The podcast welcomes Michael Thurmond, Eric Tanenblatt and Kerwin Swint to discuss the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president as Donald Trump's New York City hush money trial gets underway with jury selection today. They look at whether that trial could have an impact on the Georgia election conspiracy case, in which Trump and 14 other defendants are charged with illegal efforts to overturn the results of the state’s 2020 presidential election. Then, Republican and Democratic elect...
Apr 15, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s been a new development in Georgia's election conspiracy case against former President Donald Trump. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will now be investigated in connection with his role as one of 16 GOP electors who cast Electoral College votes for Trump even though Joe Biden had won the state in the 2020 presidential election. But first, a preview of what to expect when the first of four criminal trials against Trump begins Monday in New York City. The podcast welcomes Bob Wilson, who served three t...
Apr 12, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The podcast welcomes the senior adviser to the Georgia Biden campaign, Jonae Wartel. She talks about the new $30 million Biden ad campaign that features stories of women who have experienced health crises with pregnancies in states that have enacted significant restrictions on abortion. But first, Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy both covered Donald Trump’s visit to Atlanta on Wednesday. They report on his comments on an Arizona Supreme Court ruling all but outlawing abortion in that state, on...
Apr 11, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Greg Bluestein reports from the scene of Donald Trump's fundraising luncheon, which is expected to bring in several million dollars. But the event reveals once again the split among GOP leaders over support for Trump. The panel shifts to look at Trump’s declaration Monday that he doesn’t support a federal abortion law but believes each state should make individual decisions on how to handle abortion. A day later, the Arizona state Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 law outlawing almost all abortio...
Apr 10, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon joins the podcast on the eve of a fundraising trip that brings Donald Trump to Atlanta. McKoon tells the hosts he’s confident that the Georgia GOP will have the financial resources and organizational infrastructure needed to deliver the state to Trump in November. McKoon goes on to defend Trump’s decision to call for individual states to pass their own laws on abortion. And he also explains why he is leading the effort to dismiss GOP First Vice Chair Br...
Apr 09, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Veteran Republican political consultant Heath Garrett joins the podcast to discuss strategies GOP candidates are likely to use to try to blunt the impact the overturning of Roe v. Wade is having in energizing Democratic voters to turn out in key races. How will it affect Georgia races? Then, Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz discusses how he is trying to navigate the political tumult that has been ratcheted up following the killing of Laken Riley. An AJC investigation revealed that across m...
Apr 08, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan joins the podcast after the No Labels organization announced it won’t field an independent candidate for president. Duncan speaks from the perspective of one of the possible candidates interviewed for the position. Then, a powerful gas lobbying group is running ads in Georgia and a handful of other states attacking the Biden administration’s new rule which will likely force automakers to build more electric vehicles. The ad campaign flies in the face of G...
Apr 05, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast The First Lady of Georgia, Marty Kemp, says she hasn’t decided whether to vote for Donald Trump despite her husband's statement that the former president would be “better than Joe Biden.” But first, Melita Easters, founder and executive director of the Georgia WIN List, joins the podcast to discuss how her organization goes about identifying and supporting pro-choice Democratic women for seats in the legislature. And she offers her thoughts on the role she believes the restrictions being placed ...
Apr 04, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Even as Governor Kemp has invested heavily in making Georgia a center for electric vehicle production, a powerful gas lobbying group is running ads here and in other states criticizing new Biden administration regulations that will push automakers to ramp up building electric vehicles. But first, Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul join the podcast to discuss the state of their Georgia cities today. What are the biggest concerns of their constituents? How do their pr...
Apr 03, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brad Raffensperger isn’t taking any guff from Hollywood star Larry David. The podcast hosts discuss the playful letter Georgia’s secretary of state sent to David after David’s show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” poked fun at a state law that prevents the distribution of water and food to people waiting in line to vote within 150 feet of a polling place. But first, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns discusses his take on the ups and downs of the just-concluded 2024 legislative session. He talks about his ...
