7. Alabama has named former five-star recruit and sophomore Keelon Russell its starting quarterback for the season opener against East Carolina after he won the competition with senior Austin Mack throughout the offseason and fall camp to replace first-round draft pick Ty Simpson.

6. The Alabama Department of Corrections announced a phased tobacco ban that will treat all cigarettes and tobacco products as contraband after Oct. 1, drawing criticism from lawmakers and advocates who called the move “tone-deaf” amid ongoing crises of overcrowding, violence and inadequate medical care, with one saying “I’m glad we are focused on the big stuff.”

5. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) reacted to Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon’s victory in the Florida Senate primary and all their victories over the last few weeks by declaring “The Democratic Socialists of America are not the fringe anymore” and warning “This is not only bad for the Democratic Party, it is bad for America.”

4. Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Alabama State Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) called for eliminating Alabama’s grocery tax, exempting overtime wages and reducing income taxes for working families, arguing “It’s a no-brainer, and it’s something that is not a Democrat or Republican issue” while proposing a lottery to offset revenue losses.

3. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) urged President Donald Trump to think about the announcement of a new policy suspending tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef, “I have heard directly from Alabamians about this policy shift, and I share their deep concerns” that it comes “at the expense of our cattlemen.”

2. Governor-elect National Championship-winning Coach U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) said Flock cameras are “very beneficial” if properly controlled and that “a tool this powerful needs rules written by Alabamians,” while Alabama State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) called for “restrictions and guardrails” and lawmakers prepare legislation that could restrict or ban the state’s roughly 2,800 cameras.

1. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz skyrocketed nearly 400% over the last two weeks with nearly 200 ships navigating the waterway last week as vessels increasingly use a U.S.-backed corridor, leading analysts to conclude Iran has “at least partially lost control of the strait” while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepares what he called an “economic D-Day” that “collapse the regime.”

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