Georgia Judge Allows Trump Defendants to Appeal Fani Willis Disqualification

Fani Willis

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday determined former President Donald Trump and eight of his co-plaintiffs may appeal his decision against disqualifying District Attorney Fani Willis from her election case against the former president.

McAfee wrote in his decision that the question of impropriety between Willis and Nathan Wade, her former lover who she appointed as special prosecutor and paid more than $650,000 in taxpayer money, “is of such importance to the case that immediate review should be had.”

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Analysis: New Georgia Teachers Earn Less than Two Decades Ago

Student with Teacher

A new report shows schools nationwide, including in Georgia, have trouble filling teacher positions, with low salaries being a primary cause.

An analysis from MyElearningWorld.com found that — even accounting for inflation — new teachers nationwide earn nearly 20% less than they did about two decades ago. Georgia’s findings align with the national findings, with Peach State teachers earning 20% less.

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Georgia Latino Coalition Demands UGA ‘Denounce’ ‘Hateful Rhetoric’ After Murder of Laken Riley

Laken Riley

A number of Latino and Hispanic organizations in Georgia signed a Monday letter to the University of Georgia (UGA) president to demand action against alleged “hateful rhetoric and fear mongering” they claim started following the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the university’s campus. Police say Riley was slain by Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

Sent by the GALEO Impact Fund and signed by over 100 organizations and individuals, the letter claims “the community in Athens has been plagued by hateful rhetoric and fear mongering,” with “some Latino students” allegedly “afraid to walk to class alone” following Riley’s death.

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Biden Border Policy Critics Lament ‘Migrant Crime Wave’

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green blasted President Joe Biden for the wave of illegal immigrants entering the U.S., saying a “migrant crime wave” is sweeping the country.

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Georgia Attorney General Leads Coalition Challenging ‘Unlawful’ Rule Demanding Companies Issue Annual Climate Change Reports

Georgia Atty Gen Chris Carr

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Thursday announced he is leading a coalition of 10 attorneys general in opposition to a new rule requiring publicly traded companies to create annual climate change reports.

Carr leads a coalition that includes attorneys general serving Georgia, West Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wyoming and Virginia in a petition for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review whether the newly-enacted rule should remain.

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North Carolina College Forces Athletes to Watch ‘Only Whites are Racist’ Video

Students in a seminar teaching them that "only whites are racist"

Davidson College alumni are calling for change after student athletes recently were required to watch the video “I’m Not Racist … Am I?” which labels all white people as racists.

The Davidsonians for Freedom of Thought and Discourse, an alumni-run free speech organization, exposed and denounced the video after learning the North Carolina institution forced student athletes to watch it this semester.

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Todd Bensman: The Biden Administration Contributed to the Current Chaos in Haiti by Scuttling Free and Fair Elections There in 2021

Todd Bensman

Todd Bensman, senior fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Stephen K. Bannon on Saturday’s edition of WarRoom that the Biden Administration helped cause the current chaos in Haiti by scuttling free and fair elections in that Caribbean nation back in 2021.

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Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones Celebrates ‘Courage’ of Riley Gaines, Female Athletes Challenging NCAA and Georgia Schools over Trans Competitors

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones

Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones on Friday issued a statement celebrating the “courage” of Riley Gaines and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a number of Georgia universities.

Jones commended the athletes “for their courage” and demanded the NCAA apologize and reverse course in a statement.

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Georgia Senate Passes Certificate of Need Reform Measure

Emergency Room entrance

The Georgia Senate has passed a measure to reform Georgia’s certificate of need laws.

Lawmakers passed House Bill 1339 by a 43-11 margin. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure last month, and the amended version returns to the House for consideration.

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Feds Announce $200 Million for Georgia Projects

Atlanta Money

The federal government is sending more than $210 million for projects across the state, from building a park over downtown Atlanta’s Connector to removing a flyover ramp in Savannah.

The largest project is a $157.6 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant award to jumpstart the first phase of construction of the Stitch, a four-acre park over Interstates 75 and 85.

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Parental Rights Moves Forward in Georgia as House of Representatives Passes Georgia Promise Scholarship Act

Teacher and Students

The Georgia House of Representatives passed the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act on Thursday.

This act will give parents school vouchers of up to $6,500 per student. The vouchers would help students in low-performing districts receive funds to expand school choice options or purchase curricula for homeschooling.

