Trump to address University of Alabama graduates
Trump's evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president's first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he has been celebrating the first 100 days of his administration.
The White House did not offer any details about Trump's planned message.
Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he has staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies.
While the White House has described Trump's speech as a commencement address, it is actually a special event that was created before graduation ceremonies that begin Friday. Graduating students have the option of attending the event, but it is not required.
Former Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban is also speaking at the event.
Trump's presence has drawn criticism from the Alabama NAACP and the University of Alabama College Democrats.
College Democrats are countering with their own rally calling it 'Tide Against Trump' — a play on the university's nickname. The event will feature onetime presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama.
The NAACP said Trump's policies are hurting universities and students, particularly students of color.
'The decision for students of color, and really all students, should be to skip his speech and spend that time reflecting on how to make America a more inclusive nation,' said Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP.
Trump's visit to Alabama is his second trip this week. He held a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark 100 days in office.
Outside of weekend trips for personal visits, the president has not made many official trips since taking office on Jan. 20. He usually speaks to the public from the impromptu news conferences he holds in the Oval Office and at other events at the White House.
After his stop in Alabama, Trump is scheduled to travel to Florida for a long weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Next month, he is scheduled to give the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
a few seconds ago
- Indianapolis Star
Trump administration chooses Indy as a USDA hub in sweeping agency reorganization. Here's why
Indianapolis will soon serve as one of five U.S. Department of Agriculture hubs as the federal agency reduces and reorganizes its workforce under President Donald Trump's administration, the USDA announced July 24. 'American agriculture feeds, clothes, and fuels this nation and the world, and it is long past time the Department better serve the great and patriotic farmers, ranchers, and producers we are mandated to support," Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said in a news release. "President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country." Indiana's capital city joins Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah, as hub locations. The rationale for selecting these five centered on the cost of living compared to Washington, D.C. and the cities' pre-existing concentration of USDA employees, according to the release. In Indianapolis, for example, the federal government only has to pay employees 18% above a position's base salary due to the lower cost of living, nearly half of Washington D.C.'s rate of almost 34%. The move comes as a review of the USDA revealed a "bloated, expensive, and unsustainable organization," with the release citing increases in workforce and salaries over the past four years. The relocation efforts will happen in phases with a goal of ensuring no more than 2,000 employees remain in the D.C. region, an area that currently employs 4,600 employees. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana celebrated the announcement in a post on X this morning. Not every employee may agree to move, however. During President Donald Trump's first term when two USDA research offices moved to Kansas City, the majority of employees refused to relocate while overall morale at the agency sank, Politico reported in 2019. Those changes were reversed under the Biden administration. This latest relocation comes after more than 15,000 employees left the department through a deferred resignation program as part of efforts to reduce federal bureaucracy. The National Family Farm Coalition, an advocacy organization for small farms, released a statement in April that the staff reductions would cause dysfunction and disrupt the supply chain. Most recently, Rollins told Congress in May that the agency was looking to fill critical positions.
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Latest: Justice Department to meet with Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell
Justice Department officials are set to meet on Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned girlfriend of financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a person familiar with the matter. The meeting in Florida, which Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday he was working to arrange, is part of an ongoing Justice Department effort to cast itself as transparent following fierce backlash from parts of President Donald Trump's base over an earlier refusal to release additional records in the Epstein investigation. A replica Oval Office on display near the White House just got a Trump makeover The replica Oval Office now looks exactly like President Trump's. But it's not the blingy version he's currently using. Visitors starting Thursday will experience the mock Oval Office as it was in the Republican president's first term, until it's redecorated again next year to incorporate the golden touches and other flourishes Trump brought to the workspace after he returned to power in January. 'Just like the White House itself, our Oval Office is a living space, so it changes and evolves as the actual Oval Office changes,' Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, said Wednesday as he led The Associated Press on a tour of the space as it was being revamped. The mock-up is inside 'The People's House: A White House Experience,' an educational center the association opened last year one block west of the Executive Mansion. House subcommittee voted Wednesday to subpoena Justice Department for Epstein files A House subcommittee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the Epstein case after Democrats successfully goaded GOP lawmakers to defy Trump and Republican leadership to support the action. The vote showed the intensifying push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation even as House Speaker Mike Johnson — caught between demands from Trump and clamoring from his own members for the House to act — was sending lawmakers home a day early for its August recess. Meanwhile, Democrats on a subcommittee of the powerful House Oversight Committee made a motion for the subpoena Wednesday afternoon. Three Republicans on the panel voted with Democrats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally. Democrats cheered the action as proof that their push for disclosures in the Epstein investigation was growing stronger. The committee agreed to redact information on victims, yet