Associated Press
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Republicans in Gulf states push to embrace Gulf of America name
This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills requiring the use of “Gulf of America” in state law and textbooks. Alabama lawmakers advanced a similar bill as well.
Alabama lawmakers advance local ‘Laken Riley’ bill that deputizes police to enforce immigration law
The bill was dubbed “Laken Riley Act,” named after the 22-year-old Augusta University student who was killed last year in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. President Donald Trump signed a similar law into affect in January that requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes.
Review of decision not to award Space Command to Alabama inconclusive, with Trump reversal expected
The inspector general's report, issued Friday, said this was in part due to a lack of access to senior defense officials during the Biden administration, when the review began.
DOJ ends environmental justice agreement in Alabama county citing Trump
Justice Department officials said they were ending the agreement reached with the state regarding wastewater issues in Lowndes County. Federal officials said the decision follows President Donald Trump’s executive order forbidding federal agencies from pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Doctors remove pig kidney from an Alabama woman after a record 130 days
Towana Looney is recovering well from the removal surgery and has returned home to Gadsden. In a statement, she thanked her doctors for “the opportunity to be part of this incredible research.”
Alabama approves regulations on pharmacy benefit managers in order to help small pharmacies
The Alabama House backed the proposal that will require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse independent pharmacists at least at the state Medicaid rate for prescription drugs. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
Alabama lawmakers pass legislation that could give pregnant women more access to health care
The “presumptive eligibility” legislation states that Medicaid will pay for a pregnant woman’s outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while an application for the government-funded insurance program is being considered.
In conservative Alabama, Republicans are cheering for Trump – with some quiet concerns and caveats
Alabama Republicans cheered President Donald Trump and his agenda at a GOP party the day he imposed tariffs and sent stock markets tumbling worldwide. But there were signs of a more cautious optimism and some worried whispers over Trump’s sweeping tariffs, the particulars of his deportation policy and the aggressive cuts by his Department of Government Efficiency.
Florida heads to NCAA title game in a victory over SEC rival Auburn
Florida beat Southeastern Conference rival Auburn 79-73 in the Final Four on Saturday night. The Gators are going to the national championship game for the first time since their titles in 2006 and 2007.
Alabama lawmakers advance proposed ban on cellphones in school
A growing number of states are moving to ban or restrict cellphones in schools. The push has been fueled by concerns that phones are a distraction in the classroom and that screen time and social media have a negative impact on mental health.
Auburn completes sweep of No. 1 seeds into Final Four, beating Michigan State
The South Region champion Tigers, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.
Sears, Alabama can’t duplicate record 3-point night, fall to Duke with Final Four at stake
Duke handcuffed Alabama's All-American, Mark Sears, and did a pretty good job stifling the rest of the high-scoring Crimson Tide, too.
Top-seeded Auburn brushes off late-season lull to make Sweet 16 with contributions abound
Now, Auburn is in its first Sweet 16 since 2019 looking to top that Final Four run with its first national championship.
Alabama lawmakers approve paid parental leave for state employees
The Republican dominated House of Representatives voted 94-2 to pass legislation that would offer up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave after the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child. The legislation now goes to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey.
Birmingham mayor warns violators after Alabama bans gun conversion devices
The devices convert semi-automatic guns to fire like a fully automatic weapon. A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several mass shootings last year, including the deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September.
Alabama’s bench could be key to the Tide making another deep run in the NCAA tourney
With versatile point guard Mark Sears and mustachioed forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has two of the more recognizable players in the NCAA Tournament. The duo led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four last year and returned to school in hopes of delivering the program’s first national title.
Residents pick up the pieces after devastating storms
The three-day outbreak of severe weather across seven states, including Alabama, kicked up a devastating combination of wildfires, dust storms and tornadoes, claiming at least 42 lives since Friday.
No. 1 seed Auburn has a roster filled with ‘underdog kids’ looking for a turnaround in NCAA play
Auburn has an unusual roster makeup for an overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season champion — even in the topsy-turvy, transfer-friendly world of college sports.
3 dead in Alabama after tornadoes pummel the South
The deaths came in Dallas and Talladega counties.
‘Bloody Sunday’ 60th anniversary marked in Selma with remembrances and concerns about the future
Selma on Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of the clash that became known as Bloody Sunday. The attack shocked the nation and galvanized support for the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. The annual commemoration paid homage to those who fought to secure voting rights for Black Americans and brought calls to recommit to the fight for equality.
A rare bipartisan coalition in Alabama pushes ban on machine gun conversion devices
Conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there's currently no state law prohibiting possession.
Alabama seeks to join states that allow the death penalty for child rape
The Alabama House of Representatives voted 86-5 for the bill that would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty when an adult is convicted of rape or sodomy of a child under 12. The legislation now moves to the Alabama Senate.
Alabama seeks to follow Trump’s lead in defining male and female
Alabama and a small but growing number of other GOP-led states are pushing to enact more laws this year to legally define the two sexes based on observations of genitals at birth. Many trans advocates say the bills feel like an attempt to erase trans existence or a attempt to capitalize on prejudice for political gain.
Alabama set to execute a man with nitrogen gas for 1991 murder and rape
Demetrius Terrence Frazier was convicted of the 1991 murder of 41-year-old Pauline Brown. Prosecutors said Frazier raped and shot her after breaking into her Birmingham apartment. If carried out, Frazier's execution will be the third in the United States in 2025 and the first in Alabama this year.
With leaked footage from the inside, Sundance doc shows horrifying conditions in Alabama prisons
Incarcerated men in the Alabama prison system risked their safety to feed shocking footage of their horrifying living conditions to a pair of documentary filmmakers. The result is “The Alabama Solution,” which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Federal judge hears request to block an upcoming nitrogen gas execution in Alabama
The state of Alabama urged a federal judge Tuesday to allow the nation's fourth execution with nitrogen gas to proceed next week, but a doctor who witnessed an earlier execution by the new method told the judge the inmate appeared to be in distress and awake minutes longer than officials predicted.
Alabama woman with a functioning pig organ is thriving after a record 2 months
An Alabama woman passed a major milestone Saturday to become the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant – healthy and full of energy with her new kidney for 61 days and counting.
Man charged with 11 homicides — including two mass shootings in Birmingham — pleads not guilty
Damien McDaniel is accused of killing 11 people between July and September of last year in Birmingham — which would account for over 7% of all homicides in the city in 2024.
Trump’s geographic renaming plans leave mapmakers pondering what to do next
Mapmakers and teachers are re-thinking what to call the gulf of water between Mexico, the United States and Cuba after President Donald Trump ordered it renamed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. There's no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features shared by countries. And map lines are inherently political.
Alabama supreme court grants breastfeeding women exemption from jury duty after public outcry
The Alabama Supreme Court issued an administrative order that requires Alabama judges to have written procedures excusing breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. Previously, state code did not specifically make exemptions for nursing mothers.
Alabama inmate asks court to block nitrogen gas execution
Demetrius Terrence Frazier is scheduled to be executed Feb. 6. His attorneys in a Wednesday court filing asked a judge to block the execution unless the state makes changes to the protocol.
Lawsuit by college professors and students challenges Alabama’s anti-DEI law
The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons.
