Vice President Kamala Harris has officially accepted her party's historic nomination for president. Atlanta may have missed out on hosting the Democratic National Convention this year, but the city's culture was prominently on display. In this week’s episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what happened at the DNC and introduce listeners to some of the Georgians who were there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 23, 2024•23 min•Ep. 391
On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks about the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock took center stage and ignited the crowd with a fiery speech. Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and The Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long provide insight on Warnock's time at the podium. Plus the moment some call bittersweet for President Joe Biden. His address and how it could have been embraced by both Democrats and Republicans alike. S...
Aug 20, 2024•7 min•Ep. 390
Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is among the worst in the nation and health officials say the vast majority of pregnancy related deaths in the state are preventable. WABE Health Reporter Jess Mador has been reporting on the crisis and potential solutions. She joined WABE’s Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali for this week’s episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 16, 2024•28 min•Ep. 389
On this week's second edition of Political Breakfast, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, postponed a visit to Georgia due to Tropical Storm Debby. But their Honeymoon has not waned. Will it? And if so, when? Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long talk with host Lisa Rayam about the prospect. Plus, how the GOP-led Georgia State Election Board has revisited ways to handle and monitor voter chal...
Aug 15, 2024•18 min•Ep. 388
On this edition of Political Breakfast, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp makes it clear that he supports the GOP presidential ticket, even though Donald Trump continues to attack him personally. Why is the Governor becoming more and more vocal about his stance now? Republican strategist Brian Robinson and the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long share their thoughts with host Lisa Rayam. Plus, the charges and politics surrounding a Georgia state lawmaker arrested for driving under the influence of alcoho...
Aug 13, 2024•21 min•Ep. 387
A new rule approved by the Georgia State Election Board could open the door for local election boards to refuse to certify election results. The measure will go into effect ahead of the November presidential election. On this week's episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," political reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss the new rule, which is just one sentence long, and how opponents worry it could have sweeping consequences this fall in a critical swing state if local election ...
Aug 09, 2024•17 min•Ep. 386
On this week's Political Breakfast, how former Presdent Donald Trump is once again taking aim at Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Kemp was his target at a recent rally in Atlanta. Is this good or bad politics for the GOP presidential nominee? Host Lisa Rayam asks that question of Republican strategist Brian Robinson and the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long. What do they make of more Republicans expressing disdain for Trump? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 07, 2024•9 min•Ep. 385
Thirty-three days after President Joe Biden’s ill-fated debate in Atlanta, Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Atlanta this week as the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. On this week’s edition of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," Reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss how Harris is trying to muster the coalition of voters of color, independents and disaffected Republicans who helped propel Democratic wins in 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Aug 02, 2024•22 min•Ep. 384
On this edition of Political Breakfast, more talk about the very fluid presidential race that's all-encompassing here in the battleground state of Georgia. Republican Strategist Brian Robinson, the Atlanta Civic Circle's Saba Long and host Lisa Rayam sort through the aftermath of Donald Trump's tense on-stage appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago. Did this ruin Trump's chances of winning over undecided voters in Georgia? Plus, what will the messaging e...
Aug 01, 2024•10 min•Ep. 383
Vice President and now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is coming to stump in Atlanta. It's Harris' first Georgia visit since becoming the likely Democratic nominee for president, and her 15th this year alone. The team talks about how this latest visit may serve as a wake-up call for the Georgia GOP, which has been unusually silent in recent days. Saba Long, executive director of the Atlanta Civic Circle, and Republican Strategist Brian Robinson join host Lisa Rayam on t...
Jul 30, 2024•10 min•Ep. 382
It's been yet another historic week in the 2024 presidential race as President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and backed Vice President Kamala Harris in his place. On this week’s edition of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," politics reporter Rahul Bali and photographer Matthew Pearson gauge political reactions in Georgia to the change at the top of the Democratic ticket. Plus a conversation about the ethical considerations news photographers have to make in the field and as they're fili...
Jul 26, 2024•16 min•Ep. 381
On this week's live edition of Political Breakfast, it continues to be a historic week in politics. President Joe Biden officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the November presidential race, in a first farewell speech to the nation from the Oval Office. Now there's reports that Harris will be back in Atlanta on Tuesday, signaling how important Georgia is this November. How has Donald Trump's attack strategy had to change overnight? Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and the Atlan...
Jul 25, 2024•9 min•Ep. 380
On this week's live edition of Political Breakfast: The team talks about what's next for both Democrats and Republicans now that President Joe Biden has dropped-out of the 2024 presidential race. Biden and top Democrats, nationally and here in Georgia, are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new nominee. Are enough Democrats on board with Harris? Republican strategist Brian Robinson, Atlanta Civic Circle director Saba Long share with host Lisa Rayam their "temperature check" for Georgi...
Jul 22, 2024•9 min•Ep. 379
On this week's live edition of Political Breakfast, Donald Trump accepts the GOP's official nomination to run for president this November, along with his running mate, JD Vance. Plus, President Joe Biden has scaled-down appearances this week, and is recovering from COVID-19. Strategists Tharon Johnson, Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam discuss all this from a Georgia lens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 22, 2024•10 min•Ep. 378
Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance both have complicated relationships with former President and now Republican nominee Donald Trump. Plus, Black communities in swing states like Georgia could be one of the most important voting blocs in the upcoming presidential election, especially for the Democratic Party. WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali and education reporter Juma Sei dive into these issues and discuss how they could impact the resu...
