Author: Tom Pappert

Mark Meadows’ Effort to Remove Georgia Election Case from Fulton County Granted 11th Circuit Court Date

Tom Pappert

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered oral arguments on Monday for White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ bid to remove the racketeering case against him from Fulton County to a federal court. On Tuesday, the court requested additional arguments from District Attorney Fani Willis and Meadows’ lawyers, to be submitted early next month.

Meadows argues that he should not be tried in Fulton County because he a federal official working for former President Donald Trump at the time Willis alleges he engaged in criminal activities. A lower court agreed with Willis, who argued that Meadows’ efforts to contest the 2020 election results in Georgia went outside his job duties as Trump’s Chief of Staff.

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Georgia Politician Refuses Calls to Resign After Video, Police Contradict Her Date Rape Drug Story

Tom Pappert

The Clayton County Commissioner who claimed she was slipped the date rape drug while at a live music event refused calls for her to resign on Tuesday, even after local police, a urinalysis test, and video recorded by the venue all seemed to contradict her story.

Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin, who is running to become the board’s chairman, said during a commission meeting on Tuesday that she would only “resign as the District 3 commissioner” when she is “elected as Chairwoman of the Board of Commission,” according to WSB-TV.

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Abe Hamadeh Launches Arizona House Campaign After Rep. Debbie Lesko Announces Retirement

Tom Pappert

Abe Hamadeh, the former Republican candidate for Arizona Attorney General, announced on Tuesday that he intends to run for U.S. House to represent Arizona’s 8th District following the news that Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) will not seek re-election in 2024.

“Our country is in desperate need of courageous fighters, and that’s why I’m proud to announce I’m running for Congress in Arizona’s 8th District,” wrote Hamadeh in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The candidate added that former President Donald Trump “is under attack” and “needs backup.” Hamadeh concluded, “I’m ready to help [Trump] Make America Great Again.”

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Turning Point Action Executive Received Extra Maricopa County Ballots for Former Residents

Tom Pappert

Tyler Bowyer, an executive for conservative activist group Turning Point Action, revealed on Monday that he received two Maricopa County ballots for former residents of his home. He told The Arizona Sun Times the episode represented “horrible public policy” and “administration of our elections.”

Bowyer posted an image of four ballots to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday night, revealing that only two registered voters live at his address. Voters in Maricopa County, and much of Arizona, are required to use mail-in ballots for the November 7, 2023 elections.

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Georgia Flush with Nearly $11 Billion in Cash Reserves, $5.4 Billion in Rainy Day Fund: State Report

Tom Pappert

Georgia has accrued nearly $11 billion in cash reserves, invested the maximum legal amount into its rainy day fund, and tucked more than $2 billion into its lottery reserve fund, according to a government report published Monday.

The State Accounting Office published its report for the budget year ending in June 2023 this week, revealing the state has just over $10.7 billion cash on hand. Georgia also boasts almost $5.4 billion in its rainy day fund, which is at its constitutional limit, and $2.1 billion in its lottery reserve fund.

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First Georgia Election Trial Unlikely to Finish Before State’s Republican Primary

Tom Pappert

The first trial of those indicted in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and his allies will begin on October 23, and Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee said Monday he will instruct jurors to expect a five month trial.

If McAfee’s estimate is accurate, the case against pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell is likely to be ongoing when Georgia Republicans cast primary votes for their preferred Republican candidates on March 12, 2024. This means the trial could conclude as late as March 25.

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Senate Republican Conference Chair Endorses Kari Lake, Predicts She ‘Will Shine Brightly for Arizona’

Tom Pappert

Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake received a key endorsement on Monday from Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), the chair of the Senate Republican Conference, after officially announcing her candidacy for the U.S. Senate last week. In a statement to The Arizona Sun Times, Lake said she looks forward to working with Barrasso and other Senate Republicans with whom she shares priorities.

Barrasso said “Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona,” according to a statement obtained by German-owned Politico. Barrasso called lake “a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” and said she “is in this race to make Arizona and America stronger.”

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Two Grand Jurors Behind Georgia Trump Indictment Agree to Interviews with Defense Attorneys

Tom Pappert

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee confirmed on Monday that two of the Georgians who served on the special grand jury which recommended charges against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election in Georgia will be interviewed by the defense teams of pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell.

