7 Things: General election battles set for Alabama, Democrats dodge a bullet in Wisconsin, no mail-in ballot order, and more …

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August 12, 2026

7. Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White launched a fiery defense of herself after Sophie Cunningham was hit with a flagrant foul, calling the play “egregious” while insisting she always has her players’ backs “10 toes down” and dismissing online criticism as fabricated narratives.

6. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has attempted to dismiss the “Woke 1” era as “crazy,” drawing criticism from left-leaning outlets including The Atlantic, Mother Jones and CNN, which warned that laughing off past progressive rhetoric could backfire as socialists continue to gain power.

5. The Tennessee Valley Authority signaled that the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Jackson County is being preserved for future use as negotiations with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy accelerate over potentially placing multiple BWRX-300 small modular nuclear reactors at the site.

4. State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise) said data centers generate “enormous” revenue through property taxes and that the free market should decide where they go as a local issue, aligning with President Donald Trump and Governor-elect National Championship-winning Coach U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) while respecting communities that do not want them.

3. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration from restricting mail-in ballots under Section 3 of Executive Order 14399 ahead of the midterms, granting a preliminary injunction that prevents the U.S. Postal Service from refusing to transmit absentee ballots for the November elections; it will be appealed.

2. In Tuesday’s primaries, democratic socialist darling Francesca Hong was upset by establishment-backed David Crowley in the Wisconsin Democrat gubernatorial race in a big win for Democrats; U.S. Senator Darline Graham (R-S.C.) advanced to a runoff against Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s special Senate primary to succeed her late brother U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan beat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) to win the nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota.

1. Alabama’s special congressional primaries saw Alabama State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise) win the Republican nomination in District 2 to face U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile), former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) and U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) easily won nominations; and Ammie Akin captured the GOP nod in District 7 against U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Selma), all amid a near-historic low turnout of about 4.5%.

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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.