Trump seeks legal fees from Fulton; Arthur Blank on the disappointing Falcons run

Summary

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Georgia Today – January 8, 2026

Host: Orlando Montoya (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Main Themes:

• Trump seeks $6 million in legal fees from Fulton County
• 2026 Georgia legislative priorities announced
• Arthur Blank on the Atlanta Falcons' disappointing run
• Additional Georgia news updates (opioid prevention, political races, labor issues, business and jobs)

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Episode Overview

This episode covers major developments in Georgia politics, law, sports, and public health. Key stories include former President Donald Trump seeking legal fee reimbursement after the Fulton County election case was thrown out, legislative goals set by House Speaker John Burns, and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank publicly addressing recent organizational changes and seasons of underperformance. Multiple other statewide updates are also reported.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump Seeks Attorney Fees from Fulton County

[00:37]

• Issue: Donald Trump is seeking over $6 million in attorney fees from Fulton County after the dismissal of the election interference case against him.
• Legal Context:
  • The request relies on a new Georgia law allowing defendants to recoup attorney fees if a prosecutor is removed for improper conduct.
  • District Attorney Fani Willis and her office were disqualified due to a romantic relationship with a hired special prosecutor.
  • The case was tossed in November 2025.
• Current Status: No comment from Willis’ office on Trump’s filing.

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2. State Legislative Session Priorities

[01:39]
Speaker: Sarah Kallis (GPB News Capitol Reporter)

• John Burns’ Priorities:
  • Improve literacy rates.
  • Strengthen the state’s medical workforce.
  • Reduce the property tax burden.
• School Cell Phone Ban Review:
  • The Legislature may revisit a statewide ban on cell phones in schools.
  • [01:53] Quote:

    "You'll see us move this session, I do believe, to ban cell phones in high schools because so many jurisdictions around the state have already done that as well."
    — Speaker John Burns

  • Previously, legislation passed to ban phones for students through 8th grade.
• Session Start: The legislative session begins Monday.

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3. Fulton County Commissioner Announces Secretary of State Bid

[02:18]

• Candidate: Dana Barrett (Democrat)
• Background: Commissioner since 2022, outspoken on election integrity.
• Political Context: Current Secretary, Brad Raffensperger, is running for governor.

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4. Opioid Overdose Kits for Schools

[02:54]
Speaker: Amanda Andrews (GPB News)

• Program Details:
  • 2,400+ Georgia schools to receive kits with four doses of naloxone.
  • Collaboration between the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Education.
• Training Focus:
  • [03:15] Quote:

    "Every minute counts, and if I'm having to figure out, you know, what should I do or how should I use it, then that's time I'm losing. And this is time that is very critical for any child, for any individual that's within our schools."
    — Richard Woods, State Superintendent

• Legal Basis: Kits required by Wesley’s Law (in effect since last year).

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5. Military Hospital Oversight Law

[03:42]

• Senator Jon Ossoff:
  • Applauds new law increasing oversight on changes to military medical facilities.
  • National Defense Authorization Act provision requires explanations for any facility cuts.
• Local Angle: Law’s relevance as reports surface about possible cuts at Fort Gordon’s Army Hospital.

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6. Wage Theft Investigation at Savannah IHOP

[04:36]

• Incident: Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman investigates wage theft claims.
• Details:
  • Multiple employees report unpaid wages.
  • [04:36] Quote:

    "As she came forward, more ladies came forward... Even some workers are now saying they haven't been paid in weeks and weeks of receiving their paycheck. Some in days, some in weeks. I mean, this is ridiculous. If somebody's going to work, you need to find your way of paying them because you won't get away with here in Chatham County."
    — Sheriff Richard Coleman

  • Employee who spoke to Coleman was fired soon after.
  • Investigation underway; response pending from IHOP corporate.

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7. Business Updates

[05:21]

• Monday Night Brewing CEO Change:
  • Co-founder Jeff Heck steps down; Joel Iverson steps up as CEO.
• Shipping Service Expansion:
  • Seaboard Marine and Georgia Ports Authority relaunch direct shipping to Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Jobs Report:
  • Georgia added ~1,000 jobs in November; unemployment at 3.5%.
  • UGA outlook: Unemployment may rise to 4.1% in 2026, with risk of recession.

