Josh and David kick off the show by recapping their Thanksgiving holidays, which featured very different experiences. While Josh enjoyed a smooth break, David shares the harrowing tale of losing his home heating system right before the cold snap, forcing him to rely on space heaters for a week.

The CHOOSE Act and Public Education

The hosts dissect the Alabama CHOOSE Act, criticizing the use of public tax dollars to fund private and homeschool curriculums that teach non-scientific concepts, such as dinosaurs living alongside humans.

Interview: Andrew Sneed for Congress

Democrat Andrew Sneed joins the show to discuss his campaign for Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, highlighting his background as a tradesman and small business owner. Sneed explains his goal to reconnect the party with the working class and criticizes incumbent Dale Strong for being inaccessible to constituents.

Bonehead of the Week

The hosts address the recent zoning controversy in Hoover involving a Muslim school, calling out the anti-Muslim rhetoric used by opponents during the hearings.

Senator Katie Britt is named "Bonehead of the Week" for co-sponsoring legislation that would change abortion training for medical students from an opt-out to an opt-in requirement.

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Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.

Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

This week, Josh and David dive into the sudden GOP pivot on releasing the Epstein files and break down the "white victimhood" narrative driving modern political discourse.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed joins the show to discuss the city's recent mass shooting and the data linking permitless carry to a 23 percent spike in gun violence.

Finally, the hosts debate the hypothetical 2026 gubernatorial matchup between Doug Jones, Will Boyd, and Tommy Tuberville — and crown a new "Bonehead of the Week" for attempting to remove PBS programming from Alabama public television.

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Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.

Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

Josh Moon and David Person dig into a wild week in politics, starting with newly released Jeffrey Epstein emails that appear to further implicate Donald Trump and expose GOP efforts to stall the full release of the “Epstein files.” They break down how eight Senate Democrats caved in the shutdown fight, allowing devastating cuts to Affordable Care Act subsidies that will spike premiums for millions and gut SNAP, and why party leadership misplayed its hand.

Bill Britt of Alabama Political Reporter joins to talk about Republican unrest over Tommy Tuberville’s expected “coronation” as governor, ongoing questions about whether he even meets Alabama’s residency requirements, and who might realistically challenge him.

Then Congresswoman Terri Sewell returns to deliver a fiery, must-hear segment on the shutdown deal, the ACA “cliff,” SNAP funding, DOJ’s retreat on Lowndes County’s water and sewage crisis, and the looming House vote to force release of the Epstein documents.

The show wraps with a look at Sen. Katie Britt’s mixed record, Democratic messaging failures, and why Tuberville still earns “Bonehead of the Week.”

RESOURCES & SOCIALS

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ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.

Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

Josh Moon and David Person break down the stunning Democratic victories in Tuesday's elections across Virginia, New Jersey, and New York, examining what the massive blue shift means for upcoming races. They discuss how the government shutdown, SNAP benefit cuts, and skyrocketing healthcare costs are reshaping voter sentiment nationwide and in Alabama.

The hosts interview Jeremy Devito, Democratic candidate for Alabama's 5th Congressional District, who discusses his working-class background, military service, and platform focused on healthcare access and economic justice. Devito explains why he believes incumbent Dale Strong is vulnerable and how his grassroots campaign is resonating with voters frustrated by GOP priorities.

The episode also tackles Governor Kay Ivey's response to the SNAP crisis, the stark contrast between Republican rhetoric and reality on social programs, and a controversial statement from Rep. Clay Higgins about benefit recipients. Plus: why churches are failing the vulnerable, what the youngest mayor in New York City history means for progressive politics, and how Trump's opulence is backfiring with working-class voters.

RESOURCES & SOCIALS

• 🔵 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alpoliticsthisweek.com
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SUPPORT THE SHOW

👍 Like this video and SUBSCRIBE!⭐ Rate us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.📧 Email questions/voice notes to apwproducer@gmail.com with your name and city/county.

