1stHeadlinesBreaking News Headlines

Georgia Recorder

Georgia · RSS · up to 100 stored headlines · Visit site

Text size100%

Trump drops longtime aversion to mail-in voting with GOP trailing in polls

President Donald Trump wants to sharply curtail mail ballots. He’s called them “inherently corrupt” and baselessly condemned them as a major source of fraud. But with Republicans falling behind in the polls, the president is now urging his supporters to vote in the midterm elections any way they can, including by…

US House Dems’ campaign chief predicts they’ll gain majority control in midterms

WASHINGTON — Democrats expect they’ll gain a majority of seats in the U.S. House following November’s midterm elections, giving the party a platform to serve as a check on the president’s power. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said during an interview Monday that curbing the war in Iran…

Feds provide guidance on new federal K-12 scholarship tax credit program

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released new guidance Thursday for participating states, scholarship-granting organizations and taxpayers as the federal scholarship tax credit program prepares to take effect in January. Created through President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending law in 2025, the Education…

Georgia cuts payments by 30% for foster children’s autism therapy

Krystina McQueen’s severely autistic foster son – who is prone to biting and hitting — has made big strides in his few weeks in specialized behavior therapy. He’s in it at the crucial time to learn basic skills, as he’s about to turn 3. But last week the Hall County foster mom got a call

Georgia extends oyster harvest closure due to unusually warm water

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Georgia is extending the annual closure of the oyster harvest season because of unusually warm ocean temperatures. Officials say the closure, which usually ends September 30, will continue until…

US Senate leaves nation’s capital in advance of midterms with much still undone

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators departed Capitol Hill on Wednesday night for their campaign break, leaving numerous policy disputes unresolved. The chamber won’t return until Nov. 9 for the five-week lame-duck session, when party leaders will have to decide which bills they want to negotiate during what could be the final…

US Senate Dems block bill curbing congressional stock trading, calling it too weak

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans did not gain any support Wednesday from Democrats as they attempted to advance a bill that mashed together two hot-button midterm issues: requiring voter ID in federal elections and limiting stock trading for members of Congress. The Republican-led bill, titled the Stop Insider…

Schumer: Democratic US Senate may block Trump nominees for Supreme Court, lower courts

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated Wednesday that should Democrats regain control of the chamber following the elections, they plan to block judicial nominees sent up by President Donald Trump, including for any possible vacancies on the Supreme Court. “Look, the bottom line is, one of…

DOJ lawsuit seeking Georgia voters’ unredacted data dismissed, again

For the second time, a federal judge in Georgia has dismissed a lawsuit from U.S. Department of Justice officials seeking access to sensitive voter data. Federal judge tosses out DOJ lawsuit seeking sensitive voter data in Georgia Federal officials have been demanding that state officials turn over Georgia voters’…

Georgia voters see tough future for next generation ahead of midterm race, poll finds

Georgia’s preschoolers won’t be able to cast a vote this November, but the state’s youngest residents could play a role in deciding the state’s next governor, according to a new poll. Nearly 70% of Georgians say they are pessimistic about children today having a better life than the previous generation, and among…

Bookman: Whatever came of that urgent FBI probe into the 2020 election in Fulton County?

Nine months ago this week, FBI agents raided the Fulton County elections office, seizing hundreds of boxes of ballots cast in the 2020 election. According to the subpoena authorizing that seizure, federal officials had “probable cause to believe” that Fulton officials had “knowingly and willfully deprived” the people…

Trump TV ads paid for with $20M in Homeland Security funds, Dems find

President Donald Trump is tapping $20 million in Homeland Security funding to pay for TV ads that heavily feature him ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats said Tuesday as the promos critics call propaganda come under bipartisan attack. The Trump administration recently moved the funds into a U.S. Customs and…

Georgia probes House candidate for allegedly voting in two states

Georgia’s secretary of state is investigating allegations that David Dillie, a Democratic candidate for state House District 161, may have voted in two state primaries this year in a violation of state law. Dillie, a 24-year-old mechanic for Gulfstream who lives near Pooler Parkway, has denied the accusation, first…

