Alabama's Morning News with JT from Friday August 14th, 2026

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Mangione, break that down just a little bit for us because it's a federal and a state, and if one goes one way, it could affect the others. So obviously it's going to depend on what charge he may be pleading guilty to today, but this idea of double jeopardy means it can't be tried for the same crime twice. And New York has some pretty tough double jeopardy laws compared to some other states. But in this case, if the charge is interstate stalking resulting in death. And the state charge is second degree murder. What's the difference between the two? Right. Is going to be the legal argument. And they've got an argument on this thing, according to some legal experts. They may have something to go along with here. But at the end of the day, this guy, I think he's looking at life, no matter which direction we go here. Right. The idea is he's not getting out is what you want, right? And then, because you can then sentence him, not just some long term, say it's 25 years, but then you make it consecutive, right? Not concurrent, so that it's one after the other, so you can't be burning. But the idea is we don't want this guy back out on the streets. I mean, there are even some forgery charges. I think it's forgery that's based out of Pennsylvania, where he was ultimately arrested. So they're really trying to, you know, back everything up to say, well, look, if you get through this one, then there's this one. If you get through that one, then there's that one. Setting up everything to make sure he doesn't get it out. All right. You know, there are some legal experts saying this, you know, guilty plea could allow him to present some mitigating circumstances and, you know, and argue for a lesser-than-life sentence. But I think that's a long shot, do you? Yeah, I would say that that is a long shot. You know, and then we'll see, you know, because you then can make the argument of do we need a state trial? If he is convicted or takes a guilty plea and the sentence to life in prison, federal prison without parole, you know, does New York have to? go through the jump to those hoops a lot of moving parts in all of this so we'll just have to wait and see it could go in a number of different directions all right quickly a lot of people talking about flocking with the cameras uh watching for license plates and cities i've talked to number of law enforcement about i've talked to some people that are pushing back on this fourth amendment invasion of privacy yada yada yada uh i gotta tell you the benefits and the good a thousand to one to the negatives uh on this in my opinion Let me float this by. I would just, my point would be vigilant. You just got to be honest all the time, making sure their dad is not abused, you know, the flock to their credit. They're cracking down to make sure cops can't use the stuff to track an ex-girlfriend or their estranged wife and whatever. You don't want that abuse. But here's this scenario. There was a plot camera set at a public park. I think it's in North Florida. But at that park, it's a big sprawling recreational stuff. There's a shooting range. Now, are they, now, does that make you collecting license to play vehicle information on everyone in town who has a gun? Well, and are you creating a database from that information? Listen, you're playing the what if game here. Well, but let me, let me, yeah, I mean, is it possible? Sure it is, but there are, there are systems inside police departments that.

A number of things they can't do. They can't run, you know, a number of different federal things to check on people because it's a... cousin who's being threatened by an old boyfriend. You can't use it for personal use. There are rules and regulations on the use of these types of instruments and tools that the law enforcement uses to capture bad guys. And there'll be consequences potentially getting fired and possibly criminal charges if you go too far with it. So yeah, you've got to, you know, police your police. And every law enforcement agency says, we are doing that. They're aware of it. And if we catch him, they'll pay consequences for it. With that said, I'm good with these cameras. You can't walk 10 feet in Manhattan without a camera on you. I mean, they are... London is worse. They're everywhere. So... You know, I'm pro about it. If the cops get caught, you misusing it, then, you know, pay the consequences. That's where I stand. Roy, thank you, buddy. I have a great weekend, and we'll chat with you on Monday. The Alabama's morning news, I'm J.T. This is a crazy story that broke the other day about some sailors who are jumping off the USS Abraham Lincoln because the stress is just insurmountable and they can't take it anymore. Well, this story broke and everybody's like, oh my gosh, is it that bad there? Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, did reject these reports saying Thursday that the media counts about deteriorating conditions aboard the ship were completely misrepresented. However, multiple military-focused news organizations, including Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, have reported incidents involving sailors attempting or threatening to go overboard. So to talk through this a little bit, Dr. Doug Bari Weiss joins us now. He's a licensed psychologist and also a proud patriot as well. Doug, welcome in. Thanks for being with me. I appreciate you. Hey, JT. Good morning. Yeah, this is, I mean, we're at war and these guys are sacrificing their families and their time. And, you know, they're sleeping in little holes. I mean, I would understand if this was true, why they would get to that point of depression and hopelessness and sadness and want to do something extreme like that. I don't know the facts of this story because it seems to be, you know, a controversy as to what's really true here. But I think we can honor those people who are over there for months at a time, you know, away from their families. And, I mean, of course, now there's no opposing Navy, you know. Right. That's all at the bottom of the sea. That's a good point. But, you know, they are still maintaining that area. And you make a good point as well that it is very stressful to be deployed. You know, we sit here and watch these, you know. news shows about what's happening Iran. We get reports from the reporters there. We see some of the action on the ground here. But when you're deployed and you've got 60 pounds of gear on, and it's 100 degrees, or you're on a ship for, you know, six months, or you're in a submarine underwater for six months, I mean, it is not any bit comfortable, one bit. And what they go through, as you mentioned.

