The Ron Show

State ⁠Senator Josh McLaurin⁠ ⁠put his name in the hat to succeed outgoing GOP Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, announcing his candidacy ⁠at a Savannah port terminal Monday. He and I caught up today so I could ask him why he's the guy for the job, what he may have gleaned from watch Jones in the role all this time and why he made it his mission to inform the state Senate what the Trump presidency w...

ast week we learned ⁠Georgia voters only seem to have an appetite for 'change' in the US Senate if it comes via Governor Brian Kemp unseating Senator Jon Ossoff⁠. Well, unfortunately for the Georgia GOP, Kemp's decided he, nor "Marty and the girls" are up for it. Why? Georgia Recorder op/ed writer Jay Bookman has a few ideas, and he joined me to explain how ⁠he correctly predicted Kemp's decision...

Protests in Atlanta⁠ and elsewhere "May Day" Thursday were but another chapter in a growing saga of organic "distress signals" from activists deeply concerned about federal workforce and entitlement cuts and an executive branch showing disregard for the other two, and the rule of law. Joining me to give some background on the organic, unaffiliated nature of the '⁠50501'⁠ movement is Georgia vice-c...

With Rev. Senator Raphael Warnock preparing ⁠to host his own town hall Sunday in Fulton County⁠, and with the fresh memory of dissatisfaction at Senator Jon Ossoff's hall last week, coupled with ⁠Georgia polling that shows how unpopular Democrats are⁠ right now, it bears asking: are voters aware that they voted for this mess and left Democrats with too-few tools to do anything about it? Laughably,...

First, a follow-up to yesterday's show as ⁠both Cobb Democrats won their special elections ⁠to serve on that county's commission, putting Democrats (again) in control of that county's governance (despite all the efforts at the state GOP level to undo the will of the majority). Also, after ⁠having a grousing parent removed from a school board hearing⁠ a little more than a week ago for bending the k...

First came the gerrymander, as ⁠Georgia's state GOP legislators redrew a majority liberal county's commission map to better favor Republicans⁠. Then came the ⁠court battle to unseat the commissioner elected to serve⁠, but drawn out of her district by said gerrymander. Today, with both the map and the vacancy now adjudicated (poorly, I might add), many Cobb County voters head to the polls today to...

The ⁠"last minute" ⁠of last night's '60 Minutes' was worth the wait, as CBS News' Scott Pelley⁠ laid waste to his network's parent company's adding 'extra supervision' ⁠to the news magazine's content. I mean, it's not all that different from what I had to deal with as editor of my high school newspaper - except that it's already established that school students don't enjoy "freedom of the press" i...

Senator Jon Ossoff met with hundreds of constituents in Marietta at the Cobb County Civic Center Friday morning, with designs on pointing out the disparity in approaches on healthcare access and reproductive rights. Those in attendance - many recently fired (or "RIF'ed") CDC employees, others frazzled voters seething for impeachment - had questions completely divergent from the topics he set the t...

With Senator Jason Esteves' announcement that he's officially in the 2026 race to be Georgia's next governor comes open speculation; where are the other Democrats for the field? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's chief political reporter, Greg Bluestein, is ⁠notably fixated on whether Stacey Abrams wants in⁠. ------ Senator Jon Ossoff, with the 2026 cycle on his radar for obvious reasons, ⁠schedul...

Remember that 2020 pandemic "fresh air" vibe, that summer? How crisper, clearer and cleaner the air over Atlanta seemed? Well since then we've of course regressed; that's according to ⁠new American Lung Association report cards⁠. Atlanta, in particular, ⁠slipped from C to F.⁠ On to discuss the results and speculate as to what could be done to reverse the trend, along with some ⁠disturbing signals...

It's easy to grouse about "NIMBYism" in situations where organized neighbors push back against "progress," but in the case of Atlanta's Amsterdam Walk, the neighbors weren't against sensible development of a nearby commercial lot; in fact, they supported zoned usage. Instead, they were steamrolled by city council (with the mayor's blessing) and Portman Holdings, who ⁠now has the go-ahead⁠ to cram...

With ⁠seven city council seats (eight if you count the Council presidency) and the mayor's office⁠ up for grabs in 2025, the otherwise sleepy "off cycle" calendar has some intrigue in Georgia's most populous city. To lean into it, I'm hosting a series of 'meet the candidate' shows between now and election day in November. Each announced candidate and incumbent will be (some already have been) invi...

With ⁠the passing of Pope Francis ⁠comes a litany of American and global tributes - ⁠Marjorie Taylor Greene's awful tweet ⁠notwithstanding. Among them are the thoughts from ⁠DignityUSA's executive director Marianne Duddy-Burke⁠, who joined me to opine on his somewhat-progressive papal legacy and provide some insights into where the Catholic Church will go, ideologically, next. ------ I've mentione...