Jul 19, 2024•21 min•Ep. 377
On a special LIVE edition of Political Breakfast this week, strategists Tharon Johnson, Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam break down Donald Trump's decision to select U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate. Vance is a 39-year-old venture capitalist, Senator, and author of the famous memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." The team tackles how Democrats view Trump's pick for VP, and how the GOP expects Vance to resonate in Georgia -- a key battleground state. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Jul 16, 2024•8 min•Ep. 376
On this edition of Political Breakfast, strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson share with host Lisa Rayam their thoughts on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. An innocent bystander was killed. Two others were wounded. They ponder what the aftermath means for both the Trump campaign and President Biden's campaign moving forward. Did the shooting fuel the Trump campaign with the momentum needed to get over the hump in November? What's the t...
Jul 16, 2024•33 min•Ep. 375
Georgia and Michigan moved in tandem during the last two presidential elections, elevating Donald Trump in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. But in the midterms, they elected governors who pushed their states in opposite directions and are now rising stars on the national stage at a time when many voters are unhappy with the choices for president. WABE politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali dig into parallels between two crucial states on this week’s episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Pod...
Jul 12, 2024•18 min•Ep. 374
Despite President Biden refusing to budge and stay in the re-election race, there is more talk about the role Vice President Kamala Harris could and should play come November. On this edition of Political Breakfast, host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Ben Burnett who is in for Brian Robinson, talk about the perception of Harris here in Georgia. Plus, thousands of delegates will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 15th for the start of the Republican National Convention. ...
Jul 11, 2024•21 min•Ep. 373
On this edition of Political Breakfast, Ben Burnett of the Ben Burnett Show sits in for Brian Robinson. Ben and Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson focus on the urgent calls for President Biden to step aside and not run for re-election. Biden on the other hand is calling on his party to move forward and unify, especially in this battleground state of Georgia. But, is that possible where it seems Democrats are becoming more divisive? Tharon and Ben weigh-in with host Lisa Rayam and they factor i...
Jul 09, 2024•26 min•Ep. 372
The Peach State could be a deciding factor in the 2024 presidential election, as it was in 2020. But Georgia's status as a critical state in presidential history isn't new. On this week's special Independence Day episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," politics reporter Sam Gringlas takes listeners on a summer road trip to a pair of towns that helped shape former presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Georgia's own Jimmy Carter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 05, 2024•24 min•Ep. 371
On this week's live Political Breakfast, host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson process a landmark Supreme Court ruling that grants former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. How will this trickle down to affect Donald Trump's current indictment and the election interference case here in Georgia? It's a legal victory for Trump, who touted the 6-3 ruling as a "big win for our Constitution and for democracy....
Jul 02, 2024•9 min•Ep. 370
President Joe Biden faced Donald Trump in Atlanta on Thursday night during their first debate ahead of the November election . It was the first time the two have shared a stage since they last debated in October of 2020. In this week's episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," WABE politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss the debate and how it could shape the trajectory of the 2024 presidential election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 28, 2024•11 min•Ep. 369
On this week's second edition of Political Breakfast, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to make presidential debate history tonight on CNN in Atlanta. Despite months of public scrutiny for both candidates and voter fatigue being part of a national conversation, most U.S. adults plan to watch tonight -- and believe the debate is crucial for both campaigns, according to a new poll from The Associated Press. Last time the two clashed on the debate stage, the coronavirus pandemic dominated the ques...
Jun 27, 2024•16 min•Ep. 368
On this week's Political Breakfast, the gang talks President Joe Biden and Donald Trump's eleventh-hour efforts to campaign in Georgia, just days away from their CNN presidential debate in Atlanta. Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s 2020 campaign manager and chair of his reelection bid, said the campaign has scheduled more than 200 events across the state this week. They include news conferences, surrogate speeches and volunteer phone-banks. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign also opened a field...
Jun 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 367
LGBTQ voters are a highly engaged and growing voter bloc in Georgia and throughout the country. They’re also reliable Democratic supporters and a crucial demographic in tight elections. On this week’s special Pride Month episode of the "Plugged In" podcast, WABE politics reporter Sam Gringlas and guest host Patrick Saunders – WABE’s Supervising Digital Editor – discuss the LGBTQ community and how they fit into the upcoming presidential election. To learn more about the issues affecting LGBTQ peo...
Jun 21, 2024•20 min•Ep. 366
Thanks to a new law, SB 189, it could be easier for third party and independent presidential candidates to make it onto Georgia ballots. And since Georgia's last presidential race was decided by less than 12,000 votes, the presence of those candidates could shape whether President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump win in November. On this week’s episode of WABE’s “Plugged In,” politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss SB 189 and some of the candidates that could be joining ...
Jun 14, 2024•19 min•Ep. 365
On this week's second serving of Political Breakfast, MARTA says it’s committed to moving forward with a 230 million dollar renovation of the Five Points station in downtown Atlanta. Mayor Andre Dickens wanted MARTA to pause the overhaul. The Political Breakfast team addresses the Mayor's concerns about what turned up in a recent audit. Plus, ahead of November former Georgia Sen. Jen Jordan is advising Democrats to talk non-stop about contraception and reproductive rights. Is campaigning on that...
Jun 13, 2024•21 min•Ep. 364
On today's Political Breakfast, all the talk about Atlanta's recent water crisis fails to wane. Residents and business owners still have lots of questions. Host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson tackle the biggest question: How could the water crisis help or hurt Mayor Andre Dickens politically? Plus, the team addresses "debate stage etiquette." This after Georgia Congressional candidate Chuck Hand, who served prison time for taking part in...
Jun 11, 2024•25 min•Ep. 363
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is known for being a mayor who seems to be everywhere. But this week, he’s facing criticism over his being absent during the early hours of the city’s water emergency. That’s as Dickens has already faced protests over his support for the Atlanta Police Training Center. On this week's episode, politics reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss Dickens’ leadership and the spotlight the crisis has put on the city’s aging infrastructure. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...
Jun 07, 2024•19 min•Ep. 362
