The Brief from WABE

Thousands of Georgia residents are still losing access to healthcare as COVID-era programs end; a man who was killed in the 1921 Tusla race massacre has been traced back to Georgia; and Georgia and Michigan moved in tandem in the 2016 and 2020 elections, but now have governors who have led the states in different directions, how does that influence voter opinion?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fulton County Commission voted this week to renovate the existing Fulton County Jail facility instead of going with a total replacement; Voting rights lawyers claim a new Georgia law violates the National Voter Registration Act; and WABE’s Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali dig into parallels between Georgia and Michigan, both crucial states for November, on this week’s edition of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta continues to grow in population, but that growth isn't as robust as in years past; and the concern over a new law's effect on those without a home address; and I'll Suwanee! A native Georgia snapping turtle gets a protected status. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta's City Council fields ideas for fixing the city's water system; Fatal traffic figures for Georgia are in, and they're up. WAY up; and Remembering skate great Thomas Taylor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First Lady Jill Biden makes the case for her husband's re-election in Georgia; A new state law restricting bail activity is in limbo; and a conversation with the head of the Atlanta-based CDC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MARTA caves. Canopy stays; the federal government gets crafty in protecting the Okefenokee; and serving up LGBTQ pride small town style. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The city writes a $2-million check to settle a four-year-old case involving tasing college students after pulling them from their car; Individual Georgians now have expanded power to challenge large numbers of ballots; and under a proposed ordinance, absentee property owners who neglect their Atlanta properties could see their taxes go up exponentially.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What the SCOTUS view of presidential immunity means for Fulton County's prosecution of Donald Trump; More than 100 new laws take effect in Georgia; and Atlanta businesses want more time to apply for repayment grants related to the recent days-long water outage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta hosts two presidents for one of the most anticipated debates in U.S. history. Meanwhile, two miles away, Copa America brings 70,000 fans to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In other words, just a typical Atlanta afternoon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia Democrats had a mixed response to President Joe Biden’s performance at last night’s debate with former President Donald Trump; Immigrants detained in Georgia’s two detention centers are losing access to their main source of pro-bono representation; In Atlanta, a basketball league specifically for trans people has formed and created a community that pushes past the usual nightlife scene. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Groundbreaking civil sex trafficking lawsuit against Red Roof Inn comes to an abrupt conclusion as settlement is reached; what Biden and Trump must accomplish to swing votes their way in swing states like Georgia; and we take you to a doula graduation in southwest Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two former Georgia governors, a previous Atlanta mayor and retired U.S. Senator--two Dems and two from the GOP--come together to fight misinformation; more groups join the call for MARTA to pump the brakes on its Five Points renovation; and a conversation with Dr. Bryan Johnson, the next superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta gets ready to host a Presidential debate; SCOTUS declines to hear case on how Georgia PSC is elected; And an update on a first-of-its-kind civil trial seeking to hold motel operators responsible for sex trafficking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Political Action Committee says it will spend millions in Georgia for television ads in support of former President Donald Trump; A new state effort to address gaps in Georgia’s healthcare system is moving forward; The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta has named Jai Ferrel as its new CEO, the first woman of color to hold the position.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's jobless rate shifts upward; The BeltLine's $100-million-plus budget; and Yellen about Fentanyl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One more visit from the VP and Atlanta will rename a street for her (maybe); Dad who let son cook to death in a hot car freed from one prison long enough to report to another; and a rock climbing wall survives an attack of the NIMBYs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Georgia Court of Appeals is set to hear oral arguments in two separate cases related to efforts to stop the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center; The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta have named the first woman of color to be CEO of the 100-year-old organization; and WABE politics reporter Sam Gringlas breaks down tomorrow's runoff elections in Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta officials rolled out a summer safety plan just a day after two, very visible incidents of violence shook Metro Atlanta; Former Democratic Representative Teri Anulewicz responds to the threat of restrictions on IVF in Georgia; and a local resident prepares to release his new card game poking fun at Atlanta traffic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charges filed against Arizona man who planned a mass shootout at an Atlanta concert to spark a 'race war;' Smothered, covered and paid: Waffle House workers eye a possible pay bump; and 3rd party candidate, anyone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

