The Ron Show

Gerald Griggs, Atlanta-based attorney, advocate and activist - and former NAACP Georgia chapter President, joined me Friday morning to weigh in on the landscape in a post-'Callais' U.S. and Georgia.He and I discussed the near-immediate aftermath of fever-pitch GOP redistricting to dilute Black voter power in Congress and even at the state level. Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, this week announced he, too, is reconvening the state legislature to further gerrymander the state. He and I also previewed what to expect in Selma on Saturday.

Also, Democrats need to present an alternative to GOP and their own 'status quo' & is there a pattern of campaign finance ethics issues with Bottoms' campaigns?Not only did Brian Kemp call a special session of the General Assembly back to the Gold Dome to address a mess of its own making (mandating the elimination of QR codes from voter ballots), but the already-and-disproportionately gerrymandered state - in his mind - needs another redraw. So what are Democrats to do?Well, for starters, they need to understand that they, as a party, aren't much more popular than the historically unpopular President they're trying to mitigate by retaking the House the November. My goodness, if they could provide clarity by way of a slate of candidates backing a populist message that's centered on the working class, eschewing 'Third Way' "baby steps pragmatism" for a bold visionary agenda, the places they could ascend to!That agenda starts with fixing the way we govern and elect leaders. They include:Uncapping the House. New England California Republicans would love this because they'd finally have representation, and a nation whose voice in the House has been diluted by 1/3 since the 1930s gets its clout back.Eliminate partisan gerrymandering. Racial gerrymandering's supposedly gone, so get rid of partisan gerrymandering to ensure that, and do it before we've drawn ourselves into a civil war. By doing those two things you've already fixed the electoral college, but because it's broken, you have to also uncap the Supreme Court. Grow it to 13 to match the number of US court circuits. Oh, and Set term limits on that court.You can't tell me the American people wouldn't be solidly behind that. Call it "Project 2032" if you need to - so they know it can't be done overnight and that they (we) the voter have to stay on task to ensure we do our part to meet that date to see those accomplishments come to fruition. As Democrats, there'll be some self-inflicted pains in some "blue states," but gains to be made in others. So be it. This is how you grow your brand in places you aren't winning in. - - - I spent most of my show going off on that tangent, but closer to home, there are concerns - and now a filed campaign finance ethics complaint - shedding light on the Keisha Lance Bottoms' gubernatorial campaign. I highlighted a lot of those concerns before the complaint was filed, but this information's readily available for anyone to gather and use against her - including Burt Jones and Rick Jackson. Heck, I got it from a Republican campaign finance wonk. Is this "more baggage" to consider when deciding who Democrats in Georgia should back to be their gubernaotiral nominee? It bears mentioning this isn't the first time such allegations have come up. Then councilwoman Bottoms, when pivoting to a mayoral run, was hit with a $37,000 fine for campaign ethics violations.

Governor Brian Kemp's last hurrah with the veto pen (and the 'sign into law' pen, too) is akin to burying landmines on property just before abandoning it for someone else to step all over. Income & property tax relief measures passed by the GOP-led General Assembly will shift tax burden onto consumption taxes everyone will pay - disproportionately impacting the poor and working class - to give the better-and-well-of a break. Meanwhile, those revenue cuts also created a budget shortfall his vetoes don't measure to. So with those 'tough decisions' to make he chose curbing funds to combat veteran homelessness and money earmarked for K-12 student transportation needs. Wouldn't those buses help get students-of-need to those private schools their vouchers were supposed to bridge the gap for? - -- There's been so much attention paid to who ought to represent each party in the gubernatorial race that Georgia voters have no idea who ought to be lieutenant governor, with each party's candidates failing to gather enough support to overcome 'undecided' on either side. One of the three Democratic options - Richard Wright, a certified public account and not a career politician - joined the show today to make his case.

Fair Fight Action CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo (who's now been called to testify before a state Senate panel investigating the now-defunct New Georgia Project) joined me to vent over the state of civil rights & marginalized voter rights in a post-'Callais' environment. Lauren spoke of the need for a "new civil rights movement." Well, that new coalition is assembling Saturday in Selma - first at the Edmun Pettis bridge - with nearly a hundred organizations gathering to re-invigorate a civil rights movement that's seen a century of gains almost entirely wiped away in the last sixteen months. - - - Make no mistake: this isn't just about silencing Black voters. There's also been the targeted effort to eviscerate the Black middle class - starting with DOGE disproportionately terminating Black women from career federal jobs that, for generations, had been a 'safe haven' of sorts from hiring bias & pay discrepancies. It's not enough they want to dilute a Black family's voting power; they'd also taken aim at a Black woman's purchasing power, too. - - - It's no wonder, then, why Southern-born, Southern-raised Bakari Sellers 'lost his cool' as the smug Kevin O'Leary insisted Black people need to simply "get over it." Personally, I think Bakari showed great restraint.- - - Lastly, having recently binged 'Mad Men' and being - as many of you are - engulfed in 'The Handmaids' Tale' and it's spin-off, 'The Testaments,' I feel like both franchises provide some insights into what MAGA is taking women and minority women back to, but also the sort of Dystopian dream world the conservative patriarchy seems more closely aligned to than the diverse, expressive nation they currently live in.

After the 'Callais' decision by the US Supreme Court, Democrats were already bracing for 'confederate' states to hastily re-draw Congressional maps to eliminate majority black districts, clearly showing southern conservatives having moved on from 'racism' (note: sarcasm). Then came the Virginia Supreme Court deciding that state's hasty left-leaning gerrymander ran afoul of state law (by a 10-1 vote - not even close). So naturally, Democrats initially started grasping at an 'audacious and far-fetched' idea to salvage at least the Virginia gerrymander. To that I say "no. Stop. Don't do this in a fit of desperation."Why?Well it isn't just to take the "high road" that's cost Democrats ground the last few decades. No, it's about seeing an issue a vast majority of Americans agree on: gerrymandering just needs to go away, period. Democrats have tried legislating it away and watched as the Roberts' Supreme Court punted on its opportunity to get rid of it, too. It's a campaign issue. Use it. Use it in 2026. In 2028. In 2030 if necessary. Keep hammering at it until Republicans realize how much the American people are behind it or are so outnumbered they can't stop it.Any chance Democrats have at taking the House this cycle won't improve greatly by "far-fetched" scheming that'll only make them look as conniving as Republicans. Fine; maybe we don't win the House. I mean, maybe thanks to GOP 'dummymandering,' and Democrats overperforming this and last year anyway, you still do win it. There is that theory that this push to gerrymander is just putting 'safe GOP' districts within reach for insurgent Democratic candidates. Also, the Senate is in play and MAGA can't re-draw state lines. So you'll have to use gerrymandering again in 2028. Perhaps again in 2030. Plus, any gains the GOP made with black voters will be washed away. Trump's (and Stephen Miller's) overplaying their hand using ICE to demonize Hispanic people will do damage to the party's prospects with that bloc, too. "The ads write themselves."- - - Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was in Atlanta last weekend and took the podium at Reverand Senator Ralphael Warnock's home church - New Ebenezer Baptist. I'm unsure if she's putting presidential feelers, but she's definitely striking a chord with soon-to-be-again marginalized black voters. - - - Lastly, while Virginia's Supreme Court is on folks' minds, it's not hard for us to forget that Georgia's 9-body high court is supposed to be filled with non-partisan candidates, but that former Governor Nathan Deal and current Governor Brian Kemp have seated eight of the nine due to maneuvering early retirements out of jurists to seat fresher bodies. So the (air quotes) "non-partisan" candidates Miracle Rankin and Jen Jordan have the full-throated support of former President Barack Obama, who makes the valid point that "state supreme court justices play a critical role in defending your rights and freedoms, which is why the election happening in Georgia right now is so important." In case we weren't already patently aware.

