Morning, y’all! The news is newsing. And at the end of the week? Rude. As you may know, it’s verboten in the news business to remark on a “slow news day,” because you will immediately attract something newsworthy, and then people get stressed and know it’s all your fault. So let’s agree to keep our thoughts to ourselves so we can make it to the weekend unscathed.
Let’s get to it.
A PIPING HOT BORDER DISPUTE
You’ll want to top off your tea for this one. A case of a mysteriously altered county border in northeast Georgia is one of political rivalry, conspiracy theories, fraud allegations and a county sheriff who may or may not actually live in the place he serves.
The AJC’s Mark Niesse has a fantastic deep dive, but here are the basics:
- Sheriff Billy Carlton Speed lives in rural Banks County, where he’s served since he was first elected sheriff in 2012.
- Or does he? Some time between 2018 and 2019, the border between Banks County and the adjoining Franklin County shifted in the records. Before, Speed’s house was in Franklin County. After, the border bends just enough that the house moves to Banks County.
- Recently elected Banks County Commission Chairman Taylor Griffith wants to restore the border to correct what he says is “an unethical attempt to falsify a county boundary.” He’s backed by a growing number of local Republicans.
- That would mean Speed, under state law, could not be the sheriff of Banks County. It would also mean lots of investigations and legal inquiries into how such a mix-up happened.
- But wait, there’s more: Speed says the whole ordeal is part of a political vendetta by former state representative and fellow Republican Dan Gasaway.
- Gasaway said ineligible voters across local borders contributed to his 2018 election loss, and his claims were held up in court. Speed’s was one of the borderline households Gasaway disputed.
- Speed hit back at Gasaway last week, flaming him for “fantastical accusations” and “conspiracies” in attempt to “deflect attention from his own electoral shortcomings.” Yikes.
Any allegations that the border was intentionally manipulated are so far unproven, and as Niesse covers in his story, county borders aren’t always cut and dry.
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A LOT HAPPENING AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Speaking of disputes, President Donald Trump and former DOGE head Elon Musk went at it on social media yesterday, making public a new dimension of their frayed relationship.
- Musk stepped away from the Department of Government Efficiency at the end of May. Since then, he’s been highly critical of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and called it a “disgusting abomination” on X earlier this week.
- Musk ramped up the rhetoric after some dismissive comments from Trump, even claiming Trump would have lost the 2024 election without his help. He also claimed Trump is included in the Epstein files, and that’s the reason Republican officials have not released their contents.
- In response, Trump threatened to terminate Musk’s government subsidies and said he went “CRAZY!” after being asked to leave DOGE.
The dispute is already producing very real consequences: Tesla shares have dropped, cryptocurrency markets are in disarray, and more Republican critics of Trump’s spending bill are coming out of the woodwork.
🔎 Here’s a full timeline of their remarks about each other
Meanwhile, Trump levied another travel ban. The ban prohibits citizens of 12 countries from entering the U.S. and restricts access for seven others.
Most of the countries on the banned list are in Africa and the Middle East and include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Some of the banned countries’ governments have already vowed retaliation.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
⚖️ The Supreme Court sided with a heterosexual woman who claimed she faced “reverse discrimination” in the workplace. The decision will make it easier for other people from non-marginalized groups to make similar claims.
✂️ Procter & Gamble will cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years as part of a broad restructuring program amid tariffs and rising prices.
🏠 The long-vacant Atlanta Constitution building downtown will be turned into affordable housing. It’s the brick one near the State Farm Arena with the unintentional roof garden.
WEEKEND PLANS
It won’t be the sunniest of weekends, but we can still have fun. Lots of neat nature activities on tap:
🦋 See some butterflies: The 26th annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival comes to the Chattahoochee Nature Center with up-close butterfly encounters and more.
🐢 TURTLES: A new Fernbank Museum exhibition opens Sunday. I bet you’ll never guess what it’s called. It features 12 ex-shell-ent species of turtles (they’re alive, don’t worry).
🐕 Do a fancy dog date: Is your neighborhood dog park too ... plebeian? No IPAs on tap? Here are three high-end dog parks that class up the experience.
🦒 Get wild at the Zoo Atlanta Neighborhood Block Party: Reduced admission, a live DJ, yard games and Ask-A-Zookeeper Talks. What more could you want?
🌷 EXTRA INSPIRATION: 14 more family-friendly things to do this weekend
UH OH, BRAVOS
We need to talk about the Braves.
At the beginning of the season, Atlanta was hopeful it could keep pace with the powerhouses of the NL East, maybe even try for a deep postseason run.
Then the season began with a seven game losing streak and that dream screeched to a halt. They’ve tried to claw their way back into contention, they really have. Alas, it may be time to go gently into that good night (aka the bottom half of the division standings).
- The Braves have lost 11 of their last 14 games
- They folded in spectacular fashion to the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday, turning a 9-4 8th inning lead into a 11-10 loss.
- The total collapse of the bullpen ignited cries to fire manager Brian Snitker, who’s led the team through multiple playoff runs and to a 2021 World Series title.
- It’s also inspired a lot of soul searching in Braves Country. To wit, Michael Cunningham’s latest column: “’Horrible loss’ is latest proof Braves are a bad team.”
NEWS BITES
Your guide to the 2025 NBA Finals
If you watch long enough, you’ll forget about the whole Braves implosion.
André 3000 keeps popping up around town
Impromptu flute concerns, playing with random bands; all excellent famous person behavior.
Tom Felton will reprise role as Draco Malfoy on Broadway
That sound you hear is hoards of millennials booking flights to NYC.
Georgia’s TikTok ‘Trick Shot Queen’ gets love on America’s Got Talent
How do you even find out you can do this? Did she get a call from Professor X?
ON THIS DATE
June 6, 1930
From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Victory for Atlanta in its fight for census recognition of its full population was officially signified Thursday when Dr. Elizabeth Broach, local census director, under the authority of W.M. Steuart, national census director, announced the preliminary count of the city as 353,772.
Considering Atlanta was founded in 1837, it’s amazing it took that long.
ONE MORE THING
Butterflies are overrated. They’re large bugs with wings. It doesn’t matter that the wings are pretty, they’re still too mobile. Have you been in one of those butterfly domes, ducking and dodging while flying bugs crashing into your face? Traumatizing.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
