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Alabama coal ash lawsuit can continue, appeals court rules

An aerial view of the nearly 600-acre coal ash pond at Alabama Power’s James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a lawsuit by Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper challenging Alabama Power’s plans to leave the coal ash in place can proceed, overturning the decision of a lower court that had dismissed the complaint. (Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News , a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here . A yearslong court battle over the 21.7 million tons of coal ash sitting in one of Alabama’s most ecologically sensitive areas will continue after an appeals court ruling handed down Monday. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lawsuit by Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper challenging Alabama Power’s plans to leave the coal ash in place can proceed, over...

As litigation continues, 21 candidates qualify for August Alabama congressional primaries

U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, leaves the lectern after speaking to an Alabama Senate committee on May 7, 2026 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, The congressman is one of 21 candidates who have qualified to run in a special primary election in August for Alabama's 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) At least 21 people have qualified to run in special primary elections on Aug. 11 for Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts, even as litigation challenging the district lines continues. Fourteen Republicans and seven Democrats will run in the four districts. U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who represents the 7th Congressional District; Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, who represents the 2nd and Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, who represents the 6th, are the only incumbents in the special primary. There are four Republicans running in the 1st Congressional District, six Republicans running in the 2nd Congressional Distri...

Trump administration will make green card hopefuls return to home countries before applying

Carmen Cancino and her daughter Ximena Lopez at a December protest against arrests of immigrants at green card appointments in Salt Lake City. The Trump administration is threatening to force legal immigrants applying for green cards to return home first and wait for processing. (Photo by Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch) Immigrants seeking green cards will have to return first to their home countries and wait despite years of potential backlogs, the Trump administration announced Friday. “An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a statement . The change would apply to workers on temporary visas, as well as to people living here illegally but hoping for legal status through sponsorship by relatives such as spouses or children who are U.S. citizens. The immigration advocacy group FWD.us said the new policy “will create chaos and impo...

Trump says Kevin Warsh will be ‘totally independent’ as he’s sworn in as Fed chair

Kevin Warsh, left, takes the oath of office from U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, right, as Warsh's wife Jane Lauder looks on during his swearing-in ceremony to be the new chairman of the Federal Reserve in the East Room of the White House on May 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Kevin Warsh assumed his new role as chair of the Federal Reserve Friday after a swearing-in ceremony in the White House East Room, where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the oath of office. President Donald Trump said before a crowd of high-profile former and current lawmakers and officials that he wants Warsh, of Florida, to be “totally independent.” “I want him to be independent and just do a great job. Don’t look at me, don’t look at anybody, just do your own thing and do a great job,” Trump said. Warsh vowed to be a “reform-oriented” leader in brief remarks after he was sworn in as the 17th Fed chair by ...

Preliminary FBI data shows a sharp drop in violent crime

Indiana State Police patrol vehicles sit ready for deployment in Indianapolis. In 2025, the overall violent crime fell an estimated 9.3% compared with 2024, according to the FBI’s latest release of preliminary data. (Photo by Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) U.S. violent crime fell sharply in 2025, according to preliminary federal data , with murders dropping an estimated 18.1% — a decline that could push the national homicide rate to its lowest level on record if the figures hold. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program reported that overall violent crime fell an estimated 9.3% compared with 2024, alongside broad decreases across major categories. Robbery dropped 18.5%, aggravated assault fell 7.2% and reported rapes declined 7.6%. Property crime was down an estimated 12.4%. The FBI said the estimates, released last week, are based on data submitted by more than 17,000 law enforcement agencies covering about 96% of the U.S. population. Participation in the FBI’s crime data...

US Senate GOP punts immigration bill amid big split with Trump over settlement fund

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2026. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — A multibillion-dollar package to fund immigration enforcement for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term faced new delays Thursday as Senate Republicans showed a rare split with the president over his new “anti-weaponization” fund . The administration dispatched Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans as many fought to add restrictions to Trump’s $1.776 billion fund as a condition for passing a proposed $72 billion for the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the hourslong closed-door meeting with Blanche included “spirited discussion.” The Department of Justice announced Monday the fund for “victims of lawfare” in exchange for Trump dropping his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. Both agencies are under his purview. “It’s unpreced...