These people should be on the red carpet from the day they kid home for the rest of their lives. Absolutely. These are the heroes of America because what we're not also seeing is our kids are going back to school and their dad's not there or their mom's not there. You know, so they're missing out on some portions of their family's life. And so we honor them and, you know, most of us couldn't do what they do. I couldn't go in a submarine for months. You couldn't either. No. I wouldn't want to be on a... boat for six months with a bunch of, you know, guys doing the same thing and, you know, being tossed around in the water and not having any direction as to when I'm going to get to go home. So these are conditions that are helpful. At what point, Doug, does the military look at these guys? And do they have some help from psychologists or some mental health people? to talk to them. Look, I know the term suck it up, soldier, and let's go, is basically the theme of our armed services. And it, like you said, take special people to be in here to do that. But they're also human beings, and there are breaking points for everybody. And if there's that kind of stress, what should be done and what should the military brass be looking at? They do have chaplains. They do have, you know, counseling available. And they also, you know, with all the online stuff, they can get access to a lot of stuff through the military and non-military. So there is, and they can, you know, they can Zoom call their spouses and all that kind of stuff. And so there's a lot more help than there's ever been for a military who was deployed, which is a good thing. But it doesn't take away. the feelings of being alone. It doesn't take away. The feelings of this is, you know, because we keep negotiating with this group of people who lie, they can't get a solid agreement, you know, so it's a real rough, it's a rough situation. So I'm thinking the people in Washington are like, well, it's going to be over in a couple weeks. They can stay a couple weeks. Well, it's been now a few months because every time we make an agreement, it's broken. Yeah. So we can't go to peace because we can't get an agreement. Well, not the military's fault. It's not Washington's fault, but it does put them in a... a mess sure and that is another discussion i think it's time to just go get her done and end this situation and take charge and get you know our folks home but you're right this brings up a lot of discussion even though the conditions aren't as bad as some people were we're talking about initially in the story it did bring it to the center for some discussion and that's a good thing so yeah and also you know thank the moms if you see a military mom give them 20 bucks You know, do something kind, buy their groceries, you know, because the moms are, they're soldiers too. Absolutely. The entire family is affected by it. Absolutely. All right, buddy. I appreciate you. Doug Bari Weiss, Dr. License Psychologist. Appreciate you. Ryan Crest here. So every great barbecue takes a little patience. And while the food does its thing, you can enjoy a little Chumba Casino. The perfect recipe. Chumba Casino, always good to have you back. No purchase necessary. VGW Group, void, were prohibited by law. CTs and C is 21 Plus. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. John Decker, our White House correspondent, joining us now as the president is out there traveling. But first, John, welcome in. And I did want to get an update on Karoline Leavitt. How's she doing? I mean, with big news as it came through the White House, she has decided to go home and be a mom instead of working full time at the White House. So when is her last day? Were you all caught off guard?

Completely caught off guard, JT. Her last day is going to be at the end of this month. So really surprising news to me. You know, I know Caroline very well. She really kept it close to the vest, only informed the president and the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles initially. And then, as you know, the president putting out this news on social media earlier this week. But a huge shock because she's been. There for the president since day one, press secretary since the first day of President Trump's second term and a lot of speculation out there in terms of who Karoline Leavitt's replacement may be. Yeah, and also on social media. This is why I hate social media. All these people, these lefties and everybody, well, the reason she's leaving is the president really doesn't like her, and he left her high and dry recently on a trip, and he wants to be the star in front of the cameras, so he doesn't really need her anymore. That could not be further from the truth, correct? I mean, he loves her. No, he really values her. He values her and what she's done for the administration being the person who speaks on behalf of the administration and guides the messaging of the administration. You couldn't find anyone more loyal to President Trump than Karoline Leavitt, and she will be missed. voice will be missed and what she brings to the White House will certainly be missed as well. Yeah, she was an amazing press secretary, but she's not going far. She is going to be a mom more frequently than being at the White House. But she's going to remain as an advisor, I understand, on the outside. But, you know, she's only, what, 28 years old. I think she may be potentially running for some office down the road when the kids get a little older. I think she's not going anywhere, you know, long term. Oh, I agree with you 100%, you know, following the path of Sarah Mike Huckabee Bernie Sanders, who's now the governor of Arkansas. Yeah. I'm sure, you know, elective politics is something that she really wants to do. She's done it before in the sense that she ran for Congress when she was just 25 years old. That was from her own state of New Hampshire, and I would not be surprised to see her running once again. successfully out of the state of New Hampshire. I don't know about 2028, but maybe 2032, Katie Britt, President, Vice President Karoline Leavitt, just a thought. All right, let's talk about the current president. President Trump is out there stumping for a lot of folks on the campaign trail. What's going on with his travels? Well, he's traveling today. He's heading up to New York. His original home state is going to be in Nassau County, New York, and he's going to be campaigning for the Republican nominee for governor. Bruce Blakeman, who's going up against Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York State. Kathy Hochul had a very close run in 2022. That was against Lee Zeldin, who's now the EPA director, EPA administrator. And polls show it's a close race getting closer. And the president thinks that if he heads up to New York, it will energize, mobilize Republicans. as it relates to that race, he'd love to see a Republican in Albany representing New York State. You know, it's a, it's a big ask because, as you know, J.T., New York traditionally is indeed a blue state. Yeah, it really does need some help, though. Even Kathy Hochul is not putting up with much of Zohran Mamdani's crazy spending and ideas on how to pay for everything. So.

But Kathy Hochul, yeah, big Democrat, that is for sure. And I just don't sometimes understand why these Democrats in New York are so supportive of what's going on. Clearly, they've got issues in that state. And maybe, you know, they've gotten so crazy down there or up there that, you know, they'll go for a change. Well, John Decker, have a great weekend, buddy. Thank you so much. And don't forget to check out John Decker on the IHeart Radio app. He's there every day with an update for you and doing a great job as well. It's 648 now. Alabama's morning news up next, Dr. Kazam-Casronian, who is... a Yukon professor, but also an expert on Iran in the Middle East, and particularly regarding the Iranian nuclear issue in human rights situations there. The inside scoop on where we are and his thoughts on all of this after trafficking weather together here in just about three minutes. It is 653 now. Alabama's morning news. I'm J.T. joining us now to talk about where we're at with the situation with Iran is Dr. Kazam Kazeronian, who is a Yukon profession, also an expert on Iran and the Middle East situation. Always good to catch up with you, Dr. Kaz. Welcome in. Thanks for being here. Oh, wait, let me press the right button here. There we go. Good morning, sir. Are you there? Yes, I am. Wonderful to be back. Good morning to you. Good morning. All right. So we see the straight-of-hormuz is certainly the topic of central discussion these days. I keep thinking, wait a minute, now let's not forget the real reason we're there, this nuclear situation. We hadn't forgot about that, have we? So. These negotiations on and on and on. The president has the upper hand. We all get that. He's trying to squeeze them economically to break them to a major decision. They are just defiant in anything that has to do with giving up their nuclear capability. So are we making any progress at all, do you think? Well, I think the simplest way to describe the situation is that we are in a dangerous arm standoff. This is not peace or as it will ceasefire, military, and negotiations are all happening at the same time. Just look at the latest developments. The UAE tankers were attacked by Iranian drowns in the strait in the state of Hormoz this week. The U.S. Defense Secretary says that America can maintain its naval arcade for indefinitely. And the USS George Washington is heading to the region. So the situation remains very... The United States and Israel have badly damaged the Iranian regime's Navy, air defenses, missile facilities, and command structure. The regime is weaker than ever, that it has ever been. But you should be careful to not consider it harmless. It is not harmless. It is a wound of the snake. North Iran can still launch.

