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The only sport that Alabamians enjoy more than Alabama politics is college football. We especially love the Alabama vs. Auburn football game – one of the fiercest of college football rivalries. It is the game of the year. It is a state civil war that divides friends and families. It is bragging rights for the entire year. The loser must live with his boasting next-door neighbor for 364 days. You must choose a side even if you despise college football and could not care less who wins. Newcomers to our state are bewildered on this fall day each year. They cannot comprehend the madness that surrounds this epic war. Steve Flowers Young boys all over Alabama grow up playing football in their front yards and dream of playing in this big game. It is often said that when these two rivals meet one can throw out the record books. However, this is not true. In 90% of the meetings the favorite has won. A lot of SEC championships and bowl games have been decided in this game. It has made many Alabamians’ Thanksgiving holiday either joyous or sad. The game was not played for 40 years between 1908 and 1948. Myth has it that the game was halted because of the intense rivalry. However, that is not the case. The history is that after the 1907 game, the schools could not agree on the terms of the contract. The dispute involved meal money, lodging, officials, and how many players each side could bring. Football was not the passion it is today, so the two schools let the matter rest and the fans did not seem to care. That began to change as college football grew to a major sport in the 1940s. When the series resumed, a popular rumor is the Alabama legislature called a special meeting and forced the teams to play. That never happened, but the House of Representatives did pass a resolution in 1947 to encourage, not force, the schools to meet in football, and officials at Alabama and Auburn agreed. The presidents of Auburn and Alabama simply decided it would be in the best interest of the schools to start playing again. A contract was drawn up, papers signed, and the rivals literally buried the hatchet. On the morning of December 4, 1948, the presidents of each school’s student body dug a hole in Birmingham’s Woodrow Wilson Park, tossed a hatchet in, and buried it. The series resumed in 1948 with a 55-0 Alabama victory and the teams have squared off every season since. Many of you have seen signs and car tags that simply say, “A house divided,” with half the tag emblem being Auburn and the other symbolic of the Alabama Crimson Tide. There are many families in our state where one spouse went to Auburn and the other attended Alabama. The family that epitomizes this “house divided” adage of my generation is Joe and Katie Espy of Montgomery. Joe is an Alabama man through and through. Espy is one of our state’s most gifted and successful attorneys. He grew up in Abbeville and journeyed onto the University of Alabama where he began his meteoric legal/political career. He was President of the SGA at the Capstone, then graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law. Many expected Joe to enter politics and probably become governor. However, he has lived a better life as one of the state’s top lawyers. Katie Espy was born and raised in Eufaula. She was “Miss Everything” at Eufaula High School, including head cheerleader. She went straight to Auburn where she became a cheerleader for the Auburn Tigers. Joe and Katie have been married for 54 years. Every Auburn vs. Alabama game, Katie dons her orange and blue attire and Joe dresses in crimson and white. As stated earlier, Joe Espy is from Abbeville. Guess who grew up around the corner from him? None other than Jimmy Rane, the Yella Fella. Espy and Rane are both 78 and were born only three months apart and grew up as best friends and neighbors. Joe has probably been the most ardent Alabama alumnus and fan in history. He was a University of Alabama trustee for over a decade. Jimmy Rane is the most devoted Auburn man in Auburn history. He has been one of the largest benefactors of Auburn for 50 years and a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees for 25 years. These two outstanding gentlemen epitomize loyalty to their alma maters and grew up together in Abbeville – a town of 2,000, which is probably evenly divided on Iron Bowl Day. As I have said many times in the past, Alabama is one big front porch. WAR EAGLE and ROLL TIDE! See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steve@steveflowers.us . Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
China's top legislature on Saturday started a regular session to review a raft of bills including law drafts and reports. Zhao Leji, chairman of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presided over the first plenary meeting of the committee's 13th session. Lawmakers reviewed a draft value-added tax law, a draft national park law, a draft law on the publicity and education regarding the rule of law, a draft private sector promotion law and a draft hazardous chemicals safety law. They deliberated a draft amendment to the law on people's congress deputies, a draft amendment to the supervision law, a draft revision to science and technology popularization law, a draft revision to the anti-unfair competition law and a draft revision to the fisheries law. Lawmakers also reviewed a draft decision on convening the third session of the 14th NPC, reports on the handling of the suggestions, criticisms and comments submitted by lawmakers at the second session of the 14th NPC, a deputy qualification report and personnel-related bills, among others.Democrat Adrian Cortes narrowly defeated Republican Brad Benton on Tuesday in a closely-watched election for an open seat in the Washington state Senate. But with only a 172-vote margin in results certified by Clark County, a machine recount will be required to confirm the outcome. “I’m extraordinarily confident that we have secured a victory in this race,” Cortes said Tuesday. He said Benton phoned last week to concede and offer congratulations. Tuesday marked the deadline for auditors in Washington’s 39 counties to certify their respective vote tallies. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will certify the results of the statewide election Dec. 4, formalizing wins for a new state Supreme Court justice, four new statewide executives including governor, and several new members in each chamber of the state Legislature. This will also bring finality to passage of one statewide initiative and defeat of three others. The fierce duel between Benton and Cortes proved to be the closest race for a legislative or statewide office this year. It will be the only one for which Hobbs will order ballots to be retallied. Cortes edged Benton by a margin of 50.1% to 49.9%, finishing with 42,053 votes to Benton’s 41,881. The winner will succeed retiring Republican Sen. Ann Rivers in the 18th Legislative District. State law requires a machine recount when the difference between candidates is less than 2,000 votes and also less than half of 1% of the total votes cast for both candidates. A hand recount is mandated when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 150 votes and also less than one-quarter of 1% of the total votes cast for both candidates. A Republican-held district for more than two decades, Democratic Party leaders entered the year optimistic they could flip the Senate seat in the 18th with Cortes, a Battle Ground City Council member, as their candidate. “I’m just grateful to be elected by voters to go up to Olympia to protect their interests,” Cortes said. Meanwhile, Democrats also expanded their majority in the House with Adison Richards’ defeat of Republican Jesse Young, a former state lawmaker, in the 26th Legislative District. Richards will succeed Rep. Spencer Hutchins, R-Gig Harbor, who did not seek re-election. Barring any changes, Democrats will outnumber Republicans 59-39 in the House and 30-19 in the Senate when the 2025 legislative session begins Jan. 13. A new era Sal Mungia will soon fill an open Washington state Supreme Court seat after results showed him beating Dave Larson by more than 20,000 votes in what turned out to be the closest statewide contest. Mungia will replace Justice Susan Owens who will retire at the end of the year. Washington State Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms and face mandatory retirement at age 75. The gap between the two candidates grew since Election Day, but in Tuesday’s final vote tallies, Mungia remained less than 1% ahead of Larson. Given the wide vote gap, the race was still out of recount range. Mungia is a trial and appellate court lawyer who had the endorsement of eight of the nine current justices, Gov. Jay Inslee and other Democratic elected officials across the state. Larson had the backing of the state Republican Party. Larson made a last-ditch push to get voters to fix problems with challenged ballots in the hopes that he could catch up to Mungia. On Monday, Larson posted on X that the close results showed that people in Washington are pushing against partisanship in the judiciary. “I will not give up my efforts to support the trial courts and the communities they serve, and I certainly will not give up trying to get partisan politics out of the judiciary,” he said.Chargers receive the perfect news entering a massive weekend for their playoff hopes
TEHRAN – Following a meeting with the Iranian delegation in Geneva, the political directors of the foreign ministries of the UK, France, and Germany—who led the push for a recent anti-Iran resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors—confirmed that diplomatic discussions with Iran would remain ongoing. The German Foreign Ministry, along with senior diplomats from France and the UK, issued a coordinated statement on X (formerly known as Twitter). They confirmed that all parties agreed to resume the talks in the near future. In their statement, the European troika representatives noted: "The political directors of the UK, France, and Germany met with their Iranian counterpart, Kazem Gharibabadi, in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions, bilateral relations, and the regional situation. We agreed to continue diplomatic discussions in the near future." Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, also commented on the outcome of the talks on Friday. He described the meeting as another constructive round of dialogue with European officials. "We engaged in discussions with the political directors of France, Germany, and the UK," Gharibabadi said, adding, "The talks covered the latest bilateral, regional, and international developments, with a particular emphasis on nuclear issues and the potential lifting of sanctions."