“This is clearly a politically motivated attack from the same District Attorney who just weeks ago hosted a political fundraiser for Burt’s opponent,” said Jones spokesman Stephen Lawson. “Burt is more than happy to perform his civic duty and answer questions—but not from a prosecutor with such blatant conflicts of interest.”

CLIMATE CHANGES. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff touted a $171 million Qcells expansion in Dalton Friday that will create nearly 500 new jobs and, he said, better position Georgia for a wave of new green jobs.

But back in Washington, West Virginia U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin was going in the other direction-- saying he could not support climate change and tax increase provisions that were key components of a federal effort to shift even more resources toward solar and other alternative energy sources.

Manchin’s opposition to even a stripped-down climate change measure triggered a scramble in Georgia and Washington to find other options to salvage a key piece of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Biden put out a statement Friday that said if Congress doesn’t act on climate change, he will do it through executive order. But the scope of his executive power is limited compared to what could be done legislatively.

Ossoff made clear that though he was disappointed by Manchin’s decision, he still needed to talk one-on-one with his colleague.

“I need to have a direct conversation and understand exactly where he is and try to find a path forward, whether it is this or another legislative vehicle,” Ossoff said.

“I’m going to continue to support efforts to expand renewable energy, innovation and manufacturing in Georgia and across the country.”

HEALTH COSTS. Now that Sen. Joe Manchin has forced Democrats to strip climate measures out of a larger spending package, the focus moves to the healthcare proposals that remain in play.

For now, Manchin seems to be on board with proposals to allow the federal government to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs and to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

Other provisions on the table include support for low-income Medicare recipients’ drug costs, along with capping out-of-pocket drug spending for all Medicare patients to $2,000 annually.

That’s good news for U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who has made healthcare affordability a primary focus. Earlier this month Warnock traveled to Fayetteville to host a field hearing for the U.S. Senate Aging Committee that highlighted testimony from seniors and health care officials about the rising costs of prescription drugs.

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SWITCH UP. We’re picking up word that Ryan Caudelle has been tapped as the next executive director of the Georgia GOP.

Caudelle, a veteran operative who worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, is set to replace Brandon Moye.

He’s joining the party at a volatile time: Many state Republican leaders are disgusted with GOP chair David Shafer, who sided with the Trump slate in the May primary. And Shafer was recently informed by Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis he could face criminal charges for his role in the fake GOP elector scheme.

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CHIPS AHOY? We told you last week that as Democrats fight over what will be included in their reconciliation bill, that conversation has caused a stalemate with Republicans on a separate bill to address competition from China.

The biggest piece of that package is $52 billion to boost domestic production of computer chips.

The chip shortage, caused by supply-chain issues overseas, has snarled U.S. manufacturing, including in Georgia. One high-profile example came when the Kia Plant in West Point was forced to shut down for days at a time during the pandemic because it didn’t have the semiconductors needed to build cars.

Consumers are also seeing the price of electronics and long waits to receive them continue to increase.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to House and Senate leaders last week saying the funding for computer chips is “critical for our national security.” And now there are signs that Democrats may bring up a standalone bill for the chips funding in the coming weeks.

The House has just two more weeks of work scheduled before the August recess; the Senate has three.

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DIGITAL DIGS. The left-leaning Save Democracy PAC is committing $250,000 to a pair of digital ads to boost U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection campaign. The ads will be focused on swing voters in metro Atlanta.

The first addresses Warnock’s work to target price gougers, cap the cost of insulin and strike alliances with Republicans. The second criticizes GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker’s pattern of lies and exaggerations.

GREENE’S GREEN. The big bucks rolling into the 14th Congressional District race look more like a governor’s contest than a House seat.

The Rome News-Tribune writes that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor has brought in $10,246,641 this election cycle and spent $7,973,847.

Her Democratic opponent, Marcus Flowers reported raising $10,762,238 and spending $9,890,245-- with less than four months to go until Election Day.

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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MISTAKES HAPPEN. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen raised eyebrows Friday after he was one of just two lawmakers who voted against legislation that would temporarily suspend tariffs on baby formula imports, an effort to address the shortage that continues to affect families.

Allen, R-Augusta, is a reliable conservative vote, but he isn’t known for going against the grain on non-controversial measures like this one (even Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Clyde supported it). The other “no” came from far-right GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas who has been opposing baby-formula legislation for weeks, according to The Hill.

We received an explanation from Allen’s office even before we were able to ask for it. His chief of staff sent us a copy of the correction form he submitted saying he hit “no” by mistake and meant to vote “yes.”

The form allows Allen to document his true intentions but doesn’t change the tally.