Sometimes when I launch into a topic I have no idea where the stream of consciousness is going to take me, but damned if this isn't a good one, y'all, if I do say so myself.

Georgia Republicans want to make Georgia a "closed primary" state, and that's (spoiler alert) bad for democracy. If Republicans are for something, when it comes to elections, you can be sure it's "bad for democracy."

Now, listen, fellow Democrats ... we have to accept that our issues in 2016 exposed that we weren't exactly "pro-democracy" or all about "open primaries" ourselves, either, so take your medicine when I discuss that and how it correlates with the current conversation. A majority of Americans (58%) seek a complete overhaul of governance, and while they're getting one, it's not the one they wanted. At least 53% oppose Elon Musk's involvement. Doesn't that mean the left's ideas have a better shot with voters, if given the choice?

Speaking of Bernie Sanders, he and just ten other Democratic Senators have managed to oppose every Trump Cabinet appointment (save for Marco Rubio) - netting a meager "10%" Thune score (John Thune, Senate Majority Leader). We're starting to see evidence of the Democatic party bowing up - and with DOGE's incursion into the US Treasury, a rally yesterday featured Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Rep. Jamie Raskin, among others, speaking of solidarity and action. We'll see ...

Meanwhile just a week after my guest, Professor Anthony "Tony" Lemieux noted that Trump's J6 pardons mean 'if you do things in service of Donald Trump, you will be ... protected from the ramifications from it." That's going to be tested in a South Carolina case where a white guy has been charged with kidnapping, larceny and assault & battery, along with impersonating a law enforcement officer after a disturbing video surfaced showing him harassing a Spanish-speaking man in a truck, taking keys from the ignition and dangling them in the driver's face while insinuating he'd be deported "back to Mexico."

Expect more acts like this, though, with Republican lawmakers eager to put bounties out for citizens to be encouraged to "hunt" for.

This is how Germany lurched towards Nazism in the 1930s. Literally.

Sometimes you just have to laugh; credit to Senator Josh McLaurin (D-14) for taking his time on the floor at the state Senate to review all the nuttiness from the Trump administration's takeover in Washington. His xompatriot Senator Nikki Merritt took another tact yesterday, invoking Black History Month to remind folks to "walk carefully.." She noted the military trying to bury the story of the Tuskegee Airmen (briefly) last weekend as proof that vigilance is more necessary than ever.

Back to laughing, though; Donald walked us all to the cliff's edge with tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico. For what, though? Jon Stewart at The Daily Show last night quipped that Trump railed on the prior tariff negotiations ("who the hell?:) ...it was Trump, circa 2018. Derp.

The whole tariff saga really was "much ado about nothing," but to hear local right wing talk nuts, everyone "caved" and Trump is "winning" so much. It's comedic, really. Or, Trump is actually "repackaging the status quo as a victory." Or even dumber, convincing Mexico to put 10,000 National Guard troops at the southern border .... when they already had 15,000 before. Stable genius! Even Canada's pledge was made in December already.

Also when did Canada become the source of fentanyl coming into the U.S.? Hint: it rarely does.

Super grateful that GA-6 Senator Jason Esteves joined me today to share some optimism (and some stark reality, too) on the likelihood some form of full Medicaid expansion is even a possibility this legislative session. There's at least a glimmer of hope with four rural Republican lawmakers joining with Democrats on the idea, anyway.

Meanwhile, as Donald Trump keeps imperiling our economy with tariff threats, his executive actions attepting to roll back clean energy initiatives. Here in Georgia, that runs counter to Governor Brian Kemp's already-laid ($27 billion) foundation for electric vehicle manufacturing and related feeder industries, while the rest of the industrialized world charges (pardon the pun) ahead on what's clearly the current future growth corridor. Looming data centers in the region are putting a crimp in Georgia Power's efforts to steer clear of coal, too. It's a mess.

As is Trump's shortsighted immigration policies, which drew thousands to the streets (well, Buford Highway) of metro Atlanta for a pretty brave and brazen display of resistance. Vamos!

In the aftermath of the deadly plane/army helicopter crash, President Donald Trump almost immediately cited "D.E.I." as a factor - without evidence. Listen as USC law professor Jody Armour weigh in on Trump's missed opportunity to unite the nation after such a tragedy and his "incongruous" rationalization that D.E.I. has to have played a role.

Why?

Is he kneejerk reacting to deflect culpability on his gutting the FAA and a key aviation security committee? Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg didnt' mince words, actually. He pointed that out in response.

Jessica Tarlov - mired in that snake pit on "The Five" on Fox News, deftly brought that up, too. Like petulant children, Judge Janine and Greg Gutfield threw hissies.

White men are only 31% of the U.S. population; maybe it's time to turn this discussion around and ask if H.I.E. (homogeny, inequality and exclusion) play roles when white men are overrepresented in a situation. As Gutifeld would say "it's fair; it may not be right ..." Yeah, buddy.

The helicopter flight crew featured a woman, though; derp. No one tell Nancy Mace.

The "re-whitening" isn't the only front Trump 2.0 is advancing on. A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (D.I.A.) memo indicates other occasions where diversity is at the forefront - MLK Day, Pride, Holocaust Rememberance Day (???) won't be recognized officially in their department anymore.

Speaking of memos, a new Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) memo seeks to divert funds to communities with higher marriage and birth rates. So basically, Utah and South Dakota. Mass transit? High speed rail? Yeah, not in those areas where normal or below-average marriage & birth rates are prevalent.

Right wingers were (briefly) reveling in Trump's inaugural approval ratings (hear an exchange on CNN as their 'proof') but new Gallup data shows Donnie J. is actually looking weak right out the gate. (Cue the sad trombone).

