Via Ariana Figueroa: A supermajority of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus has asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to deploy body cameras to all federal immigration officers, following deadly shootings of immigrants in Texas and Maine. https://ow.ly/mkrm50ZrwsX

Via Jennifer Shutt: A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday voted to send Cameron Hamilton’s nomination as FEMA director to the floor. Hamilton lost the job last year after telling Congress that eliminating FEMA would not be in "the best interest of the American people." https://ow.ly/2gR050Zrqf1

Via Kelcie Moseley-Morris: The Trump administration will steer funding toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling" for teens learning about pregnancy, while emphasizing abstinence and marriage. https://ow.ly/PG0J50ZrpeJ

Via Andrea Tinker: The Alabama Educational Television Foundation Authority (AETFA) Tuesday voted to fund a survey that would be conducted by a Republican-aligned company through Alabama Public Television’s rainy day fund. https://ow.ly/7Oq150ZrbBv

Via Ariana Figueroa: As many as 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant children are at risk of losing their federally funded legal representation due to the Trump administration withholding appropriated funds, immigration attorneys warned Tuesday. https://ow.ly/yTrZ50ZqUz9

Mass voter challenges are likely to occur in the 2026 midterm elections, the Brennan Center for Justice warned Tuesday, with the potential to “undermine the democratic process.” https://ow.ly/toWQ50ZqUuT

Via Anna Claire Vollers and Stateline: Youth sports is a $40 billion industry with the average U.S. household spending over $1,000 a year on a child's primary sport. That's made it attractive to private investors, and that's attracted the notice of state regulators. https://ow.ly/bqZz50ZqMxR

Via @timhenderson.bsky.social and Stateline: There were more than 43,000 immigration arrests in June, surpassing the 42,000 arrests in December, which included Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. https://ow.ly/yBYY50ZqRvS

Via Amelia Twyman: Democrats in Congress are pushing back against a proposed Trump administration rule introduced by the Office of Management and Budget that would substantially change the way federal grants are reviewed and distributed. https://ow.ly/oLKM50ZqM1a

Via Anna Barrett: A Montgomery County judge ruled Sunday that the state’s birth centers can keep operating despite an appellate court ruling earlier this year that declared them hospitals subject to regulation by the Alabama Department of Public Health. https://ow.ly/Bcvq50Zqeku

Via Andrea Tinker: The Alabama Public Charter School Commission last week approved a new policy that would allow charter schools to merge under one governing board. https://ow.ly/Aicj50ZqbNU

Via @timhenderson.bsky.social and Stateline: Seeking to stop a “flood” of court cases freeing immigrants from mandatory detention, the Trump administration is asking an appeals court to put three immigrants back in detention. https://ow.ly/zPXV50ZqbYa

Via Ariana Figueroa: In the wake of two fatal shootings in Texas and Maine, U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers will wear “at least one body camera” during traffic stops, Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, said over the weekend. https://ow.ly/uZWX50ZqaVx

Via Stateline: The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task. https://ow.ly/SFJ750Zq55C

via Sam Gauntt: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened to prosecute election officials in states over election security ahead of the midterms. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/20/repub/dhs-boss-mullin-warns-of-possible-prosecution-for-election-officials-over-voter-roll-access/

Editor Brian Lyman writes that the Tommy Tuberville residency case is a major test for the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Constitution and the equal application of law. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/20/the-tuberville-residency-case-is-a-test-for-the-alabama-supreme-court/

Via Ralph Chapoco: A study published last week found debt lawsuits in Alabama reached their highest level in 2025, affecting some of the most vulnerable people in the state. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/20/alabamians-are-facing-more-collections-lawsuits-than-ever-research-shows/

Via Jennifer Shutt: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/17/repub/taco-bell-removing-lettuce-nationwide-linked-to-cyclosporiasis-in-5-states/

Via David Lightman: A U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it easier for political parties to influence important campaigns as control of Congress heats up. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/17/repub/political-parties-boast-new-clout-and-cash-in-midterms-thanks-to-us-supreme-court/

Via Shalina Chatlani: States and cities that have pushed back with so-called sanctuary policies have faced a barrage of lawsuits from the U.S. Department of Justice. https://alabamareflector.com/2026/07/17/repub/feds-sue-cities-and-states-to-block-sanctuary-policies/

Via Dennis Pillion and Inside Climate News: The Trump administration is moving to approve an Alabama program that could allow millions of tons of toxic coal ash to remain buried, even though much of that material sits in groundwater where it can leach into the environment. https://ow.ly/VYUe50ZoCTt

Via Amanda Watford: As ticks spread into new parts of the country and emergency room visits for tick bites climb higher than usual, states are scrambling to monitor where the pests are showing up and how to warn residents before a bite turns into something far more serious. https://ow.ly/zAKi50ZoEfP

Via Anna Barrett: The board overseeing the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Thursday voted unanimously to give State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris a 7% raise, effective Sept. 1. https://ow.ly/pmNS50ZoxNo

Following a string of special election victories, Democrats have a path to flip several Republican-held legislative chambers and break GOP supermajorities in states across the country this November. https://ow.ly/PMIX50ZoiM1

Via Jennifer Shutt: Republicans on the U.S. House Budget Committee approved their budget resolution Thursday, marking one small step forward in the complicated process that could allow the party to enact a third party-line bill. https://ow.ly/G76S50Zozk5

A major legislative package that would put into law President Donald Trump’s push to greatly reduce the responsibilities of the U.S. Department of Education advanced out of a U.S. House panel on Wednesday. https://ow.ly/ASMf50ZoiFv

Via Anna Barrett: The board overseeing health insurance for Alabama state employees will likely consider benefit changes and withdrawals from a trust fund amid financial uncertainty, rising health costs and “difficult choices,” its CEO said Wednesday. https://ow.ly/Alvh50Zo1Ql

Commentary by Catherine Dorrough: "It looks for all the world as though the CHOOSE Act is simply a convenient vehicle for lawmakers to rob public schools in order to fund minimally regulated Christian ones." https://ow.ly/4xKs50ZnUhf

Via Jennifer Shutt: President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t appear to secure the support needed to take over the public health agency during a lengthy and often tense confirmation hearing Wednesday. https://ow.ly/7Rc250ZnXYP

Via Amanda Watford and Stateline: A new study has found that more American teenagers seeking treatment for cannabis use disorder, known as CUD, are facing longer wait times before receiving care. https://ow.ly/kr9550ZnQuK