McAfee said attorneys for Chesebro and Powell will interview two grand jurors who “expressed interest” in being interviewed, and clarified they “would be on the record,” for the interview. However, he added that it will not be a public proceeding. The interviews will be held on October 20, the same day jury selection will begin for the case.

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Georgia State Senator Caught in Israel During Hamas Attack Praises Israelis for ‘Protecting Americans’

Tom Pappert

Georgia State Senator Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell) was in Israel with his mother on October 7, when Hamas fighters launched a horrific surprise attack on the country, and told The Georgia Star News he was thankful for Israelis for “protecting Americans” caught in the conflict.

In a statement released Thursday, Goodman relayed his first hand experiences “being in Israel while Hamas terrorists launched a sickening attack that killed hundreds of innocent Israelis,” and described “hearing the rockets fired from the Iron Dome to automatic weapon fire heard near our hotel,” as his  “ex-military Israeli guide” refused to leave his family “even as rockets landed within 200 yards of his home with his wife and children there.” The senator said he witnessed “the very best of the Israeli people,” and the experience left him convinced of “the bond that our freedom-loving countries share.”

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Phoenix Teens Arrested After High Speed Chase as Police Warn Juveniles Increasingly Recruited for Human Smuggling

Tom Pappert

Two Phoenix teenagers were arrested in Cochise County last Thursday after police say they attempted to evade law enforcement at high speeds while smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. Their arrests came just days after Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels warned more than 100 juveniles have been arrested after being recruited to participate in illegal human smuggling since April 2022.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that the two minors arrested “were 14 and 15 years of age.” The teens allegedly refused to pull over for a routine traffic stop, and instead fled until “being stopped after tire deflation devices were employed.” Before they were forced to stop, the sheriff’s office claims the minors “reached speeds in excess of 124 miles per hour,” requiring a multi-agency response that included the Douglas Police Department and United States Border Patrol.

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Georgia Buys $10 Million in Israel Bonds to Support Ally During Hamas Conflict

Tom Pappert

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) announced on Friday that Georgia has purchased an additional $10 million in Israel bonds to support the country’s “defense efforts against the militant Hamas regime,” which began horrific surprise attacks against Israel on October 7.

Kemp announced the purchase on Friday morning in a press release that revealed $10 million “was the highest available on the market.” The latest buy brings Georgia’s total investment in Israel bonds to $25 million, and the governor noted Georgia has “purchased an aggregate of $50 million in bonds, with half the bonds now matured,” since he took office.

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Arizona GOP Leaders Slam ‘Vague Threats’ from Gov. Katie Hobbs over Empowerment Scholarship Accounts

Tom Pappert

The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature joined the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in a joint press release on Wednesday in response to a recent social media post by Governor Katie Hobbs (D). In her post, the governor claimed Arizona’s popular Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program was unsustainable and called for it to be restricted.

Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne (R), Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria), and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) issued a press release defending the state’s education voucher program after Hobbs called it “unaccountable and unsustainable” in a statement posted to X.

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Federal Judge Denies Justice Department’s Latest Attempt to Block Georgia Voting Law

Tom Pappert

A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction request from President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice on Wednesday after the administration sought to stop enforcement of the 2021 Georgia voting law they claim discriminates against black voters.

United States District Judge J.P. Boulee ruled the Department of Justice is unlikely to prove any of its claims at trial, and denied the Biden administration’s request to pause portions of the law.

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Fani Willis Rebukes Congressional Oversight for Trump Case, Claims Jim Jordan’s Effort ‘Offensive to the Rule of Law’

Tom Pappert

Another letter sent by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) to U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) was obtained by the media on Thursday. In the letter, Willis again rebuked Jordan’s requests for information about her case against former President Donald Trump, and denied the U.S. Constitution gives Congress oversight of her work.

In her letter, which is dated October 11, Willis accused Jordan of either being “ignorant of the United States and Georgia Constitutions and codes” or using his “authority as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary to attempt to obstruct and interfere” with her case against Trump.

