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Tag: Georgia

  • Georgia grand jury finds evidence of perjury, no evidence of voter fraud in 2020 election

    Georgia grand jury finds evidence of perjury, no evidence of voter fraud in 2020 election

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    Georgia grand jury finds evidence of perjury, no evidence of voter fraud in 2020 election – CBS News


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    A Georgia district attorney on Thursday released some of a special grand jury’s report on efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The grand jury found no evidence of widespread fraud in Georgia and concluded that at least one witness may have committed perjury in their testimony. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports from Atlanta.

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  • Microsoft and Google promised to invest in these communities. Now they’re backtracking | CNN Business

    Microsoft and Google promised to invest in these communities. Now they’re backtracking | CNN Business

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    CNN Business
     — 

    When Microsoft President Brad Smith announced in February 2021 that the tech giant had purchased a 90-acre plot of land in Atlanta’s westside, he laid out a bold vision: The company, he said, would invest in the community and put it “on the path toward becoming one of Microsoft’s largest hubs” in the United States.

    The announcement, which was met with enthusiastic coverage in local media, promised the construction of affordable housing, programs to help public school children develop digital skills, support for historically Black colleges and universities, new funding for local nonprofits, and affordable broadband for more people in Atlanta.

    “Our biggest question today is not what Atlanta can do to support Microsoft,” Smith wrote. “It’s what Microsoft can do to support Atlanta.”

    Two years later, Microsoft announced a series of cost-cutting efforts, including eliminating 10,000 jobs, making changes to its hardware portfolio and consolidating leases. As part of those moves, Microsoft put development of its Atlanta campus on pause this month, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN.

    The decision to pause plans feels like a “broken promise” that caught many residents of the predominately Black neighborhood where Microsoft planned to build the campus off-guard, according to Jasmine Hope, a local resident and chair of her neighborhood planning unit.

    “All the promises of, ‘We’re going to put a grocery store here, we’re going to bring jobs to the area, we’re going to have a pipeline between the schools and Microsoft to create jobs,’ all that seems like it’s out the window,” she told CNN. “But the consequences are still being felt by the neighborhood.”

    A Microsoft spokesperson said the land is not for sale, “and we still aim to set aside a quarter of the 90 acres for community needs.” Microsoft will continue efforts “to create a positive impact in the region and be a contributing community partner,” the spokesperson added.

    As the tech industry boomed in the United States throughout the past decade, cities across the country vied to become tech hubs. State and city officials competed for Silicon Valley giants to bring offices, data centers and warehouses to their communities in hopes of creating jobs and bringing other benefits that cash-strapped local governments might struggle to fund on their own. In perhaps the biggest example of this, 238 communities submitted bids in 2017 to be home to Amazon’s second headquarters, with some offering major tax breaks or even to rename land “city of Amazon.”

    But now, a number of large tech companies are rethinking their costs, after years of seemingly limitless hiring and expansion. The reason: a perfect storm of shifting pandemic demand for online services, rising interest rates and fears of a looming recession. Much of the focus of this tech downturn so far has been on the long list of layoffs, but companies have also teased plans to dramatically reduce real estate expenses across the country.

    Facebook-parent Meta, Microsoft, Salesforce and Snap have each shuttered offices or announced plans to cut back on real estate, according to recent corporate announcements, filings and local news reports. Some tech companies have said they’ll let leases expire or go fully remote. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company is “transitioning to desk-sharing for people who already spend most of their time outside the office.”

    The effect of those pullbacks can already be felt across the country, from New York City, where Meta reportedly scaled back its real estate footprint in the Hudson Yards neighborhood, to San Francisco, where some local businesses say they are facing the ripple effects of remote work and multiple tech office closures.

    “Tech had pretty much gained market share to become the top industry leasing office space across the US, and that started back in 2012, 2013,” said Colin Yasukochi, the executive director of the Tech Insights Center at CBRE, a commercial real estate firm. In 2022, however, finance and insurance companies overtook the tech industry for the highest share of US office leases, according to CBRE’s data.

    “Really, over the last couple of quarters, you’ve seen the tech industry decrease its leasing activity pretty significantly,” he added. “That’s really, I think, the biggest impact that you’ve seen regarding these layoffs and austerity measures: the leasing activity pullback by the tech industry.”

    But the impact of that pullback is perhaps most stark in the communities with less robust tech hubs.

    Quarry Yards, on Atlanta’s westside, has been a source of some promise and dashed hopes. In 2017, Georgia officials included the formerly industrial area on a list of sites where Amazon could build its second headquarters, as part of its pitch to the e-commerce giant. Amazon ultimately went with other cities, but four years later, another Seattle tech giant scooped up the land.

    After the purchase, Microsoft described Quarry Yards as a place with “wide, tree-lined streets” but “broken sidewalks.” The area, Microsoft said, is “food desert with no grocery store, pharmacy or bank.”

    The community, according to Hope, consists of “a lot of elderly, Black neighbors.” These residents, she said, have been worried about gentrification and displacement for years as housing prices and property taxes surge in the metro Atlanta region.

    Jasmine Hope, PhD, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Motions Analysis Laboratory, Emory University.

    “Just the announcement of Microsoft coming into town” brought new buyers and developers into the area, she said, exacerbating these longstanding concerns. Data from Zillow indicates average home values in the neighborhood surged more at a significantly faster pace between January 2020 and December 2022 than Atlanta as a whole.

    But residents also had cautious optimism about the benefits Microsoft promised to the community, according to Hope. Now, the community is left with higher prices but none of the promised improvements or economic opportunities. “We’re not going to see any benefits and only deal with the consequences,” she said.

    “It feels like the community is now going to be burdened by this,” she said.

    Hope’s community isn’t alone in confronting the whiplash of Silicon Valley’s real estate pullback. Late last month, the city of Kirkland, Washington, said in a press release that it had been notified by Google that the company will not be proceeding with its proposed redevelopment project that initially aimed to bring a massive new campus to the city.

    In a Kirkland City Council meeting held just last summer, representatives from Google teased a slew of community benefits from the build — including infrastructure improvements, such as the creation of bike lanes and pedestrian trails, as well as a more than $12 million investment in affordable housing. The planning process between Google and the city had been taking place since the fall of 2020.

    “As we continue to shape our future workplace experience, we’re working to ensure our real estate investments meet the current and future needs of our workforce,” Ryan Lamont, a Google spokesperson, told CNN in a statement. “Our campuses are at the heart of our Google community, and we remain committed to our long-term presence in Washington state.”

    Even San Francisco, whose fortunes are tied to Silicon Valley more than any other city, is showing signs of strain from the one-two punch of the shift to remote work and office closures.

    Office vacancy rates in the city hit a record high of 27.6% in the final three months of last year, according to CBRE, compared to the pre-pandemic figure of 3.7%.

    “The previous high was about 20%, after the Dotcom bust,” Yasukochi, of CBRE, told CNN. “We’re at the highest point that our records have shown.”

    The rise of remote and hybrid work had been a major driver in tech giants cutting back on their real estate investments, Yasukochi said. Then came the recent cost-cutting measures.

    Local business owners say they are now feeling the impacts.

    An office sits vacant on October 27, 2022 in San Francisco, California. According to a report by commercial real estate firm CBRE, the city of San Francisco has a record 27.1 million square feet of office space available as the city struggles to rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic. The US Census Bureau reports an estimated 35% of employees in San Francisco and San Jose continue to work from home.

    Mark Nagle, the owner of a 21-year-old Irish pub and restaurant in downtown San Francisco called The Chieftain, told CNN he has witnessed a “cascade of closures” of tech and corporate offices in his neighborhood recently — including the shuttering of a Snapchat office just down the street.

    “We’re in a great location normally, we’re downtown,” Nagle said. But now his business is surrounded by several vacant retail spaces and multiple lots that are under construction.

    The number of workers regularly coming into the area has not bounced back since the start of the pandemic, Nagle said, and neither has his business. Nagle said that in addition to workers stopping by for a drink at the end of their days, nearby companies would frequently hold events and meetings at The Chieftain, but that those have also largely dropped off.

    At least six bars and restaurants in a two-block radius of him have shuttered in recent years, he said.

    “You’re making do with less and it’s made the business so much more unpredictable,” he added. “And we’re one of the lucky ones that can keep their doors open.”

    – CNN’s Clare Duffy contributed to this report.

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  • More than half of U.S. states are moving to cut your taxes

    More than half of U.S. states are moving to cut your taxes

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    Even as the U.S. economy shows signs of slowing down, many states around the U.S. are flush with cash, with their so-called rainy day funds estimated to reach a record high of $136.8 billion this fiscal year. And lawmakers in more than half of states are responding to their new cash cushions with similar proposals: cutting taxes. 

    Twenty-seven states are weighing tax cuts this year, according to a recent analysis from the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), which termed the push “tax cut fever.” Some officials are considering totally eliminating their state income tax, including in Mississippi and Arkansas, while others are floating property tax cuts, among other ideas.

    The drive to cut state taxes has accelerated during the pandemic. During the past two years, dozens of states reduced their income tax rates or created new tax credits and rebates, partly as their coffers overflowed due to strong economic growth and billions in federal pandemic aid. Yet the latest round of tax cuts comes as the economy is showing signs of stress, raising questions about timing. 

