BirminghamWatch Recommends is a rundown of stories you might have missed this week, offering insight into issues important to our area or sometimes tickling your curiosity. Soon we’ll be offering Recommends through a weekly email.

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 ‘The Alabamafication of Federal Government’: Randall Woodfin Discusses President Trump’s Executive Order on DEI (WVTM)

In an interview on CNN, Birmingham’s mayor told the country to look to Alabama to see the effects Trump’s anti-DEI policies will have. Among other changes, colleges have shuttered DEI offices, and the state is embroiled in a federal lawsuit over the effects on campuses.

The 51 Best Museums in the United States (Condé Nast Traveler)

The Birmingham Museum of Art made the museums-to-see list for Condé Nast Traveler, which noted its architecture, permanent collection and sculpture garden.

UA Alum Named Executive Assistant to White House Press Secretary (Yellowhammer News)

Kieghan Nangle at 27 is the youngest official to ever hold the post as the right hand of the press secretary.

Alabama Prisoners Dying at a Rate 4 Times the National Average (Alabama Political Reporter)

Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is building a database of prison deaths in the state for the past decade. In 2024, 277 inmates died in Alabama prisons, four times the national average. Overdoses and medical issues were common causes along with violent deaths.

Preserving Alabama’s Flagg Mountain, the Southernmost Appalachian Peak (Inside Climate News)

The oldest tree in the state, dated to the 1620s, stands on Flagg Mountain near the head of the Pinhoti Trail. A coalition that includes the Nature Conservancy and the Maskoke indigenous people is working to make sure the mountaintop and surrounding forest are preserved.

Trump Pardons at Least 22 Alabamians Charged in Connection With Jan. 6 Capitol Attack (Alabama Reflector)

One of the Alabamians pardoned was a 70-year-old veteran found with Molotov cocktails and an assault rifle.

Republicans Could Ban China From Buying US Land (Newsweek)

Alabama’s Sen. Katie Britt is one of three senators who introduced the “Not One More Inch or Acre Act” last week to ban Chinese individuals and companies from buying land in the U.S. Concerns have been raised in recent years about the amount of Alabama farmland and forestland held in foreign hands, including by Chinese interests.