This week’s serving of Gold Dome Nuggets may contain traces of cornbread, Brunswick stew and 15-year-old funny dog pictures. Plus, should students read about plus-size women of color posing nude to increase their self-esteem?
Let’s dig in.
CORNBREAD
If Georgia were an insect, what kind of insect would it be?
That’s an easy one – the honeybee, the official state insect, as designated by the Legislature in 1975.
There’s also the shoal bass, Georgia’s official state riverine sport fish. Contributed by Flint Riverkeeper
Every day, state leaders make weighty decisions like how to encapsulate Georgia’s rich history in a butterfly (the tiger swallowtail) or how to instill every Georgian heart with pride in the form of a folk dance (square dancing).
Dalton Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter wants to correct that oversight, and he’s revived a bill that would enshrine cornbread as Georgia’s official state bread.
Rep. Kasey Carpenter celebrates with a bowl of cornbread and pinto beans after the House passed his bill to make cornbread Georgia’s official state bread. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder (2024 file photo)
Carpenter shepherded a cornbread bill through the House in 2024, but it failed to get a vote in the Senate.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: we used every cornbread pun known to mankind last year, so that’s why there aren’t any here.)
“It’s back, baby, it’s back, it’s a reunion tour,” Carpenter said from the House floor Wednesday before the vote on this year’s bill.
The House approved elevating cornbread to the state’s latest symbol 157-4, but not before peppering Carpenter with questions.
“Is it also a possibility that we could label any cornbread not made from the state as foreign cornbread?” asked Dawsonville Republican Rep. Brent Cox, a reference to a recently-passed bill requiring restaurants to label imported shrimp (the official state crustacean).
“I don’t think we’re gonna go that far,” Carpenter said with a laugh.
Brunswick stew supporter and Republican state Rep. Rick Townsend. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Marietta Democratic Rep. Mary Frances Williams tossed out a cultural hand grenade:
“Can you answer the age-old question that has caused many a family break-up and fight: do you or do you not add sugar to cornbread?” she asked.
A consummate politician, Carpenter tried to play to both sides.
“I do add a pinch of sugar,” Carpenter said. “I think if you study the history of cornbread, the corn used to be a lot sweeter than it is now once they started mass producing.”
Cornbread was not the only Southern delicacy to earn special distinction from the House Wednesday.
Rep. Rick Townsend, a Republican from Brunswick, presented a bill to name Brunswick stew Georgia’s official state stew.
“It goes with many things, whether it’s biscuits, crackers, and especially cornbread,” Townsend said. “It’s delicious stew.”
Rep. Miriam Paris, Brunswick stew opponent. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Not everyone agreed with Townsend’s assessment. Macon Democratic Rep. Miriam Paris displayed a surprising amount of antipathy toward the tomato-based stew.
“Is it not true that if you took a poll in here today, that this bill would lose?” Paris asked. “If you took a poll in here today, would it not be that 51% of these people would say they don’t like Brunswick stew?”
“It would still be the best stew in Georgia,” Townsend said.
As it turns out, they did take a poll. The House voted 152-2 to make Brunswick stew the official state stew, with Paris and Dallas Republican Rep. Joseph Gullett opposed.
Paris did not respond to a request for comment.
DEI
Sen. Max Burns. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
A Q and A on a bill in a Senate Committee Thursday started with a question about the presenter’s pronouns.
“Let me start off with a couple of questions. What’s your pronoun?” asked Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Max Burns, a Sylvania Republican.
“Your majesty or your highness,” said Tyrone Republican Sen. Marty Harbin.
“That’s interesting,” Burns said with a laugh. “Does that question offend you?”
“I know what I am, and I know that I am a male, and I would take he and him, and that’s where I am. I believe there are two sexes, male and female,” Harbin said.
The two were discussing a bill Harbin said would remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from Georgia’s public and private universities. It was not scheduled for a vote.
Harbin said DEI programs have become tools of ideology rather than inclusion.
