Georgia
Georgia Delegate to the RNC talks security and rhetoric changes in a contentious political season
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump’s life, security is a front and center topic for those attending the Republican National Convention.
Long time Republican Party activist and Columbus resident, Alton Russell, is one of the 59 official delegates from Georgia who attended the convention. He has been to five conventions as a delegate or alternate expected security to be tight.
“They’re saying that they’ve not increased any security. But it’s obvious that they have. We had a just a little party last night — a welcome to Milwaukee — and they had seven or eight, you know things that you walk through to check your bags,” says Russell. “Security is a little bit tougher than than I think they than they had planned. We’ve got a security guy, a Secret Service guy on the bus with us as we go from one place to another.”
In addition to heightened security at the convention, the assassination attempt has drawn universal condemnation of political violence.
Sen. Ed Harbison, a Vietnam Veteran who remembers the assassinations and political unrest of the 1960s agrees with those condemnations. Harbison said the attempt on the former president’s life brought back painful memories.
“It is something that should be universally condemned. It is just reprehensible. And we should be reminded of what America is all about. People have a right to free speech and that kind of thing, but there is a line. And what happened there is just— I can’t say anything but reprehensible and should never be repeated. And we should all be standing guard against that kind of action anywhere at any time and condemn it for what it is, an assassin. It’s just something about that word just brings up, conjures up thoughts of evil doings and that kind of thing.”
Senator Ed Harbison, D-Columbus
The wake of Saturday’s events there has been call for everyone to tamp down the rhetoric in a contentious political season. Russell hopes people will take a step back and try to turn down the heat.
“Hopefully to tone down the rhetoric and somebody or whoever it is or quit saying that Trump is our next Hitler and he’s going to destroy civilization and he’s going to destroy democracy. You know, I think they need to tone that down. And I think I think Trump is saying is that he’s rewriting his Thursday night speech to start to move more towards unity. So I hope that’s what he’s going to do. And I expect that he will.”
Alton Russell, Georgia Delegate to the RNC
The RNC has just begun, with the Georgia delegation hearing from Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed this morning. Tomorrow morning, they are expecting to hear from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
Athlon Sports projected the best SEC games for each week of the 2026 regular season.
The conference features some of the most compelling matchups in all of college football, from opening weekend through rivalry week. The selections emphasize games anticipated to have the biggest impact on the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Florida’s annual clash with Georgia was tabbed as one of the SEC’s premier fixtures. The game has grown in national significance since it began in 1904, continuing as a battle of blue-blood programs that routinely produces iconic results. The game temporarily moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Jacksonville stadium renovations.
The Jon Sumrall era carries with it an increasing sense of belief — many experts see the Gators as a dark-horse CFB playoff contender. Regardless of its final win-loss record, UF will play a part in shaping the season’s narrative as they face several post-season favorites in Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Noted in the article is the SEC’s depth and newly implemented nine-game conference schedule. Georgia, Texas, Alabama and LSU appear multiple times on this list, with Georgia facing Alabama in Week 6 and Ole Miss in Week 10 while LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1 and will see Texas in Week 11 take on Alabama.
Many contenders from the SEC face multiple nationally relevant foes over the course of the season.
Athlon Sports’ Best game for every week of the 2026 season
- Week 1: Clemson at LSU (Sept. 5)
- Week 2: Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)
- Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
- Week 4: Oklahoma at Georgia (Sept. 26)
- Week 5: Auburn at Tennessee (Oct. 3)
- Week 6: Georgia at Alabama (Oct. 10)
- Week 7: Alabama at Tennessee (Oct. 17)
- Week 8: Ole Miss at Texas (Oct. 24)
- Week 9: Florida vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (Oct. 31)
- Week 10: Georgia at Ole Miss (Nov. 7)
- Week 11: Texas at LSU (Nov. 14)
- Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
- Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday) (Nov. 27)
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