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☆ A week after Helene struck the Southeast, power outages and impassable roads stymie recovery as death toll reaches 200
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

In some Georgia counties and one in North Carolina, utilities say more than 90% of their customers are still in the dark. Friends help Sam Soughail, third from left, clear out his Casablanca Cigar Bar in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday, October 1. Mike Stewart/AP Emily Ogburn, right, hugs her friend Cody Klein after he brought her a meal in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Hurricane Helene is seen in a satellite photo Thursday afternoon. Marco Bello/Reuters In pictures: Hurricane Helene unleashes its fury Prev NextHundreds of roads remain closed, hampering efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities.

Persons: Helene, ”, Sam Soughail, Melissa Sue Gerrits, Mike Stewart, Jonathan Drake, Emily Ogburn, Cody Klein, Van Hutchins, Dennis Rector, Josh Morgan, Hurricane Helene, Andy Brown, Jeffrey Collins, Len Frisbee, Jeff Roberson, Christian Monterrosa, Ashley Dillinger, Marco Bello, Reuters Linda Bandy, Carissa Sheehan, Kathy Kmonicek, Janice Whitley, Terry Wilson, Sean Rayford, Melinda, Kathleen Flynn, Paul Hennessy, Gerald Herbert, Elmira Glover, Joe Raedle, John Falchetto, Cassandra Randall, Jessica Downey, Greg Lovett, Hailey Morgan, Phelan M, Megan Varner, Sarah Cribbins, Michael, Luis Santana, Miguel J, Rodriguez Carrillo, Richard Burkhart, Mike Carlson, Candice Ocvil, Jibri Tolen, Erik S, Cristobal Herrera, Candace Redwine, Guy Ford, George G, Tapper, Ricardo Arduengo, Joe Burbank, Carol Poulson, Andrew West, Cynthia Centeno, Reuters Charles Starling, Stephen M, Dowell, Chandan Khanna, Thomas Simonetti, Pete Beach, Ramon Espinosa, Paola Chiomante, it’s, “, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Joe Biden, Biden, Kamala Harris, Katie Button’s, Button, José Andrés, “ We’re, ” Button, ” ‘ We’ve, Robert Gaudet, We’ve, Helene Media, Hurricane, ” Gaudet, ” Starlink, Deanne Criswell, CNN’s Jim Acosta, Criswell, ” Criswell Organizations: CNN, Hurricane, Duke Energy, Georgia county, Getty, Homes, AP, Reuters, & Sons Department, USA, AP Local, New York Times, Town, Anadolu, Workers, North Carolina Department of Transportation, . North Carolina Department of Transportation, Tampa Bay Times, AFP, East, Savannah Morning, United States Coast Guard, Walt Disney, Orlando Sentinel, Tribune, Service, Fairview Middle School, Fishel, State Emergency Operations Center, Washington Post, NOAA, La, Cajun Navy, Maxar Technologies, Technologies, Twitter, FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Florida, Gulf, North Carolina, United States, Georgia, Carolinas, Asheville , North Carolina, Rock , North Carolina, Barnardsville , North Carolina, Lure , North Carolina, Swannanoa , North Carolina, Marshall , North Carolina, Lure, Columbus , North Carolina, Hurricane, Augusta , Georgia, Springs , North Carolina, Old Fort , North Carolina, Bat Cave, Morganton , North Carolina, Old Fort, Fletcher , North Carolina, Steinhatchee , Florida, Tampa , Florida, Steinhatchee, Boone , North Carolina, Asheville, ., Treasure Island , Florida, Horseshoe Beach , Florida, Boone, Valdosta , Georgia, AFP, Horseshoe Beach, Laurel, Vilas , North Carolina, Crystal River , Florida, Crystal River, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, , Florida, Savannah , Georgia, Savannah, Shore, St . Petersburg , Florida, Key , Florida, Tarpon Springs , Florida, Watauga, Sugar Grove , North Carolina, Port Saint Joe , Florida, Bay Lake , Florida, St . Petersburg, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, Tallahassee, Leon County , Florida, Eastpoint , Florida, Villages, Tallahassee , Florida, Gulfport , Florida, St, Cross City , Florida, Guanimar, Cuba, Panacea , Florida, Puerto Juarez, Mexico, Clearwater , Florida, Weaverville, Fort Liberty, South Carolina, La Bodega, Maui

