Mamdani Pressures Hochul To Jack Up Taxes On Rich Amid NYC Budget Woes

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 17:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/mamdani-pressures-hochul-jack-taxes-rich-amid-nyc-budget-woes 

The Indiana Senate approved a stadium authority bill that would help bring the Chicago Bears to Northwest Indiana Wednesday.

Senate Bill 27, authored by State Senators Ryan Mishler, R-Mishawaka, and Chris Garten, R-Charlestown, would establish the Northwest Indiana stadium authority to “acquire, construct, equip, own, lease, and finance” a sports stadium.

A site on Lake Michigan near Miller Beach is one of three proposed sites by Indiana for a future Bears stadium, Jan. 19, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

The bill would establish a three-member board: the director of the office of management and budget, the public finance director or designee and another member appointed by the office of management and budget.

The authority would work toward acquiring, financing, constructing and leasing land and capital improvements. It would also have the power to finance, improve, construct, reconstruct, renovate, purchase, lease, acquire, and equip land and capital improvements, according to the bill.

The bill would require a National Football League team to enter into a lease for the stadium for at least 35 years. After the term of the lease, the lessee would have the option to purchase the capital improvement for $1 if certain conditions are met.

Under the bill, the authority could issue bonds, and the lease rental payments could be made from local excise taxes, food and beverage tax and innkeeper’s tax.

A 400 acre site east of Clark Street is one of three sites proposed by Indiana for a future Bears stadium, Jan. 19, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

The Senate Appropriations Committee amended the bill to remove the authority’s goal of 15% participation by minority businesses and 5% participation from women’s businesses to participate in the procurement and contracting process.

“This bill just creates the framework. There’s a lot of other details that will need to be added as well. For instance, we’ll have to add locals to the board. There’ll be some requirements from the local units. We’re continuing discussions with them,” Mishler said Wednesday.

When the bill was heard on second reading Tuesday, five amendments were filed for the bill, but none of the amendments were moved for consideration by the Senate. That means the bill moved forward for final consideration without being amended by the whole Senate.

One of the amendments was to reinstate the participation percentages for minority businesses and women’s businesses. Two amendments increased the number of people on the board appointed by a combination of the Speaker of the House, the Senate President Pro Tem and minority floor leaders.

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, said the bill would benefit the entire state. While it’s not clear if the Chicago Bears will come to Northwest Indiana, it is important for the state to support the region in trying to court the team, he said.

“I think it adds a dual component. We already know the contributions and the benefit that the Indianapolis Colts has to the southern part and the mid part of the state. That same kind of benefit could develop in Northwest Indiana,” Randolph said. “The more support that we show for this bill, the better chance that reality could very well occur.”

The Senate passed the bill 46-2, with State Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, and State Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, voting against the bill. The bill moves forward to the House.

After the vote, Gov. Mike Braun issued a statement calling the Senate’s vote “the next critical step in the right direction to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state and to grow Indiana’s economy.”

“Indiana is open for business and the Chicago Bears have taken notice,” Braun said.

With the filing of Senate Bill 27, the City of Gary has proposed three locations for a potential Chicago Bears stadium.

With Indiana legislation filed to support financing a northwest Indiana stadium, Gary officials identified three “plug-and-play” sites: Gary West End Entertainment District, Buffington Harbor and Miller Beach, according to a press release.

On Jan. 10, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren and Chairman George McCaskey took NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on a tour of the Arlington Heights site the team owns, and two sites in Northwest Indiana, including one near Wolf Lake in Hammond, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The tour took place before the Bears’ epic come-from-behind victory over the archrival Packers. The visit is significant because the National Football League may loan $200 million or more for the stadium project, if it is approved by league owners, according to the Chicago Tribune.

During his state of the state address Jan. 14, Braun touted Indiana’s strong business environment as part of the reason that the Bears have looked to Northwest Indiana to build a stadium.