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Arizona Democrat Silent After CAIR Group Photo Resurfaces Following Hamas Attack on Israel

Tom Pappert

Arizona State Senator Juan Mendez (D-Tempe) did not respond to a request by The Arizona Sun Times for comment on a photograph showing the legislator attending a meeting of the Arizona branch of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that featured Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), or a second photo depicting Mendez wearing a shawl that seems to feature the modern borders of Israel identified as Palestinian territory. The photos resurfaced on social media following the brutal Hamas attack on Israel that began last week.

The photos were shared by Republican Arizona House candidate Ari Daniel Bradshaw to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. “Arizona can’t tolerate anti-semitic Hamas supporters like [Mendez] any longer,” wrote Bradshaw, who is Jewish. Bradshaw promised to support 2024 Arizona House candidate Caden Darrow, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Mendez’s wife, State Representative Athena Salman (D-Tempe), in 2022.

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Fani Willis Wants Former Wisconsin GOP Chair, Ronna McDaniel, and Alex Jones to Testify in Georgia Election Trial

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis revealed three new witnesses she intends to call in the trial of pro-Trump attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell in filings made on Tuesday. Willis’ office named Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Infowars radio host Alex Jones, and former Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Andrew Hitt in documents requesting their testimony.

Hitt was a Republican alternative elector in Wisconsin, and Willis claims he received an email from Chesebro on December 10, 2020, then met with Chesebro on December 14, as Wisconsin Republicans signed a document identifying themselves as Republican Electoral College electors.

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Walmart, Archer Aviation Announce New Georgia Investments to Create 1,400 Jobs

Tom Pappert

Walmart and Archer Aviation both announced plans to invest in Georgia on Wednesday, and the companies’ plans will ultimately create more than 1,400 new jobs throughout the state.

A new milk processing facility was announced in the south Georgia city of Valdosta, and Walmart said the $350 million location will employ nearly 400 Georgians. Products bottled at the facility will include gallon and half gallon varieties of whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, skim, and 1 percent chocolate milk for the Great Value and Sam’s Club Member’s Mark brands, and they will be sold to 750 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Georgia and across the region.

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Fani Willis Argues Attorney-Client Privilege Invalid for Lawyer Who Wrote Memos for Trump Campaign in Georgia

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis argued in a legal filing on Tuesday that attorney-client privilege should not be extended to legal memos and emails written by pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who she indicted in August for the legal strategies he gave former President Donald Trump and his campaign in support of their 2020 election contest in Georgia.

In response to Chesebro’s request to have a handful of memos and emails stricken, citing his attorney-client privilege with the Trump campaign, Willis and Fulton County argued the “documents formed the bases for a criminal conspiracy” to “unlawfully overturn” the 2020 election results, and thus “cannot receive the protections afforded to lawful attorney communications or documents.”

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Kari Lake to Enter Arizona Senate Race with Slight Lead over Gallego, Sinema: Poll

Tom Pappert

Former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake officially announced her campaign for Arizona Senate on Tuesday, having previously filed paperwork to run in early October. Though she has yet to secure the Republican Party’s nomination, polling released this week suggests she enters the race as the front runner against both Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

In a three-way race, pollsters at Republican-leaning National Research Inc. reported on Tuesday that 37 percent of Arizonans will back Lake. Gallego polled in second, with 33 percent of support, while Sinema was supported by just 19 percent of respondents. Pollsters say 10 percent remained undecided.

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Fani Willis’ Office Failed to Meet Deadlines, Allowing Potentially Dangerous Defendants to Post Bail

Tom Pappert

A new report published Tuesday reveals Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office has repeatedly failed to charge alleged criminals within a 90-day window from their arrest, forcing judges who previously denied them bail to renege and grant it, with at least 20 separate instances identified by 11 Alive.

Georgia law requires those who are arrested and refused bail to be formally indicted within 90 days, or else given bail, and 11 Alive claims court documents prove the county has failed to do this nearly two dozen times.

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Georgia Senators File Ethics Complaint Against Fani Willis, Allege She ‘Cherry-Picked’ Cases over Personal Politics

Tom Pappert

Eight Georgia Senators have filed a formal ethics complaint against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, alleging she prioritized cases based on her political ideology. The senators, all Republicans, filed the complaint on October 1 with the new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission.

