Morning, y’all! Happy Friday. Or at least, Adequate Friday. They can’t all be winners.
Let’s get to it.
FULTON GOES TO COURT OVER FBI RAID
Today, Fulton County will try to convince a federal judge that the U.S. Department of Justice must return the 2020 election materials seized by the FBI in a raid earlier this year.
- The hearing could reveal new details about how the Trump administration convinced a magistrate judge to allow the raid.
- The FBI could also be pressed to answer more questions about why they wanted the materials. The affidavit that led to the search showed investigators relied on recycled information from election skeptics, but no hard evidence.
- The Justice Department has tried to cancel the hearing, saying it would interfere with their criminal investigation into Fulton County records.
🔎 READ MORE: What AJC’s politics team is paying attention to in the hearing
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
COULD WE SEE AIRPORT RELIEF SOON?
If we’re lucky, the answer is yes. A few possible lights at the end of the tunnel:
- U.S. senators worked overnight into early this morning, approving Homeland Security funding to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies.
- The deal, which the Senate approved unanimously without a roll call, next goes to the House.
- With pressure mounting to end the 42-day stalemate over DHS funding, President Donald Trump reportedly said he would sign an order to immediately pay TSA agents and stop the “Chaos at the Airports.”
Meanwhile, wait times for travelers and issues for TSA agents continue.
- TSA officers are slated to miss their second full paycheck today.
- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has pulled staff from finance, marketing and other non-operations areas to help manage crowd control.
- From Friday through Monday, more than 320,000 people are expected to pass through TSA checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson, with the biggest crowds Sunday.
🔎 READ MORE: Wait times are all over the place
HOLD YOUR HORSES
Atlanta police and the Cobb Sheriff’s Office will deploy mounted officers to handle crowds and medical emergencies during the World Cup.
- The horses and riders will primarily patrol around Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Mounted patrol units from the Savannah and Memphis, Tennessee, police departments will join the other two units for certain games.
Please assure me of the horse’s physical and mental well-being
- Well, first of all, police horses are consummate professionals. Have a little faith.
- When on street patrol, the horses will wear thick rubber versions of metal horseshoes for better traction and shock absorption.
- The officers have a shift schedule in place and a vet on standby to make sure their mounts don’t overheat.
- In order to make sure horses keep their cool among loud, unpredictable crowds, officers do desensitization training with speakers, sirens, inflatable tube men, kazoos, fireworks, flags and all manner of annoyances.
🔎 READ MORE: Notes from an AJC reporter who saw a recent mounted demonstration firsthand
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🚸 A bill that just passed the Georgia Senate would let state voters decide if local governments can use cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones. The bill still needs to pass the House, but seems to have robust support.
🏢 David Duncan is the new president and CEO of paper and packaging giant Georgia-Pacific, the company announced. Georgia-Pacific has about 30,000 employees and produces consumer brands like Angel Soft, Brawny and Dixie.
BASEBALL!
Yes. YES. The long winter is over and day breaks over the warning track once again.
The Atlanta Braves open the 2026 MLB season at home against the Kansas City Royals tonight. The AJC’s new Braves reporter Chad Bishop outlines what to watch as the boys lock in for the long season.
- A new manager: Walt Weiss took over as skipper after Brian Snitker transferred to an advisory role at the end of last season. Weiss was previously a bench coach for eight seasons with the team.
- Pitching ouchies: Braves pitchers dropped like flies during spring training, leaving holes in the starting rotation and the bullpen. Pour one out for Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider, who will all start the season on the injured list.
- A hard road for the NL East: The Braves last won the division in 2023, and they’ll face some juiced-up rivals this year. The Mets and Phillies are favorites to win the pennant, but fate has a way of upending expectations over 162 games. Never say never.
🔎 READ MORE: Who will win the NL East?
WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT: GEORGIA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
The Georgia Food and Wine Festival hits Jim R. Miller Park this weekend for three days of delish.
If you go, AJC Food and Dining head Monti Carlo says it pays to have a plan. Here’s how the days are divided:
- Friday’s Fired Up: barbecue and live fire-cooking event.
- Saturday’s Savor: the main tasting event with chefs, drinks and demos.
- Sunday’s Funday: a more relaxed, family-friendly day with food, shopping and a cocktail competition.
🔎 READ MORE: Get more insider recommendations
NEWS BITES
Tom Brady says he’s weighed coming out of retirement
Tom, respectfully, you’re 48. A wonderful age, no doubt, but by football standards you’re a pile of dinosaur bones.
Washington’s cherry blossoms hit peak bloom
So pretty to look at. So ... off-putting to smell.
How to create best practices for your child’s social media use
Parents, I do not envy you.
AI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, and it works
Put another way: Generative AI thinks you’re stupid and easily manipulated. Are you really going to let a technology like that lead any part of your life?
ON THIS DATE
March 27, 1966
Weather’s fair for Braves game. It will be a little cooler than traditional baseball weather, but Sunday’s sports events … won’t be bothered with rain. That’s the word from the U.S. Weather Bureau in Atlanta, which forecast a few clouds and a high of 58 Sunday followed by an overnight low of 40 and a pleasant 60-degree high Monday.
Braves fans at Truist Park shouldn’t be bothered with rain tonight either, and fingers crossed it drops below 80 by game time. 🤞😅
ONE MORE THING
Yearly reminder that while I support the general idea of the Atlanta Braves and want them to do well if only because it would make a lot of you happy, my heart (and a worryingly large portion of my brain) belongs to the Washington Nationals. They’re bad this year so it’s not even worth getting mad at me.
At least we can agree on one thing: Boo Phillies.
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.
