Opinion & Policy

Special to the News Alabama Arise   New USDA data confirms that Alabama, along with 35 other states, will soon face massive new costs to continue SNAP – increasing the risk that more struggling families could soon lose food assistance. Congress must delay this cost shift for all states. Starting October 1, 2027, most states…

Op-Ed by Nicole Jones Wadsworth, PhD, MBA, MS   July 4, 2026, marks an extraordinary milestone: the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The United States Semiquincentennial serves as an opportunity to reflect on the principles that have shaped the American experiment: self-government, individual liberty, the rule of law, and the role each state,…

Special to the News   Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced education savings accounts (ESAs) established by the state’s CHOOSE Act program are now fully funded and available for the 2026-2027 academic year. Families that were approved through the application process earlier this year can access their funding through the ClassWallet platform to help pay…

Special to the News   Americans for Prosperity-Alabama (AFP-AL) is excited to announce a series of free film screenings of the new movie “Young Washington” to celebrate the United States of America’s 250th anniversary. The complimentary matinee showings will take place throughout July at eight locations throughout the state. These family-friendly events will offer unique opportunities to honor the spirit of the nation’s…

Special to the News   Alabama Policy Institute (API) is proud to announce the official implementation of three major legislative victories that dramatically cut regulatory red tape for entrepreneurs and restore foundational values to Alabama’s public education system. Each of these initiatives represents the successful fulfillment of core objectives laid out in the 2026 API BluePrint…

Special to the News   Doug Jones, Democratic nominee for governor, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in “National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission” striking down limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates: “Once again the Supreme Court just made it even easier for big money to…

Op-Ed by Stephanie Smith, API president/CEO   This Father’s Day, as we gather around dining room tables and fire up back-porch grills across Alabama, it might be easy to let the holiday blend into the familiar rhythm of summer; signing cards, handing over the gifts, and offering standard words of appreciation. But if we pause to look beneath…

Special to the News On the evening of June 11, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the state of Alabama the ability to execute death row inmate Jeffery Lee by nitrogen hypoxia, the protocol he initially selected in 2018. The Court did not overturn Lee’s death sentence, thus allowing the state to reschedule his execution on…

Special to the News   On Wednesday Attorney General Steve Marshall announced his office was a proud participant in the 2026 National Healthcare Fraud Takedown – one of the most significant annual law enforcement actions in the country targeting healthcare fraud. Initiated and coordinated by the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Healthcare Fraud Takedown…

Special to the News   On Tuesday Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the Middle District of Alabama’s denial of habeas corpus relief for Timothy Boyle, convicted of the capital murder of a child. The decision was issued on June 23. Boyle was convicted in the Etowah…