By Brian Lyman | Editor
“While they had us arguing over pronouns, they were cutting deals on our utility bills. While they had us fighting about library books, they were quietly rewriting the tax code to fatten their own portfolios. It takes a lot of fear and a lot of closed doors to keep people from getting angry.” - Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones
Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones delivers a policy speech on July 27, 2026 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Andrea Tinker
Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones Monday unveiled an ambitious policy agenda he framed as giving Alabamians “three opportunities” in the areas of healthcare, affordability and governmental reforms. The speech mixed traditional Democratic calls for Medicaid expansion and a lottery vote with new items like a data center moratorium, constitutional protections for IVF and contraception and investments in housing and child care.
A jury convicted Jeffery Lee, 50, 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
A federal judge Wednesday said Alabama could use lethal injection to execute Jeffrey Lee, who last month successfully challenged an attempt to execute him by nitrogen gas. Lee’s attorneys argued that a 2018 settlement between Lee and the state prevented Alabama from using lethal injection to execute him. But U.S. District Judge Emily Marks, who stopped the state from using nitrogen gas, wrote “the change in the state’s position is attributable to a change in essential facts.”
President Donald Trump speaks to the media as Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., look on after a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on June 24, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
DC BUREAU
By Jennifer Shutt
President Donald Trump Monday called on the U.S. Senate to cancel its five-week August recess in order to pass his legislative priorities, including the SAVE America Act, which among other provisions would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo IDs to vote. Canceling the recess would prevent vulnerable Republicans from going on the campaign trail during August.
ICYMI
Administration asks US Supreme Court to uphold sweeping Trump order restricting vote-by-mail | Jacob Fischler, DC Bureau
Federal judge says certain abortion drug restrictions are unlawful | Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline
State AGs expand consumer work as prices rise and Trump guts federal protections | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
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