    “Times are good now, but if there’s a downturn, what will their response be?”” said Richard Auxier, senior policy analyst at the Tax Policy Center who focuses on state and local tax policy. “Will it be cutting spending on education? And if it’s raising taxes, who will be impacted?”

    The current tax cut proposals range from small reductions in states’ income tax rates to getting rid of the individual income tax altogether, as Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican who is running for reelection this year, has proposed.

    Other states are examining more targeted measures, such as exempting more retirement income from taxation — a move that would benefit older residents but potentially take away revenue that could be used for younger families, ITEP noted. 

    To be sure, some of these proposals are simply that: ideas floated by lawmakers and governors that may face a long path to becoming law. In some states, the tax cut plans are further along, such as in North Dakota, where lawmakers are weighing a bill that would eliminate the individual income tax for single filers making $44,725 or less and for married filers making $74,750 or less, according to the Bismarck Tribune.

    Tax cut rationale: The good, the bad and the ugly 

    State lawmakers say they are proposing tax cuts for a number of reasons: To make their states more economically competitive with others; to boost economic growth; or to boost taxpayers who are struggling with inflation. 

    But Auxier said voters should examine whether these tax strategies match up with lawmakers’ objectives, noting that the cuts might not actually accomplish their stated goals. 

    For instance, reductions in income tax rates are often portrayed as helping put money back into ordinary workers’ pockets. Yet in the 11 states that cut individual income tax rates in 2022, the biggest direct benefits were enjoyed by the highest-earning households, Auxier’s analysis found. 

    By comparison, lower- and middle-income households received only a modest or no benefit. The reason: Higher-income households pay the most in taxes, while some low-income households pay no taxes. That means a tax cut wouldn’t provide those individuals with any benefit.

    “If you say, ‘My goal is to give back money to the people who pay the most taxes,’ then the income tax cut works,” Auxier told CBS MoneyWatch. “I don’t like when they say, ‘I want to pass a tax cut for regular working class people’ — nope, it doesn’t work that way.”

    Some states weighing whether to scrap their income tax entirely say it will make them more attractive to businesses and households from other states. In Mississippi, Reeves said eliminating taxes would help the state — one of the poorest in the U.S. — “become more competitive economically with Texas, with Florida, with Tennessee.”

    Competitive taxation

    But Mississippi, which US News & World Reports ranks 50th on health care and 49th on its economy among all 50 states, may need far more than a tax cut to compete with Florida or Texas — which rank No. 8 and No. 9 in terms how well residents are doing — Auxier noted. 

    “I get really nervous when people in Mississippi and West Virginia start saying, ‘We have lot of problems, and I’m looking at Florida and Texas and they don’t have an income tax and they are doing great — that’s what we have to do’,” Auxier said. “If you think the only difference between Mississippi and West Virginia and Florida and Texas is income taxes, I don’t think you are doing enough research.”

    Businesses generally rank other issues higher than taxes when deciding where to locate, experts say. For instance, they’ll point to the need for a pool of qualified workers, good schools for their employees’ children and good roads and transportation to get employees to work.

    “Be careful before you eliminate your state’s ability to generate revenue,” Auxier noted.

    Targeted tax relief

    Other states are focusing their tax cuts on specific groups, such as 10 states that last year created or expanded a Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit, which is geared toward low-income families. Some states this year are focusing on older residents, with tax reductions for retirement income, such as Vermont, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

    These cuts are typically less fiscally costly than a wholesale reduction of the income tax rate, which makes them more affordable — and gives a state more fiscal flexibility in a downturn, Auxier added. 

    One example of tax cuts backfiring — the Kansas experiment of 2012. That year, lawmakers in the state slashed income tax rates on top earners by almost 30%, while some businesses had their taxes reduced to zero, under the theory that lower taxes would help spur economic growth. 

    But Kansas underperformed its neighboring states on an economic basis, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. And with less state revenue, Kansas was forced to cut spending on education and other services. Eventually, the tax cuts were reversed by lawmakers. 

    Here are the 27 states where lawmakers or their governors are considering tax cuts in 2023.

    Arkansas

    Newly inaugurated Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, is pledging to eliminate the state’s individual income tax, although she said she will start with tax cuts. Her rationale: “We will no longer surrender our jobs, our talent, our businesses and our economic might to states like Tennessee and Texas that have no income tax.”

    “I will work with lawmakers to pass an income tax cut this year – and we must keep cutting it, no matter how long it takes, until we eventually wipe the income tax off the books,” Sanders said in her January inauguration speech.

    Arkansas’ economy ranks 41st out of the 50 states, according to U.S. News & World Report.

    Colorado

    Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, is pushing for $200 million in property tax relief this year, according to the Colorado Sun. That comes after voters last fall approved a cut that reduced the state’s flat income tax rate to 4.4% from 4.55%.

    Connecticut 

    The state has a 3% personal income tax on the first $10,000 of earnings for single workers (and up to $20,000 for married filers), and a 5% rate for income up to $50,000 for single taxpayers and $100,000 for married filers. Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, is proposing cutting those rates to 2% and 4.5%, respectively, starting in 2024. 

    Georgia

    Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, wants to give $1 billion in income tax rebates to residents, which he describes as inflation relief, according to WSB-TV. He’s also proposing an additional $1 billion in property tax relief grants. 

    Idaho

    Idaho, which last year lowered its personal and corporate tax rate and created a tax rebate of $300 per person, wants to provide more relief in 2023, Governor Brad Little, a Republican, said in his 2023 state address. Little is pledging $120 million in property tax relief this year.

    Indiana

    Lawmakers in the state say they want to prioritize property tax cuts in 2023, as well as potentially cut individual tax rates even further, according to WISH-TV. That would come after the state approved lowering its personal income tax rate from 3.23% to 2.9% over seven years.

    Iowa 

    Lawmakers are focusing on lowering property taxes in 2023 after Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law last year to introduce a flat tax of 3.9% and eliminate brackets for higher-income residents.

    “So I think what you’re going to see us looking at this year is more of, how do we help bring down some of these levies, but at the same time, how do we make sure that there’s a level of accountability so Iowans see this property tax relief?” said Pat Grassley, the Republican House speaker, according to The Gazette.

    Kansas 

    Both Democrats and Republicans in Kansas want to provide more tax cuts in 2023, although they disagree about how to go about it, according to the Kansas City Star. 

    Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, wants to eliminate sales taxes on food, diapers and feminine hygiene products as well as cut income taxes on Social Security, among other approaches. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are pushing to introduce a flat income tax rate for state residents.

    Kentucky

    Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would accelerate tax cuts and lower the individual income tax to 4.5% in 2023 and to 4% in 2024. Currently, the state’s tax rate is a flat 5%.

    Louisiana

    Some state lawmakers want to eliminate its personal income tax, with state Rep. Richard Nelson, a Republican, suggesting offsetting the loss of income taxes with changes to sales and property taxes. Louisiana’s graduated individual income tax now ranges from 1.85% to 4.25%, according to the Tax Foundation.

    “My concept is really you’re going to package those changes with eliminating income tax and some of these other non-competitive taxes,” Nelson said, according to BRProud.com.

    Michigan

    On February 3, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and other Democratic state lawmakers proposed a set of tax cuts, including a $180 tax rebate for every tax filer, according to Click on Detroit.

    The plan would also eliminate a retirement tax of 4.25% and expand a match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which is aimed at low- and middle-income families. 

    Minnesota 

    Lawmakers in Minnesota, one of only 12 states that taxes Social Security income, are proposing to eliminate the tax. That would impact more than 400,000 tax filers, who would see a tax reduction of $1,200, according to CBS Minnesota.

    Mississippi

    As mentioned above, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves is seeking to eliminate the state’s personal income tax, which currently is a graduated tax ranging from 4% to 5%. 

    That would come after Reeves signed a law last year to reduce individual tax rates, with the 5% tax rate gradually declining to 4% for fiscal year 2026, according to the Clarion Ledger. 

    Missouri 

    Fresh off $800 million in tax cuts that were signed into law in 2022, Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, a Republican, said in January that the state’s $6 billion surplus should be used to send more money back to taxpayers. 

    Plocher didn’t provide specifics, but said he is interested in cutting income taxes and sales taxes, as well as making changes to property taxes, according to the Missouri Independent.

    Montana

    With a $2.5 billion surplus, state lawmakers are moving forward with a billion-dollar tax rebate that would send $1,250 in rebate checks to taxpayers. The bill would also green-light property tax rebates of $500 per homeowner, the Montana Free Press reported in January.

    However, Governor Greg Gianforte, a Republican, last month called for even bigger property tax rebates, at $2,000 per taxpayer. 

    “We want to provide Montana homeowners with $2,000 in property tax rebates over this year and next, and permanent, long-term income tax cuts,” he said at a January press conference.

    Nebraska

    Governor Jim Pillen, a Republican, and state lawmakers in January jointly proposed a number of bills that would reduce tax rates. For instance, one bill would cut its highest individual income tax rate form 6.64% now to 5.84% by tax year 2027.

    Another bill proposes exempting all Social Security income from taxation. Currently, the state exempts 60% of Social Security benefits from taxes. 

