It was 3 a.m. on Nov. 6. The baby growing inside me kicked hard as yet another set of electoral college votes flashed red on the TV screen for Trump. I couldn’t help but wonder if the kicking was her own act of protest in the waning hours of the 2024 election.

Donald Trump’s election is likely to produce ripple effects throughout north Alabama’s economy, affecting the prospects for everything from missiles and space vehicles to heavy machinery — and even soybeans.