Georgia Today: Supreme court on EMTALA; MARTA halts renovations; DNC chair on pres. debate

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Friday, July 5. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the U.S. Supreme Court and some federal health agencies are at odds over a federal health statute. MARTA pauses plans to disrupt service at its busy downtown Atlanta rail hub, and the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia says she will continue to support the Biden campaign after last week's debate. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The U.S. Supreme Court and some federal health agencies are at an impasse when it comes to whether or not empower a federal health statute that ensures patients get emergency care when it's needed, protects emergency abortions, irrespective of state restrictions. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more on how patients in Georgia are navigating this murky landscape.

Sofi Gratas: Georgia does allow abortions after the detection of a so-called "fetal heartbeat," though only in some cases of incest, rape and medical emergencies. But in the Supreme Court's latest abortion ruling, justices could not agree if federal rules for emergency care outweigh limited abortion exceptions. Elizabeth Ling is senior counsel for the if, when, how helpline, where abortion seekers from Georgia make up the third highest callers nationwide.

Elizabeth Ling: We absolutely talk to people who are asking questions around the medical exceptions, like, "Is my life at risk enough for me to get care?" basically. In my opinion, I think that EMTALA is is very clear.

Sofi Gratas: But she says a lack of overall clarity around access continues to harm patients and providers. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Congresswoman Nikema Williams, the chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, is weighing in on the debate over whether President Joe Biden should continue his reelection bid after his performance at last week's presidential debate sparked concern. Speaking with 11 Alive, Williams said last Thursday was not a good night for Biden and she was concerned about what she saw, but she said she would continue to support his campaign.

Nikema Williams: President Biden is the only person who can make the decision if he is going to remain in this race, and as long as President Biden is at the top of this ticket, I am standing with my president because he has stood with the American people.

Peter Biello: Her comments come as the Biden reelection campaign continues to grapple with the fallout from the debate, and questions about the viability of his continued candidacy.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Two Atlanta nonprofits will divide $5 million to help more people living with HIV and AIDS find and maintain affordable housing. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more.

Ellen Eldridge: Positive Impact Health Centers and AID Atlanta are each receiving one-time grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Executive director of AID Atlanta Nicole Roebuck says they will use the money to expand their tenant-based rental assistance program, or T-BRA. She says rents went up after COVID and T-BRA stipends no longer cover as much of the monthly costs.

Nicole Roebuck: And they would pay maybe $200 towards the $800 and something-dollars-a-month rent. Well, now that rent is more like $1,500 and we're paying upwards of $1,000 in terms of a subsidy.

Ellen Eldridge: Roebuck says challenges their clients face include paying for medication to treat HIV and AIDS that can cost as much as $2,000 a month. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

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Hurricanes

Story 4:

Peter Biello: As the Atlantic hurricane season ramps up, the Georgia Department of Public Health is encouraging qualified residents to sign up for the agency's hurricane registry if they'll need evacuation assistance ahead of severe storms. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: The hurricane registry is a free service for Georgians with mobility challenges who don't have family, friends or caretakers available to bring them to safe shelter if a hurricane approaches. It's available to residents of the eight counties served by the Coastal Health District, which include all counties on the Atlantic coast, plus Effingham and Long County. Ginger Heidel is with the Coastal Health District.

Ginger Heidel: Hurricane registry applications close about 72 hours before tropical storm-force winds arrive. Because we need to make sure that whatever needs you have at the destination will be met. So we really want to stress that you don't want to wait until the last minute.

Benjamin Payne: Applicants or their loved ones can learn more by calling the Coastal Health District, or by visiting CoastalHealthDistrict.org/registry. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The National Transportation Safety Board has released new details about the small plane crash in New York that killed five members of a metro Atlanta family on Sunday. The agency said yesterday the plane encountered strong storm activity and its flight tracking data was lost 12 minutes after takeoff. A preliminary crash report will be issued in 30 days. Laura and Ryan Van Epps, two children, James and Harrison Van Epps, and Laura's father and pilot, Roger Beggs, died in the crash.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A former engineer at Middle Georgia's Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, has been charged with making false statements and obstructing justice during a criminal investigation into a 2017 military plane crash. The transport plane broke into pieces in the sky and slammed into a field in Mississippi, killing all 16 service members on board. Prosecutors said yesterday that 67-year-old James Fisher was arrested on Tuesday. The indictment alleges he knowingly concealed documents and lied to investigators about facts that might have been related to the crash. It wasn't immediately clear if Fisher is represented by an attorney who could respond to the charges.

