On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp extended an emergency order of up to 1,000 National Guard troops to protect state buildings in Atlanta -- ensuring continued tensions with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over public safety and public health.But the White House is suggesting yet another role for the National Guard.The Trump administration is poised to ask governors to consider sending in the National Guard to hospitals to help improve data collection about novel coronavirus patients, supplies and capacity, according to draft letters, internal emails and officials familiar with the...…On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp extended an emergency order of up to 1,000 National Guard troops to protect state buildings in Atlanta -- ensuring continued tensions with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over public safety and public health.But the White House is suggesting yet another role for the National Guard.The Trump administration is poised to ask governors to consider sending in the National Guard to hospitals to help improve data collection about novel coronavirus patients, supplies and capacity, according to draft letters, internal emails and officials familiar with the...WW…

America's political divide has become deeply reflected in our approach to the coronavirus pandemic. Nine states in the Midwest and South have rejected shelter-in-place directives. All have Republican governors.In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp was late to the game with a shelter-in-place directive issued last week. He fumbled an attempt to explain the delay, drawing much attention, and now it seems his orders actually loosen tougher restrictions that had been put in place by counties and cities. The different approaches have created a rift between states, angering other governors and...…America's political divide has become deeply reflected in our approach to the coronavirus pandemic. Nine states in the Midwest and South have rejected shelter-in-place directives. All have Republican governors.In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp was late to the game with a shelter-in-place directive issued last week. He fumbled an attempt to explain the delay, drawing much attention, and now it seems his orders actually loosen tougher restrictions that had been put in place by counties and cities. The different approaches have created a rift between states, angering other governors and...WW…

U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins essentially matched each other in fundraising for the first quarter of the year. They were both surpassed, however, by Democrat Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.The two Republican rivals both collected roughly $1.1 million over the first three months of the year, and they traded jabs at each other as they filed their reports.Meanwhile, Warnock has collected $1.5 million since he entered the race in late January, and he ended the quarter with a warchest of roughly $1.2 million in cash.The totals mean less...…U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins essentially matched each other in fundraising for the first quarter of the year. They were both surpassed, however, by Democrat Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.The two Republican rivals both collected roughly $1.1 million over the first three months of the year, and they traded jabs at each other as they filed their reports.Meanwhile, Warnock has collected $1.5 million since he entered the race in late January, and he ended the quarter with a warchest of roughly $1.2 million in cash.The totals mean less...WW…

Four years ago today, a 29-year-old Jon Ossoff announced that he would run for the 6th District open House seat. After winning on election night, but missing the 50% mark, Ossoff later lost a nationally-watched and very expensive runoff to Republican Karen Handel.Fast forward to today, and Ossoff is back for another runoff that the whole country is watching. The Democrats have since flipped the 6th and 7th districts - and won the whole state by a whisker when Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.We reached out to Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock to see how...…Four years ago today, a 29-year-old Jon Ossoff announced that he would run for the 6th District open House seat. After winning on election night, but missing the 50% mark, Ossoff later lost a nationally-watched and very expensive runoff to Republican Karen Handel.Fast forward to today, and Ossoff is back for another runoff that the whole country is watching. The Democrats have since flipped the 6th and 7th districts - and won the whole state by a whisker when Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.We reached out to Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock to see how...WW…

“Republicans in disarray.” That was the three-word response from Senate Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff late Monday to the extraordinary infighting that’s divided the Georgia GOP over President Donald Trump’s effort to taint Joe Biden’s victory.This was supposed to be the week that Republicans united behind U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue for a pair of Jan. 5 runoffs that could decide control of the Senate.Instead, the two senators leveled unfounded claims of a disastrous “embarrassment” of an election at fellow Republicans who oversaw last week’s vote - and called for the...…“Republicans in disarray.” That was the three-word response from Senate Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff late Monday to the extraordinary infighting that’s divided the Georgia GOP over President Donald Trump’s effort to taint Joe Biden’s victory.This was supposed to be the week that Republicans united behind U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue for a pair of Jan. 5 runoffs that could decide control of the Senate.Instead, the two senators leveled unfounded claims of a disastrous “embarrassment” of an election at fellow Republicans who oversaw last week’s vote - and called for the...WW…