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8. Arthur Blank Addresses Atlanta Falcons’ Struggles

[06:58, 07:30]

• Context:
  • Arthur Blank, Falcons owner, addresses media after firing coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot—part of a long-running span of disappointing seasons.
• Key Insights:
  • Blank accepts responsibility for the team's performance.
  • Decision to fire Morris and Fontenot was developed over time.
  • [00:27] & [07:30] Quote (Repeated for Emphasis):

    "In my judgment, I felt after two years with Raheem and his team and Terry, after five years, I felt I've seen enough to know that we could do better than this."
    — Arthur Blank

  • Hints at a higher potential for the Falcons and a process-oriented approach to organizational change.
• Looking Forward:
  • Announced former Falcons QB Matt Ryan will interview for the new President of Football role, overseeing next hires for coach and general manager.

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Notable Quotes

• Arthur Blank on Falcons Leadership Changes

  "In my judgment, I felt after two years with Raheem and his team and Terry, after five years, I felt I've seen enough to know that we could do better than this."
  — Arthur Blank ([00:27], [07:30])

• Burns on School Phone Policy

  "You'll see us move this session, I do believe, to ban cell phones in high schools because so many jurisdictions around the state have already done that as well."
  — John Burns ([01:53])

• Superintendent Woods on Opioid Kits

  "Every minute counts, and if I'm having to figure out, you know, what should I do or how should I use it, then that's time I'm losing. And this is time that is very critical for any child, for any individual that's within our schools."
  — Richard Woods ([03:15])

• Sheriff Coleman on Wage Theft

  "As she came forward, more ladies came forward... Even some workers are now saying they haven't been paid in weeks and weeks of receiving their paycheck... If somebody's going to work, you need to find your way of paying them because you won't get away with here in Chatham County."
  — Sheriff Richard Coleman ([04:36])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:37 | Trump seeks legal fees from Fulton County | | 01:39 | Speaker Burns’ legislative priorities | | 02:18 | Dana Barrett enters Secretary of State race | | 02:54 | Opioid overdose kits for Georgia schools | | 03:42 | Ossoff on military hospital oversight law | | 04:36 | Chatham County Sheriff’s wage theft investigation | | 05:21 | Monday Night Brewing CEO change, shipping/logistics, jobs report | | 06:58 | Arthur Blank’s press conference on Atlanta Falcons’ disappointing run |

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Episode Tone

The podcast maintains a fact-based, fast-paced news delivery, with brief editorial comments from interviewees and speakers. Orlando Montoya’s hosting is even, precise, and focused on relevance for Georgia listeners.

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This summary captures the episode’s news highlights, delivers context and quotes for each story, and provides a cohesive overview for those who may have missed the broadcast.

Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, President Trump wants $6 million in attorney fees from Fulton County. Georgia House Speaker John Burns releases his priorities for the upcoming legislative session. And Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank addresses the disappointment of the last few seasons.

[B]

In my judgment, I felt after two years with Raheem and his team and Terry, after five years, I felt I've seen enough to know that we could do better than this.

[A]

Today is Thursday, January 8th. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today. President Donald Trump is seeking more than $6 million in attorney fees from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. This stems from the election interference case against him that was dismissed. A new Georgia law allows defendants to recoup legal fees if a prosecutor is disqualified for improper conduct. The Fulton county da, Bonnie Willis, and her office were removed because of an appearance of impropriety involving a romantic relationship she had with a special prosecutor she hired for the case. The case was tossed out in November. A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on Trump's filing. As state lawmakers Prepare for the 2026 legislative session, Georgia House Speaker John Burns is clear on what he wants to accomplish this year. At the Capitol, GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

[C]

Burns says his three biggest priorities are improving literacy rates, reinforcing the state's medical workforce, and reducing the burden of property tax. The Legislature may also revisit the school cell phone ban.

[D]

You'll see us move this session, I do believe, to ban cell phones in high schools because so many jurisdictions around the state have already done that as well.

[C]

Legislation to ban cell phones statewide for students through 8th grade passed last year. The Georgia legislative session begins on Monday. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis. At the state Capitol.

