So how exactly did "Stop Cop City" folks get all those signatures? A good in-depth AJC piece dove into that, plus gave some dismaying estimates from a (not hardly impartial) firm prepping to validate the petitions.

Also, noteworthy the relative relief many ⁠Cobb County residents are feeling⁠ with the hopes they'll be drawn out of Marjorie Taylor Greene's district. We think. 

In my attempt to implore that "local elections matter," going into what'll be a low-turnout Tuesday, I can't stress enough the importance of weighing in on local school board races (ask a Cobb County voter how important that is).

Speaking of local races; I can hear the dogwhistle being blown into by the likes of one GOP backer in Johns Creek who's concerned about "riffraff" coming to her community if "Democrats" come there or are in power there.

Okay, fine; I reached out to the candidate her comments not-so-subtly allude to: Devon Dabney, city council post 2 candidate in Johns Creek. She and I bemoan dogwhistle politicking and concerns about housing affordability and the opioid epidemic, there, too.

But wait, there's more! A GOP-led effort to carve out a new Gwinnett County city is all about fending off mixed use (read: apartment) housing. I mean, where exactly are the retail minions going to live?

Oh, I also went "meme-busting," this time busting a meme targeting anyone who dares show empathy to Gaza citizens and/or Palestinians in general.

I spent more than half of my show agreeing with Republican politicians, y'all. Let that sink in.

Fulton district 2 commissioner Bob Ellis went all-in on Sheriff Pat Labat's alleged mishandling of money in a fund meant for "inmate welfare" on things like soirees, party DJs and personal vehicle use. Now, while Labat - or for that matter anyone from his department - was present to speak to the allegations, commissioner Marvin Arrington ran interference - and also might have a point. Hear the exchange.

Then, we learn the same Fulton Jail is housing inmates far longer than is necessary. John Albers (R - Roswell) pressed for change. Okay, enough gloating about Republicans; here's the pivot: posit that Fulton Jail stays often become prolonged stays with the very reality that Georgia legislative Republicans are pushing to broaden cash bail, and ... well, you get it.

Lastly, let's go to the theme park ... at least, the biz. Is a Six Flags merger going to impact the patrons' experience?

Dom Kelly, co-founder & CEO of New Disabled South & New Disabled South Rising PAC joined me to discuss his being a Jewish American who's pro-Palestinian and give his reaction to recent Senate subcommittee testimony that insinuates Georgia's DFCS sought to detain foster kids with exceptional needs in youth detention facilities because they were too hard to place. We also touched on the GOP's efforts to expand cash bail.

Georgia's Secretary of State's office got it's first Sidney Powell check & held a press conference to flap it about, and detail software upgrades rolling out to strengthen the state's elections system.

We're also still "getting to know" our Speaker of the House - for example his being a dean at a law school that never came to be, and his ties to an LGBTQ+ conversion therapy organization. Not exactly stuff he had on his LinkedIn.

No real show agenda today, and no one "major" story to harp on, so I bounced around a good bit. There's discussion on new state maps, our cooler (and drier & windier - be careful with the yard burns) weather, how to put Georgia's $16 billion surplus to use, the escalating death toll in Gaza, the rise in ugly antisemitism here in Georgia and the prospects of an MTG presidential campaign?

Hasn't America suffered enough?

Georgia's Department of Family & Childres Services were accused - in a Senate subcommittee hearing today - of seeking permission to detain special needs kids in the foster system. DETAIN. The state with the $11.7 billion (or more) surplus, with a stretched-thin DHS system and inadequate facilities for the special needs community, has a foster system looking to "detain" kids as a temporary (or is it?) solution. Let that sink in.

Political hyperbole is festering between the parties, inside the parties and it's made for just the weirdest snapshot in American political history. Georgia Recorder author Jay Bookman penned a piece on October 19th that speaks to that a bit, and I not only got to share the piece with you, I got to speak with Jay to let him elaborate further.

Like, how'd we even get here?

He named one prominent Georgia politician as a focal voice that launched this era.

