Brendan Rivers

Roswell

Special Projects Producer and Reporter at WJCT-TV (Jacksonville, FL)

Lead Reporter at Jacksonville Today

Producing Plugged In for @wabenews and hosting/producing Bygone Jax: Our Unsung History for @wjctnews. #YNWA

Articles

What the 2025 legislative session reveals about Georgia politics

1 week ago | wabe.org | Brendan Rivers

Sam Gringlas , Rahul Bali , Brendan Rivers | WABE April 11th, 2025 The 2025 Georgia General Assembly is over. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss some of the major themes from the annual 40-day session....
Tensions high as Georgia lawmakers hurdle to the end of 2025 legislative session

2 weeks ago | wabe.org | Brendan Rivers

Friday is Sine Die, the deadline for bills to be passed before the end of this year’s legislative session in Georgia. Lawmakers have been scrambling this week to get bills through the House and Senate, and as hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss on this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” that has led to some tense moments at the Capitol.
Ossoff scolds Trump administration as he soft launches reelection campaign in Atlanta

3 weeks ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff soft-launched his reelection campaign at a boisterous rally in Atlanta this week on Saturday. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss how Ossoff and other Democrats are trying to channel frustration and fear about President Donald Trump’s moves to slash government and punish political enemies. Plus, lawmakers grapple with the fallout from a contentious vote on Gov.
Kemp’s top Georgia legislative priority clears major hurdle

1 month ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s top legislative priority has cleared a major hurdle. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss how the effort to curb civil lawsuits narrowly passed in the House.
Sen. Warnock faces voters as Trump official visits Georgia Capitol

1 month ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock went live on social media this week where the Georgia Democrat spent roughly 35 minutes answering questions from voters. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Rahul Bali and Sam Gringlas discuss how Warnock and other Democrats are grappling with the flurry of changes coming from Washington. Plus, President Donald Trump’s new Secretary of Agriculture visits Georgia and we check in on Gov. Brian Kemp’s top legislative priority, which is hitting some speed bumps.
Georgia lawmakers scramble to pass bills before key legislative deadline

1 month ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers |Jess Mador

Georgia lawmakers were working late on Thursday night as they raced to pass dozens of bills before the end of Crossover Day – a deadline for bills to advance out of at least one chamber of the legislature. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali take a closer look at some of the proposals that did and didn’t make it past this key deadline.
Fulton DA Fani Willis expresses no regrets in Georgia Trump case

1 month ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

A year ago, President Donald Trump was fighting 13 felony counts in Georgia for trying to overturn the 2020 election. At the time, the prosecutor who charged him, Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis, was seen as a rising star. Now Trump is back in the White House, immune from prosecution for the next four years, and Willis has been rebuked by the courts and is fighting to keep the case alive.
Georgia legislative priorities are on the move as General Assembly hits halfway mark

2 months ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

Georgia state lawmakers are now halfway through the 40-day legislative session. Between former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, the presidential inauguration and a snow storm, the session got of to a slow start. But now some big ticket items are on the move.
Georgia lawmakers, public dig into Kemp’s top legislative priority

2 months ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

Georgia lawmakers this week started digging into Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature policy push this session – overhauling the state’s civil litigation rules, often referred to as tort or lawsuit reform. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali bring listeners into the first committee hearing on the issue, where lawmakers and a packed room of observers got to hear from people on different sides of the debate.
At the Georgia State Capitol, debate turns to school safety and girls sports

2 months ago | wabe.org | Sam Gringlas |Rahul Bali |Brendan Rivers

Lawmakers are wrapping up a busy week at the Georgia State Capitol as they take their first votes on the budget and banning transgender girls from playing on girls school sports teams. On this week’s episode of “Plugged In: A WABE Politics Podcast,” hosts Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali discuss these and other new legislative proposals including on school safety.