launch missiles, they can launch drones, and they can attack sheep and use proxy groups in particular in in Yemen and threaten their neighbors. A wounded dictatorship, a wounded snake can become even more reckless to take more risk because they're one, they're worried for their survival. And the Strait of Hormoz is now the center of the conflict, not their whole region. The center is straight of foremost. Both sides claim that they have the ownership. President Trump has been exercising. excellent patience, but there needs to be a resolution to this. We should not reward this kind of hostage taking by the Iranian regime. An endless war without a political objective and without a political resolution is not the answer. The nuclear issue remains unresolved. Iran still has the stockpile of uranium, enrich uranium, and bombing alone from air cannot destroy this regime, cannot topple this regime. This regime must change. They got to change the regime, 100%. And the Iranian people time and time again, the president and other world leaders have said the Iranian people need to do this. But they're not going to do it until they've got a clear pathway. They're not going to walk into a den of, you know, rattlesnakes that have been... punctured and hurt or just snapping in anything, they got to know that it's, you know, clear to go and start this new regime or start a new leadership and get rid of this regime. So you talk about ending the conflict and we do need to come to a resolution and get this done with. If you were brought into the situation room with the president and he looked at you and said, Dr. Cazeronian, your thoughts on what my next move ought to be. Should we just go ahead and annihilate everything and take charge and be done with this? Are we on the right track? What would you change or what would you say? So I would start respectfully with the historic lesson that the real solution to Iran is neither appeasement nor the foreign occupation and foreign war on Iran. the Iran's future must be described as President has always said by the Iranian people, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the NCRI, offers a democratic alternative based on popular sovereignty, free elections, gender equality, separation of religion and state, and non-nuclear Iran. And as Mrs. Mariam Rajavi, the NCRI's president-elect have said recently,

The true solution lies in looking towards establishment of a democratic republic, not coming up with an agreement with this current regime because their word doesn't mean anything. And for the past 47 years, they have proven that they are sneaky, they are unreliable, they lie, they did. No, their word doesn't mean anything. You're right. We've got to get that regime out of there. It's got to be a change, a complete change, and that has to be the end game here to declare, you know, a win for the entire globe, actually. Dr. Kazerone, and thank you so much. I always appreciate your insight and have a great weekend. We'll do it again soon. Thank you. Wonderful to be back. Have a great thing. Yes, sir. 6.59. Alabama's morning news. Traffic and weather together coming up. Also, an update from Fox News and Leah Brandon, too. Alabama's morning news. I'm J.T. And as the kids go back to school, a lot of precautions need to be thought about before you jump out there and start taking all these pictures and posting. And joining us now the special agent in charge. Dave Fitzgibbens is with me. Good morning, sir. Good to see you. Good morning, J.T. honored to be here. So special agent in charge means you run the office for the FBI in... Birmingham, Alabama. Yes, sir. Central and North Alabama. Central and North. So Huntsville as well, you're the guy. Yes. In Tuscaloosa, you're the guy. My whole listening audience area, you're the guy. Well, I'm honored to have you here. And there are so many kids going back to school. I've got my granddaughters going back to school this week as well. And there's no doubt there's going to be those, hey, first day of school pictures that moms and everybody likes to post. And they're cute. I love them too. But there's some things going on. in the dark side of the world that we need to know about. So what do parents need to know about this? Yeah, JT. The FBI just wants to remind parents, students, educators, caregivers that these internet-related crimes are real. They're evolving and they're at our doorstep. And we've got to be very cautious on what we're putting online and who our kids are talking to online. Is it okay to take pictures in front of the school that would give away where they attend? Yeah, I think pictures, this is an exciting time as kids go back to school this week, pretty much all throughout Central Alabama. And pictures in front of a school are perfectly fine, right? We want to remember these moments. Yeah. But we just don't want to put any identifying information like a potential home address. If you're taking a picture or, you know, it may have the address right there on the mailbox curb, things like that. You just want to be cautious of. And most importantly, you want to be cautious of who they're... communicating with online and social media? You know, it seems younger and younger. Kids are getting on social media. They're getting phones. They get smart watches. And they're engaging in this technology. It seems younger every year. You know, my 10-year-old granddaughter has this smart watch. Obviously, my daughter's all over it and monitors everything that happens with it. But these guys, these bad guys, you know, every time we get ahead of the game when protecting kids, they seem to be another step ahead of that in breaking through to our kids. So what do we need to be watching for? And how does this happen? Well, online predators, they're pervasive and they are targeting younger children more and more. I have kids. You mentioned your grandkids. Those are concerns as they start getting on the internet, especially social media and who they're communicating with. And it's important for parents to know what apps they have and who they're communicating with. And if there's anything suspicious at all or if they have concerns, tell a parent, tell