“We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state so they can really see what a great place is to have a business. We’ll work hard to do it. Let’s get it across the finish line,” Braun said.

akukulka@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/chicago-bears-stadium-bill-passes-indiana-senate-but-changes-likely/ 

It was Sunday afternoon, the snow was coming down steady and gorgeous, the wind chill was stuck at negative 25, and I was on the phone with Joe Sass, Chicago’s newest folk hero.

“I just got back from some intense sledding with my daughter,” he told me. “We were the first ones there so I had to go down a few times by myself. Groom the trails for the other kids.”

Three days earlier, a WGN News helicopter captured footage of Sass, a crossing guard at Jamieson Elementary School, hoisting a kid over his shoulder and carrying him across the slushy mess caused Thursday by a water main break nearby. Stop sign in one hand, kid held steady on his shoulder with the other, Sass even pauses at one point to retrieve his passenger’s dropped water bottle from the icy stream. (Check out the video if you haven’t seen it. You’ll be happy you did.)

“My buddy Ron sent me a picture,” Sass said. “He goes, ‘This is you, isn’t it?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah that’s funny.’ I sent it to my friend who works at the post office. ‘Look WGN caught me working.’ I really didn’t think anything of it.”

Chicago did.

“HERO CROSSING GUARD,” WGN Morning News reporter Marcus Leshock posted on X, along with the helicopter footage.

The post spread like wildfire through a city parched for something kind and beautiful. By the next morning, Sass was in the WGN Morning News studio recounting the tale. School was canceled that day due to the cold, so Sass was available.

“I look at it with these kids as I wouldn’t treat them any different than I treat my own daughter,” Sass told the WGN hosts.

I posted the segment on Instagram the day after it aired on WGN. Someone treating all children like his own can’t be shared and shouted and celebrated loud enough, to my mind.

Turns out we have a mutual friend.

Lynn Gilbertsen, whose family adventures I wrote about in August 2020, sent me a note letting me know she teaches Sass’ 9-year-old daughter. He brings her family venison jerky. I asked her to put us in touch. We talked the next day.

“One of my crossing guard supervisors told us once, ‘These are our babies,’” Sass told me. “It hit me so hard. Ever since then, I treat them like they’re my own child. Like how I’d want my daughter to be treated.”

The day of the water main break, the forecast didn’t call for snow. Kids were walking to school in sneakers.

“I saw Jose and I know he doesn’t like to get his shoes wet or dirty,” Sass said. “I looked at him like ‘What do you weigh, 80?’ He’s like ‘60.’ I go, ‘Would it be OK if I pick you up?’ He was like, ‘OK, we can do that.’”

And they did. If you watch the whole WGN clip, you see Sass helping other pedestrians — including families with strollers — navigate the mess.

“One of the things I love about being a crossing guard is I get to meet all these different people,” he said. “Especially in our little corner of the North Side, it’s so diverse. I tell people all the time our neighborhood is like the UN. We’re so lucky to have all these different cultures and know people from all over the world. It’s so beautiful.”

Joe Sass, a crossing guard at Jamieson Elementary School in West Ridge, was recorded by WGN News hoisting a student over his shoulder and carrying him across a slushy mess caused by a water main break on Jan. 22, 2026. (Ceridwen Sass)

Sass, raised in Chicago, is a longtime rugby player, formerly for the Chicago Westside Condors.

“Rugby really opened my eyes up to the world,” he said. “I met my wife playing rugby. I played in South Korea, Scotland, the Bahamas. The nice thing about rugby is you have a friend anywhere you go in the world.”

Ron Estrada, the buddy who alerted Sass to his burgeoning fame, also played rugby. After watching his longtime friend —and groomsman — get some much-deserved recognition, Estrada set up a GoFundMe in his honor.

“This fundraiser is a way for everyone to say thank you,” Estrada wrote on the page, “whether it’s buying Joe a coffee, a cold Old Style, or some sausages, every donation is a gesture of gratitude. HALF of what we raise will go directly to Joe and his family and THE OTHER HALF will be donated to Project HOOD, a Chicago charity that our guy loves.”

Sass has been a fan of Project Hood, a group that provides mentorship and tutoring to young people in Chicago, since he heard founder Pastor Corey Brooks being interviewed on WGN Radio, he told me.

