7. Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer acknowledged on his radio show that he’s heard fan complaints about wearing a t-shirt during the Vanderbilt game, though he didn’t respond strongly to the criticism. Some fans felt his casual attire lacked decorum, and it will be interesting to see if he adjusts his wardrobe for the upcoming game against South Carolina or if winning makes the non-issue go away.
6. Alabama has launched a website, chooseact.alabama.gov, to help families apply for up to $7,000 in education savings account (ESA) funding through the state’s new CHOOSE Act. The program, starting in the 2025-26 school year, provides financial support for eligible K-12 students to cover tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses, prioritizing students with special needs and military dependents.
5. Alabama State Rep. Patrick Sellers (D-Birmingham) has pre-filed legislation that would create a “rebuttable presumption” favoring joint custody in Alabama divorce cases, unless evidence shows it is not in the children’s best interest. The bill aims to increase joint custody agreements while allowing judges to consider extenuating circumstances such as abuse or parental cooperation. Sellers said, “I have no doubt that judges in Alabama go into divorce cases with the best interest of the child in mind, but I think they should be required to consider joint custody unless there are extenuating circumstances.”
4. China is increasingly targeting down-ballot U.S. elections by using fake social media accounts to spread divisive, anti-Semitic content, including attacks on politicians like Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). These accounts, part of the Spamouflage influence operation, have shifted from promoting positive narratives about the Chinese Communist Party to engaging in U.S. political discourse ahead of the 2024 election, amplifying conspiracy theories and tensions.
3. Republican Caroleene Dobson and Democrat Shomari Figures debated key issues like the economy, healthcare, and immigration ahead of their race in Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Dobson criticized Figures for supporting Biden administration policies, while Figures portrayed Dobson as out of touch with everyday struggles, particularly regarding healthcare and rising costs.
2. During their debate, Shomari Figures portrayed Caroleene Dobson as an out-of-touch “billionaire” unable to relate to the economic struggles of Alabama’s Second Congressional District, a claim Dobson firmly denied by citing her middle-class upbringing and family background. Further highlighting how desperate some in Alabama are to find issues worth criticizing Dobson are part-time political commentator and grotesque caricature of human being Josh Moon baselessly and ceaselessly suggested that Dobson is only successful because she was the great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of a slave owner, she attended a private school, and “had the good fortune to live a life built by the generational wealth obtained through forced servitude and grotesque land grabs.” this obviously raises more questions about Moon’s upbringing and mental health than it speaks to the upbringing of Dobson.
1. Some say inflation is “down” but it is not, so several Republican leaders in Alabama criticized the Biden-Harris administration after the U.S. Labor Department reported a 0.2% increase in the consumer price index, pushing the annual inflation rate to 2.4%. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt blamed the administration’s policies for rising costs, with Britt noting that inflation has cost the average Alabama household over $26,000 since Biden took office.
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