Marjorie Taylor Greene warns Donald Trump to stay out of Israel-Iran conflict

President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to strike Iran in support of Israel could be one of the most consequential choices of his presidency. But the political fallout back home threatens to split the MAGA movement that propelled his return to power.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, insisted that if the U.S. were to carry out or facilitate new attacks in Iran it would cause a split among the president’s base between those who remain loyal to him and those who would feel he betrayed his “America First” priorities.

“It’s going to fracture it, and it’s already fracturing it,” she told former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz during an interview on his One America News Network show.

It’s the second time Greene has signaled her willingness to break with the Trump administration. Earlier this month, she said she would have voted against the president’s “big, beautiful” budget bill had she known it banned state governments from regulating artificial intelligence.

Still, Greene has focused her criticism not on Trump directly but on what she describes as bad advice from his aides who represent a more traditional brand of conservatism that backs engaging in the affairs of other nations. By contrast, she has long backed isolationist policies where the U.S. avoids involving itself in foreign conflicts.

She has voted in the past against boosting federal aid for Israel during its war with Hamas, and she also has opposed U.S. involvement in helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

Trump cut short his trip to Canada for meetings with other G7 leaders to return to Washington to manage the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. Although the president initially distanced the U.S. from Israel’s attack, he appears to be considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for more direct involvement.

Things to know

Good morning! We’re 65 days away from the deadline for candidates to file for municipal elections in Georgia.

Here are three things to know for today:

Crowded Beltline

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

Everyone loves a good park — and we do mean everyone.

The Atlanta Beltline, the 22-mile trail along a former railroad, has become so popular that it’s getting harder for people to use it. Our AJC colleague Bill Torpy wrote about the “free for all” among walkers, bikers and scooters earlier this year.

Now, it’s becoming an issue in Atlanta’s District 2 City Council race. Candidates for the downtown district weighed in during a forum on Tuesday sponsored by the Committee for a Better Atlanta.

“The Beltline itself is very crowded,” said candidate Kelsea Bond. “I think this means we need more dedicated bike lanes and a network throughout the city so we’re not crowding everybody on the Beltline.”

Jacob Chambers said the city needs to complete “projects Atlantans have voted on and paid for,” including light rail. Voters approved a project way back in 2016 to extend the Atlanta Streetcar by the Eastside Beltline trail — a project that has fallen behind schedule and prompted Mayor Andre Dickens to look elsewhere for the project’s first phase.

Transportation was a big topic overall among the candidates, with Ocean Zotique and Alex Jones saying the city needs to make the Beltline more accessible while Courtney Smith said “simply spending more on MARTA” is not a solution.

New Senate leadership

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Senate Republicans on Tuesday elected Jason Anavitarte as their new majority leader.

The Dallas Republican will replace Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, who stepped down from the leadership position to launch a bid for lieutenant governor.

Anavitarte is believed to be the first Latino elected as Senate majority leader. His political career started on the Doraville City Council, followed by a stint on the Paulding County School Board. He was elected to the state Senate in 2020.

Georgia Republicans have a 33-23 majority in the state Senate, something Anavitarte pledged to maintain during his leadership.

“We will successfully defend every seat of our majority in the 2026 election,” he said.

Republicans also nominated Larry Walker III as the next president pro tempore. Walker will replace John F. Kennedy, who stepped down because he’s also running for lieutenant governor.

Walker can’t start the job immediately because he has to be voted on by the full Senate, which isn’t scheduled to reconvene again until January. Anavitarte, however, starts his new job right away.

Anavitarte was the majority caucus chair, while Walker was the caucus secretary. Republicans plan to hold another round of leadership elections “in the coming weeks” to fill those positions.

Still waiting

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

A state audit showed no one knew who should be in charge of two state-funded youth camps. More than two years later, we still don’t know.

The Georgia Association of Future Farmers of America has partnered with the state since 1948 to operate youth camping programs. Taxpayers help pay for two camps, which operate on state-owned property.

But an audit from January 2023 found the camps “are currently not defined as units of the state.” That means the camps don’t follow state financial management policies and their staff and volunteers aren’t covered by Georgia’s liability insurance policy.

Instead, the camps are overseen by a Camp Administrative Committee, made up of some officials from the state Department of Education and other entities, including local school districts.

Auditors said they weren’t sure if this was right. The Georgia Department of Education asked the attorney general’s office for clarification in February 2023. But a follow-up report released on Monday noted “no determination has been made as of May 2025.”

We asked the attorney general’s office about it, but a spokesperson said they couldn’t comment because of “attorney-client privilege.”

Please hold

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

When the state Legislature passed a cellphone ban for Georgia schools through 8th grade this session, it left the decision of how to keep the phones out of kids’ hands up to local school districts.

Some, like Marietta City Schools, are spending thousands of dollars to buy pouches to lock kids’ phones away for the school day. But Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the Cobb County School District won’t spend any money to help kids comply with the ban. Instead, phones will go in pockets, backpacks or lockers, the Marietta Daily Journal reports.

“I can say that we are not going to invest any money into storage solutions for cellphones,” Ragsdale said at a meeting last week. “We are certainly going to adhere to the law and follow the law as we always do. But the bottom line is we’re going to be focused on having school.”

The new policy for schools takes effect in 2026.

Listen up

Credit: AJC file photos

Credit: AJC file photos

Today on “Politically Georgia,” hosts Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy examine U.S. Rep. David Scott’s bid for reelection amid mounting questions about his age, visibility, and ability to serve. Then, AJC reporters talk about how President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill could impact clean energy, immigration, higher education, and Medicaid access in Georgia.

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 beautiful

Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Three recent national polls demonstrate how unpopular the Republican-led “big beautiful bill” is among American voters, even as the U.S. Senate begins work on its version of the legislation.

A poll by the Washington Post/Ipsos found that 42% of respondents oppose the bill while 23% support it. That same question when polled by Pew Research Center found that 49% opposed the bill and 29% favor it.

The Kaiser Family Foundation posted a slightly different question asking whether respondents viewed the bill favorably and found that 35% said they did while 64% said they did not.

Ossoff hearing

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

We told you yesterday that Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff was back in Washington for a “can’t miss” meeting on Capitol Hill. That meeting was Ossoff’s first hearing as the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

The post means that Ossoff can both push to spend money on construction projects at Georgia military bases and press leaders on completing them. On Tuesday, Ossoff used his time to make the case for a series of projects around the state, including a new elementary school at Fort Benning and upgrades at Fort Gordon, Robins Air Force Base and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. He also pushed for readiness projects at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and Moody Air Force Base.

Ossoff also criticized President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut family housing accounts for the Army and Navy.

“I think we all know privatized family housing at DOD installations is a mess,” he said.

Today in Washington

Shoutouts

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

Belated birthday:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

You can check the status of your $500 state tax refund at the state Department of Revenue’s website.

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.

This story has been updated to reflect that U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is pushing for upgrades at Robins Air Force Base, among other military facilities.