Georgia

Happy Friday! The Breakroom returns to discuss controversies surrounding the Confederate flag, Trump’s cell phone, and… fruit juice. Then, we talk about the issues with Plant Vogtle, debate whether white guys should cook ethnic food, and vote on the best way to prepare shrimp. Our guests are Soumaya Khalifa, Greg Williams, Tomika DePriest, and Eric Segall.

The High Museum of Art is presenting “Andy Warhol: Prints from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” from June 3 through September 3. The retrospective features more than 250 prints and ephemera by Andy Warhol. We speak with Michael Rooks, Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art at the High Museum. 

"Comfort Women" refers to the women and girls trafficked by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. This was one of the largest known cases of human trafficking in modern history. A memorial was slated for the Center for Civil and Human Rights, but it backed out in March.

Nearly half of the Atlanta Ballet has left the company. Now, five members have formed their own, called the Terminus Modern Ballet Theater. We talk with co-founders John Welker and Tara Lee about what motivated the break, and the mission of the new group.

The summer season brings plenty to do in Savannah. Marcia Banes of Old Savannah Tours has her top picks for this weekend.

One thing that marks the post-civil rights years is the rise of hip hop in Atlanta. DJ Jelly had a front row seat as Atlanta became a hip hop hub. He’s been playing tracks here since 1990. We asked him to contribute to our occasional series Georgia Playlist. He chose songs by Kilo and Sammy Sam.

The Civil Rights Movement in the South is well-documented. But one author says what happened next can use more explanation. Regina Bradley is author of “Boondock Kollage: Stories from the Hip Hop South.” It offers 12 short stories chronicling Southern life in the post-civil rights era.

Today on “Political Rewind,” our first live show since last week and there's so much to get into.

First up, news on the hotly contested 6th congressional district race. Greg brought the breaking news that Karen Handel has agreed to four debates with Jon Ossoff between now and the June 20 runoff. Handel has been avoiding discussion of debates until now; what does this move indicate? And are black voters the key to an Ossoff win?

The wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp has been raging for nearly two months, burning more than 152,000 acres near the Florida-Georgia line and sending dark smoke across the region. Now, new research shows that smoke could have a bigger effect on the climate than previously thought. Georgia Tech Professor Rodney Weber says it all comes down to a different type of carbon emissions - called brown carbon.

President Donald Trump promises to bring back factory jobs by cracking down on imported products from Mexico and China. But many worry he will trigger a trade war—and end up wiping out jobs, not creating them. As Jacqui Helbert reports with the Center for Public Integrity, Northwest Georgia could end up one of the biggest losers of all.

Beneath the “Buy American” roadside signs here, a globalist heart beats in this mostly rural corner of Northwest Georgia.

A new report finds more feature films were made in Georgia than any other market. In 2016, our film production even outpaced Hollywood. We discuss the film boom with AJC Buzz Blog writer Jennifer Brett, and Craig Miller of Craig Miller Productions in Atlanta.

The Braves — The Gwinnett Braves, that is — are changing their name. And they want your submissions for name ideas. We discuss what’s behind the rebranding, and how it’s supposed to help the minor league team grow its fan base, with Sunny Mehta, Director of Clyde Group Sports; and Joel Feldman, an Atlanta-based attorney who focuses on sports branding.

The late singer Gregg Allman inspired many musicians like rapper Killer Mike, Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls, and Mike Mills of REM, to name just a famous few. They shared their favorite songs by the Allman Brothers Band.

 Killer Mike - "Whipping Post"

We celebrate the life and legacy of Georgia singer and songwriter Gregg Allman, who died over the weekend. Allman revolutionized rock and roll in the South. He spoke with "On Second Thought" host Celeste Headlee in 2015 shortly before he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Allman explained how he got his start singing with The Allman Brothers Band and what Macon means to him. He also revealed the origins of the song “Melissa,” and he took a stand for artists who struggle to make a living.

Gregg Allman died over the weekend at the age of 69. He and his brother Duane revolutionized rock and roll in the South. Chuck Reece, editor of The Bitter Southerner, shares a remembrance of a musician who helped shape his worldview.

All this month, we visit historic theaters in our state, to mark National Historic Preservation Month. Our series finale is a visit to Brunswick’s Ritz Theatre. The theater opened in 1899 as a grand opera house and began showing movies in the 1920s. It has been a part of life for many in coastal Georgia — like Gwen Mayberry and her grandson, Daniel.

I’m really thrilled about this edition of “Political Rewind.” For some time, we’ve hoped to coax into our studio a man who became one of the important leaders of print and broadcast journalism in the 20th and early 21st centuries. We finally persuaded Tom Johnson to join us and share stories about his life and career.

At this weekend’s Atlanta Jazz Festival, singer Freddy Cole takes the stage. Cole is the younger brother of jazz great Nat King Cole. Freddy released an album last year called "He  Was  The King,"  a tribute to his brother, Nat. We talked with Freddy about his storied career, and his brother’s legacy. 

The Breakroom gang joins guest host Adam Ragusea to weigh in on the week's news. The panel includes Ed Sohn of Thomson Reuters, Fayette County Commissioner Steve Brown, Savannah Magazine editor Amy Condon, and Amber Scott of the non-profit Leap Year.

On a recent Sunday morning just after dawn in a lush backyard in Atlanta, Clay Graham stood silent, all eyes and ears.

“Ok, so that’s a Carolina wren calling about ten meters out,” he said. “A cardinal just chipped maybe 20 to 30 meters away.”

In the soft light, he scribbled down the names and positions of the birds he observed. If he could see or hear them, he could catch them.

There's plenty of fun in Savannah this Memorial Day weekend. Jessica Leigh Lebos of Connect Savannah and Joshua Peacock of Do Savannah share some of their top recommendations.

Marvel’s "Black Panther" wrapped shooting last month in Atlanta. It’s just one example of a welcome change we’re seeing in comic books: the rise of black superheroes. Two Atlanta-based authors are adding to the stack with, “Tuskegee Heirs: Flames of Destiny.” The comic series weaves African-American history with an epic mission to save the planet.

If you love kittens, this is your time of year. It’s kitten season, when cats are having babies. But Dawn Dress knows what it means to have too much of a cute thing.

“It means instant overload to animal shelters, to animal control, to rescues...it means an enormous influx of kittens,” Dress said.

Dress said that makes what she does pretty hard. She runs Kitty City Cat Rescue, a cage-free shelter that pulls at-risk cats from kill shelters.

 It’s National Preservation Month and Jennifer and Scott Nutgrass have a reason to celebrate. After spending  years in Warner Robins, they’re planning to call Macon home.

"We’ve always had an interest in trying to preserve a home," Jennifer said. "We would drive up to Macon and look at all the old homes. At the time, we had one little boy and one on the way so taking on a fixer-upper just wasn't in the cards."

Today on “Political Rewind,” we explore President Trump and the media. It has been a fractious relationship for decades, but has greatly intensified with Trump in the Oval Office. Is the "mainstream media" giving Trump a harder time than previous occupants of the White House?