7. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) invited a German World Cup tourist known as “Freddy,” to come to Tuscaloosa and get a game day experience at the University of Alabama this fall, writing “I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to Alabama, but you haven’t gotten the full experience until you’ve seen a game day.”

6. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received $750,000 in federal grants, including a $316,000 National Institutes of Health award running through 2029, to study the “vaginal health of transgender men” and the impact of testosterone use on the vaginal microbiota, further proof that the federal government has too much money.

5. A federal judge ended more than a decade of Department of Justice’s oversight at Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women after the state reached compliance with all 44 requirements of a 2015 consent decree,  in other Alabama prison news, construction of the $1.25 billion Governor Kay Ivey Correctional Complex faces another delay with officials requiring the contractor to add workers and shifts to meet the October 15 target.

4. Alabama Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) announced he is running for Alabama Democrat Party chair, saying he wants to “be a breath of fresh air” and build consensus for a November win while dismissing plans for Democrats to vote in the Republican primary, which is causing additional issues in the party with Tabitha Isner feuding with current party leadership.

3. Even though Governor-elect National Championship-winning Coach U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) backed President Donald Trump’s push to cancel the Senate’s August recess, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it wasn’t going to happen, “We don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. The votes aren’t there to do it. I know Trump thinks he can persuade people, but this is a hard position for a lot of Senate Republicans.”

2. In a state with 44 data centers right now, residents at a Mobile County Commission meeting demanded written guarantees and greater oversight for a planned $6 to $8 billion Beacon Data Centers project in northern Mobile County, even as utility officials assured the facility would not strain local power or water resources or raise rates for everyday customers.

1. Iran launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East targeting a base in Jordan, with all missiles intercepted according to U.S. Central Command, prompting joint U.S. and Saudi strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq that killed at least 20 militants and sent oil prices higher after a brief pause in hostilities.

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Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN.