Political Breakfast from WABE

President Donald Trump just signed his so-called 'big, beautiful' massive tax and spending bill over the July 4th holiday weekend.  Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam react to the latest.  Plus, Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter wrote on X on Sunday that his granddaughters are safe after attending a summer camp in Cen...

On this week’s special Independence Day encore episode of “Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast,” politics reporter Sam Gringlas takes listeners on a summer road trip to a pair of towns that helped shape former presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Georgia’s own Jimmy Carter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Political Breakfast, Republicans are mostly a united front and in support of President Donald Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful' massive tax and spending bill.  Georgia Democrats say there's nothing beautiful about it, claming the bill will strip away people's healthcare and increase poverty while creating tax breaks for the rich.  Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and...

On today's Political Breakfast, we react to news from the AJC that Geoff Duncan may be running in the 2026 Georgia Governor's race as a Democrat.  Duncan, now an official outcast after Georgia GOP leaders expelled him from the party, has long expressed frustration with President Donald Trump and those who support his administration.  But strategists Brian Robinson, Tharon Johnson and hos...

A massive solar panel recycling facility called Solarcycle is coming soon to Cedartown, a small community in Northwest Georgia near the Alabama border. Solarcycle got a $64 million tax credit through the Inflation Reduction Act to build a second facility that will make solar panel glass, but according to the company, the groundbreaking is on hold as Congress considers gutting the clean energy tax...

On this week's Political Breakfast, the gang addresses the latest in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.  Israel and Iran continued to trade attacks over the weekend, with U.S. officials saying both have violated a recent cease fire.  U.S. bombs destroyed three nuclear sites in Iran, according to President Donald Trump.  Republican strategist Brian Robinson, Democratic strategist Thar...

Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal drew national attention in 2016 when he vetoed a religious liberty bill that opponents said would lead to discrimination against LGBTQ people. When a similar measure passed again this year, Governor Brian Kemp quickly signed it into law. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what’s changed over...

Political Breakfast went live this week, as Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam react to thousands flooding the streets of Atlanta for 'No Kings' protests, part of broader demonstrations across the nation. They happened the same day as a military parade in Washington for the Army's 250th Anniversary -- which also coincided with President D...

Data centers are growing faster in Atlanta than anywhere else in the country. That rapid growth has left communities grappling with how these new developments will impact the environment and their neighborhoods. WABE has been taking a closer look at data centers as part of our series, “Server South.” On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul...

 On this edition of Political Breakfast, strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson along with host Lisa Rayam, respond to the immigration crackdown taking place in Los Angeles. What message is it really sending to America?   Plus, they analze an immigration raid that took place at home, inside a busy Marietta nail salon. A dozen undocumented workers were arrested. The PB team talks a...

  On this episode of Political Breakfast, strategists Tharon Johnson, Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam discuss a hodge-podge of political news.    What do they make of the so called breakup between Elon Musk and President Trump?  Plus, how Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger finds himself in a precarious situation after the GOP state Covention.    Plus, po...

Data centers are growing faster in Atlanta than anywhere else in the country. That rapid growth has left communities grappling with how these new developments will impact the environment and their neighborhoods. This week, “Plugged In” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali are joined by WABE Business Reporter Marlon Hyde and WABE Southside Reporter DorMiya Vance for the first of two episod...

This week the Political Breakfast team was pleased to record the podcast in front of a live studio audience, alongside legends from Sesame Street and the Muppet Show at Atlanta's own Center for Puppetry Arts! It's home to more than 5 thousand puppets and artifacts.  Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson joined host Lisa Rayam to answer questions from so...

Two Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) incumbents are on the ballot this year after a lengthy legal battle and their challengers are taking aim at the current commission’s performance. Voting in the primary is already underway. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with WABE and Grist climate reporter Emily Jones about the PSC...

On this week's second serving of Political Breakfast, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is officially running to replace Governor Brian Kemp. But are Dems pleased? Bottoms tells WABE that we are "facing chaos and uncertainty and anxiety" based on the policies that are coming out of Washington and "Georgians want and need a fighter.” Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican st...

On this week's live edition of Political Breakfast just after the Memorial Day holiday, strategists Brian Robinson, Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam discuss the 2026 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff.  Governor Brian Kemp decided not to run. He and President Donald Trump met recently in Washington earlier this month to mull-over who will face Ossoff.  In the race s...

Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about nine weeks pregnant in February when doctors declared her brain dead after she suffered a medical emergency. Smith’s family says doctors at Emory University Hospital have been keeping her on life support because she is pregnant, citing Georgia’s restrictive abortion law. In this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” h...

Historic Medicaid cuts are advancing in Washington under President Donald Trump, as nearly 2 million low-income Georgians depend on the program for health insurance. That includes Georgians with disabilities and seniors, as Medicaid pays for their daily help with basic needs. The proposed federal cuts are all part of Trump's attempts to slash government spending. But Republican strategist Brian Ro...

On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks about the life of Adriana Smith, her unborn child and a Georgia law that appears to be holding her grieving family hostage. Adriana is brain dead, but has been kept on life support since February because she's pregnant. Her family says it's time for Adriana to rest in peace -- peace that's entangled in a restrictive law that bans most abortion...

This week, judges heard appeals in two major Georgia voting cases. One panel is considering whether conservative group True the Vote illegally intimidated voters when they helped file tens of thousands of voter challenges while another is reviewing Georgia’s political maps in the ongoing fight over redistricting. In this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas an...

Chair of the Georgia Republican Party Josh McKoon joins this week's Political Breakfast.  Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam have some questions about McKoon managing party unity. They ask McKoon if he agrees with everything that President Donald Trump has been ordering in Washington, and what he thinks about Republicans who refuse t...

On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks to the newly-elected Georgia Chair of the Democratic Party Charlie Bailey. Bailey talks about the bread and butter issues that are key to his party winning in 2026. In addition, he rebuffs the notion that there are major fractures within the Democratic Party, and Bailey addresses how his main mission is to rebuild trust. Join strategists Brian...

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced that he will not run for Senate. Of all the states President Donald Trump won in the 2024 election, only Georgia has a Democratic senator defending their seat. Republicans had seen Kemp as the strongest candidate to challenge incumbent Jon Ossoff. On this week's episode, hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss what the two-term governor's decision to opt...

On this week's second edition of Political Breakfast, the gang talks about the plight of federal student loan borrowers who are now expected to start paying them back. That's after being given a reprieve during the Biden Administration.  Plus, Georgia Democrats picked former two-time statewide candidate and Atlanta attorney Charlie Bailey to head the party. He replaces Georgia Congresswoman N...

On this edition of Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson join Morning Edition, live, to talk about Governor Brian Kemp's decision not to run for U.S. Senate. The speculation suddenly ended Monday, when the second-term Georgia Governor took to social media, writing: "Being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my fa...