Here is what is trending in politics around Georgia and across the nation on Friday.
1. Mueller impanels grand jury
Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington in his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported. The grand jury will allow Mueller to subpoena witnesses and documents as he investigates any possible connection between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.
2. Transcripts of Trump’s calls published
The Washington Post on Thursday published transcripts of calls made by President Trump in the week after his inauguration. The leaked transcript of a call to Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto revealed the president repeatedly telling him to stop saying Mexico would not pay for a wall along the United States’ southern border. The other leaked transcript was a call to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in which Trump described the conversation as his “most unpleasant call all day.”
3. Are immigration policies going to impact who takes care of you?
An upcoming book by an MIT professor of human resources and management suggests that the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration is "an absolute train wreck waiting to happen," when it comes to long-term care of an aging population. Paul Osterman says new immigration policies, such as the one proposed by Georgia Sen. David Perdue, (R), this week, will worsen a shortage of home caregivers whose ranks in many states are largely filled by immigrants. In New York, Osterman said, 64 percent of home care aides are immigrants. Georgia is on the other end of the scale with around 12 percent of the home care aide workforce being immigrants.
4. There’s a new Republican governor
Democratic West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told a crowd at a rally with President Trump Thursday night that he is switching parties and will register as a Republican on Friday. Justice told the crowd, “I can’t help you anymore being a Democratic governor.” With Justice’s switch, there will be 15 Democratic governors in the United States. There are 34 Republican governors. Bill Walker, the governor of Alaska, is registered as an Independent.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal told The Washington Post that he plans to run for sheriff of Henry County in 2020. It would not be O'Neal's first time sporting a badge. He was sworn in as a sheriff's deputy in Clayton County last year.
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