Every Tuesday and Thursday morning on the Political Breakfast podcast, veteran Atlanta journalist Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, and Republican strategist Brian Robinson deliver Georgia’s best analysis of local politics with a weekly dose of informed, respectful and lively discussion.
During Georgia’s state legislative session, Political Breakfast presents the pop-up podcast Gold Dome Scramble every Friday morning as host Lisa Rayam talks with reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali from the WABE newsroom to break things down for our listeners — the issues being considered, and the bills getting sorted through various committees at the Georgia State Capitol.
A judge ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could remain on the Georgia election interference case, but only if special prosecutor Nathan Wade stepped aside. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Georgia Republicans have passed public subsidies for private school tuition by the slimmest of margins. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss all things education with WABE education reporter Juma Sei. Plus a look at a last minute move to ban puberty blockers and efforts to expand gambling in Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Have Donald Trump's divisive MAGA movement and Joe Biden's low approval rates driven former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan to potentially run for president? Duncan could be running for president in November under the third-party, bipartisan movement 'No Labels.' Multiple national news outlets report Duncan could be featured on the movement's so-called "unity ticket" and challenge the presumed nominees President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump. WABE has reached out to Duncan for a stat...
This week on Political Breakfast, Donald Trump and Joe Biden hosted two competing presidential campaign rallies in Georgia over the weekend. Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican Strategist Brian Robinson join host Lisa Rayam to compare the turnout and excitement at both events – as both candidate's approval ratings aren't reflecting the same energy. Both Trump and Biden say the path to the White House in 2024 runs through Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
Former President Donald Trump’s last Republican challenger, Nikki Haley, has bowed out of the race ahead of Georgia’s presidential primary on Tuesday. Now the campaign is turning to the General Election, with Trump and President Joe Biden set to hold competing rallies in Georgia on Saturday. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas also discuss a busy qualifying week at the state capitol and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
On this special edition of Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strateigst Tharon Johnson sort through some of the bills and issues that were getting tossed around on the all-important Crossover Day under the Georgia State Capitol. Immigration and sports betting captured their attention, but so did the overall buzz that filled the halls of the Gold Dome on this monumental day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Lawmakers scramble to keep their bills alive on Crossover Day. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss some of the major bills that are still making their way through the legislature and those that didn't make the cut this session. Plus a conversation about immigration with WABE's immigration and communities reporter Emily Wu Pearson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week's Political Breakfast, we're joined by special guest, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, who is also an author and longtime historian! His new book is titled, 'James Oglethorpe: Father of Georgia, A founder's journey from slave trader to abolitionist.' It's been a decades-long journey for Thurmond. In 1996, he was part of a delegation that traveled to England to celebrate the 300th birthday of British native Oglethorpe, who founded the British colony of Georgia in 1733. Thurmond st...
On this Edition of Political Breakfast, we discuss the tragic murder of nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the UGA campus and the subsequent politicking that has followed. The suspect arrested in the murder case, 26-year-old Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra, unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022. Now, Governor Brian Kemp is calling out the Biden Administration for allegedly not protecting the nation's borders properly. State Republicans are also calling for new and stiffer immigratio...
The “First in the South” Republican Presidential Primary is this Saturday in South Carolina. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas speak with South Carolina Public Radio's Maayan Schechter about the primary and more. Plus, a roundup of what's been happening at the Georgia Capitol. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week's Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Atlanta Civic Circle Director Saba Long discuss Atlanta's housing crisis. Wages have not grown with housing costs. There's also an overall scarcity on the market. Are rent control and restrictions on landowners the solution? Or is it building more housing? With Atlanta's population expected to grow to around eight million people by 2050, Democrats and Republicans are now taking up the issue under the Gold Dome. Democrat...
As a judge considers whether to disqualify Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case, Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and Atlanta Civil Circle Director Saba Long weigh-in on Willis's testimony during last week's hearing. Willis is accused of having an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, who's the special prosecutor working on the case. A political conversation is also brewing about headlines describing Willis as combative, defiant and angry, in her ...
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand in an Atlanta courtroom Thursday to defend her ability to continue helming the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss what ended up being a dramatic day in court. Plus, a roundup of the week's news from the capitol and a conversation with WABE business reporter Marlon Hyde about Georgia's film tax credit, a bill that could make it harder to o...
Georgia's long-serving Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott has a challenger in the party's May primary. Democrat Marcus Flowers raised more than 16 million dollars to challenge alt-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and represent Georgia's 14th Congressional Distict. He lost in the general election in November of 2022. We discuss the chatter surrounding the opposition to Scott. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
This week on Political Breakfast, Atlanta and politics mixed with the Super Bowl. Besides the 75-yard touchdown the Kansas City Chiefs pulled to win in overtime Sunday night, Atlanta's own R&B singer Usher put on a star-studded halftime performance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He represented with Atlanta performers and singers, even shouting at the end "I turned the world to the A." Strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam also discuss Super Bowl ads that playe...
