Mayor Andre Dickens surprised (sort of) many when he and his staffers announced a change in priority for the Atlanta Beltline's transit future. They made this news at Thursday's MARTA board meeting and reaction was swift.

Among the sharpest critics, the Beltline rail advocates at Beltline Rail Now!

Matthew Raoe, chair of BRN, joined me today at Condesa Coffee in Old Fourth Ward for a spirited discussion panning the mayor's decision.

The chilling detainment of green card holder Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian national and recent Columbia graduate, raises a lot of questions about the rights of permanent residents, most notably freedom of speech. To answer the sort of questions that came to my mind, immigration specialist Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, managing partner at Lincoln-Goldfinch Law in Austin, TX, graciously took the call.

We also delved a little into some "great replacement theory" conversation, on the heels of news that the U.S. population only increased from 2022-2023 because of immigration. In other words, the U.S. future (and current) economy needs an influx of immigrants to meet demand.

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Later today, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced (through a spokesperson) that he was backtracking on his support for Beltline rail expansion on the trail's east side, instead looking to the south portion. Beltline rail advocates are none too pleased; neither am I.

As I'd said last week, Mayor Andre Dickens is uniquely positioned to be an advocate for mass transit growth in not only his city but in all of the metropolitan area (he is chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission, after all). Instead, he's making the same mistake made when the downtown streetcar was plotted out (to go to and from nowhere essentially). His mis-direction compounds what already makes pitching mass transit in Atlanta and throughout the state so difficult: MARTA already goes nowhere people need it to, too.

Always a joy to have Melita Easters - executive director at the Georgia WIN List - on the show, and today was no exception.

As of this episode posting she's interviewing author Elaine Weiss, whose latest book, "Spell Freedom," looks back at the underground schools that built the civil rights movement, The discussion is one previously scheduled at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Jennifer Schuessler first reported on this and two otther book event cancellations in late February for the New York Times, "raising questions about whether leadership changes at the National Archives and Records Administration were affecting programming at the 13 presidential libraries it oversees."

So a speaking event for books on civil rights, homelessness and climate change have no home at the Carter Presidential Library under the Trump presidency. The National Archives chalked it up to "facing staff cuts," with fuure Carter Library events "now needs approval from Washington for all programming."

Whatever the case, the broad and thorough "reach" of the Trump administration into every nook-and-cranny of federal governance is obviously concerning. Weiss' book is notable in that - as we speak - Trump and his Department of Education head is seeking to dismantle the federal agency altogether - which puts more power at the state level. What could go wrong except the return of "Lost Cause" history curriculum like that taught to current GOP Senate leaders like Marsha Blackburn and Lindsey Graham?

Well Melita and I discussed the Carter Library / National Archives concern, along with a host of other topics (as we usually do). She's rightfully proud of previous WIN Leadership Academy products like Senator Kim Jackson, who managed to craft productive legislation to address homelessness (unlike that of Houston Gaines, who sought to score political points and exacerbate the problem in larger cities).

We talk Lucy McBath, Stacy Abrams & so much more.

PLUS: The AJC's Patricia Murphy and Jeremy Redmon both dive into the renaming of "Fort Benning" near Columbus, Georgia, and how clumsily Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth manages to dishonor the man and family he chose to rename the base (simply because he shared a last name with a 'mediocre' Confederate general and secessionist slave owner) and the Army veteran and wife whose names were previously affixed to the base.

The Zoom call dust-up between state Senator Elena Parent and the mother of a trans child continues to catch the attention of local media and the political consultant class; the latest to chime in being the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Bill Torpy, who zeroed in on an angle: that Parent is one of four Democrats who voted for a GOP-led bill (four others skipped the vote altogether) to limit taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care for trans convicts while in prison, and of those four, (eight if you include the four who didn't vote) Parent is the only one who's white.

Torpy also noted that the backlash Parent is enduring on her social media is also coming from angry white constituents (assuming they're all her constituents.

This all gets back to points I made last week: this aggression solves nothing, nor would Parent's vote have, were it to have gone the other way.

We keep doing this to ourselves, on the left. "Incremental" isn't a sexy term, particularly when invoked in politics, but "ideological purity" is the enemy not just of "progress, but eveen just "incrementalism," too.