A south Georgia woman had a miscarriage, and to some in law enforcement, that ⁠necessitated an arrest. ⁠No, that's not a plot line from an episode of ⁠"The Handmaid's Tale,"⁠ that's reality for women in their reproductive years while living in Georgia. With me to discuss the fallout of that miscarriage (of justice by local law enforcement) is Melita Easters of the Georgia WIN List. Of particular n...

⁠Despite her office's best efforts⁠, Marjorie Taylor Greene had to come within shouting range of - get this - hecklers at her staged town hall. What's rich, ⁠according to the AJC's Patricia Murphy⁠, is that she's a well-known heckler, herself, but had the audacity to amp up Acworth PD to pounce on anyone even so much us ⁠uttering a simple "boo."⁠ Credit to the Cobb County Democratic Party folks fo...

Atlanta-based immigration law firm ⁠Kuck & Baxter⁠ have stepped up to take on ⁠a "mass action" suit on behalf of more than 130 international students⁠ whose student visas have suddenly (and in many cases, inexplicably) revoked for flimsy causes (if any cause(s) even exist). On today to discuss his firm's work and what his clients are dealing with, ⁠Dustin Baster⁠ from Kuck & Baxter. ------ I'll we...

An Atlanta-based law firm is ⁠taking up the plight of more than a dozen college students⁠ who've had their student visas ⁠revoked by the Trump administration⁠ in recent days. Between this and people "disappearing" to el Salvador (⁠admittedly by mistake!)⁠ ... with the ⁠Oval Office now ignoring a unanimous Supreme Court ⁠they largely crafted to be so conservative-leaning, has it sunk in yet that we...

A new ⁠'Morning Consult' poll of Georgia voters⁠ - weeks before his tariff antics even took form - shows Georgia voters were already weary of his fomenting economic uncertainty. Georgia Recorder commentary guru Jay Bookman ⁠twice⁠ (⁠twice!)⁠ forewarned of Trump's tariff antics potentially negatively impacting Georgians and now the pundits on ⁠yesterday's "The Georgia Gang"⁠ find themselves in agre...

In normal election years its hard to get voters engaged in public service commission races. In 2025, Georgians have the rare opportunity to elect two to the five-seat PSC board, and the ⁠candidates are adding up⁠. With data centers potentially impacting your utility bills (and why should they?) and rates continuing to climb while ⁠Georgia Power rakes in eye-popping profits⁠, these two races could...

Wednesday was the rare reprieve from Wall Street hemorrhaging so naturally President Donald Trump felt the need to take a victory lap. Thank goodness Trump saved us from Trump when he put the pause on most tariffs, after realizing people were "getting yippy." So what's wild about all the suffering Americans and their 401(k) accounts are enduring is, it may all come down to Trump leaning on advisor...

University of Georgia professor emeritus Peter Smagorinsky penned ⁠an op/ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution⁠ last week that caught my attention: "How Trump’s battle with U.S. colleges is making Canadian universities great." Like 'Handmaids Tale" ex-pats, America's distinguished scholars are seeking "safe haven" to continue doing their work outside the U.S., and Canada seems to be benefitting q...

The "period of mourning" we've all sleep-walked through since election night last November may be subsiding for most of us, but Sunday's ⁠'60 Minutes' segment - detailing the callous disregard for due process and lack of contrition (let alone empathy) for those wrongly sent to a notorious Salvadoran prison⁠ - was, for me anyway, a setback. I kept telling myself "this isn't who we are as a country,...

It's been a minute since 'Atlanta Voice' editor-in-chief Donnell Suggs and I last spoke, and with so much to discuss, today seemed like as good a day as any to reconnect. Suggs got to spend a ⁠wire-to-wire day with Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens⁠ recently, so naturally, I had questions. With his re-election campaign's coffers brimming with cash, is that positive or negative in the eyes of Atlantans?...

Who among us isn't a little "Ferris Bueller," right? Outside of those rare, constantly driven and meticulous types, we all take little breaks and skirt by when we believe we can. The second Trump presidency seems like a lot of that - Donald and company just gliding by without putting in much effort to "show their work" but definitely there to hand in their assignment anyway. Such was the case with...

It's easy to punch down after the results of the 2024 election left Americans wondering if Democrats can rebound, but The more we wade into this disastrous second Trump presidency, the more I contend the American people are realizing they got duped more than Democrats fell short. That doesn't absolve the party of their shortcomings and flaws, but you have to give credit where it's due, and in the...