lisa rayam

On this week's Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Atlanta Civic Circle Director Saba Long discuss Atlanta's housing crisis. Wages have not grown with housing costs. There's also an overall scarcity on the market. 

Are rent control and restrictions on landowners the solution? Or is it building more housing?

With Atlanta's population expected to grow to around eight million people by 2050, Democrats and Republicans are now taking up the issue under the Gold Dome.

Democrat Donzella James introduced Senate Bill 125 earlier this month. It would allow local cities and counties to set their own rates.

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As a judge considers whether to disqualify Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis from the election interference case, Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and Atlanta Civil Circle Director Saba Long weigh-in on Willis's testimony during last week's hearing.

Willis is accused of having an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, who's the special prosecutor working on the case.

A political conversation is also brewing about headlines describing Willis as combative, defiant and angry, in her testimony to defend her ability to lead the Georgia election interference case.

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Georgia's long-serving Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott has a challenger in the party's May primary. 

Democrat Marcus Flowers raised more than 16 million dollars to challenge alt-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and represent Georgia's 14th Congressional Distict. He lost in the general election in November of 2022. 

We discuss the chatter surrounding the opposition to Scott. 

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This week on Political Breakfast, Atlanta and politics mixed with the Super Bowl. 

Besides the 75-yard touchdown the Kansas City Chiefs pulled to win in overtime Sunday night, Atlanta's own R&B singer Usher put on a star-studded halftime performance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He represented with Atlanta performers and singers, even shouting at the end "I turned the world to the A." 

Strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson and host Lisa Rayam also discuss Super Bowl ads that played the political field. 

And the group turns back to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp stressing that Republicans need to move away from the 2020 election and issues like the age of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. We take a dive into the internal GOP debate on the future of the party. 

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On this week's Political Breakfast, the team talks about a new book called 'Find Me the Votes' by investigative journalists Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman.

They share intimate details about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis "the person" and her prosecution of former president Donald Trump, and 18 co-conspirators, in their alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election results. 

The book also focuses on the Georgia Republicans who resisted Trump, and endured notorious threats on their families and on their lives.

A note of disclosure: The book was released before accusations were made against Willis and her special prosecutor Nathan Wade having a romantic/improper relationship. 

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It's back to the drawing board on this week's live episode of Political Breakfast.

State lawmakers are convening at the Georgia Capitol for a special session to redraw maps for Congress and the state legislature. 

U.S. District Judge Steve Jones recently found the current GOP-drawn maps from 2020 violate the federal Voting Rights Act, and dilute the power of Black voters. 

But voting rights plaintiffs -- including the ACLU of Georgia -- say they still have "legal concerns" about a newly-proposed state Senate political map released this week. 

The maps must be redrawn by Dec. 8th. 

Republican Strategist Brian Robinson and CEO of the Atlanta Civic Circle Saba Long weigh-in with host Lisa Rayam on a live edition of Political Breakfast.

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This week on Political Breakfast, strategists Tharon Johnson and Brian Robinson look at the latest New York Times poll showing despite his several felony indictments, Donald Trump is leading in 5 critical battleground states, including Georgia. 

According to the poll, voters said they trusted Trump over President Joe Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration. 

Plus, Trump's outbursts while testifying on the stand during his civil fraud trial in New York. 

And Georgia lawmakers sat on a surplus of roughly 16 billion dollars in unspent funds at the end of the last fiscal year. That's likely to spark debate during the 2024 legislative session beginning in January. 

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On this week's Political Breakfast, a long-anticipated appearance from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. 

   Dickens gives the latest on so-called 'Stop Cop City' ballot referendum efforts. 

  Dickens has seen the body camera footage of former Atlanta police officer Kiran Kimbrough trying to arrest Atlanta church deacon Johnny Hollman. 

  Hollman died after being tased during a traffic incident back in August. Why Dickens feels this case supports the reasoning for building a public safety training center. 

  Plus, Dickens responds to the violence in Israel and in the Gaza Strip, and talks about affordable housing initiatives here at home. 

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This week on Political Breakfast, Governor Brian Kemp declares a state of emergency in Georgia over record-high inflation and suspends the state's gas tax. 

Strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson also weigh-in on Kemp being a part of the national conversation for a potential run for U.S. Senate. And the latest in Atlanta's so-called 'Cop City' saga. City officials announced Monday they are not able to start verifying tens of thousands of signatures submitted by activists trying to stop the planned public

training center. 

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On this week's Political Breakfast, strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson and host Lisa Rayam react to Donald Trump's historic mug shot selling mugs. 

Trump's election campaign announced that the scowling photo of the former president taken during booking in the Fulton County Jail has raised more than 7 million dollars, with much of the money coming from merchandise. 

