...