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Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals converge on Atlanta just days after his latest indictment

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Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals converge on Atlanta just days after his latest indictment


ATLANTA (AP) — Several Republican White House hopefuls are set to greet a conservative conference with hopes of making up ground against Donald Trump. But his shadow may be especially difficult to escape in the city where he was most recently indicted.

Trump won’t speak at The Gathering, an Atlanta event by syndicated radio host Erick Erickson taking place Friday and Saturday about 10 miles from the jail where the former president has to surrender before next Friday on a racketeering indictment related to the 2020 election. Six of his 2024 rivals, meanwhile, are scheduled for onstage interviews with Erickson, an influential conservative who has been critical of the former president.

The timing sets up one more example of the struggle Trump’s GOP opponents face: He dominates the primary polls and media attention — especially on cable news and talk radio — even as he faces multiple criminal indictments for alleged actions before, during and after his presidency. While they carry immense legal jeopardy, the four indictments seem to have hardened Trump’s support among core GOP voters, even as a majority of Americans disapprove of him. And many party loyalists who say they are open to alternatives still don’t want to hear criticisms of Trump.

“It’s hard for anybody to get any oxygen in the room with President Trump,” said Terry Lathan, a former Alabama Republican Party chairwoman who has previously backed Trump but now supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 nomination.

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“Donald Trump can be exhausting,” Lathan said. “But people will walk on broken glass to vote for the guy.”

DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley are set to appear Friday in the Atlanta neighborhood of Buckhead, a Republican-leaning enclave in an otherwise Democratic-dominated city. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will speak Saturday.

Each candidate will join Erickson for a Q&A, with the host promising a focus on their goals and issues, including artificial intelligence, Christian nationalism in America, and dealing with China as a global U.S. rival. Erickson said attendees come from 47 states. In his previews, Erickson has not mentioned Trump, though his chosen theme for the conference — “Forward: Which Way” — nods at how he wants to define the moment for Republicans.

Of the candidates appearing with Erickson, though, only Christie has consistently blasted Trump for alleged acts contained in the indictments. The rest typically echo in some fashion Trump’s counterassaults against a “witch hunt,” while avoiding details of the cases.

Addressing reporters in the early primary state of New Hampshire, DeSantis said he had not “had a chance to read” the Georgia indictment, a sweeping 98-page case in which District Attorney Fani Willis invoked state racketeering laws used to prosecute organized criminal networks. DeSantis instead attacked Atlanta itself and, implicitly, the Black prosecutor Trump has labeled as “racist.”

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“I will tell you,” DeSantis said, “Atlanta has huge problems with crime right now, and there has been an approach to crime which has been less than exacting.”

He offered no supporting evidence for that deflection, which was reminiscent of Trump lashing out at civil rights icon John Lewis in 2017. The late Atlanta congressman had declared Trump was “not a legitimate president” and refused to attend his inauguration. Trump answered that Lewis’ district, which still includes downtown Atlanta and Buckhead, was “falling apart (and) crime infested.”

Leading Republicans say GOP candidates have few practical options other than to campaign on Trump’s terms — or at least sidestep him whenever possible.

Whit Ayres, a national pollster based in Virginia, handicapped the GOP electorate as 10-15% “Never Trumpers” — those who might gravitate to Christie for his attacks on Trump — and 35% or so “die-hard MAGA Trump supporters,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

The rest, half or a slim majority of the party, “have doubts about his electability” in a general election but are still “reliable Republicans who voted for him twice,” Ayres said. Trump’s rivals cannot win over that remaining faction by “going after him frontally,” the pollster argued.

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As a Republican, “you can’t call him unfit for office,” Ayres said. “That’s basically requiring half the party to admit they screwed up and put someone unfit for office into the Oval Office. That’s just a psychological step too far for most people.”

Erickson this week tacitly acknowledged the dynamics. He spent significant time on his radio show dissecting Trump’s legal peril and pushed back at some Trump supporters’ reactions, albeit gingerly. A former practicing attorney, Erickson rebutted online memes and conservative social media conversations that have dismissed the indictment because it includes defendants’ actions that appear to be routine political activity.

