Birmingham, Ala., which had a record year for homicides, is trying to curb shootings by blocking streets. But the effort has come to mean something else.

An incumbent Democrat narrowly won re-election to the state’s highest court. But the Republican-controlled court is considering an unusual protest from her challenger that could flip the result.

Recordings and interviews detail Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s growing discontent with American society and increasing isolation even within his local Muslim community.

Bomb-making materials were found at a short-term rental house, and the authorities said they had recovered a transmitter intended to set off explosives on the city’s famous Bourbon Street.

The extended Craig family has suffered an unthinkable loss after landslides slammed into their North Carolina town during Hurricane Helene. The survivors are trying to move forward.