A totally delightful aside about Sass is how he radiates love for all things Chicago. The two best parts of this whole adventure?

“For people to see Chicago in this beautiful light that uplifts our neighborhoods and schools and communities,” he told me. “And me being able to see the Tom Skilling weather center.”

Can we get a street named after this guy? An elementary school maybe?

Thanks for your heart and your example, Joe. Chicago — and the world — need them more than ever.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/heidi-stevens-crossing-guard/ 

A judge granted bail in December for a woman in a fatal East Chicago apartment shooting.

Rena Dixon, 34, is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a gun enhancement in the April 26, 2025, death of Aaliyah Shewan, 27, of Aurora, Illinois.

Shewan was shot in the stomach at Dixon’s apartment and died at a nearby hospital.

Dixon’s bail was reset to $7,500 cash surety. Court records do not appear to show she has posted bond. A status hearing is set for March 26.

Two bail hearings were held in August and December.

Defense attorney Adam Tavitas argued in court filings that the two other men there didn’t see the shooting and the gun wasn’t recovered. No one else at the apartment testified in the bail hearing or gave a motive.

Deputy Prosecutor Paul Namie argued in filings that a woman said, “You’re not supposed to be here,” before a gunshot. The men tried to “de-escalate” tensions.

No eyewitnesses were “concerning,” but not “unusual,” he wrote. Neither man was “available” to testify at the bail hearings, Namie wrote.

Police responded April 26 to the 1300 block of W. 150th Street for a reported shooting.

Shewan’s boyfriend told police he originally told 911 it was a drive-by shooting because he didn’t think she would die and didn’t want to get Dixon in trouble.

Dixon called him to invite the Aurora couple over that night. They were there with Dixon and another man – whose identity Escutia didn’t discover, records show.

Officers found Dixon sitting in the passenger seat of a Chrysler 300 parked outside. She gave her name before she appeared to pass out. Police smelled alcohol.

During a police interview, Shewan’s boyfriend was “distraught” when he learned she died. He consented to a DNA swab. His story matched video and audio evidence, Escutia wrote.

After they arrived, the women started “(trash) talking,” which turned 20 minutes later into “tussling,” but they weren’t physically fighting, the boyfriend said.

Dixon got a gun. She started arguing with Shewan’s boyfriend. He took the gun, then gave it back as she got “combative,” the affidavit states. He claimed he didn’t realize at first that Shewan had been shot.

mcolias@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/east-chicago-woman-granted-bail-in-april-2025-murder-case/ 

Two suppliers provided dried milk powder that could be a culprit in the outbreak of botulism tied to ByHeart infant formula that has sickened dozens of babies, The Associated Press has learned.

Organic whole milk powder that tested positive for the type of bacteria that causes botulism was made from milk provided by Organic West Milk Inc., a California company, and processed at a Dairy Farmers of America plant in Fallon, Nevada, company officials said.

The source of the contamination, however, is not yet known. Both companies and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration emphasized that the investigation into the unprecedented outbreak that has sickened 51 babies in 19 states is ongoing.

Bill Van Ryn, an owner of Organic West Milk, said he learned last week that a sample of his company’s milk powder collected by the FDA had tested positive for the germ that causes botulism.

But that doesn’t mean his product is the source of the outbreak, Van Ryn stressed.

“Nothing has been proven about our milk yet,” he said, adding: “Something happened in the process of converting the milk to powder and then in converting it to baby formula.”

Organic West, which supplies milk from 55 farmers, didn’t sell organic whole milk powder to any infant formula maker besides ByHeart, Van Ryn said. The milk company has halted sales of the powder used in any product intended for babies and children until more is known about the source of the outbreak, he added.

Powdered milk is made by pasteurizing liquid milk, concentrating it through evaporation and spraying it into a hot chamber, which causes the water to evaporate and leave behind fine, dry milk particles.

The Dairy Farmers of America is a global dairy cooperative. Its plant in Nevada processes about 1.5 million pounds of raw milk daily into 250,000 pounds of whole milk powder.