PLUS: A Democrat governor in GA having to work w/a GOP legislature & 'Friday Funnies'Thursday's conversation with former Fulton prosecutor Will Wooten, running for a Georgia Appeals Court seat, dropped just before the AJC's Bill Torpy penned his op/ed where he somewhat insinuates that perhaps Fulton DA Fani Willis may have dispatched candidates for a 'revenge tour' of sorts. Georgia Recorder columnist Jay Bookman offered more perspective on the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial race, noting that it's highly likely if a Democrat does win, they'll have to "work with" a GOP-led general assembly, and wonders which of the Democrats vying for the seat are best-suited to handle that task. - - - The passing of Atlanta media icon Ted Turner - who bought and transformed local station WTBS into the "SuperStation" that also introduced us to his other passion projects: the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Braves, then launched CNN and CNN Headline News, thrusting Atlanta into international prominence the likes of which it never before saw - is quite notable. For one, I grew up wanting to BE like Ted, but for another, his passing reminds me that he lived the sort of libera/progressive life of success that should serve as an example in this Musk/Trump/Bezos era of self-gratification and excess.And, as I do each Friday, I seek out some mental wellness and laughs with my good friend, comedian Sterling Thrill as we glance over the highlights and lowlights of another Trump presidency week "gone by."

His Georgia Court of Appeals judicial candidacy garners enough attention for Will Wooten because he is who he is on two fronts: he's an out gay man in the South, and a former Fulton County prosecutor, having worked with Fani Willis' office to prosecute Donald Trump and his band of co-conspirators for attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results here in Georgia. While AJC op/ed writer Bill Torpy likens his attempted ascent to part of a 'Fani Willis revenge tour,' Will comes with a kind of value set his upbringing and his insight into marginalization that not many white men in the legal profession have insight into.Hear our discussion and see if you can pick up on that foundation coming through with his words and deeds.

PLUS: Reparations for white voters? Republicans want to draw inner city voters towards their suburban 'white saviors' & Geoff Duncan's new TV ad is outThe Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) has roughly 700 boxes of Fulton County's 2020 general election ballots and now they want names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of all the Fulton County election workers and volunteers from the 2020 cycle, too. Uhm, why? As Rudy Giuliani clings to life, it was just 14 months ago he was done paying two Fulton elections workers upwards of $100 million (or more) and now the DOJ wants to serve up other employees for potential MAGA "retribution? - - -As if that's not enough, MAGA podcasting nutjob Benny Johnson and The Article III Project founder/president Mike Davis are salivating at the prospect of getting white voters in Democratic-led states reparations (yes, reparations) for their being oh-so "wronged" by racially-based gerrymandering. The stones on these two white nationalist gasbags. - - - Remember all that GOP talk about black voters being on the "Democratic plantation?" Yet now they want to redraw maps to have their "white savior" representatives - who've shown no interest in doing right by inner city Americans when not representing city dwellers - represent everyone in these newly drawn districts except us. - - - It's encouraging then, that Georgia Democrats are taking some fight back to the right. Out gay Fulton County prosecutor Will Wooten is featured in a 30-second ad touting his record having helped build the election interference case against Trump as he seeks to challenge Georgia Court of Appeals Judge E. Trenton Brown III.- - - Okay, I have no opinion on cellphone bans in schools, honestly. I believe teachers when they say it makes their jobs easier, so on that front, I'm for the bans; but results show the real sales pitch - improved test scores - doesn't show itself in studies, just yet.- - - Lastly, Geoff Duncan has (finally) interested the TV ad game with a mostly cable and online ad buy, utilizing minority endorsees. The 30-second spot is good. It's effective. But it actually raised questions with me, still. Also, former gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Ruwa Romman, hasn't endorsed in that race since leaving it, but she did share her "sample ballot," with the #anybodybutGeoff hashtag and Mike Thurmond below it.On her personal Facebook, however, she did say of Duncan "I believe he’s sincere. I don’t think he’s just making up that he changed his mind. But he’s objectively the weakest candidate. We lose too many of our own for the mythical swing voter."

Economic indicators in "MAGA country" and Trump's hemorrhaging right-leaning independent voters indicate it may not matter how gerrymandered some red states are.Farm bankruptcies are climbing. Foreclosures are at a six-year high. Red states lead the way.Tariffs have done 'significant damage' to the economy.... and yet, Georgia Republicans are still "all-in" for Trump. Baffling!Well, as CNN's Harry Enten notes, right-leaning independents are leaving the "Trump train" in droves.

PLUS: the on-and-off again (brief) mifepristone mail ban. Melita shares her thoughts on that, as well.Four days ago, I'm complaining there isn't enough polling on the Democratic gubernatorial race in Georgia, and since then we have two new polls out, and the only consistency among them (and all of them) is that former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enjoys a still-healthy lead, but if there is to be a run-off, it's clearly between three candidates: Mike Thurmond, Jason Esteves and Geoff Duncan.On to discuss that race, who's endorsements do and don't matter, who has the budget and buys to be a factor and more, Georgia WIN List executive director Melita Easters. The notably mentioned her organization only endorsing one statewide candidate in the primary season thus far, incidentally - that of Tanya Miller for attorney general.

Plus Carolyn Bourdeau's seems to dislike her party's gerrymandering response; why? And FRIDAY FUNNIES w/Sterling ThrillNew - and shocking - Democratic gubernatorial polling shows Keisha Lance Bottoms mightn't need worry about a run-off. The Insider Advantage polling of 800 likely Georgia voters (likely split in half by party affiliation but they gave us no in tabs) has Bottoms netting 52% of likely Democratic party voters with only 14% undecided - meaning if correct, there'd be no run-off. It also shows a neck-and-neck race for the GOP nod with Rick "the ick" Jackson and Burt Jones but Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger actually within striking distance and few undecideds there, too. I'm skeptical. - - - Meanwhile, Democrat and former Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux didn't race to pen an op/ed when Trump coaxed mid-decade gerrymanders in red states but is now bemoaning it all now that Democrats have responded. She, Joe Manchin & Kyrsten Sinema should gather for a meal or something. PLUS: my Friday Funnies therapy sesh with good friend, comedian Sterling Thrill.

In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court's MAGA 6-3 majority dealing what may be the final death blow to the 1965 Voting Rights' Act, civil rights attorney and Georgia state Senate candidate Rahul Garabadu joined me Thursday to discuss the reality of a newfound race to gerrymander with reckless abandon to eliminate black voting power & representation; oh and to discuss is candidacy in a hotly contested state Senate district that a Democrat will win. The question is: which one?- - - Hear me out: what if the political violence we ALL abhor is all that MAGA and the GOP leaves their political opposition? We're not there, yet, but as the race to gerrymander (already before the SCOTUS ruling and then again after), along with the many and varied ways the SAVE Act seeks to suppress voter participation further, is it not enraging that a nation with a razor-thin liberal majority electorate is ruled by a party they rarely vote in favor for and with a 2/3rds majority conservative high court? Take away the options to right that course, and what is the left left with?Conservative pundit Erick Erickson is no stranger to threats of violence on him and his family - from MAGA - but piously believes progressives need to "take a look in the mirror" on its rhetorical choices. The problem is he can't name a leftwing political leader that fans those flames. He also finger-wags at conspiracy theorists dismissing the White House correspondents' dinner near-attempt as some MAGA conspiracy. I'm not there yet, myself, but there are some curious issues with the whole setup, as Leigh McGowan, aka "Politics Girl," points out.

Both the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial debates hosted by the Atlanta Press Club on Georgia Public Broadcasting aired Monday evening, and aside from the notable difference between the two hours - substantive policy conversations vs "who can out-Trump the other" - some other notable moments were worth zeroing in on.Former state Senator Jason Esteves took the first hard swipe at the presumptive frontrunner, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, over the death of Secoriea Turner during her term. He and Senator Derrick Jackson took aim at former GOP lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan for his role in the state of the state currently, and Mike Thurmond presented a novel approach to tax relief: reducing and/or eliminating the state's income tax - a regressive tax. On the right, it was more "Jones v. Jackson" sniping, often with surrogate assistance from attorney general Chris Carr and even secretary of state Brad Raffensperger weighing in on both. The bombshell of the night came as the billionaire Rick Jackson found himself unable to refute their being undocumented people hired on his behalf, which Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones pounced on - unable to resist using the slur "illegals," of course.With me to discuss it all is Atlanta-based political consultant Andrew Heaton.

