Protesters rally at state capitol over ‘attacks' on judicial system, minimum wage increase
Protesters are gathering outside of the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday afternoon as part of nationwide May Day protests against President Donald Trump.
Across the country, thousands of people took to the streets to protest what they say are attacks on the judicial system.
Channel 2's Richard Elliot and Courtney Francisco are at the Capitol, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4:00 p.m.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
It appears that dozens of people are already there, but the crowd is continuing to grow.
One sign spotted by NewsChopper 2 advocated for Waffle House workers having their pay raised to $25 an hour. Others flew the Syrian flag, Ukrainian flag and LGBTQ+ flag.
Several groups appear to be gathering as part of different causes. Some of the groups expected to rally include union workers, rideshare drivers, delivery services and more demanding a raise in minimum wage.
TRENDING STORIES:
Ex-GA school bus driver charged after multiple students attack 7-year-old during route, deputies say
Griffin couple sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to trying to starve 10-year-old
Atlanta HVAC technician among 19 arrested in 'child predator' operation
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Podcast Bro Theo Von Questions How 'America First' Trump Really Is Amid Potential Iran War
Popular podcast host Theo Von joined Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.) Friday in taking a hard stance against potential U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Khanna appeared on Von's podcast 'This Past Weekend' to discuss several topics, from foreign affairs to AI. At one point in the segment, Khanna promoted the War Powers Resolution, a bipartisan bill he introduced with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) aimed at prohibiting U.S. armed forces from unauthorized hostilities in Iran. During his discussion with Von, Khanna noted several people in MAGA's base who have been vocal about the U.S. not going to war with Iran, including Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). Von agreed with the two conservatives, stating, 'this is a horrible idea.' 'Yeah, people say, 'Well, you don't know a ton about the Middle East.' Like, that's fine. I don't want people I know, my friends, getting called up. I don't want the children of my friends getting called over to die,' Von said. 'I don't even understand how it's an option.' Von, who had Donald Trump on his podcast last year, helped the president reach younger male voters during the 2024 presidential election. Khanna remarked on the influence of Von's interview with Trump, stating the podcaster made the president 'the most human that I've actually seen him,' after the two opened up about the president's brother, alcoholism and cocaine. Last month, Von performed a controversial comedy act at a military base in Qatar before Trump addressed U.S. and Qatari troops. The podcast host has seemingly gotten closer to the Trump family, even having dinner with Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, after they attended his comedy show in Miami. Miami looked good on you @TheoVon ! Come back and visit us soon !😎 — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 14, 2025 Now, however, Von is beginning to question the 'America First' claims that Trump made during his campaign. When Khanna asked Von if he knew anyone who was supporting the idea of the U.S. going to war with Iran, Von responded, 'Nobody.' I asked @TheoVon if he knows anyone who says we should go to war with Nobody. I feel like it was supposed to be America first. — Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) June 20, 2025 Von went on to tell Khanna that 'it feels like we are just working for Israel,' and that he believes a lot of Americans are beginning to feel 'disillusioned' by U.S. leaders. 'I felt like it was supposed to be America first, like, we're focusing on, like, 'What are we doing to get things back into America,' right? To like, increase like the purpose of being an American, to refill our hearts with blood and ... make us feel something again here, and make us be excited about being an American,' Von said. JD Vance Tells Theo Von Musk Made A 'Huge Mistake' Going After Trump Exclusive: Israel Seeks Swift Action On Iran, Sources Say, With A Split U.S. Administration Trump Says He Should've Gotten 5 Nobel Peace Prizes While Continuing To Weigh Iran Strikes
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Ukraine warns teenagers the enemy is inside their phones
