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Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, speaks on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Jan. 27, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Simpson was taken to a hospital for an unspecified illness after appearing pale and in pain during a committee meeting on Tuesday. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, was taken to a hospital Tuesday afternoon with an unspecified illness, according to House Rules Committee Chair Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn. “Be with Brother Simpson as he is dealing with this issue. Give him healing hands and a quick response for his care givers,” Lovvorn said on the House floor Tuesday afternoon while leading the chamber in prayer.  Simpson was supposed to present HB 41 , which would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for those convicted of sexual assault of a child under the age of 12, to the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon.  Minutes before the meeting began, Simpson appeared pale and in pain. ...

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem at a roundtable discussion with local ranchers and employees from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Jan. 7, 2026 in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that body cameras would be given to federal immigration agents across the country, starting in Minneapolis, where two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by agents in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. “As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide,”  she wrote on social media. “We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country.” Noem did not specifically say agents would be required to wear the cameras. President Donald Trump said he was supportive of the move, according to White House pool reports. “It wasn’t my decision,” he said. “I leave it to her. It tends to be good for law enforcement, beca...

U.S. House Democrats, from left, Kelly Morrison, Ilhan Omar and Rep. Angie Craig, all of Minnesota, arrive outside of the regional Immigration and Customs Enfrocement headquarters at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Jan. 10, 2026. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that prevented members of Congress from making unannounced oversight visits at facilities that hold immigrants. The temporary restraining order  from U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb of District of Columbia federal court blocked a seven-day notice requirement that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem established earlier this month. The order allows congressional Democrats to access facilities that are central to the national debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. “The Court’s decision today to grant a temporary restraining order against ICE’s unlawful effort to obstruct congress...

A sign at a University of Utah health clinic warns visitors about the spread of measles. Under the Trump administration, federal health officials have cut back the number of recommended vaccines, and more states are offering exemptions for parents who don't want to vaccinate children entering public schools. (Photo by McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch) States that were leaders in childhood vaccination before the pandemic are among those losing ground as exemptions and unfounded skepticism take hold, encouraged by the Trump administration’s stance under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Expanded exemptions for parents are likely to drop both Mississippi and West Virginia from the top national rankings they held before the pandemic, according to a Stateline analysis of federal data . Other states like Florida, Idaho, Louisiana and Montana also are pushing the envelope on vaccine choice. At least 33 states were below herd immunity in the 2024-25 schoo...

Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, speaks on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Jan. 29, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama House on Thursday approved a bill sponsored by Collins making changes to an incentive program for math and science teachers. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would change the amount of years teachers can be contracted under a law extending additional pay to math and science teachers. HB 122 , sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, extends the same contract options traditional teachers have to veteran educators under the Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Act. The bill passed 96-0. The TEAMS Act was passed in 2021 as a way to incentivize potential teachers for teaching science and math. Teachers who qualify for the act can make up to $20,000 more per year teaching the two subjects, but have to give up their ...

Founder of Eggbaby Doula Services Aleece Weaver, right, demonstrates the work she does with pregnant clients. Weaver does pro bono doula care with clients in recovery at Utah perinatal recovery clinic SUPeRAD. Peer recovery doulas help moms with addiction, and state Medicaid plans have been expanding to cover doula care. (Photo by Anna Shmynets) “Don’t give me narcotics.” Emmalee Hortin, a doula, recalled one of her clients delivering that message to hospital staff. Doctors were operating on the woman to clear tissue after a miscarriage. But despite her patient’s pleas, clinicians still administered fentanyl via IV to manage pain, Hortin said. Her client had substance use disorder and had been working toward recovery. “She was really, really upset,” Hortin said. “She actually was really worried about returning to use, and so was her husband.” Hortin is a doula trained in supporting pregnant and postpartum moms with substance use disorder — a role in increasing demand amid the nat...