A shelter-in-place advisory has been extended for an entire Georgia county Monday after chlorine was detected in the air, emitting from a chemical lab where there was a fire the day before. A chemical fire ignited on the roof of the BioLab plant in Conyers, Rockdale County at 5 a.m. Sunday after a sprinkler head malfunctioned “causing a mixture with a water-reactive chemical,” Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said. Rockdale County extended the shelter-in-place recommendation for residents in an early Monday morning update. Officials did not confirm the chemical involved in the release Sunday, but the county said air quality surveys conducted by the Environmental Protection Division and the Environmental Protection Agency detected chlorine in the air coming from the lab. The county also announced that all government facilities will be closed Monday, and advised businesses to close operations until the shelter-in-place is lifted.

Persons: Marian McDaniel, It's, McDaniel, “, ” McDaniel, Hurricane Helene Organizations: Fire, Environmental, Environmental Protection, KIK Consumer Products, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Products Locations: Georgia, Conyers, Rockdale County, Rockdale

Israel’s recent attacks on Hezbollah expose weaknesses in Iran’s proxy strategy. Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah exposes weaknesses in Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’In a matter of weeks, Israel has dealt devastating blows to Iran’s most important proxy, Hezbollah. For Iran, Hezbollah was supposed to be the cornerstone of its strategy to outflank superior adversaries, such as Israel, with armed proxies. But Iran’s strategy, dubbed the “axis of resistance,” underestimated how Israel would respond to the Hamas terrorist attack of Oct. 7 and subsequent cross-border rocket fire from Hezbollah. Helene leaves a trail of destruction in the SoutheastThe devastation from Helene came into clearer view over the weekend, with residents in the Southeast reeling from the storm’s impact.

Persons: Helene, Derrick Henry, Hezbollah’s, Hassan Nasrallah, ”, “, Bruce Hoffman, —, they’ve, Nelson Mandela, Marwan Barghouti, Sheriff Quentin Miller, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Stephanie Scarbrough, eason, alf Organizations: Baltimore Ravens, NFL, Israel, U.S, Sheriff, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Gov, NBC, NFL Baltimore, Ravens, Buffalo Bills, ’, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City, Seattle, Detroit Lions Locations: Florida, North Carolina, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Tehran, Buncombe County, Asheville, Tennessee, Valdosta , Georgia, Los Angeles . Minnesota, Green

☆ Georgia chemical lab fire prompts evacuations, shelter-in-place orders for entire county
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The shelter-in-place recommendation for residents of Rockdale County, population 93,570, was valid through midnight, the county said in a statement. A sprinkler head malfunctioned after 5 a.m. at the BioLab plant, “causing a mixture with a water-reactive chemical,” Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel said. Deputies say multiple roads in Rockdale County, Ga., were closed Sunday because of a fire at the BioLab facility on Old Covington Highway. "We’ve been firefighting with water," McDaniel said at during the update, "but the water is also aggravating the chemical." Rockdale County officials told residents living between Sigman Road and Interstate 20 to evacuate Sunday morning.

Persons: Marian McDaniel, ” McDaniel, McDaniel, Hurricane Helene, Sharon Webb, KIK Organizations: Fire, KIK, Products, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Management Agency, Sunday Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Rockdale County, Conyer , Georgia, Rockdale, Old Covington Highway

☆ Korean adoptees say they were ‘commodified’ and governments ignored fraud, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“It showed the callous way in which children going to the US. At a hearing in 1977, a U.S. congressman asked why so many children were still coming from South Korea. But with hundreds of stories to verify in a single week, only a tiny fraction of adoptions were denied. How is that possible?” said Susan Jacobs, a retired State Department official who has worked on adoption reform efforts. Robert Ackerman, immigration attache at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told reporters in 1988 that he had heard allegations of birth mothers being bribed.

