Political Rewind

Friday on Political Rewind: President Joe Biden marked his 100th day in office in Georgia yesterday, where he made the pitch for his expansive progressive agenda. He outlined sweeping legislation that would invest in nearly all corners of American life; from early childhood education and family paid leave to passenger railroad and renewable energy infrastructure. Biden appeared at a rally in Dulut...

Thursday on Political Rewind: The three men awaiting trial for murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery now also face federal hate crimes charges. Federal indictment could lead to life sentences for Travis and Gregory McMichael and Roddie Bryan. Plus, after telling the nation that America is on the move again in a speech before a joint session of Congress last night, President Joe Biden is in Georgia...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The governing body behind Georgia's public universities and colleges is on the search for a new chancellor. But appointed members of the Board of Regents are facing criticism after former Gov. Sonny Perdue was reported to be among the final candidates for the role. A college accrediting agency warned the board to keep politics out of the search. The Atlanta Journal-C...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Newly released U.S. Census figures show Georgia’s population grew by one million people, a more than 10% increase, in the past decade. The growth is not enough to give the state an additional seat in Congress. So, what do the new numbers mean for Georgia? In the next several months, the U.S. Census Bureau is set to release data for lawmakers to use in redistricting: th...

Monday on Political Rewind, a conversation with author and photographer Andrew Feiler about his new book, A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools That Changed America. The books tells the story of the unique partnership between business executive Julius Rosenwald and educator and public intellectual Booker T. Washington. Together, the pair wo...

Friday on Political Rewind: Blue Ridge Republican David Ralston has just finished presiding over yet another session as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. It’s a position that makes him a lightning rod for controversy, such as election measures passed in the just-ended session. But during his tenure, Ralston has also earned praise for his efforts to bat down bills opponents have some...

Today is Earth Day, an annual celebration of the place we call home. But that home is now under threat, as man-made carbon emissions and other pollutions wreak havoc with the environment and climate. Have we made any progress toward addressing the harmful impacts of climate change? If we fail to act, what will Georgia look like in the decades ahead? Our farms? Our coastal cities? The increasing nu...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: It’s been more than 150 years since Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Va., effectively ending the Civil War. But that conflict refuses to rest easily in history. To this day, some argue why the war was fought, while a larger battle rages over how the nation should honor those who led a rebellion against their own co...

TTuesday on Political Rewind: The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial begins its deliberations following closing statement from attorneys yesterday. Chauvin stands accused of murder after placing his knee into George Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes. Defense attorneys attempted to highlight other factors that might have led to Floyd's death. As a verdict approaches, authorities in Atlanta and citie...

Monday on Political Rewind: A number of county GOP organizations voted to censure Gov. Brian Kemp this weekend for his refusal to support lies about Georgia’s election results. Following this rebuke from grassroots Republican forces in the state, how vulnerable is he to a Republican primary challenge in the upcoming 2022 gubernatorial election? Also, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is making national...

Friday on Political Rewind: When Nathan Deal became Georgia governor in 2011, some of his top priorities were economic development and enhancing the state’s business climate. He began commissioning reports and enacting policies aimed at building the kind of economy and culture that would attract businesses, big or small, to Georgia. In the years since, state officials have touted Georgia as one of...

Thursday on Political Rewind: Fallout from Georgia's controversial election law SB 202 hits Georgia's important film industry. Actor Will Smith and director Antoine Fuqua announced they pulled production of their upcoming film “Emancipation” from the state over the law passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Also, candidates are announcing their campaigns for the upcoming 2022 electi...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Last summer, police violence in communities across the country acted as rallying points for discussions over the role of law enforcement in our society. The killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atlanta’s Rayshard Brooks at the hands of police served as stark examples of a concerning trend of violence. Now, the killing of Daunte Wright amid the ongoing trial of fo...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Georgia voters gave Democrats a majority in the U.S. Senate when they elected Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in January. But the Senate remains a stumbling block for efforts by President Joe Biden to pass the bills in his ambitious agenda. Many frustrated Democrats are raising once again the long-standing question of whether it’s time to end the rules that allow a...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Georgia voters gave Democrats a majority in the U.S. Senate when they elected Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in January. But the Senate remains a stumbling block for efforts by President Joe Biden to pass the bills in his ambitious agenda. Many frustrated Democrats are raising once again the long-standing question of whether it’s time to end the rules that allow a...

Monday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp faces more criticism from former President Donald Trump. Trump blasted Georgia's governor again over the weekend. During a GOP donor event in Florida, Trump again accused Kemp of failing to root out unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. The criticism comes as Kemp manages fallout from Georgia's controversial new election law, which has brought nation...

Friday on Political Rewind: The COVID-19 pandemic enters a new stage as vaccinations become increasingly available. But even as more people become fully vaccinated, stubborn obstacles remain. How should we reach out to communities hesistant or unable to receive the vaccines? And how quickly should our institutions, places of work and schools reopen? Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of the Mo...

Thursday on Political Rewind: systemic racism and the toll it takes across society. Racism targets people of color, but ultimately harms us all; that is the premise of author Heather McGhee's new book "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together." For centuries, McGhee writes, white people have seen equality as a zero-sum game; anything gained by people of color must...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Following its decision to pull the All-Star Game from Atlanta, MLB announced yesterday it will hold the event at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. The move has led analysts to note the differences between Georgia's new election law, which creates hurdles for voting by mail, and Colorado’s laws, which sends absentee ballot applications to every legal voter. Meanwhile, Cobb...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The partisan fight to define Georgia’s new election law continues. SB 202 shapes how ballots are cast, votes are processed and who oversees the state’s elections.  Republicans insist the law establishes a consistent electoral framework across the state and raise voter confidence in elections. Dissenters call the bill an overt effort to suppress the votes of a growing,...

Monday on Political Rewind: Georgia is in the middle of a national political storm as the country debates sweeping changes Republicans made to the state’s voting laws. The decision by Major League Baseball to pull the All-Star game from Atlanta was a stinging rebuke. Other corporations, including Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines have also issued reprimands against Georgia's new election law. In respon...

Thursday on Political Rewind: As legislators brought the 2021 General Assembly session to an end late last night, they faced an onslaught of harsh criticism from corporate leaders over the controversial election measures now law in Georgia. Activists opposing the bills are asking why business executives from Coca-Cola, Delta and Microsoft waited to speak until after the laws were passed. Yesterday...

Wednesday on Political Rewind: On the final day of the Georgia legislative session, key bills remain unresolved. Will the overhaul of the state’s citizen’s arrest law — sparked by the 2020 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery — win final approval? Will cities and counties be banned from cutting their police budgets by 5%? And are legislators likely to approve a measure that would give voters the chance to ca...

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Fallout from the arrest of Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon continues. The representative from Atlanta returned to the state Capitol yesterday. Cannon was arrested last Thursday after knocking on Gov. Brian Kemp’s private office while he was delivering remarks about the state’s new election restrictions. Also, after winning approval from the state Senate, an overhaul of...

Monday on Political Rewind: Criticism of the new election bill continued over the weekend as the measure, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday evening, receives nationwide attention. Democrats in Congress say the Georgia bill highlights the need for H.R. 1., the federal election bill currently awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. The "For the People Act," passed by the U.S. House in early March, i...