Pat Duggins

Clarence B. Jones, who helped argue the Alabama based U.S. Supreme Court case “New York Times v. Sullivan," has died. The civil rights activist and attorney also wrote part of the iconic “I Have A Dream” speech delivered by Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior in 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Jones was 95.

Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, despite a lower court's ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

A federal judge has ruled that execution by nitrogen gas does not violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, rejecting an Alabama inmate’s claim that it causes excessive suffering.

Multiple published reports say legislation making its way through Congress could ban the sale of Mercedes Benz cars and trucks in the U.S., possibly including those built at the European automaker's North American plant in Tuscaloosa. Members of the House and Senate are considering a measure called the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026, which bans companies with Chinese ownership.

The NAACP and ACLU are now on the clock regarding GOP plans to erase a Democratic U.S. House seat and rewrite District maps in four Congressional seats. Multiple published reports say Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence says opponents to Alabama's plan have a deadline by Monday to respond to the state's request for the high court to stay a lower court ruling. The three judges on the U.S. Northern District Court wrote that the replacement maps were designed to discriminate against blacks.

Matthew Stafford spoke his mind after his Los Angeles Ram says he understands why the Los Angeles Rams drafted Ty Simpson last month, even though they happen to have got the NFL's reigning MVP quarterback under contract for at least the next two years.

APR news has covered the war between Ukraine and Russia a lot. When President Joe Biden said, ‘We will walk softly and carry a big javelin,' he was paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt and his saying about carrying ‘a big stick.' Biden was also giving a nod to the Lockheed Martin plant in Troy, that Alabama factory makes the shoulder fired anti-tank missiles. Listeners to APR notebook also heard stories from Yaryna Zhurba of Huntsville. She co-founded the company Ukrainianpuzzles. That business makes jigsaw puzzles depicting cultural heritage sites in Ukraine destroyed by Russia in the war. And then there's the perspective of Alex Drueke. The Tuscaloosa military veteran, made international news when he volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian army. He spent over 100 days as a POW in the hands of Russian forces. In the hours leading up to his freedom through a prisoner swap, he said he thought he was going to die. Alex Drueke joins me next on APR Notebook.

It's the Crimson Tide and the Red Raiders in tonight's women's softball College World Series. Marlie Giles homered and drove in four runs, Jocelyn Briski threw a complete-game one-hitter, and top-seeded Alabama ended Nebraska's 27-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory on Saturday to improve to 2-0 at the Women's College World Series. Briski (25-3), the SEC Pitcher of the Year, struck out six with no walks. It was Alabama's fourth one-hitter in seven NCAA Tournament games this season.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is reporting considering arguments on overturning a lower court injunction. That’s all standing between the Alabama GOP and its plan to erase an African American U.S. House seat and redraw three others before a plan August 11th special Congressional primary.

The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.