The Brief from WABE

Want a monkeypox vaccine? In Atlanta? You better be quick (and your WiFi better be, too). Actually, since we're on the subject, you'd better just sit there, not blink, and anticipate the appoint times going live. Because if you hesitate a millisecond, you ain't gettin' that shot. Matter of fact, there are 240 appointments for *how* many millions of folks?; On again. Off again. On again. Off... now are we talking about my relationship or whether the Georgia Public Service Commission race will be on November's ballot? ; and lots of folks want one of them fancy new Rivian EVs. Problem is, they still can't find the parts to make enough of them. Guess that means another year on MARTA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump done got him a real life Southern defense lawyer. Two, in fact; Gov. Kemp wants to get re-elected really bad. [OK-your turn, and all together: 'How Bad Does He?'--Good! That was good. Y'all have done this before, haven't ya?] He wants to get re-elected SO bad, he's willing to give back another $2-billion of your cash to do it.; Moving on now. And, yes. Sure. He said really homophobic things, and there was that felony thing, too. And some gun charges. Drug deals. And he's talked about his child's hymen in the media. But. Who hasn't? Plus, everybody deserves a second chance, and Atlanta hip-hop icon T.I. is no exception. All the good work he's done since raking in the cash and fame got him some right good recognition from both the state and the federal governments. Way to go, Clifford! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A day after unveiling her economic plan, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams tests positive for COVID-19; a major project to bring a terminal hotel to Atlanta's airport quietly goes away; and after being offline for two weeks, Atlanta's National Weather Service radar is back online. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rudy Giuliani couldn't possibly make it to Atlanta today to chat with that special Fulton County Grand Jury because his heart condition prevented him from getting on a plane. So, a Fulton County judge, not wanting Giuliani to suffer a broken heart for missing that conversation, postponed his appearance 'til next week. And in a total, "Bless your heart!" momemnt, the judge said if he still can't get on a plane, they'll even sport him a bus ticket to get his rear to his second favorite city on Earth. (Can you imagine?!); Sen. Lindsey Graham's [R-SC] attorneys didn't even pull the doctor's note card, but instead just aruged that same U.S. Constitution thingy Trump is accused of trying to circumnavigate shields Graham from having to testify at all; and Georgia GOP officials (the same ones who re-drew districts that now dillute into oblivion any cohesive Black democratic voting block) tell a court, Naah, race has NOTHING to do with why it's impossible for Black people in Georgia to elect a fellow African-American to office. NOTHING. It's their fault, actually. Somehow. Just trust us. Oh, and will you please put the PSC race back on the ballot for November? You're the best!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The men who killed Ahmaud Arberry get life in prison sentences. Again; the U.S. Senate's reconciliation bill includes provisions from Georgia (and excludes some, too); and if you think it's hot, just think about if your office was outside. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's system of electing members to the Public Service Commission gets sent back to the drawing board; an Atlanta physician discusses what monkeypox looks like from her practice; and why even the worst seat at Truist Park isn't so awful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monkeypox is spreading; Loggerheads are breeding; and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is fighting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overheard at Plant Vogtle today (maybe--but don't quote me on it): "Fire 'em up!"  Don't you love the smell of new nuclear in the summer?  Okay, Sure. Construction took a smidge more than twice the cash originally forecast to build the two new nuclear reactors--but, hey, what's an extra $16-billion? Am I right?! And sure, this was all supposed to happen like, what, six years ago? Details. Plus, who's counting anyway? Okay, okay. Granted. Georgia Power customers have been funding the work on their electricity bills month after month for all those years while deadline after deadline passed and the cost overruns saw no limits. But hey. All in the past, no? Afterall, one of the new units is constructed! And it could generate power as soon as next year!  Also on The Brief: The area's major philanthropic arm kicks in millions to relocate the residents of Forest Cove; and Democratic U.S. Senator, Rev. Raphael Warnock, talks insulin, Medicare prescription caps, student loan forgiveness, and (almost) fully answers a question about debating his GOP opponent, Herschel Walker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A U.S. Senator fights a bit more to keep from testifying before a special grand jury investigating Donald Trump's post-election behavior; Third party candidates who find it too hard to get onto Georgia's ballot hope to convince the U.S. Supreme Court of their plight; and Sprite fans, don't worry--it'll still taste the same once those green bottles are no more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Music Midtown, this is the day the music died; the Atlanta City Council approves a six-figure donation to a non-profit abortion fund; and why an embryo/fetus could save its parents $3,000 on this year's state taxes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monkeypox cases are increasing exponentially. Monkeypox vaccines are not.; a federal indictment accuses the Atlanta-based 'Black Hammer Party' of being aligned with 'Hammer and Sickle'; and Georgia teachers get a separate check to buy classroom materials, which hopefully means they won't be spending so much of their own money to outfit their classrooms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With violent crime up in the city, Atlanta's mayor says he and APD are doing "everything possible" to combat it; Not there yet, but at least a smidge closer--the Chattahoochee River gets some bipartisan love from federal lawmakers; and Camden County *REALLY* wants a spaceport. And by Camden County, we mean officials, not residents. Cause they don’t want it *REALLY* bad.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CEO of a Georgia gunmaker testified in front of Congress on Wednesday. Sen. Raphael Warnock is touting the passage in the Senate of a bill that invests $50 billion in domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. A look at candidate Stacey Abrams' plan to address Georgia's housing problems; and a conversation about how women of color in Georgia will be affected by the state's new abortion law.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With federal courts proving unfavorable, a group of abortion rights advocates turn to state court to challenge Georgia's more restrictive abortion law; The best line from today's Congressional hearing on conditions at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta was easily, "It is never a good idea to leave prison doors open." Uhhhh. No arguments; and Atlanta in general is a hot city [Now don't you dare give into the urge to chuckle 'Hotlanta" at this point, either. Resist. No good will come of it.], but at the street level, that heat can be worse than the ones just a block or two away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling the optics "horrific," a Fulton Co. judge first scolds, then removes, D.A. Fani Willis from prosecuting GOP Lt. Gov. nominee Burt Jones for his alleged involvement in attempts to thwart Joe Biden from becoming President; Next time you flush your toilet, there's a chance Fulton County will scoop it up to track for Monkeypox; and anyone who has been around these parts for more than a minute knows summer in Georgia means it'll be hot. But don't be so quick to dismiss the heat as just a fact of life. WABE kicks off "The Heat Effect," a series of stories looking at how increases in temperature affect all our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Atlanta attorney convicted of murdering his wife only to be de-convicted could be re-convicted; Ten-million bucks and ten years later, even after getting FAA approval, Camden County's proposed spaceport just entered a big NIMBY black hole; and Georgia forfeits $1.8 billion to attract a manufacturing facility valued at $5.5 billion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three years after Georgia lawmakers passed a more restrictive abortion law--and one day after a federal appeals panel let it stand--Georgia's Department of Revenue is still working out the details of how to handle fetuses as dependents; A skeptical judge rules 11 'fake' electors must accommodate a Fulton County special grand jury's subpoena; and Georgia Power's plan for making electricity for the next 20 years involves sun, storage, and shi...stuff. It involves stuff. Stinky, smoldering stuff.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Years in the making, a federal appeals court gave the green light to Georgia's abortion law that bans the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected; Rudy Giuliani wanted a choice about responding to a Fulton County special grand jury summons. A New York judge delivered, giving the former Trump campaign attorney the choice of showing up or getting locked up. His call; and basketball legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier gets a hero's welcome--and a pretty sweet honor--by his former high school.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sixteen top state GOPers learn they're targets of a special grand jury investigation in Fulton County; Cobb's East Side Elementary to upset parents: "No way our War Eagle is anti-semetic! The Nazi version looks over its left shoulder and carries a swastika in its talons. Our logo's War Eagle looks over his left shoulder and carries the initials 'ES' in his talons. Clearly, they're worlds-apart different;" and that old Commodore 64 in the depths of your closet? Pull that out and see how popular you are at the next vintage computer festival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another elected GOP official fights a subpoena to appear before Fulton County's special grand jury looking into whether former Pres. Donald Trump and his cronies illegally interfered with Georgia's 2020 election; Delta orders a lot of shiny new planes; and MARTA's latest soccer station debuts in DeKalb.