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President Donald Trump cancels Tuscaloosa trip ahead of Hurricane Isaias

President Donald Trump speaks at the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama on Oct. 2, 2026. Trump Friday canceled a planned Saturday trip to Tuscaloosa as Hurricane Isaias strengthened. (Dan Anderson for Alabama Reflector) President Donald Trump Friday canceled his scheduled Saturday trip to Tuscaloosa to see the University of Alabama play the University of Georgia as Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 3 storm. The cancellation was confirmed by the Tuscaloosa Police Department and the White House Press Office. Trump announced it on his social media network, Truth Social, Friday afternoon. “Based on the fact that a huge Hurricane/Storm is coming, it is important to have our wonderful First Responders, Law Enforcement, and others, focused on that Storm, and in no way be thinking about the safety, or presence, of the President of the United States, ME!” the post said. “Therefore, I will miss that potentially unbelievable Game, Alabama vs. Georg...
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Judge extends temporary access to White House for news organizations Trump banned

The White House pictured on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — A federal judge will rule in the coming days on whether the Trump administration can legally rescind White House press passes for journalists at three news organizations, or if those reporters will be able to continue accessing the grounds while the case continues.  U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Timothy J. Kelly said at the end of a Thursday hearing he intends to issue his decision on a preliminary injunction in the press freedom case before Tuesday.  Kelly, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term,  granted the news organizations — CNN, MS Now and Politico — a temporary restraining order in late September, forcing the White House to return press passes it had confiscated and permit the reporters back into the complex.  A preliminary injunction, which the administration could appeal, would replace the short-term temporary restrainin...
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Aging workforce, immigration crackdown are depleting skilled workers

A construction worker wields a hammer on the job at the Mill Creek Residential project in Paramus, N.J., in May 2026. The supply of skilled workers in construction and other trades is under pressure from aging, immigration enforcement and a rush to build data centers. (Photo by Tim Henderson/Stateline) A perfect storm of harsh immigration enforcement, aging journeymen and a building boom for data centers is wreaking havoc on the nation’s supply of skilled trade workers.  Automakers and construction contractors say they need more access to workers through accelerated training, steady immigration and a cultural shift to encourage young people to do the hard, dirty work of skilled trades. They’re looking for plumbers, electricians, carpenters, machinists and technicians — specializations increasingly in short supply.  Worker shortages are the top reason for construction project delays, a September survey by the Association of General Contractors of America found. Applicants are there,...
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Alabama officials urge residents to prepare as Hurricane Isaias nears

Montgomery Mayor Steve Reed and U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures speak about Hurricane Isaias on Thursday, Oct. 8 in Montgomery, Alabama. The storm is expected to make landfall in Mobile late on Friday. Officials urged residents to prepare for the severe weather and to continuously monitor notices for updates. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector) Montgomery officials and members of Alabama’s congressional delegation urged residents Thursday to be prepared for Hurricane Isaias, expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and the threat of tornadoes. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for the west end of Dauphin Island in Mobile County. Gov. Kay Ivey Thursday ordered all visitors south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway – on Dauphin Island in Mobile County and Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in Baldwin County – to evacuate immediately. “We often hear in emergency management: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst,” Ivey said in a message. “That is the approach we need with this particula...
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Trump auto-enrolls 10s of millions in child investment accounts

President Donald Trump speaks at Wheeler High School near Marietta, Georgia, on July 22, 2026. Trump spoke about Trump accounts for children and railed against his political opponents. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder) WASHINGTON — Every child in the United States with a valid Social Security number is now enrolled in a tax-advantaged investment account, titled a “Trump Account,” President Donald Trump announced Wednesday. Parents must claim the accounts by downloading a Trump Account mobile app. Children born from 2025 through 2028 will automatically receive a one-time deposit of $1,000 from the U.S. government, once parents or guardians officially claim it.  Children born before the eligibility window, up to age 10, can receive a $250 deposit donated by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, of Dell Technologies fortune. Surrounded in the Oval Office by U.S. Treasury Department officials, business moguls and a half dozen children holding a banner reading, “Thank You fo...
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Documents show DHS probed nonprofits, obtained millions of records in hunt for noncitizen voters

Security stands outside ICE headquarters during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus rally on Feb. 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups. The reports from May and June by Homeland Security Investigations, a sub-agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide updates on its “election integrity” investigations. They are included in a  trove of documents obtained by the pro-democracy group Democracy Forward through a records request and released Wednesday. The HSI reports detail an expansive review of nonprofit organizations involved in voter registration. A June 1 report says 82 “NGOs” — nongovernmental organizations — had been reviewed in Pennsylvania alone. Groups in Michigan...
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With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes

A sticker affixed to a gas pump in North Carolina blames President Donald Trump for the high prices. Lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs. (Photo by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline) With Election Day less than a month away, lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. On Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order to expand access to tax-free diesel fuel nationwide, following the lead of several governors who have taken the same step. Trump signed the order at a Nebraska rally, promising U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen, both Republicans, that “this should absolutely ensure your election, I guarantee you that,” the Associated Press reported . In at least four states — Georgia, Indiana, Ohio and Utah — lead...
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