Apr 02, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former President Donald Trump is headed back to Georgia as the race to the White House heats up. Trump will be here next week for a major fundraiser. Meanwhile, Democrats fear President Joe Biden's campaign may not invest heavily in winning here. And are Black voters beginning to like Trump’s message? But first, a look at how the emotionally fraught immigration bill won passage in the final hours of the Legislature's session. Do local sheriffs have the capacity to uphold federal law requiring th...
Apr 01, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The hosts talk to WABE’s Sam Gringlas about the issues that won final approval, and those that went down in flames as the 2024 session came to an end in the early hours of Friday morning. Then, Andrew Morse, president and publisher of the AJC joins the podcast to discuss why he’d led the charge to save Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp from mining companies setting up operations nearby. And the panel discusses the failure of the legislature to act on a bill that would have provided a temporary halt on ...
Mar 29, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch joins the podcast to describe the measures still on the table on the final day of the session. He indicated the state Senate would likely not take up a measure the House passed overwhelmingly to protect the Okefenokee Swamp. He also said he prefers Governor Kemp’s limited expansion of Medicaid to a measure Democrats tried to pass that would allow a full expansion of the govern...
Mar 28, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tamar Hallerman joins the podcast to discuss the in-depth interview she and colleague Bill Rankin conducted with attorney Ashleigh Merchant. Merchant explained the process she went through before deciding to file a motion seeking the dismissal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. Over at the state Legislature, state House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, a Republican, and D...
Mar 27, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The hosts talk to lawmakers from both sides of the aisle about the bills they’re watching most closely as the session comes down to the final two days. Republican state Rep. Marcus Wiedower of Watkinsville starts the conversation by discussing the sports betting bill that he’s working to pass before the session ends. Wiedower also comments on immigration legislation introduced following the killing of Laken Riley in his home district. On the other side of the aisle, Democratic state Rep. Stacey ...
Mar 26, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to remove Mike Johnson as speaker of the U.S. House. But she says it’s a warning that he needs to embrace issues of importance to her far-right colleagues. But first, Andy Miller of Georgia Health News joins the podcast to discuss what’s behind the GOP-controlled Legislature’s ongoing rejection of a full Medicaid expansion. Then, in the state Senate, pressure is ramping up to pass culture war issues in the final days of the legislative session. And...
Mar 25, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is not launching a bid for the White House. Duncan discusses why he won’t be the candidate for president on the No Labels ticket. He also describes his vision for a future for the Republican Party without Donald Trump. Judith Delus Montgomery, an Atlanta-based lawyer, discusses what’s behind the outbreak of violence in her native Haiti, where gangs have killed at least 24 people, released thousands from prisons, burned police stations, and forced businesses and schoo...
Mar 22, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fani Willis faces more challenges in her hope to begin the trial of former President Donald Trump. AJC reporter Dave Wickert joins to discuss the latest in the election interference case. But first up, Kendra Cotton, CEO of the New Georgia Project, joins the podcast to discuss the organization’s effort to energize a liberal coalition of voters for the 2024 election. She also answers questions about the financial and legal troubles plaguing Fair Fight Action, the organization that was given credi...
Mar 21, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final days of the legislative session, new election bills could be fast-tracked. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Mark Niesse joined the podcast to discuss the GOP-backed bills. But first, University of Georgia Israel Institute Teaching Fellow Eli Sperling discusses the war between Israel and Hamas. The hosts look at the hornet’s nest of controversy U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer stirred up in a speech on the Senate floor calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “an obstacle to pea...
Mar 20, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Laken Riley’s father sits down for an interview with NBC about his daughter’s tragic killing. He is angry that her tragic death is being politicized. But first, lawmakers are still looking for answers after electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian paused construction indefinitely on a $5 billion plant planned for Georgia. Rep. Tim Fleming, (R) Covington joins the ‘Politically Georgia’ podcast to discuss his disappointment over the news. He says that he’s looking for more transparency as the plant wa...
