Alabama's Morning News with JT

Jeff CO Republican Chairmen Paul Demarco joins JT to talk about the stories that made the headlines in 2021 and look forward to what 2022 could bring.

You probably know from personal experience that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on sleep for many people. If your own sleep hasn't been affected, chances are you know someone who has experienced sleep problems in the past year and a half. It's not surprising that the combination of schedule changes, increased screen time, and elevated levels of stress and anxiety—all caused by the global pandemic—would disrupt our sleep. A new systematic review quantifies the sleep effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the review, researchers identified 44 studies on sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic that included more than 54,000 participants from 13 countries. Combining the data from those studies, they found that more than 35 percent of the general population experienced disrupted sleep related to the COVID-19 pandemic.Just when we thought we could relax a little, there's non-stop news coverage of the Omicron variant. What's the secret to keep COVID fears at bay?is a healthy living expert with Masters in Counseling Psychology and Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. He's also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches Introduction to Positive Psychology, an evidence-based approach that focuses on conditions leading to happiness and flourishing. He just launched a program called "Say Y.E.S. to Wellness" timed with the holidays, a time when countless millions deal with anxiety DR. JOHNNY PARKER

iHeart Tech Stuff Podcast host Jonathan Strickland joins JT to explain what's happening in the Metaverse, and what it means to you.

There are so many things to do in Birmingham to celebrate the Holidays, JT talks with Russell and Amber Hooks with Happenings in the Ham.

Five things you may not have known to start your holidays off

Heritage Foundation Launches Election Integrity Scorecard Ranking States on Election Laws – The Heritage Foundation today released its Election Integrity Scorecard, a new interactive tool that analyzes the election laws of all 50 states and the District of Columbia and grades each state on how well it protects the security and integrity of the election process. The Election Integrity Scorecard gives states a clear picture of where their laws and regulations meet the best practices, where vulnerabilities exist, and how to fix them. The right to free and fair elections and to having every legal vote count is one of the most basic civil rights in our republic. Americans should be able to have complete confidence in the security of the electoral process, and that their vote will not be lost, stolen, altered, or negated by fraud. This scorecard on the states' election laws is a vital roadmap to restoring and strengthening that confidence.

MIchael Bower joins us with a preview of what President Biden could say later today as he comments on the latest variant and his plans to combat it.

Jay Ratliff from Daytrade Fun.com joins us for our final check of the holiday markets, as well as airline travel.

Need a last-minute gift that's both laziness- and supply chain-friendly? Look no further than your own things. Yet another outgrowth of the pandemic reset, regifting is the perfect way to funnel your next purge in a way that benefits your friends and family. Have a clown sweater that may not be right for you? Chances are high that you know where its real spiritual home lies.According to one survey, 83% of people say they would be okay receiving a regifted gift, but only about 34% admit to having given a regifted gift. What happens if Aunt Martha wants to see the gift she gave you last year and you've already passed it along to someone else? Is regifting tacky? What are the do's and don'ts?Image and Etiquette Specialist // author of the book Do It Right! // speaker on personal branding and etiquette VALERIE SOKOLOSKY

'Democracy is hanging by a thread,' The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin wrote. Some liberal media commentators predicted Sunday that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's vote against President Biden's Build Back Better plan could very well spell the end of democracy. Manchin announced on "Fox News Sunday" that he will be a definitive "no" on voting for the BBB plan after lengthy debate. Liberal media and progressive politicians immediately attacked Manchin for his position, including his colleague Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who accused Manchin of being beholden to pharmaceutical companies. Others called the decision "devastating," while ABC's "This Week" panel showed visual disappointment at the news. However, there were also several consistent predictions that Manchin's decision could herald the end of democracy as they knew it.Former National YR Chair And The GOP National Committeewoman For Maryland NICOLEE AMBROSE

It looks like President Biden's “Build Back America” plan is dead for now. iHeart News Radio National Correspondent Rory O'Neill will take a look at the Biden administration now pivoting to voting rights.

Rania Mankarious explains what to be on the look-out for this holiday season.

For News Radio's Simon Owen joins JT live from London

WERC's Washington Correspondent JOn Decker joins JT with the latest on the Whitehouse response to Joe Mansons refusal to sign off on the Democratic economic stigmas plan.

Al Political Reporter Bill Britt joins JT to give us the latest on the legislature's move to bring a lottery next year.

President Biden intends to run for reelection in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. Jean-Pierre disclosed the president's plans when she was asked about a recent report from The Wall Street Journal in which Harris was asked if Biden intended to seek a second term. "She didn't say yes," ABC News senior White House correspondent Mary K. Bruce noted. "She just said that the two of them hadn't talked about it. Of course, you all and the president himself has said that he does plan to seek reelection. So what's the disconnect here?"Political Strategist // Founder & CEO of Freedom's Fund USA, a nonprofit to protect freedom and national security // Academy Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, based in Washington, D.C. // Ashley has her Juris Masters in International Law from Liberty University School of Law // earned professional certificates in Project Management and U.S. Intelligence Analysis from Southern Methodist University ASHLEY SMITH THOMAS

JT Talks with Hoover Mayor Frank Brocado about a recent WSJ story saying Hoover is the best place to live in Alabama.

Man stopped wife from driving drunk, then police charged him when she died walking home. Kirby Farris explains in this bizarre story

As millions of Americans get ready to take to the skies for the holidays, the number of COVID cases is growing exponentially. iHeart News Radio National Correspondent Michael Bower will have the latest on the pandemic and what to expect if your plans include air travel.