Plus, the latest poll from the Atlanta Journal Constitution shows that Trump is still leading with Republicans in Georgia, despite his indictment on charges related to conspiring to overturn the state's 2020 election result. 

And in wake of Trump's indictment and 18 other alleged co-conspirators, threats have emerged against local lawmakers and Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis. 

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On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, the team talks about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' critics. Or at least one in particular---State Senator Clint Dixon. After Donald Trump and others were indicted for election tampering, Dixon took to social media to say he's filing a complaint against Willis with the newly created Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission. 

Her crime? He says because he says she's making moves to become what he calls a "leftist celebrity."

Plus, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina gets a high-profile Georgia endorsement for the GOP presidential nomination. Will it help even though Trump continues to surge in the polls?

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This week on a live version of Political Breakfast, the team tackles the news of the Fulton County grand jury's 41-count indictment of Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, accusing them of conspiring to overturn Trump's 2020 presidential loss in Georgia.

Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones was NOT named in the indictment, but many believe he played an integral role. Brian and Tharon discuss the fact that a special prosecutor may be appointed soon to look into Jones' involvement.

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This week on Political Breakfast, the team tackles the prospect of a former president being indicted by a Fulton County grand jury. Host Lisa Rayam along with strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson address the severity of another Trump indictment and how that could weigh on Georgia's constituency.

Plus, the race for Georgia governor in 2026 is simmering with more and more names of potential Democratic and Republican candidates.

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On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, more on Georgia Rep. Mesha Mainor's switch-a-roo. Formerly a Democrat, Mainor is now the first Black Republican woman to ever serve in the state General Assembly. Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Atlanta Civic Circle head Saba Long discuss what Mainor's move means for both Democrats and Republicans.

Plus, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he will support any GOP nominee picked to run against President Joe Biden, including Donald Trump. The team analyzes Kemp's latest appearance on national tv.

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On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, will Georgia Governor Brian Kemp seriously consider running for President? More and more Republicans are calling on Kemp to join the crowded pool vying for the GOP nomination . Kemp hasn't taken any concrete steps to run, but he remains a part of the national conversation. 

Plus, the Political Breakfast team reflects on the lives of Marvin Arrington, Sr. Bill Shipp and Dr. Christine King-Farris.

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On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is calling on lawmakers to make tampering with a voting machine a felony that carries a minimum sentence of 10 years. 

That's Raffensperger's response to critics who say he should instead upgrade the Dominion Voting system software ahead of the 2024 presidential election. 

Host Lisa Rayam asks Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson to weigh-in. 

Plus, the team talks about the surprise announcement from DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston that her office will opt out of prosecuting the so- called Cop City protestors who were arrested.

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This week on Political Breakfast, a group of Democratic lawmakers including Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams are pushing a joint resolution to negate a clause in the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution -- that permits the use of slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime. Currently the 13th Amendment says, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Plus, court records released recently have caused questions to swirl about just how secure the Dominion Voting machines are here in Georgia. At issue is the software that has been deemed by cybersecurity experts as being "vulnerable."

 Georgia Secretary of State officials say any updates will have to wait until after the 2024 presidential election.

Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling sits down with host Lisa Rayam and strategists Brian Robinson and Tharon Johnson.

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On this week's edition of Political Breakfast, former President Donald Trump is set to give the keynote address at Georgia's GOP convention in June. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger say they will not attend the convention, as they urge the party to move on from the 2020 widespread election fraud rhetoric.

Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican Strategist Brian Robinson join host Lisa Rayam to discuss if Trump coming to town forces state Republicans into a stalemate. 

The three also look at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially jumping into the Presidential race, including the stalled launch on Twitter. 

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Florida is Georgia's neighbor, but according to the NAACP, the Sunshine State may not open the front door for everyone. The civil rights organization issued a formal travel advisory calling the state "openly hostile” to minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Plus, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms are both on a list of Americans banned from going to Russia.

And the latest on Governor Brian Kemp's economic development trip to Israel in an effort to raise his profile and strengthen business ties with the country.

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This week on Political Breakfast, host Lisa Rayam, Democratic Strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican Strategist Brian Robinson are all back for the first week of spring and the final days of the legislative session under the Gold Dome. 

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are pushing the Fulton County prosecutors' office to throw out the special grand jury report that looked into alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump’s lawyers also want Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis disqualified from pursuing charges.

Plus, Republicans came into this year's session with a handful of top priorities, including a plan to reign-in so-called "rogue prosecutors." Willis calls the sudden oversight push racist, as Georgians just elected more minority DAs to office in 2020 than ever before. 

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