Georgia

Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, a Republican, criticized his own party's push for election reform in the wake of the 2020 election, saying GOP lawmakers should first admit that former President Donald Trump lost "fair and square." Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly pushed through an election reform package that has been condemned by Democrats as the "new Jim Crow," as they view the bill as working to make it more difficult for people of color to vote in the state. Although Duncan believes there are some good aspects to the package, he disagrees with other parts and said the timing of the bill was a bad move by Republicans . "I don't think it was the best move forward," Duncan said during a Monday morning interview with CNN . He pointed to a provision in the legislation that removed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, from managing Georgia's elections. Raffensperger drew Trump's wrath after he refused to cave to the then president's … [Read more...] about Georgia Lieut. Gov. Criticizes Own Party’s Election Reform Push

Former President Donald Trump might have a response similar to the one he had after he lost the 2020 presidential election if he's indicted in the Georgia election probe, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner predicted on Friday. "Does anybody have any doubt that, when Georgia DA Fani Willis indicts Donald Trump, his first post will be, 'Come to Atlanta for my arraignment! Will be wild!' I mean, why wouldn't he? He got away with it last time...thus far," Kirschner tweeted. The former federal prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst was referring to remarks posted by Trump in 2020 after he refused to concede that he lost the election to his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden . On December 19, 2020, Trump wrote on Twitter: "big protest in D.C. on January 6th," and asked his supporters to "be there, will be wild!" The now defunct House select committee that was in charge of investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot argued last year that the former president allegedly incited … [Read more...] about Trump will repeat Jan. 6 strategy if he’s indicted in Georgia: Kirschner

PHILADELPHIA — Upending decades of political tradition, members of the Democratic National Committee voted on Saturday to approve a sweeping overhaul of the Democratic primary process, a critical step in President Biden’s effort to transform the way the party picks its presidential nominees. For years, Democratic nominating contests have begun with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, a matter of immense pride in those states, and a source of political identity for many highly engaged residents. But amid forceful calls for a calendar that better reflects the racial diversity of the Democratic Party and the country — and after Iowa’s 2020 meltdown led to a major delay in results — Democrats endorsed a proposal that would start the 2024 Democratic presidential primary circuit on Feb. 3 in South Carolina, the state that resuscitated Mr. Biden’s once-flailing candidacy. It would be followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and then Michigan … [Read more...] about Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition

On Jan. 18, a small army of Georgia state troopers entered Atlanta’s Weelaunee forest , with long guns drawn, to end a months-long occupation by a group of “forest defenders”—and to clear the way for the urban warfare training camp known as “Cop City.” Within minutes, an indigenous protester was dead , felled by a police bullet. Law enforcement sources claim the officer acted in self-defense, but witnesses say the deceased was unarmed when they were shot. It’s too soon to know what exactly went down, but however the facts shake out, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán joins a growing list of left-wing dissidents killed by police at (or near) protest events in recent years. And government intervention has only grown more deadly: the events of Jan. 18 marked the fourth such fatality nationally in the last three years. While the details vary from one death to the next, they are connected by some common threads. All of the protesters shot dead by law enforcement in the years since 2020 … [Read more...] about Why Do Left-Wing Protesters Keep Getting Killed by Police?

A protester was shot dead Wednesday morning after he allegedly opened fire at officers and hit a Georgia state trooper near Atlanta’s controversial “Cop City” training facility , officials said Monday. Few details about the shooting have been released publicly. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the slain protester was a man in an afternoon press conference, but declined to released his name. The shot officer was rushed into surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta, with authorities briefly shutting down Interstate 20 to halt traffic near the trauma center, reported Channel 2 Action News . Officials said the officer was shot in the abdomen but his injuries are not life-threatening. Officials said he was in stable condition at the hospital's intensive care unit on Wednesday afternoon. It’s still unclear what led up to the shooting around 9 a.m., but sources confirmed to Channel 2 that the shooting stemmed from a protest. Mike Register, director of … [Read more...] about Protester Killed, Trooper Injured in Shooting Near Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’

