Today, Georgia's early voting window opened (more than 200,000 folks participated, shattering a previous record) while the state's election board got smote by a superior court judge. The Coalition for Good Governance seeks compromise, but fat chance that happening at this late hour.

As if that wasn't enough to pore over, John Oliver's most recent episode of 'Last Week Tonight" had "Georgia on his mind" throughout. He, too, doused on the election board antics, plus immense voter challenges from just six ne-er do wells, the de-registration portal, the false premise that non-residents are voting oh and of course, the "Waffle House index."

Listen in as former President Barak Obama gives a scorching speech - at a Harris/Walz rally - in an effort to make sense of the senseless (in another former President Donald Trump), Julia Roberts phone banking (so effectively!) and Kamala Harris flexing her compassion and empathy at her Univision town hall.

Julia Roberts making the rounds in metro Atlanta yesterday and today, along with Sen. Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams, something she said in Canton last night stood out.

"It is the UNITED States of America, and we've been lacking in the 'united' part for so long."

The right usually responds with a dismissive "Hollywood elite liberal" swipe - but COUSIN Julia (who says we might not be related?) is also from Georgia. MOST of Hollywood isn't from Hollywood. They're from Georgia or Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, and all parts of the nation and world.

It got me to thinking about the randomness of state lines defining what kind of voter we're characterized to be and how utterly nuts it is, in the 21st century, that we allow the 18th century version of the Electoral College hold so much sway over our governance.

Barry C. Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, penned a piece in August that spoke to the dangers that exist (like we don't already know) in our continuing to roll with the Electoral College vs the national popular vote. He has an idea to fix it, but so do I: un-cap The House.

Then you can keep using the Electoral College, and not need a Constitutional amendment to address what the current, flawed version of the Electoral College has wrought us as a nation.

There's the premise that the Electoral College is "DEI for Republicans" - which I think speaks more to what white nationalist conservatives think DEI does vs what it actually does, but I digress. There's a real problem when a 1-2% popular vote loss for a Republican presidential candidate could mean up to a 71% chance for that candidate winning, but a 1-2% loss for a Democratic candidate only gives that candidate0.6% to 1.9% of a shot, no?

Incidentally, Kamala Harris leads - per Nate Silver - Donald Trump by 3.2 % - which would give her a 58-to-83% chance in winning - but certainly not "a lock." A similar margin benefitting her opponent would give him 100% odds.

Hear me (and professor Burden) out, if you will. See what uncapping The House would do - for blue and red states HERE.

Tina Peters is going to prison for trying to have a hand in overturning election results.

Tuesday afternoon, two organizations - Free Speech for People and the Coalition for Good Governance - held a virtual press briefing where they and experts like Georgia Tech's Dr. Rich DeMillo and Cal-Berkley's Dr. Richard Stark made the irrefutable case that there was (and still is!) a multi-state plot to overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump - and with stolen voting system software, may succeed in doing so in a month.

Susan Greenhalgh was on the panel and she joined me to tie up any loose ends from that briefing, which I also have audio from for you.

House Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC) - who's running for the state's attorney general's office - has taken to social media to clear up much of the disinformation surrounding the damage done to western North Carolina and the coordinated federal, state and local response. Oh, and sadly, he had to rebuke Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who asserts that government controls the weather to target hurricanes at MAGA hotbeds.

'60 Minutes' interviewing both presidential candidates is a near-half century tradition. As the Harris/Walz campaign brushes off criticisms both Kamala and Tim aren't doing "serious" media interviews, it was Donald Trump and JD Vance who backed out of the Monday broadcast. Wait; Donald said Kamal "can't handle them," but it was he who sought an "apology" for the last Leslie Stahl sit-down he fled. That's rich.

Instead, he ran to the open arms of ... Laura Ingraham (who kind of fact-checked him a little).

I reviewed the Harris (and Walz) sit-down with Bill Whitaker.