Major bill to set standards for college athletes’ pay passes US Senate

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan measure to overhaul the college sports landscape got a step closer to becoming law Monday after passing the U.S. Senate. The bill — which sailed through on a 77-22 vote — would set a national framework for college athletes’ compensation, provide certain antitrust protections to the NCAA…

Debate over data center growth in Georgia heats up race for governor

As Georgia becomes a national leader in new data center construction, debate over how to regulate the booming industry has become a hot issue in the race for governor. The two candidates have proposed contrasting visions for how to deal with the massive, power-hungry facilities that help power and advance artificial…

Trump thwarted in hunt for rare noncitizen voters as midterms near

Five weeks before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections. Even a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states access to a supercharged Department of Homeland…

Kemp temporarily suspends the state fuel tax as prices at the pump continue to soar

Georgia drivers may soon see a little temporary relief at the pump after Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state’s motor fuel tax as gas prices continued to surge. Kemp issued an executive order Monday declaring a state of emergency for gas supply disruptions. The suspension will take effect Tuesday and run through Oct…

Trump administration revokes $810M approved by Congress for refugee aid and more

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress. The $810 million in the “pocket rescission” would have gone to refugee assistance programs at the Department of Health and Human…

CDC’s latest youth behavior report offers a narrower look at teen health

For more than 35 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has surveyed American high school students every two years about their health and behavior. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, established in 1991, draws a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9 through 12 at public and private…

Federal agencies to collaborate to 'strengthen' review of glyphosate

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to collaborate on research with other federal agencies as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency evaluates the human health risks of the widely used pesticide, glyphosate. The recently announced memorandum of understanding between the two departments comes as…

Georgia Power, Google announce deal to pay for nuclear upgrades

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Google would help pay for upgrades to Georgia’s nuclear reactors under an agreement recently announced by Georgia Power. Georgia Power wants to upgrade four of the state’s older nuclear reactors…

Federal judge orders White House must restore press passes to 3 banned news outlets

WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly early Thursday issued an order that temporarily blocks President Donald Trump’s ban of three news organizations from the White House. Kelly, in the eight-page order, said that the White House must “immediately return, reinstate, and restore the White House ‘hard…

Judge skeptical of White House ban of 3 news outlets but holds off on ruling for now

WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly indicated during a Wednesday hearing he may order the Trump administration to reinstate White House press passes for reporters from three news organizations who had their credentials revoked this weekend. Kelly, of the U.S. District Court for the District of…

Most Georgians struggle with cost of living, researchers say

As many as 70% of Georgia residents are struggling to afford basic necessities, such as food, housing, healthcare or childcare, according to new data from the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. The data was released as part of the center’s national family economic well-being index, which measures the…

US Senate Republicans spotlight trans athletes issue as midterms approach

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee used a hearing Wednesday to continue voicing opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, which the top Democrat on the panel called a distraction from cost-of-living issues voters are more concerned about. Republicans, vying to defend…

Warnock urges greater federal oversight of automatic license plate readers

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is calling for federal guardrails around the use of automatic license plate readers, citing multiple cases of law enforcement misusing the cameras to stalk and harass U.S. citizens. Warnock, a Democrat, is teaming up with U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, to urge the U.S…

Georgia should build on housing progress by centering families

Every day at United Way, we meet families who are doing everything right. They’re working, raising children, contributing to their communities and still struggling to find housing they can afford. For many, the challenge isn’t simply buying a home. It’s finding a safe, stable place to live that fits their budget and…

Ballot question in November would make Georgia’s probate judges nonpartisan

Do you want to know what political party the judge who validates your last will and testament belongs to? A measure up for a vote on the November ballot would require all Georgia probate judges, who oversee matters like wills, estates and conservatorships, to be elected in nonpartisan elections, and a bipartisan group…