Sen. Marty Harbin watches as a speaker opposed to his bill gets a standing ovation. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
“Too often they result in a campus culture where dissenting viewpoints are silenced, where professors fear retribution for presenting alternate perspectives and where students self censor themselves to avoid accusations of insensitivity or bias,” he said. “Academic institutions should encourage the marketplace of ideas and not a dogmatic adherence to a singular worldview. When certain perspectives are deemed unacceptable simply because they do not align with DEI principles, we replace education with indoctrination.”
Several dozen people came to the committee to oppose the bill.
“When we learn about different cultures, perspectives, and histories, we become better thinkers, leaders, and citizens,” said high school student Laila Erold. “This bill attempts to stifle that growth, and I will not stand by and let it happen. By silencing discussions on race and identity, SB 120 perpetuates ignorance and fear. It tells us that our struggles don’t matter, that our voices don’t matter. We’re not just students, we are activists, and we will fight for our right to learn in an environment that embraces rather than shuns diversity.”
Harbin said he was bringing the bill on behalf of a constituent’s daughter who had several galling experiences at Georgia College and State University.
“When she joined her sorority, she was required to pick a pronoun to describe her and what she was. And she said, ‘I know what I am. I should not be required –’ but she was required, in order to join, she was required to have to fill out the form as it was,” he said.
The freshman had another problem with one of the texts in her English class, Harbin said.
“The requirement was this article, this was read, had to be read in class,” he said. “And I will not read the title of it. You can read the title yourself there because I don’t want to offend anybody, but if you read that, that was read in class by each of the students, (they) had to sit there and go through that and read different parts of this, and she was extremely offended.”
The title of the article was “I’m a plus-size woman of color. Posing nude in front of strangers helped my self-esteem.”
DOGE
The photo of Kabosu, a Shiba inu dog, that led to the original doge meme. Photo by Atsuko Sato, retrieved from https://kabosu112.exblog.jp/
For centuries, the word “doge” was nothing but a childish misspelling for man’s best friend. For a brief window from about 2013 to 2025, doge described a silly little dog that people on the internet could use to make jokes, as well as a niche cryptocurrency.
But from January to an unknown point in the future, DOGE is the Department of Government Efficiency, a chaotic government agency dedicated to rooting out waste, spearheaded by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
Sandy Springs Democratic Sen. Josh McLaurin may have become the first Georgia senator to take to the well with an internet meme printed out on Senate letterhead Monday when he wielded a picture of the doge meme to speak against Georgia’s “Red Tape Rollback Act,” which supporters billed as Georgia’s version of DOGE.
In the broken English typical of doge memes, McLaurin’s picture read “so Senate, Red, very tape, much legal, wow.”
McLaurin is accustomed to using humor to make a political point – he regularly takes on the persona of a news anchor to roast President Donald Trump’s second administration from the Senate well, sometimes earning chuckles even from his Trump-supporting Republican colleagues.
He said he used the doge prop to illustrate the disdain he says the administration shows toward institutions and the people who make them up.
Sen. Josh McLaurin. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
“I think the challenge with using humor in politics is it’s got to be a type of fun that everybody can get behind, or at least most people can get behind, that’s not at somebody else’s expense,” he said. “Genuine fun for the sake of fun lightens all our spirits, but when somebody is couching something destructive or mean or insulting as a quote-unquote ‘joke,’ then it takes on a different character. That’s my criticism of the use of the doge meme federally, is that it’s being used to dismantle the government, to strand USAID employees overseas, to fire a bunch of people illegally who do great work and depend on those paychecks. There’s some things that a meme can’t make funny, and that’s in that category.”
Speaking with the Recorder about memes and humor in politics Friday, McLaurin used Vice President JD Vance – McLaurin’s former college roommate – as an example of someone who uses comedy to punch down.
McLaurin referred to a 2021 tweet from Vance after actor and outspoken Trump critic Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed a cinematographer while filming a movie. Vance called on Twitter’s then-CEO to reinstate Trump’s then-canceled account so the then-former president could comment on his detractor’s misfortune, which many panned as insensitive in the wake of the tragic accident.
“When he was confronted about that, he said something like, ‘the country wants authenticity and wants people to lighten up,’” McLaurin said. “My sense is that the country does want people to lighten up. The country does want authenticity. But the country doesn’t want leaders who are authentically an a–hole.”