Democrats successfully blocked a push by Republicans to only subpoena information that was deemed to be 'credible' — language that Trump has also used when discussing what he would support releasing. Bondi facing Democratic calls to testify following report she told Trump he was in Epstein files Bondi is facing Democratic calls to testify before Congress after the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that she told Trump his name was among many high-profile figures mentioned in the files, which the Justice Department this month said it would not be releasing despite a clamor from online sleuths, conspiracy theorists and members of Trump's base. Trump's personal ties to Epstein are well-established and his name is already known to have been included in records related to the wealthy financier. Sen. Adam Schiff responded to the report by calling on Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Justice Department declined to comment on the report but issued a joint statement from Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche saying that investigators had reviewed the records and 'nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution.' The mere inclusion of a person's name in Epstein's files does not imply wrongdoing and he was known to have been associated with multiple prominent figures, including Trump. Senate Democratic Leader calls for closed-door briefing on the Epstein files Democrats aren't letting up on their calls for disclosure from the Trump administration on the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer started the morning off with a speech calling for a closed-door briefing for senators from the Trump administration on the Epstein files. While the administration is unlikely to comply with the New York Democrat's demand, Democrats are pouncing on the issue and have found some success this week by daring Republicans to join them in votes to demand disclosure of the files. 'A good number of people voted for Trump because he promised to be their voice against the so-called deep state. But now they've seen he's very much part of that deep state. He's right in the middle of it,' Schumer said. Lara Trump says she's sitting out the North Carolina Senate race The president's daughter-in-law formally made her decision public Thursday in a post on X, as news of RNC Chair Michael Whatley's expected entrance into the race emerged. Lara Trump said she was 'deeply grateful' for encouragement to seek the open seat in her home state and appeared not to close the door to a possible future run, saying she looked 'forward to the future, wherever that leads.' Lara Trump served alongside Whatley as RNC co-chair during last year's elections and had been seen as having the right of first refusal to seek the seat, which Democrats see as a top pickup opportunity in next year's midterms. Biden's former chief of staff appears on Capitol Hill for House Republican age inquiry Ron Klain, who served as former President Joe Biden's first chief of staff, entered the House Oversight Committee's hearing room just before 10 a.m. for testimony as part of House Republicans' probe into Biden's age and alleged cognitive decline. Klain took no questions as he entered the room. UnitedHealth stocks dip The stock price dropped 2%, or $6.13, to $286.50 on Thursday morning. Company shares have mostly shed value since December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan on his way to the company's annual investor meeting. What to know about UnitedHealth Group The company's business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts. UnitedHealth also runs one of the nation's largest health insurance and pharmacy benefits management businesses. It also operates a growing Optum business that provides care and technology support. UnitedHealth says it is under a federal investigation and cooperating Shares of UnitedHealth Group dove early Thursday after the health care giant said it was under a Department of Justice investigation. The company said it has started complying with both criminal and civil requests from federal investigators and it was working cooperatively with them. '(UnitedHealth) has a long record of responsible conduct and effective compliance,' the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over. RNC Chair Michael Whatley plans to run for an open Senate seat in North Carolina That's according to two people familiar with his thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't permitted to speak on the record. President Trump, according to one of the people, asked him to make the run after Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, mulled the seat. Politico first reported news of Whatley's plans. Democrats see North Carolina as their top pickup opportunity next year after Sen. Thom Tillis announced his surprise retirement after clashing with Trump. While Lara Trump had been seen as having the right of first refusal, Whatley is considered by national Republicans to be a strong contender for the seat, thanks, in part, to the large fundraising network he's cultivated as RNC chair and his perceived loyalty to the president. He's a well-known name in the state, having served as GOP chair there, and has no voting record that could be used against him by Democrats. — Jill Colvin Trump's trip to Scotland highlights his complex relationship with his mother's homeland President Trump's trip to Scotland this week will be a homecoming of sorts, but he's likely to get a mixed reception. Trump has had a long and at times rocky relationship with the country where his mother grew up in a humble house on a windswept isle. He'll be met by both political leaders and protesters during the visit, which begins Friday and takes in his two Scottish golf resorts. It comes two months before King Charles III is due to welcome him on a formal state visit to the U.K. 'I'm not proud that he (has) Scottish heritage,' said Patricia Sloan, who says she stopped visiting the Turnberry resort on Scotland's west coast after Trump bought it in 2014. 'All countries have good and bad that come out of them, and if he's going to kind of wave the flag of having Scottish heritage, that's the bad part, I think.' Trump's schedule, according to the White House 3 p.m. ET — Trump will sign executive orders 4 p.m. — Trump will visit the Federal Reserve Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump returns to court and hopes to represent himself The man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump last year at his Florida golf course will return to court Thursday to once again explain why he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself. Ryan Routh previously made the request earlier this month during a hearing in Fort Pierce before U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. She didn't rule during the hearing but said she would issue a written order later. But now Routh, 59, is set to be back in front of Cannon, a day after his court-appointed federal public defenders asked to be taken off the case. Routh is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.
