Political Rewind: Gingrich and Jan. 6 committee; Graham must testify; Atlanta Medical Center closing

Caption

Atlanta Medical Center is closing after 120 years in operation.

Credit: Courtesy Google Maps

The panel

Eric Tanenblatt, @ericjtanenblatt, Global Chair, Dentons

Jim Galloway, @JimJournalist, retired columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Leo Smith, @leosmithtweets, political consultant

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, @mmo_mary, state representative, District 82

The breakdown

1. The Atlanta Medical Center is closing after 120 years.

• The move leaves Grady as the only Level I trauma center in Atlanta, blindsiding Grady leadership. 
• Rural communities are also losing access to healthcare. Statewide, clinics and hospitals are also experiencing staffing shortages. 

2. The U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 6 committee has asked Newt Gingrich to testify regarding contact he allegedly had with Trump's inner circle.

• Gingrich previously warned that if Republicans were to take Congress in November, the January 6th Committee would face jail time.
• The Committee alleges that between November 2020 and January 2021, Gingrich inquired about methods to decertify election results. 

3. U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May has ruled that Lindsey Graham must testify in the Fulton County special grand jury.

• This ruling marks the second of Sen. Graham's appeals lost in court.
• This comes after Judge Robert McBurney ruled that Governor Kemp must testify, but could wait until after the November election. 

4. President Biden referred to "MAGA Republicans", a group he notes are a minority of the Republican party, as a threat to democracy.

• Biden took a measured approach in condemning "MAGA Republicans", but the condemnation was some of the strongest language the president has used on the matter.
• An NBC poll shows that 53% of Democrats and 32% of Republicans see the future of democracy as the top issue going into the midterms, though the parties may perceive different threats.
• Stateside, the Carter Center's Democracy Program is focusing on domestic elections, launching a new program that fosters bipartisanship and confidence in elections.

Monday on Political Rewind: The Political Rewind team is taking off in observance of Labor Day. Our regular programming will be replaced with an episode of Farai Chideya's Our Body Politic.