Mar 19, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast With just a handful of working days left, time is running out for bills to pass in the Legislature. The stakes are even higher as the biennial session wraps up. Atlanta Journal-Constitution legislative reporters Maya T. Prabhu and James Salzer join the podcast to look at some of the major bills that are still being debated as the session winds down to a finish. Emory University law professor Fred Smith discusses what is likely to happen next in the Fulton County election interference case agains...
Mar 18, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just an hour before “Politically Georgia” aired, Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could continue prosecuting the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. But only if she drops her special prosecutor and former love interest Nathan Wade from the case. Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Shannon McCaffrey and Georgia State law professor Anthony Michael Kreis discuss the decision. Then a pivot to Capitol Hill, where independent journ...
Mar 15, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's new momentum building around a bill to provide school vouchers to Georgia families. Gov. Brian Kemp helped turn up the heat, posting on X: "When it comes to getting school choice done in Georgia, there are no more next years." The state House had a scheduled vote on the matter an hour after "Politically Georgia" aired. But first, state House Minority Leader James Beverly joins the podcast to discuss why he's decided to retire from the Legislature after 13 years in the House and four year...
Mar 14, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Georgia gave President Biden the votes to make him the Democratic nominee, and the state joined three others that voted Tuesday to put former president Trump over the top. On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell give a complete presidential primary night recap. Then: AJC reporter Zach Hansen joins the podcast to discuss the consequences of the stunning announcement that Rivian is suspending indefinitely the construct...
Mar 13, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Patricia Murphy, Bill Nigut and Greg Bluestein talk primary day. Democratic U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams joins the podcast to talk about President Joe Biden’s chances to win Georgia once again in November. Will turnout today give us clues? Then: Democratic state Rep. Ruwa Romman tells the hosts why she’s urging fellow Democrats to leave the Biden ballot line blank today. Plus: Deputy Secretary of State Gabe ...
Mar 12, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Tia Mitchell Georgia's presidential primary. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Mark Niesse and political science professors Charles Bullock and Karen Owen assess the low turnout and discuss what we may nevertheless learn about the state's voter preferences in a low-turnout primary Tuesday. Then, the AJC reports that the No Labels Party may recruit former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Dunca...
Mar 11, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Bill Nigut, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell discuss President Biden’s State of the Union speech with Republican Congressman Buddy Carter and Democratic state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver. They ask whether Marjorie Taylor Greene’s disruption of the speech, which she’s done before, is adding to a growing lack of decorum in the halls of congress. Plus, the shocking announcement that electric vehicle manufacture...
Mar 08, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Politically Georgia Podcast, hosts Bill Nigut and Greg Bluestein are joined by AP politics reporter Meg Kinnard and top Georgia Nikki Haley supporter Eric Tanenblatt to discuss how Donald Trump President Biden will work to attract Haley supporters now that she’s dropped out of the race. Then, they look at what to expect when both Trump and Biden both go head-to-head in rallies in Georgia on Saturday. Plus, AJC reporter Tamar Hallerman joins the podcast...
Mar 07, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast After being soundly defeated in the Super Tuesday primaries across the country, Nikki Haley has suspended her presidential campaign Wednesday morning. On today's episode of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy look at how the matchup between President Biden and Donald Trump will impact Georgia's primary as the general election essentially starts today. LINKS TO TODAY'S TOPICS Nikki Haley suspends her campaign and leaves Donald Tru...
Mar 06, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "Politically Georgia" Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz is in the middle of a storm of controversy. Some Athens residents blame him for lax enforcement of immigration laws in the community after a man authorities say illegally entered the country in 2022, Jose Ibarra, was charged in the death of nursing student Laken Riley. Girtz joins the podcast to discuss his response to the concerns and to lay out plans to improve security measures in the city....
Mar 05, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
