Georgia Today: Georgia Supreme Court rejects Trump; SAG-AFTRA strike in Atlanta; Chick-fil-A protest

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, July 18. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the Georgia Supreme Court rejects Donald Trump's efforts to stop Fulton County from prosecuting him. Local union actors in Atlanta rally in support of a national strike; and a health advocacy group takes a very visible stand against a proposed Chick-fil-A at the Augusta Children's Hospital. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

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Story 1:

Peter Biello: Georgia's highest court has rejected former President Donald Trump's request to block Fulton County's district attorney from prosecuting him. The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously shot down a motion by Trump's attorneys yesterday, asking the court to intervene in the potential prosecution from DA Fani Willis. Willis is investigating whether Trump and his allies committed crimes as they tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Union actors in Atlanta held a rally last night in support of a national strike. GP's Amanda Andrews reports Local organizers are focused on showing solidarity.

Amanda Andrews: The rally drew in a crowd of SAG-AFTRA members, other workers in the Georgia entertainment industry and supporters. Local SAG-AFTRA leaders spoke about solidarity with national union leaders, including SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, who joined via Zoom to discuss the state of negotiations. Diane Rodriguez is an actress and SAG-AFTRA member in Atlanta. She says even without a studio headquarters to picket, the rally shows how important the strike is locally.

Diana Rodriguez: And here in Georgia specifically, where it's a right to work state — so they don't think we're very pro-union. They don't think that we have a vested interest. I think we've shown tonight we have more than a vested interest.

Amanda Andrews: Local organizers in various unions are working to organize more rallies and fundraising events for out-of-work entertainment industry employees. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews in Atlanta.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says his office is conducting a routine cleaning of the state's voter list. More than 191,000 voters labeled inactive will be mailed a notice. Those who receive these notices and want to remain on voting rolls must contact their county within 30 days. Georgia law requires the removal of voters who've been in inactive status for two general elections and failed to update their records. Raffensperger says these efforts ensure the integrity of the state's elections. Georgians can check their registration status at MVP.SOS.GA.gov.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: A federal court has dismissed the state of Georgia's bid to dismiss a lawsuit challenging state House and Senate district lines the Republican-controlled General Assembly drew two years ago, based on the 2020 census. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU's Georgia chapter are arguing the maps deny Black voters an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones has set a Sept. 5 hearing date in the case. Voting rights advocates have successfully challenged redistricting maps recently in several states. Congressional maps are expected to be redrawn in time for the 2024 elections in Alabama and Louisiana, after federal courts found maps adopted by those states' legislatures violated the Voting Rights Act.

Caption

A billboard opposing a Chick-fil-A in Children's Hospital of Georgia stands outside the Augusta, Ga., medical facility in summer 2023.

Credit: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Health and nutrition advocates are using billboards to protest a new restaurant at the Children's Hospital of Georgia in Augusta. The billboards ask: "Children's Hospital - Can a greasy fast-food meal help her heal?" GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.

Ellen Eldridge: The billboards posted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine target a planned Chick-fil-A and will stay up through Aug. 6. Jeannie Johnson is a Georgia mother of a chronically ill child. She says when her daughter visits Children's for treatment, there are few options.

Jeannie Johnson: And so we end up taking food with us to the hospital so that she has decent choices. And with Chick-fil-A. If you have a gluten and dairy allergy, you have safe options at Chick-fil-A that you don't really even have in a children's hospital cafeteria.

Ellen Eldridge: Chick-fil-A and the Children's Hospital of Georgia both declined to comment on the controversy. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Peter Biello: Worth noting that this same group, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, last month sent a letter urging the Macon Bacon to change its name, arguing the baseball teams, quote, "glorification of bacon, a processed meat that raises the risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases sends the wrong message to fans." The group also sponsored a billboard to promote its message. The group suggested alternate names for the team — Macon Vegan Bacon or Mushroom Bacon. The Macon Bacon declined to change its name and said it never will.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Attorneys for the city of Atlanta say an ongoing petition drive to halt the construction of a public safety training center is futile and invalid. They made the claim yesterday in a court filing that seeks to prevent the proposed referendum from appearing on November's ballot. The move comes less than two weeks after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, one of the facility's chief proponents, pledged that his administration would not try to halt the petition drive.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: A $35 million medical marijuana farm is under construction in Macon. GPB's Eliza Moore has more on the facility expected to open in September.

Eliza Moore: Fine Fettle is one of the companies selected by the state to grow cannabis and produce low-THC products. Their Class 2 license allows 50,000 square feet of growing space. The entire Macon distribution hub will be larger. Company COO Ben Zachs says they expect to create up to 150 jobs in Macon.

Ben Zachs: You know, we try and ensure that the impacts are not just, "hey, we did some construction, we built a building," but they're continual and ongoing to build really a brand new industry in the state that creates jobs out of thin air, essentially.

Eliza Moore: The Connecticut company also plans to open seven dispensaries and is awaiting issuance of its final state license. For GPB News, I'm Eliza Moore in Macon.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Former state Rep. Terry England is returning to the Gold Dome as chief of staff to House Speaker John Burns. England is a Republican from Barrow County and longtime chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. England will begin his new job on Aug. 1 to allow him to work with outgoing chief of staff Spiro Amburn to ensure a smooth transition. Amburn has served as chief of staff for 14 years and was first appointed by the late speaker, David Ralston.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Today is Mandela Day, honoring the life of Nelson Mandela, one of the most respected political leaders and humanitarians in the world. Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95, and since that time, the United Nations has celebrated Mandela Day each year on his birthday, July 18. Mandela spent more than two decades fighting apartheid in South Africa, including 27 years in South African prisons after being accused of political corruption. He served as president of South Africa from 1994 until 1999. Mandela visited Atlanta in 1990 and laid a wreath upon the crypt of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before speaking to a crowd of thousands at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd stadium. It was a historic moment that Atlantans remembered fondly at a 2013 Morehouse ceremony honoring the life of the inspiring human rights leader.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: We are so excited to let you know about a new podcast we're launching today at GPB that highlights books with Georgia connections. It's called Narrative Edge, and I'll be hosting it with my colleague, Orlando Montoya. We're going to be speaking with authors writing about or living in Georgia, and we're going to hear their interviews and we're also going to talk about them and what gives each of these books the narrative edge. So stay tuned for Narrative Edge. We're going to launch about two of these each month. You can subscribe today at GPB.org/NarrativeEdge. Author Ilyon Woo is featured in the first episode. Again, GPB.org/NarrativeEdge. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.

And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We do appreciate you tuning in. If you want to learn more about any of the stories you heard today, visit our website, GPB.org/news. And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast as you go ahead and look for Narrative Edge. If you have feedback or a story idea, we'd love to hear from you. Email us. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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