Alabama vs. Birmingham: Court Hearing On Confederate Monument Set for Friday
A Jefferson County judge is scheduled to hear arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit against the city of Birmingham and former Mayor William Bell for covering a Confederate monument in Linn Park.
Bell had city workers cover the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument with plywood in August 2017. His action followed a deadly far-right protest in Charlottesville. That rally was sparked by the Virginia city’s plans to remove a Confederate monument.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sued Birmingham, saying the city violated the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act by covering the monument.
The city has argued it did not violate the law because it didn’t disturb or alter the monument. The plywood covering remains.
Judge Mike Graffeo will hear the case at 10 a.m. in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
4 astronauts splashdown on SpaceX capsule to end Axiom Space’s private Ax-4 mission
The private crew included Ax-4 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It was her fifth trip to space and extended her record-setting duration to 695 days, the most of any American.
Heavy rains and flash flooding sweep across Northeast
Flash flood watches and warnings were in place in parts of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas as downpours moved through the region.
Will Congress cut funds to NPR/PBS and foreign aid this week?
The Trump Administration has asked Congress to rescind funds for NPR/PBS and Foreign aid. Congress has until the end of the week to approve the cuts.
Power prices are expected to soar under new tax cut and spending law
In states without policies to drive renewable energy, power prices could surge as federal tax incentives for clean energy disappear, according to Energy Innovation, a think tank.
This family wants to have more babies, but not in a hospital
The Trump administration is encouraging people to have more children, with baby bonuses and tax breaks. But some families who are practicing pronatalism want alternatives to hospital births.
Republicans renew a bid to remove noncitizens from the census tally behind voting maps
GOP lawmakers are trying again to exclude millions of non-U.S. citizens living in the states from census counts that the 14th Amendment says must include the "whole number of persons in each state."
