The Brief for Thursday, July 23, 2026

Support for WAB comes from Northside Hospital Cancer Institute with the most cancer center locations and board certified oncologist in Georgia, treating every type of cancer. Northside Hospital Cancer Institute is built to beat cancer. WABE's Insider Access Giveaways, sponsored by Live Nation, connect you with unforgettable experiences, amplifying Atlanta. You can win tickets to John Batiste at Sinovis Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park on August 23rd. Enter now at wabee.aB.org slash giveaway. For Thursday, July the 23rd, 2026, it's the brief from WABE. I'm Jim Burris. As data center development continues in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp has signed a symbolic federal pledge on the often controversial projects. President Donald Trump is asking data center and AI companies to pick up the energy costs instead of other power customers. Brian Kemp attended an event today in Washington, D.C. on the rate payer protection pledge. During his remarks, President Trump defended the data center boom. Other nations are trying to get us to slow down, and they're spending a lot of money on propaganda, on press, PR. trying to convince everybody that this isn't a positive thing. And if we don't do this, we're going to be left behind. And even communities compared to other communities, you have some communities that really want this. Some Republican candidates have been using similar talking points on the campaign trail. Brian Kemp is one of more than 20 Republican governors who signed the symbolic pledge. Jay Clayton County officials are having more conversations with residents about data centers, while a proposal for a multi-building facility in Lovejoy remains up in the air. WABE's Dormaya JD Vance has more from a town hall Wednesday night. Residents like Orlando Gooden are concerned about the data center being so close to residential neighborhoods and schools. Find an area, okay, that's not, that's going to have the least impact. It's kind of like a jail. You need it.

but nobody wants it in their backyard. Now, the Lovejoy proposal plans show the 15 building campus will be close to two schools in the area, spanning just over 400 acres along Panhandle Road. Jay Clayton County currently has a moratorium on any new data center applications and construction, but that doesn't include the proposed Lovejoy campus. Commissioner DeMont Davis wants more regulations governing where data centers can be built. That's what we have to begin to do. We have to put policies in place that are going to dictate the locations where they can. being where they cannot be to protect our citizens. Jay Clayton County Commissioner Tashay Allen will host a Data Center forum on August 8th. Dormaia advance, W.A.B.E. News. The teenager accused of killing four people in a September 2024 shooting at Appalachie High School is set to appear in court for a guilty plea and sentencing hearing on Friday. W.A.B. Shamin Cruz has more. Colt Gray is expected to enter a non-negotiated plea, leaving sentencing entirely up to the judge after each side presents a summary of the case and their recommendation. The now 16-year-old was initially set to go to trial in the fall, about 100 miles from Barrow County after pleading not guilty to charges, including murder. Meantime, a jury in March found the teen's father, Colin Gray, guilty of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges, for giving his son, the assault-style rifle used to open fire at the school. The elder Gray's own sentencing next week will bring to a close of first-of-its-kind trial in Georgia of a parent of an accused school shooter. Each sentencing hearing could last several days. Shemaine Cruz, WABE News. With a little more than 100 days until the midterm elections, President Donald Trump is searching for his party's message to voters. As he jumped between a variety of claims during his visit to Cobb County yesterday, WAB's Raul Bailey explains. This event was supposed to focus on Trump accounts for kids, but he cast a much wider net, including Georgia's midterms. He repeated a message that's been popping up on the campaign trail connecting Democrats to communism. You're terrible Senator, Jon Ossoff, he's terrible. And the Democrats. in Congress are voting with the communists every single time. Jon Ossoff's opponent, Congressman Mike Collins, did not appear, saying on social media that he was needed in Washington for some key votes. Trump also took aim at the U.S. Senate over not having passed a Save America Act, which includes strict new proof of citizenship requirements when you register to vote. When they can't get passed, voter ID, proof of citizenship. No mail-in ballots because they're crooked as hell. So right now, Congress is working to get as much of our plan as possible into the budget bill to identify. really terminate, look, what would they should do? Very simple. A lot of you don't know about filibuster. They should terminate the filibuster to prove everything. Trump touted other Republicans, too, including for statewide office and Congress. Raul Bally, W.A.B.E. News, Cobb County. A former Atlanta businessman has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for laundering millions of dollars stolen from children's health care of Atlanta.

