Political Rewind

Thursday on Political Rewind: The Atlanta Race Massacre occurred 115 years ago this week. On Sept. 22, 1906, a white mob began a four-day rampage through Black communities in Atlanta. Twenty-five Black residents were murdered, hundreds more were terrorized, and buildings and businesses were destroyed. The mob's anger was stoked by segregationist politicians and sensationalist reporting from the ci...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Despite enormous speculation Stacey Abrams intends to run for Georgia governor in 2022, she has so far kept quiet on her political plans. During a sold-out event this week in San Antonio, Abrams kicked off a national tour. During the event she again avoided any mention of the governor's race. Her tour will take her to dozens of cities. Meanwhile, Brad Raffensperger i...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Our panel discussed a tragic mark: The state reported 191 COVID-19 deaths, the single biggest one-day death toll since the delta variant of the coronavirus arrived in the state. Meanwhile hospitals across Georgia are continuing to struggle with the dramatic increase in COVID-19 patients filling their facilities. Also, the controversial new Texas abortion law will soon...

Monday on Political Rewind: Georgia remains near the bottom of states with fully vaccinated residents. Some local officials are offering incentive programs, such as gift certificates, to encourage people to get COVID-19 shots. Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis joined our panel and discussed the latest efforts of his city. Pfizer reported a low-dose vaccine is effective in young children. Vaccination of y...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Republican state Sen. Butch Miller said he intends to introduce a bill patterned after Texas’ contentious new abortion law during the upcoming session of the Georgia legislature. The Texas measure empowers private citizens to sue and collect financial damages from anyone facilitating an abortion. This comes just a week before a federal appeals court takes up Georgia’...

Friday on Political Rewind: The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois is a big-hearted epic leading us through the generational history of an African American family with deep roots in Georgia. Author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, a National Book Award-nominated poet, tells the story through rich characters and their family ties; from Creek Indian ancestors, through the wrenching years of slavery and to their ev...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Georgia Democrats last night pledged to continue their fight against efforts to curtail reproductive rights in the state. The 11th Court of Appeals is scheduled next week to hold a hearing on Georgia's HB 481, which seeks to prevent abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. "What happens in Texas won't stay in Texas," state Rep. Beth Moore (D-Peachtree Corners) said duri...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Two top public health experts, epidemiologist and Emory School of Medicine Associate Dean Dr. Carlos del Rio and Dr. Amber Schmidtke, the writer behind The COVID Digest, an informative newsletter covering COVID-19 trends in Georgia, joined our panel to answer questions about the current COVID-19 surge. Does the latest data tell us we’ve reached the peak in new cases...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Students, faculty and staff on 20 Georgia public college campuses are protesting to demand stronger COVID-19 protections. Demonstrators say the Board of Regents’ refusal to require masks on campus is endangering the health of workers and students on Georgia college campuses. Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney has defended the state’s mask-optional policy, claiming tha...

Monday on Political Rewind: Private businesses across Georgia face the prospect of a new federal rule requiring workplace mandates of vaccinations for workers. President Joe Biden announced the order last week. It would require federal employees and contractors to be fully vaccinated and create new OSHA guidelines requiring private companies with more than 100 workers to mandate vaccines for emplo...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Grady Hospital and other health care facilities across Georgia have begun limiting non-essential procedures, as a rush of COVID-19 cases demand their resources. Meanwhile, there are signs the dangers of the latest surge are still not being understood. This weekend, the University of Georgia will play its first home game of the season this weekend with no mask mandates...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The death toll from COVID-19 continues to grow in Georgia. On Saturday, 220 people were confirmed dead from the virus, bringing the total deaths in the state to over 20,000. Meanwhile, the state is seeing nearly 27,000 newly confirmed or suspected cases of the virus in the past four days alone. Should state leaders be taking more drastic action to stem the rising tid...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Legal experts are examining the Supreme Court’s refusal to act on a Texas abortion law. What does the move mean for the future of abortion access in states across the country? And how will abortion rights play out in 2022 election battles? "Roe v. Wade, in fact, has been effectively overturned, even if it hasn't," Dr. Amy Steigerwalt said. "It has in a practical sense,...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Jazz pianist Joe Alterman is a sparkling, young talent in the jazz music scene. He has won the acclaim of some of the masters of jazz. Ramsey Lewis, Ahmad Jamal, Les McCann and more have praised his masterful, musical abilities As long holiday weekend approaches, Alterman joined us to discuss his musical journey and the the roots of his lively and joyous tune. His fre...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: As the pandemic surges, public health officials are asking members of the public to get their COVID-19 vaccination to help stop the spread of the virus. An editorial column featured on the front page of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution echoed those sentiments, and called on readers to "save lives" by getting vaccinated. Recent reporting revealed health care workers i...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp announced new initiatives in the effort to get more Georgians vaccinated. Residents under the state health plan will receive a subsidy if they get the COVID-19 vaccine. Kemp is also preparing 2,500 additional Georgia National Guard troops to assist hospitals across the state reeling from the recent surge in hospitalizations from COVID-19 cases. In other...

Monday on Political Rewind: A year has passed since the death of civil rights icon John Lewis. Now, the story of the late Georgia congressman's life, activism and political career continues in a new series of graphic novels. Run is a sequel to 2013’s March, a captivating illustration of Lewis's early days in the civil rights movement. Run was co-authored by Lewis before his death and tells the sto...

Friday on Political Rewind: The COVID-19 vaccines have been crucial to protecting health as the latest surge of infections continues to roll across Georgia and other states. Despite their efficacy in limiting the spread and severity of illness, there are many stories of people who refuse to be vaccinated. The challenges faced by today’s vaccines are not new. The history of vaccines dates back cent...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Delta Air Lines tells employees to get vaccinated or pay a premium for your company health insurance. The airline announced its new policy soon after FDA gave final approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Are we seeing the beginning of a push by private businesses to insist their workers take shots or face consequences? Herschel Walker’s entry into the GOP race for t...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The guessing game is over — Herschel Walker filed paperwork yesterday to run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022. Polling reveals Walker’s name recognition is high in the state. The storied college football star has long been touted by former President Donald Trump as his pick for the key Senate race. But some Republicans worry about Wa...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Georgia 7th District U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bordeaux is among a group of moderate Democrats under fire for their resistance to supporting President Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget proposal until the U.S. House passes a bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and lawmakers in the progressive wing of the party, are criticizing the move...

Monday on Political Rewind: COVID-19 cases continue to rapidly escalate in Georgia. According to the state department of public health, nearly 7,000 new cases of COVID-19 infection were confirmed on Aug. 19. Meanwhile, 42% of Georgians are fully vaccinated, placing the Peach State among the lowest 10 states for percent of residents vaccinated. But on Friday, Gov. Kemp issued an executive order ban...

Friday on Political Rewind: Through the past year and-a-half, public health lockdowns, social isolation and economic strain exacerbated mental illness in many communities. Now the surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the spreading delta variant is a source of renewed anxiety and angst. The pandemic continues to seep into every aspect of our lives, so it can be hard to find mental respite from its dep...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Chaotic scenes of Afghans trying to flee their country now that it is under Taliban control have stung the consciences of people around the world. And while the fate of many of the desperate Afghans remains uncertain, some will find their way out of the country and become refugees in the United States and here in Georgia. In response to the crisis, President Joe Biden...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: With census data available to state legislators, preparations for the upcoming reapportionment special session can begin. We spoke to a member of the Georgia House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee to hear what they learned from listening sessions across Georgia. During those sessions, the public shared how they like to see the process of drawin...