    New Mexico

    Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, in January announced a plan to send tax rebates to residents. The legislation proposes making $750 payments to individual taxpayers or $1,500 for those filing jointly, with the goal of helping residents struggling with inflation.

    North Carolina

    Some lawmakers want to cut personal tax rates to compete with states without individual tax rates. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, a Republican, last month said he wants to cut the individual income tax rate to 2.5%, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.

    The state income tax rate is already getting a cut in 2023, thanks to earlier legislation. The tax rate this year is 4.75%, down from 4.99% previously, and it will decline to 3.99% in 2026.

    North Dakota 

    Lawmakers in North Dakota are weighing a proposal that could eliminate the individual income tax for low- and middle-income earners. People earning less than $44,725 and married filers earning less than $74,750 wouldn’t pay taxes under the proposal, while higher-earning households would have a flat tax of 1.5%.

    Ohio

    A flat income tax is on the agenda for lawmakers in 2023, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Currently, the state has a graduated tax that ranges from 2.77% to about 4%, the Tax Foundation notes.

    Flat taxes ultimately benefit the highest-earning households, according to ITEP, which said its research found that all households except the top 20% paid a higher tax rate on average in flat-tax states compared with those in graduated tax states.

    Oklahoma 

    Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said in his state address earlier this month that he wants to cut taxes, according to Fox25. 

    “In my executive budget I am proposing to eliminate Oklahoma’s state grocery tax and reduce our personal income tax rate to 3.99%,” Stitt said. The state has a graduated individual income tax that ranges up to 4.75%, according to the Tax Foundation.

    South Carolina

    The state last year passed an income tax reduction, reducing the top income tax rate from 7% to 6.5% and condensing the number of income brackets to three from six, according to the Post and Courier. 

    Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, said in his January state address that he’d like to speed up the tax cuts. 

    “Should an increase in future revenues allow, I ask the General Assembly to use additional funds to speed up the income tax cut schedule, so taxpayers can keep even more of their hard-earned money,” 

    Utah

    Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, is proposing cutting the state’s current income tax rate from 4.85% to 4.75%, according to KSL.com. He also wants to use the state’s budget surplus to send checks of at least $100 to households and provide a one-time property tax rebate.

    Vermont

    Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, highlighted some possible tax cuts in his fiscal year 2024 budget address last month. Among them: getting rid of taxes on veteran pension benefits, which the AARP calls “long overdue,” and expanding its exemption on taxes for Social Security income. 

    Vermont, one of 12 states that taxes Social Security income, exempts earnings from the program of up to $25,000 per single taxpayer or $32,000 for married couples. Under Scott’s plan, that would be expanded by $15,000. 

    Virginia

    Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, in December proposed a new budget with an additional $1 billion in tax cuts, according to the Virginia Mercury. That would follow on last year’s $4 billion in tax cuts for state taxpayers. 

    Among his proposals is cutting the state’s top personal tax rate to 5.5% from 5.75% — a change that would impact most taxpayers since it applies to incomes over $17,000.

    West Virginia

    Governor Jim Justice, a Republican, proposed what he describes as “the largest tax cut in West Virginia history” in his state address last month. His plan would reduce personal income taxes by 50% over three years, beginning with a 30% cut in June 2023 and two additional 10% cuts in the following two years. 

    Wisconsin

    Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, proposed cutting taxes for middle-class households in his state address last month, according to PBS Wisconsin. However, Republicans are pushing for a flat-tax plan that would reduce taxes for the highest-earning households and introduce a flat 3.25% rate in four years, the publication noted.

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  • Atlanta area residents report finding antisemitic flyers in driveways | CNN

    Atlanta area residents report finding antisemitic flyers in driveways | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Police in suburban Atlanta are investigating after residents reported finding flyers with antisemitic imagery and messaging in their driveways.

    They were found Sunday morning in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, according to officials in both cities, home to many Jewish families.

    On Twitter, Georgia Rep. Esther Panitch said on Twitter she received a flyer in her driveway.

    “Welcome to being a Jew in Georgia-my driveway this morning. @SandySprings_PD came & took for testing. Govern yourselves accordingly, GDL and Anti-Semites who seek to harm/intimidate Jews in Georgia,” Panitch’s tweet said. “I’m coming for you with the weight of the State behind me.”

    According to Panitch, “many” Jewish families in Fulton and DeKalb counties received the flyers in their driveways.

    In a statement on Facebook, Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said residents “of many faiths” in at least three neighborhoods also woke up to find the flyers in their driveways.

    Deutsch said the purpose of the flyers is to cause fear and division. She also said Dunwoody police are aware and investigating the incident.

    “We are actively investigating this incident and working closely with the Sandy Springs Police Department, as their community was victimized as well,” Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said in a statement. “If you have any information related to this case, please contact 911. There is no place for hate in Dunwoody.”

    “On behalf of the Dunwoody City Council, I want to assure everyone that hateful, divisive, and anti-Semitic rhetoric has no place here,” Mayor Deutsch said in her statement. “Dunwoody is a community that values our diversity and is home to people of all faiths, races, ethnicities, and more. We live, work, serve and play together. At our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Jews, Christians, and Muslims worked together planting daffodils in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.”

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted the following statement:

    “This kind of hate has no place in our state and the individuals responsible do not share Georgia’s values. If needed, state law enforcement stands ready to assist Sandy Springs Police and Dunwoody Police in their investigations. We will always condemn acts of antisemitism.”

    The flyers found this weekend follow hundreds of antisemitic flyers that showed up in driveways and mailboxes in neighboring Cobb County in November, CNN affiliate WSBTV reported.

    The language on the flyers mirror language seen in scrolling messages in Jacksonville, Florida, public spaces in October, as well as on banners hung from a freeway overpass in Los Angeles earlier that month by a group appearing to make Nazi salutes.

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  • Democrats approve shake-up of 2024 calendar but it’s far from a done deal | CNN Politics

    Democrats approve shake-up of 2024 calendar but it’s far from a done deal | CNN Politics

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    Philadelphia
    CNN
     — 

    The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved a plan to shake up the 2024 presidential primary calendar and demote longtime early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire, but significant questions remain about how the new order will be implemented.

    The new calendar upends decades of tradition in which Iowa and New Hampshire were the first two states to hold nominating contests and moves up South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. President Joe Biden has argued the new nominating order would better reflect the diversity of the nation and the Democratic Party.

    But the party’s early nomination calendar, which was approved Saturday at the DNC’s winter meeting in Philadelphia, is facing opposition from some impacted states and could remain unsettled for months.

    Under the new calendar, South Carolina would hold the first primary on February 3, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on February 6, Georgia on February 13, and Michigan on February 27. Any state can hold a nomination contest starting March 5.

    The changes reflect longstanding concerns from party leaders that the previous calendar, which featured Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina in early voting, prioritized two states that are largely White and don’t represent the diversity of the party. Iowa has gone first in the nominating process since 1972, while New Hampshire has held the first primary in the process since 1920.

    “This calendar reflects the best of who we are as a nation, and it sends a powerful message all across the country,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said Saturday. 

    The calendar passed with overwhelming support. However, while the DNC sets the rules for the party’s nominating process, state governments (or state parties) ultimately set the dates of their contests, and New Hampshire and Georgia likely won’t be able to comply with the assigned dates.

    The chairs of the Iowa and New Hampshire Democratic parties objected to the calendar at Saturday’s meeting, noting that Democrats did not have the power in those states to unilaterally change their state laws. Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire control the office of the governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

    Rita Hart, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, argued, “Iowa has been put in a position that makes it impossible to comply with both DNC rules and our own state law, which has exactly zero chance of being changed by the Republican legislature.”

    Hart said, “Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in our part of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party.”

    Ray Buckley, the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said the DNC rules committee “knew that Republican leaders in the state would not bend to their will, and even knowing this, the RBC still decided that New Hampshire Democrats should be set up for failure,” referring to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

    “Every vote matters in New Hampshire,” Buckley said. “Victories are determined by a small number of independent swing voters. Those voters are already being bombarded by the Republicans, who are saying that Democrats have abandoned New Hampshire.”

    New Hampshire has a state law that protects its first-in-the-nation primary status, while Georgia’s primary date is set by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and an early primary would open Peach State Republicans up to sanctions from their own national party.

    New Hampshire and Georgia now have until June to take steps toward scheduling their contests on the assigned dates. If they don’t, they won’t be able to hold primaries before March 5 without being penalized by the DNC.

    While Georgia would likely just hold its primary once any state is allowed to do so, a New Hampshire primary scheduled for “7 days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election,” as state law requires, could lead to delegate penalties for the state party.

    Additionally, any candidate who campaigns in or even has their name on the ballot in a noncompliant primary would be unable to receive delegates from that state and could face other penalties.

    Despite the implementation hurdles ahead, the calendar passed with overwhelming support, and several officials spoke in support of the new order. Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, who has been a leading advocate for her state to join the early-voting calendar, gave a fiery speech Saturday in support of the proposal, saying it would reflect the diversity of the country.

    “We are overdue in changing this primary calendar to ensure it reflects the range of ideas, thoughts and hopes of Americans throughout this country,” Dingell said.

    While the Democratic rules drop New Hampshire from the second contest (and first primary) into a tie for the second primary, fellow longtime early state Iowa has been removed from the early set entirely.

