Atlanta, GA
Megyn Kelly slams CNN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution for not crediting her with reporting text messages in Fani Willis case
Megyn Kelly blasted CNN and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for not crediting her with reporting the contents of text messages between a defense attorney and a former law partner of a prosecutor who is said to have had a sexual relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
“We await your update to your late evening reports,” Kelly wrote on the X social media platform on Wednesday, tagging the cable news outfit and the Atlanta-based daily newspaper.
“You can cite us as first with texts in the #FaniWillis case. Not only did you not have an ‘exclusive,’ it took you all day to match our reporting.”
The Post has sought comment from AJC.
A CNN spokesperson told The Post that the network has changed the text of its online story to reflect that Kelly was the first to report the existence of the texts.
On her SiriusXM podcast on Tuesday, Kelly reported on text messages between Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney representing ex-Trump staffer Mike Roman, and Terrence Bradley.
Roman has retained Merchant in an effort to disqualify Willis from prosecuting former President Donald Trump for allegedly trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
Bradley is the former divorce lawyer and law partner of Nathan Wade, the prosecutor who was tapped by Willis to work on the Trump case even though she and Wade were involved romantically.
In court on Tuesday, Bradley was called back to testify about text messages in which he stated that he “absolutely” believed that Willis and Wade started dating before she hired him to lead the Trump case.
Steve Sadow, an attorney for Trump, pointed Bradley to a text exchange from earlier this year in which he appeared to acknowledge that Willis and Wade had been dating since they met at a judicial conference in late 2019.
“Do you think it started before she hired him?” Merchant texted Bradley earlier this year.
“Absolutely. It started when she left the DA’s office and was a judge in South Fulton,” Bradley replied.
In a follow-up text message, Merchant asked Bradley: “Is this accurate? Upon information and belief, Willis and Wade met while both were serving as Magistrate Judges and began a romantic relationship at that time.”
Bradley responded: “No Municipal court.”
Merchant: “Thank you.”
On the witness stand on Tuesday, Bradley appeared to be trying to put a distance between himself and the text messages, prompting Sadow to accuse him of lying on the witness stand.
Bradley testified on Tuesday that he did not know when the relationship between Wade and Willis started — contradicting the text messages.
“I do not have knowledge of it starting or when it started,” Bradley testified on Tuesday. “I never witnessed anything. So, you know, it was speculation.”
“Why in the heck would you speculate?” Sadow asked.
“I have no answer for that,” Bradley replied.
“Except for the fact that you do, in fact, know when it started, and you don’t want to testify to that in court. That’s the best explanation,” Sadow shot back.
“That’s the true explanation. Because you don’t want to admit it in court, correct?”
Merchant has alleged that the relationship between Wade and Willis was “improper” and that the top prosecutor in Fulton County financially benefited from hiring him to work the Trump case.
She is asking the judge to remove Willis and her team of prosecutors.
QUOTING RAHEEM MORRIS
On whether he debated going for the 2-point conversion when the Falcons scored at the end of the game…
“No, the thought was to get the ball back, like we did. Try to get the ball back and go down with the ball pretty quickly down the field. Set us up for a game-winning field goal. We set up for a game-winning field goal, probably a little bit out of our range. Was desperation range and went out there and took a shot at it. The young man (kicker Riley Patterson) struck it good, hit it good. Just came up short. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. That’s how it goes.”
QUOTING THE FALCONS
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
On how he assessed his performance overall…
“I got to be better with the ball. I dropped the ball twice (against the Commanders). That’s unlike me. I never really did that much in my career, so just protecting the ball because if we don’t fall on it, those are big game-changing plays, and the game could’ve been very lopsided.”
Right guard Chris Lindstrom
On needing the Saints to beat the Buccaneers for even a chance at the playoffs…
“Yeah, brutal. But I hope those guys win.”
QUOTING THE OPPONENT
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn
On his overall assessment of the game…
“I give Rah and his team a lot of credit. This is a tough crew. I knew their backs were against the wall as well, and we knew this was gonna be a fight that goes all the way to the end. We talked about a five-quarter mindset — and sure enough, we had it.”
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels
On the game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz…
“Man coverage. I knew they were going to keep eyes on Terry, and I knew Zach had a 1-on-1. We repped that so many times, I knew he was going to win on that, he was going to make the catch and it was going to be game over.”
LANDOVER, Md. — The Atlanta Falcons entered Sunday with a chance to clinch their first playoff berth since 2017. They left Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., with heartbreak.
Atlanta (8-8) fell 30-24 in overtime to the Washington Commanders (11-5) on Sunday Night Football, with Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels hitting tight end Zach Ertz over the middle for a touchdown.
