Gov. Brian Kemp is in the middle of his third trip overseas in six months, using the lull between Georgia’s frenzied political seasons to sell international companies on Georgia as a place to do business.
Kemp’s trip this time is to the nation of Georgia, along with several days in France for the Paris Air Show. Unlike most people’s associations with air shows as a place for historic planes and loop-the-loops, the Paris Air Show has become a high-tech aerospace showcase for international aeronautics firms, including Lockheed Martin and Georgia-based Gulfstream.
Kemp posted a series of photos to social media from Paris over the weekend, including one uncaptioned photo of him chatting with several people at a reception. But take a close look at the group and you’ll see two of Kemp’s fellow Republican governors, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas.
It wasn’t a Republican Governors Association event in Paris — just other states’ chief executives who are also at the air show and competing with Kemp to convince companies to locate or expand in their states. Also in Paris are governors from Oklahoma, Connecticut, Utah, and Washington state. With Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigning for president, Florida’s lieutenant governor is in France instead.
Along those lines, Kemp announced early Tuesday morning that Pratt & Whitney will expand its Georgia manufacturing operations by hiring an additional 400 employees for its Columbus campus. The expansion will also add 81,000 square feet to the Columbus Engine Center, which manufactures GTF jet engines.
Kemp has made the strength of Georgia’s economy his top selling point to Georgia voters. Ensuring more jobs in the state, even with a shaky national economy, is a key piece of Kemp’s strategy and how his second term will be measured.
***
Credit: AJC file photo
Credit: AJC file photo
NIGUT OUSTED. Georgia Public Broadcasting canceled the nine-year run of the popular “Political Rewind” show and announced the ouster of its host, Bill Nigut, on Friday.
In a commentary posted on Facebook, one of your Insiders has some insight on how it happened. Full disclosure: Nigut is a friend and your trio of writers are frequent guests on his show.
But suffice to say we’ve heard plenty of frustration from GPB listeners and Nigut fans outraged that the network axed its mainstay show. Many see political pressure as the reason behind the move. (GPB rejects that notion, saying through a spokeswoman there was no push from the state-appointed board.) But it wouldn’t be the first time.
Back in 2012, former Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers was given a $150,000 salary to produce an economic development program shortly after he stepped down. He was fired in 2014 before airing a single show when the Legislature targeted the station’s economic development department for cuts.
And in 2021, the Republican-controlled Legislature threatened a roughly $500,000 cut that then-director Teya Ryan at the time saw as payback for the station’s “perceived liberal bent” after coverage of the 2020 elections.
She staved off those cuts. But this year, Ryan couldn’t prevent GPB’s budget from being slashed by roughly 9%, or $1.4 million by the state Senate.
When she retired in May, one of her successor Bert Wesley Huffman’s first decisions was to fire Nigut, cancel Political Rewind, and pursue a broader “realignment with the organization’s core mission” that pulls back on its political coverage.
***
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
BIDEN’S MCBATH CONNECTION. If U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, ever runs for Georgia governor, you can bet that President Joe Biden’s recent shoutout will factor into her campaign.
As Biden spoke to gun safety advocates and survivors of gun violence on Friday at the National Safer Communities Summit in Connecticut, the president praised McBath for her ongoing campaign for tighter firearms restrictions after the shooting death of her teenage son Jordan.
“Lucy carries her son Jordan in her heart,” he said. “She proves you can run for office ending gun violence in the South and you can win — only by about 20 points or something like that — I’ve never come close.”
McBath flipped a GOP-held House seat in 2018 and defeated an incumbent Democrat in a neighboring district last year when the Republican-controlled Legislature turned her territory into a conservative stronghold. She’s now seen as a leading Democratic contender in the wide-open race for governor in 2026, in part because of her wide base of national donors.
In his remarks, Biden also alluded to the personal connection he shares with McBath. Biden has lost two children. Neilia, his then-13-month old daughter, was killed in a car accident in 1972, along with Biden’s wife. His son, Beau Biden, died from brain cancer in 2015.
“Lucy, I know this isn’t easy for you,” Biden said to McBath from the podium. “I know this isn’t easy. I remember.”
***
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
JUNETEENTH REFLECTIONS. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams made an appearance on ABC News’ streaming channel on Monday to talk about the significance of Juneteenth and her attempts to pass a constitutional amendment that formally ends slavery in America.
“As we’re commemorating Juneteenth, when every enslaved person learned that they were actually free in this country after slavery had already been abolished, one thing that most Americans probably don’t even know is that we still have an exception clause in the U.S. Constitution and the 13th amendment that allows slavery for punishment for a crime,” Williams said.
Her bill would remove any references to permissible forced labor in the Constitution. She acknowledged the uphill battle in passing the proposed constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds approval in both chambers of Congress.
Williams, D-Atlanta, noted that while she served in the Georgia Senate, she filed a bill to make Juneteenth a state holiday but it never got a hearing. President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday three years later in 2021. Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law making it a paid day off for state employees in 2022.
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House and Senate have evening votes scheduled.
- President Joe Biden will meet with artificial intelligence experts in San Francisco and then deliver remarks on his administration’s efforts to address risks created by artificial intelligence.
- Special counsel John Durham will meet behind closed doors with the House Intelligence Committee.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE. Saturday will mark one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, paving the way for new laws in conservative states limiting access to abortion.
Georgia’s 2019 law effectively banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect weeks later.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be rolling out coverage throughout this week regarding the impact of the ruling, but Maya T. Prabhu has an overview of how things have changed over the last year:
- The number of abortions performed in Georgia dropped by nearly half, to the delight of anti-abortion activists.
- Women seeking to terminate their pregnancies now have fewer options in the state.
- Those with the means are often traveling to other states where abortion access is less restrictive.
- Some doctors are unclear about the new law and have hesitated to act in some cases where pregnancies have complications.
- Lawmakers have tried to change the laws in different ways and the courts could still weigh in on Georgia’s abortion restrictions.
***
MORE HALL WAYS. Cody Hall, a top adviser to Gov. Brian Kemp, is picking up a new role: senior vice president at Ascent Media. The political consulting firm calls itself a full-service creative agency, with high-profile political and corporate clients across the country.
It’s also the same agency behind the launch video for the Hardworking Americans PAC, which Kemp launched recently to raise money for federal campaigns.
Hall will continue as Kemp’s policial lead running the Hardworking Americans PAC, and also continue working alongside communications guru Stephen Lawson at Full Focus Communications.
***
Credit: Nicole Craine/The New York Times
Credit: Nicole Craine/The New York Times
KILLER EMMY. Mike Render, the Atlanta-based rapper and entertainer known as Killer Mike, won a Southeast Emmy for his WABE interview program “Love & Respect with Killer Mike” over the weekend.
Love & Respect made headlines during the 2022 campaign season, when Render interviewed both Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker.
The show has also featured one-on-one conversations with political leaders like former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, entertainers like Jack White, and talk radio host Eric Erickson.
***
DOG OF THE DAY. After a few days of resting our paws, the Dog of the Day is back with a good one. Meet Bandit Rodatus, the “kinda sorta rat terrier” who calls AJC subscriber and Gwinnett County Senior Judge Robert Rodatus his person.
Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
How did a judge end up with a dog named “Bandit?” We’re told Bandit was originally named for his distinctive face mask, but he has since been caught in the act of stealing socks and potholders.
Lately, Bandit has upped his game to include swiping TV remotes and Apple watches. He’s officially a “rescue dog,” but the judge suspects the Witness Protection Program may be involved. We concur.
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.
***
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.
