Georgia Today: Lawmakers push for Georgia's first Natl. park; New EV plant; Braves opening day

Sofi Gratas: Welcome to Georgia Today on this podcast, we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Georgia lawmakers make another push to create the state's first national park. Hyundai opens a new electric vehicle plant in Bryan County, and it's opening day for the Atlanta Braves. GPB will talk with Braves podcast host Grant McAuley about what we can expect.

Grant McAuley: The Braves pretty much across the board are that No. 2 team right behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. So we'll see.

Sofi Gratas: Today is Thursday, March 27. I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 1:

Sofi Gratas: Public health experts are raising the alarm over proposed cuts to programs that directly fund the nation's public health departments. Federal health agency leaders announced Wednesday that they intend to cut just north of $11 billion in grants issued during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Georgia. Money from these COVID-era grants has been used to expand testing and surveillance of infectious diseases, and to upgrade equipment used in public health emergencies. Georgia Department of Public Health leaders say they are still assessing what the recent cuts will mean for existing programs. The agency gets about 50% of its budget from the federal government. Leah Chan, with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, says any cuts could have a, quote, "seismic impact" on all Georgians, but especially those who rely on local services.

Leah Chan: There are some counties that do not have a primary care provider and they don't have a hospital. You have your county health department that you can go that could provide you with some level of preventive care.

Sofi Gratas: In anticipation of possible cuts, Georgia public health officials have taken measures to limit spending, including pausing non-essential travel.

Story 2:

Sofi Gratas: Georgia's federal lawmakers are making another push to designate the Ocmulgee Mounds as the state's first national park. Georgia U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, along with South Georgia representatives Sanford Bishop and Austin Scott, reintroduced a bipartisan bill in Congress this week. The site, near Macon, is the ancestral home of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Last May, Ossoff delivered remarks during a subcommittee hearing on the act.

Jon Ossoff: Not only will this be transformative for Middle Georgia and its economic development and its tourist economy to establish Georgia's first-ever national park, but it also will be a powerful statement about the relationship between our state and the Muskogee Creek nation and its history.

Sofi Gratas: Backers say the move would protect the land while boosting tourism and economic development in Middle Georgia. The bill has broad support across Georgia's House delegation. All but one member has signed on as a co-sponsor.

Story 3:

Sofi Gratas: The U.S. Senate voted today to repeal a new rule adopted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that limits steep overdraft fees charged by large banks and credit unions. The issue has been a yearslong priority for Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who applauded the Biden administration for announcing the cap shortly before Biden left office. It was scheduled to go into effect in October. The resolution passed in the Senate on a mostly party-line vote, with all but one Republican voting to rescind the limits. It now moves to the U.S. House.

Caption

Hyundai

Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Story 4:

Sofi Gratas: Hyundai celebrated the opening of its new $7.5 billion electric vehicle factory in Bryan County yesterday.

[Unidentified]: Welcome to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America!

Sofi Gratas: At the opening, Hyundai announced plans to increase the plant's capacity from 300,000 to 500,000 vehicles per year. The sprawling plant currently produces two electric SUV models, the Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 9, and employs 1,200 workers. Hyundai has said it plans to employ 8,500 total workers. When the plant broke ground in 2022, it was the largest economic development project the state had seen coming, with $2 billion in tax breaks and other incentives from state and local governments. Gov. Brian Kemp:

Brian Kemp: To outside observers, it may seem like today's opening happened overnight. And in some ways, it seems like that: It was so quick, especially given the record speed at which the plant was built. And we're certainly impressed at how quickly this company moves. But they will tell you, just like us, that today's milestone did not happen by happenstance. When we heard that an employer of Hyundai caliber was looking to make a generational commitment somewhere in our region, we jumped at the opportunity. We did the legwork of requiring a mega-site that was capable of meeting the needs of a project of this scale. We met with the leadership and discussed the unique advantages of locating a manufacturing facility like this in Southeast Georgia, and we never wavered in our efforts to bring tens of thousands of jobs to our hard work and citizens.

Sofi Gratas: The opening of the plant yesterday came as President Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House says we'll foster domestic manufacturing. Critics say it could financially squeeze automakers that depend on global supply chains.

