GA lawmaker’s move to shield carpet industry from PFAS fallout should yield a Democratic opponent

PLUS: a SE Georgia community wants nowhere near a nickel refinery, McBath brilliantly plays Pam Bondi & GA Repub infighting ratchets up

• In Northwest Georgia, Republican ⁠Rep. Kasey Carpenter is reviving legislation that would shield carpet manufacturers from PFAS “forever chemical” lawsuits⁠, even though investigations have found ⁠contamination in local water and communities.⁠ Democratic Congressional candidate ⁠Shawn Harris has the preferable messaging⁠, but he’s not running against Carpenter; so where is the Georgia HD 4 candidate who will, Ron wonders.
• Meanwhile, ⁠Richmond Hill residents are fighting a proposed nickel refinery near schools and wetlands⁠, drawing painful parallels to the 2024 Conyers chemical fire. Hear Ron catch up with a friend who moved, with her husband and daughter, from Conyers fresh off a 2024 environmental disaster, who’d like to avoid having moved to the potential for another.
• Plus, the Georgia GOP governor’s race takes a dramatic turn as ⁠new polling shakes up the field⁠, and Ron highlights how the ⁠RNC is looking to let Donald Trump decide who should be Georgia Republicans’ nominee⁠ instead of voters. Then, of course, there’s more⁠ legal infighting about fundraising⁠, because, of course Repubs who champaign unfettered money in politics can also hate the unfairness of money in politics.
• Lost in all the Pam Bondi noise was this brilliant, powerful exchange between ⁠Rep. Lucy McBath and Attorney General Pam Bondi⁠ during a heated House hearing. That said, it’s hard not to enjoy / revisit the popcorn-snacking exchanges that has even conservative pundit ⁠Erick Erickson calling for Bondi’s ouster.⁠
• ⁠AJC contributor Jamie Dupree sums up the fruitlessness of the GOP’s clamoring over the SAVE Act⁠ as Ron notes the deep flaws that’ll even impact MAGA voters.
• Lastly, between Bondi’s antics and the reaction to ‘Bad Bunny’ by Megyn Kelly, it has to be pointed out that it’s notable what MAGA conservative get worked up about and what they don’t. Florida-based minister ⁠Joe Smith wrote in his Substack about the dichotomy⁠, and there’s something for misguided MAGAs (and sometimes even outraged liberals) to do some soul-searching over.