The complaint, which was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has the support of Republican leadership in the Senate. The senators allege Willis “prioritized cases that align with her political party’s interests,” and ““improperly cherry-picked cases to further her personal political agenda,” according to The Messenger. While the complaint does not name former President Donald Trump, who was indicted by Willis in August, it does reference the 10 detainees who have died this year at Fulton County Jail while awaiting trial.

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Rep. Eli Crane Leads Three Arizona Republicans in Warning New EPA Rule Will Increase Water Rates

Tom Pappert

Four of Arizona’s congressional Republicans submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday, warning that a new rule about so-called “forever chemicals” will result in higher water rates and legal liability for Arizona businesses.

Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) was joined by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), and Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) in a letter requesting the EPA modify its new rule to keep Arizonan citizens and businesses from bearing “the economic burden of any necessary remediation when they have had no association with water pollution.”

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Georgia Power to Pay over $400 Million to Settle Nuclear Energy Lawsuit as Rate Hikes Loom

Tom Pappert

Georgia Power Co. agreed to pay more than $400 million to settle a lawsuit on Friday, after Oglethorpe Power Corp. accused the utility company of failing to follow its financial commitments regarding maintenance of nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta. The company said it would take longer for the facility to become fully operational as a result, even as Georgia energy rates continue to increase.

The lawsuit was filed last year, reported The Associated Press, with Oglethorpe Power accusing Georgia Power of sticking them with nearly $700 million in additional costs by unilaterally changing a contract to make itself immune to cost overruns at the Plant Vogtle nuclear facility that is seven years behind schedule and $17 billion over budget.

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Pro-Trump Attorney Challenges Fani Willis on First Amendment, RICO Validity in Georgia Election Case Against Him

Tom Pappert

In a pair of legal filings submitted Friday, attorney Kenneth Chesebro claims the case levied against him by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be dismissed based on First Amendment protections, and that she has failed to prove the racketeering charges against him. Chesebro, an attorney who assisted with former President Donald Trump’s effort to contest the 2020 election, requested Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee hold a hearing for arguments related to the latest filings.

The pair of filings were submitted by Chesebro’s attorneys on Friday afternoon, which The Messenger notes is the final day for parties to file written responses, and follow McAfee’s decision to toss a separate motion to dismiss the indictment earlier that morning.

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Abe Hamadeh to Endorse Kari Lake for U.S. Senate Ahead of October 10 Announcement

Tom Pappert

Former Arizona Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh endorsed former gubernatorial candidate and news anchor Kari Lake in her upcoming bid for U.S. Senate in Arizona during a podcast appearance on Thursday, declaring her to be “an incredible friend and ally” who will support former President Donald Trump and his agenda in Washington. D.C.

Hamadeh declared he intends to formally endorse Lake during an appearance on The Gateway Pundit’s “TGP Recap” Thursday, telling reporter Jordan Conradson he was excited to see Lake take her “fight to Washington.”

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No Charges for Georgia State Troopers Who Shot Protester During Occupation of Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

Tom Pappert

Prosecutors are recommending zero charges for the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) troopers who responded to civil unrest at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility, according to a Friday report from the Mountain Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The report concerns the January 18 incident that saw one trooper shot by activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán, which prompted the troopers to return fire and fatally shoot Terán.

The report includes testimony from troopers who responded to the future site of the public safety training center on January 18, and prosecutors ultimately ruled that use of lethal force by GSP was “objectively reasonable under the circumstances of this case,” and thus requires no criminal charges.

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Fani Willis Seeks Testimony from Trump Ally Boris Epshteyn in First Georgia 2020 Election Trial

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is seeking testimony from lawyer and political consultant Boris Epshteyn in the trial of lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, according to a court filing made public Thursday.

Willis wants a Washington, D.C. judge to force Epshteyn, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, to testify about actions taken by Chesebro and Powell during Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results. Fulton County promised Epshteyn will not be prosecuted for any information gleaned from his testimony.

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‘Almost Half’ of Phoenix TSMC Workers Were Reportedly Sent from Taiwan

Tom Pappert

Nearly half of hired workers for the new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plant in Phoenix, Arizona are reportedly Taiwanese nationals assigned to the new facility, and are not American citizens or local to Arizona, according to a new report published by the Financial Times on Wednesday.