Federal prosecutors say Ronald Diebler helped move more than $5.3 million after a hacker tricked the hospital into wiring money to DeBler's bank account. Authorities say DeBler transferred the money through multiple accounts and cashier's checks in exchange for a commission. Investigators recovered about $4 million, but DeBler was ordered to pay nearly $683,000 in restitution. He was convicted by a federal jury earlier this year. The Atlanta area's labor force reached a record high in June. That's according to the Georgia Department of Labor. The metro region added more than 12,000 people to the workforce, pushing the total to nearly 3.4 million. The unemployment rate rose 3 tenths of a percent, matching where it stood a year ago at 3.5 percent. Healthcare, administrative support, and arts and entertainment saw the biggest annual job gains, while federal government and construction posted some of the largest declines. The Northern District of Georgia will consider a second denaturalization case as the Trump administration broadens avenues to deport immigrants. WABE's Emily Wu Pearson has our story. The U.S. Department of Justice seeks to strip citizenship from Suffalo Louviano Mohica, a 60-year-old man who immigrated from Mexico. The DOJ alleges Louviano got his citizenship illegally through, quote, the concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentations. The federal case claims he hid a prior arrest in jailing for carrying a concealed firearm and for grand theft. He's the second person in the Georgia court to face losing their citizenship. Last month, the DOJ opened another case as part of Trump's push to denaturalized 200 people a month. Denaturalization is historically rare, with one study from Northwestern University law showing 305 denaturalization cases filed between 1990 and 2017. Emily Wu-Person, W-A-B-E News. Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson is calling for judges to put their investments into a blind trust. As WABE's Alex Helmick reports, it follows similar legislation. that would limit stock trading by members of Congress. Johnson is a member on the Judiciary Committee and has introduced the Justice's Blind Act as part of a slate of court reforms. He says the legislation would prevent judges, including those on the U.S. Supreme Court and their spouses and children from conflicts of interest based on their portfolios. For example, in 2023, ProPublica revealed Justice Clarence Thomas had not reported luxury gifts and had a real estate deal with a billionaire developer. Meantime, Congress is currently debating two major bills that would govern their members. Over the years, independent reports have tracked Congress members' trades, showing some lawmakers of both parties receiving huge returns on their investments. Alex Helmick, WAB News.

In July of 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. Its 36 anniversary was celebrated today at the Fulton County Government Center. Derek Tuff is founder of the nonprofit disability resource advisors. He's partially blind and deaf. He says today honors the resilience of people like him. We aren't just celebrating the law. We're celebrating the fact that people with disabilities have the power to achieve anything they put their mind to. And when we focused on that fact, then our celebration goes over the top. Fulton County Commissioners Dana Amy Coney Barrett and Khadija Abdur Rahman spoke at the rally as well and vowed to continue improving workplace conditions for those with disabilities. That does it for the brief. More local news is always available online at WABE.org. Christopher Alston is our producer, Melissa Fato, is our editor. I'm Jim Burris. Amplifying Atlanta, this is WABE. Thanks for listening.

Hi, this is Bill Nygut. We've just dropped a special podcast bonus episode of In These Times, a conversation with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who responds to President Trump's ongoing efforts to falsely claim the 2020 Georgia election was rigged. Rappensberger explains how Georgia elections are really run. You can find our special edition wherever you get your podcasts. The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has gone unsolved for six years. This is open in your face. How are there no answers? Our investigation has uncovered new evidence and witnesses who say they've never talked to police. Did police ever call you? Not once. Listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series on the Embedded podcast from NPR.