City leaders say two incidents of gun violence, on a bus and at a food court, reflect gaps in the justice system; Federal and international authorities are joining the search for a 12-year-old Hispanic girl from Gainesville who has been missing for more than two weeks; and WABE's Stepannie Stokes looks at why the state isn't taking full advantage of a new federal program that provides funding for youth aging out of foster care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An off-duty APD officer is hailed as a hero for stopping a shooting at Peachtree Center's food court in downtown Atlanta. Four people, including the suspect, were shot; At least one person is dead after a highjacker absconded on a Gwinnett Transit bus in downtown Atlanta, leading a cache of state troopers on a chase across three counties; and, normally, we'd highlight a third story here to pique your interest--something lighter, generally. The hope is that if the first two stories didn't interest you, maybe something that would put a smile on your face would. Given the awfulness of today's happenings, though, that approach seems crass at best. Let's just end here with two stories and hope tomorrow is better.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better get that COVID test in if you're so inclined as the state is about to pull the plug on remaining community testing sites; Trump's lawyers want oral arguments in the appeals case to disqualify Fulton DA Fani Willis; and one guess where Atlanta's mayor took the King and Queen of the Netherlands as they begin an official U.S. visit this week. [No? No idea? Not even a guess? You realize you could just listen to this episode, right? It's like not even 10 minutes in length. Okay...okay. Wow. No need to get upset. The BeltLine. Mayor Dickens took the Dutch royals to Atlanta's big sidewalk.]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Georgia Congressman is urging President Biden to intervene and secure the release of a Suwanee man from wrongful detention in Nigeria; The state's agriculture industry is weighing the pros and cons of an above average year for rain in Georgia; and Rose Scott asks new Atlanta COO LaChandra Butler Burks what lessons the city has learned from the water emergency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Washington state man has pleaded guilty to making 20 false reports of bombs and shootings in Georgia and other states as well as Canada; South Carolina Republican U.S . Senator Tim Scott says he's launching a multi-million dollar campaign in Georgia and other swing states to get out the minority vote for his party; Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens continues to face questions and criticism over his initial public response to the city’s major water outage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Georgia Court of Appeals has paused proceedings in former president Trump's Georgia criminal case until a decision is made on Fulton DA Fani Willis; Fulton County commissioners are rejecting a measure to pursue a sales tax to fund a replacement for the main jail on Rice Street; and the recent win for unions at electric school bus maker bluebird has energized labor advocates in the South. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta's mayor treading water over initial handling of infrastructure emergency; APS passes massive budget [Note: WABE's broadcast license is held by the Atlanta Board of Education]; and a former Atlanta TV anchor, fired for being gay, talks about his new memoir and how he found his truth in writing it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Residents in parts of Atlanta growing increasingly impatient as they enter day four of a boil water advisory; the Georgia Court of Appeals has tentatively scheduled October arguments to decide if District Attorney Fani Willis can remain on former President Donald Trump’s Georgia criminal case; and WABE's Chamian Cruz tells how a group of rescue dogs are helping men in Fulton County break the cycle of incarceration and adjust to life on the outside.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the case; Georgians are bracing for possibly worse-than-usual hurricane season, which starts this weekend; and WABE 's "Plugged In" podcast looks at how former President Donald Trump's 34 count conviction in New York might affect the 2024 election in Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Norfolk-Southern has a new board chair; APSers could see a raise; and what's on Gen Z's minds these days? A lot, apparently. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That's his story and he's sticking to it: a Trump election interference defendant says he can prove the 2020 Presidential election was stolen; Georgia's Secretary of State to Georgia voters: '...about those mail-in ballots. Um. You might not want to, because USPS'; and rara avis wunderkinds they are: two Georgia young people advance to the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office is appealing a judge’s decision to toss six counts in the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump; workers at Bluebird, one of the nation's biggest school bus makers based in Georgia, voted in favor of their first union contract; and one of the headliners for this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival is one of Hip-Hop’s greatest rappers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against the city of Atlanta two years after police fatally shot their son at a Buckhead restaurant while he was allegedly in mental distress; Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern railroad and the federal government have reached a $300 million settlement following last year's train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio; Election officials are now gearing up for another round of voting as primary races where no candidate got more than 50% of the vote head to a runoff on June 18th.