Mar. 28, 2025

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Among a spate of foreign students detained recently by immigration officials is a University of Alabama doctoral student from Iran, reports AL.com's Williesha Morris and Patrick Darrington.

Alireza Doroudi was last being held at the Pickens County Jail. He has lived in Tuscaloosa since 2023 and has been studying mechanical engineering.

UA's student newspaper, The Crimson-White, reported that Doroudi's visa was revoked not long after he arrived but that the university told him he was fine as long as he maintains his student status.

The Department of Homeland Security told CBS42 on Thursday that Doroudi “posed significant national security concerns.”

Doroudi's lawyer told The AP he wasn't aware of any pro-Palestinian activity by Doroudi. President Trump has warned that the feds may deport pro-Palestinian protesters in the U.S.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, some 300 students have had their visas revoked.

The first arrest has been made under the brand-new state law banning "Glock switches," reports AL.com's Carol Robinson.

The so-called Glock switches are devices that allow a semi-automatic gun to fire like a machine gun. A conviction could mean a sentence of 366 days to 10 years.

The name was appropriate in this case because the gun in question was a Glock handgun. The suspect is a 15-year-old boy who, police say, was in possession of the Glock and the conversion device. The Birmingham Police Department's Special Enforcement Team made the arrest.

Glock switches were already illegal under federal law. The new state law cleared the way for Alabama to prosecute the cases as well.

President Trump has nominated a Mountain Brook urologist as assistant secretary for health, reports AL.com's Howard Koplowitz.

Dr. Brian Christine of Urology Centers of Alabama in Homewood would be succeeding Adm. Rachel Levine in the role and reporting to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Christine contributed $8,505 to Trump's presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The Academy of Country Music looks like it loves Ella Langley.

AL.com's Mary Colurso reports that the Hope Hull native has been nominated for eight ACM Awards. That's more than anybody else.

Her breakout was "You Look Like You Love Me," her duet with fellow Alabamian Riley Green. Langley and Green both shared in the co-writing credit for that one.

That song and its video brought nominations for Langley as Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, Song of the Year and Visual Media of the Year. For Song of the Year she's nominated as both an artist and a songwriter, and for Visual Media of the Year she's nominated both as an artist and as a director.

She's also up for Female Artist of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year.

It's actually a big year at the ACM Awards for breakout country acts from Alabama. Red Clay Strays and Muscadine Bloodline both received their first nominations.

The University of Alabama's men's basketball team spent Thursday firing long-range shots against BYU for a record-breaking Sweet 16.

AL.com's Matt Stahl reports that the Tide sank 22 3-pointers in the 113-88 win.

That's an NCAA Tournament record, one trey better than Loyola launched in a 1990 game. Mark Sears led the way for Alabama with 10 3s, an Alabama single-game record. Sears finished with 34 points.

Alabama next plays top-seeded Duke at 7:49 p.m. Saturday in the Elite 8.

Meanwhile, Auburn plays its Sweet 16 game against Michigan at 8:39 tonight on CBS.

See how well you've been keeping up. It's only five quick multiple-choice questions.

In 1957, sprinter Harvey Glance of Phenix City. He was an Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100-meter relay in the 1976 Games and won another gold in the same event nearly a decade later in the 1987 World Championships.

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