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SPLC seeks jury pool expansion ahead of criminal trial

The headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama on February 8, 2023. SPLC on Wednesday asked a federal court to expand a jury pool ahead of a scheduled criminal trial in October. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Attorneys for the Southern Poverty Law Center Wednesday filed a motion asking a federal court to take steps during jury selection to protect a trial of the organization from bias. The motion requests that the court consider expanding the pool of jury candidates and sending out additional questions to potential jurors and interviewing them about their answers prior to jury selection. “There are a number of measures that courts in this and other districts have taken in high-profile cases to identify and address potential bias and to safeguard the Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury,” the motion said. “Some of these steps can also save time by identifying jurors who should be excluded before voir dire and narrowing questions that need to be asked...
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Democrats declare victory in Trump+18 Pennsylvania state House district

Inside the Pennsylvania Capitol building in downtown Harrisburg on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star) This story was updated at 3:36 p.m. on August 19, 2026, with the latest information from the Butler County elections bureau.  Democrat Brandon Dukes has declared victory after a special election in Butler County’s 12th state House district. Unofficial results have him leading by 88 votes, as of 12:15 p.m on Wednesday. The Associated Press has yet to call the race. As of Wednesday afternoon, the county elections bureau said they completed their first official signing, and that a five-day period allowing challenges to the results has begun.  No challenge has been filed yet, and if none is, the election will be certified on August 26. “We want to count every vote, every provisional, every overseas voter, but based on these results, I have nothing but gratitude for the support of my friends, family, staff and volunteers who have supp...
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Data centers are not inevitable. It’s time for state laws to catch up.

A server room in a data center. A recent poll found more than 70% of Americans don't want a data center built near them. (Getty Images) As the midterms approach, data centers are dominating the discourse. It’s a rare issue that most people actually agree on: A May Gallup poll found that over 70% of Americans don’t want an AI data center built near them. The problems with data centers run deep. It’s not just that they broadcast constant noise and keep the lights on all night, making the neighbors crazy. Or that they’re ravenous for electricity and water . Or that they’re inescapable eyesores to the people who have to live near them. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE It gets right down to what these facilities are built to do. They’re not like the mills and factories of an earlier America, which might have been ugly as sin and s...
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Trump’s ballroom ‘illegal’ without congressional approval, high court told

A crane on the construction site of the planned White House ballroom, where the East Wing used to be, during the early morning of Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Historic preservationists asked the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday to deny President Donald Trump’s appeal to continue construction on his $400 million White House ballroom on the grounds of the demolished East Wing. In response to Trump’s application to the high court, the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued irreparable harm would result if construction continued, and that the project is “illegal” without authorization from Congress. The Trust lawyers highlighted that the Trump administration has argued in court the ballroom will be “virtually impossible to deconstruct” because it will be constructed out of nuclear power plant-grade concrete. “That is the essence of irreparable harm,” the Trust argued in the  48-page filing . “Petitioners make no secret of the fac...
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Violent crime in US fell at record pace in 2025

Federal investigators search through bushes outside a house in Rhode Island. Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent crime rate since the FBI began estimating crime in 1936, according to new national data . The estimated murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate also fell 18.1%, to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people — tying the lowest rate recorded since national estimates began. The rate matches those recorded in 1955 and 1956, according to the FBI. The decline across major crime categories was broad. The estimated robbery rate fell 18.5%, aggravated assault fell 7.2% and rape fell 7.6%. Property crime also dropped sharply, declining 12.4% from 2024. Motor vehicle theft fell 22.7%, while burglary declined 15.8%. The FBI’s figures are based on reports of crimes submitted by l...
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Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville’s rhetoric about Abdul El-Sayed is dangerous

I was troubled to recently read comments by Alabama U.S. Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville about Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, and his supporters. Britt called him a “terrorist sympathizer” and a “jihadist sympathizer” on television. Sen. Tuberville went a step further and posted online that Dr. El-Sayed is a “terrorist” and a “radical Islamist.” These are inflammatory accusations leveled at a physician and public servant who has spent his career trying to make the lives of Americans better. I have been a fan of Dr. El-Sayed for years, reading his books (“Healing Politics” and “Medicare for All”) and listening to his podcast (“America Dissected.”) He is a family man who went into public health after seeing how broken our health care system is. El-Sayed became an avid advocate for better and more affordable access to health care for Americans. His campaign for the U.S. Senate is centered on “Medicare for All” and redu...
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Parents are being held responsible for their kids’ crimes under new laws

A mother and her son hold hands on a swing set. This year, more state and local leaders are pushing to hold parents accountable for their children’s behavior, particularly when it involves serious criminal offenses. (Photo by Troy Bennett/Maine Morning Star) When young children and teenagers get into trouble, the question often comes quickly: Where were their parents? That question is again shaping public policy in communities across the country, as state and local lawmakers and prosecutors increasingly look for ways to respond to concerns about youth crime and public disorder. Some proposals would strengthen enforcement of existing laws that allow parents to be fined or otherwise held responsible for their children’s conduct. Others would impose youth curfews or establish new requirements for parents to perform community service or pay fines — measures considered in places such as Albany County, New York; Chicago; and Columbus, Ohio. But experts note there’s little proof the la...
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