someone you trust. It's so important just to stop before especially you share any photos or information that you feel uncomfortable about. You know, in today's world, it really is the Wild Wild West out there. So you're basically opening the door for your kids to go play in the danger zones that exist globally, not just in their neighborhood. Maybe there's a weirdo guy walking up and down the street, but now you're out there and they have access to your kid. from all types of different environments. And the evil is out there. And his parents, you kind of like to assume, they're just having fun on social media. We're in a safe neighborhood and all this. But stay in your kid's business, I think, is the message, right? No matter what, look into their phones. What messaging are they getting? Where are they going in there? Yeah, that's really important, JT, to see who they're communicating with. What are they doing? Who are they chatting with? Also with gaming consoles, right? They're not just games anymore. They're online chats. Yeah. are communicating, sometimes via video. It's really important, and myself included, to make sure we understand what our kids are doing and who they're talking with. And explain to these kids that just because you're online and they sound nice and friendly, they could be wanting to kidnap you. And you don't want to scare the heck out of them in an early age, but you also want to be real with them. How far should parents go and explaining what's going on with these kids? Well, I think as far as needed to make sure they understand. And it's hard to get through sometimes the kids. I'll speak for myself. Yeah. But they have to understand the threats out there. When people are asking them maybe to go to a private chat, that's a red flag. Or to send a picture of themselves? Never. Right. Once that picture leaves their device or their phone, it's public. They have no control over that anymore. And then they could get extorted, potentially sextorted. There's a lot of threats out there online. Is it easy to groom a... kid and pull them in? Easier than we think? Well, they're very pervasive. These cyber criminals, these predators, these pedophiles. Yeah. They're very persistent, right? And they groom at an early age. And just like any kid, sometimes, you know, they could be naive or not understand the full picture. So important for parents and trusted individuals and school principals, teachers to be watching what kids are up to. You see these specials on news shows like 2020 and things like this where the parent thinks, you know, don't talk to strangers, right? And then the guy gets with the... Parents says, really, let's see if that works. And they go to a park and then all of a sudden, hidden cameras are catching this stranger approach that seven-year-old girl. And next thing you know, she's walking away to go see the puppy. And there's the van. And they stop everything. And it's an actor, obviously, to prove a point. And that kids, even though they're told, sometimes they go, oh, these seem so nice and you have a puppy, let's go. How do you avoid that? Just awareness. Making sure kids understand, don't do that, don't ever do that. Tell an adult, walk away, run if you need to. And then online, it's just as scary, right? And child safety doesn't stop it at the steps of the school. It continues with phones, computers, social media. It's a nightmare out there for these kids. I mean, you've got to be aware of everything.

Right. You've got to be aware there's a lot of, you know, good opportunities with technology nowadays, but just making sure parents, teachers, educators, were really engaged with what they're up to. It's an exciting time of year, too, at the same time, JT. Dave, is there a website where people can go to find out more and get tips on this? Absolutely. We have tips.fbi.gov. or they could call 1-800 call FBI, or they could call their local police department. For us, it's all about partnerships as well. We went very closely with local state law enforcement, just reported if they see something suspicious. Awesome. Well, Dave Fitzgivins, I really appreciate you, a special agent in charge here in Birmingham and Central Alabama. Thank you, buddy. Come back soon. Thank you, JT. Appreciate it. It is 724 now. Alabama's morning news. I'm JT and our buddy. Tyler Reddick here from 2311 racing. Another checkered flag for the books. Time to celebrate with Chumba. Jump in at Chumba Casino. Let's Chumba. No purchase necessary. VTW Group. Boyd were prohibited by Maw. Ct.N.C. 21 Plus. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. Evan Brown, Fox Correspondent down in Miami. Cleveland Clinic's up to some fun here. Evan, welcome in. Thanks for being here. Good morning. Good to be with you. Well, I think this is pretty awesome. The Cleveland Clinic now is launching these prescription drone deliveries. So, yeah, I need to renew my Lipitor, please. Be right there. Here come the Jetsons. So how's it going? Well, it looks like it's going pretty well. They've just debuted this. And Cleveland Clinic, if you're not aware, is a specialty hospital. It's obviously based on. Cleveland, they have other campuses around the country that they've stood up. But this is specific to their Cleveland campus for now. And they treat a lot of patients that have some severe either illnesses or chronic conditions that they are doing usually very cutting edge and experimental work for. And in some cases, they have to get patients their medication quickly. And obviously, pharmacy delivery is nothing new. Obviously, it's always been kind of truck or car delivery, often having to do with the drivers going on routes. And so that means... They don't get delivered very quickly. They get delivered shortly, but, you know, not immediately and whatnot. Anyhow, what they have, they're partnering with a company called Zipline, which is a drone developer, and they have a fleet of drones that sits in a hangar in the parking lot, essentially. There's this drop box out the back of a pharmacy. The pharmacist packages up the prescription, puts it in the drop box. A drone autonomously flies out from the hangar, comes over to the drop box. lowers this pod out of the drone on a tether into the drop box, picks up the medication, pulls it back up. The drone flies off at speeds of up a 70 miles an hour. Wow. Gets there, still stays at altitude, about 300 feet up, lowers that pod on the tether, drops the prescription off front yard, front stoop, backyard, whatever it is.