The troubled TSMC installation has been touted as a major achievement of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats, but the Financial Times reveals that “almost half of those hired so far are assignees sent from Taiwan,” quoting two sources familiar with TSMC.

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Georgia High School Teacher Arrested over Inappropriate Relationship with Student

Tom Pappert

A Georgia high school teacher in Cobb County was arrested on October 4 and charged with sexual assault by a teacher and solicitation of sodomy over an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student.

Harrison High School social studies teacher Eric Taylor Butler was arrested for an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a student that began in June. The alleged abuse reportedly and continued until October 2, according to Atlanta First News, which reported the 28-year-old teacher allegedly carried on a relationship with a 16-year-old student.

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Georgia Republican Senators to Probe Fulton County Jail as Sheriff Moves Inmates to Mississippi

Tom Pappert

The Georgia Senate announced a new subcommittee to probe severe overcrowding and dangerous conditions at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday, with news breaking on Wednesday that State Senators John Albers (R-Alpharetta) and Randy Robertson (R-Cataula) will lead the probe.

The probe was revealed as activists gathered to protest Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat’s plan to relocate inmates to other facilities, including ones in South Georgia and Mississippi.

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Fani Willis Seeks to ‘Destroy Her Political Enemies,’ Warns Georgia GOP Chair After Legal Bills Pass $1 Million

Tom Pappert

Since 2022, the Georgia Republican Party has paid more than $1 million in legal bills for current and former officials embroiled in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election in the state. 

Public records reveal the Georgia Republican Party has spent more than $1 million for the legal defense of State Senator Shawn Still (R-Johns Creek), former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer, and former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham since 2022. The three Republicans were indicted as part of Willis’s case against Trump for their role as alternative Republican electors during the 2020 election contest.

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Kari Lake Files to Run for US Senate in Arizona Ahead of October 10 Announcement

Tom Pappert

Former Arizona news anchor and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) paperwork to run for U.S. Senate to represent Arizona in 2024 on October 3, with the filing coming only days after she announced a “Kari Lake Announcement Rally” in Phoenix on October 10.

Lake will be the second major Republican to declare their candidacy for the office, and will enter the race as an early favorite, with polling from August suggesting Lake will handily win the primary contest.

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Trump Praises Georgia State Sen. Colton Moore for Opposing ‘Failed DA’ Fani Willis

Tom Pappert

Former President Donald Trump recorded a video heaping praise on Georgia State Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton) for his legislative petition to force a special session for the purpose of defunding or impeaching Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Moore announced his petition effort after Willis indicted Trump and 18 other defendants in August, but received intense pushback from Georgia Republicans. Moore, a member of the Georgia Freedom Caucus, then arranged for activists to door-knock in Republican stronghold districts held by senators who oppose his petition, which ultimately lead to his expulsion from the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus.

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Georgia Politician Says She Was Slipped Date Rape Drug at Sports Bar

Tom Pappert

Clayton County Commission chair Felicia Franklin claims she was given the date rape drug while attending a live music event in Morrow, Georgia last weekend.

Franklin claimed in a post on Facebook that medical professionals believe she “was drugged with a GHB pill, more commonly known as the ‘date rape pill,'” and said the experience had “shaken me to my core.”

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Arizona Republicans Reveal 348 Percent Fundraising Increase, Promise ‘Infrastructure That Will Win Races’

Tom Pappert

The Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) revealed a 348 percent increase in its quarterly fundraising in a press release on Tuesday. In total, the Arizona Republicans raised more than $300,000 in the third quarter of 2023, which the party added is nearly $100,000 more than it raised under similar conditions in 2019.

AZGOP reported raising $340,597 from more than 2,700 donors, with at least one donor in all 50 states and an average donation of $126.15, according to its preliminary results from last quarter. The fundraising marks a positive turn for the state party, which as of August 31 reported having just over $31,000 cash on hand.

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Joe Biden Admits No Labels Will ‘Help the Other Guy,’ Argues Backers Making ‘Mistake’

Tom Pappert

President Joe Biden said Arizona’s newest political party, No Labels, will help his eventual Republican opponent in the 2024 presidential election during a Sunday interview with ProPublica.

