Georgia Governor Brian Kemp delivered his seventh State of the State address at the State Capitol on Thursday. In it he applauded the state’s resilience through natural disasters, the pandemic, economic upheaval and a deadly school shooting and cast Georgia’s approach to health, budgeting and public safety as a model for other states to emulate, declaring “the Georgia Way is indeed the better way.”

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss some of their big takeaways from the speech as Kemp kicks off his second to last year in office.

Plus, the legislative session gets underway as lawmakers bring up transgender student athletes and push to further investigate Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis.

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On this week's Political Breakfast, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson reflect with host Lisa Rayam on the first week of Georgia lawmakers getting back to business under the Gold Dome. 

Both attended one of the most anticipated political events of the new year: Eggs and Issues. That's when every January, thousands of the state's top elected officials, business leaders and policy stakeholders convene in Atlanta to set the agenda for what's to come. 

Plus, the pair predict what we'll hear from Governor Brian Kemp ahead of his annual state of the state address. 

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Georgia’s only president, Jimmy Carter, was laid to rest this week in the rural corner of Southwest Georgia where he was born a century ago.

On this week’s episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali share what they saw and heard as Carter’s life and accomplishments were celebrated throughout Georgia. Plus, a preview of the 2025 legislative session, which kicks off next week.

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As the start of the new legislative session looms, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson say the issue of public safety is sure to be a top priority.

Just last week MARTA bus driver Leroy Ramos was shot and killed outside the Decatur station, allegedly over a fare dispute. Three juveniles were swiftly arrested. 

Tharon and Brian join host Lisa Rayam to weigh-in on public safety and gun violence, plus other issues that should get tossed around under the Gold Dome. 

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Here on the first Political Breakfast podcast of 2025, we pay tribute to the late-President and humanitarian Jimmy Carter. 

Also, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson share with host Lisa Rayam their wish-list for state legislators, as they prepare to head back to work soon. 

The start of Georgia's new legislative session is just days away.

Plus, thoughts the New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans.

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Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at 100. On this encore episode, WABE's Sam Gringlas looks at how two tiny towns in South Georgia shaped two U.S. presidents. We also preview six days of tributes planned to celebrate the life of the 39th president.

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On this edition of Political Breakfast, the team reflects on the legacy of Vincent Fort. The former Georgia lawmaker recently lost his battle with cancer. During his time as a state senator, Fort was known as a voice for the underserved. He took on housing reform and a host of civil rights issues. Host Lisa Rayam along with Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson share their personal insights.

Plus, wrapping up 2024. The team talks about some of the biggest political stories that impacted Georgia over the past 12 months.

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On this week's episode of "Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast," we take stock of the year in Georgia politics, including a recent court decision removing Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case, which represents the last remaining criminal charges against President-elect Donald Trump.

Plus we look ahead to 2025 and test our editors' knowledge of the news in 2024 with a "Plugged In" game show.

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On this week's Political Breakfast, the gang talks about another Georgian who's been tapped to serve alongside President-elect Donald Trump. 

Trump announced Saturday that he's picked former Buckhead cityhood leader Bill White to serve as his ambassador to Belgium.

White donated millions to Trump's 2024 campaign. Simultaneously, White pushed for Georgia lawmakers to split the affluent Atlanta Buckhead neighborhood into its own municipality. 

In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that White earned the nomination because he's a "highly respected businessman, philanthropist, author and advocate" for the U.S. Military, veterans and first responders. 

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This week the Political Breakfast team talks tort reform, and how Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is making this a top priority during the 2025 legislative session. That starts in just a few weeks after the new year.

Kemp has been bringing it up at gatherings like the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Congressional Luncheon for years. 

He told lawmakers in 2023 that the laws on our books make it "too easy to bring frivolous lawsuits against Georgia business owners" which eventually drives-up the price of insurance and stops "new, good-paying jobs from ever coming to communities that need them the most."

Kemp brought it up again recently to state lawmakers.

Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam weigh-in on how this affects average Georgians and small-business owners, not just large corporations and insurance companies.

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Twenty-two new state lawmakers will take their seats at the State Capitol when the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes on January 13th. Among them is Bryce Berry, who at just 23 is one of the youngest state lawmakers in Georgia history.

On this week’s episode of “Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali speak with reporter Jasmine Robinson, who recentlytalked with the freshman lawmaker. Plus, a look inside the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, which provides information and training to help prepare both freshmen and veteran lawmakers for the General Assembly.

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