Today’s highlights include:
- A new push for Asian American votes in Georgia.
- Attorney General Chris Carr’s trip to the U.S. southern border.
- Members of Congress return from summer recess.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
New developments over the weekend raised fresh concerns that officials missed warning signs that could have prevented the mass shooting at Apalachee High School — details that will likely be pored over by Georgia legislators examining firearms measures and policy changes to prevent gun violence.
One bombshell came from The Washington Post, which reported the mother of the suspected gunman told relatives she called the school on the morning of the shooting to warn a counselor about an “extreme emergency.”
The Post also reported that the teen’s grandmother, Deborah Polhamus, met with a school counselor one week before the shooting to request help for him.
That wasn’t the only warning. The suspect’s grandfather, Charlie Polhamus, told CBS News that his wife Deborah went to the school the day before the shooting to warn “they were having some problems with him not going to school, and this kind of thing.”
And as our AJC colleagues reported earlier, Jackson County officers interviewed the suspect in May 2023 about a disturbing threat they had received from the FBI. But it wasn’t clear the officers had reviewed the details of the FBI’s tips before they conducted their brief interview with the teen and his father.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
There are also questions about whether authorities properly notified schools about the teen’s violent threats. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said on social media that local schools were alerted in 2023 “for continued monitoring of the subject.”
But Jefferson City Schools Superintendent Donna McMullan said in an email to parents Friday that school officials weren’t aware of the threats and have no record of an investigation.
Mangum responded over the weekend saying the only evidence her agency can find that shows administrators were contacted is a May 2023 email sent from an investigator to an FBI agent that “we have made area schools aware and will monitor this subject.”
State lawmakers are already taking a renewed look at gun policy and safety procedures. Now we’re hearing they may also review ways to improve data-sharing between schools and law enforcement officials involving students and others who have made violent threats.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., declined to name any specific changes the state should consider to prevent mass shootings. He also would not say whether Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, should push for a gun buyback program.
“There is no one single law that will stop all of these tragedies,” he said, but added that 14-year-olds should not have access to AR 15s.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
SEARCHING FOR VOTES. Vice President Kamala Harris’ Asian ancestry — her mother emigrated from India — makes her a natural landing spot for Georgia’s growing Asian American and Pacific Islander electorate. But to win their support, Harris and her allies will have to do something most politicians haven’t: talk to them.
In 2022, 56% of Asian Americans reported either uncertain or no contact from Democrats, according to the 2022 Asian American Voter Survey. The number was even higher for Republicans at 66%.
Now the AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee focused on turning out Asian American voters for Democrats, is looking to a familiar face — former state Rep. Bee Nguyen — to help reach those voters in Georgia.
Turnout among AAPI voters in Georgia increased 84% between 2016 and 2020, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu reported last month. Joe Biden won Georgia by just over 11,000 votes in 2020, the closest margin of any state.
“How our community votes — or whether we choose to show up at all — will be the difference between winning and losing in November,” said Nguyen, who is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees.
Volunteers will go door to door, handing out flyers about Harris in six languages: English, Hindi, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog. Their first canvas is scheduled for Saturday.
***
PARTY ON. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is planning a burst of events surrounding Tuesday’s presidential debate.
The Democrat’s aides say there are more than 180 watch parties planned around the state. And Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz, wife of vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz, is set to visit Georgia later this week.
In all, the campaign said more than 40,000 Georgians have signed up to volunteer for the campaign since Harris emerged as the party’s nominee. There are now 200 full-time staffers working out of 26 campaign offices.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
RURAL HOSPITALS. Georgia Democrats love to bash Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for refusing to expand Medicaid. But so far, the tactic hasn’t worked.
But a report earlier this year gave Democrats another argument to try: rural hospitals. Out of Georgia’s 30 rural hospitals, 18 are in danger of closing, per a report from the health advisory firm Chartis. All hospitals depend on Medicaid to help pay their bills, none more so than rural hospitals where the people they serve are more likely to not have insurance.
