The Brief from WABE

A sweeping overhaul of Georgia's civil litigation rules is now headed to the governor’s desk; President Donald Trump announced former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler will take over student loans in her role as head of the Small Business Association; and the 43rd annual Atlanta International Auto Show is underway at the Georgia World Congress Center downtown.  See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Atlanta man, Delta Air Lines employee, held hostage released by the Taliban; Governor Kemp inches closer to seeing tort reform pass; and showing Atlanta's trees some love, even if the ordinance protecting them finds little favor.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SCOGA considers changes passed, but then halted, to Georgia election laws; state lawmakers consider requiring the actual, full minimum wage be paid to disabled workers; and the potential for a negative political environment to carry over and manifest in negative health outcomes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Dickens tells naysayers to 'pipe down,' water improvements are just around the corner; More Georgians would be medically eligible to pick up the pipe, so to speak, if an expansion of medical marijuana makes it through this year's general session; And a significant pipeline for Georgia's construction sector is cut off because of new immigration policies.     See omnystudio.com/...

Fulton DA Fani Willis willfully and in bad faith withheld documents in 2023 Trump election interference case, judge finds; Atlanta property values dip for the ninth consecutive month; and So So Def...inately cool is a now official music internship program at Emory University.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump nominee to head CDC pulls out hours before confirmation hearing to begin; Four years after the Atlanta Spa Shootings, Atlanta's Asian-American community calls out the dangers of hate; and Atlanta's newest professional sport? Table tennis.  Look for the Atlanta Blazers to ... take to the court? the table? this fall. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ag Secretary defends Trump policies, tariffs, during Atlanta visit; Sen. Raphael Warnock responds to (some) constituent questions; and "Drag Down Memory Lane" is Emory Alzheimer's effort to reach out to LGBTQ Atlantans.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The DOGE trickle down leaves Emory pumping the brakes; ...about those expected Delta quarterly profits; and 'it's complicated' as lawmakers struggle with how to regulate THC in drinks, which is becoming a more lucrative option in Georgia.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spa Shooter's words can and will be used against him after judge's ruling in motions hearing; Georgia's House of Representatives set to vote on the 2026 budget, but with a cloud overhead; and the story of a John's Creek IRS auditor who got a pink slip as part of the Trump administration's early federal cuts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia House lawmakers look to scare up more dollars for Hurricane Helene relief and to fund the state's prisons for the remainder of the current fiscal year; One of three Democrats on Cobb County's Board of Commissioners is ousted after the Georgia Court of Appeals refused to hear her redistricting challenge; and after being under indictment for years related to an alleged cover-up in the invest...

Georgia looks to expand Medicaid without expanding Medicaid; Corporate landlords will have to be more transparent if a proposal under the Gold Dome moves forward; and the most endangered buildings in the region find themselves on the 2025 "Places in Peril" list.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A look back at Crossover Day and what bills likely met their deaths under the Gold Dome; Atlanta's about to get science-ee; and Dry Georgia, Dry.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crossover Day at the Gold Dome is 'do or die' time for potential new laws; Georgia looks to lower its state income tax rate by a smidge; and say it ain't so--Lois Reitzes announces her retirement from WABE after 45 years on the air.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga) files initial paperwork to run for governor; Some 180 fired CDC workers asked to return to work; and state GOP lawmaker says massive corporate buy-up of Georgia's housing stock crossed a line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laid off CDC employees join in protest of DOGE cuts; bill under consideration calls for legal penalties for librarians who provide "harmful" materials to children; and the push to separate legal culpability from an artist's lyrics.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two groups of Georgia church denominations sue the federal government over immigration enforcement; the state looks to further restrict DEI in schools; and politics reporter Rahul Bali looks at a few legislative nuggets as the General Assembly nears the half-way mark.                                     ...

GOP expands its investigative reach to include Stacy Abrams; What the CFPB means locally; and an Atlanta City Council member resigns to accept head job at local private school.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As he tells it, Atlanta's mayor is doing a pretty good job; Cargo ships can't get enough of Savannah's wide, deep ports; and Georgia Power and its state regulators are hot and bothered over a huge influx  of data centers in Georgia.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insurers would have to give 60 days notice to consumers before dropping them; lawmakers consider prohibiting smart phones in the classroom; and Atlanta's about to see some seriously wet weather. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's Supreme Court Chief Justice announces he'll step down; Atlanta's BeltLine celebrates a milestone for affordable housing in 2024; and is it too late to stop Atlanta's public safety training center, AKA "Cop City"?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's GOP looks to bid ERIC farewell; State government throws money at Georgia hurricane clean-up; and the danger of skipping a vaccine meeting when you're the CDC.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp is one step closer to overhauling Georgia’s civil litigation rules, commonly known as “tort reform"; The Fulton County Board of Education has voted to close two under-attended elementary schools following months of pushback; and federal employees in Georgia are reacting to President Donald Trump's decision to dismantle large swaths of the federal government. See omn...

DeKalb County Police, on the verge of seeing a massive influx of new and better paid officers, will soon be under new leadership; The DOGEy policy influence federal actions are having on state regulations; and the 76 passengers of Delta flight 4819 are to get a $30,000 check.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former GOP Senator from Georgia confirmed to lead federal Small Business Administration; Parents look more likely to receive a state tax break as proposal gains momentum under Gold Dome; and why the panda could make a valiant return to Atlanta's Zoo.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CDC employees protest federal layoffs; The future of school zone traffic cameras is in question; and ideas to memorialize the mostly Black men who were imprisoned in Fulton County's 'Chain Gangs,' -- forced to labor in penal camps with no pay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.