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A judge approves a settlement in last year's Norfolk-Southern train derailment in Ohio; Georgia's primary saw a few incumbents get the boot; and Atlanta is among 15 cities--three of which are in Georgia--to make the potential host list for the Sundance Film FestivalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Biden asks students for support, offers encouragement at Morehouse College graduation; Atlanta's real estate market sees a bit more inventory come online; and the YSL trial is already the longest in state history, and with no end in sight, the backup is spreading through Fulton County's judicial system.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Morehouse College students are actually saying about President Biden's upcoming commencement visit; The future for Atlanta's pandas, the last two left in the U.S.; and funeral services remembering an Atlanta-born airman who was shot and killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MARTA continues to have difficulties getting ridership and its workforce up; How Georgia communities are using federal funds to clean up transportation in minority communities; and Donald Trump's influence on the modern day GOP in the state. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Biden and Trump agree to a Georgia debate; why Memorial Day could be a Metro Mess; and a Georgia Supreme Court case gets way more attention thean it ever before. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy Carter's grandson shares an update on how the former president's doing in hospice care; Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis is up for re-election and facing challengers, including in the Democratic primary next week; and the race to replace outgoing Republican Congressman Drew Ferguson is one of the few competitive U.S. House races in Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The GBI uses a new law to add heat to a decades-old cold case; another new law makes it easier for third-party candidates to appear on Georgia's ballot; and the Hawks get first pick in this year's ...underwhelming...NBA Draft (que the slow claps). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A GOPer who voted nine times illegally while serving a sentence is voted out of the state party leadership; U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga) is still ticked about your late mail; and meet the young Georgia student who defines success by spelling the word better than you can. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State GOP leaders want more answers about a special prosecutor's relationship with Fulton County's DA; Are Cobb County's newly-drawn legislative lines in-line with the state Constitution? Eh. SCOGA rules it's a cute question, but one they didn't feel they should answer; and.... the survey SAYS? Emory's president needs to go--although the University administration isn't so certain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's Georgia trial delayed as SCOGA agrees to hear challenge; Georgia's MTG finds a cold reception from House colleagues as she tries (again) to remove the House speaker; and Music Midtown goes "on hiatus." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georiga gets a budget; Kemp vetos a dozen provisions; and they City of Atlanta settles a civil rights lawsuit and pays the family of a church deacon tased to death $3.8-million. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"No Patient Left Behind" provision gets Gov. Kemp's signature; the ACLU sues on behalf of Georgia's deaf and hard-of-hearing populations; and the "Rent Is Too Damn..." low? No. Nobody said that ever. But the rent is lower than it was at the height of the pandemic. Sot that's good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted a California man for making death threats against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis; Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has announced several key leadership changes in his administration; New legislation in Georgia bans so-called foreign agents from buying certain land in the state. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to bird flu, nothing to see here folks... keep moving; Climate change is likely to cause lots more people to move to Atlanta--too bad we won't have the infrastructure to support everyone; and an influx of cash means some lead water pipes might be replaced with safer materials. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Florida's stricter abortion ban takes effect, even fewer options exist for Georgians; Georgia could get its first ever national park; and a young athlete cashes in on young athletes cashing in. How name, image and likeness (NIL) is making some young sports stars into millionaires. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many GOPers running for Congress in one Georgia district believe Donald Trump won the 2020 Presidential election, and not Joe Biden? All of them [which is the incorrect answer]; Remember when Georgia Power said its two new nuclear reactors would be online, heating up steam to generate as much power as you could think of? Neither do we, it's been so long. But, the last one went online this week; and hope the one out of six Georgians who relied on a federal program to connect to the web enjoyed the access, because they just lost it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war continue at Georgia's colleges and universities; Early voting for the upcoming election is underway; and the reason the conditions are so bad at the Fulton County Jail? [An answer that surprises absolutely no one] Overcrowding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp signed more than 100 pieces of legislation into law this week, including bills dealing with the online and personal safety of Georgia's kids; Protestors have returned to the Emory University campus this evening, after police arrested more than 2 dozen demonstrators yesterday; WABE business reporter Marlon Hyde speaks with U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.