Rev. Senator Raphael Warnock was among those who got to pepper DHHS secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., yesterday, and he zeroed in on comparisons RFK of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Nazi camps and Catholic child sex abuse. Senator Ron Wyden also cornered RFK on his role in the deadly Samoean measles outbreak and Hawaii Governor Josh Green later dubbed RFK a liar.

Just another day where a head-scratching Trump Cabinet appointee - having no business being there - gets scrutinized knowing Republicans will vote him in anyway; and. yet, I am somewhat conflicted. Hear why.

JonJon Wesolowski, better known as "The Happy Urbanist" on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, recently pieced together a thread explaining in wonderful detail just how - in his home city of Chattanooga - immigrants preserved a vital part of American culture there. He was motivated by Ku Klux Klan leafleting a particular neighborhood while pointing to said neighborhood's - and his own - diverse history.

Rep. Nancy Mace is sometimes too stupid to realize she's self-owniing. While continuing her newfound anti-trans trope on her Twitter/X account, she noted being the first female graduate at The Citadel (kudos!) - something MAGA trolls were quick to denounce as "DEI." They're not wrong: white women benefit heavily from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, just as she did. Perhaps a little nepotism aided her, too, but ...

Lastly, Jim Acosta signed off from CNN, leaving mainstream journalism with one less arbiter of truth to keep our news media from going off-the-rails. His message?

"Don't give in to the lies; don't give into the fear. Hold on to the truth, and hope."

The White House federal funding "freeze" mandate on Monday through a lot of the nation for a loop - just another chaotic day in a Trump presidency - before a federal judge put the brakes on it.

I'm trying to figure out why Republicans in Congress are just rolling over and ceding the legislative branch's equal power to this particular President. They're just ... letting him do as he wishes, even at the expense of Congressional authority.

Locally, Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens decried the shortsightedness, as did the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. Beyond Georgia, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the freeze "stupid, buffoonish, childish" and Illinois governor JB Pritzker lambasted it as 'illegal.' Are they two of the voices Democratic primary voters may hear more from in the 2028 primary season?

Aaron Blake's WaPo piece lists a "top twelve" field of potential candidates, and one of those two didn't even make the list.

Dr. Anthony (Tony) Lemieux is a professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta and an investigator with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START). He joined me today to discuss the very real, very stark dangers that exist in the aftermath of the sweeping pardons of violent insurrectionists -fomented via the rhetoric of President Donald Trump - by Trump himself.

Insightful and sobering conversation today.

The avalanche of Trump-related egregious acts are seemingy too numerous to keep tabs on, but there seems to be bipartisan agreement on his pardoning J6ers ... that it was a bridge too far. Don't get it twisted - Republicans won't actually do anything about it, but they do seem to agree it sends an awful message. On Sunday's 'Meet The Press,' Senators Adam Schiff (D) and Lindsey Graham (R) vocalized that much. Even The Daily Show's Ronny Chieng noted not only the wrongess but that Donald Trump didn't even bother doing any due diligence on who he was pardoning or what they were charged with or guilty of.

Then there's the not-so-subtle message he sent to former inner circle types - Dr. Anthony Fauci and John Bolton for example. Those two were among those Trump had security details pulled from. The message? "Anyone else sell me out and I'll leave you twisting in the breeze for MAGAs or Iran to take out."

As a REALTOR, I get an email each day from Realtor.com with industry headlines and one story caught my eye: a collection of maps that show how climate change is affecting home insurance rates. Spoiler alert: the insurance industry believes climate change is real even if your drunk MAGA uncle doesn't.

Oh, and while Trump is fixated on the wrong reasons to assess blame for California's wildfires, maybe he could save some (pardon the pun) smoke for Utah with two of the top ten counties with insurance rate spikes due to ... wildfires?

Jay Bookman is a gem of a journalist and opinion writer, and Georgia Recorder is lucky to have him - as am I, on occasion and today is such an occasion.

He joined me to discuss his latest - "Stacey Abrams’ political aspirations bookended by bad timing" - to discuss the 2026 Georgia gubernatorial field as it may (or may not) shape up to look like, along with a few other topics - like Donald Trump's aversion for calling on the Department of Justice to investigate that 2020 election his insists was stolen.

Plus, I don't often find much I agree with Vivek Ramaswamy on, but what got him ousted from DOGE and Trump's good graces is something he's (mostly) not wrong about. He ran afoul of "American exceptionalism," though, and MAGA's don't want to be confused by vowing to "make America great again" while also being told America's culture is inferior to those from throughout the rest of the world.

By now many have seen the "two-minutes" version of Bishop Mariann Budde's fourteen-plus minute homily at Washington's National Cathedral yesterday. You know, the one where she spoke directly to President Donald Trump, pleading for mercy towards the LGBTQIA+ and the undocumented immigrant. She later explained further the intent to CNN's Erin Burnett.

First, there's the audacity of a godless man even showing up a day after he failed to even put his hand on the Bible when taking the oath; the man who hawked "Trump bibles" to fund his legal defense & campaign . I could go on, but that's covered ground.

I thought it worth the time today to hear Bishop Budde's entire sermon; it's certainly a lost message for Trump, but is there any hope for redemption in J.D. Vance and the rest of the GOP - and the overwhelmingly conservative-voting evanglical Christian movement in this country? I certainly have my doubts.

That being said, a flurry of "January 6th" pardons by the President did rankle even conservative columnists and radio hosts. There's a flicker of hope in the souls of some, it seems.

The recent passing of satirist/cartoonist Jules Feiffer reminded many of a cartoon he drew in 1974, fresh off 'Watergate." Eerie how it fits today, as well.

Lastly, Charlamagne Tha God had coarse words for those who are blasting Snoop Dogg, Nelly, et al, for taking checks to perform at the Trump Inaugural. He's not wrong to call out the double-standard.