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Georgia's most influential Republicans asks a judge to stop Fulton County's DA from prosecuting him; Cobb County's School Board hastily votes to arm some school employees; and Monkeypox cases are on the rise in metro Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) REALLY doesn't want to come to Atlanta to answer a special grand jury's questions about election interference; Gwinnett is Great(er) in terms of adding new residents; and only Phoenix bested Atlanta in a ranking of the nation's cities seeing the sharpest increases in housing costs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multi-million dollar fundraising hauls are coming in for Georgia's U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican nominee Herschel Walker; Afghan women who evacuated to Georgia last year reflect on taking their families and leaving everything behind; and rural Georgians are seeing more guaranteed income programs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A federal judge rules getting an absentee ballot in your mailbox when you've not asked for it could lead to confusion. So, better not allow that; State health officials strap in and ready for the next strain of COVID-19; and you thought residential rents were high along the BeltLine? Yeah. They look downright cute compared to commercial rents. That's why BeltLine officials are now focusing on keeping commercial rental rates in check. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the debate over gun control and its subsequent implementation, Georgia takes a prominent place; Herschel Walker, the GOP nominee for one of Georgia's U.S. Senate seats, tosses a WABE reporter from a public event this weekend; and for one abortion services non-profit, the message post-overturning of Roe vs. Wade isn't all that different from before the decision. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nineteen people in Georgia either now have, or have had, Monkeypox. A vaccine just became available. Good luck getting it, though, as there's about one dose for every 8,300 Georgians; No bond for Gunna; and what to do with all that state tax money?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"They tried to make me go to testify, but I won't go, go, go!" --U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to Fulton County following being subpoenaed by a special grand jury looking into Pres. Trump's alleged interference in the 2020 election; Hartsfield-Jackson's Concourse D ['D,' as in 'David,' (those who ride the Plane Train at will totally get that. 'David' is incorrect, by the way--at least under the official NATO phonetic alphabet. 'D,' officially, should be "as in 'Delta'." Think about it though--if that's the phonetic example read over the Plane Train’s PA, everyone who halfway hears it would be all like, "Delta concourse? That's what I'm flying... better get off here!" And that'd be pandemonium, especially in Atlanta, where Delta Air Lines operates like 70+% of all flights.] gets $50-million in federal cash to get fatter; and Georgia's Sec. of State, Republican Brad Raffensperger, says purging the official voter list by tens of thousands of folks helps more people vote, and makes it easier for them to do it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was it the work of God or Satan? Depends on whom you ask in Elbert County, Ga. Either way, somebody (or some diety) sure didn't care for the Georgia Guidestones—so much so, they blew ‘em up this morning. [Law enforcement frowns on that type of thing, by the way]; Why Georgia's increasing COVID numbers tell us little about the state of the pandemic; and come along as members of the Muscogee Creek Nation see an essential part of their homeland for the first time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County's extra-special super duper grand jury looking into whether Donald Trump's also extra-special super duper grand quest to overturn the 2020 election broke Georgia law summonsed Rudy Giuliani, Lindsay Graham, and a host of other close Trump associates to testify; Atlanta's City Council passes a resolution that holds bad landlords criminally responsible for their properties' bad conditions; plus, the troubling relationship between banning abortion and higher maternal death rates in Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New [fiscal] year, new laws; For one of Georgia's U-S Senators, the Pills Are Too Damn High; and attacking Atlanta's rapidly-expanding crime rate with a different kind of court--no gavels here, but plenty of bleachers instead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SCOGA 86s Tex McIver's murder conviction; Southern Company says, 'Shut 'em down' about its carbon-gushing coal power plants. Georgia's PSC responds with, 'Naah. You're good;' also...why you'll need $632 more a month this year compared to last if you wanna realize the American Dream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You KNOW it's gonna be bad when Delta does what Delta just did; in Buckhead, it's time to start the "Told Ya So" dance; and DeKalb's library system goes all laissez faire on bibliophile scofflaws. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DeKalb's DA declines to charge police officers who killed a man believed to have a mental illness; Atlanta lawmakers consider ways to curb negligent landlords; and the company saying, "Get Off My Mine!" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellstar and United Healthcare decide to play nice after nine months of...not; the fallout from Friday's SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v. Wade continues as Georgia readies to implement its stricter abortion law; and warehouses are a sign of economic strength, but about those trees coming down to make room for them....See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade; The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade; and The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The feds come hunting for more information about efforts to overturn Georgia voters' choice for President; Senate politics turns to gas prices; and organized labor ain't what it used to be, but it's getting there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are up by a significant number in Georgia; You'll now need a six-figure salary to meet the minimum affordability standard for the average Atlanta home; and SFQP serves up LGBTQ Pride "Southern style" for everybody.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stories of Georgians take center stage as the inquiry into former Pres. Donald Trump's big lie continue in Washington; Turnout on this primary runoff Election Day is minimal in the metro; and a new study shows the pandemic had a negative effect on students' math scores. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's top elections officials are set to testify before the committee investigating the Jan. 6th attacks; Atlanta's City Council considers stronger protections for renters in the city; and Georgia claims three of the top 100 most-polluting power plants in the nation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's top elections officials will answer questions Tuesday before the January 6th panel in Washington while the state's top attorney appears before a special grand jury looking into former Presdient Donald Trump's alleged interference into Georgia's 2020 election; Coastal Georgia officials show off their storm readiness for this year's hurricane season; and the GOP runoff in Georgia's 10th House District used to be just nasty. Now, it's downright ugly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"AT-LAN-TAH," the centrally-located metropolis it is, will host part of the 2026 World Cup; It's never been easier to find work, say Georgia labor officials; and the long-term psycological trauma caused when politicians and adults 'other' LGBTQ youth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Georgia Republican Representative gives a tour of Congress on Monday. Those constituents riot on Tuesday; From Bottoms to top: Atlanta's former mayor gets a gig in DC; and a conversation with a rural Georgia sheriff's deputy who sued--and won--her landmark transgender healthcare case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 10th Congressional District, it's a race of, "GOP, You Know Me;" those early voting locations are lookin' pretty sparse this go-around; and the heat is on.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A key Georgian testifies at the Jan. 6th hearings in Washington, saying he told the President there was no fraud; an area academic says it's too soon to judge whether the hearings will change peoples' political minds; and the Walker campaign 'clarifies' what it means to be considered law enforcement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When absentee ballots don't favor your party, one approach is to limit their use and change the rules. An analysis shows it worked for Georgia's GOP anyway; the weather is supposed to get hot, hot, hot over the weekend. And while a dip in the pool in Fulton County is one way to deal with this weekend's heat, you might have to wait a bit. Fulton County's pool inspectors apparently can't keep up with keeping up residents' pristine waters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state has money to burn as tax revenues are on fire ; the City of Atlanta will give more cash to those who put out fires if the mayor has his way; and House Democrats are ready to fire the filibuster after gun control legislation that passed their chamber is doomed on arrival in the Senate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to debating gun laws on The Hill, you'll be hard-pressed to find a state with more polar representation than Georgia; the Muscogee Creek Nation is successful in protecting the land they were purged from hundreds of years ago--for now, anyway; and the fed's investigation into China's efforts to eclipse U.S. trade laws on solar components has all but pulled the plug on new instillations in Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life for two fomer Atlanta reality TV stars is about to get REALLY real after a federal jury found them guilty of swindling banks of about $30-million; Parents object to the closing of their Southeast Atlanta neighborhood elementary school, but APS isn't fazed; and competition is stiff, but the payoff is big. What the region could gain if FIFA picks ATL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turns out lots of Georgia Dems got all strategic in the recent primary, crossing party lines and voting against Trump-backed candidates. It worked. And now, some in the Trump GOP arena are calling for Georgia to do away with its open primary system; Starbucks employees at a store in NW Atlanta vote overwhelmingly to unionize; and Georgia confirms its first case of Monkeypox. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's voting machines have holes, a study finds; Forest Cove residents get keys to new places and opportunities; and remembering the Orly air disaster sixty years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.