Kyle Whitmire
@WarOnDumb
Followers
41K
Following
15K
Media
2K
Statuses
47K
Columnist for @aldotcom. 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner. I write about character, cruelty and corruption.
Joined December 2009
When Donald Trump tries to de-woke African-American history, Alabama history is at the center of the target. My latest.
6
49
141
NYC’s homicide rate is 4.8 per 100k. Alabama’s homicide rate is 15.9 per 100k — more than three times that of NYC.
Hope @JoeBiden enjoyed going out for ice cream in NYC while the rest of the city is afraid of crime and migrants.
1K
5K
36K
The GOP nominee for the Alabama 2nd and almost certainly the November winner, Barry Moore, just shared this on his Facebook page.
4K
6K
16K
Javelin missiles are manufactured in Troy, Ala.
The United States has sent $211 BILLION of your tax dollars to Ukraine,. 4X as much as the rest of the world COMBINED.
349
2K
11K
This was old Alabama politics. The politics of fear and confusion. Britt blamed Biden for an assault that appears to have happened 20 years ago. Her spokesman won't give a clear answer when asked.
511
2K
9K
In 2022, I busted Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl voting with an ID he made himself. Recently I learned TWO separate Alabama secretaries of state forwarded voter fraud complaints to prosecutors. Buckle up for the 🧵.
125
3K
8K
I've found it curious how many folks want to blame the delta spread on immigrants, so I made a map.
“Please help” by stopping the historic # of illegal immigrants breaking our laws-no Covid testing/vaccines…nada.The Biden admin is complacent in allowing the spread of Covid by doing nothing.And on FL and TX-no one is anyone’s way-except a personal decision. #BidenBorderCrisis.
204
3K
8K
I have updated this column and the headline to reflect that this is no longer a question. Britt blamed the Biden administration for sexual assault that happened 20 years ago in Mexico, not recently in the US, as she implied.
275
2K
6K
I just confirmed with the Ala. Secretary of State's office that the Alabama Democratic Party hasn't submitted the paperwork yet to put Kamala Harris on the ballot in Alabama. Today is the deadline. The DNC virtual roll call was more than two weeks ago, making her the nominee.
238
1K
7K
Tuberville says his wife's homestead exemption established his residency in Alabama, but election records show both of them voted in Florida after that. And that's only the beginning.
371
3K
8K
Alabama GOP gubernatorial candidate Tim James has blasted an LBGTQ-friendly charter school for having a drag show. So I took a look at his high school yearbook. Yep. Every accusation is a confession.
170
2K
5K
The reason markets are panicking is they don’t believe you and they don’t believe you are capable of handling a crisis. You are the mayor from Jaws.
147
1K
5K
In at least two elections, Alabama's Republican Party chairman has voted with a photo ID he made himself. The state's top election official now says it wasn't a valid voter ID. 🧵.
192
2K
5K
State Rep. Chris Pringle wants to make teaching critical race theory illegal in Alabama. So I asked him what it is. His answers were . interesting.
285
2K
5K
Before y’all dump on Alabama, remember these folks live here, too. And they are fighting to make it better.
164
748
4K
If everyone started calling him “coach” right now, it would drive Tommy Tuberville insane.
Tim Walz first year as a high school football coach and geography teacher
125
822
4K
Being a columnist in Alabama isn’t that different than writing for the Onion, only everything is real.
136
1K
4K
If California dedicated a day to honoring Al-Qaeda, we'd never hear the end of it. But every year in Alabama we honor those who tried to destroy the United States and who came much closer to success than any foreign terrorists.
Today is Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama, meaning state offices are closed:
116
1K
4K
Lots of you have shared this with me. I have asked Britt’s spokesman for comment. I’ll let you know what I find out. For what it’s worth, I’ve followed Katz for years and have thought highly of his work going back to when he was an AP reporter in Haiti.
Holy moly. This is worth every minute. Jonathan Katz exposes Katie Britt as a lying sack of shit. 👀
62
641
3K
WaPo finally got her spokesman to give up, says it was Romero, assaults happened two decades ago in Mexico. So there you go.
