Daily Briefing: Witnesses suspected of lying in Georgia Trump probe

A Georgia judge has released three parts of a grand jury report into former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Also in the news: President Joe Biden stressed there's "no evidence" that more flying objects are in the sky than usual. The next chapter for NFL legend and legal advocate Alan Page.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Snow in Hawaii? Here's today's weather news.

Now, here we go with Friday's headlines.

Witnesses in Georgia Trump probe suspected of lying

Portions of a long-awaited report by a grand jury that examined interference in the 2020 election released by Fulton County Superior Judge Robert McBurney conclude that a majority of witnesses lied during the investigation and recommended Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis seek indictments for perjury "where the evidence is compelling." The witnesses weren't identified.

The 23-member grand jury concluded unanimously "no widespread election fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning the election results."

• Scant details were contained in a nine-page release ordered by McBurney, though the panel's rejection of election fraud offered a direct rebuke to the former president and represented one of the few notable elements contained in the much-anticipated release.

• Legal experts said prosecutors could pursue perjury charges as leverage to broaden the investigation. Charges for lying to investigators or perjury are rare because they can be difficult to prove and peripheral to the main case, according to legal experts. But federal prosecutors have convicted witnesses in recent years of lying to authorities during previous investigations of Trump.

• The Georgia inquiry was launched shortly after the former president telephoned the state's top election official, Brad Raffensperger, Jan. 2, 2021, urging him to "find 11,780 votes" to tilt the 2020 statewide election in his favor. On Thursday, the Trump campaign maintained the former president "did absolutely nothing wrong."

EPA will 'hold Norfolk Southern responsible'

The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday and told residents he vows to hold train company Norfolk Southern accountable for its role in a derailment. On Feb. 3, a train carrying hazardous materials derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, leading to evacuations. Authorities still say testing has not detected anything of concern. after officials decided to do a controlled release of gas, allowing it to burn to prevent an explosion. The burn caused toxic fumes to be released into the area, which alarmed residents about possible long-term effects after the explosion, including the occasionally strong odorous air they breathe and whether the water is safe to drink. Read more

• Norfolk Southern released 1.1M pounds of vinyl chloride after derailment, lawsuit alleges.

• A Norfolk Southern train derailed in southeast Michigan; investigation ongoing.

• Ohio train derailment fact check: What's true and what's false?

📷 Photo of the day: East Palestine residents raise concerns after train derailment 📷

Nearly two weeks after a train derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, impacted residents hoped to voice their concerns to the rail company involved. Immediately before the event, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told his residents that the company, Norfolk Southern, backed out of the meeting – citing safety concerns. Read more about the meeting and click here for photos of the hourslong event.

More news to know now

• 📰 A farmworker charged in the deadly Half Moon Bay, California, shootings pleaded not guilty.

• 🟡 Russia's fleet of modern tanks is down by 50%.

• 🧊 The Thwaites ''Doomsday Glacier'' is melting faster than expected.

• 🗨 Bruce Willis was diagnosed frontotemporal dementia. What is it? 

• 📺 Changes at ''Live with Kelly'': Ryan Seacrest will be replaced by Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos.

• 🛒 It's your last chance to shop early Amazon Presidents Day deals.

• 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, Cincinnati Enquirer Health Reporter Brooks Sutherland gives the latest on the Ohio train derailment and toxic chemical release. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

• 📝 What happened this week? Test your knowledge with our news quiz.

🌤 What's the weather this weekend? Check your local forecast here.

Biden says 'aerial objects' not looming threat

President Joe Biden said Thursday the administration continues to study a series of unidentified "aerial objects" shot down in recent days but that intelligence officials increasingly believe they were benign balloons used for research or commercial purposes. Biden said the intelligence community's current assessment is that three objects shot down over North American airspace were "most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions." That does not include the Chinese spy balloon the U.S military shot down in early February. Read more

Court appearance for former Memphis police officers charged with Tyre Nichols' death

Five former Memphis police officers who have been charged with murder and other crimes in connection to the beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop will appear in court for an arraignment Friday. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. were indicted on one count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, official oppression and two counts of official misconduct. Body camera and pole mounted surveillance footage showed them aggressively pulling Nichols, 29, from his car and beating him on Jan. 7. Nichols, a FedEx employee, father and skateboarder, died three days later. Read more 

• When the officers are Black: Tyre Nichols' death raises tough questions about race in policing.

• From University of Idaho to Tyre Nichols, here's what we get wrong about public safety.

• A Louisiana police officer was arrested for killing an unarmed Black man.

👉 What do you want to know about crime and the criminal justice system? USA TODAY reporter Grace Hauck focuses on this topic and she wants to hear from you. What questions do you have? What kinds of stories do you want to see? Email her at ghauck@usatoday.com.

Just for subscribers:

• 💼  Meet the Black CEO fighting for corporate diversity.

• 🍃 Inside an old Walmart that’s growing, cooking and packing legal weed in New Jersey.

• 🧠 After having a stroke as a baby, a Texas boy gets surgery to separate the halves of his brain.

• ⚾ Angels' Shohei Ohtani mum on free agent future as 2023 spring training begins.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

Alan Page's next chapter: An NFL star, a high court justice and an education advocate

Alan Page went to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on an athletic scholarship and in 1967 was a first-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings. A defensive tackle, he played in four Super Bowls and in 1971 was the first defensive player in NFL history to be named league MVP. But he never took his eyes off his real goal: becoming a lawyer. Page obtained his law degree in 1978. That year, the Vikings released him, and he went to the Chicago Bears. For three years during the offseason, he practiced law at a leading Minnesota firm, eventually becoming an assistant state attorney general. Read more about Page's next chapter.

In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series “28 Black Stories in 28 Days.” We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the third installment of the series.

One more thing

• 🏀 Who is better, LeBron or Jordan? After Lakers star broke scoring record, who is really the GOAT?

• 🎵 Pink explores grief and marriage in ''Trustfall,'' the ninth album of her 23-year career.

• 🥚 I'm single at 35 and want a family. This decision brought an immense amount of relief.

• 🎬 New movies this week: Watch ''Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,'' skip Liam Neeson's ''Marlowe.''

• 👠 New York Fashion Week 2023 has come to a close: See all the photos of celebs at this year's shows.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia Trump probe, Ohio train derailment, China balloon, Tyre Nichols: Daily Briefing