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Jim Jordan to Hold Fani Willis in Contempt of Congress Unless She Complies with Subpoena by March 28

Jim Jordan Fani Willis

Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) revealed on Thursday he sent a letter expressing his intention to hold Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in contempt of Congress if she does not comply with a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee by the end of March.

A press release detailed Thursday the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has threatened to hold Willis in contempt over her alleged refusal to comply with a subpoena issued more than a month ago.

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Congo, Syria, Burma, and Afghanistan Top List of Countries Represented Among Georgia Refugee Intake

According to a report on refugee resettlement, more refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been resettled in Georgia than any other country since October of last year, following a trend among other states.

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Gov. Brian Kemp Acknowledges ‘Disappointing’ Pause to Rivian Electric Vehicles Plant After $1.5 Billion in Subsidies

Brian Kemp

Governor Brian Kemp made public remarks about electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive announcing plans to pause work on its $5 billion plant in Georgia in a Tuesday press event.

Kemp, whose support for the Rivian deal helped generate $1.5 billion in tax incentives for the company, called the situation “no doubt disappointing” in a press conference.

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Records Showing Nathan Wade Paid with Fulton County Confiscated Property Fund Are ‘Data Entry Error,’ Officials Claim

Nathan Wade Money

Fulton County officials on Monday claimed records that reportedly show special prosecutor Nathan Wade was paid using funds from confiscated property are a “clerical error” on behalf of the county government.

Multiple Fulton County spokesmen, including a member of Willis’ office, offered explanations to Newsweek when the publication asked about records it obtained that showed Wade was paid using the county’s confiscated property funds.

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Georgia’s Rivian Project Deserved More Due Diligence, Transparency: Expert

Georgia Gov Brian Kemp

John Mozena hopes that one day he can stop saying “I told you so” about corporate welfare in America.

However, Mozena, president of The Center for Economic Accountability, won’t be able to make such a declaration after Rivian Automotive paused its $5 billion plant in Georgia.

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Georgia Tax Collections Decrease 4 Percent amid Calls for Income Tax Cut Acceleration

Gov Brian Kemp

Tax collections in Georgia decreased by about 4 percent in February. The change was driven by sharp decreases in the state’s income tax revenues following Republican-led tax cuts, though Georgia simultaneously saw increased revenue from sales taxes and taxes on corporations.

A press release from the office of Governor Brian Kemp notes the state’s tax revenues fell 4.3 percent in February while the year’s tax collections are down 3.1 percent to date.

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Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan Reportedly Considered for No Labels Presidential Run

Geoff Duncan

A news report broke Friday claiming former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan is under consideration by the No Labels party to be its presidential candidate in November.

Duncan is the current top pick by No Labels to lead a “unity” presidential ticket, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Jeffrey Clark’s Attorney Tells Georgia Judge Six Reasons Why Fani Willis Should be Disqualified, Calls Her Office a ‘Global Laughingstock’

Harry MacDougald

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee heard arguments last week from defense attorneys about why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from her RICO case against former President Donald Trump and his associates.

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Georgia Parental Rights Bill Runs Out of Time to Stop School Teachers and Counselors from Discussing Gender Issues

Georgia school teachers and counselors will continue to have free reign to talk to students about gender and gender identity issues without having to notify parents.

In a setback to supporters of parental rights, SB 88, also known as the Parents and Children Protection Act of 2023, missed the opportunity to advance legislation meant to restrict the ability of teachers and counselors to discuss gender issues without parental oversight.

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Democrat Challenging Judge in Georgia Trump Trial Labels Fani Willis Disqualification Proceedings ‘Clown Show’ He Wouldn’t Allow

Robert Patillo

The Democrat challenging the judge overseeing the Georgia election racketeering case against former President Donald Trump described the proceedings to potentially disqualify Fulton County Attorney Fani Willis as a “clown show” and “circus” that he would not allow if he were in the courtroom.

Robert Patillo, an Atlanta attorney and Democratic candidate seeking the judgeship currently held by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, made the remarks during a Wednesday appearance on 95.5 WSB’s The Shelley Wynter Show.

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Constitutional Attorney Lists Five Ways Georgia DA Fani Willis Committed Misconduct Prosecuting Trump and His Associates

Fani Willis

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is currently under fire for appointing her former lover, Nathan Wade, as chief prosecutor in the RICO prosecution of Donald Trump and his associates, and a nationally recognized constitutional expert said that is not the only major misconduct. The expert, who preferred not to be identified, said there are five other instances of improper behavior by Willis.