retracts the pod and then flies back. This is pretty cool. It allows for a direct delivery at rather high speed. It's still within a certain shorter radius for now, but that radius is expected to grow over time. But a truck obviously would be subject to, I said, a route, traffic conditions, so on and so forth. So this is a bit quicker and can get that patient to, let's say it's a patient who is that they're cancer drugs is causing them a migraine and they need that migraine medication. Imagine they're able to get it within the hour. That's incredible. That's incredible, right? So, yeah, it's very Jetsonsie-like, but this is kind of the future. We have other pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS. They've been testing this kind of thing. Walmart does this, I think, in certain markets. Amazon's been testing this stuff for a while. Yeah. I suspect we will see more and more of this as time goes on. I think Cleveland Clinic doing it is a way to put it forward. They are a very forward-thinking type of institution. Much of the healthcare industry will take cues from them on not just how to treat illnesses, but how to run the health care organization. So that's, you know, this is a pretty cool step forward. I would think economically, too, it's a great way for those companies, the drugstores and pharmaceutical people that work with them and, you know, save money. You're right. Truck deliveries and things. like that are pricey, the gasoline, the maintenance on vehicles, paying the staff members. I mean, yeah, but like AI, I don't want drones taking over my job if I'm a, you know, a delivery guy. Now I've got to go find something else. Everybody's going to drone deliveries now. So, but yeah, it's fascinating. And you're right, Cleveland Clinic. I used to live in Cleveland. Great hospitals. It's like Johns Hopkins, just one of the bigger clinics in our country. So Evan, very fascinating. Thank you, buddy. I appreciate you. Evan Brown, our Fox correspondent, in Miami. It's 728 now. Alabama's morning news, excuse me, got an update coming up with Fox News and also Leah Brandon. And to check on traffic and weather together, and Matt Burford will join us, who is a man that plays taps at veterans' funerals, but he's also a professor at Sanford University. Very fascinating background and a desire to grow more taps players. Basically, there's a shortage. Who knew? Now you do. Stay with us. We'll learn more after traffic and weather together here in three minutes. It is 734 now in Alabama's morning news. I'm J.T. We're glad to have you along on this Friday morning, August 14th, heading into the weekend. I appreciate you spending some time with us as you get your day started. And I'm honored to have this gentleman in the studio. Matt Burford is a professor over at the University of Sanford, Sanford University, I guess. That's right. Right? Not the University of Sanford. No, Sanford University. Okay. I should know that. My son coach football there for a year. But why he's here is he plays taps at veterans' funerals. Interesting. First of all, what do you teach at the university? I teach in the Cortex program, which is like a great books program. It's like Western SIV and a bunch of other subjects together. All students have to take it when they're a freshman. A big reading class. Yes, absolutely. Do they have to take this? I'd never take that course. Yeah, they have to. We're forcing them to take it. So everybody takes it. Absolutely. It's on your curriculum. It's a freshman? Freshman? Right out of the gate. You're right out of the gate. You've got to read. Yep, that's right. I'd have been looking at some other options on the sheet. What else? Is any other choices? Absolutely. My dad used to read three books a week. I mean, big reader. Right. I don't think I've read a book cover-to-cover in my entire life. A lot of my students don't either, but we try to have fun. I try and, you know, read and then I fall asleep. I'm a two-hour movie guy. Is there a movie version of this I can watch? I'll tell you what. If I had a student like you, I'd probably say this is a great ideas program. Let's just talk.

Okay, I can do that. And you can do that. Sure. I mean, you're really good at that. All right. Well, how did you start playing the horn? Did you do this as a kid or high school? I did. You know, I started in fifth grade at Sachs High School in Anniston, Alabama. Okay. Yeah, a long time ago. Did you play high school in a sax high school and then played at the University of Alabama. You're a million dollar band? I was in the million dollar band for a couple of years. Wow, so you're good. You've got to be to get that band. I'm decent. Yeah. I'm decent at least. Chris Bodie, kind of smooth jazz. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. All right. So now, how did you come into the organization where? Drew McIntyre here from WWE. Weilding the Claymore can be a life of chaos. When I'm not dominating in the ring, Chumba Casino is how this warrior takes a wee break. With hundreds of online social games and new weekly releases, there's always something fresh to try. And those daily boosts next level. Even my free time feels like Valhalla. So when life feels like a battle, kick up your feet, have some fun, and let's chumba. No purchase necessary. VigW Group, voidware prohibited by law, CTs and Cs, 21 Plus, sponsored by Chumba Casino. You play taps at veterans' funerals. That's a great question. And what is the organization? My organization is called Real Taps for Real Heroes, which our mission is to see if we can get to a point in the state of Alabama where there's not one veteran funeral without a live taps player. And live here is the important part. Yeah, I've heard so many stories. In fact, Alabama, who does the morning show on our sister station down the hall, she was telling me that she played Taps at her grandfather's funeral. on her phone held up to a microphone. I'm like, what? You didn't have a live horn player there playing tap? No, we couldn't find one. So is it tough to find people to do this? Yes, it is. But it's not, but it's ubiquitous. Like we were talking about before we went on, there's so many people that play trumpet. You know, there really is, there shouldn't be a need. Yeah. But there really is. Well, I think these people should have a real taps. horn player there. I do too. I think veterans deserve it. A hundred percent. The red carpet, the minute they stop serving. Absolutely. In every aspect of their life. I agree. Talking about this time and time again and what they do and what their family is sacrificed as well as the actual person serving. unless you've gone through it or had it in your immediate family, you know, it's hard to fathom the sacrifice that happens with these people. And we should take care of these people. They are giving their lives to protect us. And I think especially upon their passing, you know, my father-in-law passed away about a year and a half ago. And he had a military service. And it was beautiful. Had a bagpipe player and had a guy that played taps. It was just, I mean, it was so patriotic and just so well-deserving. He loved serving this country. And they all deserve that.

