Live in Atlanta for the Georgia Primary

Summary

Balance of Power: Live in Atlanta for the Georgia Primary

Date: May 18, 2026
Host: Joe Mathieu (with Kailey Leinz)
Podcast: Bloomberg – Balance of Power
Special Guests: Angel Cabrera, Shirley Franklin, Killer Mike (Mike Render), Chuck Leavell

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Balance of Power" comes live from the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, focusing on the Georgia Primary and the larger social, political, and economic forces shaping the state—and the country. Host Joe Mathieu interviews a slate of key Georgia leaders and icons, including the president of Georgia Tech, a former mayor of Atlanta, a globally renowned hip-hop artist/community leader, and a legendary musician/conservationist. The conversations center on youth anxieties in a changing economy, political engagement and turnout, the implications of redistricting, the future of creative work in the AI era, and the state's unique role in shaping national outcomes.

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Key Segments and Insights

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1. The Youth Perspective: AI, Education, and Economic Fears

Guest: Angel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech
Time: 01:23 – 11:14

Main Topics:

• Dramatic changes in the job market and technology’s effect on recent graduates
• The critical importance of education—especially tech literacy and critical thinking—in the age of AI
• Rising anxieties about economic challenges (fuel prices, housing, inflation)
• Georgia Tech’s proactive approach to integrating AI literacy across all disciplines

Notable Quotes:

• On student fears:
  “This is one of the biggest inflection points driven by technology … maybe we haven’t experienced anything like this. It creates uncertainty, creates a little bit of fear in among this graduating class, but honestly, it also generates a huge opportunity.”
  — Angel Cabrera (02:38)

• On the new role of education:
  “If you live in a world like we live now, where the computer can code better than the human, or can write, or can do research … What does the human do? Well, you better be able to ask the right questions, to have the capacity to critically analyze the answers ... So all those, if you will, are questions that lie outside of technology.”
  — Angel Cabrera (03:37)

• On shifting education strategy:
  “AI is changing everything ... it is forcing us to rethink how we teach everything. But not to see AI as the enemy, but to see it as this incredibly powerful creative tool. It is forcing us to raise the level of the thinking and the analytical competence of our students.”
  — Angel Cabrera (06:31)

Important Timestamps:

• 02:38 – Technology-driven uncertainty & opportunity for graduates
• 04:45 – Liberal arts and critical thinking in the AI era
• 07:23 – Changing approaches to student writing in the face of AI tools
• 07:46 – Federal research grants fuel Georgia Tech and Atlanta’s growth
• 09:28 – Navigating inflation in higher education

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2. Washington & Global Headlines Interlude

Guest: Tyler Kendall, Bloomberg Washington Correspondent
Time: 11:55 – 16:33

Highlights:

• Update on escalating US-Iran tensions and oil prices impacts
• U.S. Treasury issues a temporary waiver on some Russian oil amid supply crunch
• Military options on the table due to stalled nuclear negotiations and expanded naval blockade

Notable Quotes:

• “President Trump is very unhappy with the counter proposal that Iran has put forward. So a lot of moving headlines here, but at the moment still seeing this escalation when it comes to regional allies.”
  — Tyler Kendall (15:12)

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3. Political Engagement & Georgia’s Changing Electorate

Guest: Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta
Time: 17:35 – 27:26

Main Topics:

• Record early voting turnout and the issues energizing Atlanta/Georgia voters
• The legacy of political engagement in Georgia (“politics is not new to us”)
• Changes in demographics and immigrant political participation
• The stakes of the gubernatorial and Supreme Court races, the cost of campaigns, and the risk/redistricting debate
• Nonpartisanship in judicial elections and the importance of representation

Notable Quotes:

• On early voting:
  “It tells me, number one, that early voting matters to people. … But it also tells me that people are paying attention to what's going on in the country and in the state. … They want to be heard.”
  — Shirley Franklin (18:02)

• On Georgia’s political culture:
  “Atlanta elected the first African American mayor of a Southern city in the 1970s, the first African American congressman in Andrew Young. … We're used to being engaged in a bipartisan way … So I'm not surprised by the engagement.”
  — Shirley Franklin (20:02)

• On redistricting:
  “My former boss, Andrew Young, said some really strong words about that. Voting Rights. The Voting Rights Act is an attempt to correct wrongs of the past. … We need to have a level playing field in order to run. … We deserve that. African Americans have not been full citizens in the state of Georgia for most of the history of the country.”
  — Shirley Franklin (26:10)

Important Timestamps:

• 18:02 – Early voting surge analysis
• 22:38 – Primaries and expensive gubernatorial race
• 24:54 – State Supreme Court elections’ significance
• 26:10 – Redistricting, representation, and voting rights

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4. Ground-Level Perspective: Civic Pride, Inequality, & Creative Opportunity

Guest: Killer Mike (Mike Render), Rapper, Entrepreneur, Community Leader
Time: 29:10 – 39:20

Main Topics:

• Georgia’s national importance, but especially the stakes for local and state offices (Supreme Court, Senate, small business)
• Rising political awareness and turnout—a historical pattern in Atlanta
• The struggle with economic disparities amidst notable black wealth; challenges of housing, cost of living, and economic opportunity
• Small business as an economic engine and civic anchor
• Redistricting: the intersection of race, class, and power
• AI’s creative possibilities in music and the arts

Notable Quotes:

• On civic engagement:
  “I want people to think hyperlocal who are going to be our two Supreme Court justices in Georgia, new ones. ... We got to hit the ground. We got to galvanize, plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize our way to the polls. It was important then. It’s important now.”
  — Killer Mike (30:04)

• On Atlanta’s paradox:
  “Atlanta has more black millionaires than any other city ... But we have some of the biggest disparities and we have lack of education, lack of proper... we have food deserts, lack of proper health care. We can fix these things.”
  — Killer Mike (32:20)

• On redistricting as a class and race issue:
  “...the working class understands that the master class or the planter class in the south ... did not care about the poor workers that they were working in the fields, whether they look like [me or you]. ... If the tactics work on race based on me, it will work on class to you. ... Make sure you get people in office that are going to represent for you.”
  — Killer Mike (33:56)

• On AI and music:
  “I think that AI is going to give musicians and artists the ability to have another tool to use their imagination. ... It would augment your work, not replace you as the artist.”
  — Killer Mike (38:53)

Important Timestamps:

• 30:04 – Importance of local elections and civic responsibility
• 32:20 – Wealth, inequality, and local solutions in Atlanta
• 33:56 – Redistricting, class, and race consequences
• 38:12 – Technology, creativity, and AI’s promise for musicians

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5. AI, Land Use, and the Future of Creative Work

Guest: Chuck Leavell, Musician (Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers), Conservationist
Time: 40:52 – 52:01

Main Topics:

• Politics and resource battles over data centers, land, and water in Georgia
• The intersection of conservation and development: sustainable growth, forest industry, and renewable energy
• The risks and potential creative uses of AI in music; the necessity for artists to protect their work (e.g., following Taylor Swift’s example of self-copyrighting)
• The importance of music to Georgia’s identity and calls to protect/support the local industry
• Hopes for renewed unity and common sense in American politics

Notable Quotes:

• On conservation and development:
  “We’re going to have development in this country. ... You just need to be very reasonable about it. ... I think you do need to protect certain areas for wildlife, certain areas for recreation and so forth.”
  — Chuck Leavell (43:00)

• On AI and artistic creation:
  “This concept of creating a band or an artist, that doesn’t exist. That’s weird, man. ... I think as a tool like [a thesaurus], you could use it ... But, you know, this concept of creating a band or an artist that doesn’t exist. I don’t want to.”
  — Chuck Leavell (47:54)

• On Georgia’s musical legacy:
  “We have such a rich history of music here in Georgia. Are you kidding me? James Brown, Little Richard, you know, Allman Brothers Band that I was privileged to be a part of and so much more. So we want to preserve that history.”
  — Chuck Leavell (49:49)

• On hopes for national politics:
  “I’d like to see, I don’t know, fairness come back around, you know, common sense come back around, love come back around. ... I think we could listen to each other more. I think that would be a big help.”
  — Chuck Leavell (51:02)

Important Timestamps:

• 43:00 – Conservation in a development-driven Georgia
• 44:13 – Moratorium on data centers and community pushback
• 47:09 – The creative risks and uses of AI in music
• 49:49 – Georgia’s musical heritage and legislation
• 51:02 – Plea for unity and rational discourse in politics

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Memorable Moments

• Intersection of technology and liberal arts:
  Cabrera argues that, ironically, the ability to ask questions and think critically—classic liberal arts skills—are vital and perhaps more valuable in the age of AI than ever before.
  [04:45]

• Killer Mike’s civics lesson:
  Killer Mike recounts his grandmother teaching him the importance of civic responsibility and his civics teacher making him “appreciate the Bill of Rights … because I had no rights in her classroom.”
  [30:04]

• Unity and representation:
  Shirley Franklin calls for recognition of Georgia’s history—disenfranchisement and the need for minority representation—and stands “absolutely firm” on voting rights and reproductive rights now that she’s no longer in office.
  [27:06]

• Chuck Leavell’s insight on AI for musicians:
  Leavell likens AI’s utility in songwriting to using a thesaurus: helpful as a tool, but “creating a band or an artist that doesn’t exist” is a weird direction for the music industry.
  [47:54]

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Conclusion

This on-the-ground edition from the Georgia Primary provides a unique lens on the confluence of economic stress, technological change, political engagement, and civic identity in one of America’s bellwether states. The voices—academic, political, community, and creative—blend to highlight:

• The anxiety and opportunity facing young people as AI reshapes the job landscape
• The persistence of Georgia’s political engagement, voting rights battles, and demographic shifts
• The entwining of race, class, and local priorities in the redistricting debate
• The challenge—and promise—of fitting new technology into creative work
• Deep concern for preserving Georgia’s legacy, resources, and unity as “all politics becomes national”

For those who missed the full episode, this summary delivers the essential themes, questions, and memorable insights shaping Georgia at this critical juncture.

Transcript

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[Joe Matthew]

When we consider the political landscape though, and the issues that are Dr. Driving the debate here in Georgia, knowing that we are here on the campus of Georgia Tech, we wanted to get in the heads of young people as well. It was Democrats by 15% who drove that early turnout record. And now that they get into the summer season here, it's a very interesting time to talk to people who are coming out of school, who are going into an ever changing job market and dealing with a very challenging economy. Four and a half dollar gas in many places and artificial intelligence that's changing the job landscape before our eyes. This is why we wanted to spend some time with our host this week at Georgia Tech. Angel Cabrero is president of Georgia Institute of Technology. It's great to see you. Welcome to Bloomberg.

[Angel Cabrera]

Thank you Joe. Thank you for having me.

[Joe Matthew]

How would you start by answering that question? This class that just left and I know that you've got a group of summer session students on campus now are going into a world that you and I would not recognize. When we think back to when we stepped out of college and you start very cute to think about mailing resumes around. AI is gobbling up jobs, it's making other jobs more effic efficient and it's more difficult to be a young person to fill a car with a tank of gas or to buy A home.

[Angel Cabrera]

Well, it is. You are absolutely right. This is one of the biggest inflection points driven by technology that any of probably the classes going back to the turn of the century with the Internet revolution. Yeah, maybe we haven't experienced anything, anything like this. And yes, it creates uncertainty, creates a little bit of fear in among this graduating class, but honestly, it also generates a huge opportunity. And obviously at Georgia Tech, we are a technology oriented and centered university. We make sure that no matter what your major is, that you will be able to fully leverage the tools of AI. That's our, that's our goal. I want to make sure no one graduates Georgia Tech without really being able to fully leverage those tools. But it is creating a lot of uncertainty for sure.

[Joe Matthew]

It's really interesting you use the word fear. I keep hearing anxiety. Right. If you're stepping out into the job market right now. But you could also argue that that makes a higher education ever more important.

[Angel Cabrera]

Absolutely. In fact, if you live in a world like we live now, where the computer can code better than the human, or can write, or can do research, can write a report, can create a PowerPoint, can do all these things better than the human, then the question of what does the human do? Well, you better be able to ask the right questions, to have the capacity to critically analyze the answers, to have really a great understanding of the world we live, of the mission, of your business, of how you're going to be competing. So all those, if you will, are questions that lie outside of technology.

[Joe Matthew]

Right.

[Angel Cabrera]

That have to do with, with understanding the broader picture. So what we're trying to do is make sure, yes, that you can use those tools. They're part of your learning, but at the same time that we help you grow and be able to ask those bigger questions.

[Joe Matthew]

You know, there was a debate about whether kids should just go to trade school, you know, get a certification, get a, get a paying job, as opposed to the old liberal art, liberal arts education. If we're vibe coding everything now, does the liberal arts education reemerge as a primary course?

[Angel Cabrera]

I think, I think it does. I think it does. As long, and this is the key, as long as you are able to fully leverage the tools of AI.

[Joe Matthew]

Okay.

[Angel Cabrera]

And that is our goal, to keep

[Joe Matthew]

going back to the tools of AI. I remember when I was first pointed to the Internet as a graduating college kid, because that was. The bride had never seen the Internet before. And schools quickly realized they had to get people online now and to your point, teach them how to use these tools. How do you do that when it comes to AI, when there are so many competing platforms and a technology that's developing so quickly, this isn't like going on Alta Vista and doing your first Internet search.

