Alabama
Trump mixes politics, motivational messages in Alabama graduation speech
‘May Day’ protests push back against Trump administration policies
“May Day” protesters across the U.S. rallied against President Donald Trump’s policies and billionaire Elon Musk’s influence over the White House.
President Donald Trump urged students graduating from the University of Alabama to “think big” and “never give up.” But he had even more to say.
In a May 1 speech that mixed politics with the inspirational language typical of commencement addresses, Trump slammed the administration of former President Joe Biden as well as judges blocking his immigration moves.
“The last four years were not good for our country,” Trump said, adding: “We were run by people that didn’t have a clue. They didn’t have a clue . . . and I’m trying to be nice when I say it that way. They allowed our beautiful USA to be laughed at, scorned and taken advantage of by everybody.”
Trump touted his second term agenda, including tariffs that have injected uncertainty into an economy where the thousands of graduates he addressed will soon be seeking employment. He predicted strong growth despite gross domestic product shrinking at a 0.3% annual rate in the first quarter, the worst quarterly performance in three years.
“Like many generations before you, you’re graduating at an exciting time for our nation, a period of both extraordinary change and incredible potential, and what will be unbelievable growth,” Trump said. “You’re going to see that very soon. You’re going to see it starting very, very soon.”
Trump complained about high inflation under Biden. And he admitted at one point that his speech was “slightly political.”
The president also took aim at the judiciary on the same day that a federal judge – whom he appointed – ruled that Trump can’t use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants in southeastern Texas.
Trump claimed a steep decline in illegal crossing at the Southwest border since he took office but said “the courts are trying to stop me from doing the job that I was elected to do.”
“Judges are interfering, supposedly based on due process,” Trump said. “But how can you give due process to people who came into our country illegally? They want to give them due process. I don’t know.”
The president also delved into the issue of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, highlighted his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and heaped praise on the University of Alabama’s athletic program. Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban spoke before the president.
Trump’s speech veered into profanity when he said tech leaders used to dislike him but “now they’re kissing my (expletive).” The crowd in Alabama, which Trump carried by a large margin in the 2024 presidential election, applauded him throughout.
Trump closed with a dig at Harvard University, an institution his administration has targeted with a $2.3 billion funding freeze and federal civil rights probe.
“The next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson. It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide,” he said.
The SEC opponents for Alabama women’s basketball during the 2026-27 campaign has been officially revealed.
The Tide will face some of the top teams in all of women’s college basketball throughout SEC play this upcoming season. Alabama will face Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Texas A&M at home, with Ole Miss being the Tide’s only SEC opponent that they will face twice this year, both home and away. Alabama will be on the road for matchups against Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well.
The dates, start times, and television network for each will be revealed at a later date.
Alabama held a 7-9 record throughout SEC play last season. The Tide were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the nation despite struggling at times during conference play, and Alabama was able to make a run during the SEC Tournament with a shocking upset to the Tennessee Lady Vols in Nashville.
Alabama went 24-11 last season as a whole, but the Tide will undoubtedly need to play better during SEC play this year nonetheless.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Enjoy two nights of free dance at Stars on the Riverfront
Alabama Dance Theatre will present Stars on the Riverfront on June 20 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. each night at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
In Alabama’s coastal landscape, two Alabama bridges quietly stand among the longest in the United States.
A new World Atlas ranking of the 11 longest bridges in the United States is a reminder that not all crossings are so forgettable. These are the spans that stretch the idea of a “quick drive” into something else entirely.
As World Atlas notes, the country’s roughly 617,000 bridges are mostly routine. The ones on this list “swallow the horizon,” turning open water into a roadway that can take ten or fifteen minutes to cross.
Louisiana dominates the ranking, but Alabama also makes its presence known with two entries: the Jubilee Parkway and the General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge.
Jubilee Parkway: Alabama’s 7.5-mile bridge ranks No. 7 among longest in US
Ranked at No. 7 on World Atlas’ list, the Jubilee Parkway carries Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay as a pair of parallel viaduct bridges stretching 7.5 miles between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne. Opened in 1978, the four-lane crossing is often called the “Bayway.”
The World Atlas says the bridge takes its name from Mobile Bay’s “jubilee” phenomenon, when marine life is pushed into shallow water, making it unusually easy to catch.
General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08-mile span ranks No. 10 in U.S.
The General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge ranks No. 10 on the World Atlas list, stretching 6.08 miles across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of Mobile as part of Interstate 65.
World Atlas says the bridge is better known locally as the “Dolly Parton Bridge,” a nickname inspired by the paired arch design that, locals say, resembles a distinctive silhouette when viewed from certain angles.
Completed in 1980, it features twin parallel weathering-steel arches and concrete viaducts carrying four lanes over the wide, marshy delta.
Longest bridges in the U.S. Full World Atlas ranking
World Atlas ranks these as the longest bridges in the U.S.:
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway: 23.83 miles
- Manchac Swamp Bridge: 22.8 miles
- Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge: 18.2 miles
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: 17.6 miles
- Bonnet Carré Spillway Bridge: 11 miles
- Louisiana Highway 1 Bridge: 8.26 miles
- Jubilee Parkway: 7.5 miles
- San Mateo-Hayward Bridge: 7 miles
- Seven Mile Bridge: 6.79 miles
- General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge: 6.08 miles
- Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge: 5.8 miles
Jennifer Lindahl is a Breaking and Trending Reporter in Alabama for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect Team. Connect with her on X @jenn_lindahl and email at jlindahl@usatodayco.com.
The iconic wooden roller coaster at Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is officially back in action, along with some seasonal deals. This Father’s Day, dads can get into the park for free to ride the restored coaster, Rampage.
It’s not the only attraction returning; this Halloween, Alabama Adventure is bringing back not one but two haunted houses for the first time since the late 2000s.
If you can’t wait until then, the Bessemer park will be open late on Saturdays and end with a pop of color. Adventure Summer Nights will have the park open until 9:30 p.m. once a week with a fireworks show to round off the night.
And as an apology to their loyal visitors, people who bought a daily ticket before June 10 are welcome to come back and try their new and improved attractions for free. If you’re a season pass holder, don’t feel left out—pass holder discounts are doubled for the month of July.
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