Yet another attempt on President Donald Trump's life nearly came to be over the weekend at the same White House Correspondents' Dinner he'd previously avoided in his first term and first year of his second. Predictably (yeah it happens often enough now that we can use the word "predictably") conservative pundits, politicians and the White House mouthpieces want to focus on the "rhetoric" from the left without an ounce of self-awareness on their part. Nor is there any introspection from the man seemingly so hated by people driven to throw their lives away to try and end his as to why he's so hated. None of that; just tone-deaf finger-pointing about the era of divisiveness and nary a hint of acceptance of culpability. Predictably.A day later, Trump sat down with Norah O'Donnell for the now-infamous '60 Minutes' response interview, which brings me to John Fugelsang tweeting "live your life so you never have to insist “I’m not a pedophile” on 60 Minutes."Naturally, he snapped into "nastiness" mode, directing his ire at O'Donnell for reading the attempted assassin's "manifesto." Predictably.

PLUS: Senator Warnock takes more verbal whacks at RFK Jr., and new polling bolsters Bottoms' grip on the Democratic primary . Oh, and Tucker Carlson's a liarThe Democratic Congressional primary in Georgia's 13th Congressional district now features an open seat, as longtime Rep. David Scott suddenly passed away earlier this week at the age of 80, bringing about yet another special election in Georgia this cycle, but also putting a pause on the primary race where many of Scott's opponents saw his age as a liability.Joining for insights into how her campaign may respond, plus provide her condolences, Georgia state representative Dr. Jasmine Clark.Also offering his condolences, Republican former Rep. Tom Price. - - - In Washington, Georgia's Reverand Senator Raphael Warnock had yet another opportunity to pelt Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with plenty of evidence that RFK is unqualified and unserious for the job as head of the Department of Health & Human Services.- - - Got a Keisha Lance Bottoms mailer, so maybe that's where her campaign funds are going? So far, it's still just Jason Esteves on the air, when Rick Jackson or Burt Jones aren't. I bring this all up (again) because even newer poling shows Bottoms' grip on the Democratic primary seems even stronger, and in run-off one-on-one's she still beats the field. While on that race, an internal Georgia Democratic party memo from chair Charlie Bailey evokes "bullishness" on Democrats winning that seat. - - - Not buying the Tucker Carlson apology shtick, but I do know he's just among the handful of rats hopping off the sinking ship. Nor am I giving room to the sudden pearl-clutching from MAGA after Virginia voters voted TO gerrymander (in response to Trump's mid-decade attempt to mitigate his midterm demise).

PLUS: It's DOJ/FBI vs ... the SPLC?A recent poll pitted former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms against the four GOP gubernatorial combatants, and in each case, she comes out on top. No other Democratic candidate was polled, but there's more recent polling that shows she's safely in "run-off" territory and only 8% from clearing it outright in the primary, too. It's curious, though, that the remaining Democratic gubernatorial field elbows one another for second place while almost never taking aim at the frontrunner. Meanwhie, Rick Jackson has and does.- -- The Trump FBI & DOJ unveiled a 'slew of criminal charges' against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). So when James O'Keefe infiltrates left wing orgs as a (air quotes) "journalist," or the FBI does the same (anyone seen 'Black Kkklansman?'), all good? On to help me understand, CBS News' legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum.

New data obtained by The Current and Georgia Recorder (thanks to a FOIA request) shows Affordable Care Act enrollment in Georgia slumped by more than one-third at the start of 2026, on the heels of pandemic-era enhanced subsidies going away (remember the government shutdown last fall?). With outgoing Governor Brian Kemp thinking 2028 might be fertile territory for him to tout his era of governance, this won't age well; but it's not just a bad look for "Brine." It's also a potential sore spot for the former GOP Lieutenant Governor now running to be governor - as a Democrat.Geoff Duncan has made a compelling case that he's sacrificed a lot, and suffered mightily personally, from his ideological transformation, and has bravely said - on many occasions - "I was wrong," but that doesn't stop pundits and his primary adversaries from reminding voters where he stood on Medicaid expansion, gun control, reproductive rights (to name a few). With rural Georgia hospitals set to see $3.5 billion less in revenue, moving forward, how might his former role find him in a tough spot in culpability?

Plus: Clay Fuller tries out 'satire' for a side hustle and fails.We haven't even crossed the 2026 finish line yet, and already the Democratic party's 2028 field is starting to not only reveal itself but flex its rhetorical might. First up, though, concerns about election integrity have Democrats in Congress wondering (aloud) if the National Guard is going to adhere to Trump or the US Constitution. We (sort of) got that answer under oath last week.Okay, so with polls showing Kamala Harris still pacing ahead of "the boys," Pete Buttigieg is among those guys out there hitting "flyover states" to sharpen their rhetoric. More on that later this week, but a sample towards the end of today's show.- - - The newly-minted part-time Congressman - Clay "sup brah" Fuller - took to the X platform to try his hand at satire, except it didn't stick. I mean, if this is some new "alter ego" shtick he's trying out, okay; it's just brand new, and when you recall his "word salad" moment on a televised debate recently, it's just hard to know when he's being satirical vs. when he's just ... aloof.- - - Georgia Democratic House causcus chair Rep. Tanya Miller has set her sights on being Georgia's next attorney general. She joined me for a prolonged conversation about her legal background, both as defensive attorney and prosecutor, coupled with her lawmaking background, making her an ideal candidate. She also reminded the audience who an attorney general is supposed to serve. Turns out it's us!- - - Senator Jon Ossoff (speaking of aspirations for 2028?) is working hard focusing on retaining his seat in the U.S. Senate, and coined the label "Mar a Lago mafia," in an eloquent rally speech in my hometown of Augusta.

The more I let it marinate in my mind, the less sense it made - and the more irresponsible it was, in my opinion - that WXIA-TV (11 Alive) and its NexStar TV partners throughout the state hosted a televised / live-streamed Democratic gubernatorial debate with only half the field in the race. Their flimsy / flawed criteria is so thanks in large part to flawed and sporadic (at best) polling, and it's not as if they couldn't have commissioned a fresh poll closer to the debate date themselves. What makes it so irresponsible is that a) they could fit three more candidates in the studio and b) they may have left out the candidate with the most momentum, right now. What's worse: there wasn't much new to learn about the three (erm) "leading" candidates that would alter the state of the race for either of them.Well, it made me feel better, anyway, to revisit my conversations with the three snubbed candidates today while peeking in on a few notable moments from last night.

Author and UNG professor Matthew Boedy attended the Tuesday TPUSA rally in downtown Athens and joined me to chew on the woeful turnout and vibe (what there was of one) in the building as JD Vance drifted onto the stage without TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk. ---The one thing you can say about conservative radio pundit Eric Erickson is that he doesn't sugarcoat things for his audience when their preferred party and candidates are in trouble. He gave it to AJC readers thusly: "Republicans are in for a drubbing," he writes.