GOP’s ‘rubberstamp’ of Trump puts US Senate in play, Dem campaign chair says

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats believe they could pick up as many as six seats following this November’s midterm elections, despite Republicans having better fundraising numbers and break-even polling in several states. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand said during a sit-down…

‘Drive them into hell’: Trump ponders destruction of Iran at United Nations

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump faces a “big decision” to make a deal with Iran or “annihilate” the country, he told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. During a 37-minute speech to his international counterparts including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in New York City, Trump asked, “Will a deal…

Lindsay Clancy case could spur legislative action on postpartum depression, psychosis

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. The mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial earlier this month places her future in doubt, three years after she killed her three children…

Diesel prices shoot upward as top farm-state GOP senator begs Trump for export embargo

WASHINGTON — Diesel prices hit a record average of $6.51 a gallon Monday, and some in President Donald Trump’s own party are breaking their support for the ongoing war in Iran that has driven fuel prices to staggering levels in the United States and across the globe. Already House Republicans locked in tight races as

New lawsuit alleges unfair secrecy around Effingham data center

A group of plaintiffs is asking a judge to declare that the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority unfairly did public business in private and to throw out the agency’s deals with OpenAI affiliate Octans Georgia for a data center near Rincon. Five county residents plus the nonprofit environmental group One…

Trump likes data centers. Congress seems stuck. The midterms could deliver a verdict.

WASHINGTON — The rare 2026 issue that draws huge support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress is the same one that’s mobilized many Americans: restrictions on giant data centers. The House has overwhelmingly passed legislation forcing state regulators to consider requirements that data centers absorb the cost of…

Georgia school system abruptly bans Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’

Georgia’s second-largest school district is once again at the center of a political controversy over the appropriateness of school materials. Cobb County Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced the district is removing copies of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from school library shelves…

With vote-by-mail court fight settled, attention shifts to protections at the polls

Voting rights groups and Democratic officials are looking to defend against what they see as possible election interference from the Trump administration ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, now that they’ve won a major battle over mail ballots. Common Cause, a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization, announced a…

Execution of Georgia death row inmate delayed in light of new state law

Convicted murderer Stacey Humphreys was not executed Wednesday night as scheduled after the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a Cobb County judge’s order temporarily halting the execution. The pause is for Humphreys to receive a hearing under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last…

US House leaves for campaign break without action on AI, affordability

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House departed Wednesday for a seven-week campaign break after spending less than two weeks in session during August and September. The extended “district work period” is intended to give incumbents from both political parties time to meet with constituents and fundraise back home before voting…

More GOP lawmakers break with Trump on Iran as gas prices keep climbing

WASHINGTON — As the November midterms approach, vulnerable U.S. House Republicans voted late Tuesday to require congressional approval for President Donald Trump to continue his war in Iran. Seven Republicans broke ranks and joined all Democrats to pass a War Powers Resolution sponsored by Rep. Seth Moulton, a…

Poll finds voters favor US Senate candidates with plan for averting Social Security cut

WASHINGTON — Voters are much more likely to support U.S. Senate candidates in the November midterm elections if they have a plan to avoid an automatic cut to Social Security benefits in 2032, according to a poll released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Senators elected this fall will be in…

Attorney general defends Trump blast at US Supreme Court over vote-by-mail ruling

The Trump administration will comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s order this week blocking new restrictions on mail voting for this year’s elections, but President Donald Trump was right to attack the ruling, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a wide-ranging White House press conference Tuesday. Concerns…

Iran war cost tops $40B and billions more monthly, budget analysis finds

WASHINGTON — The cost of U.S. military operations in Iran has exceeded $40 billion and the war will continue to cost taxpayers between $2 billion and $3 billion per month, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The ongoing bombing campaign, which President Donald…

US Supreme Court blocks Trump rule limiting mail voting, sides with Dem states

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday kept in place a lower court’s order blocking President Donald Trump’s embattled plan to place new restrictions on mail ballots for this year’s midterm elections. The unsigned, one-paragraph order upheld a Massachusetts federal court’s injunction on a U.S. Postal Service rule until…

