A.M. ATL: Fani Willis decision headlines a busy week
Morning, y’all! Welcome back, and Ramadan mubarak to all who observe. Chilly this morning but temperatures should eventually reach the low 60s.
Today’s newsletter gets you ready for the week ahead with a look at the bid to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the Falcons’ quarterback plans heading into free agency and, of course, Georgia’s presidential primary. AJC president and publisher Andrew Morse also offers an important message about the Okefenokee Swamp.
Let’s get to it.
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DECISIONS, DECISIONS
It’s shaping up to be another newsy week in and around Atlanta — but is there really any other kind? Let’s take a look at what’s coming down the pipe.
Finally, a ruling: Friday is the self-imposed deadline for Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to rule on efforts to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office from the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and others.
- So what happens if Willis is disqualified, you ask? The case gets sent to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, a nonpartisan state agency that trains and supports district attorneys. They would decide whether to assign another prosecutor to the case, but there are a lot of thorny questions to navigate.
- If Willis is not disqualified, the case against Trump and his allies would move forward — though probably not quickly. McAfee may want to hear what the U.S. Supreme Court says about Trump’s claims of immunity from prosecution in his federal case before proceeding.
Court challenge to District Attorney Fani Willis
Follow coverage on the effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the Trump Georgia election case.
- Subscribe to the Trump Indictment podcast for coverage of the case.
- On X, formerly Twitter, follow reporters Tamar Hallerman, David Wickert and Bill Rankin.
- Sign up for the ‘Trump 19′ newsletter for email updates.
- Listen to the AJC Politically Georgia podcast on WABE or streamed on ajc.com weekdays at 10 a.m.
Now that the judge has made a decision on DA Fani Willis, what are the next steps?
Excerpts from the Fani Willis decision
The Falcons and free agency: NFL teams can begin negotiating with free agents today at noon (and sign them starting Wednesday). Atlanta has decisions to make on several of its own players, including lineman Calais Campbell and running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
- The Falcons’ biggest question, though, is at quarterback. The rumor mill ties Atlanta to former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Other potential free agent targets Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson appear poised to sign contracts with the Buccaneers and Steelers, respectively.
- If they don’t land Cousins, the new Falcons coaching staff could try and trade for the Bears’ Justin Fields or wait for next month’s NFL draft.
The team has a little over $41 million of cap space to play with, so expect other transactions, too. And follow D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) for the latest.
The presidential primary: Lest we forget, Tuesday brings Georgia’s presidential preference primary. Donald Trump and Joe Biden all but own the nominations of their respective parties.
- It may be hard to glean much from the turnout, but the AJC will be watching a couple of key storylines. Those include how many Democrats register “blank” votes in protest of Biden’s stance on Israel.
- Among other things, Biden and Trump rallies over the weekend made it clear that Georgia will remain front and center in the general election — and that the killing of Athens nursing student Laken Riley is now a core part of Trump’s campaign message.
Go to the state’s My Voter Page for local precinct information. And sign up for the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” newsletters to stay in the loop.
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
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SAVE THE SWAMP
In a recently published editorial, AJC president and publisher Andrew Morse calls on Georgia’s leaders to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from a planned titanium mine.
“We don’t often publish editorials on the front page,” Morse said, “but in this case, the issue is too important to the next generation of Georgians to sit on the sidelines. The Governor, the Speaker, and the Legislature have the opportunity to declare that preserving the largest wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi is more important than the business interests of an Alabama mining company.”
Read the full editorial here, and our latest news coverage on the issue here.
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MORE TOP STORIES
- Two separate weekend shootings in downtown Atlanta left four people wounded.
- Georgia colleges are weighing whether to continue COVID-19 era policies waiving SAT and ACT admission requirements.
- Gunfire killed a 3-year-old Athens boy watching TV inside his home, police said.
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OSCARS RECAP
Ryan Gosling performed his song “I’m Just Ken” from the “Barbie” movie at last night’s Oscars. More importantly: “Oppenheimer” won best picture and six more awards, including best actor (Cillian Murphy), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.) and best director (Christopher Nolan).
Emma Stone won best actress for her work in “Poor Things.” Da’Vine Joy Randolph of “The Holdovers” won best supporting actress.
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NATION AND WORLD
Palestinians in Gaza began the Muslim holy month of Ramadan with hunger in the region worsening and cease-fire talks at a standstill.
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Fire: Internet speculation on the whereabouts and condition of Kate, the Princess of Wales, who hasn’t been seen publicly since undergoing abdominal surgery.
Fuel: A new photo released over the weekend by Kensington Palace. It appeared to be altered and the Associated Press pulled it from circulation.
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
- College football: Both Georgia Tech (today) and Georgia (tomorrow) begin spring football practice this week. Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key wants his squad to focus on toughness. UGA has a lot of new faces but the same expectations.
- Hawks: A 116-103 loss to the Pelicans ended a three-game winning streak.
- Atlanta United: The Five Stripes’ 4-1 home-opening win showed improvement in just about every aspect.
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GOING GREEN
Savannah is gearing up for its 200th St. Patrick’s Day celebration (they’ve already turned the water in the Forsyth Park fountain green, as you can see). The AJC’s Adam Van Brimmer has a Q&A with John Forbes, who serves as grand marshal of Saturday’s parade.
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GOOD EATS
Your weekly roundup of Atlanta-area food news includes a new sports bar in Grant Park, a ramen spot in Alpharetta and Velvet Taco coming to Dunwoody’s High Street development.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» TORPY: 4 years after COVID became real, the world’s more divided
» Food prices leveling off, but the damage persists
» Walgreens closing in historic downtown Atlanta building
» What’s filming in Georgia this month?
» Senate committee moves to suspend tax breaks for new data centers
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ON THIS DATE
March 11, 1982
One of the crazier cases in metro Atlanta government history resulted in a federal jury convicting Henry County Sheriff Jimmy Glass of drug smuggling. Glass and a handful of other county officials — including the police chief — all reportedly helped smugglers get quaaludes and cocaine through the local airport.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer Hyosub Shin captured the girls from Grayson High School celebrating their Class 7A state championship win over North Paulding. The Grayson boys won a title, too. Complete coverage here.
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go: The Pentagon recently released a report saying it’s not hiding evidence of UFOs and aliens from you. Promise.
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Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