Absolutely. And I think this is a very American thing that we were doing in the sense of just taking time and really wanting to honor the service and the life and not just the soldier, but the family as a whole. Absolutely. And people forget that. When you go to a funeral, it's just more than just memory of one person. It's the memory of everybody that's involved in being in the military. So how many? Taps players are there in Alabama, for instance? Great question. When I started about 26 years ago, we had almost 100. Now we're down to about 19 across the state. 19? Just 19. Down from 100? Yeah. We got some work to do. We have a lot of work to do. So how do people get involved? If they're listening and they say, I may not play taps or play the horn, but I got a friend or a family member, how do people get involved with what you're doing? Yeah, thank you so much. If they will Google Real Taps for Real Heroes. or if they go to Real Taps for Realheroes.com, you'll see our webpage, and you'll be able to kind of contact me. And I have that already. I have family members who say, hey, I have somebody that plays. Can you contact them for me? And I'll do that, you know. What about the high schools? You know, you played high school and, you know, trumpet and the band. Have you been to any of the area of high schools around here to pitch it to the horn section? And, you know, we're a relatively new organization. I just formed this 501C3 in February. This is volunteer. We just went out and saw Homewoods band on Monday. Any response? Yes. Chris and Ryan both allowed me to come. And my wife was there. My daughter was there. I got to talk in front of the trumpet players there. Have one. one or two trumpet players that have already signed up. And they were so eager. You know, we want to talk about Gen Z as, you know, with being problematic. But when I see young people and I teach young people, they want to serve. Yes. You know, we have such good young people in the state of Alabama. That is awesome. So the minute I talk to them, I come home already have a couple registered from Homewood High School. Ready to go? Ready to go. Where do I go? Absolutely. That's so good. And this September, we have a campaign called 30 days of real taps. in kind of a partnership with the Alabama Montevallo Cemetery there, the National Cemetery. We're having an awareness campaign where every day in September we're going to have a real taps at 4.30. I love it. It's such great work you're doing. Real taps for real heroes. Check the website out. If you know somebody or you want to be a part of it, I can't think of anything better to do on a volunteer basis. I mean, it's not going to take you all day. How long is tabs two minutes? Yeah, just two minutes of your day. That's right. Just 24 notes. There you go. So do you play it a lot? Are you out every week? How often do you go? Um, that's a great question. I would say on an average, uh, three times a week. Like today, I'm, yeah, like today after this, I'm going to 930 to Monta Valley to do the laying in the Reese ceremony for World War II. Okay. Uh, be about 50 to 60 people there. I'm doing a lot of those, you know, um, so there's so many opportunities, but not just in Birmingham. There's opportunities all over the state to really. Yeah. Yeah. And again, we talked about this before. This is a way by which a civilian can play a part in a military kind of event. Yes. The federal government allows.

a civilian to play taps because they also see the need. The state of Alabama is so great. We're such wonderful people in our state. I was born here. I will hopefully die here. And so this is also kind of a gift back to the veterans of our state. Well, it's an honor to meet you, and I love the work you're doing. So once again, check it out. It is Real Taps for Real Heroes. And if you can play the horn, come on, let's do it. Matt Burford, thank you, buddy. So back to Sanford today? You got classes? And not today. They start a week from Monday. Oh, they're not back in. I thought you might be on the Homewood schedule. Starting Wednesday. And thank you so much for having me, by the way. Heck, heck, yeah. Stay in touch. I want to know how you're doing. Yeah, well, it's great work you're doing. Go Bulldogs. Yeah, that's right. All right, buddy. 742. Alabama's morning news up next. Stay with us. Paul A.C. from Focus on the family unplug to take a little. at some of the movies opening up this weekend. And we'll check that traffic and weather together, too, in just about three minutes. Alabama's morning news. I'm J.T. and Paul Asey joins us now from Focus on the Family and Unplugged to take a look at some movies and streamers opening up this weekend. Paul, welcome in, so I want to get your thoughts on this new one with Matthew McCona, who was filmed here in Alabama, The Rivals of Amzai King. Boy, this looks good. Tell me it is. You know what? Actually, it's gotten some fantastic reviews already. We haven't seen it over at Plugged In. But it has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty good. It stars Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey. He stars as this beekeeper. And it's sort of presented as this neo-Western crime drama. It's apparently loosely based on a true story. I can't speak to that because I don't know very much about the beekeeping world. But, yeah, I'm kind of excited to see this one. I'll be interested to see what this looks like. Yeah, it looks like a fantastic movie based in Oklahoma and I guess this, you know, kind of a crime thriller thing, if you will. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that one. Okay, a big one opening up this weekend. The End of Oak Street. What's this all about? Yeah, so this is a strange little movie. It stars Anne Hathaway and you and McGregor, and they are parents of these two teens. They're having some trouble meritorily. They're having some trouble with their kids. But all that sort of gets lost when their entire neighborhood gets zapped up and taken to a prehistoric world where they have to deal with a lot of dinosaurs and giant snakes. So clearly, this is not based on a true story. But it does have a lot of really cool dinosaurs, lots of action, lots of violence. Some pretty nice family messages, actually. It does have some issues that if you're wanting to take the kids to this, it definitely is very violent, and it has some other issues that I think families would want to wait through. So be sure to go to plugged in for the full review. But it's kind of a fun, exciting film. So is it for the family or older kids maybe, rated PG-13? It is rated PG-13, and I would say it is definitely for the older kids. pushes the R-rated boundary, quite honestly. You know, lots of violence, lots of swearing.

All right, next up, this is probably going to be a pretty good one for the whole family. Paw Patrol, the Dino movie. What's going on? Yeah, if you don't want to see dinosaurs actually eating people like you do on End of Oak Street, this might be a good choice. This is part of the Paw Patrol series. I think that families of young kids are probably pretty familiar with the Paul Patrol. This really is just of a piece with what we've seen in movies and shows before. The Paw Patrol, they come on this island. And they find a whole bunch of dinosaurs, and they have a lot of adventures. They bring some scientists in to explore the thing. The scientists mess it up a little bit. That's sort of where the plot goes. But really, this is really meant to be a cute... diversion for especially little kids, but the entire family can really enjoy this. Very good. Also, Brink of War is a new film. It's kind of a Reagan and Gorbachev era kind of movie here. So what's it all about? And also, who are the stars in this one? Yeah, the brink of war, that is a fascinating little movie because it really takes place in 1986 when Reagan and Gorbachev were talking about eliminating all nuclear warhead. It did not actually... go as well as they thought if you're familiar with your history or if you are old enough to remember it. But it really was a seminal moment in the annals of history. And it makes, it turns Ronald Reagan into really a hero. It presents him as a hero in this. He is played by Jeff Daniels. Gorbachev is played by Jared Harris, who is a fantastic actor. And then you see George Schultz is actually played. He was the Secretary of State. during Reagan's administration. He is played by Oscar winner J.K. Simmons. So it's a strong cast. The writing is not quite as strong as the cast sort of demands. It's a pretty talky film. But if you're interested in history, if you're familiar with this time, it might be of interest to you for sure. All right. Streaming and TV shows looks like we've got Camp Rock 3 on Disney Plus and a new Reacher series, not series but season, I guess, over there on Prime. Yeah, I know that you're a big Reacher fan, JT. The muscular guy is coming back. They originally tried to cast me as a Reacher, but I just didn't have quite the muscle for it. So, yeah, it's back for Season 4 on Prime Video. If you're familiar with the series, you know what to expect, but I know that a lot of Reacher fans are happy that it's back.

