Georgia NOW News for Tuesday Fed. 3, 2026

Georgia NOW News is tracking several major developments across the state and beyond. According to The New York Times, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard facilitated a call between President Donald Trump and FBI agents during last week’s raid on a Fulton County election center. The Times reports Trump spoke directly with investigators — an unusual step that has raised concerns about political interference in an active federal election probe. Meanwhile, Georgia’s Groundhog Day predictions were split. General Beauregard Lee, the longtime prognosticator at Dauset Trails Nature Center, saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. But Yona, a groundhog at North Georgia Wildlife Park, did not — pointing to an early spring. A major investigative collaboration involving the Associated Press, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Frontline, and other outlets found that PFAS “forever chemicals” used in carpet manufacturing flowed for decades from northwest Georgia mills into rivers and drinking water across the South. The findings are featured in the Frontline documentary “Contaminated: The Carpet Industry’s Toxic Legacy,” premiering Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern on PBS. At the Capitol, a Republican-led study committee released recommendations that could reshape Georgia’s election system, including a proposal to allow paper ballots and require hand counts on Election Day. However, the current state budget does not allocate funding for a new voting system. Elsewhere, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has appointed a veteran securities fraud attorney to lead the investigation into First Liberty Building and Loan, a lender accused by federal regulators of running a $140 million Ponzi scheme. Environmental advocates are also pushing new legislation that would require companies to disclose PFAS use in wastewater, citing ongoing impacts in northwest Georgia communities. #GeorgiaNow #HearGeorgiaNow #GeorgiaNews #GaPol #Elections #VotingRights #FultonCounty #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #EnvironmentalHealth #PublicHealth #GroundhogDay #InvestigativeJournalism #GeorgiaLegislature #Accountability