Morning, y’all! Monday, of course, comes from the Old English for moon’s day, and today is a super moon’s day — literally. You follow me? It’s a full moon tonight, and the first supermoon of the year. A supermoon is just a regular full moon, but a little larger and brighter. Moon fans, it’s our time.
Let’s get to it.
ATLANTA JOURNALIST DEPORTED
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Mario Guevara, the local Spanish-language journalist arrested in June and detained for months in a Georgia ICE facility, was deported to his native El Salvador Friday.
- Guevara shared emotional scenes with Salvadoran journalists and family.
- It was a complex and bittersweet arrival. Guevara, who says he still has marks on his wrists and ankles from ever-present cuffs that only came off once he was out of the country, was overwhelmed with relief. However, he lamented half his family is still in the U.S.
- He had a powerful message for American viewers, and the country at large:
“Because I am in El Salvador, I am no longer your prisoner,” he said. “I feel free for the first time.”
- He vowed to return to the U.S. at some point to continue his work.
🔎 READ MORE: An end to Guevara’s monthslong ordeal
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FULTON TRUMP CASE NEEDS A NEW PROSECUTOR ASAP
Credit: Alex Slitz/AP
Credit: Alex Slitz/AP
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia has two weeks to name a new prosecutor in the Fulton County election interference case involving President Donald Trump, a Georgia judge decided.
- PAC is the nonpartisan agency tasked with replacing Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who was removed from the high profile case for good earlier this fall after contentious arguments over an alleged conflict of interest.
- The new prosecutor will have a huge responsibility. They will decide whether to move forward with the case, reduce its scope or dismiss it entirely.
WAY TOO MANY SCHOOL BUS CRASHES
School buses have been involved in 200 crashes in Georgia since Aug. 1, according to the Department of Public Safety.
- Luckily, most of the incidents were minor. In more than half, drivers in other vehicles were found to be at fault.
- It’s still a terrifying number. DPS School Bus Safety Division Commander Capt. Anthony Hudson had a clear description for the problem:
“Drivers are impatient,” he said. “They’re leaving at the last minute and they are always in a rush.”
Remember, “I was in a rush” doesn’t hold up in court or at the pearly gates.
🔎 READ MORE: The Gridlock Guy talks school bus safety
DIDDY SENTENCED
Music mogul and Atlanta regular Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison after an investigation and trial that included lots of barely printable, “please slough this horror from my brain” details.
- Combs apologized in court. His children pleaded for leniency for the music superstar, who was convicted of transporting people across state lines for so-called “freak-offs;” marathon sex parties involving drugs and various alleged abuses.
- Combs got off relatively easy given the possibilities. Prosecutors wanted an 11-year sentence. Earlier in the trial, jurors acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have carried a life sentence.
- Combs’ attorneys say everything was consensual and the mogul should be freed immediately.
🔎 READ MORE: Survivors were a key voice in Combs’ conviction
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🏞️ Government shutdown’s still on, but that’s not stopping people from frequenting Georgia parks like Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Tough luck for those who need to use the bathroom, though, since amenities like visitor’s centers are closed.
⚖️ President Trump wants to use U.S. cities as “training grounds” and has a list of possible cities at the ready. Is that ... you know, legal? No, says this Georgia lawyer.
🫱🏻🫲🏾 The shutdown isn’t stopping Georgia politicians from courting voters ahead of important November elections and the 2026 governor’s race — even if it means playing the blame game for shutdown pains.
WRITING WISDOM
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
I love a good cussword. A good F-drop here and there — it just solves problems. … Every word is a tool … we decide its power.
The 20th anniversary of the Decatur Book Festival exceeded every expectation for its organizers, providing literature lovers with iconic moments like author Jason Mott’s keen take on cussing in writing.
📚 Here are five memorable moments from the festival, with authors sounding off on true crime, raw honesty and “giving birth to a doorknob.”
NEWS BITES
2026 World Cup ball design just dropped
That’s a lot of regional symbolism for a single ball. Verdict: It’s nice!
UGA is back in the top 10 in the AP top 25 poll after beating up on Kentucky
Oh, and Georgia Tech is 5-0. We’re on a roll.
Cute pics from Splish Splash Doggie Bash at Piedmont Park Aquatic Center
Thankfully not scratch-n-sniff.
Gatorade and Cheetos among the Pepsi products getting a natural dye makeover
Two food products famous for their subdued colors and health consciousness, of course.
ON THIS DATE
Oct. 6, 1997
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Takin’ it to the streets: Thousands vie for John tickets. It looked like a late night rally in Buckhead after a Braves playoff win. While much of Atlanta was still asleep, more than 2,000 bleary-eyed fans grabbed their coffee and cash to line up in the pre-dawn hours today for tickets to the extremely limited Elton John concert. ... The scene outside the Roxy took on a carnival atmosphere as Atlanta radio stations blared competing live broadcasts from their brightly colored vans while passing out doughnuts and orange juice to the crowd.
Remember waiting in line for these things? The camaraderie, the shared sense of shameless obsession. Now we just get mad at Ticketmaster.
ONE MORE THING
I’ve seen a lot of people online saying you can spot AI-generated writing (like ChatGPT’s farted-out gibberish) by seeing how many em dashes it contains. You know why that’s true? Because language learning models train on online content, including untold reams of news writing. There’s nothing a news writer loves more than an em dash. I only used two today. What temperance.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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