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Alabama House committee OKs bill criminalizing intentional church service disruptions

Rep. Greg Barnes, R-Curry, voting on a local bill in the Alabama House of Representatives on Jan. 21, 2026, in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Alabama State House. A House committee Wednesday approved a bill sponsored by Barnes that would make the intentional disruption of church services a crime. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that would make it a crime to intentionally disrupt a church service. HB 363 , sponsored by Rep. Greg Barnes, R-Jasper, would make it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to intentionally disrupt the proceedings in a house of worship by engaging in “riot, unlawful protest, or disorderly conduct” or by harassing people who attend the service. “This bill does not impede on anyone’s freedom of expression except on church property or in the building,” Barnes told the committee in response to questions. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE A person charged under the law would ha...
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US House Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s firing in rally outside ICE headquarters

Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement and of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, speaks outside of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation’s capital, demanding the resignation, firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Democrats criticized Noem for the monthslong immigration operation in Minnesota in which  federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens — 37-year-old Renee Good, a poet and mother of three, on Jan. 7, and 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, on Jan. 24.  They blamed Noem for aggressive tactics used by ICE and other federal immigration agents in Customs and Border Protecti...
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Trump signs funding bill, setting up immigration enforcement debate

President Donald Trump signs a government funding bill in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown that began this weekend ended late Tuesday when President Donald Trump signed the funding package that both chambers of Congress approved within the last week.  The House  voted 217-214 earlier in the day to clear the package for Trump following a tumultuous couple of weeks on Capitol Hill after the package stalled in the Senate. Democrats demanded additional restraints on immigration enforcement in reaction to the shooting death of a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis.  “We’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally reasonable package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending while supporting critical programs for the safety, security and prosperity for the American people,” Trump said in the Oval Office during the signing of the spending package.   Trump and Senate Minority...
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Rep. Matt Simpson taken to hospital

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. ...
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Noem: Body cameras to be deployed to immigration agents, starting in Minneapolis

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...
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Judge blocks DHS policy to keep House Dems from visiting detention facilities unannounced

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...
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States that once led in child vaccination fall as they expand exemptions

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...
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