Persons: Patricia Nye, “, ” Nye, ”, Susan Jacobs, Laws, Homer Stark, ” Stark, David Will, ” Will, Stark, Donald Wells, “ I’ve, Robert Ackerman, Ackerman, ” Ackerman, Michelle Bernier, Toth, adoptees, Elizabeth Bartholet Organizations: Social Service, U.S, Embassy, University of Minnesota Libraries, ISS, State Department, State, United Press International Locations: Seoul, Asia, U.S, South Korea, Tokyo, Gwinnett County , Georgia, strollers, Georgia, United States, Europe, Hague, Korea

A suburban county in Georgia agreed on Friday to use a new voter information database endorsed by the election denial movement, a move that defied warnings from voting rights groups, election security experts and state election officials. Columbia County, a heavily Republican county outside Augusta, is the first in the country known to have agreed to use the platform, called EagleAI. Its supporters claim the system will make it easier to purge the rolls of ineligible voters. Ms. Mitchell and others have billed EagleAI as an alternative to the Election Registration Information Center, a widely used interstate system that made it easier for officials to track address changes and deaths as they maintain the voter rolls. That system, known as ERIC, has become the subject of conspiracy theories and misinformation that prompted nine states to withdraw with few backup plans.

Persons: Cleta Mitchell, Donald J, Mitchell, ERIC Locations: Georgia, Columbia County, Augusta

The zoning changes doubled the size of houses allowed in Hogg Hummock. Black residents say larger homes in the community will lead to property tax increases that they won’t be able to afford. He added that their lawsuit “is wholly silent on the topic.”Attorneys for the Hogg Hummock landowners who are suing did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Thursday. About 30 to 50 Black residents still live in Hogg Hummock, founded by former slaves who had worked the island plantation of Thomas Spalding. Well over 100 Hogg Hummock residents and landowners packed those meetings to voice objections, but were given just one chance to speak to the changes.

Persons: Hogg, Hogg Hummock, discriminates “, Paul Frickey, Thomas Spalding . Organizations: Hogg Locations: SAVANNAH, Ga, — County, Georgia, McIntosh, Sapelo, Thomas, Savannah, Black

The Camden County Sheriff's Office hired him nine months later. His file shows Aldridge was disciplined for using unnecessary force in February 2014 and May 2017. The department fired Aldridge for his third infraction just three months later. “It's just not worth the risk.”Bessent and other advocates say it’s an example of Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor tolerating unnecessary violence. After one car crashes, body and dash camera video shows Aldridge shouting expletives as he approaches with his gun drawn.

Persons: Buck Aldridge, Leonard Cure, Aldridge, ”, Timothy Bessent Sr, Neill Franklin, they’re, Franklin, “ It's, ” Bessent, Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor, Proctor, Larry Bruce, Jarrett Hobbs, Hobbs, jailers, “ You’ve, Harry Daniels, Christine Newman, Newman, Robert Persse, Louis Dekmar, Dekmar, Mike Spiers, “ Buck Aldridge, Adrienne Browning, “, Cure, That's, Thaddeus Johnson, ” Johnson, expletives, Johnson Organizations: Camden County sheriff's, The Associated Press, Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Camden, Camden County’s NAACP, AP, U.S . Marine, Kingsland Police, Police, Maryland State Police, Baltimore Police Department, Camden County Sheriff, International Association of Chiefs, Georgia State University, Criminal Locations: Camden, Georgia, Florida, Camden County’s, Kingsland, Georgia's, Camden County, Hobbs, LaGrange , Georgia, Franklin, Memphis

Chesebro was the third of 19 codefendants in the Georgia case to make a deal, a monumental legal and personal blow to Trump, who highly prizes loyalty among his associates. Another former Trump lawyer, Sidney Powell, entered into a plea deal Thursday, following a September deal by a lesser-known bail bondsman, Scott Hall. While other defendants – especially Trump – have pushed for later trial dates, Chesebro insisted on his right to a speedy trial. Jury selection for his case started Friday, and Chesebro entered into the plea deal hours after potential jurors filed into the courthouse. The Chesebro deal could be the third domino to fall against Trump and other high-level defendants such as former Trump lawyer and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Persons: Kenneth Chesebro, Donald Trump's, Chesebro, Trump, Joe Biden, Sidney Powell, Scott Hall, –, Fani Willis, Willis, Rudy Giuliani, Joyce Vance, ”, MAGA, Michael Cohen, Arthur Engoron, Engoron, Chris Kise Organizations: Trump, Biden, Biden's, U.S . Capitol, Act, New York, MSNBC Locations: Georgia’s Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, New York

Harrison Floyd is shown in a police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., August 24. Harrison Floyd said at his first court appearance that he could not afford a private lawyer and had been denied representation by a public defender because he did not qualify. Floyd, who appeared virtually, said that it typically cost between $40,000 to $100,000 just to retain a private lawyer to fly to Georgia. Richardson told Floyd that he could either hire a lawyer or represent himself. In a separate case, Floyd was arrested in Maryland in May and charged with assaulting FBI agents who tried to serve him with a subpoena, court records show.