The Falcons led 17-7 at halftime, seemingly in control of the game, and quickly put the Commanders in a third-and-22 on the first drive of the second half. Then, Falcons outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone committed an illegal contact penalty, giving Washington new life and turning the game on its head.
Led by star rookie quarterback Daniels, the Commanders’ offense methodically wore down the Falcons’ defense. Atlanta’s offense counterpunched with a game-tying touchdown inside of 100 seconds to play, and after a three-and-out, the Falcons gave kicker Riley Patterson a chance to win it from 56 yards out.
But Patterson’s kick, which was straight on, fell short.
In overtime, the Commanders received the kickoff and marched down in the field, taking over seven minutes off the clock. Daniels threw the dagger to Ertz on third-and-2 with 2:45 remaining.
The Commanders secured their playoff ticket. The Falcons enter next weekend needing a win and Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints.
And Atlanta’s left picking up the pieces from a slow-bleeding death in perhaps its biggest game in seven years.
Here are three takeaways …
In the third quarter alone, Washington ran 25 plays, possessed the ball for 12:53 and gained 145 net yards. Comparably, Atlanta had just three plays over 2:07 and lost one yard.
As the Commanders’ offense grew more confident and the Falcons’ defense became more tired, Washington turned its 10-point halftime deficit into a 24-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Atlanta had a chance at the end of regulation but, no pun intended, fell short.
Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled to ride the wave of momentum created by a strong first start in the team’s 34-7 victory over the New York Giants last week — until he needed it most.
Penix went 19-for-35 passing for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He hit a few big throws to receiver Drake London, headlined by a 31-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-11 on the team’s final drive, but also missed a handful of passes.
He hit tight end Kyle Pitts for a 13-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal late in regulation, the first touchdown pass of Penix’s NFL career.
Falcons linebackers JD Bertrand and Kaden Elliss each made personal history in the first half. Bertrand, a fifth-round rookie, notched his first NFL sack, while Elliss, a sixth-year pro, recorded his first NFL interception.
Receiver Drake London broke the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his professional career with a 14-yard catch from Penix midway through the second quarter
The Falcons (8-8) host the Carolina Panthers (4-12) at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta, GA
Falcons vs. Commanders score, live updates: Washington can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2020 with a win vs. Atlanta
The Washington Commanders have been one of the top stories of the year in the NFL, and coming off a last-second win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, Jayden Daniels and company are riding high into a Week 17 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in which they can clinch a playoff berth for the first time in five seasons.
The likely Offensive Rookie of the Year is the straw that stirs the drink in D.C., with 22 touchdown passes on a nearly 70% completion rate this season. Oh, and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has also lived up to the hype on the ground with a team-leading 737 rushing yards and six rushing scores.
The Falcons enter Week 17 in the hunt in the NFC South, and wins in the last two weeks will mean a first division title in Atlanta since 2016, the season they made it to Super Bowl 51. Atlanta made a drastic change for the present and future heading into last week, replacing struggling quarterback Kirk Cousins with rookie Michael Penix Jr. Penix threw for more than 200 yards in his first NFL start, and the Falcons have won their past two as the club closes in on its first playoff appearance in eight years.
The Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Sunday, however, and took a momentary lead in the division. If the Falcons don’t win out, the Buccaneers are looking at the title and playoff spot.
Live2 updates
Jimmy Carter built houses with Habitat for Humanity in Detroit, Michigan | Letters
Lions-49ers Key Matchup: Jack Campbell vs. George Kittle
Cowboys are underdogs at home versus the Commanders in Week 18
Woman and her dad accused of stealing bag of cash from ex's Miami jewelry business
Condominium sells for $8.9 million in Boston
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Jimmy Carter, on Death
Kentucky to consider bill that would hold parents accountable for children’s gun crimes
How the world voted in 2024
Jimmy Carter: tributes continue for former president hailed as ‘statesman and humanitarian’ – US politics live
Biden takes jab at Trump while applauding Jimmy Carter's decency, shares fondest memory with late president
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
Technology1 week agoGoogle’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25672934/Metaphor_Key_Art_Horizontal.png "There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does")
Technology6 days agoThere’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
-
News7 days agoFrance’s new premier selects Eric Lombard as finance minister
-
Business5 days agoOn a quest for global domination, Chinese EV makers are upending Thailand's auto industry
-
Health2 days agoNew Year life lessons from country star: 'Never forget where you came from'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24982514/Quest_3_dock.jpg "Meta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks")
Technology2 days agoMeta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks
-
World5 days agoPassenger plane crashes in Kazakhstan: Emergencies ministry
-
News1 week agoWatch: White House takes questions on looming government shutdown