Georgia Today

Since the November election, President Trump has mounted pressure on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to help overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state. Trump even encouraged a primary challenge against Kemp. On Georgia Today, AJC political reporter Greg Bluestein on the acrimony between President Trump and the man he assumed would always be in his corner, Gov. Kemp.

Since Joe Biden turned Georgia blue, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has become enemy number one in his own party. As his critics level malicious attacks against him, Raffensperger is adamant: The election was sound, and the results stand. On Georgia Today, AJC political reporter Patricia Murphy talks about the threats that have put him and his wife under 24-hour protection.

It’s been over a year since the Golden Ray capsized off the coast of St. Simons Island. Crews recently resumed work to dismantle the giant vessel. On this week’s Georgia Today, Brunswick News reporter Larry Hobbs discusses how the Golden Ray came to capsize in the first place, the tense hours as rescuers tried to free trapped crew members, and what emerged from hearings into the possible causes of...

An inside look at how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lost public trust amid an international health crisis – and how the repercussions of the organization’s unraveling could have long-lasting effects beyond the course of the pandemic. Host Steve Fennessy talks with Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Patricia Callahan and James Bandler about their reporting for ProPublica.

More than a week after the presidential election, Georgia is headed for a hand recount prompted in part by allegations of election fraud — despite no evidence. How did we get here? On Georgia Today, Clayton Crescent founder Robin Kemp shares what she saw in the days after the election as the votes that put Joe Biden over the top in Georgia were counted.

Deep in southwest Georgia, a local school board has been torn apart over racial gerrymandering. On Georgia Today, New York Times reporter Nicholas Casey discusses how the long shadow of voter suppression manifested in a voting map, and why electoral outcomes often come down to the lines we draw on paper.

For years, the Southern Strategy has been used by Republicans to great effect, but could 2020 spell the end of it? Angie Maxwell, co-author of "The Long Southern Strategy," joins host Steve Fennessy on Georgia Today.

A series of raids across metro Atlanta and Macon stoked fears that child sex trafficking is more prevalent than we thought. Johnny Edwards, an investigative reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, describes how the operation perpetuated a narrative of sex trafficking that doesn’t always square with the evidence.

After a series of losses, the Atlanta Falcons said goodbye to its head coach, Dan Quinn, and general manager, Thomas Dimitroff. In many ways, it felt like a natural culmination to a chain of events that kicked off in 2017, when the Falcons managed to give up a 25-point second-half lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The Athletic's Jeff Schultz discusses how the franchise got to this point — and...

The coronavirus pandemic has been especially deadly in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. On Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Carrie Teegardin discusses why facilities caring for the elderly have been so vulnerable to the virus, and how the pandemic has laid bare the state’s inadequate oversight. Then, Washington Post contributor Sidnee King tells us ho...

For more than a year, a massive cargo ship has lain on its side just off the coast of St. Simon's Island in southeast Georgia. On Georgia Today, Brunswick News reporter Larry Hobbs discusses how the Golden Ray came to capsize in the first place, the tense hours as rescuers tried to free trapped crew members, and what emerged from hearings into the possible causes of the disaster.

On this week's Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Chris Joyner untangles QAnon's dark web of conspiracy theories. QAnon's rapidly growing political movement has found fertile ground in Atlanta's far northern suburbs.

The defeat of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard in August during a runoff election was both a shock and an inevitability. On Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Christian Boone discusses Howard’s long tenure, and what his defeat might mean for criminal justice reform movement in Fulton County. 

In many ways, the WNBA is a trailblazer when it comes to political activism. Some players are even sitting out the entire season in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The Atlanta Dream has been particularly vocal, which has set it in direct opposition with one of the franchise’s owners, U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia). Washington Post sports reporter Candace Buckner discusses ho...

For Atlanta United players and fans, this has been a season unlike any other in the franchise’s short history. Felipe Cardenas, a staff writer for The Athletic, walks us through a season that's been beset with injuries, a coach’s firing, a pandemic, and the team's decision not to play on Wednesday in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

In May, local headlines told of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among students at the prestigious Lovett School in Atlanta. Charles Bethea, a staff writer for The New Yorker, talks about what his reporting revealed about the tensions between privacy and the efforts by public health officials to contain the virus’ spread. 

In 2017, a man named Eurie Martin died after he was tasered by sheriff's deputies in Washington County, Georgia. The case, which is now being considered by the Georgia Supreme Court, could have major implications on policing and the state's Stand Your Ground law. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy walks through the case with GPB reporter Grant Blankenship.

A massive coal plant in Monroe County is being blamed for contaminating the local water supply. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with freelance journalist Max Blau about a lawsuit by residents who are demanding clean water.

Last week, after nearly 20 years behind bars, Dennis Perry was freed from prison. He had been convicted in the 1985 murders of a husband and wife in Camden County. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Joshua Sharpe. His year-long investigation into the murder led to Perry's conviction being thrown out -- and fresh scrutiny on a potential new suspect in...

This first wave of COVID-19 is not over. After several weeks of declining numbers, the graph of infections in Georgia is beginning to resemble a hockey stick. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with Andy Miller, the editor of Georgia Health News. Andy takes us to Albany, Ga., one of the pandemic's first hotspots in the state. He also outlines the debate to mandate masks in cities like Atlanta...

Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with science journalist Maryn McKenna, who for years covered the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the CDC's once stellar reputation has taken a hit, thanks to political meddling from the White House and, in some cases, the agency's own missteps. On Georgia Today, Maryn walks us through the history of...

The July 4 holiday weekend in Atlanta was shocking for its violence. A dozen shootings crossed the city. At least 31 people were injured and five were killed, including an 8-year-old girl named Secoriea Turner. Host Steve Fennessy talks with CNN reporter Nick Valencia about the string of violence that prompted Gov. Kemp to call in the National Guard. The two also consider what the future looks lik...

The long fight to remove a Confederate monument in Decatur, Georgia, came to an end this month. The 30-foot-tall structure that stood in the city's square since 1908 was taken down. Meanwhile, there is a push to put up a marker near where the Confederate monument once stood. This marker would honor a long, overlooked piece of Civil Rights history. In this episode of Georgia Today, decaturish.com e...

The police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot in Atlanta reignited the city, which was just starting to cool down following weeks of protests for social justice and police reform. In recent days after Brooks' death, Atlanta has seen a new round of demonstrations, the resignation of the city's police chief, and two Atlanta officers charged in Brooks' death. In this episode o...

In the wake of George Floyd's death and the nationwide protests that it sparked, changes to how America polices its citizens could be on the way. Two weeks ago, protesters gathered in Atlanta. What began as a peaceful demonstration escalated into violence. In this episode of Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Ernie Suggs recalls what it was like covering the demonstrations. He al...