Political Rewind: Atlanta mayor, Dekalb CEO tout training center compromise; Okefenokee input opens

Caption

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announces an agreement that he and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond reached that will allow construction to move forward on a planned law enforcement training center.

Credit: Emma Hurt via Twitter

The panel: 

Charles Bullock, professor of political science, University of Georgia

Greg Bluestein, @bluestein, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Margaret Coker, @mideastmargaret, editor-in-chief, The Current

Matt Brown, @mrbrownsir, democracy reporter, The Washington Post

The breakdown: 

1. Atlanta mayor announces 'Cop City' compromise as protestors fill City Hall

• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced changes to the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center known as "Cop City."
  • Some of the recommendations involve having a 100-foot tree buffer and moving a firing range further away from residential homes. 
• GPB's Stephen Fowler was among those in the press who were blocked from entering the conference room due to protesters attempting to attend as well.

2. Fulton County sheriff mulls over renaming the SCORPION unit.

• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the move comes after Memphis disbanded its SCORPION unit after five of its officers brutally beat Tyre Nichols.
• Congress is facing pressure to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 
• The Washington Post's Matt Brown says changes in policing will have to come at the local level, not at the federal or statewide level.

3. Sheree Ralston loses bid for late husband's seat. 

• A North Georgia banker defeated the widow of late House Speaker David Ralston to win Ralston's old House seat in a Republican runoff.

4. Environment Protection Division director updates board on mining project near Okefenokee.

•  The Current reports that a mineral mining company is moving ahead on a proposal to dig for titanium in a sensitive part of Georgia.
  • Twin Pines Minerals (TPM) has been seeking government permits since 2019 to mine 3 miles from the east of the swamp's edge.

    • EPD is a division of the state DNR.

5. Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with President Biden over the debt ceiling.

• The debt ceiling was created back in World War I. 
• Right now, the federal government has borrowed up to the current $31.4 trillion debt limit.

Thursday on Political Rewind: The AJC journalists behind the series "Dangerous Dwellings" join the panel.