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Fire

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources had a record year for intentional fires, with more than 96,000 acres burned in fiscal year 2024. GPB's Devon Zwald reports.

Devon Zwald: The DNR Wildlife Resources Division uses prescribed burns to help conserve biodiversity and reduce wildfire risk, says Shan Cammock, a fire management officer with WRD.

Shan Cammock: It's our most essential tool because it's mimicking that natural process. You know, we're managing wildlife diversity in Georgia and these critters and plants have evolved with fire, so that's what they need.

Devon Zwald: Cammock says the department has emphasized prescribed fires in the state Wildlife Action Plan, one of the ways the state gets federal funding for conservation programs.

Shan Cammock: So we're getting a lot more money in. When we get money for habitat management, we're funneling it to fire, really building a more robust program. We're training more people, we're getting better equipment, and we're just more efficient.

Devon Zwald: Cammock says the number of acres WRD burns has been increasing since about 2014. For GPB News, I'm Devon Zwald. 

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Georgia Power has announced a partnership with Fort Eisenhower that will reduce energy costs at the fort by $6 million annually. The $72 million contract with the base just outside Augusta will focus on energy efficiency, resiliency and greenhouse gas reduction. New upgrades will be funded through energy savings, heating, an AC replacement, and water conservation.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Developers in Athens have submitted plans for more than 700 apartments in a mixed-use development southeast of the UGA campus. The development, called The Shoals Athens, consists of 745 residential units and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. Developer Mallory and Evans LLC says, in plans submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, it expects the project to be complete by 2027.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: Emory Healthcare will close its hospital in Smyrna, north of Atlanta, at the end of this year. The company said yesterday the hospital offers no emergency services and employs about 20 mostly part-time employees for imaging and general outpatient services. Emory Healthcare says it wanted to renovate the two-bed hospital, but those plans were challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and Georgia's Certificate of Need process. That's the much-debated state regulatory process that governs new health care facilities in Georgia. The closure won't impact the multi-practice medical office on the hospital's grounds. That's according to a company statement.

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MARTA

Story 11:

Peter Biello: Metro Atlanta's public transit agency, MARTA, is pausing plans to disrupt service at its busy downtown rail hub starting this weekend. The agency was about to embark on a four-year project to renovate the station, Five Points, by closing street access to underground trains, among other changes. But the plans were met by heavy pushback from riders, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and downtown business interests. MARTA released a statement Wednesday saying immediate service impacts are now on hold. It's unclear if they eventually will be implemented or the project would be significantly changed.

Story 12:

Peter Biello: Season 2 of Breaking Bread with Alexander premiered yesterday. The series of conversations with political leaders, hosted by PBS host Alexander Heffner, attempts to highlight the bipartisanship and empathy that goes unnoticed in the daily headlines. Each episode uses food as a way to open a conversation about compromise, democracy, and restoring faith in our government. Alexander Heffner, thanks very much for speaking with me.

Alexander Heffner: Thank you sir.

Peter Biello: So this season features Georgia's Sen. Raphael Warnock. And we'll talk a little bit about your chat with him in a bit. But first, I wanted to hear from you about how you went about choosing this group of politicians you've got. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Arizona's Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, among others. What qualities were you looking for in a good guest for this series?

Alexander Heffner: Taking their job seriously is the prerequisite, and understanding their commitment to constituents and to bettering the lives of their neighbors. If they could wave a magic wand, we would have a more functional politics. And that's what the series is about: bringing people together for dialogue and deliberation that's animated by and informed by decency and the universal language of food.

Peter Biello: Why food as the basis for a conversation? What is it about food that helps guests open up?

Alexander Heffner: There's a disarming quality. There is a euphoria. There is a candor and plain spokenness. Often, Thanksgiving is cited as a way you can actually negotiate and navigate some difficult conversations with family members. And July Fourth, we don't talk about quite as much, but in this season, there are three forms of hot dogs. You've got the chili dogs with Sen. Moran, you've got the Sonoran dog bacon wrapped with Sen. Kelly of Arizona, and you got the crab dip hot dog at Camden Yards with Gov. Moore. I mean, if you're starting with people's humanity, as opposed to whether they're a Republican or Democrat or a self-defined conservative or liberal, you're going to be more effective, I think, in getting to the outcome of political life. It's not supposed to be about disparaging tweets, viral messages. It's supposed to be about what's possible. And we've lost that sense. And that's something I hope this season conveys.

