By Brian Lyman | Editor
A big settlement and the looming elections in this morning’s newsletter. Let’s jump in.
In this 2020 photo illustration, the TikTok app is seen on an Apple iPhone. (Photo illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Ralph Chapoco
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office and the social media platform TikTok Friday settled a lawsuit brought by the attorney general’s office last year, alleging TikTok was harming young people in the state. The social media platform will pay the state $116 million — $100 million going to the attorney general’s office — and will agree to put parental controls and time limits on content.
Voters in Alabama will choose between Democratic nominee Wayne Rogers (left) and Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson (right) for Secretary of State. (Photos courtesy of canddates; illustration by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
ELECTIONS 2026
By Anna Barrett
The two candidates seeking to become the next Secretary of State each had relatively easy primaries, but that may be the only thing they have in common in their visions for the office overseeing state elections. Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson says she wants to emphasize measures on election integrity, while Democratic nominee Wayne Rogers says he wants to work to expand voting options and make voting easier.
U.S. Sen. and Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville speaks at the Alabama Republican Party's Summer Dinner on July 31, 2026, at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
COMMENTARY
By Brian Lyman
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville last week delivered a speech threatening transgender individuals and physicians who work with them while suggesting commercial airplanes are staffed by furries. In my column this week, I write that comments are disturbing and reflective of a candidate who struggles to stay on script. That could cause trouble for GOP legislators next year if Tuberville gets to the governor’s mansion.
ICYMI
CDC’s latest youth behavior report offers a narrower look at teen health | Amanda Watford, Stateline
High-risk pregnancy doctors publish new standards for care under state abortion bans | Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline
K-12 spending, absenteeism programs face risks as feds stop key monitoring, watchdog says | Robbie Sequeira, Stateline
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