By Brian Lyman | Editor
Jeff McLaughlin made his name in the Alabama House fighting for campaign finance reform and refusing to take campaign contributions. He appears to be sticking to that strategy as the Democratic candidate for attorney general.
Voters return to their car after voting at Optimist Park on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Huntsville, Ala. (Eric Schultz for Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
Former Rep. Jeff McLaughlin of Guntersville is the Democrats’ nominee for attorney general, but he has little online presence and has not reported raising or spending any money this year. It’s a marked contrast to the Republican contest won by Deputy Attorney General Katherine Robertson, who spent millions of dollars in a lengthy battle for the nomination, and one expert said the strategy did not seem to be a way to attract votes.
Jeffrey Lee was convicted of the murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a pawn shop robbery in 1998. (Alabama Department of Corrections)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
By Ralph Chapoco
Gov. Kay Ivey Thursday set a Sept. 17 execution date for Jeffrey Lee, convicted of the 1998 murders of Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson during a pawn shop robbery in Orrville. Lee won a permanent injunction against Alabama’s nitrogen gas execution protocol in June after federal courts ruled the method would be unconstitutionally cruel and that Lee had shown a firing squad would be a feasible alternative. The state plans to execute Lee by lethal injection.
Diseases like measles have surged to the highest level in decades in the United States. (Getty Images Plus)
DC BUREAU
By Jennifer Shutt
Measles cases have surged to their highest level in decades thanks to vaccine misinformation. West Nile Virus and tick bites are also seeing all-time highs, and the cyclospora parasite has sickened thousands. While the upswing is due to several factors, including climate change, deforestation and human encroachment on wildlife, experts say cuts to public health and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s spreading of vaccine misinformation has aggravated the problem.
ICYMI
Trump looks to veterans to fill trucking jobs after booting immigrants from industry | Ariana Figueroa, DC Bureau
Trump says he might pull Blanche nomination for AG until GOP holdouts leave office | Ashley Murray, DC Bureau
When families question a death investigation, getting a second autopsy can be complicated | Amanda Watford, Stateline
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