Persons: Harrison Floyd, mugshot, Donald Trump's, Floyd, Emily Richardson, Richardson, bedbugs, Scott McAfee, Trump, Fani Willis, Joe Biden's, Rudolph Giuliani, Misty Hampton, Sidney Powell, Attorney Willis, McAfee, Kenneth Chesebro, Powell, Willis, Jeffrey Clark, Biden, Jack Queen, Andy Sullivan, Luc Cohen, Noeleen, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Fulton County Sheriff's, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S . Department of Justice, Trump, Democratic, U.S . Marine, New, Attorney, Justice, Republican Party, Republican, Christian, Thomson Locations: Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Fulton County, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Atlanta

Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman were among those charged. "Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said at a press conference. A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump persists in falsely claiming he won the November 2020 election although dozens of court cases and state probes have found no evidence to support his claim. Willis's investigation drew on testimony from Trump advisers including Giuliani, who urged state lawmakers in December 2020 not to certify the election, and Republican state officials like Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, who refused to echo Trump's false election claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Fani Willis, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Willis, Trump, Drew Findling, Jennifer Little, Marissa Goldberg, Georgia's, Brad Raffensperger, Trump's, Prosecutors, Giuliani, Meadows, Scott Morgan, Brian Kemp, Kemp, Raffensperger, Jean Carroll, Sarah N, Lynch, Rami Ayyub, Jack Queen, Tim Ahmann, Andrew Goudsward, Kanishka Singh, Nilutpal, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Howard Goller Organizations: Former U.S, Democrat, Fulton, Trump, Republican, White House, Reuters, U.S . Capitol, Electoral College, Fair, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Former, Georgia, Fulton County, Trump's, Arizona , Pennsylvania, Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, New York, Florida, Washington

"Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," the indictment said. A third indictment, in Washington federal court, accuses him of illegally seeking to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump denies wrongdoing in this case as well, and a trial date has yet to be set. Willis's investigation drew on testimony from Trump advisers including Giuliani, who urged state lawmakers in December 2020 not to certify the election, and Republican state officials like Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, who refused to echo Trump's false election claims. While many Republican officials have echoed Trump's false election claims, Kemp and Raffensperger have refused to do so.

Persons: Donald Trump, Evelyn Hockstein, Democrat Joe Biden, Fani Willis, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Trump, Georgia's, Brad Raffensperger, Trump's, Prosecutors, Willis, Giuliani, Brian Kemp, Kemp, Raffensperger, Jean Carroll, Jack Queen, Tim Ahmann, Jacqueline Thomsen, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Howard Goller Organizations: Fair, REUTERS, Former U.S, Democrat, Trump, Republican, White House, U.S . Capitol, Electoral College, Giuliani, Meadows, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Iowa, Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, Former, Georgia, Fulton County, Trump's, Georgia county, Arizona , Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Washington, York

CNN —Former President Donald Trump on Monday was criminally charged for the fourth time this year in a sweeping Georgia indictment accusing him of being the head of a “criminal enterprise” to overturn the 2020 election. The indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis included 18 defendants in addition to Trump, 41 charges in total and 30 unindicted co-conspirators. Willis’ indictment also went well beyond what transpired in Georgia as she used racketeering violations to charge a broad criminal conspiracy. Here are the takeaways from the Georgia indictment:Another indictment against the 2024 Republican front-runnerAfter the Georgia indictment, Trump is now facing four separate indictments at the same time that he’s running for president in 2024. Indictment highlights under-the-radar breach of Georgia voting systemsSeveral of former Trump’s co-defendants in the indictment are facing charges in connection with the breach of a voting system in rural Coffee County, Georgia, that took place after the 2020 election.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Jack Smith’s, Trump, Smith, Willis ’, Willis, CNN’s Sara Murray –, Joe Biden, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, Georgia Racketeer, Feedback Coates, CNN Wills, “, unindicted, Ruby Freeman, Mike Pence, Meadows, Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani –, Trump’s, Raffensperger . Giuliani –, Sidney Powell, Misty Hampton, Cathy Latham, Scott Hall Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Georgia, Prosecutors, White House, White, Meadows, Capitol, Georgia House, Senate, Fulton, GOP Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia County, Monday’s, Pennsylvania , Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin , Arizona, Coffee County , Georgia, Coffee, Coffee County