Georgia Recorder columnist Jay Bookman reminded readers the many and varied ways Donald Trump injected pettiness into federal disaster response efforts while President. The headline: "Trump’s lie that Biden didn’t offer Georgia storm relief a disastrous pattern."

Because it's so difficult to keep up with the sheer volume of things we ought remember about his presidency, it was a necessary reminder. Also "all accusations are confessions" with him.

These lies - and this cultural phenomenon of generating and circulating unbelievable (literally to anyone grounded in reality) distortions or lies, are hindering relief efforts and - according to the Washington Post - stirring up anti-FEMA militarism. "One user suggested “a militia to go against FEMA,” in a post that had received more than half a million views as of Saturday afternoon," per that piece.

Asheville resident and digital creator Mark Huneycutt set off (mostly by foot) to Chimney Rock, NC, to see for himself what's reality vs fiction, and shared his findings in a riveting 20-minute YouTube video. In it, many of the "myths" circulating through social media are - surprise - dispelled.

Having lived in Louisiana before during and after Hurricane Katrina, it's not lost on me where Trump is getting his inspiration to spew these falsehoods. This is just yet another scenario where his lies are not only endangering lives, but could prove to be deadly.

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President Joe Biden visited South Georgia yesterday, addressing locals and the media on a farm outside Valdosta. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump will be stumping with (awkkkkkkwarrrrrd) Governor Brian Kemp - who had to set the record straight after Trump insinuated he and Biden hadn't spoke (they had, and continue to).

With that in the backdrop, my guest today was Dr. Genevieve Guenther, climate activist and author of the book "The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil-Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It.

We discuss not just the political malpractice politicians (Republican and Democrat) are giving us, but also that of the national media and of course, the fossil fuel industry.

Follow her on Twitter/X here, as well as her organization, End Climate Science here.

Atlanta Voice editor-in-chief Donnell Suggs checked in to recap VP Kamala Harris' visit to Augusta. We eavesdrop on her drop-ins, too.

As Harris dropped in on Augusta, Jack Smith lowered the boom on Donald Trump with a 'January 6' evidentiary dump that included some jaw-dropping testimony. The thing is, the Trump/GOP judicial gum-up means WE'RE the seated jury who'll decide if he faves any consequences.

Lastly, of course conservatives are concocting narratives about federal disaster response delays - led by Donald Trump of course. The problem is, no governor from an affected state co-signed; but since we're discussing partisanship in the aftermath of disasters, let's remember who did play politics while Americans suffered.

Tuesday night's vice presidential debate, moderated by CBS, doesn't seem to have moved the needle much with voters. "Do no harm" seems to be the clear winner - which, on the surface should benefit J.D. Vance more. I happen to think the soundbites leave more "meat on the bone" for Harris/Walz to make use of for "leftovers," though.

Joining me to discuss is local Democratic consultant Andrew Heaton.

Also, if you don't know who "Mencious Moldbug " is yet, get to know his creepy influence on J.D. Vance, the MAGA-churian candidate who clings to his every thought and word. There's a lot about him in print (here, here and most recently here) but political media has largely let Vance's affinity for this far-right lunatic's philosophy. That is, until Rachel Maddow seamed it all together for the masses. I'll credit Michael Millerman - political philosopher and scholar - for being on this story months ago, as well.

Judge Robert McBurney put abortion back on the minds of Georgia voters, parking the state's six-week ban yesterday. Georgia WIN List executive director Melita Easters joined me to explain what that means (for now) for women seeking reproductive care, and the ramifications on Election Day and the 2025 legislative session too. She also spent a few minutes commemorating the 100th birthday of President Jimmy Carter with some wistful memories from his era in and after politics.

The Conyers chlorine chemical fire is just another on a list of issues at this particular BioLabs facility - with damning violations noticed in February; but BioLabs isn't just wreaking havoc on Conyers residents and their environment ... another facility in southwest Louisiana is riddled with issues, too. '

Jennette Gayer from Environment Georgia joined me for a little history on the facility's negative impacts.