    Like New Hampshire, Iowa is largely White, but it’s also far less politically competitive – then-President Donald Trump won it by 8 points in 2020 – and uses a complex and less accessible caucus format.

    Iowa’s early caucuses are also protected by state law, and then-Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in December that the party would follow that law when planning its contest while also pledging to reform the process.

    The other three early states shouldn’t have a problem complying with the new schedule. In South Carolina, each state party chair has the ability to set the date of their presidential primary. Nevada’s new date matches the one set by state law in 2021, and Michigan this week enacted a law to schedule their primary for February 27 (although the state legislature will have to end its session a few weeks early for it take effect in time).

    The calendar approved Saturday applies only to the Democratic party’s nominating process. Republican early-voting states will be unchanged from recent years, with Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

    “The [Republican National Committee] unanimously passed its rules over a year ago and solidified the traditional nominating process the American people know and understand,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Saturday. “The DNC has decided to break a half-century precedent and cause chaos by altering their primary process, and ultimately abandoning millions of Americans in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

    The DNC changes could affect Republicans, especially in Michigan, where the new primary date violates national GOP rules. To avoid a delegate penalty, Michigan Republicans could use a party-run process at a later date.

    Ultimately, if Biden seeks a second term, he’s unlikely to face serious opposition, and the order of states would be largely irrelevant. However, the changes demonstrate that the party won’t be permanently attached to the traditional set of early states, and party leaders have already started to prepare to reexamine the schedule again after the 2024 election.

    In her speech, Dingell backed that idea: “No one state should have a lock. We do need to revisit this every four years.”

    This story has been updated with additional information.

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  • The Death of an Officer’s Wife

    The Death of an Officer’s Wife

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    The Death of an Officer’s Wife – CBS News


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    Amanda Perrault died of a gunshot wound to the head. The unusual position of her body raised questions about who pulled the trigger. “48 Hours” contributor Anne-Marie Green reports.

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  • Timeline: The death of Amanda Perrault

    Timeline: The death of Amanda Perrault

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    When 44-year-old Amanda Perrault died from a gunshot wound to the head, her husband Seth Perrault, an officer with the Eatonton, Georgia, Police Department, told investigators that she had committed suicide. But when the Putnam County Sheriff saw the way her body was lying in the couple’s bed, he says he didn’t see a suicide, he saw a murder. 

    Fall 2011: A whirlwind romance

    Amanda and Seth Perrault
    Amanda and Seth Perrault

    Amanda Perrault/Facebook


    A recently divorced Amanda Johnson met Seth Perrault online. At the time, Perrault was battling cancer and living with his parents, who were paying his bills.

    The couple quickly fell in love and within six months, Johnson moved in with Perrault and became his caregiver. In 2017, Seth’s cancer went into remission. 

    Amanda Johnson begins to drift away from family

    Amanda Perrault and her sisters
    Amanda, left, with her sisters.

    Alesha Johnson/Facebook


    As Perrault and Johnson grew closer, two of Amanda’s sisters claim that they lost touch with her. “She didn’t come to, like, any of our Christmas events or, like, any of our events because she had to host for his family and cook for all of them,” Alesha Johnson told “48 Hours.” 

    Angie Johnson also claims that for years, Perrault would not allow Amanda to get a job or, at times, have a cell phone of her own. They say he was controlling and mistreated their sister.

    June 23, 2017: Seth and Amanda tie the knot

    Amanda and Seth Perrault
    Amanda and Seth Perrault on their wedding day.

    Alesha Johnson


    After five years together, Seth Perrault and Amanda Johnson quietly got married at the local courthouse, with just their children in attendance. 

    Alesha and Angie Johnson believe that Seth only asked their sister to marry him because he wanted custody of his daughter from a previous relationship. For over a year, Seth had been in a custody dispute with the girl’s mother and, as his lawyer told “48 Hours” contributor Anne-Marie Green, “If Amanda was gonna be present in his daughter’s life … they had to get married.”

    A few months after the couple were married, Seth was awarded full custody of his daughter.

    Nov. 1, 2018: Amanda Perrault’s dream home

    The Perrault's home
    The Perrault’s Eatonton, Georgia, home

    Zillow


    In 2018, Seth Perrault’s father bought his son a beautiful home near Lake Oconee in Eatonton, Georgia. Alesha Johnson told “48 Hours” that Amanda loved their new home and being a stepmother to Seth’s daughter, but her marriage was becoming more and more contentious.

    Nov. 19, 2018: Seth Perrault becomes Officer Perrault

    Amanda and Seth Perrault
    Amanda and Seth Perrault

    Amanda Perrault/Facebook


    About a year after they moved into their new home, Seth Perrault was hired by the Eatonton Police department. He had previously applied to the Putnam County Sheriff’s office, but was rejected for lack of experience. 

    Jan. 28, 2020: Amanda Perrault calls 911

    Amanda Perrault’s statement to the Putnam County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Department.

    Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office


    Amanda Perrault called 911 from a neighbor’s house, and told a Putnam County Sheriff’s dispatcher that her husband —an officer with the Eatonton Police Department — had assaulted her. Deputies responded to the call and saw red marks across Amanda’s chest.

    Seth Perrault’s 8-year-old daughter witnessed the incident and told the deputies that she heard the couple arguing and saw her father push Amanda out the door. She also said she was afraid and hid in her closet — but was ordered out by her father.

    Jan. 28, 2020: Seth Perrault is arrested

    Seth Perrault arrest

    Union Recorder/Billy Hobbs


    Deputies subsequently arrested Seth Perrault and charged him with simple battery, family violence, and cruelty to children in the third degree. That night, Amanda Perrault called her sister, Angie Johnson, and asked to be picked up in the morning.

    Jan. 29, 2020: Seth Perrault is released from jail on bond

    Seth and Amanda Perrault
    Seth and Amanda Perrault

    Amanda Perrault/Facebook


    The day after Seth Perrault’s arrest, Amanda Perrault told her sister Angie not to come pick her up. Instead, she decided to attend Seth’s bond hearing. When the judge asked Amanda if she wanted a stay away order added to Seth’s bond conditions, she said no. Seth was then released on a $1,500 bond, and Amanda allowed him to return home.

    Feb. 3, 2020: Seth Perrault reports his wife’s death

    “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said when investigating Amanda Perrault’s death. “Her body is flat on her back, her legs are almost together, and her arms are tucked against her side.” The gun Amanda  had allegedly shot herself with was by her left foot, and the gun’s magazine was by her right hand. Sills says that was enough to convince him that Amanda had not killed herself.”48 Hours” animation based on Perrault crime scene photos.

    CBS News


    Five days after Seth Perrault’s release from jail, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills was called about an alleged suicide at the Perrault house. Sheriff Howard Sills told “48 Hours” that Seth Perrault told him he and Amanda were in bed arguing, “And then all of a sudden she just produced the gun outta thin air and executed herself.”

    After briefly inspecting the house, Sheriff Sills called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to collect the evidence. Perrault was taken to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department for more questioning. Seth said Amanda felt bad about his arrest after their fight and that she wanted to “recant her statement”.

    Seth said, Amanda, “looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I put you through this.” “Boom.”

    Feb. 4, 2020: Sheriff’s deputies canvas the Perrault’s neighborhood

    The Perrault's lakeside neighborhood
    The Perrault’s lakeside neighborhood. 

    CBS News


    The day after Amanda’s death, sheriff’s deputies questioned the Perrault’s neighbors and learned that Seth and Amanda had a history of domestic violence. Neighbors said the couple could be heard fighting often and that Seth Perrault seemed to be the aggressor. A neighbor also recounted seeing Seth drag Amanda down the driveway by her hair. Another neighbor said he would often stand in his yard listening to the couple arguing in case he needed to call for help. No one ever called the police because, as they told sheriff’s deputies, Seth was the police.

    Feb. 5, 2020: Seth Perrault is arrested a second time

    Seth Perrault
    Seth Perrault 

    Putnam County Sheriff’s Office


    Two days after Amanda Perrault’s death, Sheriff Sills felt he had enough evidence to obtain a warrant for Seth Perrault’s arrest.

    Feb. 11, 2020: An Interview with Seth’s Perrault’s daughter

    Seth Perrault's daughter
    Seth Perrault’s daughter being questioned by a forensic child psychologist about what the 8-year-old witnessed.

    Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office


    Days after Seth Perrault’s arrest, his then-8-year-old daughter was interviewed by a forensic child psychologist about what she witnessed the day Seth was arrested on charges of domestic abuse. That interview would later be used as evidence at trial. 

    July 31, 2020: A jailhouse informant

    Jack Faulk
    Jack Faulk

    Putnam County Sheriff’s Department


    Jack Faulk and Seth Perrault were on the same dorm block at the Jones County Jail when Faulk reached out to Sheriff Sills. In two handwritten letters to the sheriff, Faulk detailed what he claimed Perrault told him about Amanda’s death, including that Seth said, “He had been giving [Amanda] pain killers all day” and that “she was passed out” at the time of her death.

    Aug. 21, 2020: Autopsy report is released

    Amanda Perrault autopsy
    Amanda Perrault’s death was declared a suicide by the state medical examiner.