Several individuals involved in the voting systems breach in Coffee County are among those who may face charges in the sprawling criminal probe. They have gathered evidence indicating it was a top-down push by Trump’s team to access sensitive voting software, according to people familiar with the situation. That group included members of Sullivan Strickler, a firm hired by Trump’s attorneys to examine voting systems in the small, heavily Republican Georgia county, according to text messages obtained by CNN. Friess then notified operatives who carried out the Coffee County breach and others working directly with Giuliani that Trump’s team had secured written permission, the texts show. Coffee County was the only county in Georgia that failed to certify its election results due to issues raised by Hampton at the time.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Fani Willis, Trump, Brad Raffensperger, Willis, Joe Biden’s, ”, Misty Hampton, Trump’s, Rudy Giuliani –, –, Sidney Powell, Willis ’, Giuliani, ’, Katherine Friess –, Sullivan Strickler, Friess, Coffee County , Georgia ”, Bernie Kerik, Kerik, Sullivan, “ Rudy Giuliani, Robert Costello, “, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney, ” “, Former New York Mayor Giuliani, Hampton –, Hampton, Cathy Latham, Latham Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Republican Coffee, Trump, Georgia, White, Republican, NYPD, Former New York, Washington Post, Hampton Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Coffee County, Fulton County, Coffee, Fulton, Republican Georgia, Coffee County , Georgia, ”, Hampton

☆ Trump lawyers visit U.S. Justice Department amid documents probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - Three lawyers for former President Donald Trump left the U.S. Department of Justice Monday amid reports that federal prosecutors are wrapping up an investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents. The three lawyers - Lindsey Halligan, John Rowley and James Trusty - declined to answer questions as they left the building in Washington. It was not immediately clear what any potential meeting between the lawyers and the department may mean for Trump. Lawyers typically meet with Justice Department representatives before an indictment is handed down. Trump's lawyers last month sent the department a letter asking for a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Persons: Donald Trump, Lindsey Halligan, John Rowley, James, Trump, General Merrick Garland ., Garland, Jack Smith, Mike Pence, Department's, Sarah N, Lynch, Susan Heavey, Jacqueline Thomsen, Nathan Layne, Andy Sullivan, Howard Goller Organizations: U.S . Department of, Justice Department, White House, Trump, Lawyers, U.S, Department of Justice, Media, Capitol, White, Thomson Locations: Washington, Manhattan, Indiana, Georgia

CNN —Lawyers representing David Shafer, the embattled chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, are arguing their client should not be charged with any crimes for his actions following the 2020 election because he was following advice provided by attorneys working for former President Donald Trump, according to a letter sent to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last week. Willis has indicated she is seriously weighing bringing racketeering and conspiracy charges in connection with Trump’s actions in the Peach State around the 2020 election. Willis had previously notified all 16 GOP fake electors in Georgia that they were targets in her investigation. Other Republicans who served as pro-Trump electors, including Shafer, could still face legal exposure in her investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. Investigators have at least three recordings of Trump pressuring Georgia officials, including a phone call that he made to the Georgia House speaker to push for a special legislative session to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state.

☆ Georgia county said it was too costly to spend $10,000 a year on health cover for trans employees. It spent $1.2 million fighting it, lost, and has to pay anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Georgia county refused to change a health plan to cover a trans employee's surgeries, citing the cost. The county spent nearly $1.2 million in legal fees fighting it in court, and lost. Lange came out as a transgender woman to her colleagues in 2017, after working for the Houston County Sheriff's Office for more than a decade, legal documents show. Houston County spent $57,135 on a budget expert to make the case, per ProPublica. Houston County did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ A Georgia employee requested their county include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. Instead, the county spent $1.2 million fighting the effort: report.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Georgia county was accused of refusing to include gender-affirming care as part of their health coverage. The county spent $1.2 million fighting it, ProPublica found — significantly more than the cost to cover care. Anna Lange, a sheriff's deputy in Georgia's Houston County requested her county expand its healthcare coverage to cover her gender-affirming care, according to court documents reviewed by Insider. "You knew right then and there that no matter what I said, that it wouldn't matter," she told ProPublica. "It was a slap in the face, really, to find out how much they had spent," Lange told ProPublica.