[Angel Cabrera]

AI is new, but the problem that you describe is not new. For years, every student at Georgia Tech has had to take a coding class. And you would say, why would an economics major have to take a coding class? Because the way you do economic analysis at this time of the. In this era is by using and fully leveraging the tools of computing. Same thing happens here. We don't need everybody to study computer science. We want you to study biology or history or economics or public policy, civil engineering, whatever you're passionate about. But we will make sure that by the time you graduate this place, you are ready to fully and responsibly leverage the tools of AI, plus all the knowledge of your discipline.

[Joe Matthew]

So is AI changing the way you use a classroom? Is it changing the way you teach a course on the college level?

[Angel Cabrera]

AI is changing everything. Okay, think about it. If you were teaching computer science three years ago.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Angel Cabrera]

You would teach a. An algorithm. You would teach data structures and say, okay, by Monday, I want you to code a program that does X.

[Joe Matthew]

Yes.

[Angel Cabrera]

That doesn't work anymore because you can just cut and paste exactly to Claude and it will produce the answer. So it is forcing us to rethink how we teach everything. But not to see AI as the enemy, but to see it as this incredibly powerful creative tool is forcing us to raise the level of the thinking and the analytical competence of our students.

[Joe Matthew]

Fascinating. Yeah. If you assign a paper to a student, same thing, they crank it out of an LLM and hand it back to the teacher. How. How do you teach that student in that world?

[Angel Cabrera]

Well, in fact, we have, for example, a writing seminar. It doesn't matter. Whatever major you do, you have to do a writing seminar. Until now. Used to be you just write every week you get feedback on that paper. What we're now assuming is that we're not saying you cannot use AI. We're assuming you're going to use AI. But our expectations of quality, of what you produce are a lot higher than they were three years ago.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah. I was fascinated to learn that Georgia Tech is the second largest recipient of federal research grants. We've seen these grants challenged in this administration. The Doge effect was very real. And I'm wondering what it has meant for your campus.

[Angel Cabrera]

Fortunately, Georgia Tech has fared very well. We are indeed. I mean, just seven years ago, we were number nine in federal resource grants. We're now, number two, our volume of research keeps growing, but it is a policy issue that affects us very, very directly. I mean, right now, if you look at right behind us, that skyline did not exist in Atlanta 20 years ago. Some of that didn't even exist 10 years ago. The reason why Atlanta is growing is because of the innovation, entrepreneurial energy that is coming out of, out of Georgia Tech. That is the driver of the, of all that activity. The fuel of that is research funding, most of that coming from, from the, from the federal government. So we do hope that whoever is in Congress, whoever is, is in the capacity to influence that, that we remember that the future of our country, if we're going to win, if we're going to beat China, we better be investing in the, in the basic resource that is the fuel of the whole enterprise.

[Joe Matthew]

Fascinating. You're running an academic institution here, but it's actually a massive business. And your input costs are higher than ever. What $100 a barrel oil, four dollar a gallon gas mean for this institution because it's bleeding through into everything, including food. Your room and board doesn't cost what it did even months ago.

[Angel Cabrera]

Inflation is never fun to deal with. Of course it's affecting us. We have several things going for us. First is the state of Georgia has been a very generous investor in higher education. I'll tell you, the appropriation that Georgia Tech receives now is more than twice what it was when I showed up seven years ago. Yeah, we're also bigger. And because we're bigger, we have economies of scale. So we've been able to fend that inflation and still reduce our tuition and fees, which is very, very rare in American heritage education. If inflation keeps growing, I'm not sure we're going to be able to do that. We may need to push, put a little bit pressure on, on tuition. That may be inevitable.

[Joe Matthew]

Boy, that's. And that's a very honest answer. In a world where some people are questioning the value of a college education, the return on investment, how do you answer that?

[Angel Cabrera]

Very often when I read an article that is critical about the value of higher education is written by someone who went to a very nice school, of course. And when I asked the authors, would you suggest to your own children that they forego higher education? They say, no, no, no. It's like, then why, what's the argument that someone else's kids don't go to higher education or we're all going to

[Joe Matthew]

go to community college?

[Angel Cabrera]

We hear the value of a Georgia Tech degree, we're very proud is one of our top objectives. We right now provide the highest return on investment of any college in America, any public university in America. We're very, very proud of that.

[Killer Mike]

Yeah.

[Angel Cabrera]

But really, when you look at the value that an average college degree, with some exceptions, but the average college degree delivers, it's one of the safest investments anybody, any family can make.

[Joe Matthew]

It's great to meet you. Thank you for coming.

[Angel Cabrera]

Thank you so much.

[Joe Matthew]

Today, coming to us, the president and our host this week here on the campus of Georgia Tech, the president on El Cabrera. We thank you so much. I'm Joe Matthew here in Atlanta with a special edition of Balance the of of Power on this Monday with our eyes still, as always, on Washington and Wall Street. And we just want to take a couple of minutes to update what's happening at the White House. Our Washington correspondent Tyler Kendall is live in our Washington bureau right now. Tyler, we've got eyes on the strait that, of course, remains closed today. And the president is threatening Tehran once again on social media saying the clock is ticking, they better get moving fast. There won't be anything left of them. Do we have a new timeline?

[Tyler Kendall]

Well, Joe, at this point it's very clear that the White House's patience is wearing thin. In fact, President Trump just telling the New York Post in an interview released moments ago that he's not frustrated with Iran, but he's not going to make concessions related to Iran's nuclear program. This says the progress still remains gridlocked over a potential deal. And we're getting some breaking news within the last hour from the U.S. treasury Department. The Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, confirming that the US will issue you a temporary 30 day waiver for some Russian barrels that are already at sea, underscoring the supply crunch that we're seeing from the Iran war. In fact, people familiar with the matter do tell Bloomberg News that it is very possible that this temporary waiver could be extended as the conflict drags on. That is, of course, adding pressure to the scenario for this White House, which has long maintained that a diplomatic solution is still viable. Though we do know that President Trump is slated to convene his national security team tomorrow to look at potential military options because at this point, we haven't really seen much progress. In fact, we are hearing that the US Naval blockade has only expanded as CENTCOM Joe, within the last hour confirmed that so far, so far, 85 commercial vessels have been turned away as part of the U.S. s efforts to secure the strait.

[Joe Matthew]

Really interesting, Tyler. We know the president spent some time at the golf club in Virginia with his military advisers yesterday, including the secretary of state and the CIA director. And tomorrow he'll be back in the Situation Room with military officials to presumably run through the options that he has at this point. Do we have any sense of what that conversation will include?

