Flurry of election bills advance in waning days of session

In the final days of the legislative session, new election bills could be fast-tracked. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Mark Niesse joined the podcast to discuss the GOP-backed bills. 

But first, University of Georgia Israel Institute Teaching Fellow Eli Sperling discusses the war between Israel and Hamas. The hosts look at the hornet’s nest of controversy U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer stirred up in a speech on the Senate floor calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “an obstacle to peace” and urging him to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the civilians in the Gaza Strip.  

But months earlier Jon Ossoff, Georgia’s first Jewish U.S. senator, gave a floor speech in which he was sharply critical of the toll the Israeli forces fighting Hamas were taking on Palestinians. More recently, Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock called for “an immediate cease-fire” to give aid to the Palestinians caught in the fighting. 

Then, Gov. Brian Kemp has been a big supporter of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s push to give Texas state and local authorities the power to arrest and prosecute those who are suspected of being in the country illegally. But on Tuesday, a rapid-fire ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court led to confusion over whether the law can take effect. 

LINKS TO TOPICS 

Warnock explains call for cease-fire  

Ossoff expresses fear about humanitarian crisis 

Jewish lawmakers condemn mounting Palestinian death toll 

Bill aims to make challenges to voter registration easier to file 

GOP senators call for fewer voting machines in many precincts 

Kemp backs Texas governor on immigration plan 

Confusion over Texas law on detaining immigrants 

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CREDITS  

Executive Producer- Shane Backler 

Producer- Natalie Mendenhall 

Engineer- Micah Middleton 

Editor- Matt Owen 

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