[A]

Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett has announced she's running for Georgia Secretary of State. Barrett, a Democrat, this morning joined a primary field that includes at least three other candidates. Barrett was elected commissioner in 2022 and has been vocal about election integrity. Current Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is running for governor. State lawmakers joined a team of volunteers this morning to assemble opioid overdose kits for Georgia's public schools. GPB's Amanda Andrews explains the kits will be sent across the state.

[E]

Over 2,400 schools in Georgia will receive opioid overdose kits with four doses of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. The effort is a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities in and the state Department of Education State Superintendent Richard woods says they're also focused on training several people in schools to know how to use the kits.

[D]

Every minute counts, and if I'm having to figure out, you know, what should I do or how should I use it, then that's time I'm losing. And this is time that is very critical for any child, for any individual that's within our schools.

[E]

The kits are part of Wesley's Law, which took effect last year. It requires all schools and most government buildings to make Naloxone available in a secure location. For GPB news, I'm Amanda Andrews.

[A]

Georgia US Senator Jon Ossoff is hailing a new law that strengthens oversight of potential cuts to military hospitals and clinics. The National Defense Authorization act became law last month with a provision that requires military officials to explain how service members, families and retirees would receive care if any military hospital or clinic is modified or downsized. An Ossoff statement on the law yesterday comes as the Trump administration reportedly considers reductions at the Army Hospital at Fort Gordon in Augusta. The sheriff of Chatham county says he's investigating claims of wage theft at an IHOP in Savannah. Sheriff Richard Coleman said in a video shared on social media yesterday that a tearful restaurant employee approached him with the complaint while he was eating there.

[F]

As she came forward, more ladies came forward. More waitresses who were working there came forward. Even some workers are now saying they haven't been paid in weeks and weeks of receiving their paycheck. Some in days, some in weeks. I mean, this is ridiculous. If somebody's going to work, you need to find your way of paying them because you won't get away with here in Chatham County.

[A]

He says the employee was fired minutes after he left the restaurant. Coleman says he plans to secure warrants, send investigators to question the restaurant's manager and contact the company's corporate office. A request for comment from IHOP's media relations team was not immediately returned. One of the co founders of Atlanta Craft Brewery Monday Night Brewing is stepping down after 15 years as CEO, Jeff Heck said yesterday. Co founder Joel Iverson will take over the chief executive role while he focuses on an new venture capital firm. Monday Night is one of the state's largest craft breweries with six locations in Georgia and three other neighboring states. A new shipping service is expected to strengthen supply chains between the Port of Savannah and Latin America and the Caribbean. Georgia Ports Authority and Seaboard Marine today announced the return of direct weekly service to Colombia, the Dominican Republic and other destinations nations the first northbound sailing arrived in Savannah yesterday. And in other business news, Georgia turned around three straight months of job losses in November, but only slightly. The state Department of Labor reported Wednesday that Georgia added about 1,000 jobs in November with a jobless rate of 3.5%. A University of Georgia economic outlook released last month predicted the unemployment rate would rise to 4.1% in in 2026, with an elevated risk of recession.

[G]

How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

In Georgia sports, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank says he takes responsibility for the disappointment that fans have felt over the past several seasons. In his first news conference since firing the team's coach and general manager on Sunday, Blank today said that he believed the Falcons are capable of getting to another level the sackings of coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot, and came after eight losing seasons. Blank says his final decision wasn't a light switch, but a phased process.

[B]

In my judgment, I felt after two years with Raheem and his team and Terry, after five years, I felt I've seen enough to know that we could do better than this.

[A]

He confirmed that former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will interview for the newly created front office position of president of Football. The person in that role is expected to be involved in the search for a new coach and general manager. And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We always remind you to check our webpage gpb.org news for the latest news, updates from around Georgia and many of the stories that you hear on the podcast in greater detail. We also recommend that you hit subscribe on this podcast and so you never miss an episode and send feedback our way. We welcome Suggestions and comments. Eorgatodaypb.org I'm Orlando Montoya. I'll be back with you again tomorrow. Thanks for listening.

[G]

How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.