Restaurant employees are burnt out. While the pandemic has undoubtedly played a role here, employee burnout has been an issue in the restaurant industry for decades. Before the pandemic hit, in a 2019 study, 80% of hospitality workers claimed to be burnt out. Burnout can lead to loss of staff, toxic working conditions and loss of revenue. Left unaddressed, burnout could even shutter your establishment. Before the pandemic, restaurants were already one of the most stressful working environments in the world. COVID-19 has only made it worse. It is important to note that burnout can come from factors unrelated to work. Family issues, relationship problems and living conditions are just three potential sources of non-work-related burnout. Long hours and rude customers are creating an employee retention crisis for the restaurant industry. What are restaurants doing to address employee burnout? OSI // Chief Operating Officer of the Texas Restaurant Association and has become a national thought leader in the restaurant industry JOE MONASTERO joins JT.

Preston Huennekens from the Federation for American Immigration Reform joins JT to talk about the struggles at the Border and the Biden administration's incompetence.

Fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks or physically distance unless they're on public transportation or required to by local laws, places or businesses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced May 13. Fully vaccinated people who are immunocompromised -- or living with people who are immunocompromised -- should still behave cautiously, since immune-weakening conditions make someone at higher risk for serious disease and death if they get Covid-19. Get ready to go to church? Livestream the service at home? Watch it later? Or skip it altogether? Some of these options have emerged in 2020, thanks to the global pandemic. After 6 months of worship at home with church on Zoom or YouTube, rhythms that used to be automatic are no longer a given. Depending on your church tradition, an obvious answer may present itself: communion. If you are Anglican, Episcopalian, Catholic, or Lutheran, you have gone without communion for 6 months or longer. If you decide to go to church (and you don't have any symptoms yourself) be safe and smart. If you want to wear a mask, go ahead, although doctors say it's not really necessary, because the virus spreads more often from transfer contact between hands and surfaces. Consider sitting a little more spread out from others.Church after COVID—Why Bother Going Back?Analyst on Faith // an evangelist who abandoned a very successful modeling career after facing a life threatening illness // now shares her story through her global ministry SHARON BOLAN

Is President Biden's “Build Back America” plan dead? iHeart News Radio National Correspondent Rory O'Neill will take a look at what happened over the weekend that may have killed it.

Former Homewood Band member Susan Daria joins us to talk about how special it is for the band to get to play in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

UAB Football coach Bill Clark joins us to preview the Independence Bowl where UAB is taking on BYU on Saturday afternoon.

Fox News Radio Correspondent Jeff Monosso gives us the latest on the trial of Kim Potter a former police officer charged with killing Daunte Wright

Gray Media White House Correspondent Jon Decker discusses the Senate Parliamentarian rejecting including Immigration reform in President Bidens Social Spending bill

Dr. Michael Saag from the Infectious Disease Department at UAB talks about the Omicron variant and how effective current vaccines are against this new variant

Five Random Facts for you on this Friday!

Author of "Make Someone's Day" Howard Prager gives us some ideas on how to put gratitude and thanks back into the holiday season

IHeart Radio National Correspondent Michael Bower discusses employers giving up on bringing workers back to the office for the moment.

Keri Lestage, an expert on Infectious Disease Control, talks about the germiest places in the airport,

Our movie guy Kevin Flannigan talks about 2 new movies coming to theaters and one streaming on Netflix.

Barrett Sallee from CBS Sports discusses the coaching moves throughout college football and his opinions on the NIL rule allowing players to be paid by companies who want to use their name, image and likeness

Jeff Monosso from Fox News Radio talks about Derek Chauvin admitting to violating George Floyd's civil rights.

Gray Media White House Correspondent Jon Decker discusses continuing negotiations between President Biden and Joe Manchin over the spending bills making their way through Congress.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato updates us on the flooding problems from storms several months ago as well as some good projects under way in the city

Attorney Kirby Farris discusses the impact that Supreme Court decisions on abortion bills could have .

IHeart Radio National Correspondent Michael Bower talks about increased travel across the country as COVID continues to spread rapidly in some areas.

Kevin Scally, chief relation officer with Charity Navigator, discusses how to spot charity scams that always seem to pop up during the holidays or when disasters happen

Leadership coach Meg Poag talks about whether bosses should believe employees regarding their vaccination status and how to keep a good relationship between bosses and employees

Simon Owens from Fox News Radio joins us to discuss Russian leader Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping holding a video call as a show of solidarity.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall discusses how he and other Attorneys General are pushing back against the Biden Administration vaccine mandates for Federal contract workers.

Gray Media White House Correspondent Jon Decker discusses Mark Meadows possibly being held in contempt of congress for not testifying in front of the January 6th committee

Heritage Expert Rachel Greszler discusses what is happening in the unprecedented US Labor market

Ty West from the Birmingham Business Journal talks about the new Alabama Innovation Commission established to support entrepreneurs in the state

Jay Ratliff from Daytradefun.com discusses how inflation isn't quite affecting the stock market yet. Also investors paying close attention to the last Fed meeting of the year.

IHeart Radio National Correspondent Michael Bower gives us the latest on the recovery efforts following the deadly tornadoes over the weekend.

Co-founder of freepressfail.com Corinne Clark discusses Mark Meadows being referred for Contempy of Congress charges for not testifying before the January 6th Committee

Former Law Enforcement Officer and leading attorney Lance Lorusso discusses whether re-funding police departments will actually bring police officers back to Democrat run cities where crime is soaring.