7 Things: Alabama drags feet on redistricting, extremist white supremacist-aligned Alabama Democrat congresswoman wants partisan redistricting now, and more…

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May 1, 2026

7. Alabama legend and former head football coach Nick Saban said he agrees with the decision to extend head coach Kalen DeBoer’s contract at the Regions Pro-Am, noting that “Kalen had a lot of opportunities. And I think if Alabama wanted to keep him, they needed to do what they needed to do to keep him.”

6. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) pressed the NASA chief on the future of the Space Launch System rocket program during a hearing and secured a commitment for 110 million dollars in propulsion funding to support Alabama’s aerospace industry, with Jared Isaacman committing to keeping SLS moving forward.

5. A DOJ task force report found that the Biden administration zealously probed traditional Christians and kept tabs on priests and targeted them for prosecution.

4. The conflict with Iran is leading to economic pressure that is squeezing Iran as Tehran faces the possibility that it cannot outlast the sanctions and naval blockade, with talks in limbo, a 60-day clock ticking, and Senate Democrats pushing war powers resolutions amid the currently paused conflict.

3. In response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited aspects of the Voting Rights Act, Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and allies called for a special session to redraw congressional maps and eliminate the Democratic-held District 9 in Memphis to create an all-Republican delegation, while similar redistricting efforts advanced in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida as Democrats decried the moves as partisan power grabs.

2. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham), who sought the support of an organization that is accused of funding white supremacy, extremism, and racial violence, called for all GOP districts to be eliminated in California and Illinois, saying, “I take 52 seats from California, and 17 seats from Illinois, because at the end of the day, they’re rigging this election to try to win.”

1. Attorney General Steve Marshall asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to redraw congressional maps, Governor-elect National Championship-winning Coach U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is calling on state leaders to draw new maps that accurately reflect the values of Alabamians, but Gov. Kay Ivey noted Alabama’s hands remain tied.

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Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN.