MET SOMEONE WHO WORKS AS HARD AS HIM AND DARNELL DO IN PRACTICE THAT'S A LOOK AT SPORTS, KEEP IT WJCL 22 MORNING NEWS ... FEDERAL JUDGES IN ATLANTA ... RULE FEDERAL OFFICIALS - *CAN CONTINUE INVESTIGATING FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. WE'RE CHECKING IN WITH OUR CREW IN D-C ... TO FIND OUT WHAT'S NEXT. - *CHANTING IN RUSSIAN PROTESTS ERUPTING ACROSS RUSSIA AFTER PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTIONS FOR MILITARY MOBILIZATION. WHO'S ELIGIBLE TO BE DRAFTED TO THE WAR IN UKRAINE. A RECENT POLL SHOWS THE ISSUES AT THE TOP OF GEORGIA VOTERS' MINDS THIS ELECTION SEASON. THE NUMBER ONE TOPIC PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT WHEN THEY HEAD TO THE POLLS. THE G-B-I HAS COMPLETED PROBES INTO FIVE OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS IN SAVANNAH. THE NEXT STEPS IN THE INVESTIGATIONS... AND WHEN WE'LL KNOW IF THE OFFICERS WILL FACE CHARGES. THANKS FOR STARTING YOUR DAY WITH WJCL 22 NEWS. GOOD MORNING - - I'M EMMA HAMILTON. AND I'M FRANK SULKOWSKI. METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS IS JOINING US NOW .... NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... TODAY PATCHY FOG BEFORE 9AM. OTHERWISE, SUNNY, WITH HIGHS 92-96. CALM WIND BECOMING WEST 5 TO 8 MPH IN THE MORNING. TONIGHT SPOTTY SHOWERS EARLY THEN MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 62. SOUTHWEST WIND 6 TO 14 MPH BECOMING NORTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. FRIDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 80. NORTHEAST WIND 8 TO 13 MPH. FRIDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 58. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 7 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING. SATURDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 82. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND BECOMING EAST 5 TO 7 MPH IN THE MORNING AND HERE'S A LOOK AT YOUR TRAFFIC TRACK 22. THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS ON THE ROADS THIS MORNING. WE NOW KNOW THE WIFE OF A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FROM SAVANNAH ... IS SET TO SPEAK BEFORE THE JANUARY SIXTH COMMITTEE. INVESTIGATORS HAVE FOUGHT FOR MONTHS ... TO HEAR FROM VIRGINIA THOMAS ... THE WIFE OF JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS. THEY SAY SHE REACHED OUT TO FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS ... ABOUT THEIR EFFORTS TO OVERTURN ELECTION RESULTS ... FOLLOWING THE CAPITOL RIOTS. COMING UP IN 30 MINUTES ... WHAT THOMAS' ATTORNEY SAID OVERNIGHT ... ABOUT THE TESTIMONY ... AND WHAT SHE'S LOOKING *FORWARD TO. - *CHANTING IN RUSSIAN MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DETAINED ACROSS RUSSIA IN A CRACKDOWN ON ANTI-WAR PROTESTS. WE FIRST BROUGHT YOU THE STORY AS BREAKING NEWS YESTERDAY MORNING ... ONLY HOURS AFTER RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SAID EVERY PERSON IN RUSSIA ... WITH *ANY MILITARY EXPERIENCE ... WILL BE DRAFTED TO FIGHT IN THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE. PUTIN ALSO SAID IF RUSSIA'S INTEGRITY IS THREATENED ... THEY DO HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS. PRESIDENT BIDEN IS SET TO SPEAK AT THE U-N GENERAL ASSEMBLY TODAY ... ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE. COMING UP AT SEVEN... G-M-A WILL COVER THE PROTESTS ERUPTING IN MOSCOW FOLLOWING PUTIN'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF MILITARY MOBILIZATION EFFORTS. TWO AMERICAN VETERANS ... WHO WERE HELD BY RUSSIAN FORCES ... ARE NOW FREE. THEIR RELEASE WAS PART OF A PRISONER SWAP BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE FAMILIES SAYS THE MEN ARE SAFE AT THE U-S EMBASSY IN SAUDI ARABIA. THEY ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE U- S AFTER MEDICAL CHECK UPS AND DE- BRIEFINGS. BOTH WERE CAPTURED BACK IN JUNE... WHILE OFFERING AID IN THE UKRAINE WE'RE A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AWAY FROM ELECTION DAY AND CANDIDATES ARE FOCUSING IN ON THE ISSUES AT THE TOP OF VOTERS' MINDS. THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN AMONG GEORGIA VOTERS IS THE ECONOMY. THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR VOTERS THIS YEAR IS THE COST OF LIVING. THE SECOND IS THREATS TO DEMOCRACY AND THE THIRD IS IMMIGRATION ABORTION FALLS LAST AMONG CONCERNS FOR MOST GEORGIA VOTERS. GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE BRAD RAFFENSPERGER IS FOCUSING IN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RURAL VOTERS. RAFFENSPERGER VISITED THE ROTARY CLUB IN GLENNVILLE YESTERDAY. HE MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ... TO TALK ABOUT ELECTION FRAUD ... AND THE ELECTION PROCESSES. HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RURAL GEORGIA. <> OUTCUE: ... YOU'RE IMPORTANT, YOUR VOTE COUNTS, AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE IT DOES COUNT BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS. BEE