The first instance was so egregious that it undermined the entire grounds for the prosecution, the expert said. The prosecution arose from a phone call between Trump, his associates, and Georgia officials discussing what to do about illegal activity in Georgia during the 2020 election. The call was recorded by a deputy secretary of state under Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was in Florida at the time. Unlike Georgia, where only one party on a phone call needs to know it is being recorded, Florida has a multi-party consent law for recording phone conversations, which means all parties on the call must know about the recording and agree to it. None of the exceptions applied, such as law enforcement or where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.

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Lawyer Who Unearthed Fani Willis Allegations Reveals Prosecutor Met With Kamala Harris in Georgia Senate Hearing

Fani Willis and Kamala Harris

The defense attorney who originally unearthed the revelation that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was romantically linked with special prosecutor Nathan Wade appeared before the Georgia State Senate on Wednesday to share her knowledge with a committee created to investigate Willis’ actions.

Merchant detailed how she learned of the relationship between Willis and Wade, who the district attorney appointed to prosecute the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump, and explained she learned of a meeting between Willis and Vice President Kamala Harris during her investigation.

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Second Witness Offers to Testify Fani Willis Started Dating Nathan Wade in 2019 in Georgia Trump Trial

Manny Arora

A court filing submitted in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump offers the testimony of a second witness who will testify that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis started dating Nathan Wade in 2019 or 2020, placing the start of their relationship years before she decided to appoint him as a special prosecutor.

The two-page filing by attorneys representing Trump’s co-defendant, Cathy Latham, offers the testimony of attorney Manny Arora, a former adjunct professor at the Georgia State School of Law, who expressed her willingness to testify during a phone conversation last Thursday.

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UGA Refuses to Release Audio, Provide Details of Attempted 911 Call by Laken Riley

Laken Riley 911

The University of Georgia (UGA) declined to provide details to The Georgia Star News on Monday about the attempted call to emergency services by Laken Riley, the nursing student who police say was killed at the UGA campus by Jose Ibarra, who illegally immigrated to the United States from Venezuela.

An arrest affidavit filed against Ibarra on February 23 offered new details about her death, including the revelation his alleged attack disfigured Riley’s skull, and claims the nursing student attempted to dial 911 for help during the attack but was stopped by Ibarra.

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Two More Texas School Districts Sued for Electioneering

Ken Baxton Classroom

More public-school districts are being sued for allegedly using taxpayer resources to instruct staff to vote against school choice candidates in the Republican primary election regardless if they are Republicans.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Huffman and Aledo independent school districts on Friday alleging they used state resources to influence political races through illegal electioneering.

This is after Paxton first sued Denton, Frisco, Denison and Castleberry ISDs within one week “for illegal electioneering by using taxpayer-funded resources” to “stump for specific candidates during an election” and/or “promote certain political candidates and policies” related to school choice.

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Fani Willis Called Nathan Wade’s Ex-Law Partner to Discuss Georgia Star News, Washington Examiner Articles About Special Prosecutor’s Huge Legal Fees: Court Filing

A new court filing submitted Monday by former Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump reveals Cobb County Co-Chief Deputy District Attorney Cindi Yeager (pictured above) is now willing to testify that she overheard a phone call made by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Terrence Bradley, the former law partner of special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

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DHS Secretary Mayorkas Denies Illegal Immigration Led to Murder of Laken Riley: ‘One Individual Is Responsible’

Alejandro Mayorkas With Immigrants

In a Sunday interview, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas denied a link between the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus and illegal immigration despite police charging a man who immigrated illegally from Venezuela with the killing.

Asked if there was a breakdown in the federal immigration system that allowed Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra to allegedly murder Riley, Mayorkas on Face the Nation cited his experience as a prosecutor and declared, “one individual is responsible for the murder and that is the murderer.”

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Julie Kelly Commentary: In the Room at Friday’s Florida Hearing in Trump’s Classified Documents Case

FL Judge Aileen Cannon Infront of florida courthouse

I am digging into a few other matters related to this case, the contempt order issued Thursday against veteran investigative reporter Catherine Herridge, and a new appellate court ruling overturning the use of a sentencing enhancement for J6ers convicted of the controversial 1512(c)(2) charge so unfortunately I can’t write a full article on yesterday’s hearing that I attended in person in Fort Pierce. So I want to share my X posts about what happened.

A few additional observations: Judge Cannon’s approach and style is inimical from that of judges in D.C. For part of the proceedings, I kept thinking how DOJ’s J6 prosecution in Washington would be so different if only half the judges were as careful and prepared and nontheatrical as Cannon. I shared this with a J6 defense attorney last night and he agreed.