Hell, I got a testy email over it. Not to foster a conversation or enlighten (plenty of opportunity to win hearts and minds with personal stories) but more to manifest division (and derision, but I'm a big boy; I can handle it).

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As damaging as Kamala Harris' campaign having no answers for the barrage of 'anti-trans' attack ads that lead some Democrats now to be more calculating with their support, so, too, was the perceived 'gaslighting' by the Biden White House (and re-election campaign) about Joe Biden's ageand mental fitness. At least that's what an aide to the First Lady became the first to say publicly from within that White House staff. Infuriating to hear, but unsurprising, too.

Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens gave his "state of the city" address in a typically "Atlanta Way" ... a flashy high society pep rally of sorts, with civic leaders and local music icons both in the wings and on the stage, too.

While he touched on (of course) all his perceived high marks (and there are enough, for sure), leave it to me to douse a little reality on the feting, too.

Oddly enough, though, his second-term fortunes could be transformational for both the city and metro area it anchors, plus provide a canvas for a liberal resurgence in the state and nationally, too.

Of course, there are the usual "anti-urban" right wing (and thus, 'man-made') obstacles to overcome, but Dickens has made alliances across the aisle before, so perhaps he can call in some favors?

I'll explain ...

The now-infamous (somewhat) personal Zoom Q&A state senator Elena Parent (D) and one of her constituents - Lena Kotler - got a lot of attention because of but a few minutes of the dialogue.

Like most people, I heard it and focused just on that portion because of the mushy messaging Senator Parent exhibited with regards to the rights of the imprisoned who are trans. It's a party problem more than a "Parent problem," dating as far back as last summer. That's when Trump campaign attack ads tied former VP Kamala Harris to the existence of the right for trans prisoners to have gender reassignment surgeries using taxpayer dollars. Neither Harris nor did any Democrat(s) codify that right; it's a "Constitutional" thing, and that's the shortest, simplest response no one on the business end of the attack has embraced.

Nonetheless, there's WAY more to that "Elena Parent v trans mom" conversation, and the senator deserves it to be heard. Frankly, Kotler was completely out-of-line, over-the-top and belligerent to an unruly degree. Her tone, tenure and language to Parent was beyond reproach and warrants an apology, but who apologizes anymore, right?

I'm honestly stuneed Senator Parent stayed on the call as long as she did, and she's to be commended for that. Take a listen for yourself and tell me what you think.

State Senator Elena Parent - someone who's been on this show on two occasions; someone I'm awful fond of, politically - didn't have her best moment on a live Instagram Q&A with a trans parent and constituent recently.

With me to discuss, another trans parent and activist, Clare Schexnyder., founder/CEO of Oh Baby! Fitness.

It's not that I don't get what Sen. Parent is saying - that the party's defending of trans rights' issues at every turn is unpopular and thus, they ought not defend every area under right wing attack (notably sports participation and medical care while in prison) - it's that this posture has more to do with the party's inability to speak plainly to voters that personal and civil rights aren't supposed to BE up for debate (“mind your damned business,” anyone?) and that the Constitution clearly protects the rights of the imprisoned needing medical care, too.

She's a lawyer; she knows this. I'm hoping this moment will sharpen her for bigger opportunities that may lay ahead for her, but her interview gaffes were a hard listen.

I don't see an Elena Parent pivoting towards a moderate/centrist future route, but Third Way Democrats sure seem intent to push the party itself (againnnnn) back to the center, after a recent (err) "retreat."

They want to get “out of elite circles and into real communities” like ... gun shows" ... "while simultaneously urging the party to “move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors." They contradict themselves.

Even worse, it seems they're more than eager to draw in the "big tent" and willingly leave "fringe" folks outside of it, because that'll somehow secure more votes?

This air of exclusionism from the supposed "left" is a dangerous trend to see evidence of. All so unnecessary if they party would just get better - Elena Parent included - at messaging their platform and values.

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There's nothing DOGE-y about spending untold millions changing military base names just to undo the erasure of Confederate troop/leader names, especially when all that's being done is scoring cheap MAGA points at the expense of those who'd been honored by the name changes in the first place, but it's PEAK MAGA!

That's the case as this time, Fort Moore (name for Hal & Julie Moore) was renamed Fort Benning - only a different "Benning" since it's currently against the law to name anything federal after Confederate militarymen or leaders. For now, anyway.