"MAGA Mike" Johnson, new Speaker of the House, got the soft glove treatment from Sean Hannity Thursday night on Fox News, but there were a handful of moments worth hearing & chiming in on. They touched on gun policy (sort of), which gave me an excuse to share some Randy Rainbow work, aid to Israel & Ukraine (Sean, invoking the 'European fair share' trope - roundly debunked), Johnson's anti-gay work & opining, abortion & more.

Also, Patricia Murphy penned a scathing op/ed in the AJC rebuking Lt. Governor Burt Jones' proposal to "gun up" teachers in public schools.

Another deadly mass shooting has a community and surrounding state essentially on lockdown and a numb nation is immobile to do anything. I spoke with Leigh Richardson, licensed counselor, founder of The Brain Performance Center and author of the book "Turn Your Brain On to Get Your Game On: The How, What, Why to Peak Performance" to ask how survivors & grief-stricken loved ones handle such a scenario and what, if anything, can mental health professionals do if or when they're dealing with a potential risk to society.

There's already a good bit we know about the killer - except his whereabouts - but the social media "company he keeps" isn't much of a surprise. His spree likely comes at a bad time for Burt Jones' "arm the teachers" pitch. Gwinnett school leaders are certainly not on board.

A federal judge put Georgia in the same predicament Alabama was in - worse, actually; legislators now have to redraw not just Congressional maps but also state legislative boundaries. BIG win for fair maps advocates, including Ken Lawler, chair of Fair Districts Georgia, who joined me to discuss the ramifications of today's news.

The "Bidenomics" economy keeps surprising naysayers - with eye-popping GDP data coming out today; meanwhile, MTG tries to do some censuring and wound up the target of a censure attempt herself.

Georgia Republicans seem to forget we've jail overcrowding and judicial backlog problems; they're looking to make both worse by ramping UP cash bonds, because .... the cruelty is the point. The bill's author, a former (disgraced) cop, himself.

Lt. Governor Burt Jones also wants to "gun up" your kid's gym teacher.

Then there's the new GOP House Speaker, an anti-gay, anti-choice election denier, flanked by Grandma Moses-like Virginia Foxx imploring people of color "shut up; just shut UP!" So who is Mike Jonson? "Paul Ryan’s economic policies + Mike Pence’s views on abortion + Donald Trump’s dangerously wacky views on the 2020 election = Mike Johnson."

Also, there's Donald Trump again being scolded & fined in court and Clarence "the judicial grifter" Thomas getting (literally) a free ride.

If this doesn't all sum up the modern GOP and American conservatism, I don't know a day that better sums them up.

Rep. Shea Roberts (maybe we're cousins?) joined me today to begin by soundly criticizing the state Supreme Court's decision to affirm the six-week abortion ban prior to 'Dobbs.' She also takes Governor Kemp to task for "leading" the state to it's last place ranking on healthcare.

Did ya hear Jenna Ellis' riveting "performance" earlier today? Let me let ya hear another gem she gave on November 19 2020 so we can both figure out which Jenna Ellis is the "real" Jenna Ellis.

How can you form an organization called "Better Transit Atlanta" when you offer no "better" transit options? Well, it turns out, it's just a front for in-city NIMBYs. I'm with Maria; this whining about Beltline rail is wearisome.

Lastly, I'm sharing a 14-year old clip of a Ron Paul House speech that resonates today, and taught me something I didn't know about Israel and Hamas' history.

Things are beyond dire at Dekalb's animal shelter in Chamblee, with Lifeline Anima Project stating they'll need to ramp up euthanizing dogs at more than four times the usual clip to get its population under control - and they'd prefer not to at all, of course.

TikTok's "Politics Girl" provides some clarity for us folks on the left concerned about Biden's age (myself included). I'll hear her out if you will.

Rep. Teri Anulewicz joined me today to discuss the bizarrely partisan Cobb County School District email, dripping in hyperbolic divisive rhetoric, and what seems to be at the root of it. (Hint: the school board is the last GOP-held body in that county). Also, check out the VoteHer Podcast she co-hosts with Mara Davis & Jen Jordan.

Lastly, credit where it's due: Hillary called 'em a "basket of deplorables" and damned if a week of pro-Jim Jordan death threats to GOP House members doesn't confirm it!