WFAE All Things Considered NEXT UP: 6:30 PM Marketplace All Things Considered WFAE All Streams Charlotte Talks Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins Local News Roundup: Mark Meadows indicted; No Labels recognized in NC; Legislature overrides Gov. Cooper vetoes; Lyles endorses council candidate

Mark Meadows, former North Carolina representative and White House chief of staff, is one of 19 people indicted by a grand jury in Georgia for allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Meadows is facing charges of racketeering and solicitation of violation of oath of a public officer. Others facing charges include former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and North Carolina native and Trump lawyer Sidney Powell.

Elsewhere in politics, a group that may offer an alternative candidate in next year’s presidential election is officially on the ballot in North Carolina. No Labels is cochaired by former Charlotte mayor and North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory and may put forth a candidate of their own if Joe Biden and Donald Trump each win their party’s nomination. Critics worry this will help Trump win another term.

The North Carolina legislature has overridden several key gubernatorial vetoes.

A hot summer got even hotter this week with temperatures in the mid-90s and a heat index that topped 100 at times. Officials around Charlotte took steps to limit heat-related issues, including setting up cooling stations and assisting the unhoused.

UNC Charlotte football will be the subject of a documentary this fall on ESPN+. The 12-episode series will follow the team throughout the season. This is the first year the 49ers are playing in the American Athletic Conference.

And in a rare move, Mayor Vi Lyles endorses a candidate for city council.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters dive into those stories and more on the next Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

David Boraks, climate reporter at WFAE
Joe Bruno, reporter at WSOC-TV
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter

Fani Willis Takes on Trump: How bluster became a criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Black voters

The fourth shoe dropped this week, when Fulton County DA Fani Willis announced Donald Trump’s latest indictment, charging the former president, along with 18 others, for engaging in a sprawling criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Georgia voters. Trump has been responding by lashing out against Willis and voters in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

Guest: Rick Hasan, professor of law at UCLA and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project.

Georgia voters spoke. Is the GOP listening?

One of South Carolina’s senators must have an incredibly low opinion of Black Americans, their intelligence and judgment. The evidence? His sad, almost laughable closing argument as he barnstormed for Herschel Walker, who lost his runoff race challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and won’t be joining Lindsey Graham as a Republican colleague in Washington, D.C.

Graham did not talk about Walker’s proposals or plans for the people he would represent in the state of Georgia. He never mentioned Walker’s experience, which consisted of long-past football glory and running some businesses with a debated degree of success. In fact, Walker’s buddy barely let the candidate speak in TV appearances where Graham tried for “sidekick” but instead came off as “handler.”

No, Graham’s final arguments for the Donald Trump-endorsed Walker went something like this absurd statement he yelled more than stated on Fox News: “They’re trying to destroy Herschel to deter young men and women of color from being Republicans.”

Graham said, “If Herschel wins, he’s going to inspire people all over Georgia of color to become Republicans and, I say, all over the United States.”

No, senator. In fact, the reality turned out to be quite the opposite.

If corporations are people, they just might have an opinion

That Pepsi bottle on the counter looks so out of place. My husband has always been a Diet Coke man. It’s a matter of principle, he tells me, even as he admits he prefers “The Real Thing.” Coca-Cola’s statement disapproving of Georgia’s new voting restrictions was too little, too late, and that’s that, he says. All of that puts the Atlanta-based soft drink giant in a bind, since even its belated critical stand was too much for backers of the bill, who are also banishing Coke from their own fridges, they say.

What’s a company to do?

I can’t feel too sorry for Coca-Cola, Delta and the rest, though, since they’ve been playing the political game forever while pretending to be above it all. And I have to stifle a laugh at the Republican politicians who are admonishing corporations and sports leagues now that the bills the GOP instigated aren’t getting a pass. These are the same pols who eagerly accepted campaign donations and good PR in days past.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is astute enough to recognize why his furrowed brow and outraged words are landing with a thud. It’s why his story is constantly changing. He told companies to stay out of politics, was called on it, then said he meant to only offer advice that business leaders read the fine print before opening their mouths and closing their pocketbooks.

Congress Debates Ways To Protect U.S. Capitol, MLB Takes A Stand On Georgia’s New Voting Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Congress debate how to protect the U.S. Capitol and the people who guard it.  This comes as a memorial grows for Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans who was killed Friday.

And, Major League Baseball announced this season’s All-Star Game and Draft will not be held in Atlanta.  The move is in response to the recently passed election law in Georgia that critics say would make it harder for minorities to vote.

WCCB Charlotte’s Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in.

Mary C. Curtis: Calls to Boycott Georgia Over New Voting Law

CHARLOTTE, NC — Growing calls from sports and businesses to boycott Georgia over the state’s new voting law.

Justice groups are urging sports organizations, like the PGA tour and major league baseball, to reconsider holding upcoming major events in the state.

Delta airlines and Coca-Cola, two of Atlanta’s biggest brands, are also facing boycott threats.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses will the effort work.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

You can also check out Mary’s podcast ‘Equal Time.’

POLITICAL WRAP: Election Integrity or Voter Suppression? Voting Laws in Spotlight

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Election integrity or voter suppression?

Controversy is growing over the new Georgia election law.

Republicans are also pushing back on legislation that could add federal mandates on how elections are run.

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis gives us her take in the video above.

Mary C. Curtis: Georgia Senate Runoff Races

CHARLOTTE, NC — Democrat Raphael Warnock is set become the first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. Warnock defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in Tuesday’s runoff elections. The other runoff race between Republican David Perdue and Democratic challenger John Ossoff is still too close to call. The party that wins the race between Ossoff and Perdue will take control of the senate.

WCCB political contributor Mary C. Curtis has more on the high-stakes race.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

You can also check out Mary’s podcast ‘Equal Time.’

 

President Trump and The Georgia Phone Call

President Trump is again insisting he won Georgia and says he wants to find the votes that proves he did.   The President pressing that issue during a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and legal staff. We examine the call and some the other issues for a critical political week in America that includes a Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election that will determine political power in the senate and the certification of the electoral college.

POLITICAL WRAP: Georgia Senate Runoff; GOP Members Challenge Electoral College Count

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A busy week ahead as the outcome of the Georgia runoff election will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden will both be in the Peach State tomorrow, campaigning ahead of Tuesday’s election.

Then Wednesday, a showdown in Washington, as a dozen Republican senators vow not to certify Joe Biden’s victory, until there’s an emergency investigation into the election.

That’s despite no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis gives us her take.