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-23 13:33:00
(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock says ethics questions about his housing and financial disclosures already have been answered.
A conservative nonprofit in Washington is asking the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics for an investigation. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust says information on his housing provided by Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he’s been senior pastor since 2005, hasn’t been disclosed and his outside earned income is in question.
In an email to The Center Square, a statement from Warnock’s office says, “Reverend Warnock sought and received explicit approval from the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee on this matter. The ministry-owned housing is not income. Rather, it is a customary benefit provided to the senator because of his ongoing position as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a position he has held for the past 20 years.”
The nonprofit said before moving into a $989,000 luxury home in Georgia provided by the church, he was receiving $7,400 in monthly housing allowance. It also said he sold his previous home to buy one in the Washington area.
Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, said she is hoping the committee will act promptly on the request.
“There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances – they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused,” Arnold said in a statement. “Among other factors, it’s critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done – and then the value be disclosed. It’s difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot.”
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-22 12:06:00
(The Center Square) – An ethics organization is accusing Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of accepting housing from his church and not including it on financial disclosures.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust is asking the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics for an investigation, according to a letter on the organization’s website.
The complaint says Warnock moved into a $989,000 luxury home in Georgia provided to him by Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the senator is pastor. Before Warnock moved into the residence, he was receiving a $7,400 monthly housing allowance from the church.
“Since moving into the luxury home, Sen. Warnock has not included any information about being provided housing on his financial disclosures,” the complaint said. “In addition to the undisclosed housing, he has reported receiving an annual income from the church just under the maximum outside earned income limit, for instance $31,815.12 in 2023.”
Warnock sold his former Georgia residence and purchased a home in Washington, the organization said.
Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, said she is hoping the committee will act promptly on the request.
“There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances – they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused,” Arnold said in a statement. “Among other factors, it’s critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done – and then the value be disclosed. It’s difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful getting comment from Warnock through his office prior to publication.
The 2026 race for Georgia governor is shaping up with candidates from both parties now entering the race.
Gov. Brian Kemp cannot run for a third term, leaving the keys to the governor’s mansion up for grabs.
Meet the declared candidates
Sen. Jason Esteves. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Democratic Atlanta Sen. Jason Esteves announced his candidacy Monday with an introduction video highlighting his experience, including as a former teacher and chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education. In the video, titled “Underdog,” Esteves took aim at what he characterized as radical Republicans in the state government following the lead of President Donald Trump.
“I’ve had enough of families working harder than ever but still struggling and our kids falling behind instead of getting ahead,” Esteves said in his announcement video. “Yet extreme politicians in Georgia push Trump’s reckless agenda, rig the system for special interests and stick us with the bill.”
As Esteves read these lines, the screen flashed with images of Trump, Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Esteves’ only announced Republican rival, Attorney General Chris Carr, who became the first to throw his hat in the ring in November.
Attorney General Chris Carr speaks at the 2025 Georgia Faith and Freedom Luncheon in Atlanta. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Carr’s campaign has highlighted his experience in law enforcement, especially operations targeting immigrants, gang members and human traffickers.
“For decades, we’ve been the best place to live, work, raise a family and build a business,” Carr said in his introductory video, titled “Keep Georgia Strong.” “That hasn’t happened by chance. It’s happened because we’ve had leaders who are willing to make tough decisions, put Georgians first and stood strong in the face of adversity. Progressive activists are trying to radically transform our values and our economy. As your attorney general, I’ve made it my mission to keep Georgia safe.”
Carr has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s second-term agenda, but their relationship hasn’t always been chummy. In 2022, Trump called Carr “a disaster every step of the way” and backed an unsuccessful primary challenge against him after Carr declined to investigate Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Meet the maybe candidates
Lt. Gov. Jones, a Republican who is widely considered likely to enter the governor’s race, is considered a more steadfast Trump ally – Jones was one of Georgia’s so-called fake electors, who met at the state Capitol in 2020 to cast votes for Trump even after his loss to Joe Biden was officially certified.