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Georgia GOP Looks to Crack Down on Sheriffs, Jailers Who Shield Illegal Immigrants from ICE After Laken Riley Murder

BRian Kemp Punish Jailers Hiding Imigrants

Republicans in the Georgia House of Representatives are preparing to advance legislation that will punish jailers and sheriffs who don’t cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
State lawmakers added new provisions to an existing bill, HB 1105, following the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, according to the Journal-Constitution. Riley’s alleged killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, an immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, was arrested by University of Georgia police and charged with murdering the 22-year-old nursing student.

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Georgia State Senators Propose New Legislation to Address Illegal Immigration

Georgia Illegal Immigration Bill

State Senator Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas), chairman of the Senate Majority Caucus, and State Senator Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, proposed two new legislative initiatives that seek to change criminal procedures for individuals who illegally immigrate to Georgia. The new legislation aims to set strict bail hearing conditions and modify parole rules for illegal immigrants.

The first proposal would amend the Georgia Constitution to allow the Georgia General Assembly to ban parole or set specific parole limitations for illegal immigrants. The second piece of legislation is a bill that would define bail hearing conditions for illegal immigrants and for those considered to be removable or dismissible aliens charged with a felony punishable by up to a year or more in prison.

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Green Bay School Superintendent Resigns After Calling Colleague ‘Witch,’ Wisconsin ‘Lily’ White on Hot Mic in Atlanta Radio Interview

Radio Interview

A Green Bay, Wisconsin school superintendent resigned on Tuesday after he was captured on a hot mic describing the district as “lily” white and expressing his displeasure at working in a “white district” during an appearance on WAOK-AM as he visited Atlanta to recruit educators.

Former Green Bay Area Public School District (GBAPS) Superintendent Claude Tiller Jr.’s hot mic comments were broadcast on YouTube while the radio station broadcast was on a commercial break.

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Texts Reveal Ex-Law Partner of Nathan Wade Sent Tips About Fani Willis Affair to Defense Attorney: ‘You Are My Friend and I Trust You’

Nathan Wade Fani Willis

Text messages were published Wednesday by talk show host Megyn Kelly and reporter Phil Holloway, revealing the former law partner of special prosecutor Nathan Wade sent tips to a defense attorney about when he began an intimate relationship with District Attorney Fani Willis.

Though Bradley would later dismiss the information he provided in the text messages while testifying this week as speculation, the claims he made in writing support those made by attorneys representing Michael Roman, the former White House opposition researcher who was charged in the election case directed at former President Donald Trump.

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Athens Mayor Faces Calls for Resignation After He Invokes Trump in Response to Murder of Laken Riley Despite Arrest of Illegal Immigrant

Kelly Girtz

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz on Wednesday held a press conference to discuss the murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus, which police said was committed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra.

Girtz denied that Athens is a sanctuary city, which does not comply with detainers filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that request local law enforcement detain illegal immigrants to be transferred to federal authorities for prosecution or deportation.

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Georgia GOP Cites Sanctuary Cities, Biden Border Policy After Death of Laken Riley: ‘We Don’t Have to Continue to Live Like This’

Laken Riley

Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon expressed the party’s sympathies to the family and friends of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was slain on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus.

He described the death of Riley as a “preventable tragedy” and pointed to sanctuary city policies and the Biden administration’s border crisis after police identified her alleged murderer as Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra.

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Music Spotlight: Bettin’ On The Mule

Bettin on the Mule

Anyone who follows my blog knows I like a good hometown rockin’ country band. When I first heard Bettin’ On the Mule (BOTM) from Rockmart, Georgia, I instantly loved their energy.

The “Hometown Rock” pioneers consist of Jacob Wilson on lead vocals, bass, and rhythm guitar, who also serves as the band’s lead songwriter, new member Phil Beavers on lead guitar and backing vocals, Rick Norris on drums and backing vocals, and Shannon “Beef” Wilson on bass and backing vocals for the band.

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LockBit Hackers Who Attacked Fulton County Resurface After FBI Action, Claim to Hold Data from Georgia Trump Trial

LockBit Hackers

The LockBit hacker group that seized control and temporarily stopped many Fulton County government services resurfaced just four days after an international intelligence operation seized many of the group’s servers in a bid to disrupt its activities.