Advocates are calling a bill headed to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s desk a step back from years of criminal justice reform. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas speak with criminal justice reporter Chamian Cruz about Senate Bill 63 , which would add more than two dozen offenses to the list of charges requiring cash bail while limiting charitable bail funds from securing the release of no more than three people a year from jail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
On this week's Political Breakfast, the team talks about a new book called 'Find Me the Votes' by investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman. They share intimate details about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis "the person" and her prosecution of former president Donald Trump, and 18 co-conspirators, in their alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election results. The book also focuses on the Georgia Republicans who resisted Trump, and endured notorious threats on their f...
This week on Political Breakfast, the gang discusses the fallout of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis acknowledging her personal relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis also called motions to disqualify her from the Georgia election interference case "meritless." Plus, Atlanta rapper and activist Michael Render, known as Killer Mike, was just arrested at the Grammys in Los Angeles after sweeping the ceremony with three awards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...
The Georgia Senate has passed a bill that would allow sports betting, but a last minute addition could complicate its ultimate passage. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas also discuss efforts to recruit poll workers and speak with health reporter Jess Mador about a slew of health related issues, including a possible Medicaid expansion and the $636 million Georgia is getting from a major opioid drugmaker settlement . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
A note of disclosure: This episode was recorded 2 days before the antisemitism bill was signed into law. GOP Governor Brian Kemp has signed a bill into law that officially defines antisemitism. Supporters say now Georgia prosecutors and judges can more easily define antisemitism as discrimination or a hate crime. Democratic State Representative Esther Panitch, the only Jewish member of the General Assembly, co-sponsored the measure. "I do know that prosecutors and investigators need to be taught...
On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team analyzes how both the Republican and Democratic parties will leverage the abortion issue during this election cycle. Plus, Brian and Tharon swap theories on what Governor Brian Kemp stands to gain by taking a staunch conservative stance on immigration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Republicans under the Gold Dome have pounced on misconduct allegations lodged against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the lead prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has joined a motion seeking to disqualify Willis from the case. Also this week, WABE politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with their colleague Stephanie Stokes who recently published a story in partnership with ProPublica titled: "When families need...
On this week's second episode of Political Breakfast, Georgia politicians are starting to kick up dust under the Gold Dome week 3 of the legislative session. Republicans and Democrats are both moving forward with hot-button issues. Host Lisa Rayam asks strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson what kitchen-table issues are being pushed so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week on Political Breakfast, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his 2024 White House bid on Sunday and endorsed rival Donald Trump. How will his decision trickle down in Georgia? Host Lisa Rayam and strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson discuss whether or not Republicans will fall in line behind Trump? Or will former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley pull ahead? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's budget week at the Georgia State Capitol and more than $35 billion a year are at stake. WABE politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali talk about the state budget with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's James Salzer, who's been covering state government and politics in Georgia since 1990. Plus a look at the ongoing debate over Medicaid expansion and a roundup of election news ahead of Georgia's primary on March 12. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis breaks her silence over the hiring of a prosecutor in the Donald Trump election case. But was her response enough? Questions regarding an alleged affair between the two still loom. On this edition of Political Breakfast, strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson join host Lisa Rayam to weigh how this could hurt her re-election campaign and boost Trump's run for President. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The Georgia legislature is back under the Gold Dome, just a few weeks after a contentious special session on redistricting. WABE politics reporters Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss what they'll be keeping an eye on this legislative session. Plus, some of the key takeaways from Governor Brian Kemp's sixth State of the State address and a preview of what will likely be a heated election year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, it's our first time airing a second episode – the podcast is now airing twice a week in 2024. Host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and former Georgia GOP Chair Chuck Clay (in for Brian Robinson) debate the general voter climate. Are voters on both sides really ready for 2024? Or is there an overall weariness surrounding the presidential election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, we're starting the new year off with a double dose of Georgia's top political issues. Now you can join the dynamic trio – host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson – every Tuesday and Thursday for lively discussions. It's also the first week Georgia lawmakers are gathering under the Gold Dome for the 2024 legislative session. Ben Burnett of the Ben Burnett Show fills in for Brian. On today's podca...
This week on Political Breakfast -- It's a year in review. The team sorts through Georgia's best and worst political stories of 2023. Host Lisa Rayam along with strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson sort through some of the top stories that once again thrust Georgia into the national spotlight. The fight for and against the Atlanta public safety training facility, the redrawing of district maps and the arrest of former President Donald Trump (as well as his infamous mugshot) are just a f...