And along those same lines, Camp Rock 3, which is the Camp Rock series on Disney Plus. We haven't seen a Camp Rock movie for a while. It is back now. Demi Levato is actually... producing it. She starred in the original one. It was sort of what made her famous. And I believe that some Jonas brothers are back as well. So we will see what Camp Rock 3 looks like. We haven't seen it yet, but I will be seeing it later on this week. So I can tell you all about it next week. And also, if you've not seen Spider-Man, go. It is good. I really love that, Paul. So thank you for the look for this week. I appreciate you. Anytime. Thanks so much. Paul DeMarco in the studio with its number of stories that are just extremely upsetting. but I got to tell you, you know, not a lot of people are talking about this. And I think we should talk about these stories, Paul, because this is just awful what's going on with some of the sentencing we've got in this state. And across the country, basically, if it's not a federal crime, you can work your way all the way down from a murder charge and, you know, 25 to life down to Time Sur for two years. I mean... It's outrageous some of the sentences that come down for the crimes that have been committed. Well, and somebody said, Paul, every time you're there with JT, you're talking about all these bad sentences. I'm like, Hey, is Ryan Crest here. And if you're looking for some serious fun, head over to chumbac casino.com. At Chumba Casino, you can play all your favorite social casino style games for free anytime, anywhere. It's the most fun you can have on your phone or computer. No purchase necessary. VGW. Boy, we're prohibited by law. See, terms and conditions, 21 plus. But JT's got... educated listeners who pay attention and vote. And so if we're not talking about it, folks don't know what's going on at the courthouses. And they need to know some of the real injustices to crime victims. And here's one right here. I'd like to get a judge in here to explain to me how this happens and why this happens. I really would like an education as to from the bench why these things happen so often. This woman here, Farah Blair Bates, 25 years old, pled guilty. to chemical endangerment of a child resulting in her death. Two years old. Ryan Crawford, unlawful possession of controlled substance. Apparently now, it was a fentanyl overdose to her young two-year-old, and she died. So under the plea agreement, all, first of all, why a plea agreement? Okay, that's my number one question. Okay, the manslaughter charge was dismissed. Why? Well, under the plea agreement, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Okay, she's going away for 15 years. Oh, no, no, she's not. With two years to actually serve in Jefferson County Community Corrections. So, hey, you're sentenced to 15 years, but I'll tell you what we'll do. Just serve two. What is that? Why does that happen? Paul, you're an attorney. Here's another example of the state of Alabama failing. our youngest victims, somebody who was defenseless. The state failed her because was that justice for her? Was that justice for this poor child? No, it was not justice. And now this woman will not serve any jail time. None. I don't understand, okay, 15-year prison sins, but two years to actually serve. So then it says, well,

Community Corrections is a sentencing alternative to incarceration in prison for individuals approved for participation in the community supervision program. She'll be on probation for two years following the community corrections. And you know who this is frustrating for is law enforcement who do the detective work, who do the work to bring these cases. to justice, and then you get sentences like this. So it's really disappointing. And again, here in Alabama, in Red State Alabama, where we talk about, you know, tough on crime and you see things like that happen. Yeah, well, apparently about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, this was in 2023, July 18th, the Terrant police went to her home regarding an unresponsive two-year-old girl. When they got there, apparently she didn't have a pulse, the two-year-old. And according to the parents, including Farah, the mom, the juvenile was sleeping along with her mom in bed. The authorities previously said the daughter was home with her mother while the father was at work. When the father returned home, he found the little girl lifeless. Lips were blue and the mother was asleep. And apparently, oh, yeah, fentanyl in her system, in the little girl's system. It's horrible, horrible. Awful situation there. All right, another one that just kind of blows my mind too, Paul. Birmingham woman now pleaded guilty in a death of her paralyzed uncle who died when she set fire to the family home. With him. In it. In the home, in a wheelchair. Yeah. I mean, how horrible a death for that man. And what happens here? Well, Kichandra D'Shea Cook, 34, initially charged with capital murder during this whole thing, pled guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter. Oh, my gosh. Terrible situation. Guy died, clearly. Arson. I'm saying murder here. I mean, not manslaughter. Oops, I just wanted to burn the house down. Well, he was in a wheelchair. He died. What did you think was going to happen? So, nah. And the judge, Jefferson County Circuit Judge May, sentenced her to 20 years in prison. She'll receive credit for time served in the Jefferson County Jail. and Bryce Hospital while she was in custody. The judge encouraged her to take advantage to any vocational training offer to her while she's in prison. You know, there's still life ahead for you. She didn't get life without parole. This is a story from Carol Robinson wrote. And, you know, she ended with the judge said, this is not a death sentence. It was for the uncle. Yeah. Who was in a wheelchair and a house that was set on fire. And this woman, another, somebody who was defenseless and the criminal justice failed him as well. Yeah. That's two right there, two stories. And we could go on and own. And there are other stories. Well, we are going to talk about some people that did get justice.