* He underscored Iran’s commitment to dialogue and its determination to safeguard its national interests. "We are firmly dedicated to pursuing the rights and interests of the Iranian people. Dialogue and engagement remain our preferred path, and it was agreed that these diplomatic efforts will continue in the near future," he stated. Relations between Tehran and Europe faced a significant setback when an anti-Iran resolution, drafted by the E3, was approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. The resolution criticizes Iran for “insufficient cooperation” with the IAEA under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), while failing to address the West’s full abandonment of the agreement.The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kobe Knox helped lead South Florida over Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday night with 19 points off of the bench in an 88-62 victory. Knox went 7 of 8 from the field (5 for 6 from 3-point range) for the Bulls (6-6). Quincy Adekokoya scored 16 points while shooting 7 for 13, including 2 for 7 from beyond the arc. Jimmie Williams and Jayden Reid both scored 11 points. Tay Mosher led the way for the Lions (2-11, 0-2 Southland Conference) with 12 points. Texas A&M-Commerce also got 11 points and three steals from Scooter Williams Jr.. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen also had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
What both sides are saying about ceasefire deal between Israel and HezbollahA new report and data from the latest Census has painted a grim picture of homelessness in Aotearoa, especially for women. Census data reveals there are more homeless women than men, with more than 57,000 women without a home. Meanwhile, a new study by Ihi Research has also found that four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa are Māori, with some being as young as 15-years-old. Many of them have been in state care, experienced sexual abuse and also the loss of their babies being uplifted. Ihi Research manager Dr Catherine Leonard told Saturday Morning that the "sobering" statistics were the result of "decades of inequity and intergenerational trauma", as well as gendered pay gaps, unemployment and structural inequality. "This culminates in increasing numbers of people becoming homeless, but increasingly more and more wahine Māori becoming homeless... and also their tamariki." The Census had found 13,000 children aged under 15 were severely housing deprived, and this had an intergenerational impact, Leonard said. Homeless women were "largely invisible", wanting to stay off the streets and instead staying in "terrible living situations" such as abusive relationships. "It's not just ... people sleeping on the streets, it's being in relationships that you have no choice - you can't leave." Disabled wahine were most likely to experience homelessness or unstable housing, which was another layer of disadvantage, she said. It was "incredibly challenging" for women in such situations to deal with health or personal care, such as showering, managing menstruation or pregnancy. "It hugely increases the risks for both the mum and the pēpī when they are homeless." Older women were vulnerable to homelessness, as they often had less savings, suffering the breakdown of long-term relationships, and even elder abuse in the form of children selling their home, she said. The Auckland City Mission had more than 200 women aged over 55, waiting for social housing. "There's just a huge demand ... in that demographic - and growing." There was some "amazing" support out there, she said - for example Housing First - but many organisations did not have the funding to meet current demand. The issues weren't just about housing - it encompassed many sectors, including employment, mental healthcare and benefits - and the solution needed to be "wrap-around" to care for our most vulnerable people. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.Closed circuit screenshots of a person of interest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing. Source: NYPD UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday doing something countless other American executives routinely do: Walking unaccompanied to an investor event held by his company. But Thompson's death this week in the heart of corporate America's capital has sent shockwaves throughout the business world, forcing companies to rethink the risks in even the most routine executive responsibilities. "Everyone's scrambling to say, 'Are we safe?'" said Chuck Randolph , chief security officer for Ontic, an Austin, Texas-based provider of threat management software. "This is an inflection point where the idea of executive protection is now raised to the board level. Everyone I know in the industry is feeling this." Threats against corporations have been rising for years, fueled in part by the echo chamber of social media and a more polarized political environment, according to security professionals. But the slaying on a Manhattan sidewalk of Thompson, head of the largest private health insurer in the U.S., is the highest profile such incident in decades. Companies now worry their leaders face greater risk of being targets of violence, especially as they hold more public investor events in New York in the coming weeks. The gunman is still at large, and his motivation isn't known. Words written on the shell casings found at the scene may offer hints about what incited the shooter. One question from security experts not involved in the case was whether the shooter demonstrated grievances against UnitedHealthcare in online forums and searched for information about the investor event. Several health-care companies have reacted by pulling photos of executives from websites, and health insurer Centene made an investor meeting virtual after the killing. Thompson didn't have a security detail with him on Wednesday morning, despite known threats against him, according to NYPD officials. None of the executives of UnitedHealth received personal security benefits, according to the company's filings . Cups mark the location of shell casings found at the scene where the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson was reportedly shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City, US, December 4, 2024. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters If Thompson had, several key factors would have been different. Personnel would have gone to the hotel before his arrival to detect threats; he also would have been accompanied by armed security who may have used an alternate hotel entrance, said Scott Stewart , a vice president of TorchStone Global. "This was preventable," said Stewart, who said he had nearly four decades in the industry. "I've never seen an executive with a comprehensive security program ever be victimized like that." Still, before this week's shocking events, it wasn't unusual for executives to decline security because of the disruption to their lives, or the image it may give, several security veterans said. "Not every CEO needs heavy duty protection," said the security chief of a technology firm who wasn't given permission to speak to the press. "Senior executives are subject to threats all day long, you need a platform to" examine them and determine whether they are credible and timely, he said. 'Guns, guards and gates' Since Thompson's killing, a wide spectrum of companies have sought extra protection for executives, Matthew Dumpert, managing director at Kroll Enterprise Security Risk Management, told CNBC. In the coming weeks, there are several financial conferences in New York with CEOs scheduled to attend in person. Until now, the major concern for these events has been disruption by environmental activists or other protestors, said a manager at large bank. "Everybody is taking a look and thinking through security for their senior people," said an executive at a major Wall Street firm who declined to be identified out of concern it would draw attention. Some corporate security veterans vented that they are seen as a cost center whose leaders are "buried too deeply in an organization to be listened to." "The bias is, security is a pain in people's butts, and not that important," said the person, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly. "I hope this opens their eyes," he said. "Risk intel and assessment is important, and security is about much more than just guns, guards and gates." — CNBC's Jordan Novet, Bertha Coombs and Dan Mangan contributed to this report watch now VIDEO 2:54 02:54 Companies bolster security around executives following United Healthcare CEO killing Money Movers
As the parliamentary year draws to a close, with speculation that an election will be called as early as March next year, a burning question comes to mind. Just what has been the point of the Albanese government? In two and a half years, interest rates have increased 12 times, meaning that mortgage repayments are 62 per cent higher than when the Albanese government came into office. For the past six quarters in a row, GDP per capita growth has been negative, the worst result in 50 years. It’s impossible for young people to get into the housing market, with record immigration levels meaning that housing supply is nowhere near keeping up with demand. Underlying inflation figures – the number once government subsidies are taken out of the equation – released this week show that groceries, rent, gas, insurance, among other things, are more expensive, meaning an interest rate cut won’t be coming any time soon. Power bills, rather than coming down by the much-vaunted $275, have increased close to four times that, thanks in no small part to Chris Bowen’s insane ideological crusade on weather-dependent wind and solar power. The cat was belled on this last week when Frontier Economics released a report that revealed the cost of building a renewable-only power grid is more than $500 billion higher than what the Albanese government has claimed. As we head into summer, this supposedly first world country is being told that the electricity system we have can no longer cope with heatwaves and risks blackouts if we turn on air-conditioners during 40C days. In Australia, 40C days mean a normal summer and I should be able to turn the air-conditioner on if I need to. AEMO invoked emergency energy powers to avoid blackouts. If a first world country cannot supply enough electricity for times when there is peak demand, well, as Chris Uhlmann put it, we are on a pathway to poverty while Bowen and his cronies conduct an experiment with the most essential of services, and destroying arable land and forests in doing so. And while the rest of the world at COP29 decides to press ahead with the reliable, safe, affordable and emissions free nuclear option, Bowen gives the proverbial middle finger to our AUKUS partners in developing the same nuclear energy that will power submarines to be used on land. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, after last year’s $15.8 billion surplus – thanks to soaring tax collections from mining companies who the government demonises – will manage to turn that into deficit of $33.5 billion this financial year, according to Deloitte Access Economics. In fact, Deloitte predicts the deficit will grow in 2025-26 to $46.8 billion, $6 billon worse than Treasury projections and this is driven in no small part by government spending, which as Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock pointed out, is adding fuel to the inflation fire. Not content with saddling this and future generations of taxpayers with increasing interest repayments – money that could have been used to fund schools, hospitals and roads – Chalmers now thinks he can direct the Future Fund (which pays military and public service pensions) no longer to choose investments based on the best possible return to taxpayers, but on what’s in the Albanese government’s best electoral interest. Chalmers claims this move will not jeopardise returns, but, as anyone with a modicum of economic common sense knows, if investment options are limited, the capacity for a return is also limited. It is nothing short of irresponsible. Add to all this the workplace legislation changes that, as this column recently highlighted, impose a substantial economic cost on small to medium business – many of them family business. And just this week the government passed legislation to forgive student HECS debt by 20 per cent. Those who stand to benefit most from this pathetic attempt to buy votes are law and medicine students, meaning that hardworking Australians who have never been to university will be subsidising those who will be earning a motzer once they get into the workforce. Former US President Bill Clinton’s advisers had a simple strategy based on the dictum: “It’s the economy, stupid.” It seems Albanese and Co can only recall the “stupid” part, for the economic well-being of Australians has been sacrificed on the altar of pet activist projects such as the Voice, which sucked up 18 months and nearly half a billion dollars. And when the result was not what Albanese wanted, he blames it on “misinformation” and tries to introduce legislation to silence people that spread “false, misleading or deceptive information about ... referendum proposals, elections, public health, the economy”, among other things. Albanese’s equivocation following the October 7 atrocities, while at the same time decrying “Islamophobia”, having his Foreign Minister support a UN motion for a permanent Palestinian state and Albanese remaining silent on the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, show a lack of moral conviction, if not moral relativism. His government’s removal of temporary protection visas means illegal boat arrivals have started again, and its incompetence in dealing with detainees following the High Court’s NZYQ decision led to the bashing of Perth grandmother Ninette Simons. I could go on. Our high school history teacher told us that: “It doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as you know where you are going.” The Albanese government’s priorities are askew. His “I grew up in social housing raised by a single mother” routine is no substitute for leadership. On any measure, Australia is going backwards at a rate of knots. After just two and a half years, is it any wonder that this government is being considered worse than Whitlam. Dr Rocco Loiacono is a legal academic, writer and translator. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade practicing as a lawyer with Clayton Utz, one of Australia’s top law firms. As well as SkyNews.com.au, he regularly contributes opinion pieces, specialising in politics, freedom and the rule of law, to The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun and The Australian(Reuters) - Barcelona manager Hansi Flick praised his players as they bounced back from consecutive LaLiga disappointments with what he described as a great performance to thump French side Brest 3-0 in their Champions League clash on Tuesday. Flick said on Monday that his side's recent form was a major worry after they failed to win for a second successive LaLiga game, but the German coach was delighted with how his players responded. "Very happy. We deserved it, winning by three goals but we could have scored more," Flick told Movistar Plus. "But I'm happy either way because delivering a performance like this after (a 2-2 draw at Celta) Vigo (on Saturday) is just great." Flick praised Barca striker Robert Lewandowski who scored twice to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players to reach 100 goals in the competition, but said that he preferred his team's collective effort on Tuesday. "Lewandowski is great, I'm delighted with his goals. I think Lewandowski knows he has to score and he is in the position to do it, but the important thing is what the team generates," Flick said. "Obviously, he knows he has to score and he plays for it, but what this team does is just wonderful." Tuesday's victory lifted Barca to second in the 36-team Champions League table on 12 points from five games, one point behind Inter Milan and level with third-placed Liverpool, who host Real Madrid on Wednesday. Flick's team are on top in the LaLiga standings with 34 points, four ahead of rivals Real Madrid in second, who have a game in hand. (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Toby Davis)
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