Story 5:

Sofi Gratas: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke to the Atlanta Press Club Thursday about his goals for the city, including pursuing federal funding and planning for major events. GPB's Amanda Andrews explains.

Amanda Andrews: The city has launched the Showcase Atlanta Plan to ensure local businesses benefit financially from large events like the World Cup in 2026. It's also working to improve the water system following multiple outages, so it can improve quality of life and handle the incoming soccer fans. Dickens says he plans to work across party lines to secure funding for water infrastructure upgrades.

Andre Dickens: Our goal is still the same, but our strategies might change. We're going to be working with state leaders that have great relationships with federal leaders.

Amanda Andrews: The city estimates it will spend $2 billion over the next 20 years to replace pipes and other water assets. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 6:

Sofi Gratas: The search continues for four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania. The soldiers, all from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart in Southeast Georgia, were conducting tactical training when they went missing. The U.S. Army said the Hercules armored vehicle the four soldiers were in during a training exercise had been found submerged in a body of water. It said U.S. Army and Lithuanian armed forces and civilian agencies were attempting recovery efforts.

Story 7:

Sofi Gratas: The Atlanta Braves are the eighth most valuable club in Major League Baseball. That's according to a Forbes annual ranking published yesterday. The publication valued the Braves at $3 billion, a 7% increase over their 2024 valuation. The increase is on par with MLB clubs as a whole. The report came ahead of Opening Day for the Braves. The Braves are in San Diego to face the Padres as this podcast is being recorded and produced. Last season, the Padres knocked the Braves out of postseason. Before the game began today. GBS Orlando Montoya spoke with Braves watcher Grant McCauley about offseason storylines and what to expect from 2025. McCauley hosts the podcast From the Diamond, which covers the Braves.

Grant McAuley: Hey, thanks for having me.

Orlando Montoya: Grant last year was a brutal one for the Braves, losing some key players early in the season to injuries. How are injuries among star players looking at the beginning of the season?

Grant McAuley: Well, fortunately, much less plentiful this year. They weren't able to dodge that bullet entire — entirely. They did lose Sean Murphy, their starting catcher, who got hit by a pitch, has a broken rib. He's getting over that — should be back in April. So all things considered, and as you touched on, last year was a pretty rough one. They lost Ronald Acuña Jr., they lost Spencer Strider for the majority of the year. They lost Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris and Austin Riley and others for months at a time. So this is a club that by and large is healthy. We're going to hope that they stay that way. And know they're certainly hoping that. And if they are healthy is going to be one of the better ones in the National League when you consider the talents they have on hand and the returns of Acuña and Strider, which will be huge storylines for the Braves this year. So all in all, health is good. But you know, they've got to go out there and keep it that way over the course of the season, because we saw a year ago that can certainly change the story and the trajectory of a year for a team.

Orlando Montoya: And there was some concern among fans offseason because player acquisitions and trades seemed low. In your opinion, how does the player roster look going into the season?

Grant McAuley: I think it's a strong club, but "Can you do more?" is always going to be the question, and I think it's a necessary one for fans, especially. Because the Braves, while having a top 10 payroll, certainly is, you know, leaps and bounds above where they were for a very long time. This is a club that's in the middle of a championship window. So you always want to see those acquisitions over the course of the winter be the ones that can make your club better. Now, the Braves were not a club that came in with a lot of holes, but they did lose Max Fried and Charlie Morton in their starting rotation and another veteran proven starter didn't come back in the door. So I think that's one of the big questions. They did make a big signing: a multiyear deal with Jurickson Profar, an All-Star left fielder. That should help them out. But then they didn't really do a lot beyond that. And I think that's really where the Braves have been trying to walk that line of what can they do in the winter, and then maybe what's available at the trade deadline. So there could be talent, you know, onboarded at some point this year. But I do think it's fair to kind of wonder, could the Braves have done more over the winter. Again, Acuña and Strider — not a lot of clubs have those kind of players coming back, but I don't think you want to just lean on returns to be the big acquisitions that you're making over the course of an offseason.

Orlando Montoya: You mentioned a number of key players. What about Chris Sale? He won the Cy Young Award last year. Could he repeat it?