The Dairy Farmers of America said in a statement that Organic West was the source of milk for the sample that FDA collected that tested positive for botulism bacteria. The milk was processed into powder that met all required tests, the company said. Organic West subsequently sold the milk powder to ByHeart.

“Manufacturers of end-use consumer products have a responsibility to properly process ingredients to ensure product safety,” the statement read.

FDA officials said on Jan. 23 that a sample of organic whole milk powder collected from a supplier had tested positive for the botulism bacteria, though the agency didn’t identify the supplier. Tests showed that sample was a genetic match to a sample taken from a finished can of ByHeart formula.

The agency also found the bacteria in an unopened can of formula matched a sample from a sick baby — and it also matched contamination detected in samples of milk powder used to make ByHeart formula and collected and tested by the company.

ByHeart officials declined to identify the source of those milk powder samples. The infant formula company has recalled all its products.

Botulism spores are common in the environment and can be found in most foods at very low levels, said Kristin Schill, a botulism expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Healthy adults consume Clostridium botulinum spores every day without becoming sick. But babies have immature guts that may not be able to prevent the spores from germinating and growing. Once they do, the spores produce a toxin that can cause paralysis and death.

Spores can be found everywhere, including in milk, though typically at low levels, Schill said. Pasteurization doesn’t kill the germs. They can be present in the processing environment, too.

Botulism spores have been found in infant formula in the past, but this is the first large outbreak linked to the product. The risk has been considered so low that testing for botulism in infant formula is not required, though some formula makers voluntarily screen for microbiological signals that could indicate contamination.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/botulism-byheart-baby-formula/ 

“How Silly It Would Be”: Columbia Student Explains Why She Did Not Report Her Own Gang-Rape To Protect Attackers

Tyler Durden
Wed, 01/28/2026 – 17:05

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/how-silly-it-would-be-columbia-student-explains-why-she-did-not-report-her-own-gang-rape 

Ex-Dyer seminary school VP pleads guilty to child porn: records

A former Mid-America Reformed Seminary vice president pleaded guilty Jan. 20 to distribution of child pornography, federal court filings show.

Michael Deckinga, 42, of Dyer, was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 20. The allegations happened between November 2024 and May 2025.

Further information was not immediately available.

His sentencing is at 11 a.m. on April 21 in the Northern District of Indiana.

In a video message posted online Aug. 25, without naming Deckinga, Mid-America Reformed Seminary President Alan Strange, a longtime faculty member, said that a vice president of advancement had been terminated.

Father in son’s fatal ‘17 crash pleads guilty to meth dealing

An East Chicago man pleaded guilty in federal court to dealing meth.

Christopher Waiters, 36, formerly of Merrillville, admitted in documents filed Jan. 21 that he sold the drug in April 2023.

His sentencing is expected in May.

Court records show Waiters was sentenced to four years probation in March 2023 in Lake County for an August 2017 crash into a school bus in Calumet Township that killed his 6-year-old son.

His son Malachi Waiters suffered injuries including a fractured skull and died from the crash. Another 4-year-old in the car was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Appeals court rejects man’s bid to throw out conviction in killing

The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a man’s bid to overturn his conviction for killing his children’s mother while they were watching cartoons on a cell phone in the next room.

Samuel Edwards, 39, was sentenced to 92.5 years in prison in April for murder, five counts of neglect of a dependent and a gun enhancement.

He had put the five children — then ranging in age from 6 to 1 — in a neighboring bedroom and gave them a phone to watch before closing the door and killing Ieisha Jefferson on Dec. 27, 2022, at a residence in the 3800 block of Adams Street in Gary.

Afterward, he called 911, saying his name was “Carlos” to report the shooting.

In a 3-0 decision, Judge Elaine Brown wrote it was neglectful to shoot the mother and leave the children alone with her body in the home.

Edwards can appeal.

Chicago man charged with choking girl in East Chicago

A Chicago man was charged after allegedly choking an underage girl he was having sex with in East Chicago, an affidavit states.