[Tyler Kendall]

Well, the reporting at the moment and President Trump's own statements, including his increased threats on social media, do imply that US Military action could be on the table. At this point, though we haven't gotten confirmation on exactly what would happen if the White House does pursue this route, but does underscore the growing frustration that the White House has when it comes to these negotiations. So far, we've only heard from Iranian state media about where the latest proposals stand, including Iran state media reporting earlier today that the US had agreed to lift or ease some sanctions on Iranian crude temporarily while they hammer out to the rest of the deal of a deal. We can say that a senior White House official is telling Bloomberg News that that report is false, though hasn't provided any additional information. Pair that with other reporting again from Iranian state media over the weekend, that the latest U.S. proposal included nonstarters for Iran, including that there would be no payments for damages related to the war and that the US Would seek to unfreeze less than a quarter of Iran's currently frozen assets. Again, at this point, we haven't heard from the US Side when it comes to these specific points, whether or not they were included in any potential proposal. All we know at the moment is that President Trump is very unhappy with the counter proposal that Iran has put forward. So a lot of moving headlines here, but at the moment still seeing this escalation when it comes to regional allies. Joe important to point out that the UAE over the weekend confirmed that a drone hit one of its power plants and Saudi Arabia said overnight that it intercepted multiple projectiles that had entered into its airspace.

[Joe Matthew]

Stay with us on balance of power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

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[Joe Matthew]

a lot of issues to consider. We spent so much time talking about the economy when we're in Washington. That's no different here as we look at crude oil prices in the triple digits and of course a gallon of gas ever more expensive at $4. And that's no different here in Georgia and on this campus. As we discussed with Angel Cabrera, the president of Georgia Tech, this is a very real situation for students who are graduating and walking into a in many cases unrecognizable job market with the impact of AI colliding with the cost of living. Where we start our conversation with the former mayor of this great city, Shirley Franklin is with us on our set. Was mayor of Atlanta from 2002 to 2009. We just had a chance to meet and I appreciate your coming to see us here on the campus of Georgia Tech.

[Shirley Franklin]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Atlanta.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, thank you. I'm going to have a couple of pointers from you later on. You can tell me where to go for dinner tonight and all the rest of it. But I want to talk politics first and what is on the minds of people in Atlanta as they prepare to vote. We were really taken by a record turnout in early voting. I don't know if you were as well. With a million people and a lot of Democrats, 15% more Democrats than Republicans making up the difference, what does that tell you about this current state of affairs?

[Shirley Franklin]

It tells me, number one, that early voting matters to people. They want a chance to vote and not stand in long lines on election day. But it also tells me that people are paying attention to what's going on in the country and in the state. They are more informed thanks to you and other folks who are talking about the issues and that they want to be heard. I'm not at surprised by the turnout. I think the level of discussion and debate about public, public issues is higher now than it has been in Recent years.

[Joe Matthew]

How much of that has to do with the Trump administration?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, I don't worry so much about motivation. I mean, as a former elected official and city official, I. I just deal with what is in the present. So maybe it has to do with the Trump administration. Maybe it has to do with the Supreme Court.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Shirley Franklin]

The changes in Roe v. Wade, the situations around immigration. There are many immigrants in Georgia. In 1996, there were very few immigrant populations that were active politically. I worked for the Olympics, and we used to calculate those things. So now the immigrant populations are much larger. They have a point of view, position, and many of them are naturalized citizens and want to express themselves.

[Joe Matthew]

That's all fascinating. We're also in a midterm cycle. Sometimes people stop paying attention when you're between presidential elections. That. Does that say more about Georgia, the city of Atlanta, or the political climate that we're in?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, I'll leave it to you to tell me what's going on nationally.

[Joe Matthew]

All right.

[Shirley Franklin]

I will tell you that Georgia is a fast growing state. It is a state that has a history of political engagement, through the civil rights movement, at least, but even before that. So the people are used to being a part of politics. Atlanta elected the first African American mayor of a Southern city in the 1970s, the first African American congressman in Andrew Young. So this is not news to us. We're used to being engaged, and we're used to being engaged in a bipartisan way, and whites and blacks and now other people are used to being on both sides or either side. So I'm not surprised by the engagement.

[Joe Matthew]

You know, it's interesting. I love talking to mayors because mayors do not have the luxuries that lawmakers have. You have to fix things. You have to deal with potholes, You've got to deal with constituents. You have to deal with the realities on the ground. And you keep coming around to making that point. It's a rare breed in politics. How come we don't have people like that in Washington?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, we should have more mayors who are elected to Congress.

[Joe Matthew]

Maybe that's the answer.

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, maybe even a president. We have had several mayors that have considered it. Buttigieg.

[Joe Matthew]

That's right.

[Shirley Franklin]

He's a former mayor and very successful mayor, one that we all got to know and love. So I think I would say to you that you mentioned all the things that mayors do, but if you knew me, you would know that you would be talking about water and sewer. Yes, I'm the sewer mayor. I, I believe strongly in investing in infrastructure and that doesn't have a party.

[Joe Matthew]

Right. Exactly. It gets back to running a city without the luxuries of going into open debate or being a partisan. It's difficult to run a city on that level, certainly in a place like Georgia. So talk to me about what happened. We've got two big races, two big transitions taking place. The biggest one is the governor. Say what you will about Brian Kemp, love him or hate him, this is going to be a tough, drawn out race and likely the most expensive in Georgia's history. Are you ready for this transition?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, it's way too expensive.

[Joe Matthew]

Way too expensive.

[Shirley Franklin]

Way too expensive. But it's great that there are contenders on both sides.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Shirley Franklin]

In the Republican and the Democratic side. I'm a Democrat, so I'm paying most attention to the Democratic primary. And our former mayor has been polling really strongly, as have several other candidates. But we have seven candidates who are running for governor.

[Joe Matthew]

Sure do.

[Shirley Franklin]

And I. Most people believe that we're going to have a runoff. I don't know whether that's true. I haven't seen any of the polls in detail. But even if we have a runoff, I mean, it's a. It's a good, healthy debate.

[Joe Matthew]

It seems almost inevitable that both of these are going to go to a runoff at some point. Here is the former mayor you mentioned, Keisha Lance Bottoms, I'm assuming, a friend of yours.

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, I know her. I know her well.

[Joe Matthew]

And would she be a formidable general election candidate running against a Republican?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, anyone who wins the nomination is going to be formidable.

[Joe Matthew]

Okay.

[Shirley Franklin]

Because Georgia is not all Democratic and not all Republican. So if you look at the races of Senators Warnock and Ossoff, those were close races, so we can expect that we would have a close race. I believe that the Democratic Party will rally around the nominee and whoever that nominee is. And I hope all the candidates who are running will rally around whoever the winner is. The issues of the day are too important for us to be divided. And then afterwards, there'll be a winner. Someone will win the governor's seat, and all of us need to pull in the same direction to make this the best state that it can be.

