Connecticut
Lawmakers back prohibition on state agencies, cities using foreign drones
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut lawmakers passed emergency legislation Tuesday prohibiting state agencies and municipalities from purchasing or using Chinese and Russian drones while also imposing restrictions on where drones can be operated in the state.
The bill comes amid bipartisan concern in Washington about possible threats to U.S. national security posed by foreign-adversary drones. Several states, including Tennessee and Florida, have already restricted the use of Chinese drones by their public agencies, including police and fire departments.
Under Connecticut’s bill, which moves to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, certain state agencies and municipalities, as well as entities that contract with them, will be barred from purchasing prohibited drones after Oct. 1, 2026, and from using them after Oct. 1, 2028.
The state’s Department Emergency Services and Public Protection, which includes the State Police, is prohibited from purchasing the drones beginning this year, after Oct. 1. The agency already implemented such a policy last year.
The bill bars people from operating a drone less than 250 feet above a critical infrastructure facility, such as an electrical generation facility or a prison. Violators could face up to nearly a year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000 or both. There are exceptions for workers using drones at those locations as part of their jobs.
Drones also cannot be equipped with deadly weapons or incendiary devices, under this legislation.
Washington
Trump creates registry for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who don’t self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday.
Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the complex immigration law — as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older.
The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers.
“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” the statement said. “For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.”
On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration.
In one of his 10 inauguration day executive orders related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply.”
It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where they’re living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people who’ve committed crimes in the U.S.
Alabama
Lawmakers advance ban on Glock switches
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a ban on Glock switches and other conversion devices that can make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
The Alabama Senate voted 28-0 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives. The approval comes after a similar bill did not get a vote in the state Senate last year.
A bipartisan coalition is pushing for the legislation after a violent 2024 that saw multiple mass shootings. The conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.
“We’re giving our local law enforcement the ability to arrest and prosecute these folks who would take these conversion devices and convert a semi-automatic legal pistol to a fully automatic weapon,” Republican Sen. Will Barfoot, the sponsor of the bill, said.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey called for a state ban on the devices in her State of the State address.
Police say the devices produce a rapid hard-to-control spray of bullets that increase the number of casualties during a shooting.
A conversion device was used in a September shooting that killed four people outside a Birmingham lounge, police believe. At least one man in possession of a machine gun conversion device was arrested in November after a shooting on Tuskegee University’s campus that left one person dead and 16 others wounded.
The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Georgia
Supreme Court chief justice to step down at end of March
ATLANTA (AP) — The chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from the bench at the end of March.
Chief Justice Michael Boggs delivered a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp informing him he will leave at the end of the court term. He plans to return to private practice, according to a news release from the Supreme Court.
“Throughout my service, I have endeavored to be a good steward of the public’s trust,” Boggs wrote. “During my 21 years as a judge, I have found it especially rewarding to contribute to efforts that improve our state’s judicial system for the citizens who rely on it to deliver justice for all.”
Boggs is from Pierce County in south Georgia and his wife recently retired from full-time teaching. His resignation letter said the couple has “increasing family and personal obligations.” Boggs has served 25 years in elected office, including as a state representative, a superior court judge, a Court of Appeals judge and a Supreme Court justice.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in December 2016 and was reelected twice. He has been chief justice since July 2022. His resignation means Kemp will appoint a new justice to the court and the justices will choose a new chief.
Lawmakers back prohibition on state agencies, cities using foreign drones
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut lawmakers passed emergency legislation Tuesday prohibiting state agencies and municipalities from purchasing or using Chinese and Russian drones while also imposing restrictions on where drones can be operated in the state.
The bill comes amid bipartisan concern in Washington about possible threats to U.S. national security posed by foreign-adversary drones. Several states, including Tennessee and Florida, have already restricted the use of Chinese drones by their public agencies, including police and fire departments.
Under Connecticut’s bill, which moves to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, certain state agencies and municipalities, as well as entities that contract with them, will be barred from purchasing prohibited drones after Oct. 1, 2026, and from using them after Oct. 1, 2028.
The state’s Department Emergency Services and Public Protection, which includes the State Police, is prohibited from purchasing the drones beginning this year, after Oct. 1. The agency already implemented such a policy last year.
The bill bars people from operating a drone less than 250 feet above a critical infrastructure facility, such as an electrical generation facility or a prison. Violators could face up to nearly a year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000 or both. There are exceptions for workers using drones at those locations as part of their jobs.
Drones also cannot be equipped with deadly weapons or incendiary devices, under this legislation.
Washington
Trump creates registry for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is creating a registry for all people who are in the United States illegally, and those who don’t self-report could face fines or prosecution, immigration officials announced Tuesday.
Everyone who is in the U.S. illegally must register, give fingerprints and provide an address, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. It cited a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the complex immigration law — as justification for the registration process, which would apply to anyone 14 and older.
The announcement comes as the administration seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of people in the country illegally and seal the border to future asylum-seekers.
“An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” the statement said. “For decades, this law has been ignored — not anymore.”
On its website, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would soon create a form and process for registration.
In one of his 10 inauguration day executive orders related to immigration, President Donald Trump initially outlined plans for creating a registry and required that Homeland Security “immediately announce and publicize information about the legal obligation of all previously unregistered aliens in the United States to comply.”
It was not immediately clear how many people living in the country illegally would voluntarily come forward and give the federal government information about who they are and where they’re living. But failure to register would be considered a crime, and the administration has said its initial priority target for deportation is people who’ve committed crimes in the U.S.
Alabama
Lawmakers advance ban on Glock switches
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a ban on Glock switches and other conversion devices that can make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
The Alabama Senate voted 28-0 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives. The approval comes after a similar bill did not get a vote in the state Senate last year.
A bipartisan coalition is pushing for the legislation after a violent 2024 that saw multiple mass shootings. The conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.
“We’re giving our local law enforcement the ability to arrest and prosecute these folks who would take these conversion devices and convert a semi-automatic legal pistol to a fully automatic weapon,” Republican Sen. Will Barfoot, the sponsor of the bill, said.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey called for a state ban on the devices in her State of the State address.
Police say the devices produce a rapid hard-to-control spray of bullets that increase the number of casualties during a shooting.
A conversion device was used in a September shooting that killed four people outside a Birmingham lounge, police believe. At least one man in possession of a machine gun conversion device was arrested in November after a shooting on Tuskegee University’s campus that left one person dead and 16 others wounded.
The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Georgia
Supreme Court chief justice to step down at end of March
ATLANTA (AP) — The chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from the bench at the end of March.
Chief Justice Michael Boggs delivered a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp informing him he will leave at the end of the court term. He plans to return to private practice, according to a news release from the Supreme Court.
“Throughout my service, I have endeavored to be a good steward of the public’s trust,” Boggs wrote. “During my 21 years as a judge, I have found it especially rewarding to contribute to efforts that improve our state’s judicial system for the citizens who rely on it to deliver justice for all.”
Boggs is from Pierce County in south Georgia and his wife recently retired from full-time teaching. His resignation letter said the couple has “increasing family and personal obligations.” Boggs has served 25 years in elected office, including as a state representative, a superior court judge, a Court of Appeals judge and a Supreme Court justice.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in December 2016 and was reelected twice. He has been chief justice since July 2022. His resignation means Kemp will appoint a new justice to the court and the justices will choose a new chief.
