• High winds, hail and heavy rain pounded parts of Alabama on Sunday, as forecasters warned residents to brace for possible tornadoes and flooding later in the day.
• It was the second Sunday in a row that the South was hit with severe weather.
• The National Weather Service on Sunday said six Alabama counties were under a flash flood warning because of heavy rain: Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Jefferson, Shelby and Tuscaloosa. Local media reported high winds had uprooted trees and left blankets of hail on the ground in some areas.
• The agency said strong tornadoes were a possibility for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday. A swath of damaging winds and a continued tornado threat will also extend across Georgia and parts of South Carolina through Sunday night.
• The storm threat comes a week after Easter storms pounded the Deep South.
• Read the full report HERE.

• Only one Department of Defense program is capable of protecting an American city from a long-range ballistic missile attack – the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program.

• As the GMD prime contractor, Boeing engineers and experts work right here in Alabama to sustain this vital shield against an attack.

• Some would argue that a new generation defense program is needed. While these ideas are explored for the future, it’s important to maintain the current GMD system that detects, intercepts and destroys a target aimed at our homeland.

• Now is not the time to leave America vulnerable to threats and the GMD system is a tested platform to protect the nation 24/7.

• Many currently shuttered businesses in Alabama could reopen over the next few weeks under new recommendations from a task force created by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth.
• Some establishments like restaurants, hair salons, child care centers and small retail stores would open immediately under the plan, while others like medical services, casinos, gyms and entertainment venues would need to wait until May 1.
• The state’s beaches would also open May 1 and youth sports could resume starting May 11, under the plan from the Small Business Emergency Task Force, which was formed by Ainsworth earlier this month.
• The recommendations have been sent to Gov. Kay Ivey, who said she would take them into consideration when formulating next steps in Alabama’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
• Ivey said the reopening of the state's economy must be gradual and cautious. The peak in cases is expected this week.
• “Consistent with what we’ve been saying all along, the president made it clear that the return to ‘normal’ won’t be a quick or simple process. We will need to see declining cases – and stronger testing – over at least 14-days – to make certain we don’t see a return in the spike up of the infection,” she said.
• The state remains under a stay-at-home order limiting residents to only essential errands until April 30.
• Read the full story from Todd HERE.

• Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling into deeper and deeper waters, where the payoffs can be huge but the risks are greater than ever.
• Industry leaders and government officials say they’re determined to prevent a repeat of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster. It spilled 134 million gallons of oil that fouled beaches from Louisiana to Florida, killed hundreds of thousands of marine animals and devastated the region’s tourist economy.
• Yet safety rules adopted in the spill’s aftermath have been eased as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to boost U.S. oil production. And government data reviewed by The Associated Press shows the number of safety inspection visits has declined in recent years, although officials say checks of electronic records, safety systems and individual oil rig components have increased.
• Despite almost $2 billion in spending by the industry on equipment to respond to an oil well blowout like BP’s, some scientists, former government officials and environmentalists say safety practices appear to be eroding. And there are worries that cleanup tactics have changed little in decades and are likely to prove as ineffective as they were in 2010.
• Read the rest of this extensive report from the AP HERE.

• Patrick Aitken is a Montgomery man who has dedicated his time to helping the homeless in central Alabama and now during this pandemic, his work is deeply needed more than ever.
• For the past six years, Aitken has been working to find ways to help the homeless, mainly by shedding a light on their stories and conditions through social media rather than ignoring them.
• He’s advocated on their behalf online and in local government and has helped them get the necessary food and hygiene supplies they need for day to day survival.
• But as the coronavirus continues to spread in the country, especially within Alabama’s most vulnerable populations, Aitkins says we can no longer afford to look away from those who need our help the most.
• Read the rest of Aitkin’s profile from Brad Harper at the Montgomery Advertiser HERE.