"Those who advocate for changing the name to honor a person solely because they happen to be named 'Benning' ignore the values and character of Hal and Julie Moore as well as their courage, competency, and dedication to the nation and Army families." - Steve Moore, son of Hal & Julie Moore, whose name for two years were affixed to that of the west Georgia Army base now (as before) named Fort Benning.

Back from my week-long Puerto Rican birthday vacation only to step back into the booth and have to tee off on arguably one of the most shocking and embarrassing displays of foreign diplomacy in American history.

You can't tell me my eyes didn't see what they saw and ears heard what they did: Donald Trump and JD Vance are Russian assets. There's no other explanation for their revolting pivot on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his war-ravaged country.

I suppose it's also just coincidental then, that the same day that went down, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered cyber command to cease its offensive operations against Russia.

This all jus reminds me of that pretty mediocre 1987 ABC-TV mini-series: "Amerika." The set-up to it sounds too eerie to miss ,though: a bloodless takeover of the U.S. by the Soviet Union finds a nation stunned to awaken to the reality they're being governed by the Kremlin. Whelp.

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CNN's John King - himself a rancher (who knew?) - caught up with a three-time Trump voter who personifies the MAGA voter, by the way: knows Trump's unlikable, bad for the economy and his immigration policies are inhuman and will affect his walle (and hurt folks he's become friends with and respect), but he'd still vote for the guy. It's almost comedic; except in Russia, you're not allowed to laugh at your leaders.

Author (and physical therapist) Michelle Stiles wrote a book a few years ago that seemed worthy of review now, more than ever. "One Idea To Rule Them All: Reverse Engineering American Propaganda" isn't strictly a political book, per se, but it does offer a lot of clues leading us to realizing why we're in the political state we're in currently.

Oner particular excerpt caught my at the start of chapter ten ("Planet Vulnerable") under the first subhead "Tyranny in a Democracy."

"How does one convert a democracy, or rather a republic, into atyranny? Most people would say that it can’t be done.The peo-ple are supposed to rule through their elected representatives.They work for us, right? America was set up as the ultimatebulwark against tyranny.

The founders created multiple checks and balances so thatno one branch of government could become too strong. Theyalso created two chambers of the legislature to ensure that therights of states would not be overshadowed by simple majorityrule or federal overreach.

Sure, some citizens have vague feelings that the govern-ment has become less responsive or sense that there are morebad apples in government than ever before, but the alarmswitch that should trigger the potent potential of a growingtyranny never gets activated.

After all, we, the people, are still in charge. We have elec-tions, a free press, the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution in place to protect us. For most people, the solidframework of freedom still stands. The answer is to get theright people into office, and then the ship will correct itself.It’s nothing to worry about. Seeing tyranny and propaganda at work in a democracy can be hard."

This book came out in November of 2022, in case you thought this was a new release based on current headlines. Nope.

Michelle and I discussed a range of manipulative and propagandized elements to our American history, form politics to race to war and even the automobile.

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Speaking of propaganda, North Fulton / Roswell residents weren't buying it when ⁠Rep. Rich McCormick (R) held a town hall meeting last night,⁠ but Elon Musk's X platform seems to have their filters set to suppress anything anti-DOGE, as evidenced by Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter ⁠Greg Bluestein's curiously "unavailable" tweet videos⁠ from that blustery gathering. Then there’s Forsyth County, Ga., resident (and Georgia Tech grad) Ken Kirkland going toe-to-toe with Elon and getting Musk’s nonsense “Community Notes’ed” when Musk, himself, tried to paint Kirkland a “liar.”

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Also, delicious to see how Fox News' host Jesse Watters suddenly finds the DOGE "chainsaw" effect too sloppy once he learned a friend of his lost his federal job. F.A. F.O.

Tad Stoermer is a public history lecturer in the Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies program at Johns Hopkins University. He is also the Film and Digital Media Editor of The Public Historian.

He caught my eye on Instagram with a 9-plus minute diatribe insisting we're not "approaching" a Constitutional crisis; we're already in one and have been for awhile.

Can it be fixed? Is there hope in midterms or even in an upcoming special House race? Who’s the demagogue to rally behind for the left - or do we need one at all?

Lots to cover., and we did; take a listen.