[Joe Matthew]

You mentioned the Supreme Court, which made me think of your state Supreme Court. I didn't expect as much talk as I've been hearing about these two Supreme Court seats that are also drawing a lot more people into this race, knowing that there could be a redistricting, a redrawing of congressional districts in the state of Georgia. What do you make of that?

[Shirley Franklin]

I think it's great. Yeah, I think it's great. I mean, Supreme Court justices need to be challenged as well as all of the other judiciary.

[Joe Matthew]

These are nonpartisan seats, but it does appear that Democratic friendly justices could replace them.

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, I ran as a nonpartisan seat, so the fact that I'm nonpartisan didn't mean that I wasn't a Democrat.

[Chuck Leavell]

Understood.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Sure.

[Joe Matthew]

Exactly.

[Shirley Franklin]

So I think it's wonderful that we're getting. We're getting a lot of attention around the courts. I think people in Georgia and certainly those that I know in Atlanta are paying more attention to the importance of the third branch of government.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah. How about that? Should Georgia redraw its maps and become part of this movement that's sweeping the nation? Does that make you worry?

[Chuck Leavell]

Not.

[Shirley Franklin]

Absolutely not.

[Joe Matthew]

What's going to happen if you do?

[Shirley Franklin]

I. I don't know what will happen, but absolutely not. My former boss, Andrew Young said some really strong words about that. Voting rights. The Voting Rights act is an attempt to correct wrongs of the past. And I think that the legislature would

[Joe Matthew]

make a huge mistake by eliminating minority districts, by eliminating.

[Chuck Leavell]

Eliminated.

[Joe Matthew]

Do you think that's where we would be headed here in a redrawing?

[Shirley Franklin]

Well, I don't. Why else would you redraw them? We don't have a census.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, that's right. But it's just a. It's just a math problem now. Right. It's about how many seats you can get for D's and ors. Should Democrats respond in states where they can do it?

[Shirley Franklin]

I'll leave that to the other states to figure out. But I will tell you that in Georgia, we need to recognize the history of Georgia. We need to recognize reconstruction. We need to recognize that we were disenfranchised and that we need to have a level playing field in order to run. We deserve that. African Americans have not been full citizens in the state of Georgia for most of the history of the country. And we need to be represented. But so do other people.

[Angel Cabrera]

People.

[Shirley Franklin]

So do people from other backgrounds need to be represented. So I'm absolutely firm on that. I'm firm on Roe v. Wade. I'm firm on having controls on the immigration tactics that we're using. And now that I'm not in office, I can say that.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, I'm glad you could say it with us. It's great to meet you and I appreciate you sharing all of your insights today on Bloomberg. Thank you, Mayor. Stay with us on balance of Power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from public. Public is an investing platform that offers access to stocks, options, bonds and crypto. And they've also integrated AI with tools that can assist investors in building customized portfolios. One of these tools is called Generated Assets. It allows you to turn your ideas into investable indexes. So let's say you're interested in something specific like biotech companies with high R and D spend small cap stocks with improving operating margins or the S&P 500 minus high debt companies. Chances are there isn't an ETF that fits your exact criteria. But on public you just type in a prompt and their AI screens thousands of stocks and builds a one of a kind index. You can even backtest it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks, go to public.com market and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com market ad paid for by Public Holdings Brokerage Services by public investing member FINRA SIPC advisory services by public advisors SEC registered advisor crypto services by ZeroHash sample prompts are for illustrative purposes only, not investment advice. All investing involves risk of loss. See complete [e-mail] disclosures

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

you're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch us live weekdays at noon and 5pm Eastern on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg business app Listen on demand wherever you get your podcasts or watch us live on YouTube.

[Joe Matthew]

Look who I'm with here. You're not going to believe this. I'm live in Atlanta, Georgia, and there's one person you talk to when you come here about anything. Politics, economy, life, sneakers. He just came right from a Puma commercial. Killer. Mike. Mike Render. Great to see you.

[Killer Mike]

How you doing?

[Joe Matthew]

In person, no less. I'm great. Last time we came down here for the special election for Senator Warnock, we had a chance to talk. Yeah, we were down at Ebenezer. Yeah, but we weren't together. And it's great to see you at our set here today. So look, this is someone who needs no introduction. You're a superstar, Grammy Award winning artist. You're an actor now.

[Killer Mike]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Matthew]

You've got your own bank. You're also one of the faces of Georgia. Tell our audience people are watching Bloomberg TV all over the world what they need to know about your state. Because tomorrow we're going to be here talking elections, talking issues. What is it that makes Georgia special this time?

[Killer Mike]

Well, I mean, Georgia has the ability to affect the election in a big way. The same way did. And when I Say, affect the election. These elections are important, first and foremost for Georgia. I want people to think hyperlocal who are going to be our two Supreme Court justices in Georgia, New ones. We have two amazing women that are running.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

You know, how are we going to make sure we get all soft back in there? First two times. I work like a dog on behalf of this campaign. We got him in. I had a call from him about a week and a half ago, like, hey, you know, looking forward to seeing you out there again. Warnock, who's done a PNL software, went and done an amazing job hitting the ground. So, you know, I think. I think we got to hit the the ground. I think we got to galvanize, plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize our way to the polls. It was important then. It's important now. And ultimately, you know what I understand we don't have to stay in a perpetual state of fear that we're going to lose it all if we lose an election, or this is important. My grandmother taught me that it was a civic responsibility to vote. Ms. Ellison, who was an absolute tyrant. And my civics teacher taught me to appreciate the Bill of Rights in the Constitution because I had no rights in her classroom. And she made sure that I understood that I was lucky when I got outside the classroom and to exercise those rights. So I'm always encouraged to help people get to the polls. I'm always encouraged by every election, no matter how minuscule and small it is. And I encourage people to do their research. Go on your Google while you're on your lunch break.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

See who's running in your district, who agrees with you. Talk to your neighbors, see who they want. And you guys, you know, make demands of the politicians that you get in office the day after they win, they should get a note from you. These are the potholes. We want people this week.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, a lot of people must have been talking to their neighbors because a million Georgians voted early. That's a record. What do you make of that?

[Killer Mike]

I'm excited. And I know that this state has been politically active for a very long time. And I think that whether it was the wise decision of William Hartsfield to give Delta an extended contract here, or the wise decision, or Maynard Jackson to say, hey, our own local companies, including being black companies, can build this airport, I think those kind of local decisions have helped make us an international city.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

So I think that. I think that we're going to continue to do that. So go, Jordan.

[Joe Matthew]

This is a tough time for our economy, which we talk about a lot here on Bloomberg, as you know.

[Killer Mike]

Yes.