PLUS: Scott Soracco is a "fighting fifty" Democrat filling an empty ballot slot - but he's aiming to win, JD Vance's poll numbers are on (not in) the couch and GA gubernatorial talk.I've said for years now, the spike in oil and gas prices, and subsequently everything we bought & paid for while Joe Biden wa sin office, was due in large part to one key decision then-President Donald Trump made in 2020. See, then, in April of 2020, while we were all sheltering-in-place and not filling gas tanks, the oil industry was cratering. Many industries were, as you recall, but precious oil had to survive, right? So Trump needled OPEC nations to agree to throttle back production - for two years! (Gift NYT link; enjoy!) That deal lasted through April of 2022, long after his J6 tantrum and exit. Wouldn't you know, inflation only began cooling a month after that deal expired? I revisit this because it's time for Democrats to start reminding people of that deal and to pour cold water on the gaslighting the GOP has gotten away with (and still trots out!) that Trump somehow inherited an affordability crisis when in fact, he sparked it!Once I got that off my chest, I decided to play "pretend," as in "pretend I was on 'NewsNight with Abby Phillip' Monday night as 'cosplay Trump' investment firm CEO Hal Lambert - dressed in Trump suit & tie - played the role of 'Scott Jennings' that night, and needed correcting. Make no mistake: Bakari Sellers, Leigh McGowan and Margaret Donovan, along with Phillip, did a commendable job, but left out a few key barbs I happily supplied in "post-edit." ---Scott Soracco is one of the "Fighting 50" Democratic Georgia candidates who's stepped up to bring voters to the polls for the entire ticket, but hey, it's 2026 - he can actually win State House district 29, so let's hear him out!---Back pretending I'm on the 'NewsNight' set, "we" weigh in on Trump's sacrilegious AI-generated depiction of him as "Doctor Jesus," and MAGA suddenly having issues with faith leaders weighing in on political discussions when it's A) a Catholic (the Pope) and B) contrarian to their worldview. ---Speaking of 'overt political activity,' JD Vance - spending time in Athens, Georgia, this week, also traveling the globe to shill for Viktor Orban likely doesn't help with his poll numbers - per Harry Enten at CNN. ---In the run-up to the Wednesday night WXIA-TV/NextStar Georgia Democratic gubernatorial debate, I instead hovered over Patricia Murphy's latest AJC op/ed, focusing on Rick Jackson v Burt Jones food fight on the right.

PLUS: CBS News White correspondent Olivia Rinaldi on Trump's 'Strait talk' & Tucker says the obvious (for once)Wednesday night, WXIA-TV (11 Alive) will livestream online a Democratic gubernatorial debate (live on WATL-TV as well) with just three of the six candidates running, culling the field to three based on a six-week-old poll while ignoring a two-week old poll that shows it's at minimum a four-person race. I'm curious how that best serves the electorate, frankly. Meanwhile, former Biden administration heavyweights (VP Kamala Harris and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg) are now openly toying with 2028 presidential runs, and I'm okay with that; I'd just like Democrats to pivot from just focusing on Trump and undoing his damage and start pitching themselves and the party as more aspirational - giving Americans a future to hearken to. CBS News' White House correspondent Olivia Rinaldi hopped on a call early Monday morning to discuss the corner President Trump has painted himself into and the logistics and shortcomings in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a bullying tactic in the immediate aftermath of a mere 21 hours of negotiating yielding nothing substantive. Then there's the "Dr. Jesus" posting to get into.Politics certainly puts you in camps with folks you don't often think you'll be in, but Rep. Esther Panitch and I are both on the same page in the gubernatorial primary. That said, she and I have broad disagreement on the affinity for US/Israel "unquestioned" support and her aversion for Democratic Socialists in the party at all. She likens them to the left's version of "MAGA," while not discussing the issues that separate her from her opponent in the throes of a party primary. That and more in Monday's Ron Show.

USA Today ⁠conservative political columnist Ingrid Jacques pounced on Rahm Emanuel's words⁠ last week, along with American mobility trends that shows that liberals & progressives (get this) move around the country. That people are fleeing "progressive states" in droves for red states (it's ⁠actually happening to some notable red states⁠, too) and somehow concludes - with all that's going on in the world under the regime of MAGA mayhem - that things look bad for Democrats in the longterm. Okay. Emanuel, who may be prepping the runway for a presidential run, ⁠did an interview at GZERO World⁠ where he said "If they (Democrats) get caught in the cultural cul-de-sac again, running around, getting themselves wrapped around an ankle, the American people will make a judgment.” It was ⁠in another interview where Emanuel said Democrats had "lost the plot" ⁠ on cultural issues. Rahm served in the Obama White House so it stuns me he needs the history lesson or for this to be pointed out: The problem is, Democrats don't politicize "cultural" issues; they respond when Republicans do, and usually with a sort of timidity that doesn't ooze "strength."Democrats fail to lead and sit meekly in the background while society pushes cultural issues forward, then want some credit for it. People read through that, too.

PLUS: Sterling Thrill returns for some 'Friday Funnies' & hell no, I won't feel bad for Kristi NoemThe Georgia general assembly session for 2026 came to a close Thursday night, leaving a lot of ugly bills unaddressed (mostly in the House) and work "yet to be done" that legally has to be addressed by this summer with regards to election. That said, the fine folks at the Georgie Recorder put a lovely bow on the session.- - - Are the communities of Oakwood and Social Circle about to get a reprieve from the intrusive and overwhelming ICE detention facilities planned for (and to put strain on) their towns? Well, maybe, and good!Sterling Thrill hopped on for our weekly 'Friday Funnies' review of the headlines from a week gone by and boy did we have plenty to cackle about. Between the Bryon Noem 'bimbofication' bombshell and Pam Bondi getting whacked, there's a lot of meat on this week's funny bone. Don may be done with Pam, but Democrats may not be. Next up? Todd Blanche, and "who's next" to get whacked? - - - Lastly, a conservative columnist believes the Noems don't deserve all the smoke coming their way. Bullsh*t.

With Republicans passing legislation targeting the five largest metro Atlanta counties (that their party can't win in) to turn many elections into non-partisan affairs, it often falls on the state's attorney general to defend those bills - if signed into law by the governor - when challenged in court.A former Democratic lawmaker and House minority leader - Bob Trammell - seeks to re-enter the political theater after six-years off-stage, running to be the Democratic nominee for attorney general on the November ballot. He and I discuss such legislation he'd have to (or choose not to) defend if elected, and the damage done to the American judicial process in the decade-long Trump era, too.- - - Speaking of Trump, the President addressed the nation in a primetime address Wednesday, where he made no new news. CBS White correspondent Weijia Jiang hopped on a call to review that address and provide what insights she has from her sources in Washington. - - - With revelations that Bryon Noem - former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's husband - enjoyed "bimbofication" in his spare time, comes clapback from folks like comedienne Sunny Dae Jones. Joining me to discuss is RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 runner-up Sapphira Cristal.

A push to lower state property taxes by using slick language and maneuvers to raise the sales tax (I told ya so) is fodder for back & forth under the Gold Dome in Georgia's closing general assembly days. There's new polling that shows a surge by former Senator Jason Esteves, making that potential run-off a four-person tangle. Joining me to discuss the ramifications is Atlanta-based political consultant Andrew Heaton.

We're in the final days of the 2026 Georgia General Assembly legislative session, and with vacated seats & a mad rush to jam in some awful bills, the pressure's on - mostly on beleaguered Democrats to hold off the worst. Georgia Recorder reporters provide a nice summation of what's still alive, what could be revived and what's off the table (for now). Get this, though: some GOP legislators may be seeing their items get snubbed by Lt. Governor Burt Jones in retaliation for those lawmakers endorsing Rick Jackson in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Jackson even told supporters lawmakers are afraid of being seen with him because of Jones' alleged intimidatory tactics. Meanwhile, the anti-Jones 'Georgians for Integrity' got bad news from the state ethics commission - for whatever that's worth this late in the soap opera. - - - Meet Caitlyn Gegen, 27-year old (double) UGA grad who also graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She's running for Georgia's 9th Congressional district seat currently held by Andrew Clyde, and she's running as an unabashed progressive option for Democrats in the upcoming primary. Hear her explain why she believes that may bring voters outside the party to vote for the party.

