The COVID shadow, that "Purple Shadow" & shedding light on Alabama

⁠COVID rates are on the rise locally and regionally⁠, and the⁠ CDC notes there's a new omicron variant ⁠likely pushing the numbers. Of course we'll ignore this.

Tomorrow morning, ⁠Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle begins facing the music⁠ - all for reading a harmless little book titled ⁠"My Shadow Is Purple" ⁠- after a fifth grade student bought it at a school book fair and her class voted on it to be read. We covered this back on ⁠June 23rd with her attorney ⁠Craig Goodmark⁠⁠, so we'll review some of what he had to say then in preparation for what's sure to be a stressful few days in Cobb County. All of this stems from the state's "anti-woke" educational overreach. 

My guest today is ⁠Benard Simelton Sr.,⁠ member of the NAAP national board of directors and Alabama State Conference. We discuss the Montgomery brawl & the state's foot-dragging on redistricting.

A recent (current, maybe?) health scare on my part has me furious with corporate healthcare and I'm left wondering: when are we going to say "enough is enough" with the over-corporatizing of every facet of our economy?

Atlanta Voice editor-in-chief Donnell Suggs is my guest today, discussing the latest from Donald Trump MORE than inferring that Fulton County DA Fani Willis has had (or is having) an affair with a gang member and is seeking loftier public office. We talk Tim Scott's viability and of COURSE the "Montgomery Brawl."

Then a check in on "Cop City" as opponents continue to grab signatures. Dr. Bernice King and the King Center wrote an open letter in the Saporta Report insisting the voters have that referendum say, as meanwhile, the city is lawyering up to nitpick over signatures hoping to derail said referendum.

After a little headline-surfing ( we gotta talk Montgomery brawl, after all ...), I got to sit down with my good friend David Alexander, president and co-founder of local upscale barber chain, American Haircuts. He's also an actor - having played in several television shows and notable movies the last twelve years - everything from 'Hillbilly Elegy' to 'House of Cards' and 'Abrahama Lincoln vs. Zombies' (sorry Dave; it was right there for me ...). I like to think of him as "that guy in that thing ..." we've all bumped into someone who's done movie & TV roles but their names escaped us. Our response is usually "hey, aren't you that guy in that thing?"

With the Writers' Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes effectively shutting down Hollywood, I wanted to spend time discussing the situation with Dave. I mean, he's not only a SAG-AFTRA member, but he's also a small businessman, so his perspective is a pretty interesting one to hear from in a "labor v. management" dispute.

Brad Raffensperger has his swagger, again; he spoke earlier this week to the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and had some choice words for reporters, afterwards, about the legitimacy of 2020. First, on the indictments he said he felt "sorrowful," but not sorry, to be sure. He also stood his ground (as he did on the "perfect beautiful" phone call) on the merits of the outcome, and I decided it's a good time to revisit that call and point out how 2022 election results are the guiding light the rest of the GOP outside Georgia isn't paying attention to.

Other topics today include what smells like "voter suppression" in Floyd & Troup Counties, along with another needless round of "use it or lose it" voter purges, a new GPB boss is announced, Donald's REALLY bad day Thursday punctuated by goats blocking his route, How Tommy (coach) Tuberville's blocking military promotions is weakening readiness, there's good news on the preeclampsia front (except if you'd prefer to end the pregnancy, of course) and a thumbs up from USA Today regarding Atlanta's street art.

David Brooks, New York Times' opinion writer - notably centerish-right in being so - wrote an interesting piece yesterday. In it he posited that - perhaps while the world wonders just how the Trump voter continues to be loyal to him - it may be that - in the mind of such a voter - the political establishment and the prevalence of a "meritocracy" for the better-off has soured them on both parties, and that only the (charitably) plain-spoken Donald Trump taps into their rage. It's still confounding in that he's never been "one of them," but Brooks' piece hits a few point worth discussing.

Brooks asks: "What If We're The Bad Guys Here?"

To have that discussion with me is Coker University professor and two-time Congressional candidate Mal Hyman.

I'm desperate to talk about ANYthing other than the LATEST in a long long line of indictments against you-know-who, so good news! A west Georgia highway makes the top 50 list of "most dangerous," and I'm quite familiar with it.

Of course we'll cover the latest indictments, too, and MARVEL at the sad, pathetic & bootlicking reactions from the right.

Naturally JUST as today's show ends, another batch of Trump indictments hit the fan. Go figure.

Speaking of the gilded one, we're seeing signs of that looming batch from Fulton County DA Fani Willis coming (I say by August 18th) as two key eyewitnesses to "fake elector" gatherings are subpoenaed just as we get head-to-head polling showing Donald and POTUS Joe neck-and-neck at 43% each. Fear not, though; that 14% "NOTA" (none of the above) voting bloc will assuredly break overwhelmingly for Joe - and I'll explain why.

Ooh, then we have glom over the DUD that the "Hunter Biden" House inquiry's "star witness" was yesterday. LOVED THIS.

Then, let's wrap with a little political TIkTok humor.

Truthfully, if it weren't for all the enabling done by the vast majority of Republicans lacking in spine and/or stones, the number of "not good" days Donald would have had would have been a lot fewer, but here we are.

Today, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney CLOWNED on the former President's last-ditch effort to upend the probe. Read the nine-page rebuke HERE. Meanwhile Fulton DA Fani WIllis (defendee by McBurney) says "we're ready to go." Something (okay a few things) tell us "between now and August 18th.

Figured I'd check in on the "liberal redneck" to get his insights on the right wing 'anti-Barbie' outrage, so let's listen in on a Trae Crowder standup sketch before revisiting a past conversation I'd had with my good friend Jonny McCoy - creator of the White Flag app - a fantastic mental health tool for whenever you need it (or don't) and available to use at no cost.

Of course it's hot; this is the summer, after all, but we're experiencing record-shattering heat across the northern hemisphere and the costs to human lives, wildlife, agriculture and. yes, the economy are mounting. Here, again, we see the vast difference between a party that's working to tackle an issue, head-on, vs a party preferring to pretend a problem doesn't exist because to do otherwise is to inconvenience their financial backers.

It's been two years (and a day) since Katie Janese and her dog Bowie were both found stabbed lifeless at Atlanta's Piedmont Park. Yesterday, Atlanta Police gave an update on the case they refuse to call "cold," but they had little else to offer. I revisit some of the details of that fateful night.

HUGE legal win for the "Stop Cop City" movement, and on to discuss the implications is former state & federal prosecutor, local attorney & "Cop City Vote" volunteer Alex Joseph.

Then, this should be a BIGGER bombshell than the news media is giving it the attention needed: a "freedom of information act" (FOIA) request from a fake journalist for a fake news organization that's actually a right wing organization has asked for ALL SEVEN MILLION Georgia voters' registration information - including names, addresses & signatures. Read the Twitter thread that exposes this HERE whilst I read through it.

Lastly, as GDP numbers give "Bidenomics" another "hat tip," even on Fox Business (LOL!) the Fed goes (again) for interest rate hikes that put a little more pain on the working class while no one touches record profits or CEO pay. Hear Jon Stewart going off on that.