Georgia music education programs play on despite challenges

Early fall in Georgia brings the sounds of high schoolers blaring trumpets and pounding drums from football stadiums – as well as the squeaks and squawks of beginner musicians practicing their newly rented instruments. But these sounds do not echo equally across all of Georgia, said Alan Fowler, executive director of…

Trump EPA to strip greenhouse gas limits for power plants, a key Biden climate policy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will revoke limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that run on coal and natural gas, according to regulatory documents Administrator Lee Zeldin signed Monday. The administration framed the action to repeal 2024 limits on greenhouse gas emissions from virtually all…

Congress returns to session before midterms sprint, but no action expected on AI fears

WASHINGTON — Both chambers of Congress return to Capitol Hill this week for a brief session before heading back to the campaign trail until mid-November. The House will be in for one week and the Senate for three, giving Republicans little time to enact any laws or confirm nominees before voters decide whether to give

Is Jackson’s ‘Intelligent Medicaid Expansion’ weak tea – or a revolutionary fix?

A high-stakes mystery is unfolding in the Georgia governor’s race, potentially affecting health insurance for hundreds of thousands of Georgians. Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson released a major policy announcement last week supporting “intelligent Medicaid expansion.” But Medicaid expansion to all a…

Divorce becomes next battleground as states debate family values

Cerina Fairfax, a Virginia dentist and mother of two, spent nearly two years living in the same house as her husband while she was trying to divorce him. Virginia state law required couples with children, like the Fairfaxes, to wait a year before being allowed to file for divorce. Cerina’s husband, former Virginia Lt…

Frustrations, remorse and pain surface on 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks

Powerful U.S. officials past and present faced families, survivors and first responders Friday at ceremonies to honor the 25th anniversary of the day 2,977 Americans died in terrorist attacks in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. At the Pentagon, Condoleezza Rice, who was serving at the time under President George…

How the US House could overturn the midterm election results

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump tried to maintain power following his loss in the 2020 election by exerting pressure on state election officials to, in some cases, “find” the votes. Loyalist Republicans in Congress then attempted to deny Joe Biden the Oval Office when lawmakers gathered to certify the Electoral…

Vance blasts Dem ‘crazies’ in convention speech seen as possible 2028 audition

Vice President JD Vance took to the GOP convention stage in Dallas on Thursday in what served as a re-introduction ahead of a widely anticipated run for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. The former U.S. senator from Ohio sought to rally the GOP base on the second and final day of the unusual gathering, as

Republicans close out GOP midterm convention vowing to keep control of Congress

President Donald Trump and Republicans wrapped up their two-day midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday night, urging voters to ensure the party has another two years with unified control of government. Speakers, many vying for seats in Congress, insisted Democrats regaining power would be disastrous for the…

Georgia governor candidates target cost of living, but details remain murky

The two competing candidates for Georgia governor are both focusing on affordability but putting forward starkly different proposals aimed at easing household expenses. At a time when voters are anxious about the rising cost of living, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, is pitching a plan to…

Trump pulled the plug on EVs. Georgia EV makers are adapting and forging ahead

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. A year ago this month, federal immigration agents raided an electric vehicle battery plant in coastal Georgia and arrested more than 400 people, most of them South Korean workers there to help get…

Suit challenges Trump administration move to allow some ICE presence at polling places

WASHINGTON — Latino advocacy groups and voting rights organizations Thursday filed a suit in federal court challenging the Trump administration’s policy of allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to enter polling locations in certain circumstances to conduct immigration enforcement during the 2026…

How 9/11 changed the way America surveils its citizens

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the surveillance infrastructure built and expanded in its aftermath has become part of a far larger digital ecosystem — producing tools that can collect and analyze information on a scale unimaginable in 2001. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, did more than reshape the nation’s…

West Nile virus is entering its peak season. Here’s how you can protect yourself.