PLUS: Thurmond's endorsement gets: plums or prunes? Also, Keisha's list was ... something to see & Esteves' list is long.- -- Coming off a third - and impressive - 'No Kings Day' weekend, it was in listening to (marveling at) Rev. Senator Raphael Warnock deliver a "no notes" speech in Atlanta Saturday that somehow aligned well against the faux religiosity on display at CPAC on the same weekend. The emergence of James Talarico in Texas has Christian nationalism freaking out like "The Wizard" once the curtain was pulled back. Which brings me to my guest today: April Ajoy, author (Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith), content creator, influencer, and ex-Christian nationalist, joined me to share her exodus from right wing evangelism, which began about the time Trump descended down the golden escalator. - - - IN the second half of the show (44:35) Mike Thurmond's two "gets" - former governor Roy Barnes & former Atlanta mayor & UN ambassador Andrew Young - got a lot of media & social media coverage over the weekend, but are they significant? Also, who on Keisha Lance Bottoms' campaign staff let public her endorsement page in a completely unfinished template form? Jason Esteves, meanwhile, has a substantial list of Democratic state legislators. Of course, Geoff Duncan got press for picking up prominent Black male nods, too. - - - A WSB-TV story focusing on the north Atlanta v south Atlanta economic divide isn't just an "Atlanta story;" it's playing out in cities of any substantial size just about everywhere in the U.S. Thought I'd chew on it a bit.- - - A 'No Kings Day' walk-off in Macon concerns me. Sure, a local sheriff was allowed to speak and his department works in coordination with ICE, but A) that's mandated by state law and B) he came to NKD/Macon looking to engage, so shouldn't we? - - - It seems pretty clear MAGA has lost Joe Rogan. Joe zeroed in on the war / Wall Street grift. - - - Back under the Gold Dome, the 'zombie bill' Senator Greg Dolezal crafted to put onerous burdens on local elections officials and pursue hand-marked paper ballots by fall passed the Senate and now sits in the House. What'll happen to it, there, I wonder?

Millions of Americans will take part in the third 'No Kings Day' multi-pronged protest today, and yet there are those who question the efficacy. "The needle isn't moving" said one Substack scribe, and she's not wrong, but she isn't just talking about the last year. 'Occupy Wall Street' was fifteen years ago. FIFTEEN YEARS!On this week's "Politics Girl" podcast, host Leigh McGowan and guest Ezra Levin opine that it’s not enough to just go, we need to be bringing people with us. Okay, yes. Sure. Make it a friend date, but ask everyone around y'all - pick ten - what they're doing tomorrow and/or Monday. I guarantee you it'll be the normal mundane stuff we all do in life wholly unrelated to resistance. That's the problem. Meanwhile, CBS News' White House correspondent Ed O'Keefe hopped on a call to provide an update on the US/Israel "excursion" on Iran and helps to delineate what's fact vs just "what Trump said" on presents and negotiations. Ed touches on the TSA/DHS situation, too, and what good it'll be to potentially have the National Guard involved at airports, too. Back to 'No Kings,' the big question is: "What Comes Next?" Under the Gold Dome, Georgia Republicans are passing legislation to make many metro Atlanta county races "non-partisan" in order to try and shield voters from knowing who's in which party. Why just "those" counties? C'mon. They're all "blue." Lastly, has Burt Jones found Rick Jackson's weakness? Maybe. Rick doesn't seem to be sharp on many issues.

As wildfires have been ravaging South Georgia for more than two weeks, the Georgia Forestry Commission is actively updating residents. Newsweek reminding us that post-Helene tinder beds and a current and prolonged drought made conditions "favorable" for wildfire activity. - - - Onto the political headlines: the attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), as Twitter/X trolls (led by Elon Musk) are pushing vapid disinformation about a DOJ/FBI case lacking any substantive evidence. It was Nashville TV reporter Phil Williams who took to Substack to exclaim: "it's almost as if the people most excited by the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center have not read the indictment--or they really don't care." Oh for sure.Focus on the bigger picture, though:1. You have Trump wanting to undo the 2020 election (how does one do this in 2026?) 2. while he and his minions concoct theories of foreign adversarial tinkering with Dominion voting machines (that coming up empty with their investigations) 3. which led to the seizure of Fulton County ballots three months ago with no "there there" for them to make noise about To review: the Trump 2020 "big lie" yarn keeps spawning investigations and seizures and coming up empty, but his administration keeps expending resources to find a hint or whiff of SOMETHING to cling to while seeding doubt of the American electoral process as a 2026 midterm that looks increasingly dour for MAGA and the GOP looms.- - - Meanwhile, in Georgia, the Fighting 50 Pac backs Rebecca Sims for Georgia's House 32nd district, and for good reason. Hear my introduction to her and come away as encouraged as I am that she's going to make a difference - even if it's just to bring more voters for her "up-ballot" Democrats. - - - Back to election chaos: in Georgia, Georgia Recorder columnist Jay Bookman believes chaos is a "policy choice." In the piece, he points to fake elector + current Lt. Governor (and GOP gubernatorial candidate) Burt Jones, who both seated "election fabulist" Salleigh Grubbs to the state election board - to which I'll add that Jones' keeping Trump's endorsement may lie with Jones having plenty of dirt on Donald and might talk if Trump were to read polling trends and jump onto the Rick Jackson bandwagon just to look like he's picked a winner. - - - Oh, and Friday Ron Show means "Friday funnies" with my good friend, comedian and satirist Sterling Thrill.

Marilyn Marks is no stranger to The Ron Show. Today, the executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance joined to raise the alarm volume on a bill that state Senator Greg Dolezal "zombified" from a Democratic House member's attempt to secure another judicial appointment for her home county. In HB960, Dolezal essentially stripped its intent and instead pumped a bunch of what the organization calls "numerous unworkable provisions," not the least of which includes onerous mandated hand recounts. Their release states "HB 960 will impose tens of millions of dollars in new, undisclosed, and unfunded costs on Georgia counties to pay for extreme needless requirements for manual vote counting. "Hear Marilyn explain how the bill already runs afoul of state law and thus shouldn't even come up for a vote, but listen as she and Ron opine as to why Lt. Governor Burt Jones isn't shielding the Senate from taking up the measure. Yes, Rick Jackson may unwittingly be playing a role, but Marks contends Democrats could stage a symbolic walkout to prevent the bill from passing.There's also enough potential chaos in the bill to put Senator Ossoff's re-election in the hands of his US Senate colleagues next January, but even then, there's the potential for more than a year of litigation. Maybe that's the sought-after result?A lot to chew on, but again - perhaps the solution rests in sticking with the state's current system, minus touchscreens and with hand marked paper ballots. Yep; that came up, too.

Likened to useless "Ken and Barbie dolls" by TSA union representation, TSA agents in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport aren't able to do much to lessen the long, winding lines of passengers trying to clear security to make their flights on-time. CBS News Congressional correspondent Taurean Small tells me if there's any chance a deal to fund DHS gets done before the 'No Kings' weekend. Local Atlanta TV station WANF provided a look in at the overflowing airport, too: a madhouse before 8am. ------We can at least be grateful no one has died (yet) at Atlanta's airport; not the case at NYC's LaGuardia, thanks in large part to understaffing and missing safety equipment. Uhm, where's the scrutiny on DOT Secretary Sean Duffy? That crash got Josh Doss (a great follow on Instagram) to thinking about how our government prioritizes its spending on bombs and not the health & well-being (and actually safety!) of us here at home. Sheer brilliance. Also, did you know that it's 3x harder for 'blue' states to get needed federal aid from this President? Of course you knew. ------Trump took yet another opportunity to tell the media how many dangerous criminal and mentally unwell immigrants "sleepy Joe" Biden let in, but did you know his grandfather was an undocumented immigrant who skipped Germany to avoid military service (you can't make this stuff up) and wound up being deported from Bavaria?----- 45:00 ------A pro-Burt Jones mailer pointed to a "Jackson" op/ed that railed on Jones' intent to eliminate the state's income tax. Problem is, it wasn't Rick Jackson that wrote the piece; it was Senator Kim Jackson, Democrat of Stone Mountain. Her op/ed actually deserves its time to shine. ------Lastly, a little on the Meta/YouTube New Mexico decision and did Trump throw Stephen Miller and his white nationalist tendencies under the bus to pivot on immigration tactics to try and win back midterm voters?