Advertisement Think of this class, in a secondary school in the western city of Lviv, as the Ukrainian version of 'Scared Straight.' The course, introduced this spring by Ukraine's top internal security agency and the national police at high schools nationwide, aims to deter teenagers from falling under the influence of Russian operatives. They have started paying Ukrainian minors to set fires or plant homemade bombs, Ukrainian authorities say. 'I remind you that criminal responsibility in Ukraine begins at 14 years of age,' said the camouflaged man at the presentation on a recent Wednesday. 'Unfortunately, this easy money can lead either to criminal liability or to death.' For more than a year, Ukrainian authorities say, the Russian state security agency, known as the FSB, has targeted Ukrainian teenagers on social media apps like Telegram, TikTok and Discord. They are offered hundreds or even thousands of dollars to do simple tasks: Deliver a package. Take a photograph of a power substation. Spray graffiti. Advertisement The FSB did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Many young people do not necessarily know they are being recruited. The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, says the teenagers often just search for 'easy money' on Telegram, where the Russians are waiting for them. But some agree to more complicated missions, often because they were blackmailed for the first task they performed, or for compromising photographs hacked from their phones. The SBU said late last month that authorities had accused more than 600 people of trying to commit arson, terrorism or sabotage in Ukraine after being recruited by Russian intelligence services. Of those, about 1 in 4 were minors. (The adults often had criminal records or a history of drug abuse.) One perpetrator was only 13. In May, the head of the national juvenile police said in a TV interview that almost 50 other children had reported to authorities that Russians had tried to recruit them. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have engaged in clandestine warfare. Ukraine has recruited people in Russia for targeted high-level killings, law enforcement sources said. For instance, the Ukrainians claimed responsibility for assassinating a top Russian general and his aide with a bomb planted in a scooter in December. But with the recruitment of young Ukrainians, the Russians are taking a new step by aiming for more indiscriminate attacks, near military recruitment centers or railway stations, said Roksolana Yavorska-Isaienko, an SBU spokesperson for the Lviv region. It is reminiscent of how teenagers were used as suicide bombers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. Advertisement In December, the news in Ukraine was filled with reports of a significant case. The SBU and the national police detained two groups of teenagers in the eastern city of Kharkiv who they said had been tricked online into joining a fake 'quest' game, in which the 15- and 16-year-olds were sent tasks like setting fires and taking photographs and videos of certain targets, even air defenses. Ukrainian authorities said the Russians used the information to carry out airstrikes in Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city. These claims could not be independently verified. During the class, the camouflaged agent and Yavorska-Isaienko went through other examples, one by one. In March, in the case that resonated the most with the students, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were recruited on Telegram in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk with the promise of $1,700, Ukrainian authorities said. Following instructions, the teenagers built two bombs out of thermos flasks and metal nuts. When they tried to deliver one of the bombs, authorities said, Russian agents detonated it remotely near the train station. The 17-year-old was killed, and the 15-year-old lost his legs. In April, the SBU caught a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old who burned train relay boxes in Lviv. They were recruited on Telegram, authorities said. Searches of their cellphones showed text messages between the teenagers and their Russian handlers. 'Yeah, the money will be there tomorrow,' the handler wrote, adding that it would arrive around lunchtime. 'Got it, bro,' one of the teenagers responded. Eventually, about $178 was transferred to his account. And in May -- just three days before the class -- two teenagers in the western city of Rivne made an explosive device from Russian instructions, put it in an abandoned building, positioned an ax there and covered the whole contraption with paint, authorities said. Then they called emergency services, claiming there was a dead person. After the police responded, the bomb exploded, but no one was harmed. The teenagers were arrested. Advertisement The recent class was about the 200th that the agency has done in the Lviv region since the outreach program started in April. The presenters knew how to hold the teenagers' attention. 'Maybe not all of these special operations are reported in the media -- but believe me, the enemy is not sleeping,' Yavorska-Isaienko said. 