Rick Jackson unveils anti-trafficking proposal, debuts new attack ad
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Friday marks two years since the Apalachee High School shooting.
- Georgia activists press Congress to close cellphone data loophole in foreign surveillance law.
- Brian Kemp defends his healthcare approach.
Public safety push
Republican Rick Jackson is pressing his public safety message on two fronts: an anti-trafficking proposal unveiled at the Capitol on Wednesday and a TV attack launched Thursday morning casting his opponent as soft on crime.
Joined Wednesday by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the GOP nominee for governor pledged to extend parental controls, time limits and nighttime restrictions in a proposed settlement struck with Meta to other social media platforms.
And Jackson said he wants to steer the settlement money — which could top $100 million — toward locating missing children, prosecuting human trafficking networks and helping survivors rebuild their lives.
His campaign is pairing that pitch with a 30-second ad targeting Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ public safety record as Atlanta mayor.
The spot zeroes in on her elimination of cash bail for some low-level offenses and cuts to the city’s corrections budget, along with her declaration at the time that “this is not a plan that I just pulled out of the sky.”
Jackson’s campaign is seeking to tie those policies to a spike in violent crime and an exodus of police officers during her tenure.
Bottoms has defended her record by pointing to increased public safety spending, raises for police officers and firefighters, and her support for the controversial public safety training center that activists derided as “Cop City.”
Things to know
Good morning! Only 61 days left until the midterms. You’ve got 32 days left to register to vote. Now, here are three things to know for today:
- Democratic socialists aren’t about to take over the Democratic Party in Georgia. But their influence is growing, Shaddi Abusaid and Greg Bluestein report.
- Georgia’s political leaders are endorsing new guardrails around license plate cameras after a cascade of reports of law enforcement officers improperly using the technology, Bluestein reports.
- Politics columnist Patricia Murphy noticed something about the midterms this year: Where are all the candidates’ spouses?
Solemn anniversary
Friday marks two years since two teachers and two teenagers died in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. Their names:
- Christian Angulo, 14
- Ricky Aspinwall, 39
- Cristina Irimie, 53
- Mason Schermerhorn, 14
Their deaths prompted a debate about gun safety at the state Legislature. Lawmakers ultimately did not pass any gun restrictions. But a few months after the shooting, they passed “Ricky and Alyssa’s Law” that requires schools to install mobile panic alert systems and to identify and mitigate potential security threats.
The measure is named in honor of Aspinwall and Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.
Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp will join families from Apalachee High School for a brief ceremony at the state Capitol.
Data collection
Ten Georgia activist organizations have sent a letter to the entire congressional delegation asking members to oppose a reauthorization of a foreign surveillance law unless language is added to close a loophole that allows federal agencies to buy cellphone data for individual account holders.
The organizations, which includes the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Council on American-Islamic Relations-Georgia and Indivisible Georgia Coalition, said the Trump administration’s seizure of Fulton County’s ballots raises concerns about what information they could use to target Georgia citizens.
“No warrant. No judge. No oversight. No accountability,” the letter says. “The Fourth Amendment is supposed to require a court order before the government acquires data this intimate about people’s lives.”
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expired on June 12, and a long-term reauthorization is among the legislation congressional leaders hope to tackle by the end of the year.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast Democratic strategist Billy Linville joins the show to talk about why he’s endorsing Jackson for governor.
You can listen and subscribe to “Politically Georgia” for free on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
Kemp fires back
Kemp brought more than ceremonial remarks to a hospital groundbreaking in Murray County on Wednesday. He brought a rebuttal to his healthcare critics.
At the AdventHealth ceremony, Kemp said the new healthcare facility will stand as a rejoinder to politicians who “care more about their agenda than the truth.”
Then he added: “It’s a reminder that here in Georgia, we’re building and opening new health centers, even though the media would have you believe they only close down.”
It was his version of a comeback to Democrats who have long argued that his refusal to fully expand Medicaid leaves uninsured Georgians and struggling hospitals in the lurch.
Kemp has instead championed Georgia Pathways, a far narrower program that generally requires participants to complete at least 80 hours a month of work, education, volunteering or certain other activities to qualify.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump has no public events on his schedule.
- The House will vote on a bill that prohibits colleges and universities from receiving federal aid if there are campus boycotts against Israel or other allies.
- The Senate returns on Sept. 14.
Condolences
Former U.S. Rep. Charles Hatcher, who represented southwest Georgia, died on Tuesday at age 87.
Hatcher, originally from Camilla, represented southwest Georgia for eight years in the state House before being elected to Congress in 1980. He served until 1993 after losing in the Democratic primary to U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, who has represented the seat ever since.
He was later appointed to a post at the U.S. Department of Agriculture by President Bill Clinton and remained a resident of Alexandria, Va., until his death.
“He leaves behind a legacy of love and compassion through his work and the relationships he built,” Bishop wrote in a tribute.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- Walter W. Davis, statewide business court judge and co-leader of the securities litigation and SEC enforcement practice at Jones Day.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who is hoping his Senate campaign gets a boost from Trump’s $400 million MAGA Inc. war chest, was able to make his pitch during a dinner at the White House on Wednesday night attended by other Republicans in battleground races.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider information to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.