NGUYEN... RAFFENSPERGERS DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER ... TWEETED THIS OUT. "UNDER SECRETARY RAFFENSPERGER'S TENURE ... GEORGIA'S VOTING LAWS HAVE BECOME MORE RESTRICTIVE. SHE BELIEVES QUOTE "OUR DEMOCRACY IS HEALTHIER WHEN MORE GEORGIANS ARE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT HAVING TO JUMP THROUGH UNNECESSARY BARRIERS." NEW OVERNIGHT ... THREE FEDERAL JUDGES IN ATLANTA ... RULED IN FAVOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ... OVER FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. THEY RULED THE D-O-J'S INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS FOUND AT HIS FLORIDA HOME ... CAN CONTINUE. WE WANT TO CHECK IN WITH OUR AMY LU IN WASHINGTON ... WITH WHAT'S IN THE RULING ... AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE INVESTIGATION MOVING FORWARD. THE APPEALS COURT IN ATLANTA SAYS THE TRUMP LEGAL TEAM PROVIDED NO EVIDENCE THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT DECLASSIFIED THE 100 OR SO DOCUMENTS IN QUESTION TAKEN FROM MAR-A-LAGO. THE COURT ALSO AGREED WITH THE DOJ'S CONCERNS -- THAT PAUSING THE INVESTIGATION COULD POSE A NATIONAL SECURITY RISK -- POTENTIALLY HARMING BOTH 'THE U-S AND THE PUBLIC.' ...IN THEIR RULING JUDGES DOUBTED TRUMP COULD HAVE AN "INDIVIDUAL INTEREST IN OR NEED FOR" THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. TRUMP'S LEGAL TEAM HASN'T COMMENTED WHETHER THEY'LL APPEAL THE RULING. MEANWHILE A SPECIAL MASTER, ORDERED BY A LOWER COURT IN FLORIDA, IS COMBING THROUGH THE REST OF THE 11- THOUSAND DOCUMENTS AND DETERMINE IF THEY FALL UNDER ATTORNEY-CLIENT OR EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE -- AND IF ANY SHOULD BE RETURNED TO TRUMP. IN WASHINGTON. I'M AMY LU. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ALSO FACING A LAWSUIT BY THE NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL. THE 250 MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT TRUMP.. HIS CHILDREN.. AND THEIR CORPORATION MISVALUED MORE THAN 200 ASSETS OVER A TEN YEAR PERIOD. TRUMP'S MAR-A- LAGO ESTATE IN FLORIDA.. FOR EXAMPLE.. WAS VALUED AS HIGH AS 739 MILLION DOLLARS.. WHILE THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN VALUED AT 75 MILLION DOLLARS. THE GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION HAS COMPLETED ITS PROBE OF ALL FIVE PENDING OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS IN SAVANNAH. THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WILL NOW DECIDE ... IF ANY OF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED WILL FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES. BUT AS OUR GREG COY REPORTS... THE PROCESS WILL TAKE TIME. ( PKG) (USE FILE VIDEO OF CRIME SCENE) OF THE FIVE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, FOUR OF THEM ARE FATAL AND ALL OF CASES HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED BY THE G-B-I. ITS FINDINGS NOW TURNED OVER TO CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SHALENA COOK JONES TO DECIDE IF THE OFFICERS INVOLVED CAN BE CRIMINAL CHARGED. (SOT W/SHALENA COOK JONES/CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY @20 :02:18) "OUR OFFICE REALLY TRIES TO GET TO THOSE FILES USUALLY WITHIN 120 DAYS OF RECEIPT." THIS MEANS THE D-A STILL HAS WEEKS AND MONTHS TO CONDUCT ITS OWN REVIEW WHICH INCLUDES A HOUSE INVESTIGATOR, TWO ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS BEFORE COOK JONES MAKES A DECISION. (USE EMAIL FROM GBI HERE) AT LEAST ONE OF THE CASES, THE WOUNDING OF ZACHRY SMITH HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY. THE GBI TELLS ME, ITS PROBE WAS TURNED OVER TO THE DA IN EARLY AUGUST. (SOT W/SHALENA COOK JONES/CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY @20 :03:02) "EVERYTHING WE DO HAS TO BE DONE ON A CASE- BY-CASE BASIS. IT IS BEST TO HAVE A THROUGH AND INTENTIONAL INVESTIGATION RATHER THAN A RUBBER STAMP THAT JUST PASSES IT THRU." (USE PICTURE OF SAUDI LEE HERE) THE MOST RECENT FATAL OFFICER SHOOTING INVOLVES 31-YEAR-OLD SAUDI LEE, WHO SHOWED THE OFFICER A HOLSTER AND HAD A PERMIT TO CARRY A GUN. LEE'S FAMILY HAS SAID THEY WANT THE BODY WORN CAMERA VIDEO OF OFFICER ERNEST FERGUSON RELEASED TO THEM PRIVATELY AND THEN PUBLICLY, ACCORDING TO COMMUNITY ACTIVIST REVEREND ALAN MAINOR. (NEED A PHONER GRAPHIC FOR REV. ALAN MAINOR @ 0:6:37) "PLEASE GIVE THEM CLOSURE. PLEASE HELP THEM GET SOME TYPE OF CLOSURE, SOME TYPE OF COMFORT." DISTRICT ATTORNEY COOK JONES TELLS WJCL 22 NEWS SHE WON'T RELEASE THE BODY WORN CAMERA VIDEO OF THE LEE CASE OR ANY OTHER OFFICER SHOOTING BECAUSE SHE CONSIDERS IT EVIDENCE. (SOT W/SHALENA COOK JONES/CHATHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY @20:06:05) "IF CRIMINAL CHARGES SHOULD BE WAGED AGAINST THE DEFENDANTS, I DON'T WANT TO TAINT THE JURY POOL BY PUTTING EVIDENCE OUT THERE BEFORE I HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO FULLY INVESTIGATED AND CHARGED."