106
1K
3K
Katie Britt gave up on being her genuine self a while back. Last night it showed — this time in front of millions of Americans.
210
541
3K
Used to be, I couldn’t read a @StephenKing story or watch the @TheWalkingDead without thinking, “That’d never happen! People are rational. When the chips are down, they’d pull together and look out for each other.” But after 2020 … yeah, I dunno.
86
221
3K
Cutting the IRS enforcement budget is “Defund the Police” for rich people.
92
901
3K
One of the most unjust things about this country is, if you’re not born here, you have to take a test before you can become a citizen — which is fine — but Tommy Tuberville couldn’t pass a middle school civics test and he gets to be a United States Senator.
Y'all, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Tommy Tuberville thinks the three branches of government are the House, the Senate and the executive. And I'm not making that up.
80
682
3K
In Alabama, you can legally consent to sex at 16. But you can't read about it at the library until you're 17.
So much crazy/stupid happening here. Autauga-Prattville Library Board fires director for . obeying the law?
37
800
3K
Alabama GOP chairman refused to show a license to vote. When a poll worker fussed, the chair pushed to have him removed as a poll worker. Now he's not a poll worker anymore. 🧵
131
1K
3K
The @ProjectLincoln folks are giving @TTuberville some attention. If he’d like to talk in record about some of this, I’m sure we could set something up.
I spent the weekend diving into the IRS Form 990's for the Tommy Tuberville Foundation after reading how so little of the money went to the mission of supporting veterans. I've been a veterans advocate for 10 yrs and seen a lot of these. Strap in for a long thread! #Alabama.
41
747
2K
Mo Brooks: “It’s quite clear that Donald Trump has no loyalty to anyone or anything but himself." 🧵
647
492
2K
In the early 2000s academics scratched their heads at why Daily Show viewers did better at current events surveys than those who relied on legacy outlets. This right here.
18
560
2K
Five people died in the Boston Massacre and it’s in every American history textbook. About twice that many died trying to vote in Eufaula, Alabama. The only thing marking the spot is a fire hydrant.
75
802
2K
Most of Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl’s extended family have been blocked from voting because they won’t show photo ID. In a 2016 deposition, his brother explained why: They consider photo ID the mark of the beast foretold in Revelation. 🧵
182
840
2K
Here is the answer I got from Britt’s spokesman Sean Ross. I don’t think it answers the question and as you can see I have asked for further clarification.
Lots of you have shared this with me. I have asked Britt’s spokesman for comment. I’ll let you know what I find out. For what it’s worth, I’ve followed Katz for years and have thought highly of his work going back to when he was an AP reporter in Haiti.
198
413
2K
Voting should never take longer than 30 minutes. Long lines are suppression, too, making it harder for working people with families.
Massive line to vote at Avondale library in Birmingham, AL. Over an hour wait. 🤯 People who’ve voted here for years say they have never experienced this! Line stretches across Avondale Park. Everyone smiling! #Vote2024 #Election2024
56
403
2K
Before you start to feel sorry for Jeff Sessions, remember everything he did.
222
383
2K
The feds gave Alabama $1.8 billion of CARES Act money for coronavirus recovery. Some lawmakers want to spend $200 million of it building a new Alabama State House.
202
1K
2K
It’s Election Day in Alabama. Don’t put poll workers’ lives at risk. Wear a mask.
15
317
2K
All due respect, this would backfire spectacularly.
Dear @BarackObama if there was any way you could swing it, a visit from you to Alabama could go a long way for the goodness of the Nation, and it’s higher angels. Please. #Alabama.
108
158
2K
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who promised to do better after she was caught lying about wearing blackface in college, has fired a Black state education official over a “woke” Pre-k teacher training manual.
168
952
2K
Britt won’t answer the same question from the NYTimes, either.
31
335
2K
A White House report shows Alabama is one of 18 states that should close bars, restaurants and more. The administration is suppressing it, but it leaked.
44
1K
2K
My mom died in a car wreck when I was 10. I remember my dad opening the first survivor’s benefit Social Security benefit thinking it would be nothing, then realizing it would be enough to help pay for my college. Tonight I learned I owe a big part of my life to RBG.