Grant McAuley: Well, that certainly would make the Braves' rotation, you know, as strong and as formidable as it was a year ago when it was one of the best in all of baseball, I think that he can and he's a motivated and as competitive a guy as you're ever going to find as well. And that, I think sets Chris Sale apart. And then, of course, he's one of the best strikeout pitchers in this generation or any other. So really, when it comes down to what Chris Sale is, what we talked about with so many other Braves players thus far is: He's got to be healthy. If he is, I would not put it past him to win another Cy Young, even though surprisingly, last year was the first Cy Young of what I think could be a Hall of Fame career.

Orlando Montoya: The Braves have been chasing another World Series appearance since they won in 2021. Definitely a playoff appearance seems likely, but what do you think of the Braves' chances of going all the way to the World Series this season?

Grant McAuley: Yeah, I think it's always on the table, and what you have to do is punch your ticket and get there. And the Braves have done that every year since winning the World Series in 2021. But they have also been sent home in the first round, which was something that happened a lot to the club prior to their postseason success, first in 2020 and obviously in 2021 and winning everything. This is a team that if you've got the starting pitching lined up the way that you want it with Sale and with Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo Lopez, that's a quality quartet that you could have starting games for you. That's been a big problem for the Braves in October is, can they get to that point of the season with a healthy starting rotation? The answer lately has been no. But the problem for me has been even with a historic offense in 2023, they haven't been able to hit in October. So they're going to have to figure out how to crack that code. I mean, you know, all bets are off. It's the team that gets, I think, hottest over the course of three weeks. But you've got to get there first. And the Braves always set their sights on winning the National League East. I think that's a perfectly reasonable goal and well within reach for them, even with the Phillies and the Mets looming out there as well. I think contending for that, this is a club that has, I think, all the pieces to be there. Can they make it happen? Can they get hot at the right time? I think as much as anything is — is what the baseball postseason is all about. And I think this is a club that could do it.

Orlando Montoya: And of course we're talking about the Braves. But there are other teams as well. How has the competition changed in the National League?

Grant McAuley: Well, the National League East I think is one of the most competitive divisions. when you think about what the Phillies have turned into over the past few years. And of course, the Mets are going to spend more money than anybody not named the Los Angeles Dodgers. They proved it again over the winter when they signed Juan Soto to one of the biggest contracts in baseball history — in sports history, for that matter. So I think the Mets are going to be tough. I certainly think that the Phillies can give the Braves anything and everything they could want and more. But then if we're talking about the National League, on the whole, the Los Angeles Dodgers have basically been putting together — assembling a superstar squad that might be baseball's version of the Dream Team in the NBA or the Olympics about 30 years ago. It's — it's, you know, not too many teams are, and and no other team is able to do what they're doing. But again, the game is not played on paper. They won the World Series last year. They won it in 2020, in the shortened season. But last year was the Dodgers' first World Series win in a 162-game season since 1988. So even when you spend all the money, it doesn't necessarily guarantee you're going to win the title every single year. But that's the toughest team. That's the club with a target on its back, certainly, and I think the Braves are worthy contenders. And if you look across all the — the projections and the prognostication this time of year, the Braves pretty much across the board are that No. 2 team right behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. So we'll see how it all matches up over the course of 162 games. And then of course, in October, where everybody wants to play their best baseball.

Orlando Montoya: Well, Grant McAuley, host of the podcast From The Diamond. Appreciate your expertise. Thank you very much.

Grant McAuley: Thanks for having me.

Story 8:

Sofi Gratas: And finally, the Atlanta Jazz Festival is back this Memorial Day weekend with a star-studded lineup. Artists including Derek Hodge, Robbie Coltrane, Dianne Reeves, Russell Gunn and Joe Grandsen are set to perform during the free three-day event in Piedmont Park from Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day and will feature international, national and local talent, performing everything from swing and big band to contemporary jazz. Now in its 48th year, the event is organized by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs. To learn more, visit ATLJazzFest.com. That's ATL-J-a-z-z-F-e-s-t.com.

Sofi Gratas: That's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for listening. If you would like to learn more about these stories we mentioned. Visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't yet hit subscribe on this podcast, just take a moment right now. It'll keep us current in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, we would love to hear it. Please email us at GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. I'm Sofi Gratas and we'll see you tomorrow.

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