And that's three people that were executed yesterday in the country and one right here in Alabama. Yesterday we executed this guy that, I mean, I don't even want to get into what he did. It was horrific. He killed, murdered, raped, five-year-old little girl. And she was there because the dad who had custody. let mom have the child for a little bit. He was going to go do, I don't know why, but he was told by the courts, do not let this five-year-old be with the mother. Well, the mother sold her five-year-old daughter for $2,500 so the man could have sex with her. Then he killed her. Then he had sex with her again. And then he died of lethal injection last night. Good. And I'm upset on that case. Horrific. But only it happened so quickly. I mean, that's happened to 21. He was executed last night only because he waived anything in bills. Yeah, he probably didn't want to get what was coming to him in jail. Yeah, yeah. And as opposed to being there for 30 years and all these horrible cases and takes 30 years to get justice. But, you know, the mother got sentenced 20 years. She'll be up for parole soon. I mean, 20 years for doing that for... See, she's as big a part of this as he is. Yeah. Okay. You sell your five-year-old daughter because you're a drug addict and prostitute to somebody that, you know, is going to be crazy enough to do what they did to your daughter. I'm sorry. Life minimum. You know, she was part of what happened for that girl's death. Complicit. I think. Should have got the death penalty with him. At least there was justice for that little girl, unlike these other cases we've been talking about. Well, like I said, Paul, I'm going to, do you know a judge that would come in and talk to us about these sentences and why things go this way? I just, I need somebody to explain to me. What happens in the courts and why they do this? You can't do this in federal courts. 80% served. You get a sentence for 20 years. You're doing 80% of that. There's no time served, good behavior, crap, no. And it's one of the issues that needs to be addressed by state leaders come the next legislative session. Yeah. Hello Montgomery. Have they ever addressed this before? This isn't new. There's a lot of talk about it. But again, then they talk about the prison system and overcrowding. So it's got to be all addressed. And hopefully new administration, new changes, new leadership will get addressed. We just got to keep on talking about it. All right. Let's talk about something else. I mean, it's Friday. The weekend is here. Birmingham Stallions. We were talking about that during the break and why they're leaving. And apparently you don't put butts in seats, you're not going to stick around. I mean, you have to support a team in order for it to continue.

And how many goes have we had it here with professional football? Not the NFL, but other, like the stallions, the Birmingham Iron. There's been a dozen teams. I mean, I was here when the original stallions were here. I was here when the, if some of you're listening, the Americans. Oh, my gosh, yeah. How many different teams were there? I should have looked this up. I mean, it's like 12 different. I mean, 10 maybe. I mean, we had that list a couple weeks ago. It's a lot of teams. And the owner's saying, well, the stadium is 45,000. We need something that's 8 to 10. But I don't know if that's going to matter. Well, they weren't putting 8 to 10 in this one. I don't think if you build a smaller stadium. Let's go bad because we've had teams that pre, you know, before the protective stadium. And they were playing at Legion Field. Yeah, I know. The Birmingham Iron. I remember. Yeah. So, you know, I don't know if building a new stadium is going to. Were the stallions put in 8 to 10,000 people at Protective Life Stadium? I don't believe so. I'm not to answer to that. No. I mean, every time you'd watch it on TV, you'd be seen nothing but silver bleachers. Nobody in them. So, you know, then the question is if you go build a new stadium, and I talked about building one in Hoover, Trustful, or Vestavia, does it draw a crowd? Build it and they'll come? I don't think so. Because I think that was the idea behind building the protective stadium that if you built this state of the art facility, it would draw a team and it would support. No. Here's a bigger question. Should we just stop doing this? I mean. Not one of them has sustainability. History shows they don't last. Okay? So they're moving the team to another city, even though we were league champions. How many years? Two or three. Yeah, yeah, that's right. And we still couldn't put people in the stadium. We are not a pro football state. Because we have Auburn and Alabama. And Sanford and Jacksonville State and Troy. You've got good college football programs in this state. And football season to us. is around the corner in the fall. Bear Bryant's still making a decision here, right? Well, you've been nothing but a winner. Here's the deal. Nobody wants the spring football season in Alabama. That's just un-American. It's not American. I'm telling you right now, football season in Alabama is August, September, October, November, and then bowl games in December. I'm not going to football in May and June. I'm sorry. And I don't know the sport in other cities. I'd love to compare it to what's going on. Do the other cities support these minor league teams? I'm wondering, here's a thought. Let's say that the Tennessee Titans decided to move to Birmingham, Alabama. We're getting a new stadium. Which is ironic. If you go up to Nashville, if anybody's driving up to Nashville, they've got that brand new stadium. And now they're building a brand new stadium right next door. Well, you know, hey, you've got to change with the times. If you've got a big league team, you know, you've got to keep up. Well, that's true. I remember when we tore down three river stadium in Pittsburgh and put Heinz Field up there. Now it's Acresher Stadium. But we're like, three rivers is gone. What? So you're saying if the Steelers moved to Birmingham, the Birmingham Steelers? The Birmingham's move to? I don't know.

What's the ticket price? Timmy, what's the price for a family of horror? It's pretty pricing in these cities. More than going to University of Alabama or Auburn for a football game? Yes. NFL games are expensive. If you can get tickets, I mean, most of them are sold out. But I'm not sure this town would support an NFL team. It's a great question. If the Dallas Cowboys, for some reason, moved to the Birmingham, and it was a Birmingham Cowboys, and we're part of the NFL, and we're playing the Steelers and the Packers and all that here in Birmingham, Maybe. Is any of you with the Cowboys and the cheerleaders? Maybe. I mean, the Falcons do pretty well. They do. But look at the size of Atlanta compared to Birmingham. That's exactly right. I mean, you get, what, 12 million people in Atlanta? Right. Do we have the infrastructure to support an NFL team, even if it was the, you know, Super Bowl champions decide to move to Birmingham because the owner's from here and wants to bring it to Birmingham? This is such a, I tell people, such a college state. I doubt it's going to happen. Let's just say it. Let's go. Roll Tiden, War Eagle. Here we go. All right. That's going to do it. Paul, thank you, buddy. Good to see. Appreciate you coming in. Hey, guys. It is Ryan. For years, Chumbas been set in the bar for online social casino fun, and it just keeps getting better. With new games released every week and daily bonuses to collect, the fun never stops. So claim your welcome bonus now at chumba casino.com. No purchase necessary. VGW. We're prohibited by law. See, terms and conditions, 21 plus.