President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones at a rally in Zebulon in 2024. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Jones’ closeness to the president could benefit him in a Republican primary, but it’s less clear whether his tightness with Trump will help or hurt in a general race. How Trump shapes the race will likely depend on how Georgians’ view the chief executive during the buildup to next year’s election season.
“If the economy goes bad, if inflation is up, if unemployment is up, then some of the luster may be taken off of Trump,” said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. “Now, for the MAGA folks, it probably doesn’t matter, but for the critical element of independents and, in the general election, of white, college-educated voters, if Trump’s attractiveness has been substantially reduced, then that certainly works for the advantage of Democrats.”
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another rumored but unconfirmed candidate, could also make a reasonable play as someone Trump-skeptical conservatives and independents could back.
Raffensperger was on the other end of the now-infamous 2021 phone call in which Trump called on him to “find” enough votes to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election. Raffensperger declined, earning the ire of Trump and many of his supporters.
Firebrand conservative Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is another member of the maybe column – she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” podcast back in February that she was open to either a run for the governorship or for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, which is also on the ballot in 2026.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
On the Democratic side, one much-speculated candidate seems less likely to have her eyes on Kemp’s job than she did last year.
Democratic Congresswoman Lucy McBath hasn’t ruled out a run entirely, but she announced late last month that she was suspending her bid as she focuses on the health of her husband, who recently underwent surgery for cancer.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who recently served as an advisor to former President Joe Biden, told 11Alive News early this month that she plans to run for governor.
Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has not ruled out a run – and neither has former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who became a household name after narrowly losing to Kemp in 2018 and again by a wider margin in 2022.
A crowded Democratic primary could be just the thing to dash the Dems’ dreams, Bullock said, if the intra-party attacks get too intense.
“If they get into it, then a lot of money will be spent within the primary, and sooner or later, even though they may start out simply singing their own praises, there would be a tendency to go negative, especially if at least three serious candidates get into it so you have a run-off. That’s when attacks really become strong.”
The elephant in the room
Gov. Brian Kemp. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Kemp is reportedly considering a run at Ossoff’s seat.
Many Republicans would be thrilled to see Kemp’s name on the ballot next to Ossoff’s – Kemp enjoys relatively high approval ratings and has shown he can win statewide races in campaigns for governor and secretary of state.
But Kemp – whose name has also been floated as a potential presidential candidate in the future – may see moving to the Senate as a downgrade, Bullock said.
As governor, Kemp has sway over all aspects of state government, but he would be one of 100 in the Senate, and as a newly elected senator, he’d be too low on the seniority rankings to chair any important committees.
“He’s going to be far less visible in that role, the scope of his influence is going to be tiny compared to what he has now,” Bullock said. “He’s not going to be living in a mansion. He’s going to be living probably in an apartment, maybe in the Watergate building. He’s not going to have an SUV and a state patrolman to drive him around.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Once Kemp makes a decision, expect plenty of dominoes to fall afterwards.
Georgia Fire and Insurance Commissioner John King has said he would consider a run for Senate if Kemp does not. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper has also publicly teased the idea of running.
“Conceivably, virtually the entire hierarchy of statewide Republican officials could give up their current positions, which would be then just wildness in terms of primaries, probably on both sides, of candidates running for each of those statewide offices,” Bullock said. “You may well clear out a large share of the state Senate and some of the state House. It may be if you show up January of 2027 at the Capitol, you may not recognize anybody because they’ve all run for something, cleared out the state Legislature. So this could be an extraordinary election cycle in Georgia.”
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Assessment: Center-Left
The content primarily focuses on the upcoming gubernatorial race in Georgia, presenting information about various candidates from both major political parties. It features a Democratic candidate, Sen. Jason Esteves, who is characterized as progressive, particularly in his criticism of Republican leaders and their alignment with Trump’s agenda. This framing suggests a critical stance towards the conservative party and its policies. Additionally, the article highlights the controversy surrounding Republican candidates and their affiliations with Trump, which may imply a negative viewpoint of these figures.
While the piece includes perspectives from both Democrats and Republicans, the emphasis on the Democrats’ campaign strategies and criticisms of Republicans gives it a Center-Left political bias. Overall, the content leans toward a more critical view of conservative politics while presenting Democratic candidates in a favorable light.
