It is Monday, September 8th.
I'm Josie Duffy Rice in Virginia, Coastin, and this is What A Day.
The show that wonders if you watched the MTV Video Music Awards last night
because we didn't even really know that those were still a thing.
Is MTV even still a thing?
Who knows?
On today's show, we discuss tripocalypse now,
and Russia continues to escalate attacks against Ukraine.
But let's start with some regional politics and why one seemingly small election matters.
Here in Georgia, where I live,
there is a crucial statewide race coming up this November for the Public Service Commission.
The name sounds pretty boring, but this race actually really matters.
The commissioners are in charge of regulating public utilities in the state,
including electricity, gas, and telecommunications,
which basically means that they regulate how much Georgia families and residents have to pay for these utilities,
which means that their job affects pretty much each and every resident in the state.
And currently, all five commissioners are Republicans.
In the past three years, the commission has raised the cost of electricity six times,
which amounts to an average monthly increase of $43 per household.
It's a pretty big deal in a state that ranks cost of living as the most critical issue.