Peter Biello: How much trouble did you have pushing past the politician's impulse to use lines from a stump speech or other kind of carefully crafted, focus group-tested lines?

Alexander Heffner: I think when you highlight the positive attributes of communities and then, in effect, prime them to envision how we we can improve more, how things can get better, rather than starting from the criticism or controversy, your question is well taken because you do have to transcend the talking points and — and really be frank in addressing the concerns of our country and these various states that I visited.

Peter Biello: You met with Sen. Raphael Warnock in Savannah. You spoke to him about a variety of things. You also spoke to him about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream and the status of that dream today. And his response was interesting. Warnock says it's important to pay attention to the overall arc of history, and he gives credit to King, but also other civil rights leaders who helped make life better for his generation.

Sen. Raphael Warnock: "I never had to drink from a "colored" water fountain. I never was asked, like my dad, to sit on the back of a bus. And I'm also the beneficiary of good federal public policy that came out of the civil rights era. I'm an alum of Head Start, a program that gives young, poor children a chance by making sure that they get exposed to literacy and books. I'm an alum of the Upward Bound Program, another good federal public policy program."

Peter Biello: What did you take away from your conversation with Sen. Warnock?

Alexander Heffner: My overall takeaway is: Here's this minister, reverend, theologian, who is the most fervent champion of our democracy. Being with him in the backdrop of Savannah — and it is kind of like the colonial "sweetness of the bay" colony, right? I mean, it's the, when you're — when you're there with the Spanish moss and the picturesque architecture. I felt like I was talking to someone who really had captured a sense of history and a conviction in democracy.

Peter Biello: Well, Alexander Heffner, host of Breaking Bread, thank you very much for speaking with me.

Alexander Heffner: Thank you.

Peter Biello: And you can watch new episodes of Breaking Bread on the Bloomberg Originals network. Learn more at GPB.org.

Story 13:

Peter Biello: A 29-year-old Kenyan runner won Atlanta's 55th annual Peachtree Road race yesterday. Sebastien Sawe finished the ten kilometer contest with an unofficial time of 28 minutes, three seconds. That's one second ahead of the second-place finisher and one minute, 15 seconds behind his personal best. Sawe is currently the world's No. 1 ranked athlete in men's road running. About 60,000 people participated in this year's Peachtree Road Race, described as the world's largest 10K. It started at 7:00 in the morning and around 10:30, organizers The Atlanta Track Club canceled the event because of temperatures exceeding 90 degrees. People on the course or at post-race activities were urged to leave.

Story 14:

Peter Biello: The Atlanta Braves faced their NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, tonight at Truist Park for the first of a three-game series. It is the first time the Braves have faced the Phillies at home this year. They opened the season on the road in Philly. The Phillies boast the best record in baseball, and the Braves are nine games behind them in the National League East. The Braves are coming off a loss to the Giants last night, 4 to 2. San Francisco took two of three games from the Braves for their third consecutive series win. Max Fried is scheduled to start for the Braves tonight; Aaron Nola for the Phillies. And the Atlanta Vibe have named Kayla Banwarth as their new head coach. Banwarth is a former Power Five head volleyball coach and member of the 2016 USA Olympic Team. As a Team USA member, she won eight medals in six years of international competition. The Atlanta Vibe are now the sixth team of the Pro Volleyball Federation's teams with a female head coach. She replaces Todd Dagenais, who guided the team to the year end postseason tournament.

Peter Biello: And that is all the news that is fit to put into a podcast today. Thanks very much for listening to Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories or stay on top of Georgia news, head on over to our website, GPB.org/news. And a great way to stay on top of the news, of course, is to subscribe to this podcast. Do it now and we will pop up in your podcast feed automatically next week. Next week, by the way, I'm taking some time off. Orlando Montoya will be your host of Georgia Today. If you've got feedback or a story idea for us, we'd love to hear from you in. The best way to reach us is by email. Send it to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. That's all one word. GeorgiaToday@GPB,org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. Have a great weekend.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news