Jesus Marapacuto-Trejo, 21, is charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, strangulation and two misdemeanors. A court hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

East Chicago Police responded Jan. 25 to the 4800 block of Homerlee Ave. for a 911 hangup.

The girl told police she was “involved” with Marapacuto-Trejo for four months. After they argued, he started to choke her while she was sitting on a bed.

He told police he thought she was 16 after they met on TikTok. He admitted that after meeting her relatives, he knew her real age – 14 to 15 – during the underage sexual relationship.

mcolias@post-trib.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/court-briefs-child-porn-and-drug-pleas-appeal-bid-tossed-in-killing/ 

Anyone driving through Lake County will likely see what are known as automatic license plate readers, a technology utilized by the vast majority of local municipalities.

Local law enforcement officials praise the devices — owned and operated by technology surveillance company Flock Safety — pointing to how they can help solve crimes.  However, the technology has begun to appear more commonly in the news, both regionally and nationally, over surveillance and privacy concerns.

In Lake County, hundreds of the cameras are dotted along busy streets and highway exits. The equipment — black cameras, powered by a small solar panel, sitting on poles along roadways —  isn’t hidden, but it’s hard to imagine that most drivers pay them much attention.

On the flip side, however, anyone who has driven in Lake County has almost certainly been spotted by this expansive network. While an exact number isn’t readily available, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office release from 2024 said there were more than 260 ALPRs in the county, and Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said there are likely hundreds more today.

Between municipalities named by Lake County, previous reporting and data from the Atlas of Surveillance, a project maintained by the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, there are at least 24 local municipalities or law enforcement agencies that use Flock Safety cameras.

Privacy

According to Covelli, the Sheriff’s Office Flock devices take photos of license plates and vehicles, with images stored for 30 days in Flock’s database.

Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, described ALPRs as “really powerful surveillance tools” with the potential to gather information about anyone.

“If you know, for example, that a person on Wednesday nights goes to church, that may tell you a lot about them,” Yohnka said. “If you know that I go to a union meeting, that may tell you something else. Those things reveal information about any of us.”

He compared it to the use of tracking devices, which require a warrant for police use. But the cameras can do the tracking without that kind of time or personnel investment. Yohnka worries about the potential for malicious use of the technology.

“It’s a tale as old as time — stories about law enforcement officers who have used access to certain databases to check on a former love interest,” Yohnka said.

Municipalities need to understand upfront what they are utilizing the technology for, he said, such as for violent crime and reports of crime, and make sure no one can access the data unless investigating such instances. Communities should also regularly review the value of the technology.

Adam Schwartz of the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned of their potential to be used to threaten free speech and privacy, such as by tracking who goes to protests, mosques or certain shows.

He also raised concerns over potential mistakes, such as misreading plates, escalating a situation and endangering people.

The pooling of such data is a “dangerous” tech and business model, posing numerous risks, Schwartz argued. Beyond the misuse by an individual, he said, such data could be enticing to powerful outside groups.

“Every day there’s news of a data breach,” Schwartz said. “The most sophisticated agencies in the world are getting hacked. When you sit on that much data, people are going to want to steal it. Not just some nerd in a basement in pajamas, it’s nation states with infinite resources trying to steal information from the United States.”

Flock’s website is adamant that its cloud platform has never experienced a data breach or been hacked.

Yohnka pointed to news from last summer in Illinois for the potential misuse of the technology. In August, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said U.S. Customs and Border Protection was able to access Illinois license plate camera data, violating the Illinois TRUST Act.

In Evanston, the news prompted the city to take down its Flock cameras. Flock previously disputed that it broke the law.

“Flock does not own or control access to customer data,” a spokesperson previously said in an email. “Agencies are in complete control of who can access their system, what sharing permissions (if any) they grant, and under what conditions they share that data.

“Cities can choose the data sharing relationships that are in compliance with their local laws and policies, and align with their community’s values,” the email continued. “We are continuously enhancing those capabilities to ensure they are as easy and seamless as possible for our end users.”

Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said there were some concerns last year regarding the use of Lake County Flock data by federal agencies, but the board had been assured that wasn’t an issue in the county.

According to Covelli, for the Sheriff’s Office’s Flock cameras at least, access is only allowed by in-state local law enforcement officials who “affirm they are not using it for any sort of reproductive health or immigration reason.” No data is shared with out-of-state or federal agencies, he said, and county officials do not “share any information that is prohibited by law.”

While the Sheriff’s Office purchased 15 cameras back in 2024, only three are currently installed and operating, Covelli said. This is far below the numbers seen in other municipalities, although Covelli said there were plans to install more.

He praised the devices, pointing to various incidents where the technology was utilized successfully.

“Our use of Flock fully complies with Illinois state law and is governed by clear policies, limited access, and auditing to ensure accountability,” he said in a statement. “The Flock network captures images of vehicles and license plates, not people, and has helped us on dozens of occasions to solve violent crimes, locate missing endangered individuals, recover stolen vehicles, and hold offenders accountable.

“When used responsibly, Flock is a significant asset to the community,” Covelli said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/lake-county-license-plate-readers-prompt-mix-of-opinions-when-used-responsibly-they-are-a-significant-asset-to-the-community/ 

LONDON — Sarah Mullally walked into St. Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday morning as the bishop of London. When she walked out in the afternoon as bells rang out, she was the spiritual leader of millions of Anglicans around the world.

Mullally, 63, became the archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to lead the Church of England. The worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the U.S., has no formal head, but the archbishop traditionally has been seen as its spiritual leader.

As the choir sang an anthem by Edward Elgar, the cancer nurse turned cleric officially took up the responsibilities of her new job as bewigged judges presided over a legal ceremony confirming her appointment, which was announced almost four months ago.

As the lengthy process came to a close and her election was confirmed, Mullally stood and faced the congregation to loud applause.

“We welcome you,” the bishops surrounding her shouted in unison.

The so-called Confirmation of Election service marks a major milestone for the Church of England, which ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. The church traces its roots to the 16th century when the English church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII.

George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, highlighted the church’s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids women from being ordained as priests, much less as serving as the religion’s global spiritual leader.

“It is a big contrast,” Gross said. “And in terms of the position of women in society, this is a big statement.”

But Mullally’s appointment may deepen rifts within the Anglican Communion, whose 100 million members in 165 countries are deeply divided over issues such as the role of women and the treatment of LGBTQ people.

She will also have to confront concerns that the Church of England hasn’t done enough to stamp out the sexual abuse scandals that have dogged it for more than a decade.

Gafcon, a global organization of conservative Anglicans, says Mullally’s appointment is divisive because a majority of the Anglican Communion still believes only men should be bishops.

Rwandan Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Gafcon council of senior bishops, known as primates, also criticized Mullally’s support for the blessing of same-sex marriages.

“Since the newly appointed archbishop of Canterbury has failed to guard the faith and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate both the ‘plain and canonical sense’ of Scripture and ‘the Church’s historic and consensual’ interpretation of it, she cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion,” Mbanda said in October.

As part of the ceremony, a cleric announced that no one had raised legitimate opposition to Mullally’s confirmation. A heckler began shouting and was escorted from the cathedral.

The bishops declared that no objection had been made in a timely way and Mullally took her oath of allegiance to the British crown and the church.

Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November 2024, after he was criticized for failing to tell police about allegations of physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at a church-affiliated summer camp.

She was nominated by a 17-member commission composed of clerics and lay people and her appointment was confirmed by King Charles III, who is the supreme governor of the church.

But there is still one more step in the long process of appointing the new archbishop.

On March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral, Mullally will be formally installed as bishop of the diocese of Canterbury in a ceremony marking the beginning of her new role. After that, her public-facing ministry begins.

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/sarah-mullally-archbishop-of-canterbury/ 

ATLANTA — The FBI on Wednesday searched the election office of a Georgia county that has been central to right-wing conspiracy theories over President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, acting just one week after the Republican leader predicted prosecutions over a contest he has baselessly insisted was tainted by widespread fraud.