PLUS: How did Trump find another district attorney who's a poor debater?A southeast Georgia woman charged with murder for using an abortion pill (with oxycodone) was granted a symbolically low bond by a judge who expressed doubt the charge will even stick. Also, will the woman - Alexia Moore - have a valid case to sue the hospital upon learning one of its security guards violated her HIPPA rights by calling local police?RELATED: Georgia's six-week "heartbeat" abortion ban makes no sense when there's no heartbeat ... or heart.------Question: how twisted is MAGA if they're okay that their "America First" president is willing to negotiate with Iran (if he even is) than Democrats? Also, did Trump's announcement on a pause in bombing Iran's infrastructure result in some 'insider trading?'------MTG's old House seat is still up for grabs and Trump's endorsed candidate, Clay Fuller, is inexplicably bad on his feet for a prosecutor. Democratic candidate Shawn Harris appeared more polished, less nervous oh and steeped in facts while Fuller fed the disinformation machine with lots of spare change. For example, Fuller's assertion that lower fentanyl overdose cases are tied to Trump shutting down the southern border when a) Biden did that via executive order and b) China clamped down on fentanyl production at the behest of - get this - the Biden administration.

Melita Easters, executive director at the Georgia WIN List, joined me Monday morning to discuss the most recent tragic story from Georgia in the aftermath of that state's passage of a six-week abortion ban: a southeast Georgia woman was arrested after using an abortion pill with oxycodone while pregnant, resulting in the death of the infant shortly after giving birth. We discuss the complicated story of Alexia - a military veteran with PTSD and on full disability who already had two children and few options - whether its mental health or reproductive options - before taking such a drastic measure later in her pregnancy. Melita also discussed the forum she moderated in Gainesville Sunday, featuring the two Democratic 9th Congressional district candidates and three of the seven Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidates, too. In that forum we learned how each candidate prefers their chicken (spoiler alert: fried) and who they'd vote for if they had the opportunity to decide via 'ranked choice.' Clay Fuller - not unlike the President that endorsed him - is something of a 'word salade' shooter. LISTEN. We may be headed for another Trump meltdown if two of the Supreme Court's conservative jurists are tipping their hand in a case where the Trump DOJ and RNC are teaming up to eliminate counting mail-in votes that show up after "election day." More evidence of people stunned that a leopard (Trump) would eat their face, too, as the New York Times documented recently in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Listen as construction business owners & managers who supported Trump in 2024 are stunned to learn he's taken to deporting people indiscriminately as he said he would. Never mind that the actual "illegals" - them, the employers hiring undocumented people - roam free. Then there's the case of "persistent victim" Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who can't tell the whole story if her life depended on it. She's reached for her fainting couch after being asked to leave a restaurant with a 90-minute seating policy after having been there about 90 minutes, taking up two tables and having armed security hovering over her and the rest of the eatery's patrons. I mean, what gives, right?

Friday's Ron Show features a weekly comedic therapy session; therapeutic for me if for no one else, that is. My good friend Sterling Thrill - stand up & virtual comedian & political satirist - gives me my weekly 'break' from the headlines ... to laugh at those headlines, to start the show off on this edition.Then, the nasty race for the GOP nomination for Georgia's governor's race is the best soap opera. In the latest gasp-inducing move, Lt. Governor Burt Jones - once a beneficiary of Rick Jackson's political spending sprees - has some 'timely' concerns with Jackson's company having a no-bid contract with the state (for SIX YEARS!) and took the unusual step of taking the mic at the state Senate to harp on that connection (that he had NO problem with for SIX YEARS til now) promoting legislation directly targeted at candidates like Jackson, barring a Georgian from running for state office if they're engaged in state contracts. Again, timely.Also on the gubernatorial front, Georgia's now a "toss-up" state, according to the Center For Politics. All the more reason Democrats have to get their pick right in May (or whenver the run-off occurs after May 19th).

PLUS: why 'electability' is the determining factor for my decision to vote for Jason Esteves & what happened to "Tulsi: 2020?"Atlanta Journal Constitution columnist Bill Torpy wrote of a recent anti-Muslim AI-generated video state Senator Greg Dolezal shared on social media - not just to pile on with the immense disgust for it (which came not just from Democrats), but also to pinpoint this being the moment former state Senator Nabila Parkes opted to pivot from running for insurance commissioner to joining Senator Josh McLaurin to seek the nomination for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary instead. That exposed rifts within the party, too, but also left Democrats with one less Senate vote to fend off GOP bills the remainder of the general assembly session. Speaking of in-party division, the routine examination of ideology within the Democratic party has come about again, with yet another study on how likely primary voters are identifying themselves to be, ideologically. Now, bear in mind the poll's being done by the centrist thinktank, Third Way, but let's chew on their findings, nonetheless. Their determination is that the party's electorate is less progressive and more moderate, to which I point out that they also say they're less moderate than liberal, and that it wasn't that long ago folks were afraid to use the "L-word" to describe themselves out of fear of being demonized for it. That was a societal norm in the "Rush Limbaugh" era of discourse, and now we see a lot of that aimed at the word "progressive," too. Read into that what you will, but my hunch is there's a good bit of "progressive" in the "liberal" portion of the base, and it vastly outnumbers self-identified moderates and conservatives. It's that sort of divisiveness within the party - I'd argue made worse by outside forces and a lack of self-awareness within, too, that concerns me heading into a 2026 election cycle where Democrats - if they can unite - stand to gain much. I see way too much social media declarations exhorting an unwillingness to vote for any of the seven Georgia gubernatorial candidates, for example, when each of the seven in the race are vastly superior to Burt Jones or Rick Jackson (apologies to Carr and Raffensperger, neither standing a chance on the right). It's also why I made an example of myself and shared that I've landed at voting for Jason Esteves but won't need to "hold my nose" to vote for whomever the nominee will be after May 19th and the likely run-off. I explain why Esteves is the most electable and why I believe that should matter to primary voters but also reveal that it was RIck Jackson's (way too early) attack mailer aimed at Keisha Lance Bottoms that settled it for me.Speaking of Esteves, he revealed earlier this week that his mother is in the end-of-life chapter, having Alzheimer's and being cared for via home hospice. He also reminded followers the importance of having an advance health directive prepared.His "sandwich generation" status is relatable, and for me, brought up an important reminder that far too many of us in this country don't even have the safety net of not being a fiscal burden for our loved ones; that the economic toll our seniors place on our kids and grandkids is avoidable with more from government invested in "us" and less in wars of choice.Finally, Senator Jon Ossoff's grilling of Tulsi Gabbard was a thing of beauty, but it also triggered my recollection of who Tulsi Gabbard used to be - notably when she sought the Democratic party's nomination for President in 2020. Hear as I take a trip back into time (thanks to her unblemished Youtube page) when Tulsi loathed Donald Trump and our country's insatiable appetite for war.

PLUS: Why is Donald Trump averse to listening to his experts when it comes to Iran?Social Circle city officials closed off and locked the newly-purchased DHS warehouse utility box - meaning "no water for ICE," and no access to sewer services, either. [RELATED: Quinnipiac poll: 64% want path to legal status for most undocumented immigrants] Georgia seems to be primed to move back to using hand-marked paper ballots ... by 2028. All this overhauling over one man who couldn't accept the result of one election and none of the others before, that same day, or since. Insane, but at least they're not racing to upend local and state elections' offices before November. Today I provided another reminder that the "Biden-flation" the right keeps pointing back to while shrugging off "affordability" concerns was sparked by a Trump-negotiated deal with OPEC to throttle back oil production for two years. Speaking of mis-applied credit/blame, conservative pols and pundits are breathlessly trying to blame the partial DHS shutdown on Democrats, impacting air travel throughout the country; but Democrats offered a carve-out to fund TSA and the other parts of DHS not named ICE or CBP .That being said, AFGE union leaders are noting the pain. The notable eight-year gap between Trump 1.0 ignoring his secretary of state - who told Congress Iran was 'fundamentally in compliance' with the JCPOA negotiated by President Obama and Iran - and Trump 2.0 ignoring his director of the National Counterterrorism Center has us where we are now: spending $1 billion a day in a war-like "excursion" with Iran that's also spiking oil and gas prices globally - while simultaenously making us less energy independent in shuttering coastal wind farms for no good reason. Also, while Trump boasts he knew the Strait of Hormuz would be choked off, he apparently never planned for it. If you haven't heard much about the plight of Rodney Taylor, my last two segments today will infuriate you. Arrested about fourteen months ago for a crime he'd been pardoned for more than fifteen YEARS ago, Taylor is set to be deported back to Liberia. He came here at age 2 with a medical visa to help his parents provide for him the opportunity overcome being a double amputee. Oh, the pardon? DHS simply chooses not to recognize it, plus he's a man of color so "off he goes!" While detained, he's literally dragging himself through excrement to get a shower (when he even can) and relying on other prisoners for food the days he can't get to the cafeteria to eat. It's disgusting.

