Sandy Springs runoff sparks party rift: Dontaye Carter responds

A lot of ground covered today ...

Ron opens with the political jolt in Sandy Springs, where Democratic State Rep. Esther Panitch crossed party lines to endorse former Georgia GOP chair and incumbent mayor Rusty Paul. Ron speaks directly with mayoral candidate Dontaye Carter, who outlines why the endorsement misrepresents his record, inflames racial dog whistles, and reflects deeper issues of elitism and accountability inside Democratic circles. Carter also details his platform on affordability, representation, and the demographic challenges facing Sandy Springs as it heads into a pivotal runoff.

Next, Ron turns to an in-depth interview with Dr. Daniel Canso of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, who explains why eliminating Georgia’s state income tax would shift billions in costs onto working families while delivering disproportionate benefits to the wealthy. His breakdown of sales tax expansion, regressivity, and long-term budget impacts offers essential clarity for voters.

Ron then examines Donald Trump’s latest outburst — a call to punish Democratic lawmakers for reminding military members of their duty to refuse illegal orders — and digs in on who the target audience for the Democrats' video was and how the Trump administration is already giving illegal orders by blurring National Guard call-up titles.

How about an evidence-based look at immigration data, for once? Ron dives in after Rep. Buddy Carter’s letter to DHS Secretary "cosplay" Kristi Noem calling for ICE agents to invade metro Atlanta. Ron theorizes he was "triggered" by a report earlier this week that showed Georgia is 6th in the U.S. in terms of undocumented immigrant population. May work in the primary, but Georgians overwhelmingly oppose mass deportations.

Finally, author Dennis Brennan joins the show to discuss his new book drawing historical parallels between Aaron Burr and Donald Trump, offering a fascinating lens on political power, perception, and mythmaking.

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