Apalachee guilty plea
Saturday, July 25 — After a shooting disrupted the original event three months ago, President Donald Trump returned last night to the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, delivering an hour-long speech that mixed insults and jokes about journalists and public figures. The president said, “That was the only good one and that went down with not exactly great laughter,” after a joke about senators and sex was met with silence.
☔ Light rain and highs in the upper 80s and low 90s throughout the weekend.
MARKET UPDATE
📉 Stocks closed the week down as investors weighed the latest developments in the conflict in the Middle East. The S&P 500 traded just below the flatline, while the Nasdaq Composite fell by 0.7 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went up, gaining 0.5 percent.
LOCAL NEWS
⚖️ Sixteen-year-old Colt Gray pleaded guilty to all 55 counts in the deadly 2024 mass shooting at Apalachee High School.
🚨 Residents of Virginia-Highland are frustrated after 12 months of trying to catch a masked man who has been videotaped skulking around homes and exposing himself to women.
🎞️ The LGBTQ+ film festival Out on Film has appointed Cindy L. Abel as its new executive director.
🤰 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against an Atlanta-area plumbing company, accusing the business of firing a customer service representative because she was pregnant.
🍕 Varuni Napoli will open a third metro Atlanta location on Aug. 5 at High Street in Dunwoody.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷🇺🇸 The White House is considering a “massive attack” on Iran after 13 consecutive nights of U.S. strikes, as Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. targets in the Gulf.
💉 U.S. measles cases hit a 35-year high. The CDC said 93% of those infected were unvaccinated.
🎬 Paramount Skydance agreed to delay its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. as a group of states sued to block the deal.
🏀 LeBron James has reportedly signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, calling the move his “last decision.”
🥬 A cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to Taco Bell’s shredded iceberg lettuce has spread to nine states.
📚 President Trump ordered signs placed outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, citing “inaccurate information” after a White House report criticized its leadership.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
🍅 Celebrate Tomato Sandwich Day at Freedom Farmers Market today from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
🍨 The Atlanta Ice Cream & Wellness Festival is today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Piedmont Park.
📖 The Happy Black Parent Children’s Book Festival, a free annual outdoor book festival, will take place today at Pittsburgh Yards from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
🥁 See some of the best marching bands in the country at the Drum Corps International (DCI) Southeastern Championship at Center Parc Stadium today at 3:30 p.m.
➡ Here are some concerts to check out:
🇯🇲 Buju Banton + Stephen Marley @ Lakewood Amphitheatre (tonight)
🌇 Stabbing Westward @ The Loft (tonight)
🍎 Eric Roberson @ Buckhead Theatre (tonight)
🍬 Justine Skye @ Vinyl (tomorrow)
💓 The Original Wailers + Steel Pulse @ The Eastern (tomorrow)
🇦🇺 The Australian Pink Floyd Show @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park (tonight)
IT’S TIME TO PLAY THE QUIZ
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Enjoy your Saturday!
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Top stories of the week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.
① Arrest made in case of man who exposed himself to women and girls in multiple neighborhoods
② Atlanta Beltline approves $265 million budget for 2027
③ Atlanta breaks ground on $18.5M Monroe Drive project as neighbors raise traffic concerns (pictured)
④ ‘Operation Red Card:’ Over 150 human trafficking, child exploitation arrests made in Metro Atlanta
⑤ Gramercy at Buckhead residents claim cleanup efforts only scratch surface
💙 The 2026 CHRIStal Ball is officially sold out! You can still make an impact by donating to CHRIS 180, helping Atlanta’s children, youth, and families heal, live, and thrive. Every gift makes a difference. Donate today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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