☆ Georgia county removes 2 poll workers after social media posts emerge showing them at the January 6 attack on the US Capitol
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two poll workers were removed from their duties in Georgia's largest county on Tuesday. Facebook posts surfaced showing the poll workers at the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol. One post, shared with the Washington Post, read: "Mike Pence is a traitor." The poll workers, a mother and son, were removed shortly before voting started. Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer in the office of the Georgia Secretary of State, confirmed to CNN that the poll workers were removed.

☆ Man who won gay rights case at Supreme Court agrees to settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATLANTA — A Georgia county has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a man whose case was one of three that led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment. The Clayton County Board of Commissioners this week approved an $825,000 settlement for Gerald Lynn Bostock, his lawyer Ed Buckley said Friday. Bostock had sued the county, which sits just south of Atlanta, saying he was fired in 2013 because he is gay. The federal appeals court cited binding precedent that said the 1964 civil rights law doesn’t protect against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Bostock asserted in a 2016 lawsuit that he was fired from his job as a court child welfare services coordinator because he’s gay.

☆ Clarence Thomas temporarily shielded Lindsey Graham from testifying before a Georgia grand jury investigating attempts to overturn the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Justice Thomas briefly froze an order calling on Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in a Georgia 2020 election probe. Last week, Graham filed an emergency application to block his testimony before an Atlanta grand jury. Graham was one of the lawmakers who asked the state's top election official to question absentee ballots, per a WaPo report. But last week's appeal to the Supreme Court wasn't Graham's first attempt to avoid testifying before the Atlanta grand jury. In a 23-page order filed in September, a federal judge rejected Graham's immunity claim, saying she was "unpersuaded by the breadth of Senator Graham's argument."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked the Supreme Court on Friday to halt a subpoena compelling him to testify in a Georgia county prosecutor’s criminal probe of potential interference in the 2020 election. Graham’s request comes a day after a federal appeals court ordered him to testify in the grand jury investigation that has already ensnared Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani. "Without a stay, Senator Lindsey Graham will soon be questioned by a local Georgia prosecutor and her ad hoc investigative body about his protected 'Speech or Debate' related to the 2020 election," the filing says. The grand jury in Georgia was convened earlier this year to assist Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation into possible 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and others. The grand jury wants to question Graham about the circumstances of two phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office after the election.

☆ A mechanic who says he was fired after refusing to 'forgive and forget' a colleague's use of a racist slur is suing a Georgia county
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A mechanic said he was fired by a Georgia county after refusing to forgive the use of a racist slur. Loyal told his brother-in-law, Bobby Turner, about the incident, upsetting Puryear. Both men were fired by the county for misconduct two weeks after Loyal's initial complaint, per the filing. "No employee should have to endure racial harassment or retaliation in the workplace, especially racial slurs," said assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's civil rights division. "Punishing employees for reporting harassment and discrimination to their supervisors is illegal and undermines the basic statutory protections designed to identify and root out racial harassment in workplaces across the country."

☆ Georgia to replace voting machines in a county after 'unauthorized access'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGeorgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives an afternoon update on the Georgia Primary Election at the election command center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 24, 2022. The step comes after video surveillance footage made public recently showed outsiders accessing Coffee County voting machines and copying sensitive software and data. "But the current election officials in Coffee County have to move forward with the 2022 election, and they should be able to do so without this distraction," he said. Separately in Georgia, a grand jury in the Fulton County is probing efforts by Trump to overturn the former president's 2020 election defeat. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Georgia county validates thousands of voters challenged by Trump allies
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A polling station is pictured during the primary election in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dustin Chambers/File PhotoSept 21 (Reuters) - A Georgia county has validated 15,000 to 20,000 registered voters whose status was challenged ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm election, officials said on Wednesday, leaving another 16,000 pending cases to resolve, according to the group leading the challenge. Supported by prominent allies of the former president, VoterGA has contested 37,000 voter registrations in the county of about 562,000 active voters. Trump's claims have been rejected by multiple courts, state reviews and members of his former administration. The American Project announced in August it would sponsor lawsuits related to claims about the 2020 election in Georgia, including several involving VoterGA and Favorito.

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