[Joe Matthew]

You and I spent a lot of time talking about the debanked last time you were on. Even if you have a bank account now, you're dealing with four and a half dollar gas. You're dealing with mortgage rates, a housing market that won't budge. We're seeing food prices go up now with this war underway. And I'm wondering to what extent that's impacting Atlanta as a city and decisions at the polls tomorrow.

[Killer Mike]

It's impactful. Atlanta has more. I'll give you an example directly from our community. Atlanta has more black millionaires than any other city. Atlanta. And you see the top two. You look Atlanta with that. We have the greatest wealth disparities too, between the lowest and highest. We actually are microcosm of America. America probably has greater economic opportunity of the country in the world for a person that lands here on a boat 100 years ago or someone that's getting off a plane today. But with that said, we have some of the biggest disparities and we have lack of education, lack of proper. We have food deserts, we have lack of proper health care. We can fix these things. I think that our mayor in Atlanta, Mayor Dickens, is doing an amazing job of getting people housed. I think that small businesses like the One TI and Open TI and I have opened called Bankhead Seafood, which employs nearly 40 people, are important. We have millions of small businesses that are in this country. Everyone cannot work for large corporations. So these small and medium businesses, as FIFA comes here and World cup is here, we're going to have those small and medium businesses, some grow, but we don't want them to go. We want them to keep people employed. So in these tough times, let's make sure we're supporting small and local because that's who's going to keep people employed. Let's make sure that we demand more of our politicians in terms if you look what that mayor's done up in New York in terms of eliminating some debts and stuff and brings easing some pressure off people. Let's look at whose candidates are going to do that here and let's vote for them.

[Joe Matthew]

I love that you first reached for Supreme Court in your first answer. Yes, because national coverage hasn't gone down to that level in most cases in Georgia. But I'm hearing more about those two Supreme Court seats than just about anything other than the big ones, the gubernatorial and Senate primaries. And it has a lot to do with redrawing maps. People started to really Wake up to what they see as a potential opportunity here. Is that why I'm hearing so much about it?

[Killer Mike]

Yeah, I think redistricting, the way that is the why. And you know what, what I'm encouraged by in Georgia is because although it's being discussed racially and it does in fact impact my community from a racial standpoint, because some places it's going to be used to deny to break up black constituents from proper representation. But I would like to implore right now that the working class understands that the master class or the planner class in the south three, 400 years ago did not care about the poor workers that they were working in the fields, whether they look like near you. They didn't care if they were the people that were labeled rednecks that came out of the uk. They didn't care if the people they looked at that they brought from the shores of Africa. They cared about economic domination. And if you think that this is not a working class issue and it is only a racial issue, it will only be so long before you are on the chopping block and there is no one there to advocate an ally. So I would implore the working class right now to make sure that you get people in office that are going to represent for you. And I would encourage the corporate class to make sure they're fair. Or what you want to see is a break in this country that we haven't seen in nearly.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, that's fascinating because the redrawing of congressional districts, particularly after the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights act, seemed to be distinctly racial, is it not?

[Killer Mike]

Well, at that time it had to be. I'm just saying that at the time that Martin Luther King was fighting for proper workers rights in a fair wage for black people in Mississippi, the most underpaid people and people who resisted him the most were all also white at the time. That Colin Kaepernick, Skip Bayless did an amazing thing one time, Joe. He said that I think was in Pittsburgh, everyone kneeled in solidarity with Calvin Kaepernick. One player did not believe it was a white player. The player, of course, patriotic, believed in this country. And that was great. But the NFL was notorious for having a bully pit in terms of negotiations with the players Association. Skip said, that guy doesn't understand. And what he did, he broke solidarity and broke the ability for them to move as a unit beyond this particular issue. So I want to say that even if it feels distinctly racial, you understand that if the tactics work on race based on me, it will work on Class to you. So I'd say whether you're in the Appalachians or Atlanta, you had better be wary of anybody that wants to redraw.

[Joe Matthew]

These are incredibly important points that you're making. Will Georgia redraw? Do you think that's done?

[Killer Mike]

I don't. It's something I disagree with my governor on.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

You know, and I think he's ruled with a pretty fair hand. And I think he's absolutely, absolutely wrong on that. And I say that to him. I say that on national television. I think it is not a wise thing to do. I think that Georgia has shown itself to be emotionally intelligent in terms of going in the voting booth. I think that our mayors in Atlanta have done a great job of working with our governors, be they Democrat or Republican, from Joe Frank Harris to Zell Miller on through to our current governor. I think that it throws the balance of Georgia off and it makes us copy states that are not as progressive.

[Joe Matthew]

You think politics all day. Is music a hobby at this point? Point. This is. It's amazing to listen to you.

[Killer Mike]

No, I love. I love. So most of the day I'm thinking, oh, my God, how can I make sure this restaurant doesn't cost me any more money? So I'm thinking vacation. I'm thinking music, because I'm going to be working on Michael 2 this summer. But lately I've been thinking about acting. I've been. Luckily.

[Chuck Leavell]

You sure have.

[Killer Mike]

You're not the only handsome guy. Get to look in his eyes and we talk. But I get. I get to sit across from Ethan Hawke on a show called the Low Now.

[Chuck Leavell]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

And I've been brought in for season two called Scarpetta.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

It's very fun working with Ethan.

[Joe Matthew]

Scarpetta is amazing, by the way.

[Killer Mike]

Scarpetta is an amazing show.

[Joe Matthew]

How do you prepare for an acting role differently than you would for. For a musical show or. Or to sit down and record something?

[Killer Mike]

Well, music, you kind of. You can record. Just emotionally get it out and then you can go back and learn the song and you can imitate the emotion.

[Joe Matthew]

Interesting.

[Killer Mike]

With acting, it's important that you do what you do in kindergarten. Repetition. Let me learn these words. I have to say my ABC perfect perfectly.

[Joe Matthew]

Or my. I have a horrible memory. I could never do this right.

[Killer Mike]

So, yeah, abc, your mom won't let you go outside till you say, oh, yeah. And you have to treat yourself like that. I see why actors and writers have to get along because you get there in solitude and then you got a good reading partner. I have a Filmmaker friend. His name is Michael Allen, and he reads with me. I have friends in the industry that give me good advice. So I think you know, more than anything kindergarten taught you. Repetition.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah. How about that?

[Killer Mike]

And once you learn it, put it repetition.

[Joe Matthew]

Indeed. But everything we're talking about is a creative exercise that you're involved in. And there are big questions about the way AI is about to change or is already changing this, whether you're a visual artist, a musician. I could. I was talking to Chuck Lovell about this a little bit earlier.

[Killer Mike]

Yeah.

[Joe Matthew]

You could listen to AI music that's not even made by a person anymore. Is that a good or a bad thing?