    Georgia Bureau of Investigation


    Nearly seven months after Amanda Perrault’s death, Georgia Bureau of Investigation forensic pathologist Dr. Lora Darrisaw released her autopsy report declaring the manner of death suicide. Sheriff Sills says he was shocked, but undeterred by that report. 

    Nov. 3, 2020: A grand jury Indicts Seth Perrault

    After spending nearly 9 months in jail, a grand jury decided that despite the coroner’s report, there was enough evidence for Seth Perrault to stand trial in the murder of his wife, Amanda.

    Feb.  25, 2022: Seth Perrault is found guilty

    Seth Perrault verdict
    Seth Perrault stands to hear the verdict in his murder trial on Feb. 25, 2022.

    Eatonton Messenger


    After deliberating for just under two-and-a-half hours, a jury of eight women and four men found Seth Perrault guilty of murder. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole.

    After his sentencing, Perrault’s new legal team filed his first appeal, which was rejected. 

    Amanda’s legacy

    Amanda's sisters
    Angie, left, and Alesha Johnson remember their sister Amanda on her birthday.

    CBS News


    Every August, on Amanda’s birthday, her sisters honor her memory by releasing love letters tied to purple balloons. This year, they included the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Their hope is that the notes will find the people who need them most.

    Angie and Alesha Johnson remember their sister as a free spirit, a beloved best friend, and a dedicated mother.

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  • Georgia governor declares state of emergency, activates 1,000 National Guard troops amid Atlanta protests

    Georgia governor declares state of emergency, activates 1,000 National Guard troops amid Atlanta protests

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    Six people arrested after Atlanta protest


    Six people arrested after protest turns violent in Atlanta

    04:30

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday and activated 1,000 National Guard troops in response to ongoing violent protests in downtown Atlanta following a shooting last week near a controversial future law enforcement training site in which a Georgia state trooper was wounded and a man was killed.  

    The state of emergency is in effect until Feb. 9, according to the document, unless renewed by the governor. 

    The Atlanta protests center around the building of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, nicknamed “Cop City.” Protestors have been at the site for months, but on Jan. 18, a protestor identified as Manuel Esteban Paez Teran was shot and killed by law enforcement after authorities said he shot and wounded a Georgia state trooper during a planned multi-agency operation to remove protestors from the area. The trooper was hospitalized and survived. 

    On Jan. 21, six people were arrested after protests at “Cop City” led to property damage and a police vehicle being set ablaze. Some of the arrested protestors were found with explosives, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. No one was injured. 

    Trooper Shot Atlanta
    Police block downtown streets following a protest, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Atlanta, in the wake of the death of an environmental activist killed after authorities said the 26-year-old shot a state trooper.

    Alex Slitz / AP


    Kemp specifically referenced the burnt car in his declaration of the state of emergency. 

    “Masked activists threw rocks, launched fireworks and burned a police vehicle in front of the Atlanta Police Foundation office building,” the declaration read, in part. “Georgians respect peaceful protests, but do not tolerate acts of violence against persons or property.” 

    The state of emergency declaration authorizes the Georgia National Guard to be used in response to continued protests. Activated troops will have “the same powers of arrest and apprehension as do law enforcement officers.”


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  • Dems vote to give states more time on new primary calendar

    Dems vote to give states more time on new primary calendar

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic National Committee panel voted Wednesday to give New Hampshire and Georgia more time to make changes that would allow both to be part of a revamped group of five states leading off the party’s presidential primary starting next year.

    But even as they voted 25-0 to extend the compliance deadline until June 3, members of the DNC rules committee complained about New Hampshire’s ongoing feud with the national party because the new calendar would cost it the chance to hold the nation’s first primary.

    The fight underscores how the effort to shake up the Democratic presidential primary could turn increasingly bitter, even at a time when the party will be counting on staying unified as it tries to hold the White House and Senate in 2024.

    The DNC rules committee voted last month to approve a plan championed by President Joe Biden that would strip Iowa’s caucus of its traditional post leading off the primary and replace it with South Carolina, which would open primary voting on Feb. 3. New Hampshire and Nevada would hold primaries together three days later, with Georgia’s primary coming Feb. 13 and Michigan’s two weeks later. Most of the rest of the country would subsequently vote on Super Tuesday in early March.

    The Democrats’ proposed shakeup comes after Iowa’s 2020 caucus was marred by technical problems. Biden says the new proposed calendar better reflects his party’s deeply diverse electoral base, which relies heavily on African American voters.

    The president is also seeking to reward South Carolina, where nearly 27% of the population is Black, after a decisive win there revived his 2020 presidential campaign following losses it suffered in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

    Those changes are set to be formally approved for next year’s presidential race by the full DNC at its meeting next week in Philadelphia.

    Nevada and South Carolina have already agreed to comply with the new calendar’s requirements. In Michigan, moving the primary date requires an act of the Legislature. Democrats control both chambers in that state, but they would need Republican support to enact the change before the end of February 2024, so it’s not yet clear when the proposed changes might be approved.

    The greater sticking points have been New Hampshire and Georgia.

    New Hampshire state law mandates that it hold the nation’s first primary — a rule Iowa was able to circumvent only because it held a caucus. Top New Hampshire Democrats say they’ve handled that responsibility successfully for more than a century and have vowed to simply jump the other states and lead off primary voting again in 2024, regardless of the DNC’s new calendar.

    In Georgia, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger sets his state’s primary date. He has indicated he’d only be willing to move it if the Republican National Committee pushes to change the date of its Georgia primary, which hasn’t happened.

    Wednesday’s vote gave Georgia and New Hampshire more time — but also saw committee members voice their frustrations with New Hampshire.

    “I really do believe it is irresponsible, the statements being made in New Hampshire,” said Lee Saunders, a rules committee member and president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

    “I would just urge everybody to cool down a little bit,” Saunders said.

    Rules committee member Leah Daughtry said she was “similarly taken aback and quite frankly shocked” by New Hampshire’s objections to the new calendar. She also rejected that state’s assertions that it shouldn’t lose its place because of tradition stretching back more than a century.

    “Hanging their argument on this 100-year-old privilege is really, for me as an African American woman, really quite disturbing,” Daughtry said, noting that Black women didn’t have the right to vote about a century ago.

    Rules committee member JoAnne Dowdell from New Hampshire countered that “politics is part of our DNA.”

    “We believe it is possible to lift up diverse voices and keep New Hampshire at the start of the process,” Dowdell said.

    The Democrats’ 2024 primary calendar could be moot if Biden opts to run for reelection, as expected. In that case, Democrats will have little appetite for building out a robust primary schedule that could allow a major challenger from his own party to run against the president.

    The DNC rules committee also has already pledged to revisit the primary calendar after 2024. Still, any changes it makes for next year — even if there is ultimately no competitive primary — could help shape future decisions about which states go first, potentially triggering an important shift on where presidential candidates campaign hardest as future races begin.

    Rules committee co-chair Minyon Moore said its members remain committed to “the president’s vision.”

    “We want to make sure the states can have as much time as they need to work though this process,” Moore said.

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  • ‘Decisions are imminent’ on charges in Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election in Georgia, Fulton County DA says | CNN Politics

    ‘Decisions are imminent’ on charges in Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election in Georgia, Fulton County DA says | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suggested Tuesday that the special grand jury investigating Donald Trump and his allies’ efforts to upend the 2020 election in Georgia has recommended multiple indictments and said that her decision on whether to bring charges is “imminent.”

    At a hearing in Atlanta on whether to publicly release the special grand jury report. Willis, a Democrat, said she opposes making it public at the moment, citing her ongoing deliberations on charges.

    “Decisions are imminent,” Willis told Judge Robert McBurney.

    “We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly it’s not appropriate at this time to have this report released,” she said.

    The special grand jury, barred from issuing indictments, penned the highly anticipated final report as a culmination of its seven months of work, which included interviewing witnesses from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

    The special grand jury heard from a total of 75 witnesses, Willis said Tuesday.

    Its final report is likely to include some summary of the panel’s investigative work, as well as any recommendations for indictments and the alleged conduct that led the panel to its conclusions.

    Fmr. US attorney explains what could happen next in Fulton Co. investigation

    Donald Wakeford, Fulton County’s chief senior assistant district attorney, also argued to the judge that it would be “dangerous” to release the report before any announcement related to possible charges is made.

    “We think immediately releasing before the district attorney has even had an opportunity to address publicly whether there will be charges or not – because there has not been a meaningful enough amount of time to assess it – is dangerous,” Wakeford said. “It’s dangerous to the people who may or may not be named in the report for various reasons. It’s also a disservice to the witnesses who came to the grand jury and spoke the truth to the grand jury.”

    Atlanta-area prosecutors are already poring over the report as they weigh whether to bring charges against Trump or his associates.

    McBurney, who oversaw the special grand jury’s roughly seven-month investigation, will decide whether the report should be released publicly and, if so, how much of it. While the panel of grand jurors recommended its report be made public, so far, the contents have been closely held.

    A media coalition, which includes CNN, is seeking for the full report to be made public.

    “We believe the report should be released now and in its entirety. And that approach is consistent with the way the American judicial system operates,” attorney Tom Clyde, representing the coalition, argued. “In other words, it is not unusual for a district attorney or a prosecuting authority to be generally uncomfortable with having to release information during the progress of the case. That occurs all the time.”