'They are working actively and carrying out illegal activities, as strange as it may sound, directly inside your phones.' She added, 'And when you hear an offer to earn quick money for a brand-new iPhone or $1,000, of course, it sounds very tempting. Sometimes, the task is disguised as a simple courier delivery, taking pictures of critical infrastructure or spraying provocative graffiti. That is often the first step toward your recruitment.' This classroom in the Lviv secondary school No. 32 resembled a typical science classroom in the United States, complete with creaky wooden floors; a poster of a tiger on the wall; models of DNA and lungs in the back; and teenagers in hoodies and jeans, heavy-metal T-shirts and a Barbie sweater. But these students did not make jokes or whisper the way many teenagers do. They asked questions: How did the Russians do surveillance? How could they help fight the FSB? These students had grown up with the war against Russia. Relatives were fighting on the front lines. One girl's uncle was missing. Advertisement 'Can I help and report it to the security services if I've already been approached for recruitment?' asked Volodia Sozonyk, 17, a boy in a blue hoodie and a manga T-shirt. 'If they've sent me an address or something I need to do, can I identify that spot for your operatives to help?' Yavorska-Isaienko and the camouflaged man told the students they could anonymously report any recruitment attempts to a new chatbot called 'Expose the FSB Agent.' And Yavorska-Isaienko told the students to use their common sense. 'No one in real life will suddenly offer you $1,000 or $2,000 just like that,' she said. 'You need to understand: The only free cheese is in the mousetrap.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gold prices should hit $4,000 as U.S. deficits may overshadow the Israel-Iran conflict, BofA says
Wars and geopolitical conflicts typically aren't long-term growth drivers for gold prices, according to analysts at Bank of America, which sees the precious metal reaching $4,000 an ounce over the next year. Despite the Israel-Iran conflict heating up, the outlook for gold is likely to be swayed more by the U.S. budget deficit. Gold is often seen as a safe-haven asset during times of global turmoil, but wars and geopolitical conflicts typically aren't long-term growth drivers for gold prices, according to analysts at Bank of America. In fact, gold has actually dipped 2% in the week since Israel began its airstrikes on Iran. Meanwhile, tensions are ramping as reports Saturday said B-2 stealth bombers are headed over the Pacific. That's as President Donald Trump weighs involvement in the conflict, potentially with bombers dropping massive 'bunker busters' on heavily fortified Iranian nuclear sites. In a note on Friday, BofA analysts said they expect gold prices to reach $4,000 per ounce in the next year, representing an 18% jump from current levels. 'While the war between Israel and Iran can always escalate, conflicts are not usually a sustained bullish price driver,' they wrote. 'As such, the trajectory of the US budget negotiations will be critical, and if fiscal shortfalls don't decline, the fallout from that plus market volatility may end up attracting more buyers.' The Israel-Iran conflict has drawn attention away from Trump's tax-and-spending bill making its way through Congress. While the House and Senate versions have key differences that need to be reconciled before it can become law, the bill's fiscal impact is still expected to add trillions of dollars to U.S. deficits in the coming years. That's raised fears about the sustainability of U.S. debt and global demand for the flood of Treasury bonds that will be issued to finance all the red ink. And amid Trump's trade war, the U.S. dollar—traditionally viewed as a haven asset—has suffered as well, slumping against other top currencies and providing more upside to gold. Central banks around the world have dumped $48 billion in Treasuries since late March alone. At the same time, central banks keep buying gold, continuing a trend that began years earlier. A recent survey from the World Gold Council found that geopolitical instability and potential trade conflicts are chief reasons why central banks in emerging economies are shifting toward gold at a much faster rate than those in advanced economies. BofA estimated the central banks' gold holdings are now equivalent to just under 18% of outstanding U.S. public debt, up from 13% a decade ago. 'That tally should be a warning for US policymakers. Ongoing apprehension over trade and US fiscal deficits may well divert more central bank purchases away from US Treasuries to gold,' analysts warned. Meanwhile, the market still doesn't appear to be overexposed to gold. BofA estimated that investors have allocated just 3.5% of their portfolios to gold. And regardless of how Congress ends up rewriting the budget bill, analysts said deficits will remain elevated. 'Therefore, market concerns over fiscal sustainability are unlikely to fade no matter the result of Senate negotiations,' BofA predicted. 'Rates volatility and a weaker USD should then keep gold supported, especially if the US Treasury or the Fed are ultimately forced to step in and support markets.' This story was originally featured on
