Georgia
Georgia judge dismisses two charges against Trump in election interference case
A court in Georgia has dismissed two of the 10 criminal charges against Donald Trump and one other charge against his allies for alleged attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee ruled on Thursday that the southern state did not have the authority to bring the specific charges related to the alleged filing of false documents in federal court.
Judge McAfee allowed the rest of the case to move forward, including eight charges against Trump, out of the original 13.
Three other charges against Trump were dropped earlier this year after the same judge ruled that the charges lacked detail.
Steven Sadow, a lawyer for Trump, praised the ruling, saying: “President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again.”
Judge McAfee on Thursday said that the two dropped charges fell under federal jurisdiction, rather than under Georgia state law.
The charges against Trump include conspiracy to commit false documents and conspiracy to commit forgery, according to court documents.
Two of his co-defendants had their charges of forgery dropped as well.
According to the indictment filed in August 2023 by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Trump conspired with 18 other defendants to interfere in the election result.
The group “refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump”.
Part of the alleged plot included Trump’s phone call to Georgia’s top election official, in which he pleaded with him to “to find 11,780 votes” – the margin in which he lost to Mr Biden.
Trump – and 14 co-defendants – have pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other state charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the former president’s loss in Georgia.
Four others have pleaded guilty.
The case has largely been put on hold since June, after Ms Willis was found to have had a romantic relationship with one of the lead prosecutors in the case.
A Georgia appeals court is currently considering whether Ms Willis must step aside from the case due to the allegations of misconduct presented by defence lawyers.
Lawmakers have hundreds of leftover bills from last session. Here are some that could see traction in 2026.
State representatives toss papers in the air at the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta on Sine Die, Friday, April 4, 2025, the final day of the legislative session. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
As Georgia lawmakers soon head back to the state Capitol, they already have a pile of bills awaiting them from last year.
The Georgia General Assembly operates on a two-year cycle, meaning any legislation filed last year is still in play for the 2026 session.
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Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master’s degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
Georgia
Federal defunding of public media raises concerns for Georgia stations from viewers, educators
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — More than $1 billion in federal funding is being pulled from public media nationwide, money that supports more than 1,500 television and radio stations across the country.
For nearly six decades, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) helped deliver children’s programming, public affairs reporting and emergency information to homes across the state. Shows like “Sesame Street” introduced generations of children to letters, numbers and social-emotional learning.
“I loved learning, and having educational programming right there made a big difference,” said Bailey Matthews.
In Georgia, the cuts are raising concerns about jobs, children’s educational programming, and access to news and emergency alerts, particularly in rural communities.
Educators and child development experts say programs featuring puppets as characters can be especially effective for young learners.
“Kids see a puppet as a living character, and that makes learning easier,” said Beth Schiavo, executive director for the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts.
Congress voted last year to defund CPB through the Rescissions Act of 2025, clawing back $1.1 billion that had already been approved. This week, CPB’s board voted to dissolve the organization entirely.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes itself out of existence
Some Georgia Republicans who supported the move say the decision comes down to federal spending priorities and concerns about political bias in public media.
“The news that these entities produced is either resented or increasingly tuned out and turned off by most of the hardworking Americans who are forced to pay for it,” said former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
The loss of federal funding has immediate financial implications for Georgia stations. Georgia Public Broadcasting says CPB funding made up about 10% of its budget, or roughly $4.2 million this year.
At Atlanta’s WABE, the city’s PBS affiliate and main NPR affiliate, they must replace $1.9 million — about 13% of their annual budget.
Both GPB and WABE say they are not shutting down but acknowledge the loss of federal support means relying more heavily on donations and community backing moving forward.
“Public radio, to continue to be funded, allows for us to meet the needs of people who live in news deserts,” said NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher.
Former Georgia Teacher of the Year Tracey Nance said the impact extends beyond broadcasting. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimates more than 77,000 Georgia teachers have accessed GPB educational content more than four million times.
“It is absolutely providing essential services — not a luxury, but essential services that provide a foundation that all kids deserve,” said Nance.
Nance is calling on state lawmakers to use the state surplus to intervene.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
Employees of the Migration Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, as part of recent special operations, have deported 13 citizens from Turkmenistan, Iran, Cuba, Türkiye, Thailand, and Azerbaijan.
According to the information released by the ministry, the Migration Department carried out comprehensive immigration control measures in close coordination with the relevant departments, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.
It is noted that, under current legislation, deported persons are prohibited from re-entering the country.
According to official statistics, the total number of foreign citizens deported from Georgia last year was 1,311.
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