New York Post
29 minutes ago
- New York Post
Most US adults still support legal abortion 3 years after Roe was overturned, poll finds
Three years after the Supreme Court opened the door to state abortion bans, most U.S. adults continue to say abortion should be legal — views that look similar to before the landmark ruling. The new findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll show that about two-thirds of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. About half believe abortion should be available in their state if someone does not want to be pregnant for any reason. Advertisement 6 The new findings from the poll show that about two-thirds of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. AP That level of support for abortion is down slightly from what an AP-NORC poll showed last year, when it seemed that support for legal abortion might be rising. Laws and opinions changed when Roe was overturned The June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans on abortion led to major policy changes. Advertisement Most states have either moved to protect abortion access or restrict it. Twelve are now enforcing bans on abortion at every stage of pregnancy, and four more do so after about six weeks' gestation, which is often before women realize they're pregnant. In the aftermath of the ruling, AP-NORC polling suggested that support for legal abortion access might be increasing. 6 About half believe abortion should be available in their state if someone does not want to be pregnant for any reason. REUTERS Advertisement Last year, an AP-NORC poll conducted in June found that 7 in 10 U.S. adults said it should be available in all or most cases, up slightly from 65% in May 2022, just before the decision that overruled the constitutional right to abortion, and 57% in June 2021. The new poll is closer to Americans' views before the Supreme Court ruled. Now, 64% of adults support legal abortion in most or all cases. More than half the adults in states with the most stringent bans are in that group. 6 The June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans on abortion led to major policy changes. AP Advertisement Similarly, about half now say abortion should be available in their state when someone doesn't want to continue their pregnancy for any reason — about the same as in June 2021 but down from about 6 in 10 who said that in 2024. Adults in the strictest states are just as likely as others to say abortion should be available in their state to women who want to end pregnancies for any reason. Democrats support abortion access far more than Republicans do. Support for legal abortion has dropped slightly among members of both parties since June 2024, but nearly 9 in 10 Democrats and roughly 4 in 10 Republicans say abortion should be legal in at least most instances. Fallout from state bans has influenced some people's positions — but not others Seeing what's happened in the aftermath of the ruling has strengthened the abortion rights position of Wilaysha White, a 25-year-old Ohio mom. She has some regrets about the abortion she had when she was homeless. 6 In the aftermath of the ruling, AP-NORC polling suggested that support for legal abortion access might be increasing. AP 'I don't think you should be able to get an abortion anytime,' said White, who calls herself a 'semi-Republican.' But she said that hearing about situations — including when a Georgia woman was arrested after a miscarriage and initially charged with concealing a death — is a bigger concern. Advertisement 'Seeing women being sick and life or death, they're not being put first — that's just scary,' she said. 'I'd rather have it be legal across the board than have that.' Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Julie Reynolds' strong anti-abortion stance has been cemented for decades and hasn't shifted since Roe was overturned. 'It's a moral issue,' said the 66-year-old Arizona woman, who works part time as a bank teller. Advertisement She said her view is shaped partly by having obtained an abortion herself when she was in her 20s. 'I would not want a woman to go through that,' she said. 'I live with that every day. I took a life.' Support remains high for legal abortion in certain situations 6 'It's a moral issue,' said the 66-year-old Arizona woman, who works part time as a bank teller. AP The vast majority of U.S. adults — at least 8 in 10 — continue to say their state should allow legal abortion if a fetal abnormality would prevent the child from surviving outside the womb, if the patient's health is seriously endangered by the pregnancy, or if the person became pregnant as a result of rape or incest. Advertisement Consistent with AP-NORC's June 2024 poll, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults 'strongly' or 'somewhat' favor protecting access to abortions for patients who are experiencing miscarriages or other pregnancy-related emergencies. In states that have banned or restricted abortion, such medical exceptions have been sharply in focus. This is a major concern for Nicole Jones, a 32-year-old Florida resident. Jones and her husband would like to have children soon. But she said she's worried about access to abortion if there's a fetal abnormality or a condition that would threaten her life in pregnancy since they live in a state that bans most abortions after the first six weeks of gestation. Advertisement 'What if we needed something?' she asked. 'We'd have to travel out of state or risk my life because of this ban.' Adults support protections for seeking abortions across state lines — but not as strongly 6 In states that have banned or restricted abortion, such medical exceptions have been sharply in focus. REUTERS There's less consensus on whether states that allow abortion should protect access for women who live in places with bans. Just over half support protecting a patient's right to obtain an abortion in another state and shielding those who provide abortions from fines or prison time. In both cases, relatively few adults — about 2 in 10 — oppose the measures and about 1 in 4 are neutral. More Americans also favor than oppose legal protections for doctors who prescribe and mail abortion pills to patients in states with bans. About 4 in 10 'somewhat' or 'strongly' favor those protections, and roughly 3 in 10 oppose them. Such telehealth prescriptions are a key reason that the number of abortions nationally has risen even as travel for abortion has declined slightly.
