Political Breakfast from WABE

While everyone holds out hope that an experimental drug tested here in Atlanta might help COVID-19 patients, Governor Brian Kemp is conducting a trial of his own, as he lifts more restrictions on businesses in the state. Meanwhile, schools, students and parents are trying to get some idea of what the coming school year will be like. And there are still plenty of questions about whether there’s eno...

Welcome to the Georgia lab! No, not the state’s COVID testing lab (we’re still working on getting more of those up and running). The entire state is a now a lab--and we’re all the subjects. Governor Brian Kemp finds support from some government leaders and pushback from others--including President Trump--on his plan to partially re-open the state for business. On that subject, business f...

While President Trump suggests that the nation is past the peak of the Coronavirus outbreak, Georgia certainly is not. And the state continues scrambling for enough tests to tell us exactly where we are. Meanwhile, in electoral politics, there were parades of endorsements and reports of campaign cash in the contests for president and U.S. Senate. WABE political contributor Denis O’Hayer explored t...

Despite a few hopeful signs, the terrible Coronavirus toll in Georgia continued. Governor Brian Kemp extended the statewide shutdown, but a shortage of data--and supplies for frontline healthcare workers--continued to hinder the effort to fight the disease. Meanwhile, Georgia’s new GOP senator fought back against questions about her stock trades, and the names of Georgia Democratic women keep comi...

It might be hard to remember now, but this was supposed to be the week when Georgia Democrats would have their say in the presidential battle. Instead, because of the Coronavirus, the voting will wait until May 19th at least; Georgia’s governor closes schools until April 27th at least; and the debate continues over whether he’s done at least enough to keep people from passing the virus around. Mea...

Faced with a frightening jump in the number of Georgia Coronavirus cases and deaths, Governor Brian Kemp orders a statewide shutdown, but then faces a blast of criticism for the timing of it, and the reason he gave for it. Meanwhile, local government leaders felt some push-back for the decisions they made or didn’t make. And the storm over a Georgia Senator’s financial transactions intensified. WA...

After a Georgia state senator tested positive for Covid19, hundreds of his fellow lawmakers went into quarantine. But not before giving governor Brian Kemp emergency executive powers. Lisa Rayam talks with WABE politics reporters Emma Hurt and Emil Moffat, who themselves are in quarantine as they spent a lot of time at the state captiol. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Coronavirus, and Georgia’s response dominate this edition of the Political Breakfast. It's about putting the political part of the public health story into context for you. And we’ll look at a bit of other political news, too--from the new stage in the Democratic presidential contest, to the scrambles for both of Georgia's Senate seats (a production note: this episode was taped in the hours be...

State leaders have suspended the Georgia legislature indefinitely as the coronavirus keeps spreading and the state gets ready for more testing. Guest host and WABE health reporter Sam Whitehead talks with politics reporters Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt about the state's response to the crisis and the bills that passed before things shut down at the gold dome. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

With astonishing and frightening speed, Coronavirus has reshaped life in Georgia, at least for now. State leaders are trying to shape a unified response, amid unpredictable signals from the administration in Washington. Meanwhile, the predicted internal Republican Senate fight continues to intensify, while a Democratic mayor finds her prediction in the presidential race is looking pretty good righ...

Crossover day is this week, which means time is running out for some bills to become law. Lisa Rayam talks with WABE's Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt about what still need to pass either the Georgia House or Senate to stay alive. Meanwhile, the Coronavirus is having  politicians keeping their hands to themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia used to be just a fundraising pit stop for presidential campaigns, but this year national Democrats promise they’re going to pump resources into the Peach State. President Trump is opening what he calls a Black Voices for Trump Community Center. With all this attention and energy aimed at Georgia voters, how come some of them just stay home. And will the state's new voting machines pass th...

Georgia lawmakers wrangle over hands-free driving fines and Uber/Lyft fees in committees as the legislature reaches its half-way point in this year's session. Lisa Rayam talks with WABE's Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt. Environment reporter Molly Samuel also pays a visit to talk about coal ash bills. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's governor and state lawmakers were already arguing about the budget and tax cuts, but then something new and potentially serious complicated things further: the coronavirus. At the same time, Georgia Democrats are waiting to get their their say in the presidential race. But how many of their party’s candidates will still be around by then? And there's more in this serving of the Political...

Lawmakers are marred in budget battles as they move forward on surprise medical billing and foster care legislation. Also, the idea of digital billboards makes a quick appearance. Lisa Rayam talks with politics reporter Emil Moffatt and WABE health reporter Sam Whitehead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hard to believe, but in just about a month, Georgia Democratic voters will have a say in the still-crowded presidential race. Republican voters will cast ballots, too, but there’s not quite as much suspense there. What we don’t know is how Georgia's rapidly changing voter demographics will affect the outcome. Plus, a look at the ongoing state capitol budget battles, and the push for affordable hou...

Agony over the state budget continues as Georgia lawmakers figure out how to pay for proposed teacher pay raises pushed by Governor Brian Kemp. WABE's Lisa Rayam talks with politics reporters Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt about the nuances in the struggle over state dollars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of unity talk, but not much evidence of it in both major political parties as their big internal showdowns get closer. Loeffler, Collins, Warnock, Tomlinson, Riggs Amico, Ossoff, and Abrams are just a few of the names you’ll hear on what you might call an endorsement edition of the Political Breakfast. WABE political contributor Denis O’Hayer is back with our highly-endorsed political st...

Policy-making comes to a screeching halt so that Georgia's legislature can figure out the state's money woes. Plus, President Trump promises to get involved in a Georgia senate race. Host Lisa Rayam talks with WABE's Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt about these and other issues, including a look at Georgia's lucrative film tax credit, which got some scrutiny from lawmakers. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

As the Georgia legislative session rolls along, we look at Governor Kemp's proposed crackdown on gang-related activity, and his push for a Medicaid waiver expansion program. Also, a high-profile retirement in Gwinnett could be a sign of how the county's political base is changing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp's pick for the U.S. Senate, Kelly Loeffler, gets some unwanted competition as Republican Doug Collins jumps into the race. Host Lisa Rayam talks with WABE political reporters Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt about the drama surrounding the open Senate race, which now also includes prominent Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. We also talk about gambling, adoption, and foster care proposal...

It finally happened: a couple of high-profile potential Senate candidates decided to realize that potential—one right after the other. So, Georgia Republicans are again learning what happens when you’re the majority party: you fight internal battles. Meanwhile, Georgia Democrats are working with some Republicans in one of those fights. But right now, the toughest fights of all are over where the s...

Lawmakers are struggling with the reality of tough budget cuts to Education, Health, Agriculture and other state agencies. Politics Reporters Emma Hurt and Emil Moffatt and Health Reporter Sam Whitehead join host Lisa Rayam to bring insight and context to the numbers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Democratic presidential candidates might be in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other cold places up north right now, but Georgia will be on their minds sooner than any of us might think. And after the presidential race leaves Georgia, the state will still be dealing with some difficult issues of health, life and death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hearings at the Georgia State Capitol this week will tackle a tight budget to find ways to give teachers the full $5,000 pay raise promised by Governor Brian Kemp during his campaign in 2018. Education Reporter Martha Dalton and Politics Reporter Emma Hurt Join host Lisa Rayam this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.