“Trump supporters believe the 2020 election was stolen from him. The district attorney in Georgia says actually it was Donald Trump who was trying to steal the election,” Erickson said. “Whether you believe it or not, whether you believe it’s political or not, that’s what the indictment is about.”

Perhaps the best Trump’s rivals can do — in Atlanta, the first primary debate next week and going forward — is maintain a foothold in the quiet hopes that one of the pending trials takes place and damages the former president before he secures another GOP nomination.

“This race may appear frozen,” Ayres said. “The surface of the ocean looks calm, but there are all kinds of currents underneath that could disrupt the surface.”

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Yet a former Trump ally like Lathan demonstrates the challenge for his opponents.

She said she is alarmed by the Florida indictment on allegations that Trump wrongly kept classified material at his Mar-a-Lago residence. But the other cases, she added, are evidence of “Democrats and the Biden administration” targeting him.

And if Trump wins the nomination, she said: “I’m there. Game on.”

Trump has “taken more arrows than anyone who has ever held that office,” Lathan argued. “There are a lot of Republicans who will break back to him because of this. I mean, do all these ‘get Trump’ people not realize they’re just making him stronger?”

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Atlanta, GA

Braves News: Brian Anderson to injured list, Orlando Arcia’s tests clean, and more

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Braves News: Brian Anderson to injured list, Orlando Arcia’s tests clean, and more


The Atlanta Braves announced Tuesday that outfielder Brian Anderson is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a bacterial infection. The move is backdated to June 22. To take his spot on the roster, the club recalled utilityman Luke Williams.

Anderson joined the Braves at the beginning of the month and has since appeared in three games. He’s had five at-bats and has struck out in two of them. He’s logged one inning at third base and 13 in right field for Atlanta.

Williams, on the other hand, has appeared in eight games and has even spent an inning on the mound. He’s spent the majority of his playing time this year at third base while Austin Riley was absent with an injury.

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More Braves News:

After exiting Monday night’s game with dizziness, Orlando Arcia underwent several tests at the hospital, all of which came back clean. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution has more.

Tuesday night’s game in St. Louis was rained out and will be made up on Wednesday as a doubleheader. The Braves will give Reynaldo López the ball in game one and Bryce Elder will pitch game two.

Nacho Alvarez is on a tear in Triple-A with yet another home run. More in the Braves Prospects Weekly Report.

Ken Sugiura of the AJC discusses the impact Willie Mays had on Dale Murphy and Ralph Garr.

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MLB News:

The Seattle Mariners placed Bryan Woo on the 15-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. He exited Monday night’s game in the fourth inning.

The San Francisco Giants are calling up pitching prospect Hayden Birdsong to make his MLB debut Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs.

The Los Angeles Angels transferred left-hander Patrick Sandoval to the 60-day injured list after it was announced that he needed UCL surgery.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand will undergo wrist surgery on July 11 and is expected to have a three month recovery.

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The New York Mets placed outfielder Starling Marte on the 10-day injured list with a right knee bone bruise. He is expected to miss four weeks.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-hander Dallas Keuchel from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations.

The Cincinnati Reds placed left-hander Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list due to a blistered finger. The move is retroactive to June 24.

The Minnesota Twins placed right-hander Chris Paddack on the 15-day injured list with shoulder fatigue. To take his roster spot, the club recalled Ronny Henriquez.





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Atlanta, GA

Kenya Moore Leaving 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Following Suspension

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Kenya Moore Leaving 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' Following Suspension


Kenya Moore is officially out at The Real Housewives of Atlanta after 11 seasons with the show. 

On Tuesday, ET confirmed that the 53-year-old reality TV star will not be returning for season 16 following her suspension by Bravo back in early June. Kenya was sidelined at the time for alleged drama involving RHOA newcomer Brittany Eady. 

