Brian Kemp heads to Canada for trade talks amid Donald Trump’s tariff war
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Families of teachers killed on the job will get tuition help.
- Local governments struggle with budget deficits.
- “2000 Mules” defamation case has a hearing in federal court.
‘O Canada’
While President Donald Trump dreams of making Canada the 51st state, Gov. Brian Kemp is heading north this weekend with a different goal: strengthening ties with Georgia’s biggest trading partner.
The second-term Republican will join other southeastern U.S. officials at a cross-border economic summit in Saint John, New Brunswick, as part of the Southeast U.S.–Canadian Provinces Alliance.
The three-day conference aims to promote trade and investment between the region and Canada — a relationship that’s taken a hit amid Trump’s tariff war and his goal of annexing the U.S. neighbor.
Canada posted a record $5.2 billion trade deficit in April, driven in part by a sharp drop in auto exports to the U.S. after Trump slapped a 25% tariff on Canadian-made vehicles and threatened more on parts. The Canadian economy hinges on its southern neighbor, with roughly 75% of its exports headed to the U.S.
Kemp’s trip, one of several international visits this year, won’t stop the trade war. But it’s a sign that Kemp sees value in international partnerships and strengthening global trade as Trump promotes a form of economic nationalism heading into 2026.
Things to know
Good morning! The primary election for the Public Service Commission — which regulates electricity and natural gas rates — is 11 days away. So far, just under 29,000 people have cast ballots for a turnout of 0.4%.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- A project to mine titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp has been delayed because the company still hasn’t paid a $2 million bond required for a state permit, the AJC’s Dylan Jackson reports.
- As Georgia Republicans gather in Dalton this weekend for their state party convention, much of the titanic struggles between the mainstream and MAGA forces have dissipated, reflecting something close to unity, Greg Bluestein writes.
- Atlanta is the inspiration behind a little-known but important federal minority contracting program that President Donald Trump wants to end, the AJC’s Mirtha Donastorg and Emma Hurt report.
Teacher support
“First responders” has become a catch-all phrase to encompass police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Now, after the deadliest school shooting in state history, Georgia policymakers appear to be adding a new profession to that list: teachers.
Lawmakers agreed to double the amount of money the state pays families of teachers who are killed in the line of duty, putting them on par with police officers. Now, the children and spouses of fallen teachers will be eligible for tuition grants to help them pay for college — a benefit that had previously been restricted to public safety workers.
Impacted families would be eligible for up to $18,000 a year for four years for tuition to Georgia colleges and universities. The money comes from donations, mostly from people who agree to give back a portion of their state tax refunds.
It’s not just teachers. The new law also expands the program to include the spouses of fallen public safety workers.
The law builds off the work of the 200 Club of the Coastal Empire, a nonprofit based in Savannah that has financially supported the families of more than 100 first-responders who died in the line of duty. The club was founded in 1999 and serves 20 counties in coastal Georgia and neighboring South Carolina.
“The 200 Club is the first responder for our first responders,” Jeff Jepson, the club’s chairman, said.
The push for the tuition grants started in the Georgia House with state Rep. Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah. But his bill lost traction in the final days of the legislative session. Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, agreed to add it to Senate Bill 20, which started as veterinarian education bill, on the session’s final day.
Budget season
Local governments across Georgia are finishing up their annual budgets. So far, the news hasn’t been great.
Cities, counties and school districts across the state have been slashing spending, laying off workers and, in some cases, considering tax increases to cover budget deficits. The red ink contrasts with the state budget, which has had so much money in recent years that lawmakers have been returning billions of dollars back to taxpayers.
Some examples:
- Atlanta closed a $33 million deficit through layoffs and 5% budget cuts across departments.
- Atlanta Public Schools cut 135 positions from its central office after initially facing a $100 million deficit.
- The Cobb County School District announced its lowest teacher raises in years and is reassigning employees to vacant jobs rather than hiring new teachers.
- Bulloch County is considering a property tax increase on some homeowners to help cover a $7.8 million shortfall.
- Fulton County closed two elementary schools this year to cut costs. School Superintendent Mike Looney warned the system is “on a collision course to insolvency unless we cut expenses, raise revenue, or some combination of both.”
As our AJC colleague Cassidy Alexander reports, school districts have been grappling with federal spending cuts, uncertainty over property tax revenue and rising health care and pension costs.
State funding, which accounts for about 40% of school system revenue, is increasing. But it hasn’t kept up with the cost of health benefits. Gwinnett County’s health benefits along increased by $60 million.
“They’re all being hit with the same thing, the same costs,” said John Zauner, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association.
‘A work of fiction’
A federal judge is taking up a defamation case today by a Gwinnett County man who was falsely accused of voting fraud in the election conspiracy film “2000 Mules.”
The film features footage of Mark Andrews dropping off absentee ballots while filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza says: “What you are seeing is a crime. These are fraudulent votes.”
But they weren’t. Andrews was dropping off ballots for himself and four family members, which is legal in Georgia. The State Election Board later dismissed a case alleging that the film showed wrongdoing by voters. Andrews then sued in federal court.
“The undisputed record exposes ‘2000 Mules’ to be a work of fiction,” Andrews’ lawyer wrote in a motion seeking summary judgment.
“Defendants have since admitted that ‘2000 Mules’ shows footage of Mr. Andrews and others, depicting them as criminals, falsely and without proof. Nonetheless, in pursuit of money and political favor, they decided to publish and promote ‘2000 Mules’ anyway.”
Defendants in the case, including D’Souza and the conservative group True the Vote, asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit. True the Vote, a conservative Texas-based election group, provided research that D’Souza used to make the film.
The publisher of the movie, Salem Media Group, apologized to Andrews last year. D’Souza apologized in December, saying the film was based on “inaccurate information.” He’s still fighting the lawsuit.
Attorneys for True the Vote co-founder Catherine Engelbrecht and colleague Gregg Phillips said they aren’t responsible for D’Souza’s video and statements about Andrews.
“The interviews Phillips and Engelbrecht gave, portions of which D’Souza decided to put in the film and trailer, were all given before TTV defendants even received the publicly available surveillance video from Gwinnett County that includes plaintiff. Thus, there is no way they were referring to plaintiff when they provided those interviews,” the attorneys wrote in a court filing.
Listen up
Today on “Politically Georgia,” Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, joins the show to discuss the ongoing conflict with Hamas, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and efforts to address civilian suffering.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Not so fast
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to close a program that provides job training and educational programs to low-income young adults.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday that prohibits the U.S. Department of Labor from terminating jobs, removing students from the 99 contractor-run centers or eliminating the Job Corps program without congressional authorization, the Associated Press reported.
Those facilities include two in Georgia — one in Brunswick and another in Albany.
U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer has acknowledged that only Congress has the power to eliminate the program. Her plan is to simply halt its operations. But now she’s facing bipartisan pushback.
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, and his Congressional Job Corps Caucus co-chair Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, sent a letter to Chevez-DeRemer urging her not to halt the program. It was signed by 199 other House members.
Today in Washington
Happenings:
- President Donald Trump will sign executive orders, participate in a ceremony for U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan and then head to New Jersey ahead of Saturday’s UFC match that he plans to attend.
- The House will vote on legislation restricting immigrants, even legal ones, from qualifying for Small Business Administration loans.
- The Senate is done for the week.
Shoutouts
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Before you go
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens visited the former Atlanta Constitution building on Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony to revitalize the building that has been abandoned since the 1970s. The plan is to turn the site into 200 affordable housing units with some commercial space.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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