Political Rewind

Thursday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp is preparing to unveil his proposal for reforming Georgia’s citizens’ arrest law. The current law stirred controversy in the aftermath of the shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger, by white men who claim they were detaining him in response to a series of break-ins in a residential neighborhood outside of Brunswick.

Our panel discussed the political motive behind the push to reform the law.

State Senator Rev. Kim Jackson said while she was glad to see progress on this issue, there is still a long way to go in reforming criminal justice.

“Here's the truth about the situation; this is really low-hanging fruit," Jackson said. "From a progressive standpoint, there is so much more around criminal justice issues that we need to address and actually make real change [to] protect significantly more Black lives than this bill does."

Also, the Fulton County district attorney and the Georgia secretary of state's office each launch investigations into the actions of former President Trump. The investigations look into Trump’s alleged efforts to coerce Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Kemp and others to overturn the results of Georgia’s presidential election.

In Washington, D.C., impeachment managers used harrowing audio and video of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in their arguments against former President Donald Trump. But will Republican members of Congress budge, as Democrats hope?

Panelists:

Sen. Rev. Kim Jackson — State Representative (D-Stone Mountain)

Mayor Julie Smith — Mayor of Tifton

Dr. Amy Steigerwalt — Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University

Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: While the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump continues, leaders in Georgia attempt to respond to the ongoing pandemic and its resulting economic burden.

In DeKalb County, local leaders announce plans to protect renters and landlords hit hard by the pandemic. They seek to use a $21 million federal grant to secure housing for thousands of residents at risk of eviction in the middle of a winter rife with illness and economic uncertainty.

Michael Thurmond, DeKalb County CEO, joins our panel to discuss the latest.

Leaders across the state are also grappling with the vaccine rollout. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control shows distribution hindered by social inequity and limited supply.

Meanwhile in the state Capitol, Republican legislators released a list of recommendations they say are designed to assure future elections will be free of fraud. Among the changes, ending automatic registration and removing voting software from Dominion Voting Systems. The proposal also includes a call to take oversight of elections away from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

"This is the theme we have seen in the legislature and in Georgia politics since the early 2000s," Jim Galloway said on the show. "There is a portion of the Republican Party that think voting is so important that you ought to have the energy to meet a certain amount of obstacles to cast the ballot."

Democrats plan to fight the recommended changes, which they insist are efforts at voter suppression. But the proposals are also sparking further division among Republicans.

"There are probably about two recommendation there I think are a good idea," former Georgia attorney general Sam Olens said. "There is a bunch in the document that me and Mike Thurmond would respond in the same way to. This is Jim Crow. There is a bunch in the document that is 2021 Jim Crow."

In news from the U.S. Capitol, Trump’s Atlanta-based impeachment lawyer David Schoen warned senators their decision to try the president was dividing the country like no other moment in history since the Civil War.

Panelists:

Michael Thurmond — CEO DeKalb County

Sam Olens — former Georgia attorney general

Jim Galloway — former Political Writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump gets underway today.

Meanwhile, Georgia election officials announced they have opened an investigation into the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In that call, Trump urged Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn President Joe Biden’s Georgia victory. The inquiry was triggered by a complaint filed by a George Washington University law professor.

In news from the General Assembly, Republican lawmakers are considering measures to put new constraints on mail-in voting. The heated discussion continues as Democrats and voting rights advocates push back on any election law changes.

Panelists:

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of Political Science and Director, James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference

Tamar Hallerman — Senior Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver — State Representative (D) Decatur

Leo Smith — Republican Political Consultant and President, Engaged Futures Group

Monday on Political Rewind, a sobering anniversary was reached over the weekend. One year ago, the first coronavirus-related death was reported in the United States. Now, the death toll stands at an even more sobering 450,000 people, with almost 14,000 here in Georgia.

There are signs things are getting better. The spread of the virus appears to be slowing and vaccinations are slowly rolling out across the country. But in worrying developments, highly contagious variants of the virus have emerged.

Our panel weighed in on where we stand now in putting this pandemic behind us. When will more vaccine reach Georgia? And who will have access to the shots? Our guests offered answers to some of the most common questions you are asking.

Panelists:

Dr. Carlos del Rio — Executive Associate Dean, Emory School of Medicine and Grady Health system

Dr. Harry Heiman — Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences with Georgia State University School of Public Health

Ariel Hart — Health Policy Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Today on Political Rewind: The U.S. House approved a measure to strip freshman Georgia 14th District Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. The action was a response to Greene’s bigoted and often-threatening remarks and social media activity that have come to light since she became a candidate for public office.

