Georgia
Georgia Signs 'Foreign Influence' Bill Into Law
Georgia signed controversial “foreign influence” legislation into law on Monday, prompting its pro-European opposition to vow far-reaching political reforms if they win October’s elections.
The law, which critics say is modelled on Russian legislation used to stifle dissent, has triggered weeks of daily protests in the capital Tbilisi and condemnation from Georgia’s Western partners.
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Brussels has warned the move will derail the Black Sea nation from its path to European Union membership, and the United States has also threatened Georgian officials with individual travel bans.
Despite those warnings, the speaker of Georgia’s parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Monday signed the measures into law — the final approval stage after the chamber voted last week to override a veto lodged by President Salome Zurabishvili.
“I signed today the law on transparency of foreign influence, whose main goal is to strengthen the sustainability of Georgia’s political, economic, and social systems,” Papuashvili said in a statement.
The measures require NGOs and media outlets that receive at least a fifth of their funding from abroad to register within two months as “organisations pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”
The plans sparked nearly two months of daily mass protests that saw police use tear gas and water cannon to disperse rallies, beating and arresting demonstrators.
– Pro-EU charter –
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The measures have exposed and deepened divisions in Georgian society ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26.
The vote is seen as a key test of Georgia’s democracy more than 30 years after Tbilisi gained independence with the break-up of the Soviet Union.
On Monday, almost all of Georgia’s opposition parties began signing up to a pro-European policy charter advanced by President Zurabishvili in a bid to create a united front ahead of the vote.
They agreed to pursue far-reaching electoral, judicial and law enforcement reforms through an interim multi-party government, should they win enough seats in parliament to command a majority.
Early elections would then be called next year, the groups agreed.
The plan would involve revoking the “foreign influence” law and several other pieces of legislation adopted by Georgian Dream which the opposition says are “detrimental to Georgia’s European course.”
Among the groups signing up to the pact was the country’s main opposition force, jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s fervently pro-Western United National Movement.
“Georgian voters expect the opposition to show unity in the election run-up,” Tina Bokuchava, one of its leaders, told AFP.
– ‘Transparency’ –
Dozens of Georgian NGOs have vowed to defy the “foreign influence” law and appeal to the country’s constitutional court and the European Court of Human Rights.
Georgian Dream faces mounting accusations of leading the country away from its Western trajectory and back into Russia’s orbit.
Those charges have intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and with the passage of the “foreign influence” law.
The party says it is committed to Georgia’s European aspirations and says the law will ensure “transparency” concerning Western-funded groups which it says undermine the country’s sovereignty.
Georgian activists, independent journalists and opposition politicians have also accused the government of a concerted campaign of violence and threats against NGO leaders.
Georgia’s EU bid is enshrined in the country’s constitution and supported — according to opinion polls — by more than 80 percent of population.
Tbilisi was granted EU candidate status last year, but Brussels stressed the need for “meaningful and irreversible” reforms in areas such as the judiciary, the power of oligarchs and media freedoms.
Georgia
Four-star cornerback decommits from Georgia
Georgia’s 2027 recruiting class has taken a hit, with four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse decommitting from the Bulldogs on Wednesday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
Outhouse is one of the top players in the country, but was not a member of Georgia’s recruiting class for long. The Fort Worth, Texas, product committed to them on March 6, and less than two months later, is back on the market.
The Bulldogs officially entered his recruitment on May 7, 2025, when they extended him a scholarship offer. He visited Athens multiple times after that before ultimately committing. However, he never shut down his recruitment and is set to take official visits this summer to see the UCLA Bruins, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Arizona State Sun Devils.
He is ranked as the No. 109 overall player and No. 15 cornerback in the Rivals industry ranking. He is also the No. 14 player from Texas. He is the third player to decommit from Kirby Smart’s program in the 2027 recruiting cycle, joining three-star wide receiver Gavin Honore and three-star offensive lineman Kyson Mallard.
His departure leaves Georgia with seven commits. The group is ranked as the No. 9 class in the country and the No. 4 class in the SEC by Rivals. It puts even more pressure on them to hold onto five-star cornerback Donte Wright, who has been committed to Georgia since June 2025, but is being pursued by several other programs.
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Georgia
Georgia cop placed on leave after body-slamming man in Walmart: ‘I thought he was dead’
A Georgia police officer was placed on administrative leave after he was captured picking up a man and slamming him to the ground inside a Walmart.
