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Georgia Today: Burt Jones responds to Trump indictment; Facebook lawsuit settled; New Rivian plant
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LISTEN: On the Thursday, Aug. 17 edition of Georgia Today: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones reacts to the indictment of former President Trump and others; a Columbus lawyer who sued Facebook and won has received his payout; and a judge signs off on billions of dollars in bonds for the new Rivian plant east of Atlanta.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Aug. 17. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones calls the indictment of former President Trump and others a waste of taxpayer money. A Columbus lawyer who sued Facebook and won has received his payout. Then, a judge signs off on billions of dollars in bonds for the new Rivian plant east of Atlanta. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones says he's not surprised a state agency will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate his alleged interference in the 2020 election. GPB's Donna Lowry reports.
Donna Lowry: Jones says he expected the state prosecuting attorney's council to step in based on a judge's ruling, forcing Fulton County DA Fani Willis to exclude him from her investigation.
Burt Jones: And we welcome the opportunity to talk to somebody who's not politically motivated and biased and and and just tell the truth and tell our side of the story.
Donna Lowry: During his campaign, Republican Jones legally challenged Willis's conflict of interest after she held a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent. As for the DA's indictments against former President Trump and 18 of his allies?
Burt Jones: I think it's a waste of taxpayer money, number one. And I think they are higher and better priorities as far as crime and, and backlog in that office.
Donna Lowry: Jones is one of 16 self-appointed electors who falsely claimed that Trump won Georgia. Donna Lowry for GPB News.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The only Georgia lawmaker who was indicted with former President Donald Trump and others this week is state Sen. Shawn Still. That felony indictment may require his suspension from office. Once Gov. Brian Kemp's office receives the formal transmission of the indictment from the Fulton DA's office, it must wait two weeks to appoint a commission to determine if still should be suspended from office pending the outcome of the case. Lawmakers can be suspended without pay, but if proven innocent, they can receive backpay. The Norcross senator is one of 16 Georgians who signed a certificate falsely declaring former President Trump the winner of Georgia's electoral votes.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Fulton County is preparing for the arraignment of former President Trump and his allies in the coming days. GPB's Sarah Kallis spoke to some third-year law students at Georgia State University to get their take on the recent indictments.
Sarah Kallis: After Trump was indicted and charged with racketeering for allegedly trying to overturn the results of Georgia's 2020 presidential election, Georgia's next generation of lawyers is headed to class with the indictment on their minds. Law student Maya Longacre said that the arraignment gives her more faith in the legal system and public transparency.
Maya Longacre: I think it sets a good precedent that, you know, our politicians are not above the law.
Sarah Kallis: Jack Grist, another third-year law student, said that while the indictment did not necessarily change how he feels about the future, he does have some concerns.
Jack Grist: Who's going to run for president in the future if they feel like maybe they could be indicted at a later time for skeletons in their closet?
Sarah Kallis: Trump and his allies will have to surrender in Fulton County by noon next Friday. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.
- Read the latest updates on the Georgia indictments HERE.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammel has signed off on $5 billion in bonds for the Rivian plant and Morgan and Walton counties east of Atlanta. Trammel's decision came after Georgia's Supreme Court decided not to hear an appeal of the bond validation case brought by a group seeking to halt the project. The Georgia Department of Economic Development called the approval a victory. Under the validated bond agreement. Rivian will not pay property taxes but will make payments in lieu of taxes and pay personal taxes on machinery and equipment. These payments will be reduced by the amount of personal property taxes paid. The Rivian plant is expected to generate 7,500 jobs and construction is expected to begin later this year.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: A Columbus lawyer who sued Facebook and won has received his $52,000 judgment. Jason Crawford sued when his account was deleted after it had been hacked. He received a default judgment after Facebook's parent company Meta did not respond to his suit. Crawford says he had to garnish the company's bank account to collect the judgment.
Jason Crawford: One day they're going to get hit with a massive judgment that will impact their bottom line. You know, I frankly can't wait to see it happen,.
Peter Biello: Crawford says anyone else who's lost photos and videos if their account was wrongfully deleted should seek similar judgments. Meta did not respond to our request for comment.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: A big change is coming for Georgians on the hunt for a new job. GPB's Orlando Montoya reports the state's technical college system, TCSG, is preparing to take over the Georgia Department of Labor's job search website.
Orlando Montoya: It's been a staple of the state's unemployed for more than a decade, but the website Employ Georgia is going away and being replaced by Worksource Georgia, promising job seekers and employers wraparound services. TCSG's lead workforce development officer Karen Kirschler says those include easy connections to job training, financial aid and resume building.
Karen Kirschler: Think of Indeed or Monster, but administered by a state with the benefit of having case managers and staff attached.
Orlando Montoya: Employ Georgia users are being notified to switch to Worksource Georgia. State lawmakers approved the management transition last year. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Discount grocer Aldi says it's acquiring 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in primarily five Southern states, including Georgia, under a proposed merger agreement. Aldi will acquire all outstanding shares of the grocery stores' parent company, Southeastern Grocers, if the deal is approved by regulators. It's expected to close in the first half of next year.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter turns 96 tomorrow. In her honor, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers is screening a film about the emotional impact on family members caring for a loved one. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.
Ellen Eldridge: The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers was founded 35 years ago by the former first lady. Institute CEO Jennifer Olsen says the film Unconditional by journalist Richard Lui ties together two issues mrs. Carter is passionate about: mental health and caregiving.
Jennifer Olsen: And Richard follows the story of three caregivers and really focuses on how the mental health impact of that caregiver journey on both the individuals who are themselves struggling with physical or mental health issues and the caregivers and the family unit around them.
Ellen Eldridge: Nationwide, 53 million people are serving as caregivers for aging, ill or disabled family members. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: The Atlanta Braves beat the New York Yankees 2 to 0 to complete a three-game sweep. It was the second shutout in a row for the Braves. Pitcher Charlie Morton went six innings, striking out 10, including Yankee slugger Aaron Judge twice. For Morton, pitching against the Yankees was a special experience: He grew up a Yankees fan.
Charlie Morton: My dad's from Long Island. And, you know, he always talked about the Yankee greats and being a fan of the game and the history of the game and that romantic part of the game. You know, I think there's still there's always going to be a little bit of that playing against the Yankees.
Peter Biello: In his last performance against the New York Mets, Morton walked seven batters. While last night's game was an improvement by many measures. Morton says he doesn't like to compare one game to another.
Charlie Morton: I'm not I'm not a seven-walk-a-game game pitcher and I'm not a zero ERA pitcher. I'm just trying to go out there and do my job. And so I think, you know, I think I just physically felt better tonight.
Peter Biello: Feeling better means a lot when you're this far into the season and when you're two months away from turning 40, as Morton is.
Charlie Morton: That kind of — it kind of hits me, every now and then. you know? Where I go to throw the 79th pitch and it just feels a little bit — 79 feels a little bit different than it did when I was like 31, you know, 32. So — but it's good. You know, I'm lucky. I'm still here.
Peter Biello: The Braves have the day off today before beginning a three-game series at home tomorrow against the San Francisco Giants. Spencer Strider is expected to get tomorrow's start.
And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. We have more news coming your way tomorrow. The best way to stay on top of it is to subscribe to this podcast. We will be there in your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon. And if you want to learn more about any of the stories you heard on today's podcast, visit our website, GPB.org/news. If you have feedback for us, or maybe there's a story that you want us to cover, let us know about it. 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.
Read the latest updates on the Georgia indictments here.
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