Biden said No Labels will harm his electoral prospects during an interview with reporter John Harwood, asserting its organizer Joe Lieberman is making a “mistake” by abandoning the Democratic Party for a third party effort.

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Federal Court: Atlanta-Based Grant Program Exclusively for Black Women Likely Violates Civil Rights Act

Tom Pappert

An Atlanta-based venture capital firm’s grant program that is exclusively available to businesses owned by black women was blocked by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in a Saturday injunction that prevents funds being dispersed for the “racially exclusionary” grant program.

The 11th Circuit voted 2-1 to grant the injunction requested by the non-profit American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER), a project of conservative legal strategist Edward Blum, which is suing the venture capital Fearless Fund over its race-based Fearless Strivers Grant.

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Bernie Kerik to Invoke Fifth Amendment in Georgia Trump Case Unless He Receives Immunity: Report

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) subpoenaed Bernie Kerik, demanding he testify in her racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and those who helped him contest the 2020 election. A lawyer for Kerik reportedly replied to Willis on Monday, declaring the former New York Police Department (NYPD) commissioner and alleged unindicted co-conspirator would not testify under oath without assurances he will not be prosecuted.

Kerik was previously identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against Trump and his allies by CNN, and the outlet now claims to have reviewed a Monday letter from lawyer Tim Parlatore, who represents Kerik, that rebukes Willis’s demands.

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SK Battery Cuts Georgia Jobs Months After Company’s Waste Blamed for Fire

Tom Pappert

SK Battery announced layoffs for its Jackson County, Georgia plant this week despite previously expanding rapidly in Georgia. The layoffs came just months after a local business owner blamed the company for a fire that destroyed his recycling company and launched a lawsuit.

The battery company announced layoffs last Tuesday, with a spokesman describing them as “job reductions” when speaking to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The spokesman stressed the company is “not disclosing the number” of cut jobs, and the plant still employs 3,000 Georgians.

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Judge Cautions Fulton County Prosecutors over Witness Requirements, Expects Trial May Take Five Months

Tom Pappert

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee cautioned prosecutors working for District Attorney Fani Willis against calling witnesses not specifically outlined in their witness list. McAfee made his warning during a procedural hearing on Friday for the trial of attorneys Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, who face charges for their alleged part in what Willis claims was a racketeering scheme meant to illegally influence the 2020 election in Georgia.

Responding to a discovery notice filed by prosecutors, which sought to notify the court of their intention to call additional witnesses who provided testimony to the special grand jury but are not identified as witnesses, McAfee told special prosecutor Nathan Wade he expects “the state to be adhering to witness list rules, and if there are witnesses that are buried in discovery somewhere that don’t make it on that list, we’re going to have an issue and we’re going to have to talk through it.”

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Just 12 Percent of Georgia Voters Support ‘Stop Cop City’ Petition to Block Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Poll Shows

Tom Pappert

Polling released on Friday reveals the majority of Georgia voters support the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, with only 12 percent of poll respondents expressing support for the controversial “Stop Cop City” petition to force a public referendum on the project.

60 percent of Georgia voters back the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, agreeing with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, according to polling by 20-20 Insight. An additional 28 percent of Georgia voters are not sure, and just 12 percent support the “Stop Cop City” petition.

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Arizona’s Top Democrats Were in Washington, D.C. for ‘Meetings,’ Leaving Republican in Charge Ahead of Biden Visit

Tom Pappert

Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee (R) acted as the acting governor of the state for an unclear period of time between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, as three of Arizona’s top Democrats happened to be in Washington, D.C. for meetings. Yee’s tenure was ended when Governor Katie Hobbs (D) returned to appear alongside President Joe Biden at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to honor the legacy of John McCain.

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Arizona U.S. Rep. Eli Crane Remains Committed to Budget Showdown: ‘American People Expect This Group to Fight’

Tom Pappert

Arizona Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) confirmed his commitment to vote against any short-term spending bill, insisting he will only vote for the 12 appropriations bills Congress is legally obligated to create to fund the government, during a Thursday appearance on “The John Fredericks Show.”

Crane indicated he is proud to be called a “legislative terrorist” for his refusal to join moderate Republicans in their push for a quick spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, suggesting the $33 trillion debt and $2 trillion annual deficit mean “this thing doesn’t end well.” He also accused members of Republican Leadership and “many” House Republicans of having “no desire” to reign in spending.

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Georgia Senate GOP Caucus Votes to Remove State Senator Who Wants to Defund, Impeach Fani Willis

Tom Pappert

The Georgia Senate Republican Caucus voted on Thursday to oust State Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton) after he circulated a legislative petition calling for a special session to impeach or defund Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and sent activists to door-knock in districts of senators who publicly opposed the petition.

Moore announced a petition for a special session to defund or impeach Willis following her indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 current or former allies who helped him contest the 2020 election, sparking support from the grassroots and caution from Republican leadership. Since then, activists working with Moore have door knocked in Republican districts to lobby voters against Republican senators who refused to back the petition.

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Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Confirms Ex-Guard Accused of Strangling Detainee Is ‘Biologically a Female,’ Mug Shot Shows Person with Beard and Receding Hairline

Tom Pappert

A former guard at the Fulton County Jail, who was charged on Thursday after allegedly strangling a detainee to the point of losing consciousness, appears to be a biologically female person who identifies as a transgender male.

An indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Thursday, charging former Fulton County Jail detention officer Monique Clark with using excessive force when allegedly strangling a female detainee until she fell unconscious and was injured. Conflicting reporting about Clark’s gender appears to indicate Clark was born biologically female, but now identifies as male.

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Anti-Trump Lawyer Slams ‘Unnecessary’ and ‘Partisan’ Indictments from Fani Willis

Tom Pappert

A lawyer and author renowned for his critiques of former President Donald Trump publicly criticized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her case against the former president, calling it “unnecessary” and “partisan” in a podcast appearance on Tuesday.

Elie Honig, a former U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Southern District of New York, questioned whether Willis’s charges serve “the greater good” or “promote public confidence in the fairness” of the cases against Trump on the “CAFE Insider” podcast.

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Arizona Secretary of State Blames ‘MAGA Fascist Types’ Who ‘Want Our Systems to Crumble’ for High Election Official Turnover

Tom Pappert

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) blamed “MAGA fascist types” for the high turnover rate of the state’s election officials since 2020, claiming those who support former President Donald Trump “want our systems to crumble” during an interview with KTAR News 92.3 on Wednesday.

Responding to a new report from nonpartisan nonprofit group Issue One, which revealed that 80 percent of Arizona counties have hired new chief election officials since 2020, Fontes blamed Republicans for the high turnover.

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America First Legal Asks Education Department to Investigate Alleged Georgia Tech Discrimination Against Men

Tom Pappert

Conservative litigation group America First Legal (AFL) asked for a federal investigation into the Georgia Institute of Technology, better known as Georgia Tech, over alleged discrimination against men in its new Rising Stars program that only accepts students who are biologically female, identify as female, or do not identify as any gender, in a letter sent Tuesday.

AFL alleges Georgia Tech is violating Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972, which prohibits gender-based exclusion in “any education program or activity receiving federal Federal financial assistance,” and sent a letter to the Department of Education asking it launch an investigation based on the legal group’s evidence.

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Arizona Senate Republicans Blast ‘Petulant Temper Tantrum’ from Gov. Hobbs over Confirmation Hearings

Tom Pappert

Arizona Senate Republicans fired back after Governor Katie Hobbs (D) withdrew her nominations for Arizona’s state agencies and declared she would deny oversight from the Arizona Legislature by appointing permanent “executive deputy directors” instead.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Hobbs called Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), who heads the Arizona State Senate panel to vet and interview Hobbs’ nominees, a “fake elector” guilty of creating a “political circus” in the Senate.

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District Attorney Fani Willis Tells Atlanta Hip Hop Festival She’s Been ‘Threatened’ over Trump, Young Thug

Tom Pappert

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) told the audience at the Atlanta-based hip hop festival, Revolt World, that she and members of her family have received threats as a result of her office’s prosecutions of former President Donald Trump and rapper Young Thug.

Willis attended the festival, held in Atlanta beginning on September 22, and delivered remarks about her high profile prosecutions of Trump and Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams. At one point Willis told the audience that her father, daughters, and ex-husband have all received threats due to the high profile cases, in addition to threats she personally received.

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