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

This week, Josh and David open with daylight saving time dread and kid sleep schedules, then shift to health care costs on the ACA exchanges amid a protracted government shutdown. They unpack immigrant health care myths, why universal access lowers costs, and how coverage gaps drive ER “socialism” we’re already paying for.

Dr. Jim Vickery joins the show to discuss his new book about growing up in Jim Crow Alabama, “recovering racism,” and what really fuels white supremacy (envy, power, and politics).

The crew closes with Alabama headlines: SNAP politics, farmers vs. tariffs, Tuberville hinting at skirting the Constitution for a third Trump term, and Secretary of State Wes Allen’s nativist push to ban naturalized citizens from state office.

This week, Josh and David explore lessons from Europe on labor, tipping, and public health, then pivot to Alabama's criminal justice system through ProPublica journalist Amy Yurkanin's investigation into the Jorge Ruiz case—a legal immigrant sentenced to 99 years (later reduced to 50) for a fatal car crash, raising hard questions about immigrant bias in courts, media framing, and judicial overreach.

They also dig into Alabama's 2026 gubernatorial race: Charles Barkley flirting with an independent run, and Tommy Tuberville's residency problems.

The show closes with the bail reform fiasco and Right Wing Knucklehead of the Week: Tommy Tuberville and Laura Loomer's Islamophobic theater in the Senate.

RESOURCES & SOCIALS

• 🔵 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alpoliticsthisweek.com
• ⚫ X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/alathisweek
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SUPPORT THE SHOW

👍 Like this video and SUBSCRIBE!⭐ Rate us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.📧 Email questions/voice notes to apwproducer@gmail.com with your name and city/county.

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

In this episode of Alabama Politics This Week, hosts David Pearson and Josh Moon sit down with Mark Wheeler, a Democratic candidate for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat left open by Tommy Tuberville. Wheeler, a lifelong Heflin resident, chemist, and former factory worker, discusses his unconventional path to politics — working 60-84 hour weeks in wire mills while earning a degree in chemistry from Jacksonville State University. The conversation centers on his core campaign message: making the American Dream attainable through labor rights, congressional reform, healthcare access, and focusing voter attention on "kitchen table" economic issues rather than divisive cultural hot buttons.RESOURCES & SOCIALS🔵 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alpoliticsthisweek.com⚫ X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/alathisweek🔵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alathisweek

SUPPORT THE SHOW👍 Like this video and SUBSCRIBE!⭐ Rate us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.📧 Email questions/voice notes to apwproducer@gmail.com with your name and city/county.ABOUT OUR SPONSORAlabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.

This week, Josh and David open with Montgomery’s tragic downtown mass shooting and push back on knee-jerk fixes. They argue multiple truths can coexist: guns, culture, policing levels, education inequities, and media erosion all matter. Josh recounts prior eras of violence to counter shallow blame of Mayor Steven Reed, and both hosts press for front-end investments — after-school programs, mentoring, mental health, and fair school funding — over “lock ’em up” theatrics.

Mayor Steven Reed joins to detail the incident response, why permitless carry hinders policing, and what real partnership with the state should look like: repeal bad gun laws, fund two-officer patrols, and expand youth programs. He calls out political posturing that blocks resources and then blames cities, and stresses holistic prevention over performative crackdowns.

In the second half, SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair and German historian Professor Andreas Etges discuss “critical memory” work across Germany and the U.S. — from Stone Mountain and 16th Street Baptist Church to EJI’s Legacy Museum. They examine why honest history matters, how backlash follows progress, and the risks of whitewashing museums and curricula. The conversation draws clear through-lines from slavery to Jim Crow to mass incarceration, and compares contemporary authoritarian trends without false equivalence.

They close with Right Wing Bonehead of the Week: Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch, for the racist ICE-versus-sombrero Halloween display — an emblem of cruelty-as-politics amid Alabama’s immigrant scapegoating.

ABOUT OUR SPONSOR

Alabama Politics This Week is sponsored by Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality entity for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, with 10 properties across the U.S. and Caribbean — including four in Alabama — offering entertainment, dining, hotels, and amenities.

Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive.