Georgia Today: Democrats sue election board; Candidates back on ballot; New tech helps babies breathe

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, August 29th. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Democrats sue the state election board over rules they say could delay election certification. Georgia Secretary of State makes a decision on who can be on this year's presidential ballot. And new technology helps babies with respiratory problems breathe on their own. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

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Dr. Cornel West

Credit: Photo by Lucas Jackson/REUTERS

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Dr. Cornell West and Claudia De la Cruz will be back on the Georgia ballot this November. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger made the decision today to overrule findings made last week by an administrative law judge that removed West and De la Cruz. West is running as an independent. De la Cruz is the nominee of the party for Socialism and Liberation, but is qualified as an independent in Georgia. Libertarian Chase Oliver also will be on the ballot, barring any further challenges, as will Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Raffensperger ruled that Stein did qualify for Georgia's ballot, even though he upheld a decision that the separate Green Party of Georgia had not qualified. Robert F Kennedy Jr had asked Georgia to withdraw his name after he endorsed Republican Donald Trump. Democrats legally challenged West, De la Cruz, Kennedy and Stein, all of whom they believed could cut into Democratic vote totals. Democrats who are trying to knock West and De la Cruz off the ballot could appeal the decision. But time is running out as Georgia mails out military and overseas ballots starting September 17th.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris gathered in Savannah as the Democratic presidential nominee continues her bus tour through South Georgia. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports from in Market Arena, where the Harris rally is set to begin just after 5:00.

Benjamin Payne: This will be Harris's first stump speech since formally accepting her party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago one week ago today. A capacity crowd of more than 7000 people are expected to fill and mark an arena west of downtown. Among them is Christy Conyers, who with her friend, made the drive from Hinesville in southeast Georgia's Liberty County.

Christy Conyers: We are super excited to be here today to witness the possibility of having the first African-American female president of the United States of America.

Benjamin Payne: Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, arrived in Savannah yesterday for a brief bus tour of the area, including a stop at Liberty County High School. Today's rally will be the first time a general election presidential candidate will have campaigned in Savannah since Bill Clinton in 1982. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Paine at Market Arena in Savannah.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Polls show a statistical tie in Georgia between Harris and former President Donald Trump. Emory associate professor of political science Andra Gillespie, says Harris has focused on southeast Georgia as part of a strategy to mobilize Democratic voters across the state.

Andra Gillespie: As we forget that there are rural Democratic counties and that there are black people in particular in some of these rural counties, and that there are Latino voters in some of these rural counties in the state who might be inclined to support Kamala Harris.

Peter Biello: Meanwhile, Trump will be in Atlanta for a fundraiser tonight featuring Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: A police officer was injured in a single vehicle accident while escorting Vice President Kamala Harris's motorcade in South Georgia yesterday. The Savannah Police Department said today that its officer, Corporal David Bates, sustained serious injuries and was treated at Memorial Health University Medical Center. The special agent in charge of the Secret Service regional field office in Atlanta, Frederick Houston, wished Corporal Bates quote a full and speedy recovery.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The state and national democratic parties have filed a lawsuit against the Georgia State Election Board as GPB's Sarah Kallis reports, democrats oppose some of the board's new rules.

Sarah Kallis: The lawsuit alleges these new rules could delay and undermine election certification, which is mandatory under state law. Lauren Groh-Wargo is the CEO of the voter advocacy group Fair Fight. She says certification should be a clerical process, like getting your driver's license.

Lauren Groh-Wargo: If there is a dispute about your identity or if you fail your driver's test, you work that out earlier in the process. Screwing with certification is like not giving you the driver's license at the end. That is not the time to intervene.

Sarah Kallis: The lawsuit was filed in Atlanta and assigned to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney. Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon opposed the lawsuit and says the board's rules, quote, ensure the accuracy of the election. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A Georgia man has been convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses after breaking into the US Capitol during the attack on January 6th, 2021. Michael Bradley of Middle Georgia's Monroe County, was accused of assaulting police officers with the baton and dragging officers into the rioting crowd. He was arrested by the FBI and Forsyth in September of last year. The U.S. Department of Justice says more than 1400 people have been charged for January 6th related actions.

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Economy

Story 7:

Peter Biello: A quick series of aggressive rate cuts by the Federal Reserve will help boost Georgia's economy next year and the year after. That's according to the latest predictions coming from Georgia State University's economic forecasting center. Its director, Rajeev Dhawan, said yesterday he expects Georgia to gain nearly 72,000 jobs next year and 90,000 jobs the year after. That's after what he and many others expect to be a long awaited quarter point fed rate cut in September to mitigate a weakening labor market.

Rajeev Dhawan If they have to do a couple more and be more aggressive in November and December, so be it. But the whole point is, whatever they will do, they will do it much quickly. They're not going to do a two year regime of rate cutting. This is at the most 3 to 6 months.

Peter Biello: Dhawan says hiring has slowed, but there's no sign of a downturn. Meanwhile, Governor Brian Kemp office released numbers today showing more than $20 billion in investment in Georgia during the fiscal year that ended in June. That includes more than 400 facility expansions or new locations, creating nearly 27,000 new private sector jobs.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Leaders of the first global Black Pride celebration say events will carry on through this weekend despite an act of vandalism on Tuesday night. Atlanta police say hotel security initially responded to an intoxicated guest who caused damage. In a social media statement, organizers of the festival say it was an act of hatred that damaged property and desecrated a flag. 30,000 people are expected to attend that global Black Pride events through the weekend. It's meant to be an international celebration of the black LGBTQ community. Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens has planned a reception for this evening. The investigation into the vandalism is ongoing.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport expects more than 2 million passengers to travel through ATL over the Labor Day travel period that began yesterday. The airport expects tomorrow will be the busiest day with nearly 350,000 travelers.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: Four children might not be breathing on their own if not for innovative technology from Georgia Tech and pediatric cardiologists at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, but the support is not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and Atlanta is one of a handful of places nationwide to offer infants the surgery. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more.

Ellen Eldridge: Justice Altidor and her twin sister journey speak their own language.

Justice Altidor: *speaking twin language*

Ellen Eldridge: The four year olds might not have been speaking at all without an experimental surgery to keep Justice's airway from collapsing when she was an infant, their mother, Emanuela Altidor, says she knew justice had a heart condition before she gave birth to the twins.

Emanuela Altidor: Well, they knew she had the double aortic arch. They just didn't know how severe it was until she was born. And then they were on standby. By the grace of God, to take her a whisk her away.

Ellen Eldridge: Because of the advanced knowledge of Justice's heart issue, doctors rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit before mom could even say hello and hold her baby.

Emanuela Altidor: After I did recovery. I was able to see her and she was intubated and she stayed that way all the way, so she got the surgery. Then four months later.

Ellen Eldridge: Doctor Kevin Maher is a pediatric cardiologist with Children's Health Care of Atlanta. He says infant heart issues also often come with weak trachea airways not strong enough for babies to breathe. Maher says in his hospital, these are some of the most common issues they see in neonatal intensive care, but there aren't great treatments available.

Dr. Kevin Maher: You know, we've had these kids that can spend, you know, their entire life with a breathing tube. And the moment you would take out those breathing tube, the airways would collapse and they would go immediately go into respiratory arrest.

Ellen Eldridge: Now, a team of Georgia Tech engineers have developed a custom 3D printed splint to support the newborn airway. Think of it as a cast on the baby's own trachea. But Stronger Children's is one of only five hospitals in the nation offering the surgery. And while the procedure waits for full FDA approval, every single surgery has to wait for its own go ahead from the agency so far. Justice is the fourth patient at children's approved for the supportive device. The medical team submitted Justice's case to the FDA for approval, which they got in October 2020 amid the Covid 19 pandemic.

Emanuela Altidor: We're recording in the hospital. For the most part. They were, allowing me to go back and forth because I did have journeys still, here and needed to care for her as well.

Ellen Eldridge: Justice could eat and breathe on her own just a few weeks after surgery, and she was discharged from the hospital. The Altidore family recently celebrated the twins fourth birthday in the Bahamas. The family is back home now, preparing for back to school with a math skills board game.

Emanuela Altidor: Zero! Okay.

Ellen Eldridge: There is no after surgery. The device just dissolves in the throat over time. And aside from the scars, all Justice knows about the surgery are the stories she hears.

Emanuela Altidor: You had a surgery, right?

Justice Altidor: Yes. Since I was a baby, I have had a surgery.

Emanuela Altidor: After she first came out the surgery, you can feel the plastic in her chest. Now, it's just. It's just a flat surface. You wouldn't even know that she has something done with your scars from your surgery,.

Justice Altidor: Mr. Potato!

Emanuela Altidor: Oh, you're being silly.

Ellen Eldridge: Altidor says she can only imagine what Justice's life could have been.

Emanuela Altidor: Well, mommy's so happy you had your surgery, because now you can say stuff like "Mr. Potato!".

Ellen Eldridge: Dr. Maher says a fifth use of the 3D airway at children's is being planned, pending the okay of the surgery from the FDA. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 11:

Peter Biello: In sports, in baseball, Chris Sale won his major league leading 15th game with six crisp innings, or he Soler homered early and threw out a runner at the plate late, and the resurgent Atlanta Braves beat the struggling Minnesota Twins 5 to 1, to complete a three game sweep last night. The Braves have pulled within five games of NL East leader Philadelphia. They face Philly tonight for the first of a four game series. And in basketball, the Seattle Storm beat the Atlanta Dream 85 to 81 last night. Tina Charles put on a historic performance for the dream with 19 points, 17 rebounds, ten assists, four steals and one block.

Peter Biello: That's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. But we're going to have more tomorrow. We hope you'll subscribe to this podcast. That way we will pop up automatically tomorrow in your podcast feed. You can always check GPB.org/news for the latest headlines from Georgia. And if you'd like us to report on something we haven't yet, or if you've got feedback for this podcast, send it our way. The best way to reach us is by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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