[Killer Mike]

Well, I don't. I knew. I know. A producer sent me a track last night that I ended up getting on. It's an amazing track.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

He said I couldn't wait for. For a singer to sing it. So I sang it myself and made AI fix my voice.

[Joe Matthew]

Wow.

[Killer Mike]

Oh, man. He sounded amazing. I'll never let him sing it live. We're gonna go find a real singer to sing it. But it was. It enabled him to get his idea out. And what I found with technology, and it's interesting because I was just told by the president of Georgia Tech that they're actually bringing a program that teaches technology through creativity. You're going to be able to learn music, but at the same time be learning coding. I think that's absolutely genius. And shouts out to my friend from childhood, Raheem Biat, who's a professor at Emeritus Art over here. But what happens is, I think that AI is going to give musicians and artists the ability to have another tool to use their imagination.

[Joe Matthew]

Yes.

[Chuck Leavell]

Right.

[Killer Mike]

I can imagine a sketch before I draw it, but the ability to use AI to say, do the sketch and then I'll draw might work. Might help.

[Joe Matthew]

That's important, though. So it would augment your work, not replace you as the artist.

[Killer Mike]

It's a possibility there. If we take advantage of it.

[Joe Matthew]

If we do it right.

[Killer Mike]

If we do it right.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Killer Mike]

You don't do some wrong before you do it right.

[Joe Matthew]

Playing with AI is this part of your world? You got Claude, you got Gemini.

[Killer Mike]

I. I am as ignorant as can be. I know much about his eyes. My grandpa knew about.

[Joe Matthew]

I. Well, listen, maybe we'll learn together.

[Killer Mike]

Absolutely.

[Joe Matthew]

It means a lot to us that you came all the way here to see us. Means a lot and appreciate having you on Bloomberg. Very happy for your success, and I'm looking forward to the next show. Stay with us. On balance of power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Support for the show comes from Public Lately it feels like there are two types of investing platforms. Some are traditional brokerages that haven't changed much in decades, and others feel less like investing and more like a game. Public is positioned differently. It's an investing platform for people who are serious about building their wealth on public. You can build a portfolio of stocks, options, bonds, crypto without all the bugs or the confetti. Retirement accounts? Yep. High yield cash? Yes again. They even have direct indexing. Public has modern design, powerful tools and customer support that actually helps go to public.com market and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com market ad paid for by Public Holdings Brokerage services by Public Investing member FINRA SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors SEC Registered Advisor crypto services by ZeroHash all investing involves risk of loss. See complete [e-mail] disclosures you're listening to

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch us live weekdays at noon and 5pm Eastern on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app. You can also listen live on Amazon Alexa from our flagship New York station. Just say Alexa play Bloomberg 11:30 when

[Joe Matthew]

we started making plans to come down here, we knew we'd be talking to the Pauls. We knew we'd be talking to candidates and political analysts, academics and all of the voices that you would normally expect to hear on Balance of Power. But there was one voice we wanted to hear to bring a slightly different narrative to this conversation. Equally as important, he's an activist, a conservationist, and yes, he is a rock star. And you've actually seen and heard him on this program before. When we think back to the funeral for the late President Jimmy Carter, that'd be Chuck Leavell. I think I described him pretty well, of course, of Allman Brothers fame, of Rolling Stones fame, and yes, political fame. Chuck, it's great to have you back on Bloomberg. Thanks for coming to see me. It's a thrill as always. And I just wonder your thoughts on the lay of the land here in Georgia, because I keep hearing that all politics are national now, that it doesn't really matter where you land in the country. It's. It's the same debate. Gas prices, data centers, left versus right. Is Georgia different?

[Chuck Leavell]

Well, I think there's a lot of the same right here in the state. You just mentioned data centers. We had an approval of a data center in my county of Twigs recently and of course there's quite an Upheaval, discussion about that, and of course, other factors, at least that I'm involved in that affect the state and affect us personally is the forest industry. Yes, we've had mill closures here in Savannah and Riceville and, let's see, Cedar Springs. And so this has affected the forest industry quite significantly.

[Joe Matthew]

You know a lot about this, having actually gone to school for forestry. And you are the force behind Charlene Woodlands and Preserve, presiding over some 4,000 acres of forest. Land conservation is a story that has in many ways fallen out of the political discourse. Is it something you're keeping alive here in Georgia?

[Chuck Leavell]

Absolutely, yes, sir. For me personally, we have three different conservation easements on our properties. And I think a lot of our fellow landowners are looking at this option. You know, look, we're going to have development in this country. There's no doubt about it. You're going to have to have room for that. And I think you just need to be very reasonable about it. And I think you do need to protect certain areas for, you know, wildlife, certain areas for recreation and so forth. Very important.

[Joe Matthew]

That really plays into the data center debate because there's a competition for a water, there's a competition for power and for actual land. It's become the biggest NIMBY issue in this country, hasn't it?

[Chuck Leavell]

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, when you talk about the power issue, one of the things that I wish we could get going it would be a good market for our forest products, would be using wood pellets for energy to power these data centers. As we know, they take enormous amounts of.

[Joe Matthew]

Of power.

[Chuck Leavell]

So, you know, it may not be an end all solution, but it could certainly be part of the solution.

[Joe Matthew]

Does there need to be a moratorium, as some are proposing, until these ideas are figured out?

[Chuck Leavell]

I think there probably should, like weeds. You know, Monroe county here in Georgia had a big controversy. Lots of townspeople showing up for the commissioner's meetings and so forth. And they very wisely, I think, said, hey, let's hold off here. Where's the fire? You know, why don't we take a breath here and find out what we need to know before we approve these things? I think maybe they have approved one data center, but one that has been proposed is being postponed now. And I think it's a good idea to take a breath.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah. Interesting. So when you pull back from this whole idea, there's a question of whether conservation and alternate energy has fallen out of the debate since President Trump came back into office. Yes, he's not a fan of wind. We Know that he's not much of a bigger fan of solar. And we've seen stocks and companies that have made big investments in this area hurt quite a bit, making it hard for them to continue to invest.

[Chuck Leavell]

Yes.

[Joe Matthew]

Is this a turning point or just a dark patch for people in alternative energy?

[Chuck Leavell]

I think it's a dark patch. I think that's going to turn around. I think it has to turn around, Joe. You know, you can't just depend on coal. And certainly nuclear should be a part of the plan as well. We know now that we can make smaller nuclear plants that are more community based and not, you know, huge. But again, wood pellets and other alternative energy. I think solar and wind need to be part of it. I think it'll come back around. I'm confident it will.

[Joe Matthew]

Has Georgia gone too far into the data center hub business?

[Chuck Leavell]

I think a lot of people are nervous. A lot of.

[Joe Matthew]

I live in Virginia, the data center capital of the world. Something. Georgia's next.