The Rick Jackson v Burt Jones ad wars had been entertaining for those of us outside Burt Jones campaign HQ for a while now, but if we take a moment to study it all further, to note that - according to an email chain obtained by the AJC (I'm guessing Burt Jones' folks provided it) - Jackson baited Burt into taping a complimentary video using a foster children's charity to lure him in last fall, does it not give you what the young people call "the ick?" Meanwhile, stating the obvious, Burt Jones has now publicly said he believes Jackson is the source of all the money being 'Georgians for Integrity' attack ads targeting him. Friend of the show Keith McCants' latest Peanut Politics blog brings up a good point: Before the GOP Tests Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democrats Better Do It FirstHe's not wrong. As I've noted for a week plus now, the race for "second place" is on, as if the Democratic gubernatorial combatants have conceded the former Atlanta mayor will finish in position to be in a potential run-off. Keith's wondering why none of those candidates are taking shots at Bottoms while the current GOP front-runner - Rick Jackson - is.

Nothing like settling into the recliner Sunday evening to be rattled by the reality that the Trump White House should've known - prior to launching warfare on Iran - that the Strait of Hormuz ought to have been war-gamed (it has been, before) for becoming a deadly "choke point." That's what a 13-minute '60 Minutes' segment (yeah, on CBS, still) enlightened its audience to Sunday.Former Biden transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg - on CNN's 'State of the Union' Sunday - calling it "amateur hour." Joining Ron to discuss, CBS News national security advisor Dr. Jeff McCausland (44:30) Oh, and even before 20% of the world' oil supply got choked off, it turns out the late 2025 economic data was revised downward (and it wasn't good before that). So. Much. Winning. Maybe that explains why Trump's trying everything possible to will the economy into the black and of the red, by threatening (and failing, legally) Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. ---The TV flame war between Rick Jackson and Burt Jones is so one-sided it's almost bringing about some ... pity? ... for Burt. Almost. There's Jackson's attacks on Jones, with Jones opting to cast Jackson as a pro-Planned Parenthood businessman. That put Jackson on the defensive before putting out an ad featuring - get this - Burt Jones lauding Jackson just last fall. Oof. Meanwhile, as Ron noted last week, the AJC's Greg Bluestein noted the race for 'runner-up' in the Democratic gubernatorial primary is afoot. After the dust-up at the Stonecrest, Ga., forum between Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves, the Esteves camp rolled out a Duncan-targeted microsite with a vast array of screen grabs of Duncan's past press clippings and social media posts. It's effective - for those who'll go to it (but how many people will that even be?)

Democratic Congressional candidate Shawn Harris, a retired brigadier general & current cattle rancher, got Ron up early to talk run-off and long term campaign strategy. Good news: he still sounds optimistic.Georgia Recorder columnist Jay Bookman tapped in for a conversatio about the current and future legacy of Governor Brian Kemp. Is his pragmatic Republican style is fading as Georgia’s GOP shifts toward MAGA politics ahead of the 2026 races?Nora Benavidez from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation shared her and her organization's concerns about a proposed Georgia bill (SB 481) that could restrict public access to police body-cam footage and other law-enforcement videos. Ron also highlighted an Oscar-nominated documentary backed by Soledad O’Brien that features a security guard protecting an Atlanta abortion clinic, and wrapped with comedian Sterling Thrill for the Friday Funnies.Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #SeanHarris #JayBookman #NoraBenavides #SoledadOBrien #SterlingThrill #GeorgiaPolitics #BrianKemp #GA14

A Democratic gubernatorial forum got a little testy Wednesday night in Stonecrest, and Ron has the audio exchange. Each of the seven major candidates - former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan, state senator Jason Estevez, Olu Brown, state Senator Derek Jackson, and former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond - laid out their visions for Georgia—while Duncan and Estevez traded sharp barbs over voting rights and records. Hear the troubling verbiage Duncan used, the attack Esteves sought to land and Duncan's return volley. Duncan, looking to capitalize on recent and prominent Black endorsements, is due to have a fireside chat with the Georgia Men for Democracy Now PAC at The Gathering Spot.Later in the show, Cam Ashling, a Democrat running for Secretary of State, joins Ron to talk about election security, voter protection, and her plan to create more Georgia businesses while fixing the state’s licensing system. Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #KeishaLanceBottoms #JeffDuncan #JasonEstevez #OluBrown #MichaelThurmond #DerekJackson #CamAisling #GeorgiaPolitics

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Olu Brown joined the show to tackle Ron's queries on viability and the scant polling that doesn't have him on their radar. He spoke of his grassroots activism translating to his campaign while championing voting rights, education reform, healthcare expansion, and how he plans to tackle housing and transportation challenges across the state.Later, Jack Zibluk, a Democratic candidate in Georgia’s State Senate District 53 race, discussed his runoff campaign and the strategy to boost turnout in northwest Georgia. Ron also took a closer look at the special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and what they mean for Shawn Harris' short-and-long term viability. Later, Ron reviewed Senate subcommittee testimony from David J. Bier of the CATO Institute, who confirmed - much to Senator Lindsey Graham's chagrin - that immigrants - including the undocumented - have lessened the federal debt by more than $14 trillion in the last three decades. Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #OluBrown #Zibluk #GeorgiaPolitics #GA14 #ShawnHarris #ClayFuller #GeorgiaElections #GeorgiaGovernor

It seems forever ago we were all gripped by the "Fulton County v Donald Trump" summer court drama, but since Trump & his co-conspirators slipped out of DA Fani Willis' grip (and that of Jack Smith, too), it seems surreal to think that her office - and in essence the taxpayers of Fulton County - may be on the hook for the Trump defense team's $17 million legal tab, right?Whelp; here we are. Naturally her office can't possibly absorb that cost without it shuttering the office altogether, so at the very least, superior court judge Scott MacAfee threw her a lifeline - allowing the county to join in taking on the matter. On to discuss with me is CBS News' legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum. Then, the 2026 gubernatorial TV ads are getting nasty, with Rick Jackson going predictably anti-immigrant, Burt Jones trying (and mostly failing) to tie Jackson to Planned Parenthood and then there's Democrat Jason Esteves putting his chips on the table with a TV ad checking off a lot of the necessary boxes for him to be seen as viable by more than 4-5% of those polled. Finally, how on earth did the Atlanta Hawks' planned "Magic City" promotional night ever make it past a pitch meeting in the first place? The NBA put the brakes on the - ahem - "cultural" theme, and I just have to wonder why the league didn't have a system in place where they'd have to sign off on stuff like this anyway.

