State Sen. Burt Jones (R-Jackson) officially launched his campaign for lieutenant governor of Georgia on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones asked for an account of DEI spending after cutting $66 million from the USG.

Credit: Stephen Fowler / GPB News

The panel

Alan Abramowitz, @AlanIAbramowitz, professor emeritus of political science, Emory University

Chuck Williams, @chuckwilliams, reporter, WRBL-TV

Donna Lowry, @donnalowrynews, host, GPB-TV’s Lawmakers

Jim Galloway, @JimJournalist, former political columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

The breakdown

1. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones asks the University System to audit their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

  • After cutting $66 million from the University System of Georgia, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones took a page out of national conservatives' playbook, asking to see how much the educational organization spends on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
  • A likely candidate for governor in 2026, Jones follows an example set by the conservative Florida Legislature during its 2023 session.

LISTEN: Donna Lowry on the move to audit DEI programs.

2. Kemp, Raffensperger, Carr, and King won't attend Georgia's GOP convention.

  • Gov. Brian Kemp had previously announced he wouldn't attend, but he was joined in his decision by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, and Insurance Commissioner John King.

LISTEN: Chuck Williams on the GOP convention in Columbus.

3. Raffensperger says disinformation is the biggest threat to democracy.

  • At a Chicago conference of political reporters, Raffensperger defended voting machines and elections officials, saying instead disinformation from candidates and bad actors are the "weakest link" in American democracy.

 

4. Former Vice President Mike Pence testified before an election probe grand jury.

  • Pence testified in a Justice Department investigation into the effort to overturn the 2020 election. Donald Trump's legal team attempted to block the testimony multiple times.
  • The DOJ probe is one of several legal challenges Trump is facing. Fulton County DA Fani Willis announced indictments in her investigation could come this summer.

 

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Tags: Georgia  Georgia Politics  Politics  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  DEI  Burt Jones  sonny perdue  critical race theory