7. Alabama and Auburn could be one step closer to adding a wrinkle to their football-heavy rivalry as they have both advanced to the Sweet 16 with Auburn stomping Creighton 82-70, and Alabama obliterating Saint Mary’s 80-66. This marks only the third time in history and the first since 1985-86 that both teams made the Sweet 16 and the state of Alabama’s basketball fans could be thinking about a third matchup of the year in the national championship game after splitting the regular season games.
6. Fulfilling one of his promises, President Donald Trump’s signed an executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education leaving Alabama’s Dr. Eric Mackey to make it clear that Alabama is equipped to handle increased responsibilities, such as managing federal programs, as long as funding remains intact. Mackey wants clearer federal guidance as to what is happening but says he plans to maintain or even grow staff levels despite federal cuts. This sentiment is echoed by the Alabama Education Association’s Amy Marlowe, who pledged support to avoid disruptions, but staffing is not a concern for most who think Alabama’s education status quo is failing.
5. State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) is the latest to support the Alabama Public Library Service’s decision to terminate Director Nancy Pack for her support of explicit material in libraries being available to children and meddling in controversies across the state. Elliott suggested the move mirrors Alabama voters’ rejection of “woke” ideology and argued that Pack’s dismissal reflects a broader public demand to oust progressive bureaucrats pushing such views, especially on kids, from government roles.
4. In what is surely a thumb to the eye for a federal judge, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is set to tour El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center this week where 261 deportees, including violent gang members, were recently sent, signaling a tough stance with the message, “If you break our laws, we will hunt you down, and lock you up.” The trip, which also includes stops in Colombia and Mexico, follows President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to expel criminals, a move praised by ally Nayib Bukele for aiding El Salvador’s fight against MS-13 while bolstering U.S. security ties and upsetting the media and their Democrats who are arguing the gangbangers need to be returned.
3. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) doesn’t seem to concerned about talk of his residency issues and brushed off speculation about his eligibility for a 2026 Alabama governor bid. He says his current Senate tenure and earlier presence in the state clear the seven-year residency hurdle and these claims are just being made by people who want to run for governor. He told reporters he’s focused on supporting President Trump’s agenda for the next two years, keeping his options open and that could mean he would stay in the U.S. Senate, he could work in the Donald Trump administration, he could run for governor, or maybe he will call it a day and retire.
2. Out of a small location in Athens, roughly 180 attendees, spurred by national left-wing groups, railed against an absent U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia), or more accurately an empty chair, with complaints ranging from DOGE cuts, President Donald Trump’s being a king, the made-up erasure of black history, and fear of Venezuelan gangbangers being deported. The event was not covered by any establishment media, but “Alabama’s Most Trusted Journalist” was there. There were boos for DOGE, Trump, Elon Musk, and Strong, some calls for violence, and claims that the Holy Spirit favored abortion, gay families were under attack, and that Trump wanted to cut Social Security. It just underscored a disconnect from reality and a hilarious attempt to claim a bipartisan facade.
1. Alabama State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) noted that Mississippi’s recent move to phase out its income tax was something Alabama should aspire to do and suggested that Alabama could follow suit in the next quadrennium. It could feature a broad tax reform package after hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts over the last couple of years and more cuts on the agenda for the current legislative session. Orr argued that aligning Alabama’s tax structure with no-income-tax states like Tennessee and Florida (and potentially Mississippi) would boost its appeal to workers and businesses.
Listen here:
Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and from 10-11 a.m. on Talk 99.5 and News Radio 1440, with a rebroadcast on WVNN at 10 p.m.
