Georgia Today: Georgians react to Trump assassination attempt; Pathways to Coverage low enrollment

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today's Monday, July 15, I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Georgians react to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. A new program in South Georgia offers advanced training for paramedics; and enrollment in Georgia's Medicaid program, Pathways to Coverage, has been much lower than expected. We'll talk about why these stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Georgia Republican and Democratic officials are condemning the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

Sarah Kallis: Former President Trump was hit by a bullet on his right ear during a rally in Pennsylvania after a gunman fired from a rooftop nearby. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock prayed for the former president and other victims of the attack during his sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Sunday.

Raphael Warnock: We must be very clear, that yesterday's attack is an attack on all of us because it is an attack on democracy, the sacred and precious right of the American people to choose and to do so nonviolently. And if we lose that, we lose the very idea of America.

Sarah Kallis: Georgia House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration said that he is also praying for the victims and is glad that Trump is okay.

Chuck Efstration: But what we do know is that this was a truly terrible act. No person running for public office should have his or her safety threatened.

Sarah Kallis: President Joe Biden also condemned the attacks that killed one rally attendee and injured two others. The suspect is also dead. President Trump was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and released. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Republican National Convention is underway in Milwaukee, with Georgians set to play prominent roles. Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are both scheduled to speak. Delegate Marci McCarthy, who chairs the DeKalb County GOP, says the mood is upbeat despite the recent assassination attempt.

Marci McCarthy: The energy is electrifying. I just walked in for the first time and thought, "Wow, it is an incredibly beautiful convention floor." The stage is just so patriotic.

Peter Biello: McCarthy called Trump's vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, quote, "a gateway to the next generation."

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia officials expected 25,000 low-income residents to sign up for the state's new Medicaid plan by now. Instead, a year after its launch, Pathways to Coverage has about 4,300 people enrolled. Critics of the plan pointed to a number of problems with it, including its work requirement, the only one of its kind in the nation. But health policy director Lia Chan of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says it's also just hard to enroll.

Lia Chan: We know that the language in the application is very bureaucratic and technical and difficult to understand. We know that the online application and gateway can be difficult to navigate, and there's really no help or contact function.

Peter Biello: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's office has presented Pathways as a compromise that would add people to Medicaid, while also helping them transition off it. Blaming the Biden administration for delaying the program's start, Kemp's office says it's redoubling its efforts to sign people up.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Metro Atlanta's Gwinnett County is asking to join a lawsuit against the state of Georgia filed by a man who says the creation of the city of Mulberry is unconstitutional. Voters approved the creation of the new Gwinnett County city in May. Proponents declared the city's charter would prevent a property tax. Such a promise is unconstitutional, according to a resident of Dacula, who sued both the state and the county. Gwinnett County is proposing to join the suit against the state as an intervenor, claiming it agrees the ban on property taxes is unconstitutional, and therefore the state law that created the Mulberry charter should be struck down.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Georgia paramedics are already required to learn basic medical care, but patients in serious condition often need advanced care. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more on a program in South Georgia that aims to train paramedics for these cases.

Sofi Gratas: Patients with critical needs rely on ambulances to transport them to the right care. But Georgia's scattered hospital and trauma network means transport can take hours. This fall, Albany Technical College will be the first in the state to offer intensive critical care training to teach paramedics how to better keep these patients stable. Thad Minick is an instructor there.

Thad Minick: Some of the more advanced complications and problems that patients can have. It's not something they do very regular. So what we're attempting to do is provide people with the skills they need to safely take care of these patients between hospitals.

Sofi Gratas: Minick says the program was designed to meet new standards created by the state Office of EMS for a critical care license. Paramedics will have the choice to apply for this license starting next year. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The president of Morehouse College says he'll retire next June. President David Thomas said Friday it's time for new leadership at the all-male, historically Black school in Atlanta that he's led since 2018. The 67-year-old says he'll be leaving the school in better financial shape than when he took office. During his tenure, the college doubled its endowment and began a major campus overhaul.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The state ended its 2024 fiscal year with lower tax revenues than the previous year. The Georgia Department of Revenue said Friday the state brought in a little less than $33 billion during the fiscal year that ended in June. That was down one half of 1% compared to fiscal year 2023 — not accounting for the state collecting gas taxes for more than half of the last fiscal year. When that's taken into account, net revenues were down 3.4%. Georgia has plenty of cushion to weather the downturn with a $16 billion budget surplus.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: A federal jury in Savannah has convicted two brothers for their roles in a price-fixing conspiracy. The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said Gregory and David Melton were found guilty of a six-year scheme to coordinate price increases and bids in the ready-mix concrete market. Three other defendants already had pleaded guilty in the same conspiracy. One of the companies that admitted participation in the scheme agreed to pay a $20 million criminal penalty.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Delta Air Lines has changed its employee uniform policy following a social media user's outrage over two flight attendants photographed wearing Palestinian flag pins. The uproar over the post on X (formerly Twitter) last week prompted Atlanta-based Delta to ban its employees from wearing pins representing any country or nationality besides the U.S. The rule takes effect today. Both attendants wearing the pins were in compliance with Delta's policies at the time, which allowed more flexibility with uniform accessories.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: In sports, Major League Baseball's All Star Week begins today at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, at the home of the Rangers. Events leading up to tomorrow's All Star Game include today's Home Run Derby, in which Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna will compete. He's currently sled 26 homers this season, fourth in the majors and second in the National League behind Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is not participating in the Home Run Derby since he says he's still recovering from an injured elbow ligament. Ohtani is starting as DH for the National League in the All-Star game, while Ozuna is in reserve. The next phase of baseball's first-year player draft was scheduled to continue this afternoon. Yesterday's draft opened with Marietta native and UGA standout Charlie Condon being selected by the Colorado Rockies. The Braves used their first two picks to boost the ranks of their pitching, choosing lefties Cam Caminiti as the first round pick and Carter Holton in the second round. Cam Caminiti is the cousin of Ken Caminiti, who played for the Braves at the end of his career and who died in 2004.

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, take a moment and do it now. That'll keep us updated in your podcast feed. And we love to hear from you about what you're thinking about what we're doing. And we'd love to know about stories that you might know about. Send your ideas and feedback to us by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow.

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