The incident unfolded when police received a report of a man causing a disturbance inside the Walmart in Lovejoy, Ga. — about 20 miles outside Atlanta — at around 8 p.m. on Saturday, Lovejoy Police Chief Steve Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The 20-second distressing clip showed the officer holding the man’s arms behind his back in the electronics section, exchanging words briefly before grabbing him around the chest, hoisting him into the air and slamming him to the ground.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was then rushed to a nearby hospital and will not be facing any charges, Wright told the outlet.
It remains unclear what condition the man was in after being taken to the hospital.
A witness told Fox 5 Atlanta that the officer shocked everyone who watched the incident unfold.
“The officer just lifted him up, and to everyone’s surprise, BAM! Slammed him to the ground, and you could hear the impact to the floor,” the witness, identified only as Ms. DeeDee, said.
“I thought he was dead, everybody thought he died, clocked out,” she said, adding that she believes the cop should be fired over his use of force.
On Sunday, the Lovejoy Police Department said that the officer was placed on administrative leave “pending investigation.”
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting an incident involving one of its officers at a Walmart location,” officials said. “The video appears to show an officer engaged in a physical encounter with an individual whose hands appear to be positioned behind his back. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under review.
Officials said that it has started an administrative review of the incident.
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department recognizes the community’s interest in this matter and remains committed to transparency, accountability and public safety.”
The probe will dig into incident reports, witness statements and departmental policies and training, the department said, promising “a fair, objective, and timely review.”
Fluellyn also confirmed that the matter was being investigated.
“We want you to know that we are investigating the incident and will share the results of the investigation,” she wrote. “Transparency resides in Lovejoy!”
Chief Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta he anticipates concluding the internal investigation by the end of the week.
Georgia
Georgia officials warn wildfires are still a threat as firefighters report progress
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Officials battling two large wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in southern Georgia warned Tuesday that firefighters are bracing for a prolonged battle even after weekend rains gave a big boost to containment efforts.
“A little bit of rain is going to help us, but it’s not going to get us out of this situation,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told a news conference after touring the fire areas Tuesday. “We’re going to be in this for a while.”
A fire that has burned roughly 35 square miles (90 square kilometers) and destroyed more than 80 homes in rural Brantley County was 32% contained, the command team overseeing the fire response said Tuesday. That’s up from just 6% containment reported Monday.
Rains on Sunday slowed the fire enough to give crews an opening to widen containment lines along the perimeter and to snuff out some smoldering pockets, said Johnny Sabo, director of the Georgia Forestry Commission.
“As that number increases, our confidence at holding it in that footprint increases,” Sabo told reporters. He added: “We have a long way to go. I just want to stress that.”
A larger wildfire in sparsely populated Clinch and Echols counties has charred more than 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) at the Georgia-Florida line. Sabo said crews have held that fire to roughly the same footprint for four days. It was considered 23% contained Tuesday.
One home and several dozen sheds and other smaller structures were destroyed, said Don Thomas, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson.
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks on the fires in Southeast Georgia, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Waycross, Ga. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart
An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists say the threat of fire has been amplified by a combination of extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change and dead trees and other vegetation.
No fire injuries or deaths have been reported in Georgia. A volunteer firefighter in Nassau County, Florida, died last week after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire.
Progress made against the Brantley County blaze prompted local officials to lift evacuation orders Monday for roughly 1,500 people who had fled their homes. About 2,500 remained displaced, said Susan Heisey, a spokesperson for the fire command team.
Local officials have warned people returning home to be prepared to evacuate again if necessary.
Both Georgia fires ignited as the state’s worst drought in two decades has rendered vast pine forests and swampy lowlands tinder dry and highly combustible.
Investigators concluded the Brantley County fire began April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze. The fire in Clinch and Echols counties started April 18 by a falling spark as a man was welding a gate, according to state officials.
Forecasts showed a high chance of more rain over the fires this weekend. There’s also a possibility of thunderstorms, which can produce lightning that causes new fires.
Officials haven’t said how long the Georgia fires might burn, only that it will take significant rainfall to extinguish them.
Sabo noted that a vast fire sparked by lightning in the nearby Okefenokee Swamp in 2011 burned for just shy of a year.
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