18
299
2K
Mo Brooks is trying to convince you what you saw yesterday isn't real. It's time for Alabama's political leaders, business leaders and voters to call him out.
129
439
2K
Alabama GOP chair (also RNC vice-chair) John Wahl will help decide whether Tommy Tuberville lives in Alabama or Florida. Turns out, he uses a Tennessee driver’s license under a different name.
81
1K
2K
Here is a comparison of the handwriting in Young's yearbook to a signed Roy Moore biography. It matches.
184
771
1K
Heard rumors about this for years. WaPo finally got the story.
144
793
1K
Five hours ago, @MoBrooks said, "Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass." Now he's making jokes on Twitter and blaming a violent attack on the capitol on Antifa. Mo Brooks should resign.
Mo Brooks begins the Trump "Save America Rally" on a profane and angry note
101
488
1K
I’m still not convinced this is real, but I’m so grateful.
117
104
1K
In signal that they exist, Alabama Democrats endorse Harris.
46
163
1K
This wasn’t a glitch in the law. This was intentional and you shouldn’t be fooled by those backtracking on it now. @JohnArchibald nails it.
29
523
1K
Dear curious outsiders, . Don't look at this as a referendum on Trump. It's a referendum on McConnell, who's for Strange. Love, .Alabama.
73
363
1K
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has recommended more than $300m of education spending on non-education things, including $25 million for a whitewater rafting park that has already received more than $50 million of taxpayers’ money.
149
700
1K
If Alabama's business elites want to attract outside investment to our state, they must quit investing in crackpots like Mo Brooks.
56
286
1K
Serious respect for @spann whose wife was just in the path of a tornado and he still kept his sh!t together and did his job.
25
119
1K
Nick Saban fighting for voting rights wasn't what I was expecting today, but I'll take it.
West Virginia sports legends, including Nick Saban, Jerry West and Paul Tagliabue, endorse Freedom to Vote Act.
60
206
1K
What the poll worker said proved true. However, nothing happened to Wahl. Rather, Wahl pressured election officials to get rid of the poll worker, which they did. (4/15)
9
239
1K
I’d bet money these guy’s parents spent the last 30 years saying young Black men need better role models.
193
180
1K
Lots of moments today in the Alabama Legislature. This is one of them.
50
410
1K
In 2022, I got a tip that a Limestone County poll worker had accused Alabama GOP chairman John Wahl and his family of violating Alabama’s voter ID law. (2/15).
1
149
1K
After a little more digging, I got Wahl to admit he made the ID himself. Alabama Sec. of State John Merrill said then that it was not a valid voter ID under the law. (6/15)
4
165
1K
After the first piece ran, I learned something more shocking: Wahl’s brother had been a witness for the NAACP’s lawsuit AGAINST the Alabama voter ID law. (5/15)
3
178
1K
This didn’t have to happen. After @1819News published pictures of Smith Station Mayor Bubba Copeland wearing women’s clothes and makeup, the official took his own life.
150
351
1K
And then, nothing happened. Well, almost nothing. Wahl actually got a promotion of sorts, being elected vice-chair of the Republican National Committee. (7/15)
6
158
1K
Marshall has been outspoken on voter fraud and criminal justice issues, though. He sued to overturn the 2020 election, has denied involvement in Jan. 6, and recently called Donald Trump’s New York trial a miscarriage of justice. (14/15)
9
187
1K
I spent nearly three months interviewing election officials, running down public documents and trying to get Wahl to talk about it. (3/15).
2
96
1K
But the animating irony of this story is this: The family of Alabama's GOP chairman has been disenfranchised by a voter ID law that has been the bread and butter of GOP politics — a law he says he still supports. 14.
21
198
977
Growing up in Alabama gives you a choice — believe what you’ve been told or question everything. 🧵
38
410
1K
When someone calls slavery a “necessary evil” remember that, and consider what they might do to you should they deem it “necessary.”
24
411
996
Tuberville: "Too many people think they can get a sociology degree and then a job that pays a $1 million a year without working." . Me: "Nobody thinks that."