North Carolina police are urging residents to refrain from aiming their guns into the sky to take "pot shots" at a Chinese spy balloon that may be headed their way. President Joe Biden faced Republican backlash after deciding, on the advice of military leaders, against shooting down the high-altitude surveillance balloon when it was spotted over Montana earlier this week. A number of the same Republicans have since encouraged citizens to take the matter into their own hands by shooting at the balloon themselves. Police in Gastonia, about 20 miles from Charlotte, begged locals in a Facebook post on Friday to avoid firing their guns into the air in hopes of shooting down the balloon, which a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration model predicts could be in the area on Saturday morning. Officials also urged residents to not bother contacting them if they do spot the balloon, explaining that they do not "have the capability" to respond to an object that is … [Read more...] about Police beg locals to refrain from taking “pot shots” at Chinese spy balloon

Donald Trump should face a criminal investigation over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to one of his former lawyers. Ty Cobb, who represented Trump in the White House during Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, said that it is "justifiable" that the former president is investigated over the January 6 attack and for trying to prevent Joe Biden becoming president. Speaking to CNN , Cobb listed off some "serious facts" that could push Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to charge Trump and his inner circle over their attempt to keep the former president in power. "You've got issues of defrauding the United States with regard to [Mike Pence] issue and the 'Big Lie,' you've got potential obstruction influencing a witness, and of course, you've got the seditious conspiracy," Cobb said. "If indeed they can tie all those pieces together—I think that will be difficult on sedition—but I do think there's … [Read more...] about Trump’s ‘Criminal Activity’ Worthy Of Investigation: Ex-White House Lawyer

Don and Margie Varnadoe were on an Amtrak train that derailed in Montana on Saturday, killing them both and one other passenger. Don Varnadoe, 74, had spent months watching videos about train trips in preparation for his cross-country trip to celebrate his 50th anniversary with his wife, Margie, 72. Robert Kozlowski, Don's boss at Coldwell Banker Access Realty, said that everyone in the office knew about the big anniversary trip. "He [Don] said, 'This is our trip of a lifetime and we're so looking forward to it!,'" Kozlowski said. According to Kozlowski, Don and Margie loved others and were well-loved at the office. Margie would often stop by the office with brownies, flowers and other gifts. Don would work every day and would lead the sales staff in prayer before meetings. Before the couple left, Margie gifted one more pan of brownies for the office. "If you want an example of how to treat people, Don and Margie were them. With their faith and the way they treated people, … [Read more...] about Couple on 50th Anniversary Trip Killed in Montana Train Crash

Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has hit out at the sweeping election bill and the "commies" who supported it after it was blocked by a GOP filibuster. The future of the For the People Act, which would have seen a major overhaul of the current electoral system and voting laws, is in doubt after it failed to pass a Senate vote on Tuesday. The Democrats ' bill was blocked following a 50-50 split vote, meaning it failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. The bill was supported by all 50 Democrats and opposed by all 50 Republicans . In a post on social media site Gab, the Georgia representative wrote: "This bill is horrible ... never give an inch to these commies!" She shared an article about the GOP filibuster blocking the Democrats' attempt to change almost every aspect of how elections are run. The GOP were not only opposed the original 800-page bill, but also a slimmed down and moderated version proposed by … [Read more...] about Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks ‘Commies’ Who Supported Voting Rights Bill

A former U.S. Army sergeant pled guilty to stabbing a fellow soldier to death on American soil, and a federal judge sentenced him to life in federal prison without parole. The guilty plea from 29-year-old Byron Brooker came back in October of 2022 under the charge of “premeditated murder of a member of the United States Uniformed Services,” Military Times reported . Brooker stabbed 21-year-old Austin Hawk to death at Georgia Army barracks located at Fort Stewart because he had reported him to Army leadership for smoking weed . Former U.S. Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Fort Stewart Servicemember Stabbed to Death in Installation Housing: Byron Booker, a former U.S. Army sergeant, has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing to death a former fellow sold… https://t.co/MDN0t6ygou — FBI Atlanta (@FBIAtlanta) February 3, 2023 ( RELATED: Army Vet Files Lawsuits After Being Arrested For Holding ‘God Bless The Homeless Vets’ Sign) “After … [Read more...] about Army Sergeant Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Fellow Soldier