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Tommy Tuberville announces bid for Alabama governor

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Tommy Tuberville announces bid for Alabama governor

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican whose Senate seat is up in the 2026 election, announced Tuesday that he’s seeking the state’s governor’s mansion after one term in the Senate.

“Today I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said in an interview with Fox News’ Will Cain. “I’m doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama. I’m a football coach, I’m a leader, I’m a builder, I’m a recruiter. And we’re going to grow Alabama.”

Tuberville also launched the website coachforgovernor.com. 

Tuberville, 70, was elected to the Senate in 2020. The former Auburn University football coach, who had never held public office before coming to the Senate, is a strong ally of President Trump, and has served as a staunch defender of Mr. Trump in the upper chamber. 

In his 2020 Senate race, Tuberville defeated Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, flipping the seat back for Republicans after Jones had become the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama in 25 years. In the primary, Mr. Trump endorsed Tuberville over former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had previously held the seat for two decades and who had left the Senate to serve in the first Trump administration. 

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Tierney L. Cross / Getty Images


During the Biden administration, Tuberville in 2023 delayed the promotions of hundreds of military officers in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy. After 10 months of blocking the Senate from approving the nominations en masse, Tuberville dropped the bulk of his holds without a change to the policy, amid pressure from his GOP colleagues to change course.  

The Alabama Republican’s announcement Tuesday comes as other senators are pursuing gubernatorial bids or have expressed interest in leaving Washington to lead their home states in recent months. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado announced he’s running for governor in April, and GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee has said she’s considering a bid for governor, as well. Former Sen. Mike Braun opted to leave the Senate, too, after winning his 2024 bid for Indiana governor. The developments defy what’s been a more traditional progression from the governor’s mansion to the Senate. Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia, John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Rick Scott of Florida were all governors, and former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was also governor before he served in the Senate.

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The 2026 Alabama governor’s race will decide who will succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican.

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BBC Verify Live: Fact-checking Trump’s unusual new White House presidential plaques

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BBC Verify Live: Fact-checking Trump’s unusual new White House presidential plaques

Videos show rebels on the move in eastern DRC city Uvirapublished at 12:49 GMT

Peter Mwai
BBC Verify senior journalist

We have verified video showing fighters belonging to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group on the move in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after M23 announced a withdrawal from the city of Uvira in South Kivu province which it seized a week ago.

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The M23 had taken contorl of Uvira despite a ceasefire deal agreed between the governments of Rwanda and DRC and had come under increasing diplomatic pressure to withdraw its forces from the city.

The DRC government has reacted with scepticism, with a spokesperson asking on XL “Where are they going? How many were there? What are they leaving behind in the city? Mass graves? Soldiers disguised as civilians?”

We can’t tell where they are heading, but in the footage we have verified the fighters, together with vehicles, move north past the Uvira police headquarters.

We confirmed where the clips were filmed by matching the distinctively painted road kerbs, buildings and trees to satellite imagery.

The leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a coalition of rebel groups which includes the M23 group, had announced on Monday that the group would withdraw from the city as a “trust-building measure”.

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It followed a request from the US which has been mediating between the governments of Rwanda and DRC.

The rebels remained present in the city after the announcement but on Wednesday M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma announced the group had begun withdrawing troops. The group said it intends to complete the withdrawal today, but has warned against militarisation.

Image source, X
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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January

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FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino speaks during a news conference on an arrest of a suspect in the January 6th pipe bomb case at the Department of Justice on Dec. 4, 2025.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images


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FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said Wednesday he plans to step down from the bureau in January.

In a statement posted on X, Bongino thanked President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel “for the opportunity to serve with purpose.”

Bongino was an unusual pick for the No. 2 post at the FBI, a critical job overseeing the bureau’s day-to-day affairs traditionally held by a career agent. Neither Bongino nor his boss, Patel, had any previous experience at the FBI.

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Bongino did have previous law enforcement experience, as a police officer and later as a Secret Service agent, as well as a long history of vocal support for Trump.

Bongino made his name over the past decade as a pro-Trump, far-right podcaster who pushed conspiracy theories, including some involving the FBI. He had been critical of the bureau, embracing the narrative that it had been “weaponized” against conservatives and even calling its agents “thugs.”

His tenure at the bureau was at times tumultuous, including a clash with Justice Department leadership over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

But it also involved the arrest earlier this month of the man authorities say is responsible for placing two pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican committee headquarters, hours before the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

In an unusual arrangement, Bongino has had a co-deputy director since this summer when the Trump administration tapped Andrew Bailey, a former attorney general of Missouri, to serve alongside Bongino in the No. 2 job.

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President Trump praised Bongino in brief remarks to reporters before he announced he was stepping down.”Dan did a great job,” Trump said. “I think he wants to go back to his show.”

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Video: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota

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Video: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota

new video loaded: Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota

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Man on Roof Faces Off with ICE Agents for Hours in Minnesota

A man clung to a partially built roof for hours in frigid temperatures during a standoff with immigration agents in Chanhassen, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis. The confrontation was part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state to remove what it calls “vicious criminals.”

“What a [expletive] embarrassment.” “Look at this guy.” “What’s with all the fascists?” “The Lord is with you.” “Where’s the bad hombre? What did this guy do?” “He’s out here working to support his [expletive] family.” “Gestapo agents.” “Oh yeah, shake your head, tough guy.” “This is where you get the worst of the worst right here, hard-working builders.” “Crossing the border is not a crime. Coming illegally to the United States is not a crime, according to you.” “C’mon, get out of here.” “Take him to a different hospital.”

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A man clung to a partially built roof for hours in frigid temperatures during a standoff with immigration agents in Chanhassen, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis. The confrontation was part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the state to remove what it calls “vicious criminals.”

By Ernesto Londoño, Jackeline Luna and Daniel Fetherston

December 17, 2025

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