In response, a source tells ET that she decided to part ways with the franchise, despite previously expressing interest in returning, declaring that she would not be “going anywhere” and receiving support from her longtime cast mates and friends. 

“Kenya is not returning to RHOA this season. She decided it was best for herself to leave after how she felt the incident was handled and how she was treated,” a source shared with ET. The news of Moore’s exit was first reported by TMZ

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Kenya Moore poses for her The Real Housewives of AtlantaAB+DM / Bravo

Kenya later vaguely her decision to exit the series in a tweet, writing “You are the best fans anyone could ever ask for. and I love you all so very much. Always and forever.” The former Miss USA also added “#TeamTwirlForever,” referencing her fanbase. 

While TMZ reports Bravo is keeping the door open for a future return, a source with knowledge of the situation tells ET that hasn’t been discussed. 

A separate source tells ET it’s currently unknown how Kenya’s exit will be addressed on the show, if at all. “It’s still early into filming and they could just edit her out, like Lizzy Savetsky on New York.” Savetsky was a cast member on the rebooted version of The Real Housewives of New York but left the show early on in filming. When the show premiered, she was completely left out of the edit. 

Regardless of how her departure is handled, the individuals say Kenya is not interested in conversations at this time after her unceremonious suspension. 

“Kenya was suspended for allegedly depicting Brittany performing a sexual act at the grand opening of her Kenya Moore Hair Spa in Atlanta, from images allegedly found online,” one person shared with ET at the time.”The network is still reviewing the content Kenya displayed during filming.”

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Kenya Moore was suspended from ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ in mid-JuneDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Glamour

After the news of her suspension broke, Kenya hopped on Instagram Live and said she had “a lot going on” and was doing her best to be a successful business owner and working mom. Kenya shares daughter Brooklyn, 5, with her ex, Marc Daly.

“The way that people go out of their way to disparage your name or ruin your business, I’ll never understand it,” she said. “Leave me alone. I’m a single mom. I’m out here just like anybody else. I am not getting child support, I’m not getting anything. I’m taking care of my daughter on my own.”

She requested that her fans “ride with me through this journey.”

Kenya shouted out cast members Drew Sidora and Porsha Williams throughout the live for being supportive friends as they repeatedly commented with their assistance.

Porsha wrote, “We love you!!” in the comments, and praised Kenya as a “Queen.” Meanwhile, Shamea Morton and Angela Oakley revealed they were watching, and Drew praised Kenya’s hair.

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Drew Sidora chats with Kandi Burruss and Kenya Moore on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’Darnell Williams / Bravo

The rest of the cast is still filming season 16, which has yet to receive a release date. 

Following the alleged event, Kenya also took to social media to defend herself, posting, “I would never engage in revenge porn, I have never distributed private images or footage of anyone, nor solicited images owned by others to use to threaten or blackmail.” She maintained her innocence, adding, “I have always been vindicated.”

Brittany — the Housewife on the other side of the drama — has similarly addressed the situation. She also denied the internet rumors that she threatened Kenya with a gun.”For the record, I’ve never once had possession of any weapons or threatened anyone ever.”

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta's Munir Meghjani and David Perdue broach difficult topics with 'Comedy & Conversations'

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Atlanta's Munir Meghjani and David Perdue broach difficult topics with 'Comedy & Conversations'


“Comedy & Conversations” is an immersive experience where comedy is used as a tool to engage with difficult social topics such as immigration, food insecurity, race and mental health.

Laughter is a universal language, and these shows thoughtfully pair comedians with subject experts for conversations that use humor to make group dialog engaging, understandable and actionable.

Atlanta activist and community leader Munir Meghjani created the series alongside comedian and “What’s Good Atlanta” host David Perdue. The next “Comedy & Conversations” event, “Reconstructing Reconstruction,” occurs at the Margaret Mitchell House at Atlanta History Center Midtown on Thursday, June 27.

The duo joins Summer Evans on “City Lights” to discuss the upcoming show.

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