Over at Trouble in God’s Country, blogger Charlie Hayslett says Georgia has crossed a significant line in the last few weeks.The death rate from the novel coronavirus, once highest in crowded urban counties won by Democrat Stacey Abrams, has been matched and exceeded by rural counties carried by Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 race for governor. The Covid-19 death rate in the 130 mostly rural counties carried by Kemp in 2018 squeaked past that of the 29 largely urban counties that went for Abrams on August 25th.The Kemp and Abrams death rate trend lines converged through the middle part...…Over at Trouble in God’s Country, blogger Charlie Hayslett says Georgia has crossed a significant line in the last few weeks.The death rate from the novel coronavirus, once highest in crowded urban counties won by Democrat Stacey Abrams, has been matched and exceeded by rural counties carried by Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 race for governor. The Covid-19 death rate in the 130 mostly rural counties carried by Kemp in 2018 squeaked past that of the 29 largely urban counties that went for Abrams on August 25th.The Kemp and Abrams death rate trend lines converged through the middle part...WW…

Gov. Brian Kemp has become the third GOP leader to endorse removing the figure of Alexander Stephens from National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol and replacing him with the likeness of John Lewis., the governor said that swapping the statue of Stephens, the first and only vice president of the Confederacy, with Lewis would “celebrate his legacy of service for years to come.”Such a move would require the approval of the General Assembly. House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who presides over the Senate, signaled their approval within days of Lewis’ death. “I like the...…Gov. Brian Kemp has become the third GOP leader to endorse removing the figure of Alexander Stephens from National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol and replacing him with the likeness of John Lewis., the governor said that swapping the statue of Stephens, the first and only vice president of the Confederacy, with Lewis would “celebrate his legacy of service for years to come.”Such a move would require the approval of the General Assembly. House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who presides over the Senate, signaled their approval within days of Lewis’ death. “I like the...WW…

Staking out a position on Confederate history is hard enough for a Republican candidate in Georgia. But one would think that when the topic is Beelzebub, the lines would be pretty clear.Up in Dalton, the local branch of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has announced that the group  which some locals want removed.Last week, the statue was a topic of conversation at a meeting of the Dalton City Council. One of several people speaking was Marjorie Greene, the leading Republican In the congressional contest for the 14th District to replace U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger. She’s in an...…Staking out a position on Confederate history is hard enough for a Republican candidate in Georgia. But one would think that when the topic is Beelzebub, the lines would be pretty clear.Up in Dalton, the local branch of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has announced that the group  which some locals want removed.Last week, the statue was a topic of conversation at a meeting of the Dalton City Council. One of several people speaking was Marjorie Greene, the leading Republican In the congressional contest for the 14th District to replace U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger. She’s in an...WW…

The 2020 session of the General Assembly will resume on June 11 after a coronavirus hiatus if House Speaker David Ralston has any say about it. And he does.The speaker said he picked that date not for public health reasons but financial ones. The April revenue figures will be released by early June, and they’ll help inform negotiations about Georgia’s beleaguered spending plan.“To try to go in during May would be like trying to throw darts when you’re blindfolded. It makes no sense,” said Ralston, who added that members of the House budget-writing subcommittee will likely return for...…The 2020 session of the General Assembly will resume on June 11 after a coronavirus hiatus if House Speaker David Ralston has any say about it. And he does.The speaker said he picked that date not for public health reasons but financial ones. The April revenue figures will be released by early June, and they’ll help inform negotiations about Georgia’s beleaguered spending plan.“To try to go in during May would be like trying to throw darts when you’re blindfolded. It makes no sense,” said Ralston, who added that members of the House budget-writing subcommittee will likely return for...WW…

It’s payback time. The Republican rift in the state Senate came to a head Tuesday when Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan demoted three Republican senators who have backed attempts to overturn the presidential vote in Georgia over baseless allegations of irregularities.When the bloodletting was over, state Sens. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, Matt Brass of Newnan and Burt Jones of Jackson were sapped of their political influence on the second day of the winter session.As our AJC colleague Maya T. Prabhu reports, Duncan stripped Beach of his chairmanship of the Transportation Committee, while Jones will no...…It’s payback time. The Republican rift in the state Senate came to a head Tuesday when Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan demoted three Republican senators who have backed attempts to overturn the presidential vote in Georgia over baseless allegations of irregularities.When the bloodletting was over, state Sens. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, Matt Brass of Newnan and Burt Jones of Jackson were sapped of their political influence on the second day of the winter session.As our AJC colleague Maya T. Prabhu reports, Duncan stripped Beach of his chairmanship of the Transportation Committee, while Jones will no...WW…