    At the close of the nearly two-hour hearing, McBurney emphasized the unique nature of the issue, saying, “I think the fact that we had to discuss this for 90 minutes shows that it is somewhat extraordinary.”

    “There’ll be no rash decisions” he said, adding later: “No one’s going to wake up with the court having disclosed the report on the front page of a newspaper.”

    McBurney will have to weigh the public’s interest in learning about efforts to interfere in the last presidential election against concerns that making the information public could hinder an ongoing investigation if the district attorney is pursuing indictments and that the release could disparage individuals who have not been charged with crimes, said Peter Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia.

    “What you don’t want is an opportunity for a grand jury to make some allegation of criminal conduct that later on either can’t be proven or is unsubstantiated and the person hasn’t had a chance to clear his or her name,” Skandalakis said.

    Attorneys for Trump did not participate in Tuesday’s hearing.

    “The grand jury compelled the testimony of dozens of other, often high-ranking, officials during the investigation, but never found it important to speak with the President,” Trump attorneys Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg and Jennifer Little said in a statement. “Therefore, we can assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump.”

    The Georgia probe began soon after Trump phoned Raffensperger in January 2021, pressing the secretary of state to “find” the votes necessary for Trump to win the state. He lost the state to Joe Biden by nearly 12,000 votes.

    “Our vote is as important as anyone else,” Willis told CNN in a 2022 interview. “If someone takes that away or violates it in a way that is criminal, because I sit here in this jurisdiction it’s my responsibility.”

    Willis requested a special grand jury to investigate the case and the panel began its work in June 2022, calling a roster of witnesses that included Raffensperger, Giuilani, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

    In this file photo, Fulton County Judge Robert C. McBurney instructs potential jurors during proceedings to seat a special purpose grand jury, May 2, 2022, in Atlanta.

    Over time, the investigation has expanded well beyond the Trump call to include false claims of election fraud to state lawmakers, the fake elector scheme, efforts by unauthorized individuals to access voting machines in one Georgia county and threats and harassment against election workers.

    Along the way, Willis has designated a number of people as targets of her probe, including 16 Republicans who served as pro-Trump electors in 2020 and Giuliani.

    But how much of that makes it into the final report was up to the special grand jurors.

    “It’s important for people to know that the prosecutor’s office does not write the presentment, traditionally,” said Robert James, who used a special grand jury to investigate local corruption when he was district attorney in Georgia’s DeKalb County. “It literally is the will of the people.”

    Now that Willis has the special grand jury’s report, it’s up to her to decide whether to go to a regular grand jury to pursue indictments. She’s not required to follow the exact recommendations laid out by the special grand jury, but its work product is likely to eventually become public and she could risk backlash if she runs too far afield of the panel’s suggestions.

    Willis has previously said she could pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges in this case, which would allow prosecutors to bring charges against multiple defendants and make the case that Trump and his allies were part of a criminal enterprise.

    Whatever her approach, she’s likely to face pressure to move expeditiously with indictments or close her investigation.

    The level of pressure is “all encompassing,” said James, who predicted Willis would marshal her resources and get her case trial-ready before she seeks any indictments.

    “The spotlight is hot,” James said. “You can’t afford to lose a case like this, right?”

    Prior special grand jury reports have laid out a narrative of the panel’s investigation and concluded with recommendations.

    The 2013 special grand jury James worked with issued a roughly 80-page report, but it was only released publicly after a months-long court fight.

    The DeKalb County panel’s investigative summary referenced testimony and documents provided to the grand jury. Tacked on to the end of the report was a list of all the witnesses who appeared. The grand jurors ultimately referred one person for indictment – who fought the report’s public release – and nearly a dozen others for further investigation, laying out the infractions in each case that led them to their conclusions. They also recommended a variety of government reforms.

    A 2010 report from a special grand jury in Gwinnett County summarized its investigative activity surrounding local land acquisition deals and indicted one public official, though the indictment was later overturned when a court ruled that special grand juries could not issue indictments.

    For McBurney, there are only a few special grand jury examples to guide his decision-making on the report’s handling.

    “Like everyone else I’m sitting around eating popcorn waiting to see what he’s going to release and what he’s not going to release,” said Robert James, who used a special grand jury to investigate local corruption when he was district attorney in Georgia’s DeKalb County.

    This story has been updated with additional details.

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  • Mother of activist fatally shot by law enforcement at Atlanta police training facility says she feels angry and powerless | CNN

    Mother of activist fatally shot by law enforcement at Atlanta police training facility says she feels angry and powerless | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The mother of an activist fatally shot by law enforcement in Atlanta earlier this week said she feels angry and powerless as protests over the shooting erupted Saturday.

    See video from the scene of ‘Cop City’ protest in Atlanta

    The activist – 26-year-old Manuel Esteban Paez Terán – was shot near a planned $90 million, 85-acre law enforcement training facility where opponents had camped out for months in an attempt to halt its construction.

    On Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials were performing a clearing operation to “identify people who were trespassing in the area,” authorities said.

    Officers spotted someone in a tent in the woods and gave verbal commands, but the person allegedly did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.

    Officers returned fire and fatally wounded the person, who was identified as Terán. A handgun recovered from the individual’s possession matched the projectile from the trooper’s wound, the GBI said.

    Terán’s mother, Belkis Terán, spoke to CNN by phone from Panamá Saturday night, expressing disbelief in law enforcement’s recounting of the incident.

    “They said he had a gun. If he had one, it was for protecting himself against the animals in the forest. That’s what I understand,” she said.

    “I never knew he had a gun,” the mother continued, adding that she didn’t think Terán was the type of person to fire at law enforcement.

    Activists associated with protesting the facility also disputed law enforcement’s account, calling Terán a “forest defender” working to fight environmental racism. They said Terán identified as nonbinary and was a “sweet, warm, very smart and caring” person.

    “He was not a violent person. He was a pacifist. He would tell me that all the time … He wouldn’t even kill an animal,” Terán’s mother said.

    Terán didn’t express any concerns about personal safety over the roughly six months spent with other activists near the proposed police training facility, the mother said.

    “He didn’t think it would escalate. I would tell him to be careful, but he would tell me that he was safe,” she said.

    The mother says she now wants to come to the US to assist the activists who knew Terán.

    “I want to stand up. I want to raise his voice. I’d like to help the conservationists to find a way to stop Cop City. I don’t know if I can do that,” she said.

    The Atlanta Police Foundation has said the planned training center – dubbed “Cop City” by its opponents – is needed to help boost morale and recruitment efforts.

    But the facility, which will include a shooting range, mock city and burn building, has been met with intense resistance, including Saturday’s protest.

    Terán’s mother said she was saddened to hear about the protest in downtown Atlanta, where six people were arrested after businesses sustained damage to their windows and a police cruiser was left in flames.

    “I don’t think violence is going to do anything,” she said, telling protesters in Atlanta, “Do not throw stones. We need to walk together with candles.”

    “I’m sorry for the people who are angry, but I don’t want to be angry all my life,” the grieving mother said.

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  • 6 arrested after Atlanta protests over controversial ‘Cop City’ and fatal police shooting of activist | CNN

    6 arrested after Atlanta protests over controversial ‘Cop City’ and fatal police shooting of activist | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Six people were arrested Saturday evening in downtown Atlanta, authorities said, during protests that came in response to a proposed police training facility and the fatal police shooting of an activist earlier in the week.

    The protesters marched in a “peaceful manner” Saturday evening down a central Atlanta street but a group within the crowd later began “committing illegal acts,” including breaking windows and attacking police cruisers, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said in a news conference.

    Police arrested six people and were continuing to investigate whether there were any others involved in illegal activity, the chief said. Three businesses sustained damage to their windows, he added.

    Social media footage showed a police cruiser on fire in the downtown area, and video from CNN affiliate WANF showed broken windows at a Wells Fargo bank.

    The protests come in response to a planned $90 million, 85-acre law enforcement training facility – dubbed “Cop City” by its opponents – and just days after the police killing of a 26-year-old activist near the site of the training center.

    CNN has reached out to a local movement opposing the project for comment.

    Some of the people arrested Saturday have “already been involved in other criminal activity and are involved in a manner to deter the building of the public safety training center,” Schierbaum said.

    “My message is simple to those who seek to continue this type of criminal behavior,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said during the news conference. “We will find you and we will arrest you and you will be held accountable.” Dickens was among the city council members who voted in favor of the training center in 2021.

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also said on Twitter “violence and unlawful destruction of property are not acts of protest. They are crimes that will not be tolerated in Georgia and will be prosecuted fully.”

    During the news conference, Dickens said many of those arrested “don’t even live in Atlanta or in the state of Georgia” and some were found “with explosives.”

    The activist’s fatal police shooting unfolded Wednesday morning, during what authorities said was a clearing operation to remove people from the site of the future facility. Opponents of the center have camped out in the area for months in an attempt to halt construction.

    The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said law enforcement officers spotted an individual in a tent in the woods and gave verbal commands, but the individual allegedly did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper, according to a news release.

    Officers returned fire and fatally wounded the individual, who died at the scene. A handgun recovered from the individual’s possession matched the projectile from the trooper’s wound, the GBI said.

