At just about suppertime on Thursday, Gov. Nathan Deal served up an email that attempted to wring some good out of a sour news day.

There were no details, no repetition of the allegations that the top staffer for the state ethics commission had improperly intervened in an investigation of complaints lodged against the governor. Just this:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, rather than report the news, attacked me viciously during my 2010 campaign.

Sadly - they are at it again.

I don't have to tell you, the liberal news media will stop at nothing to slander conservatives. Articles attacking me and other conservatives have been baseless, factually flawed, and give journalism a bad name.

… Help me fight these attacks by making a contribution to our campaign today. Your donation of $100, $50 or even $25 will help me push back against liberal noise and attacks from the mainstream media.

My commitment has always been to the families of Georgia - not to an out-of-touch newspaper.

As long as we’re all in a commercial, free-enterprise mood, this may or may not be the time to point out that 99 cents – not $100, $50 or even $25 – will grant you 24 hours of access to the inner sanctums of the AJC. But be forewarned: Even our monthly subscribers aren't awarded Superior Court judgeships.

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According to a poll just conducted for the governor’s favorite out-of-touch fish-wrapper, Nathan Deal is relatively good shape, politically speaking.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll has found that 49 percent of respondents approve of his performance and 24 percent disapprove.

That's a solid, if not overwhelming, number that matches the results of the January poll commissioned by the AJC.

But drill down deeper into the poll and there's more encouraging signs for Deal. Some 65 percent of self-described Republicans think he's doing a good job and only 9 percent disapprove. (The rest are undecided).

That's bound to give his GOP challengers, Superintendent John Barge and Dalton Mayor David Pennington, some heartburn.

Among the independent voters crucial to a general election victory, 50 percent approve of Deal's performance and 25 percent disapprove. And among Democrats, a surprising 46 percent are fans and 36 percent aren't.

Deal's strongest bastion of support is in his north Georgia base, where 68 percent see him favorably. That number shrinks to 39 percent in metro Atlanta.

The poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 12-17 -- before the governor's latest problems surfaced -- among a random sample of 801 Georgia adults, whether or not they intend to vote next year, including users of cellphones. The results from have a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

Get ready to see the above paragraph again. The newspaper plans a series of stories on the polls, starting Saturday with polling on immigration and continuing with results of questions on health care and gay marriage.

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U.S. Rep. Tom Graves of Ranger, it's time for your close-up. The Georgia congressman has emerged as one of the leaders of the House Republican "defund or bust" movement. He's got time with Fox News' Sean Hannity this evening, and will be on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday morning.

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Heartfelt congratulations go out this morning to Monroe County’s Plant Scherer. The coal-fired Georgia Power plant has been designated the largest single source of climate-change pollution in the nation, according to a report released Thursday by Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center.

From Amy Leigh Womack of the Macon Telegraph:

The nonprofit organization announced the report’s release at a news conference, a day before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release a set of rules governing new coal power plants.

Jennette Gayer, a state advocate for Environment Georgia, said Georgia ranks eighth in the nation in carbon pollution.

Plant Scherer, a coal-fired power plant in Juliette, emits more carbon pollution than the state of Maine, she said.

Mark Williams of the Southern Co. quickly sent over the following this morning, referencing a Twitter message we sent out on the topic:

"This report – which repackages data from 2011 that has already been released and made public a year ago – refers to carbon dioxide emissions solely. All of the particulate matter emissions – sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury – have been decreased dramatically at Scherer through the installation of environmental controls. So I think your characterization of this as the 'top single-source of pollution' is a little misleading."

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The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has outraised its Republican counterpart again in August, $3.3 million to $1.86 million, according to Politico.com:

The DSCC finished the month with $9.4 million cash on hand and $10 million in debt at the end of July.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee finished the month with $4.8 million in cash and $2.5 million in debt. Then, on Sept. 3, they paid back all of their debt — which an official said leaves them with $2.3 million cash on hand….

 “We have a long way to go, but we are raising the resources we need to defend our incumbents, hold our open seats and play offense in Georgia and against Mitch McConnell in Kentucky,” said DSCC executive director Guy Cecil.

Senate Republicans sidelined their top fundraiser earlier this month.

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A senior aide to Sen. Johnny Isakson got the formal go-ahead to start a new job in November as Georgia's top job recruiter.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development's board formally approved Chris Carr as the agency's new commissioner. Carr's been Isakson's chief of staff in Washington since 2007 and was tapped by Gov. Nathan Deal to replace Chris Cummiskey, who is headed for a gig with Southern Co. 

Here's how the shakeup will impact Isakson's staff.

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The AJC’s Politifact Georgia today takes a look at this statement from the Political Line blog: "Since sequester began federal employment has been subtracting 6,000-7,000 jobs per month."