Former President Donald Trump previously vowed to repeal the law that made Medicaid expansion possible. That’s why Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is hitting that argument hard, especially in Georgia.
“Rural hospitals simply cannot survive another Trump presidency,” said state Rep. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek who is also an anesthesiologist.
Au was one of several Harris supporters in Georgia to participate in a virtual news conference last week, the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman reports.
Trump has since walked back his comments, saying in the spring he would want to make the health law “much better.”
Medicaid expansion might not be the silver bullet. California had to give an emergency loan to some of its hospitals last year, despite having expanded its Medicaid program more than a decade ago.
***
Credit: David Barnes/AJC
Credit: David Barnes/AJC
BORDER TRIP. Georgia’s Republican Attorney General Chris Carr visited the U.S. border with Mexico earlier this month. But he didn’t get a tour from the Biden administration. Instead, he was shown around by Mike Banks, the “border czar” appointed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Immigration is handled by the federal government but under Abbott, Texas is trying to do its own thing. A law Abbott signed last year would let state officials arrest and deport migrants who enter the country illegally. The Biden administration is suing to block that law.
Carr’s office said the trip lasted one day and was paid for by campaign funds. Carr was joined on the trip by fellow Republican Attorneys General Jason Miyares of Virginia and Alan Wilson of South Carolina. Carr’s office said he used campaign funds to pay for the trip.
“The Biden-Harris administration’s refusal to enforce the law has resulted in more than 11 million immigrants entering the country illegally and has turned Georgia and every state into a border state,” Carr told Politically Georgia in a written statement.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
THEY’RE BAAACK. Congress returns from its summer break today. But instead of the typically light election year schedule, lawmakers will be under pressure to keep the federal government funded to avoid a shutdown at the end of the month, the AJC’s Tia Mitchell reports.
Republicans in the House have a plan to do that. But it includes a proposal to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. That’s a nonstarter for some Democrats.
And even some Republicans might not support the measure, meaning it’s unclear if Speaker Mike Johnson has enough GOP votes to send the bill across to the Senate where it would be dead-on-arrival anyway.
***
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” the AJC’s Caroline Silva offers some of her public safety expertise following the fatal shooting at Apalachee High School. Then, Democratic strategist Rick Dent reviews political ads before Tuesday’s presidential debate.
You can listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
On Friday’s show, state Rep. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, talked about her efforts to pass gun safety measures in the General Assembly. In addition, former Cobb County GOP Chairman Jason Shepherd shared his perspective on the Apalachee High School shooting.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will speak at the White House celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act and marking Disability Pride Month.
- Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Philadelphia ahead of Tuesday’s presidential debate.
- The U.S. House is back from recess with evening votes scheduled on legislation regarding sanctions against China and other foreign adversaries.
- The House Rules Committee will meet to discuss whether to send to the floor legislation that temporarily funds the federal government.
- The Senate also is back from recess and will take a vote this evening to advance a judicial nomination.
***
TRUMP’S REPRIEVE. Former President Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case has been postponed until after the November election, meaning voters won’t know whether he is facing jail time until after they vote.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan on Friday said that he was delaying Trump’s sentencing until Nov. 26 “to avoid any appearance — however unwarranted — that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate,” the Associated Press reported.
In May, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony charges related to what prosecutors said was an attempt to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by covering up hush money payments to a porn star.
The sentencing had initially been scheduled for Sept. 18.
Merchan also plans to rule Nov. 12 on Trump’s request to overturn the verdict and toss out the case because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling issued in July.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. We’re 56 days away from the election. Here’s what’s happening today:
- Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz will speak at a “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour stop in Raleigh, North Carolina. Emhoff will also visit a field office where volunteers are phone banking.
***
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
SHOUTOUTS. Birthdays:
- State Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro (was Saturday).
- State Rep. Penny Houston, R-Nashville.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
***
AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