    The person killed was identified as Manuel Esteban Paez Teran.

    Activists associated with movements protesting the facility, who dispute law enforcement’s account, said Teran was a “forest defender” working to fight environmental racism. Local justice groups said Teran, known as Tortuguita, was a “sweet, warm, very smart and caring” person.

    The injured trooper was taken to a local hospital for surgery and was in stable condition Wednesday night, authorities said. The Georgia Department of Public Safety said it will not release the trooper’s name because “disclosure would compromise security against criminal or terroristic acts due to retaliation.”

    Additionally, the GBI said that during its clearing operation, it found and removed about 25 campsites and arrested and charged seven people with domestic terrorism and criminal trespass. Authorities recovered “mortar style fireworks, multiple edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks and a blow torch,” it added.

    The Atlanta Police Foundation has said the planned training center is needed to help boost morale and recruitment efforts, and previous facilities used by law enforcement are substandard.

    But the facility, which will include a shooting range, mock city and burn building, has been met with fierce resistance.

    While some critics of the project see it as a response to the 2020 police brutality and racial injustice protests, city leaders have said the center will also help address police reform, but have not provided further details.

    Some residents have also accused the city of blindsiding neighbors with what they said has been a largely secretive development process with little community input. Taxpayers will foot about $30 million of the facility’s cost, with the rest coming from private philanthropic and corporate donations, city officials have said.

    And activists have also long expressed concern over the project’s environmental impact: The training center would carve out a chunk of forested land and fragment what local advocates hope will become a network of connected green spaces across parts of Atlanta and DeKalb County.

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  • Georgia football player Devin Willock made young fan’s day hours before deadly car crash

    Georgia football player Devin Willock made young fan’s day hours before deadly car crash

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    Just hours before University of Georgia football player Devin Willock died in a car accident that also killed a school staff member early Sunday morning, he greeted a young fan whose grandparent posted about their recent meeting online. Willock, an offensive lineman for the champion Bulldogs, retweeted the now-viral post on Saturday evening with three red-heart emojis. It was the athlete’s final tweet prior to his death.

    Alongside a message thanking the Georgia player for his time, Sam Kramer, the original poster, shared a series of photos that showed Willock in what appears to be a restaurant, standing beside a small boy who is pictured smiling and wearing a Bulldogs football jersey. In one of the images, the child is seen trying on Willock’s championship ring and flashing it toward the camera.

    “Special thank u to @DevinWillock for taking time for my grandson when he didn’t have to,” Kramer wrote in the tweet. “U went out of ur way to make him feel special and U made his day!! Good luck next year! Go Dawgs!”

    Willock was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Athens, Georgia, south of the university campus, at around 2:45 a.m. local time on Sunday morning, the Athens-Clarke County police department confirmed in a statement. Authorities also said their preliminary investigation determined that a Ford Expedition “left the roadway, striking two power poles and several trees” when the accident happened.

    Willock, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene. Chandler LeCroy, a 24-year-old recruiting analyst for the Bulldogs who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Georgia, was driving the car and died later at a hospital from injuries sustained in the crash. 

    Two additional passengers, who police identified as a 21-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, were seriously injured in the collision. The university had previously identified the injured passengers as two members of the Bulldogs football program, who were “both in stable condition.”

    “We will continue to monitor their status with medical personnel,” the school said in a statement released Sunday morning, which announced Willock and LeCroy’s deaths and described them as “two special people who meant so much to the University of Georgia, our football program and our athletic department.”

    Over the eight-hour period that passed between Willock’s final post on Twitter and the deadly accident in Athens, he and the rest of the Bulldogs football team celebrated their second consecutive national championship win with a parade and ceremony.

    NCAA Football: CFP National Champions-Georgia Celebration
    Jan 14, 2023; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Devin Willock (77) at the national championship celebration at Sanford Stadium.

    Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters


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  • As tornadoes hit, survivors hid in tubs, shipping container

    As tornadoes hit, survivors hid in tubs, shipping container

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    MARBURY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama engine mechanic took refuge in a shipping container as a tornado from a violent storm decimated his shop and killed two of his neighbors along its destructive path across Alabama and Georgia.

    The harrowing stories of David Hollon and other survivors of Thursday’s storm are emerging as residents comb through the wreckage wrought by tornadoes and blistering winds that have led to the deaths of at least nine people.

    In Alabama’s rural Autauga County, where at least seven people have died, Hollon and his workers saw a massive tornado churning toward them. They needed to get to shelter — immediately.

    Hollon said they ran into a metal shipping container near the back of his garage because the container had been anchored to the floor with concrete. Once inside, Hollon began frantically dialing his neighbor on the phone. But as they heard the garage being ripped apart by the storm, the call kept going to voicemail.

    The storm passed and they emerged, only to find the body of his neighbor in the street, he said. Another neighbor up the road had also died, a family member said.

    “I guess we did a lot better than most. We got damage, but we’re still here,” Hollon, 52, said in an interview Saturday as he walked amidst the remains of his garage, stepping through a field littered with battered cars, shattered glass, snapped tree branches, splintered wood and other debris.

    Leighea Johnson, a 54-year-old cafeteria worker who also lives in Autauga County, stood among the strewn remains of her trailer home. She pointed to a tall pile of rubble that she identified as her bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

    A swing set she had in her backyard was now across the street, mangled among some trees. Her outdoor trampoline had been wrapped around another set of trees in a neighbor’s front yard.

    “The trailer should be here, and now it’s not,” Johnson said, pointing to a slab covered in debris, “And it is all over the place now.”

    The storm brought powerful twisters and winds to Alabama and Georgia that uprooted trees, sent mobile homes airborne, derailed a freight train, flipped cars, cracked utility poles and downed power lines, leaving thousands without electricity. Suspected tornado damage was reported in at least 14 counties in Alabama and 14 counties in Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.

    Early Sunday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Alabama and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in affected areas.

    Autauga County officials said the tornado had winds of at least 136 mph (218 kph) and leveled damage consistent with an EF3, two steps below the most powerful category of twister. County authorities have said at least a dozen people were hospitalized and about 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including mobile homes that were launched into the air.

    Residents described chaotic scenes as the storm spun toward them. People rushed into shelters, bathtubs and sheds as the winds bore down. In one case, a search crew found five people, trapped but unharmed, inside a storm shelter after a wall from a nearby house fell onto it.

    Downtown Selma sustained severe damage before the worst of the weather moved across Georgia south of Atlanta. No deaths were reported in Selma.

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the damage was felt across his state. Some of the worst reports emerged from Troup County near the Georgia-Alabama line, where more than 100 homes were hit.

    Kemp said a state transportation department worker was killed while responding to storm damage. A 5-year-old child who was riding in a vehicle was killed by a falling tree in Georgia’s Butts County, authorities said. At least 12 people were treated at a hospital in Spalding County, south of Atlanta, where the weather service confirmed at least two tornadoes struck.

    Johnson, the cafeteria worker in Autauga County, said she was at work when she learned the storm would pass directly over her home. She quickly warned her daughter, who was with her 2-year-old grandson at home.

    “I called my daughter and said, ‘You do not have time to get out, you’ve got to get somewhere now,”’ Johnson said, her voice cracking. “And she said, ’I’m getting in the tub. If the house is messed up I’ll be in the tub area.”

    The call dropped. Johnson kept calling back. When she finally reconnected with her daughter, Johnson said she told her: “The house is gone, the house is gone.”

    Her daughter and grandson had some cuts and bruises but were otherwise fine after a trip to the emergency room, Johnson said.

    “I brought her home and tried not to let go of her after that,” Johnson said. “I lost a lot of things materialistically and I don’t have insurance but I don’t even care, because my child is all right.

    “That’s really all that matters to me.”

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  • One couple’s remarkable escape from slavery

    One couple’s remarkable escape from slavery

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    One couple’s remarkable escape from slavery – CBS News


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    In 1848 Ellen Craft, an enslaved woman in Macon, Georgia, feared that her father – who was her White enslaver – would claim any child she bore as his property. And so, she and her husband, also enslaved, embarked on a remarkable ruse: Fleeing the South, she masqueraded as a male White slaveowner accompanied by “his” slave. Correspondent Mark Whitaker talks with Ilyon Woo, author of “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom,” and with Peggy Preacely, the couple’s great-great-granddaughter.

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  • People hid in bathtubs, shipping container as deadly storm tore through Alabama and Georgia

    People hid in bathtubs, shipping container as deadly storm tore through Alabama and Georgia

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    Severe Weather Tornado
    David Hollon stands inside his garage in Autauga County, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. The Alabama engine mechanic took refuge in a shipping container near the back of his garage as a tornado from Thursday’s violent storm decimated his shop and killed two of his neighbors along its destructive path across Alabama and Georgia.

    Sharon Johnson / AP


    An Alabama engine mechanic took refuge in a shipping container as a tornado from a violent storm decimated his shop and killed two of his neighbors along its destructive path across Alabama and Georgia.

    The harrowing stories of David Hollon and other survivors of Thursday’s storm are emerging as residents comb through the wreckage wrought by tornadoes and blistering winds that have led to the deaths of at least nine people.