Experts are urging Georgia residents to take caution as the state enters peak season for West Nile virus, which is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. The disease is transmitted by Culex mosquitoes, which are most active between dusk and dawn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the vast…

At midterm convention, Trump pledges cash to voters if Republicans hold Congress

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump headlined the first night of the first Republican midterm convention Wednesday, seeking to rally his base ahead of the November elections and dangling a “Trump dividend” to voters if his party retains control of both congressional chambers. While the Republican National Committee’s…

Fetterman continues GOP flirtation, appears in surprise video to midterm convention

Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman made a surprise video appearance Wednesday at the GOP convention in Dallas, praising Republican Sen. Dave McCormick while vowing the pair of Pennsylvanians would continue working with President Donald Trump to “defend the steel way of life right here in the Steel Valley.” The brief…

Trump administration aims to exclude many noncitizens from the census

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to overhaul the U.S. census to exclude noncitizens who don’t have a green card from the country’s next population count in 2030, according to a Wednesday notice in the Federal Register. The document, which will officially be published Thursday, could mean major changes for…

Salvadorans await word on protected status as midnight deadline approaches

WASHINGTON — Temporary protected status for 170,000 Salvadorans is set to expire at midnight Wednesday, but the Department of Homeland Security said protections will remain in place until the Trump administration makes a decision to extend or terminate El Salvador’s designation, in place since 2001. “An announcement…

Rick Jackson pledges ‘intelligent’ Medicaid expansion, but offers few specifics

Republican candidate for governor Rick Jackson unveiled a health insurance plan he said will cover more Georgians and reduce healthcare costs, but how he would achieve that remains unclear. “On day one, I will close the coverage gap with intelligent Medicaid expansion,” said Jackson, a wealthy businessman who made his…

Trump doesn’t have the power to limit mail-in voting, lawmakers tell US Supreme Court

The hotly contested U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting usurps Congress’ authority, as well as states’ power to administer elections, more than 250 current and former members of Congress said in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. All 47 members of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus, 199…

Trump’s trade war with Canada escalates as new tariffs launch

WASHINGTON — Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods kicked in Tuesday, escalating a trade war with one of the largest U.S. trading partners that President Donald Trump continued to antagonize over the holiday weekend. Trump posted an AI-generated cartoon image of himself Sunday evening in which he is depicted…

NCAA eligibility lawsuit pits Louisiana, Southern elected leaders against each other

Inside a Baton Rouge courtroom Thursday, a lawsuit challenging arcane NCAA eligibility rules turned into a political football with prominent elected officials involved on each side. The case is one of two that pits the Southeastern Conference against LSU in proceedings that have captured national attention and drawn…

Georgia renames park named after minstrel songwriter, ‘father of American music’

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources removed the name Stephen Foster from a state park, though a spokesman said the name change is unrelated to the 19th century songwriter’s association with racist minstrel music. What was previously the Stephen C. Foster State Park was officially renamed the Okefenokee State…

Report: Georgia continues to rank near the bottom of nation on worker’s rights

Georgia has made modest gains, but remains one of the worst states to be a worker in 2026, according to a new report from Oxfam America. The state’s top leaders often tout Georgia’s credentials as “the best place to live, work and raise a family,” but this year’s rankings — which span all 50 states,

Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the…

Judge criticizes Trump pressure on prosecutors on reflecting pool vandalism charges

WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia Superior Court judge Friday seemed inclined to bar any new felony charges against former Olympian David Hearn, after the Trump administration accused the Maryland man of damaging part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman raised concerns…

US Supreme Court again urged to permit Trump vote-by-mail restrictions

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to overturn a lower court and allow it to enforce a U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting. The trial judge, Indira Talwani of the U.S. District of Massachusetts, prejudged the rule before it was final when she issued a temporary…

Election experts see few legal options for Trump to meddle with polling places

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said earlier this year he’d “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections” this fall, declining to rule out sending the National Guard or federal law enforcement officers to polling locations throughout the country. Those comments came a few months after Trump…