Political Breakfast from WABE
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning on the Political Breakfast podcast, veteran Atlanta journalist Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, and Republican strategist Brian Robinson deliver Georgia’s best analysis of local politics with a weekly dose of informed, respectful and lively discussion. During Georgia’s state legislative session, Political Breakfast presents the pop-up podcast Gold Dome Scramble every Friday morning as host Lisa Rayam talks with reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali from the WABE newsroom to break things down for our listeners — the issues being considered, and the bills getting sorted through various committees at the Georgia State Capitol.
Episodes
Two national figures made stops in Georgia this week to test out political messaging for the 2026 elections.
Meanwhile, four major U.S. Senate candidates all gathered in one room.
On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Rahul Bali and Brendan Rivers discuss the early start to the campaign season.
Plus, Fulton County Commissioners defy a judge’s order and could face jail time and a Georgian who rose to ...
This week Atlanta is paying final respects to DeKalb County Officer David Rose, who was killed during a shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month.
Authorities say Patrick Joseph White targeted the CDC, and blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his mental health issues. He died by suicide after firing roughly 500 shots at CDC buildings.
The union representing CDC workers warns about the cont...
Employees at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been left shaken after a man fired hundreds of bullets at the Atlanta headquarters and killed a police officer.
On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” WABE Criminal Justice Reporter Chamain Cruz and WABE Health Reporter Jess Mador join hosts Rahul Bali, Sam Gringlas and Brendan Rivers with an update on the investigation and how the shooting is ...
On this week's Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam react to former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond's long-awaited campaign launch for the Democratic primary in the Georgia Governor's race.
One question being addressed: Will a more moderate Thurmond be able to bring Democrats together at a time when what unites most is just hating President Donald Trum...
Former President and Georgia native Jimmy Carter created the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency back in 1979. But now President Donald Trump is calling for these two departments, among others, to be dismantled.
On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali look at how debates over the shape of the federal government during Carter’s time can sh...
It's official: Derek Dooley is the latest Republican to jump into the race to eventually challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff. The former University of Tennessee football coach joined the GOP primary and announced his campaign in a video that honored his late father, the legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley.
Republican strategist Brian Robinson, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and...
Last week there was speculation that U.S. Rep. Mike Collins was going to jump into the Georgia Senate race for the Republican nomination. The Trump ally made it official on Monday, and set the stage for an even more competitive primary.
Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson join host Lisa Rayam to discuss this on this week's live edition of Political Breakfast.
In 2021, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association agreed to install an exhibit about the park's history, including Ku Klux Klan cross-burnings.
Construction for the new exhibit is underway, but the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is suing to stop it.
On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss how the Confederate group is using a state law to challenge the ...
On this edition of Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam talk about the Republicans who are "hinting" about jumping into two key Georgia races: The race for Governor and a U.S. Senate seat.
It's all talk at this point for U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mike Collins. But why?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this episode of Political Breakfast, the team talks about an ethics complaint filed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr against his GOP opponent, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, after Jones loaned his own campaign ten million dollars.
The conversation took place just hours before the State Ethics Commission rejected Carr's complaint based on the fact there was not enough cause to investigate.
Then, strategists Brian Robinson,...
Tariffs have become a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s second term, but the on-again, off-again taxes on imports have led to uncertainty in the economy.
On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with WABE Business Reporter Marlon Hyde about Trump’s trade policies and how they’re impacting Georgia businesses and consumers.
Plus, a conversation with Lt. Gov...
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is talking tough on the campaign trail.
Recently in Savannah, he called out the Trump administration for its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Ossoff also lashed out at Trump for his so-called 'big, beautiful bill.'
Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson join host Lisa Rayam to dissect all this.
Plus, prominent Georgia Republican Brant Frost IV i...
On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, Georgia's Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones wants in on the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Jones kicked-off his campaign for Georgia Governor in grand style and to the tune of 10 million dollars.
Jones loaned himself the money and made a pretty bold statement in doing so.
Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson discuss this strategic move along with h...
Congress has narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, with most Republicans voting in favor and every Democrat opposed.
Under the law, which includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about 300,000 Georgians could lose health coverage, tax incentives for clean energy will be cut and states like Georgia may end up having to shoulder more of the costs associated with food stamps.
On this week’s ...
On this week's Political Breakfast: Campaign fundraising is ramping-up.
Strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam tackle the latest numbers in the 2026 Georgia Governor's race.
On the Democratic side, Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and state Senator Jason Esteves have surpassed the 1 million mark over roughly 2 months since both entered the race.
For the GOP: Lieutenant Go...
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 Central Texas that flooded over the we...
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 Republican strategist Brian Robinso...
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 host Lisa Rayam wonder: Is the party w...
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 credits in the new federal budget.
...
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