Up in Michigan, a man answering the call of "fake news" was apparently willing to drive down I-75 to wreak havoc here. From the Associated Press:
Federal court documents filed in Michigan say 19-year-old Brandon Griesemer of Novi, Mich., began calling CNN on Jan. 9. He allegedly told a CNN operator, "Fake News. I'm coming to gun you all down." He allegedly made racist and anti-Semitic comments too. Altogether, there were 22 calls from two phones over two days.
The phone numbers were traced to Griesemer's family. Court documents say Griesemer had earlier made threatening calls to a local mosque.
An FBI affidavit says Griesemer made interstate threats by phone, in violation of federal law. Griesemer, a part-time grocery worker, was arrested, with bail set at $10,000. He is represented by a public defender.
The network released a statement about the threats on Monday night, stating: "We take any threats to CNN employees or workplaces, around the world, extremely seriously. This one is no exception. We have been in touch with local and federal law enforcement throughout, and have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our people."
In September 2017, Griesemer admitted to Ann Arbor police officers that he been the person behind a vitriolic call to a local Islamic Center. Two days before his confession, the center reported a caller who had made derogatory comments about Muslims and the mosque.
The number used for that call is the same number that was used to call CNN.
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As well you know, last week the state Senate passed out House Bill 159, the rewrite of Georgia's adoption laws.
Gov. Nathan Deal had made it clear he wanted a clean bill, without the language the Senate added last year, offering protection to child placement agencies that accept taxpayer money but don’t want to deal with same-sex couples.
The Senate did strip that language away, but added the contents of HB 359, a bill that would allow a parent to shift custody of a child to another individual or organization – without any state oversight.
The next day, state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, one of the original co-sponsors of the adoption bill, was on GPB's "Lawmakers." We've been holding back on this until the video became available last night, so you could see for yourself. Said Oliver:
"What the Senate did yesterday is to remove one religious preference provision and add another one.
"The idea that a power of attorney could transfer your child the same way you transfer a car title is in part coming from faith-based organizations that have their own form of group homes that may or may not be regulated, or individuals who may or may not say, 'Please, give me your child. I'm a good Christian, or I'm a good Jewish person or Muslim person. I will help you based upon the faith that we agree upon.'
"The transfer of children the same way you transfer a car, without court supervision, in my view raises some potential dangerous possibilities."
One of the groups backing this style of legislation is the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based organization.
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State Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, was on GPB's "Lawmakers" last night, touting HB 673, his bill to restrict cell phone use while driving. Carson said the legislation grew out of a hearing on rising auto insurance premiums:
"They're increasing not because auto insurance companies are gouging us. As a matter of fact, they're losing money repeatedly on auto insurance policies. The premiums are going up because claims are going up because traffic crashes are going up….
"There's a huge increase in rear-end collisions, single car collisions – in other words, a car not maintaining its lane, going off the road and hitting a tree. As well as the number of crashes by 15- to 25-year-olds. And it's because of these cell phones."
Carson’s bill wouldn’t prohibit you from touching your phone while driving. Said the lawmaker:
"You can still use your phone on a hands-free basis. You can touch or swipe your phone once to answer a call, touch or swipe again to end a call, and you can still use it for GPS applications."
Carson said 15 other states and the District of Columbia have passed similar legislation.
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Oddsmakers have a new favorite in the sweepstakes to land Amazon's second headquarters: Atlanta. The Bovada gambling website now gives Atlanta 5-1 odds at landing the $5 billion project, just ahead of Washington, Nashville, Boston and Austin. On Friday, Bovada had Nashville as the odds on favorite at 8-1, followed by Washington. Atlanta was in third with 12-1 odds.
No explanation was given for the shift, but the gambling site does say this:
Home to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest airport in North America, Atlanta is also home to one of the most diverse and vibrant economies in the United States.
Area politicians have reportedly been generous in their offers to Amazon of incentives, including free land and expanded infrastructure.
However, Atlanta's recent emergence as one of the South's dominant economic and political centers has also raised concerns about cost of living and availability of affordable housing.
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The race for Georgia secretary of state just got a bit more crowded. At least three leading Democrats and four Republicans are already in the hunt to replace Brian Kemp, who is running for governor. Now comes word that J. Smythe DuVal of Cobb County will seek the Libertarian nomination for the post at the party's Feb. 3 convention. DuVal, a U.S. Army veteran and registered nurse, said he'll push for an independent redistricting commission to redraw political lines and replace Georgia's voting machines with optical-scan technology.
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The chief bit of news coming out of Mike Pence's visit to Israel on Monday was the vice president's announcement that a U.S. embassy would open in Jerusalem sometime in 2019. But a bit of #MeToo was there as well. From Haaretz, Israel's liberal newspaper:
During Pence's visit, female journalists accompanying the vice president were separated from their male colleagues and sent away to a fenced and covered area in the back of the Western Wall compound.