The search at Fulton County’s main election facility in Union City sought records related to the 2020 election, county spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said. It appeared to be the most public step by law enforcement to pursue Trump’s claims of a stolen election, grievances rejected time and again by courts, state officials and audits that have found no evidence of fraud that would have altered the outcome.

It also unfolds against the backdrop of FBI and Justice Department efforts to investigate perceived political enemies of Trump, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Trump has for years focused on Fulton, Georgia’s most populous county and a Democratic stronghold, as a key example of what he claims went wrong in the 2020 election. His pressure campaign there culminated in a sweeping state indictment accusing him and 18 others of illegally trying to overturn the vote.

An FBI spokesperson said agents were “executing a court authorized law enforcement action” at the county’s main election office in Union City, just south of Atlanta. The spokesperson declined to provide any further information, citing an ongoing matter.

Corbitt-Dominguez said a warrant “sought a number of records related to 2020 elections,” but declined to comment further because the search was still underway.

The Justice Department had no immediate comment.

Trump has long insisted that the 2020 election was stolen even though judges across the country and his own attorney general said they found no evidence of widespread fault that tipped the contest in Democrat Joe Biden’s favor.

The president has made Georgia, one of the battleground states he lost in 2020, a central target for his complaints about the election and memorably pushed its secretary of state to help “find” enough votes to overturn the contest.

Last week, in reference to the 2020 election, he asserted that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did.” It was not clear what in particular he was referring to.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in August 2023 obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. That case was dismissed in November after courts barred Willis and her office from pursuing it because of an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from a romantic relationship she had with a prosecutor she had appointed to lead the case.

The FBI last week moved to replace its top agent in Atlanta, Paul W. Brown, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-public personnel decision. It was not immediately clear why the move, which was not publicized by the FBI, was made.

The Department of Justice last month sued the clerk of the Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in federal court seeking access to documents from the 2020 election in the county. The lawsuit said the department sent a letter to Che Alexander, clerk of superior and magistrate courts, but that she has failed to produce the requested documents.

Alexander has filed a motion to dismiss the suit. The Justice Department complaint says that the purpose of its request was “ascertaining Georgia’s compliance with various federal election laws.” The attorney general is also trying to help the State Election Board with its “transparency efforts under Georgia law.”

A three-person conservative majority on the State Election Board has repeatedly sought to reopen a case alleging wrongdoing by Fulton County during the 2020 election. It passed a resolution in July seeking assistance from the U.S. attorney general to access voting materials.

The state board sent subpoenas to the county board for various election documents last year and again on Oct. 6. The October subpoena requested “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County.”

The Justice Department sent a letter to the county election board Oct. 30 citing the federal Civil Rights Act and asking for all records responsive to the October subpoena from the State Election Board. Lawyers for the county election board responded about two weeks later, saying that the records are held by the county court clerk. They also attached a letter the clerk sent to the State Election Board saying that the records are under seal in accordance with state law and can’t be released without a court order.

The Justice Department said it then sent a letter to Alexander, the clerk, on Nov. 21 requesting the documents and that she failed to respond.

The department is asking a judge to declare that the clerk’s “refusal to provide the election records upon a demand by the Attorney General” violates the Civil Rights Act. It is also asking the judge to order Alexander to produce the requested records within five days of a court order.

The State Election Board in May 2024 heard a case that alleged documentation was missing for thousands of votes in the recount of the presidential contest in the 2020 election in 2020. After a presentation by a lawyer and an investigator for the secretary of state’s office, a response from the county and a lengthy discussion among the board members, the board voted to issue a letter of reprimand to the county.

Shortly after that vote, there was a shift in power on the board, and the newly cemented conservative majority sought to reopen the case. The lone Democrat on the board and the chair have repeatedly objected, arguing the case is closed and citing multiple reviews that have found that while the county’s 2020 elections were sloppy and poorly managed there was no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.

The conservative majority voted to subpoena a slew of election records from the county in November 2024. A fight over that subpoena is tied up in court.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/28/fbi-search-warrant-fulton-county-2020-elections/