Bradley Byrne: Reflecting the Light of the World
Rep. Byrne reflects on the true meaning of Christmas.
Donald and Melania Trump wish Americans ‘Merry Christmas’ as they mark holiday
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are wishing Americans a Merry Christmas as they celebrate the holiday with their family in Florida. “The president and I want to wish each and every American a very merry Christmas,” the first lady said in a video message recorded at the White House and released Wednesday. “We say a special prayer for those military service members stationed far from home and we renew our hope for peace among nations and joy to the world,” Trump said in the message. The first family is spending the holiday at the president’s private club in Palm Beach, attending a music-filled Christmas Eve service at a Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated church before celebrating with dinner in the ballroom of his private club. They were expected to remain out of sight on Wednesday. The pastor of Family Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, Jimmy Scroggins, and his family greeted the Trumps as they arrived moments into a “Candlelight Christmas Celebration.” The Trumps received applause and cheers while taking reserved seats in the church’s third pew. Brief sermons and readings by clergy were interlaced between traditional Christmas songs, as theatrical smoke billowed and fake snow descended from the rafters. Attending Family Church was a change of pace for the Trumps, who had attended holiday services in the past at Bethesda-by-the-Sea, the Episcopal Church in Palm Beach at which they were married in 2005. The Trumps then returned to his private club, where they were greeted by applause as they entered for Christmas Eve dinner. Trump, less than a week after being impeached by the House, did not respond when asked by a reporter if he prayed for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at church, but he said, “We’re going to have a great year.” Trump was seen briefly speaking attorney Alan Dershowitz, a prominent Trump defender on cable news who was dining in the ballroom. The Harvard Law School professor emeritus has been the subject of discussions about joining the president’s impeachment legal team. Trump earlier called military service members stationed across the world to share greetings ahead of the Christmas holiday. Speaking Tuesday by video conference from his private club in Florida, where is he is on a more than two-week vacation, Trump said, “I want to wish you an amazing Christmas.” The group included Marines in Afghanistan, an Army unit in Kuwait, a Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden, an Air Force base in Missouri and a Coast Guard station in Alaska. Trump praised the armed forces for their efforts this year to eliminate the last of the Islamic State group’s territorial caliphate and for killing IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also touted economic successes at home and a pay raise for troops kicking in in the new year. “You make it possible for us to do what we have to do,” Trump said, thanking them for their service. Trump briefly fielded questions from troops, including an invitation to attend the homecoming of the USS Forrest Sherman when the destroyer returns next year to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia. Trump was asked what he’d bought Mrs. Trump for Christmas. A “beautiful card,” he said, and admitted that he was “still working on a Christmas present.” “You made me think. I’m going to have to start working on that real fast,” he said. On Tuesday evening, the first lady answered calls from children across the country as part of North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Operation NORAD Tracks Santa program. Press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Mrs. Trump spoke with several children and heard items on their Christmas lists. Grisham said Mrs. Trump ”reminded the kids to put milk and cookies out for Santa, and wished each child and their families a very merry Christmas.” The president has been largely out of the spotlight since delivering a speech to conservative students in nearby West Palm Beach on Saturday, spending his days golfing on his private course and greeting the well-heeled members of his clubs. By Zeke Miller Associated Press Republished with the Permission of the Associated Press.
Deadline approaching for Birmingham bridge project
The deadline is approaching for a company to earn a $15 million bonus for finishing work early on a major bridge project in Alabama’s largest city. Texas-based Johnson Brothers Corp. will get the money if it completes work by Jan. 21 on the new Interstate 59/20 overpasses through Birmingham, state officials told news outlets. But the company will have to pay $250,000 a day if the opening is delayed past March 21. State transportation officials said the work is nearly done, and they’ll work out a schedule for opening the roads after the holidays. “I have been on the bridge and I’ve driven it and it’s magnificent. We are excited. This will change the landscape of Birmingham forever,” DeJarvis Leonard with the Alabama Department of Transportation told a recent news briefing. The more than $700 million project is replacing elevated highways built more than 45 years ago to accommodate 80,000 vehicles daily through the heart of downtown. Transportation officials said I-59/20 carried more than twice that number of vehicles before it was closed in January and demolished. The shutdown, which forced drivers to travel around the city on surface streets or Interstate 459, affected a more than mile-long section of I-59/20 from Red Mountain Expressway to Interstate 65. The state said it is keeping an eye on safety as contractors complete work that includes smoothing out the driving surface, installing lighting and adding stripes. “We inspect the bridge as it is being constructed. Then we do what we call an in-service inspection, which is ongoing as we speak,” said Leonard. Plans call for the area beneath the elevated highway to be used for community spaces including a park and an area for food trucks. Republished with the Permission of the Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse
Flowers pays homage to legendary Alabama leaders who have passed away.