All eight Georgia Republican members of the House voted against the measure, which dramatically reduces Greene’s ability to have an impact on legislation. But will her influence wane following an official rebuke?

Plus, a state Senate panel says the Department of Public Health needs more money to fight the pandemic than Gov. Brian Kemp proposes, even as new reporting suggests Georgia’s vaccine rollout is faltering.

Panelist:

Sen. Gloria Butler — (D-Stone Mountain) State Senate Minority leader

Donna Lowry — Host, GPB’s Lawmakers

Patricia Murphy — Political Reporter and Columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brian Robinson — GOP Political Consultant and President, Robinson Republic

Thursday on Political Rewind: In his early days in office, President Biden has put coping with climate change near the top of his agenda. But New York Times best-selling author David Pogue doesn’t want us to wait for government fixes. In his new book How To Prepare For Climate Change, Pogue tells us it’s time we learn to adapt to forces of nature that will continue to dramatically alter life as we know it.

We talk with Pogue about his encyclopedic guide to the many ways we can adapt and mitigate the ways in which climate change is making an impact on virtually every aspect of our daily lives.

Panelists:

David Pogue – Author, correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning

Kevin Riley – Editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: After an election cycle in which millions of Georgians chose to vote by mail, Republicans in the state Senate introduced a package of bills that will create new barriers to absentee voting.

The measures end no-excuse mail in voting and eliminate ballot drop boxes. In addition, the package calls for an end to automatic voter registration, a tool which has dramatically expanded voter eligibility in the state. The bills are expected to trigger fierce opposition from Democrats.

More than 752,000 people who voted in the November general election did not come back to cast ballots in the Jan. 5 runoffs. Data show the most severe drops in voter turnout occurred in conservative-leaning areas of the state, suggesting President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud may have contributed to a lower Republican voter turnout in an election that ended up sending Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock to Congress.

Panelists:

Greg Bluestein — Political Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ceasar Mitchell — Former President, Atlanta City Council

Julianne Thompson — Republican Political Strategist

Jeremiah Olney — Democratic Political Consultant

Tuesday on Political Rewind: a special look at domestic extremism. The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 revealed the broad scope of violent extremist groups to many Americans. A web of overlapping organizations online concealed dark intentions in plain sight, even as their numbers and commitment to acts of terror grew.

The warning signs were there. As recently as September, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned a congressional committee of the growing threat of white supremacist violence. And a decade earlier, the Department of Homeland Security caused an uproar among conservatives when it issued a report with similar conclusions. That report was widely suppressed.

How did we get here, and where do we stand now? Our panel of experts dives deep on the threat of extremist groups in Georgia and across the nation.

Panelists:

Chris Joyner — Investigative Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tess Owen — Senior Reporter at VICE

Dr. Allison Padilla-Goodman — Director, Southeast Region, The Anti-Defamation League

Dr. Tony Lemieux — Professor of Communications, Georgia State University

Monday on Political Rewind: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published new polling gauging voter attitudes in Georgia in the aftermath of January's major political headlines, including the Senate runoffs, the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, former President Donald Trump's second impeachment, and more. 

The survey results show that state Republicans are in a much weaker position than they have been in years. About half of those polled said that they have a positive view of Democrats, but only about a third said the same about the GOP. Still, a majority of Georgians polled approved of proposals for adding photo I.D. or other documentation for absentee voting, but oppose further restrictions.

With the 2022 midterm elections on the horizon, the future of the Republican Party in Georgia remains uncertain and, as a result, could have broader implications for local and national politics in the future.

Also, the public outcry over Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene continues. She faces the possibility of censure and loss of her House committee assignments. Democrats are also preparing a measure to call for her ouster from Congress.

Panelists:

Rep. Bee Nguyen — State Representative (D-Atlanta)

Dr. Audrey Haynes — Political Science Professor, University of Georgia

Heath Garrett — Republican Strategist

Jim Galloway — Former Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday on Political Rewind: Just one month after being seated in the U.S. House, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is facing increased scrutiny and a growing national backlash over questionable social media posts that she has either liked or posted.

The outrage is further being fueled by other online posts, including a video showing Greene taunting a student survivor of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Democrats and advocacy groups are calling for Greene to be removed from her House committee assignments — or even expelled from Congress. The controversy occurs as moderate and conservative Republicans try to chart a course forward in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s defeat.

Panelists:

Riley Bunch — Georgia Statehouse Reporter, CNHI News

Rana Cash — Executive Editor, Savannah Morning News

Tia Mitchell — Washington Correspondent, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chuck Williams — Reporter, WRBL-TV