Ron launched into an important week, politically, in Georgia with Melita Easters, executive director of Georgia WIN List, who shared new data showing a record number of women running for office and Democrats competing in most legislative seats this cycle. They also discussed gerrymandering, crossover day at the Georgia legislature, election policy debates, and what - if anything - to make of sparse polling on the gubernatorial race. RELATED: Trump White House reportedly blocking intelligence report warning of homeland security threats in midst of Iran warCase Norton, a union camera technician and congressional candidate in Georgia’s 7th District, joined Ron to explain why he’s running. Norton talked about the slowdown in Georgia’s film industry, losing health insurance during slowdowns, and why working-class representation and healthcare reform are central to his campaign.Lastly, Ron reviewed a couple of notable op/eds: in them we have a conservative Ohio pundit whose views on immigration have made a complete 180 and a NYT conservative scribe who sees the lack of Christianity in today's GOP leadership as James Talarico provides insight into what an outspoken Christian serving constituents while remaining aligned with his values can look like from the left.Pedro Gonzalez: JD Vance's lies made me change my stance on immigrationDavid French: James Talarico Is a Christian X-RayTune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #MelitaEasters #CaseNorton #GeorgiaPolitics #GeorgiaElections #GeorgiaWINList #GA07 #WomenInPolitics #RonRoberts

The last few days saw a shakeup of sorts, notably with state Senator Elena Parent announces she won’t seek reelection, Rep. Saira Draper - who wasn't running for re-election - stepping up to qualify to run for that Senate seat, Nabilah Islam-Parkes pivoting from running for state insurance commissioner to challenging Senator Josh McLaurin in the party's primary.States Newsroom / Georgia Recorder eporter Kelcie Mosley-Morris joined to explain how federal anti-poverty (TANF) funds are being redirected to crisis pregnancy centers. Then Heather Hallett, founder of Georgia Majority for Gun Safety, discusses the Colin Gray verdict following the Apalachee High School shooting and the push for stronger gun storage laws.CBS News correspondent Willie James Inman breaks down the dramatic removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and what it could mean for immigration policy. Then, comedian Sterling Thrill joined Ron for the Friday Funnies as they react to the week’s political chaos. Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #ElenaParent #KelseyMosleyMorris #HeatherHallett #WillieJamesInman #SterlingThrill #GeorgiaPolitics #KristiNoem #GunSafety

On the day President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce he's replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following controversy over a costly DHS advertising campaign, Ron revisits one of the final "dress downs" Noem got - at hand of Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath. The detention of Atlanta-based quadriplegic barber Rodney Taylor drew McBath's ire, and rightfully so. Ron caught up with comedian Steve Hofstetter ahead of his show at Helium Comedy Club in Alpharetta. Together they discussed Steve's viral video criticizing a Kansas law targeting transgender driver’s licenses, how politics influences his comedy, and what it’s like hitting the road again just weeks after becoming a father. Back on news of the day, an aspirational Republican state legislator is trying hard to push a year-old bill to inflict punitive damage on cities and counties that don't handle homeless ness in their midst to the satisfaction of property owners. of course it does nothing to actually solve homelessness and actually makes that task more difficult by stripping financial resources. Democratic lawmakers lined up to say just that. Lastly, the Texas Senate primary race may be over, but the after-effects could be something for Democrats to have to overcome in order to win that seat in November. So what cost Rep. Jasmine Crockett - racism & misogyny or self-inflicted wounds?Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #SteveHofstetter #LucyMcBath #KristiNoem #RodneyTaylor #ImmigrationPolicy #TransRights #PoliticalComedy #GeorgiaPolitics

A Georgia jury delivered a historic verdict in the Apalachee High School shooting case, finding Colin Gray guilty on 27 charges after prosecutors argued he ignored repeated warnings about his son’s mental health and gave him access to the gun used in the attack. Ron and WABE criminal justice reporter Chamian Cruz, who spent hours in that courtroom, dug into what the conviction could mean for parental responsibility and future gun cases.RELATED: Professor & psychiatrist penned op/ed for AJC focusing on parental shortcomings and missed warnings that let Colt Gray down, too- - - State Senator Greg Dolezal released a controversial AI video that critics say spreads anti-Muslim rhetoric. It's par for the course with Dolezal, eager to get Trump's attention (and endorsement) by racing to the bottom, of late. Meanwhile U.S. Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock traveled to Social Circle to oppose a proposed ICE detention facility, even in a community that overwhelmingly voted against him.The actions of Dolezal and Warnock, Ron surmised, shows precisely what each party offers voters in this current political climate. One offers performative marginalization and demonization to pander to its base's lowest basal instincts while the other sees its elected leaders showing up where they weren't as popular on their election day. Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #ShemaineCruz #RaphaelWarnock #GregDolezal #GeorgiaPolitics #AppalacheeHighSchool #GunResponsibility #SchoolShootingTrial #SocialCircleGA

PLUS: Ossoff, slew of GA Democrats qualify. Meet the young candidate running for HD 4 and what impact will this session have on housing affordability, availability and advocacy for the unhoused? A couple notable bills are picking up steam under the Gold Dome; both a bit concerning. GA Senate Republicans want to return to hand-marked paper ballots (fine), but also to eliminate early in-person voting (why?). Also, now there's a push to limit transit referendums to once every eight years, particularly troubling in metro Atlanta when the region's already vastly underserved by mass transit and the state DOT is woefully behind on meeting vehicular needs. Sen. Jon Ossoff joined a long line of Democrats in Atlanta Monday to qualify for their 2026 races and greeted supporters afterwards with a somber-toned statement weaving the Iran conflict with affordability - both of which are top-of-mind with voters this cycle now.Ron was joined by Natalie Keiser, Executive Director of HouseATL, who explained how housing affordability, homelessness policy, and state legislation are shaping (or mis-shaping) Atlanta’s housing crisis. Then, meet the candidate Ron openly called for weeks ago: Quentin Postell, an under-30 candidate running for Georgia House District 4. Quentin explained why he entered the race and shared his concerns about “forever chemicals” linked to water contamination in Dalton and Whitfield County.Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #JonOssoff #NatalieKaiser #QuentinPostel #GeorgiaPolitics #PFAS #AtlantaHousing #GeorgiaLegislature #GeorgiaNews

It’s qualifying week at the Georgia Capitol, and Ron caught up with Dr. Everton Blair, the former Gwinnett school board chair now challenging Congressman David Scott in the Democratic primary. Blair explained why he’s running - particularly against an incumbent Democrat, called for new leadership in the 13th District, and weighs in on affordability, transportation, LGBTQ representation, and U.S. strikes on Iran.Then, Ron caught up with CBS News legal analyst Thane Rosenbaum for a break down on the high-stakes Georgia trial of the Apalachee High School father of accused school shooter Colt Gray — and whether criminal negligence applies.In hour two, CBS congressional correspondent Taurean Small joined to explain Congress’ response options in the aftermath of the President's military action in Iran before Ron showcases the many MAGA voices not on board.Lastly, once again decades of empirical data shows that anti-immigrant deficit hawks let the xenophobia win out over their fiscal conservatism because immigrants help to reduce the annual deficit. Oops. Tune in to catch the Ron Show weekdays from 4-6pm Eastern time on Georgia NOW! Grab the app or listen online at heargeorgianow.com.#HearGeorgiaNow #TheRonShow #EvertonBlair #DanRosenbaum #TaureanSmall #DavidScott #IranWar #MTG #GeorgiaPolitics #SchoolShootingTrial

Just days after realizing her gubernatorial campaign had no viable path forward and little more than 36 hours after announcing so, Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman granted The Ron Show her first extended on-air interview. In it, she doesn't hold back with her concerns about the viability of the remaining candidates to win in November and asserted she wouldn't support former GOP Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan were he to become the nominee. In the conversation, you'll hear - in her own words - how things came apart for her volunteer-heavy movement despite another campaign's internal polling showing she was the lone candidate making any positive gains. In the second half of the show, our weekly check-in with comedian and political satirist Sterling Thrill in New York City for a work project and stints at Laughing Buddha in Manhattan, plus Ron reviews the ad spending to date and to come and how Rick Jackson is not only outspending Burt Jones but is also the only combatant to pause Jones' "leadership committee" spending advantage through court action. Finally, Jay Bookman's most recent Georgia Recorder op/ed covers the bullying of Georgia towns by DHS/ICE and their disregard for impacts their massive, planned detention facilities will have on locals and their municipal governments. Oh, and while on the subject of mass deportation, Oklahoma's governor let slip the long-known, rarely spoken duality of GOP public xenophobia vs donor/employers' need for that sweet, sweet cheap illegally obtained labor. Oops.