Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest sister, Christine King Farris, will lie in state on Friday, a high honor that will bring out the most powerful members of Georgia’s political elite.
Farris, who died on June 29 at 95, will become the fourth Black Georgian to receive the honor — a stark contrast from when King Jr.’s death in 1968 was met with a flat refusal from segregationist Gov. Lester Maddox to close the state Capitol for the Atlanta funeral procession.
For today’s service, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will both deliver remarks, and the Rev. Bernice King — Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter — will give the benediction.
Five Democratic state legislators are also set to speak.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
And the officiant of the ceremony? Vernon Jones, the party-switching former Democrat who briefly challenged Kemp in last year’s GOP primary before abandoning the race at former President Donald Trump’s request.
We’re told by several people close to the situation that Jones has a long history with younger members of the King family, and that his participation shows that the family’s appeal doesn’t stop at party lines.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LISTEN UP. Gov. Brian Kemp (almost ) closes the door on 2024. True the Vote gets sued by the State Elections Board. And Marjorie Taylor Greene goes from Freedom Caucus to free agent. It’s all in the Friday edition of the Political Georgia podcast.
Listen and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
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DEFENSE BILL. Republicans voted Thursday to add language to the annual defense policy bill that restricts paying travel expenses for service members who obtain abortions, ends diversity and inclusion programs, and prevents the government from paying for hormones or sex reassignment surgery for transgender people.
As a result, very few Democrats may be willing to support the amended National Defense Authorization Act during a final floor vote this morning. And if more than a handful of Republicans also vote against the package, it could doom a bill that usually garners wide and bipartisan support.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
The chamber’s top three Democrats — Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar — released a joint statement saying they will oppose the legislation on Friday.
“House Democrats will always put people over politics to protect our national security,” the statement said. “We will vote no on final passage of this bill.”
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, is among the conservatives who have said they will vote “no” on the NDAA, too. Greene’s opposition was cemented when the House rejected all three of her amendments on Thursday that would have stripped American financial support from Ukraine as it defends itself against an invasion from Russia.
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JILL BIDEN IN GEORGIA. First lady Jill Biden will travel to Augusta next week to highlight President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.
Jill Biden will be joined on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk.
The trio will meet with local officials and others leading the Investing in America Workforce Hub. They will also discuss local efforts to create jobs in the region in sectors like manufacturing.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
FULTON JAIL PROBE. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation of conditions in the Fulton County Jail, citing the Sept. 13 death of a homeless and mentally ill man in the lockup’s psychiatric wing.
The AJC’s Jeremy Redmon reports that DOJ officials also said they had found credible allegations that the jail is “structurally unsafe, that prevalent violence has resulted in serious injuries and homicides, and that officers are being prosecuted for using excessive force.”
The investigation will also focus on medical and mental health care in the jail as well as whether the Fulton Sheriff’s Office is discriminating against people with psychiatric disabilities.
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Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Credit: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
FEDERAL PRISON OVERSIGHT. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has reached across the aisle for his latest initiative to clean up the federal prison system.
Ossoff and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation Thursday that would make the Federal Bureau of Prisons director a position that must be confirmed by the Senate. Currently, the BOP Director is appointed by the U.S. Attorney General and not subject to Senate confirmation.
Several other Republicans and an independent senator have also signed on as cosponsors.
“Last Congress, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed the depth of chaos and dysfunction that has undermined security and civil rights in the Bureau of Prisons for over a decade,” Ossoff, an Atlanta Democrat, said in a news release about the legislation.
“I’m pleased to partner with Sen. McConnell on this bipartisan bill that asserts the Senate’s authority to confirm nominees for BOP’s leadership and hold them to the highest standards.”
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
MAINOR DISAGREEMENT. The letter has surfaced from state Rep. Mesha Mainor to Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon officially informing him that she’s switching from being a Democrat to become a Republican.
In the letter, Mainor described multiple conversations with McKoon and his wife, Jacqueline, ahead of her decision to switch parties.
“I look forward to working with you, Jacqueline, and other patriots to ensure that all Georgians and all Americans have access to the resources they need to realize their American dreams,” she wrote.
“I look forward to working with you, Jacqueline, and other patriots to ensure that all Georgians and all Americans have access to the resources they need to realize their American dreams.” Rep. @MeshaMainor’s letter to Georgia GOP chair @JoshMcKoon on her party flip. #gapol https://t.co/3v1iJIEV9u pic.twitter.com/N21QQP8XZW
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) July 13, 2023
Mainor has continued to get national attention, especially from conservative media, for her party swap since she made her announcement earlier this week.
Her switch was the subject of “The Five” on Fox News, when former Tennessee Democratic congressman Harold Ford Jr. said:
First of all, I salute this young woman for doing what I think every public servant should do. You serve your constituents and serve your conscience. And that may require you to leave your party at times, to vote against your party at times. She should be no more penalized for supporting ways — thinking more creatively and innovatively about how we educate kids that have been left behind than a Republican that votes for common sense gun safety laws.
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Credit: Christopher Lee/The New York Times
Credit: Christopher Lee/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- After a series of late night amendment votes, the U.S. House will vote on the amended National Defense Authorization Act.
- The Senate is done for the week.
- Back from his week in Europe, President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
MATERNAL MORTALITY. U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler, and Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, are teaming up to introduce legislation aimed at addressing maternal mortality rates, especially since Georgia ranks in the bottom among all states.
The Healthy Moms and Babies Act aims to improve maternal and child health by increasing access to services like telehealth, postpartum support and stillborn prevention programs.
The Georgia Hospital Association is an early supporter of the bill.
“We are confident that this Act will create meaningful partnerships, provide helpful data to stakeholders, and positively impact health outcomes for women and babies,” Anna Adams, GHA executive vice president for external affairs, said in a news release.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. If the phrase “man’s best friend” had a photo to go with it, it would have to be this shot of Maisie Rossano, the rescue West Highland terrier who calls Jolt subscriber Michael Rossano her person.
Along with being man’s best friend and likely man’s best back-seat driver, a reliable source tells us Maisie is also man’s best helper when it comes to grading papers from Rossano’s Kennesaw State University students, as seen here.
May we all have a friend as loyal as this little Westie, who is in a class by herself as our Dog of the Day.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
