In the Weeds with Alabama Daily News

To,, Trish, Claire and Alex talk through a host of issues from what has been a busy week in Alabama politics and government. Among them:Sen. Katie Britt's big few weeks in WashingtonSen. Tommy Tuberville's pivot to state issues as he ramps up his campaign for governorNew polling from AL-2 showing Congressman Shomari Figures has a shotHow do we pronounce Marques?Huge week for education, from ACAP scores to CHOOSE Act data and a sneak peek at Trish's weekend storyHow the education employees' workers comp program is developingWhat's to happen with state employee health insurance amid another big shortfallBonus: Permanent Daylight Savings Time: Are we buying or selling?

Todd, Alex, Claire and Trish recap the recent election, including big wins for Barry Moore, John Wahl and Katherine Robertson. They're also talking about how far off much of the polling was in the runoff and why that might be. Other topics: Alabama's most recent reading test scores, another Tuberville residency challenge and the Alabama delegation's reaction to Trump's Iran deal.

Todd, Claire, Alex and Trish talk through this week's election to see what happened, why it matters and what's next.

Todd, Claire, Trish and Alex talk through the evolving issue of redistricting after the monumental Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana's congressional map. 

Todd, Mary, Alex, Trish and Claire get together to catch up on all the things. The DHS funding deal. New polling in the U.S. Senate race. And, of course, the crazy week that was in the Alabama Legislature.

The ADN gang is all here catching up on the latest inside Alabama government and politics. Mary and Claire preview the homestretch of the Alabama Legislature\'s 2026 Regular Session to see what we can expect in the final six days. Alex talks about the Department of Homeland Security funding battle in Washington and how Sen. Katie Britt is once again in the middle of a major national issue. And Trish discusses the latest with education issues, including how school leaders and groups are preparing for a possible Tommy Tuberville governorship.

Got the first time in a while, we have a full slate of ADN team members on the podcast, just in time for the legislative session!Alex Angle dishes on the latest from Washington, D.C., including this week's health care votes and the wage index issue Alabama's delegation is involved in. Trish Crain joins us from Mobile where the Alabama State School Board is meeting to talk about various issues facing education in the state. Mary goes deep on what we can expect from the state's budgets as well as other items we might see crop up in the session. And the newest member of the ADN team, Clair Harrison, introduces herself a bit and talks about items she's been covering, plus her first impressions of Alabama.

The gang is back talking about the week that was in Alabama government and politics. Trish has details on her reporting on the CHOOSE Act and how student enrollment is down in Alabama. Alex checks in from DC on how the shutdown is going (or not, as it were), campaign finance reports, and the redistricting case before the Supreme Court.Mary talks about her reporting on the ABC Board warehouse issue and the HB2 visa policy update. And I interject with generally unwanted commentary.

Todd, Mary, Alex and Trish talk through the latest in Alabama politics.

Mary, Trish, Alex and Todd catch up on the last week of news in Alabama politics, including state lawmakers' field trip to Washington, new laws taking effect as the school year begins, the renewed proposal to allow the death penalty for child rapists and the Georgia Ponzi scheme political contributor who has impacted the Alabama elections.

Mary, Trish, Alex and Todd are talking about the rescission package in Congress, what might happen to that frozen $68 million in federal funding, the latest education reading & math scores, the potential online sales tax lawsuit coming from cities, and the latest on the 2026 election cycle.

Todd, Mary and Alex discuss the passage of President Trump's big tax and spending cuts plan and the Alabama delegation's involvement. Plus, we review the first round of campaign fundraising numbers and the expiration of the overtime income tax cut. And Todd remembers a Fourth of July memory that he may live to regret sharing.

Mary, Todd and Alexander talk about the roaring start to the 2026 election cycle, from Tommy Tuberville clearing the field for governor to the burgeoning field of candidates for lieutenant governor and speculation as to who else gets in the Senate race. They also dive into some controversial topics, including the Nicole Jones Wallace situation and former VA commissioner Kent Davis' lawsuit against Gov. Kay Ivey.

Todd, Mary and Alex talk about the monster week that was in Washington and how the Alabama congressional delegation played a part in the House passage of the "big beautiful bill."We also get into the developing story that U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville will soon announce he's running to become governor of Alabama. Alex tells about her conversation with the former Auburn coach in the Capitol as he was leaving the Senate chamber.

Todd, Mary, Trish and Alexander discuss the high points of the 2025 legislative session. 

We were invited to host the show from the League of Credit Union's Alabama Advocacy Day, which featured a gathering of credit union leaders from around the state. Todd and Alexander talk about the issues facing the Legislature and take questions from the audience on everything from gambling, the state of the news media and education. 

Todd talks with Washington Correspondent Alex Angle about all that has been happening on Capitol Hill, form confirmation hearings to the first bill signed into law under President Donald Trump. He also talks with ADN Editor Mary Sell about the lead up to the 2025 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature.

Stephen Boyd joins the podcast to talk about the confirmation process happening in the U.S. Senate this week.

Todd and Mary revisit the stories from 2024 that will bleed into 2025, including the Veterans Affairs sage, school choice, overtime income tax cuts and more.

This week marked the arrival of Trisha Powell Crain at Alabama Daily News as our Senior Education Reporter. That has us all excited, but especially Mary who can't help but gush about all the fun possibilities this brings. We talk about Trish's background and then get into the latest education stories: exploring a new funding model, the CHOOSE Act, charter schools and how the Literacy Act implantation is going. It's springtime for education wonks at Alabama Daily News!

Todd and Mary are on location at the recent Alabama Retired State Employees conference in Birmingham, where they interview House General Fund Budget Chairman Rex Reynolds. They discuss a number of topics, from how budgets are going to look to the crime issue and what might happen on gambling.

Todd and Mary review the big news that Veterans Affairs Commissioner Kent Davis has agreed to step down at the end of the year following a messy inter-agency dispute over APRA funding. They also talk about the latest with state budgets, possible teacher insurance changes and how the state's district attorneys are looking for better revenue sources than the traditional bad check fee fund.

Todd and Mary discuss their recent story about the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs filing an ethics complaint against the head of the Department of Mental Health over an opioid funding dispute. Messy! Also their trip to the Business Council of Alabama conference and the latest with prisons and ADN's plans to hire a reporter based in DC.

Mary and Todd discuss the crazy last 30 days it has been in American politics, including how national events will impact Alabama. Specifically, they get into how the switcharoo at the top of the Democratic ticket might impact the big race in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District.Following through on his commitment from a few weeks ago, Todd submits himself to a round of "Ask Me Anything," fielding questions from In the Weeds listeners. Topics range from the origins of Alabama Daily News, go-to political stories and, of course, Toby the dog.