    In Alabama’s rural Autauga County, where at least seven people have died, Hollon and his workers saw a massive tornado churning toward them. They needed to get to shelter — immediately.

    Hollon said they ran into a metal shipping container near the back of his garage because the container had been anchored to the floor with concrete. Once inside, Hollon began frantically dialing his neighbor on the phone. But as they heard the garage being ripped apart by the storm, the call kept going to voicemail.

    The storm passed and they emerged, only to find the body of his neighbor in the street, he said. Another neighbor up the road had also died, a family member said.

    “I guess we did a lot better than most. We got damage, but we’re still here,” Hollon, 52, said in an interview Saturday as he walked amidst the remains of his garage, stepping through a field littered with battered cars, shattered glass, snapped tree branches, splintered wood and other debris.

    Severe Weather Alabama
    Friends and family help as they recover from a tornado that ripped through Central Alabama earlier this week along County Road 140 where loss of life occurred Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in White City, Autauga County, Ala.

    Butch Dill / AP


    Leighea Johnson, a 54-year-old cafeteria worker who also lives in Autauga County, stood among the strewn remains of her trailer home. She pointed to a tall pile of rubble that she identified as her bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

    A swing set she had in her backyard was now across the street, mangled among some trees. Her outdoor trampoline had been wrapped around another set of trees in a neighbor’s front yard.

    “The trailer should be here, and now it’s not,” Johnson said, pointing to a slab covered in debris, “And it is all over the place now.”

    The storm brought powerful twisters and winds to Alabama and Georgia that uprooted trees, sent mobile homes airborne, derailed a freight train, flipped cars, cracked utility poles and downed power lines, leaving thousands without electricity. Suspected tornado damage was reported in at least 14 counties in Alabama and 14 counties in Georgia, according to the National Weather Service.

    Severe Weather Alabama
    Leighea Johnson looks over what is left of her home after a tornado that ripped through Central Alabama earlier this week destroying her home on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 in Marbury, Ala. Her daughter and grandson where in the home and survived with minor injuries.

    Butch Dill / AP


    Early Sunday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Alabama and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in affected areas.

    Autauga County officials said the tornado had winds of at least 136 mph (218 kph) and leveled damage consistent with an EF3, two steps below the most powerful category of twister. County authorities have said at least a dozen people were hospitalized and about 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including mobile homes that were launched into the air.

    Residents described chaotic scenes as the storm spun toward them. People rushed into shelters, bathtubs and sheds as the winds bore down. In one case, a search crew found five people, trapped but unharmed, inside a storm shelter after a wall from a nearby house fell onto it.

    Severe Weather Alabama
    Workers remove fallen trees as they begin to recover from a tornado that ripped through Central Alabama earlier this week Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 in Marbury, Ala. Stunned residents tried to salvage belongings as rescue crews pulled survivors from the aftermath of a deadly tornado-spawning storm system.

    Butch Dill / AP


    Downtown Selma sustained severe damage before the worst of the weather moved across Georgia south of Atlanta. No deaths were reported in Selma.

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the damage was felt across his state. Some of the worst reports emerged from Troup County near the Georgia-Alabama line, where more than 100 homes were hit.

    Kemp said a state transportation department worker was killed while responding to storm damage. A 5-year-old child who was riding in a vehicle was killed by a falling tree in Georgia’s Butts County, authorities said. At least 12 people were treated at a hospital in Spalding County, south of Atlanta, where the weather service confirmed at least two tornadoes struck.

    Johnson, the cafeteria worker in Autauga County, said she was at work when she learned the storm would pass directly over her home. She quickly warned her daughter, who was with her 2-year-old grandson at home.

    “I called my daughter and said, ‘You do not have time to get out, you’ve got to get somewhere now,”‘ Johnson said, her voice cracking. “And she said, ‘I’m getting in the tub. If the house is messed up I’ll be in the tub area.”

    The call dropped. Johnson kept calling back. When she finally reconnected with her daughter, Johnson said she told her: “The house is gone, the house is gone.”

    Her daughter and grandson had some cuts and bruises but were otherwise fine after a trip to the emergency room, Johnson said.

    “I brought her home and tried not to let go of her after that,” Johnson said. “I lost a lot of things materialistically and I don’t have insurance but I don’t even care, because my child is all right.

    “That’s really all that matters to me.”

    Severe Weather Alabama
    John Henderson, helps sift through debris looking for personal items as they recover from a tornado that ripped through Central Alabama earlier this week Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023 in Marbury, Ala. Stunned residents tried to salvage belongings as rescue crews pulled survivors from the aftermath of a deadly tornado-spawning storm system.

    Butch Dill / AP


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  • Why Black voters are more important in Georgia than in any other state | CNN Politics

    Why Black voters are more important in Georgia than in any other state | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    President Joe Biden is heading back to Georgia. On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he’s visiting Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the civil rights pioneer once preached. The trip makes a lot of sense, not just to pay tribute to King, but also because King helped lead the drive for equal voting rights for Black Americans.

    The Peach State is in many ways the place where the political importance of Black voters is clearest. They are one of the biggest reasons Georgia has swung from a red state to a purple one.

    The current list of swing states in American politics mostly features places where Black voters don’t play an outsize role – states such as Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin. Even in swing states where Black voters make up at least 10% of the voting public (e.g., Michigan and Pennsylvania), the Black portion of the electorate in the 2020 election was comparable to what it was nationwide (12%).

    Georgia is the big exception. According to US Census data, 33% of 2020 presidential election voters in the state were Black. That ranked second nationally behind deep-red Mississippi. Georgia’s own records show that a slightly smaller 29% of 2020 voters whose race was known were Black (or 27% when we include voters for whom race was unknown). That’s still the highest percentage in any swing state by far.

    Not only that, but the Black portion of the electorate is growing in Georgia as their percentage of the population has risen. State records show that Black adults made up 23% of voters in the 2000 election – which indicates a 6-point increase in the Black portion of the presidential electorate (whose race was known) from 2000 to 2020. There was an uptick of 1 point nationally over the same time span.

    To put into perspective how important this shift has been to Democratic fortunes, consider this math of the 2020 election results. Black voters in Georgia favored Biden by 77 points, according to the exit polls. Non-Black voters as a group (led by White voters) backed then-President Donald Trump by about 30 points. If Black voters had made up the same 23% of presidential election voters they did in 2000, Trump would have won the state by 6 points.

    Instead, Biden won Georgia by less than a point and became the first Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election since Bill Clinton in 1992.

    (Keep in mind, other datasets suggest that Biden won Georgia’s Black voters by an even larger margin, so this math may, in fact, underestimate how important Black voters were to Biden’s win.)

    There are other factors as to why Biden won Georgia when Democrats before him had failed. The state’s Asian and Hispanic populations are also way up from where they were 20 years ago. At the same time, White voters with a college degree in Georgia have shifted well to the left, matching recent national trends.

    All that said, Black voters are a huge reason why only a handful of states have swung more Democratic in presidential elections since 2004 than Georgia, which has moved 17 points more Democratic. None of the seven states with bigger Democratic swings had elections that were anywhere as close as Georgia’s was in 2020.

    Of course, it’s not just in presidential elections where the voting power of Black Georgians is felt.

    Both of Georgia’s US senators are Democrats, including the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church himself, Raphael Warnock. Without Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff, Democrats would be in the Senate minority instead of holding 51 out of 100 seats.

    Neither Warnock nor Ossoff would be in the Senate without Black voters. I’m not only talking about the fact that Black Georgians overwhelmingly cast their ballots for Ossoff and Warnock in twin Senate runoffs in 2021 or about the rise in the percentage of Black voters in the state since the beginning of the century.

    I’m talking about factors unique to the 2021 runoffs. Historically, Black turnout had dropped in general election runoffs in Georgia. That was not the case in 2021, when both Ossoff and Warnock scored narrow wins.

    Black voter turnout (relative to voters as a whole) was actually up in the 2021 runoffs compared with the November 2020 general election. Moreover, those who turned out were more Democratic-leaning than Black voters who had voted in the general election.

    Many of these same Black voters backed Warnock in huge numbers again in his victorious bid for a full six-year term in December’s Senate runoff.

    With the 2024 election around the corner, Georgia’s electoral fate depends on Black voter turnout and whether Democrats continue to win them in large numbers more than any other state. Expect Biden to be back in the Peach State rallying Black voters, if he runs for a second term.

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  • Another powerful storm front hits California amid flooding woes

    Another powerful storm front hits California amid flooding woes

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    Another powerful storm front hits California amid flooding woes – CBS News


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    The latest in series of powerful storms hit California Saturday, causing widespread damage and forcing emergency evacuations. Danya Bacchus has the details.

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  • CBS Evening News, January 13, 2023

    CBS Evening News, January 13, 2023

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    CBS Evening News, January 13, 2023 – CBS News


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    Search for survivors after deadly tornado outbreak; Students raise funds to make playground inclusive for those with disabilities.

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  • Search for survivors after deadly tornado outbreak

    Search for survivors after deadly tornado outbreak

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    Search for survivors after deadly tornado outbreak – CBS News


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    A deadly storm front hit the South, leaving a trail of destruction in parts of Alabama and Georgia. Meanwhile, residents in California are bracing for more storms after a week of torrential rains and flooding. Omar Villafranca and Carter Evans report.

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