Two national figures made stops in Georgia this week to test out political messaging for the 2026 elections.

Meanwhile, four major U.S. Senate candidates all gathered in one room.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Rahul Bali and Brendan Rivers discuss the early start to the campaign season.

Plus, Fulton County Commissioners defy a judge’s order and could face jail time and a Georgian who rose to national prominence during the 2020 election considers running for Secretary of State.

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Employees at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been left shaken after a man fired hundreds of bullets at the Atlanta headquarters and killed a police officer.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” WABE Criminal Justice Reporter Chamain Cruz and WABE Health Reporter Jess Mador join hosts Rahul Bali, Sam Gringlas and Brendan Rivers with an update on the investigation and how the shooting is the latest example of increasing threats, and sometimes violence, directed at public officials and institutions.

Plus, more candidates jump into Georgia’s 2026 statewide races.

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Former President and Georgia native Jimmy Carter created the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency back in 1979. But now President Donald Trump is calling for these two departments, among others, to be dismantled.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali look at how debates over the shape of the federal government during Carter’s time can shed light on what’s happening today.

Plus, a look at bathroom parity at the State Capitol, off-schedule redistricting appears to be off the table for Georgia Republicans, an update on drama over appointments to the Fulton County Board of Elections and census data suggests that Metro Atlanta’s population boom may be slowing.

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When Governor Brian Kemp announced he would not run for U.S. Senate next year, he made it clear he didn’t want Georgia Republicans to fight in a messy primary. But his decision to bow out of the race may have opened the floodgates, as several Republicans with Senate aspirations have announced their candidacies.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali catch up on the fast-moving Republican primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff in 2026.

Plus, Democrats mark the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by reintroducing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we discuss the future of MARTA and we take a look at what’s next for the push to legalize gambling in Georgia.

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In 2021, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association agreed to install an exhibit about the park's history, including Ku Klux Klan cross-burnings.

Construction for the new exhibit is underway, but the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is suing to stop it.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss how the Confederate group is using a state law to challenge the planned exhibit, which aims to tell a broader story about Stone Mountain.

Plus, we take a look at a new committee reviewing Georgia election laws and catch up on the investigation into a lending firm whose founder is a big donor in Georgia Republican politics.

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Tariffs have become a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s second term, but the on-again, off-again taxes on imports have led to uncertainty in the economy.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with WABE Business Reporter Marlon Hyde about Trump’s trade policies and how they’re impacting Georgia businesses and consumers.

Plus, a conversation with Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who has announced that he’s running for governor.

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Congress has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, with most Republicans voting in favor and every Democrat opposed.

Under the law, which includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about 300,000 Georgians could lose health coverage, tax incentives for clean energy will be cut and states like Georgia may end up having to shoulder more of the costs associated with food stamps.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with WABE Health Reporter Jess Mador and WABE Digital Editor MeiMei Xu about how Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will affect Georgia now that it’s law.

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On this week’s special Independence Day encore 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.

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A massive solar panel recycling facility called Solarcycle is coming soon to Cedartown, a small community in Northwest Georgia near the Alabama border.

Solarcycle got a $64 million tax credit through the Inflation Reduction Act to build a second facility that will make solar panel glass, but according to the company, the groundbreaking is on hold as Congress considers gutting the clean energy tax credits in the new federal budget.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali look at what this could mean for Cedartown and Georgia’s flourishing industries making electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels.

Plus, how the conflict between Israel and Iran is exposing divisions among Georgia Republicans and a look at the fall of the in-person campaign launch.

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Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal drew national attention in 2016 when he vetoed a religious liberty bill that opponents said would lead to discrimination against LGBTQ people.

When a similar measure passed again this year, Governor Brian Kemp quickly signed it into law.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what’s changed over the past decade with WABE's Patrick Saunders, who has been leading WABE’s annual Beyond Pride series, which takes a close look at LGBTQ issues in Georgia.

Plus, Georgia Republicans and Democrats are charting the future of their parties as state lawmakers grapple with a heated political climate following the assassination of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband.

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