Morning, y’all! I understand seasonal creep, but there’s something personally offensive about seeing Thanksgiving tablescapes and cozy fall decor in stores when we’re still roasting in July. Wait until the first merciful autumn breeze blows, then we’ll talk turkey.
Let’s get to it.
THE FIRST LIBERTY PLOT THICKENS
We’ve been on top of the developing story of First Liberty Building & Loan, a Georgia-based investment firm that conned millions out of clients through an alleged Ponzi scheme.
The story has caused turmoil in conservative circles. The family members behind First Liberty are influential Republican donors but also used conservative notions of faith and patriotism to ensnare investors. Here’s the latest:
- The State Ethics Commission has accused the Georgia Republican Assembly PAC of violating Georgia law dozens of times by failing to report campaign expenditures and not properly registering before receiving funds.
- This is important because the GRA received a lion’s share of donations from First Liberty founder Brant Frost IV and his family — about $162,000, according to an AJC tally.
🔎 READ MORE: The state says the PAC ‘illegally influenced elections’ in 2022 and 2024
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AI IN ATL
An AI convention is coming to Atlanta in September, showcasing the latest in smart industrial machinery.
German trade show operator Messe Frankfurt chose Atlanta because the region has become a hotbed for manufacturing, data center development and, potentially, the next iterations of artificial intelligence.
- The Smart Production Solutions show will focus on automation and scaling AI technologies. One real-life example: improving AI-governed mechanics on a factory floor.
- It’s creepy, from an AI perspective, but underscores Atlanta’s growing reputation on the international manufacturing stage.
🔎 READ MORE: What an AI trade show looks like
RETHINKING GA CANNABIS LAWS
The House Study Committee on Georgia’s Medical Marijuana and Hemp Policies met for the first time on Tuesday, and the resulting conversations could signal changes in the state’s marijuana policies. Maybe. Potentially. It’s more like a nascent idea of a pursuit of a possibility.
- Lawmakers will consider boosting availability through the state’s medical marijuana program, which would also support agricultural hemp production.
- However, state legislators have long wanted to increase regulation on THC products like Delta-8 drinks and gummies. They’ll take a look at how other states have accomplished this and whether there is a viable path.
- Marijuana is legal for recreational use in 24 states, and a recent AJC poll shows a majority of Georgians support legalization here as well.
🍃 READ MORE: What else the committee may discuss
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
👾 Is AI already causing layoffs in the tech sector? Layoff announcements have lately referenced AI pivots. Tech job postings have decreased, yes, but so have job openings across other industries less affected by AI.
🐘 Project 2025 author Paul Dans will launch a primary challenge against Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. This could be a watershed moment in the MAGA movement’s evolution. Dans has described the aim of Project 2025 as “closing the door on the progressive era.”
🚧 Business owners along Cascade Road in Atlanta say prolonged construction delays are crippling their businesses. A two-mile stretch of Cascade has been closed for two years because of delays. Proprietors called on the city to finish the job.
LICE LADIES TO THE RESCUE
Back-to-school season means the return of every parent’s littlest nemesis: the louse. Luckily, the Lice Ladies are here!
Jennie Lasater and Molly Brandenberger are former members of the ’90s pop group Intrygue, who once toured with the Backstreet Boys. Now, they run a business helping delouse Atlanta’s heads.
They have plenty of lice advice:
- Yes, the fine-tooth comb method is best. Fact is, lice are nearly impossible to kill. “They’ve been spreading from head-to-head for thousands and thousands of years, and they’ve had all this time to build up a resistance to pesticides,” Laseter said.
- No one is safe from getting lice, and it has nothing to do with dirt. “It does not care. You literally have to be Mr. Clean-on-the-bottle bald to not be able to get it,” Lasater said. That includes Black hair, sometimes thought to be immune to lice.
🔎 READ MORE: More lice tips and destigmatizing info
NEWS BITES
A submersible finds sea creatures thriving in the deepest parts of the ocean
Leave them alone. They’re thriving because they’re unbothered!
Acuña is injured. How much worse could it get for the Braves?
It’s baseball — there’s only so bad it can get. Unless everyone’s abducted by aliens.
Celeb-backed bagel chain may plan extension into Georgia
We do need some good bagels around here.
Put me at the bottom of the ocean because I do not want to know.
ON THIS DATE
July 31, 1949
From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Hot enough for you? Trying vainly to keep cool, Pat Merrell ... dips her feet into the Hurt Park fountain. In her hand is one of the four thermometers The Constitution placed at various spots in downtown Atlanta yesterday for hourly readings. Hurt Park’s thermometer read 108 degrees at 1 p.m. It later climbed to a high of 113 in the blistering afternoon sun. Other thermometers were placed at Five Points, Rich’s new parking garage and The Constitution Building.
ONE MORE THING
We need to bring “louse” back as an insult. Succinct, evocative, simple. In a scene in one of my favorite movies (1953’s “Kiss Me, Kate”), the leading lady screams “You louse!” at her ex-husband and let me tell you, even as a kid I knew that hit.
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.