A rambling message by the group’s pseudonymous leader upon the launch of LockBit’s new website claims that Operation Cronos, the international police action against the hackers, was launched due to documents the organized crime outfit obtained about the Fulton County trial of former President Donald Trump.

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Bannon Rallies CPAC for ‘Crusade of Righteousness’ to Elect ‘Dissident’ Trump in ‘Greatest Political Comeback in American History’

War Room host Steve Bannon rallied Republicans at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday to vote for former President Donald Trump in November to accomplish what called the “greatest political comeback in American history.”

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Georgia Board of Education Affirms Firing of Teacher Who Read Gender Book to Fifth-Graders

Katie Rinderle

The Georgia Board of Education upheld a previous decision Thursday to fire Katie Rinderle, a former fifth-grade teacher, for reading a book about gender identity to her students, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Rinderle, who had taught for 10 years, was fired in August 2023 by Cobb County School Board for reading the book “My Shadow is Purple” which encourages kids to go “beyond the gender binary,” according to the AJC. Rinderle had appealed the school’s decision in September, but the board determined that her firing was not “unconstitutionally vague” or as a result of a “predetermined outcome.”

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Wife of Illegal Immigrant Who Allegedly Killed Student on UGA Campus Admits They Married to ‘Join Our Asylum Cases’

The wife of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela who police arrested Friday for the murder of nursing student Laken Riley, 22, at the University of Georgia (UGA) campus, revealed in a Saturday interview that the couple originally married with the goal of furthering their cases for asylum in the United States.

Layling Franco told the New York Post on Saturday that she and Jose Ibarra entered the United States illegally through El Paso with her five-year-old son on September 8, 2022. Franco said the alleged killer made money by delivering food for Uber Eats, DoorDash and a local restaurant.

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Phone Data Reportedly Contradicts Testimony in Fani Willis Hearing, Suggests She Dated Nathan Wade Months Earlier than Claimed

Fani Willis and Nathan Wade

An affidavit by former President Donald Trump, entered into the Georgia election case against him, claims that cell phone data proves Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade spent nights together as early as September 2021, suggesting their relationship began months earlier than Willis and Wade claimed in court.

The data would also directly contradict testimony by Wade during the hearing to determine if Willis should be disqualified from the Georgia election case against Trump due to their relationship. Wade has earned more than $650,000 since Willis appointed him, and the couple shared luxurious vacations he purchased using his company credit card.

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VoterGA’s Garland Favorito Slams Georgia Secretary of State’s Request for Funds to Audit Ballots

Georgia Voting Machines

VoterGA, a nonprofit election integrity organization, spoke out against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s request for more taxpayer funds from the Georgia Legislature to implement an audit of Georgia’s QR-coded Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5 voting system.

On Monday, Raffensperger called on the Georgia State Senate to “agree to funding for new technology approved by the House that would give election officials the ability to audit the text of every choice on every ballot, in every contest – without the use of QR codes.”

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Poll Finds Nearly Half of Americans Want Fani Willis Removed from Trump Election Case in Georgia

Fani Willis

A poll of U.S. voters released on Thursday found just under half of American voters want Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to be disqualified from prosecuting her election case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia.

The Rasmussen poll, conducted after Willis testified on in the hearing to determine whether she should be removed from the case against Trump, determined that 48 percent of likely U.S. voters say there is significant evidence indicating Willis should be disqualified. The pollsters found that just 39 percent said Willis should remain on the case, while 13 percent were unsure.

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Trump Maintains Lead over Biden in Georgia Poll Conducted as DA Fani Willis Testified

Donald Trump Joe Biden Georgia Poll

Former President Donald Trump maintains an 8-point lead over President Joe Biden in a new poll of Georgia voters that was conducted as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified in a hearing to determine whether she should be disqualified from her prosecution of the former president.

The Emerson College pollsters found 48 percent of Georgia voters support Trump, and 42 percent support Biden, giving the former president an 8-point lead of the incumbent. Biden was declared the winner in Georgia during the 2020 elections with a margin of less than 12,000 votes.

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DOJ Announces ‘Disruption’ of Hacking Group That Targeted Fulton County, Georgia

Merrick Garland

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced the “disruption” of a Russia-based hacking and ransomware group that targeted Fulton County last month as the result of a joint operation that involved both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and “international law enforcement partners in London” to seize the group’s infrastructure.

In its press release, the DOJ announced “the disruption of the LockBit ransomware group, one of the most active ransomware groups in the world,” which came as the result of “seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators.”

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