164
144
1K
What I do know is that no one from the AG’s office or ALEA reached out to the poll workers who had trouble with Wahl — a reasonable place to start if there were ever an investigation. (12/15).
1
103
985
I’ve never understood how the first lifeboats to leave the Titanic weren’t full. Now I think I get it.
14
136
1K
The same folks who said Jan. 6 was no big deal now want us to believe Katie Britt did a good job. Believe what you saw.
47
176
931
Turns out, Merrill forwarded a voter fraud complaint to the Limestone County DA, who says he passed it up to Alabama AG Steve Marshall’s office. (9/15).
1
100
953
I don't always agree with @GovernorKayIvey's decisions, but she makes her own decisions and won't let folks in her own party, who just want her job, bully her. Good for her. And today, good for Alabama.
32
93
1K
I’m just going off what I can Google but this appears to check out. Good Lord, there will be hell to pay if it does.
The 25 white Republicans who wrote Alabama’s new anti-DEI bill may have inadvertently made college football (and all Division I NCAA sports) illegal. Roll Tide.
48
271
1K
This isn’t a turning point. But it’s significant. Dems flipped an Alabama House seat in a special election.
33
126
898
Trump: “Alabama is different than New York.”. Fact Check: True.
57
115
1K
Mo Brooks tells me he is not the 1/6 committee’s mystery guest tomorrow.
78
149
904
After being exposed in a blackface scandal, Alabama Gov. Ivey promised to do better when it came to race. Her record has been anything but. 🧵
32
328
961
After Wes Allen took office as the new Secretary of state, he forwarded a voter fraud complaint, too — this time directly to Marshall. (10/15).
3
89
919
Washington Post calls on Pence and cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Donald Trump.
From the Washington Post Editorial Board:. Trump caused the assault on the Capitol. He must be removed.
11
271
927
The Onion made the joke. Alabama is living it. Parents are reporting Black History Month as CRT.
59
442
971
I got copies of these letters through public information requests, but names have been redacted. It’s impossible (for now) for me to ask these folks if they ever heard anything back. (11/15).
2
79
894
This is the greatest instant Twitter karma I've seen in a long while.
21
458
963
Marshall’s office has ignored requests for comment. As has, Wahl. (13/15).
3
84
867
If you thought Alabama’s IVF thing was a glitch, it was not.
A bill filed by an Alabama Republican would criminalize, among other things, teaching students about contraceptives. It requires abstinence-only sex ed. Under his eye.
29
509
880
Today Gov. Kay Ivey said, "It's the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks that's letting us down." But with only 40 percent vaccinated in Alabama, the "unvaccinated folks" are the "regular folks."
76
218
870
For the last week, we have been trying to run down rumors of Gov. Kay Ivey's health taking a bad turn. She has made no public appearances and her office refuses to say where she is. 🧵
111
294
922
Why was this Alabama library director fired? I got an answer from the library board director. And then another, and another . You just have to read it.
44
304
852
NBC is reporting Alabama could soon lose Space Command to Colorado.
109
167
830
5. The Trump legacy is one official after another sacrificing their careers and destroying their reputations, none having learned from the example set by the last person who did the exact same thing.
31
127
792
While many Alabamians honored the life and legacy of John Lewis today, state Rep. Will Dismukes celebrated the founder of the KKK and boasted about it in his Facebook page.
101
537
855
This is where we are: Alabama’s most beloved and respected meteorologist must answer “Where did the moon go?”.
Over the past 72 hours I have received countless messages from people asking "Where is the moon? It has disappeared!". This seems to come from another idiotic TikTok video. Seems like many folks don't know about lunar phases, which happen because the Moon orbits Earth and Earth
43
199
878
Things Alabama can't find money for: Medicaid. Things it can: The most expensive prison in the United States. 🧵 .
57
392
829
What polling is available shows no significant enthusiasm gap between black and white voters. I smell a media narrative that set in about a month ago that won't go away.
Democrats are struggling to activate black voters in the Alabama Senate race. Via @jameshohmann:
22
271
801