[Chuck Leavell]

You know, it's all over this country. It's not just Georgia. That's not just Virginia. It's everywhere. And people are concerned. And look, I understand it. You know, know, you got to. If you're going to have all these things that I supposedly will give us, you're going to have to have these data centers. I know there's. This sounds a little far fetched, but I'm sure you know this as well that they're talking about having data centers in space now.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Chuck Leavell]

You know, maybe sometime in the next 20 years that that'll come about and that could offer some relief because let's face it, these things are huge. They use tremendous amounts of water. Supposed to, supposedly. The more modern ones, the newer ones don't use as much water as some of the older ones do. But you know, you're talking a million gallons a day for these older centers. That's a concern.

[Joe Matthew]

Oh my God. You mentioned AI as an artist, as the keyboard player in the Rolling Stones, as someone who's been composing music for years. Do you worry about this creeping in on the creative side of your business, whether it's for writing? You could go listen to music from an AI band that I know doesn't even have a real person job.

[Chuck Leavell]

It's insane.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Chuck Leavell]

Yes. We're all concerned. I like what Taylor Swift is doing. She's gone and sort of copyrighted herself, if you will. You know, protected her image, protected her voice and so forth.

[Joe Matthew]

This is what you have to do now.

[Chuck Leavell]

You have to do that. I think you're going to see a lot of bands and artists go that way. I think you have to. To protect yourself. We've seen what actors and writers in the. In the, you know, television and movie business have done, and I think music is going to follow suit.

[Joe Matthew]

It's become a big debate in union negotiations, to your point, in the acting world. And when it comes to writing, does it potentially lower the quality of music? What's. What's the fallout? Isn't more better?

[Chuck Leavell]

It's an interesting question.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Chuck Leavell]

And I don't know the exact answer, Joe, but I think it can be used to benefit. Let's say you got writer's block.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah. Right.

[Chuck Leavell]

You're trying to finish a song and you say, well, how can I do this? And maybe you go, just like in the old days, you know, where we used to go.

[Joe Matthew]

A thesaurus, right?

[Chuck Leavell]

What a thesaurus is. Yes.

[Joe Matthew]

My favorite book.

[Chuck Leavell]

And so, no, I think, think as a tool like that, you could use it to help finish a line or something like that. But, you know, this concept of creating a band or an artist, that doesn't exist. That's weird, man. I don't. I don't get that. I don't see that as. I don't want to.

[Joe Matthew]

Can't imagine an AI band opening for you at the Fillmore would be pretty. Pretty weird. You just wonder where the middle ground is here as we talk about the prospect of losing jobs, but also increasing efficiency and productivity. And maybe there's an equivalent in the music business.

[Chuck Leavell]

Well, you know, here in the state of Georgia, recently, our legislature passed a bill that would include an Office of Music for our state, and unfortunately, our governor vetoed it. I think. I think. See, I think that could help protect all of our artists. Artists and. And collectively, and connect our cities like Macon, Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Rome, you know, for music as a whole. So I hope that bill will come back around and we can.

[Joe Matthew]

You could have been the commissioner.

[Chuck Leavell]

Yeah.

[Joe Matthew]

This thing together. Are you glad that Georgia is going to get a new governor? Is it time for change?

[Chuck Leavell]

I think so, yes. You know, Kemp has been great for business. No doubt about it. That's wonderful. I would like to. To see him put as much energy in the music business as he does in other businesses, and I think that would be great for our state. We have such a rich history of music here in Georgia. Are you kidding me? James Brown, Little Richard, you know.

[Joe Matthew]

Absolutely.

[Chuck Leavell]

Allman Brothers Band that I was privileged to be a part of and. And so much more. So we want to preserve that history, and we want to continue that history,

[Joe Matthew]

you've got a super competitive Senate primary, super competitive gubernatorial race, record spending, and I understand record turnout in early voting.

[Chuck Leavell]

Yeah.

[Joe Matthew]

What did you make of that when closed the books Friday. A million people. Never seen that many in Georgia.

[Chuck Leavell]

I think it's fantastic. I think people care. People want to have their vote make a difference and they want to be heard. So I'm very proud of our Georgians coming out to vote.

[Joe Matthew]

It appears to be Democratic by a good 15%. Democratic turnout that drove those numbers. Does that give us a sense of what Georgia's feeling politically?

[Chuck Leavell]

We'll see. That's all I can say. I don't know. But we'll know soon enough, won't we? I mean, that's the primary, of course. We have the main election in November and that'll be the big question answered. But I feel a little bit of a change in the state.

[Joe Matthew]

You do?

[Chuck Leavell]

I think also throughout the country. You know, I'd like to see, I don't know, fairness come back around, you know, common sense come back around love come back around.

[Joe Matthew]

Peace. Yeah, those are some different kinds of.

[Chuck Leavell]

These are things that are on people's minds and. And we are quite divided. I'd like to see us come back together as a country. I think that's so important. Everybody talks about that. How do you do it? I'm not sure. I don't have a magic wand away, but I think we could listen to each other more. I think that would be a big help. So let's hope that we can come together.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, I appreciate that very much. And in the spirit of that answer, We've only got 30 seconds left. Stone's got a new album. Are they going on the road?

[Chuck Leavell]

Well, no immediate plans. I don't think you're going to see it this year. Next year.

[Joe Matthew]

Next year, yeah. With this guy.

[Chuck Leavell]

Of course.

[Joe Matthew]

It's.

[Chuck Leavell]

Well, it's up to me, Keith and Ronnie, but. But if they want me, I'll be a part of it.

[Joe Matthew]

Man, I can't imagine what a life you have led and continue to lead. And it's so great to have you with us here. Chuck on Bloomberg.

[Chuck Leavell]

Thank you.

[Joe Matthew]

Happy election primary eve. And you're off to a gig here, right? You're out of town.

[Chuck Leavell]

I'll be in Miami tomorrow for a private show. Looking forward to.

[Joe Matthew]

Fantastic. Those guys are in for a treat. Great to see you again.

[Chuck Leavell]

Great. See you then.

[Joe Matthew]

Thanks for listening to the Balance of Power podcast. Make sure to subscribe if you haven't already. Apple, Spotify or you, wherever wherever you get your podcasts. And you can find us live every weekday from Washington D.C. at noontime [e-mail] we buy insurance for peace of mind. But every year millions of claims are denied. Not because people did anything wrong, but because their policies quietly excluded what happened. Insurers know every detail. Policyholders rarely do. That's why my policy advocate exists for just 27 cents a day. Their platform reads your policies and explains where you are vulnerable. They don't sell insurance, they deliver transparency before you trust your policy to protect you, let my policy advocate tell you what it really says. Go to mypolicyadvocate.com Dog grooming genius Here

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