Georgia Today: Protests against CDC rules; State AG warns future protesters; Barrow Co. SRO funding

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, protesters object to the Trump administration's changes to CDC vaccine guidelines. The state attorney general threatens to file domestic terrorism charges against violent protesters, and the fight over who will pay for school security officers in Barrow County continues.

Charity Lee: After officers saved lives in our school, you're asking whether it's worth it? Could you be more callous?

Peter Biello: Today is Wednesday, June 11. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Current and former employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are angered by a recent Trump administration decision to upend an advisory committee on vaccines. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more from a protest yesterday outside the CDC campus in Atlanta.

Sofi Gratas: These days, when new directives come out from the federal government without internal review, inside the CDC —

Anna: The first thing that happens is chaos.

Sofi Gratas: That's Anna, a CDC doctor. We're only using her first name since she still works there. Last week, CDC employees were asked to remove certain guidelines for COVID vaccines, leading to confusion and anger. On Monday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was gutted. Retired CDC worker Cathy Cavallaro called that a travesty.

Kathy Cavallaro: Pediatricians and — and other doctors depend on the recommendations.

Sofi Gratas: With ongoing concerns over budget cuts, current employees say they were hoping to hear from agency leadership at an all-staff meeting this week, but that meeting was postponed. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: An Atlanta project designed to reconnect downtown neighborhoods by spanning the 14 acres over the I-7585 connector is at risk of being defunded. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports on The Stitch.

Amanda Andrews: Atlanta was awarded a $157 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build The Stitch in 2024. But now the White House wants to take back the money. Project leaders are asking local organizations to sign a letter to Congress supporting the project and speaking out against the cuts. Stitch development manager Jack Cebe says they need to show broad support.

Jack Cebe: We know this project is important to a lot of people and will benefit a lot of people no matter what — what your political affiliations are. And so that's what this letter is about.

Amanda Andrews: Phase 1 of construction is on track to start in 2026, but could be pushed back several years if funding is cut. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Officials preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta say they're excited and ready to enter into the last 364 days of planning for the event. The world's biggest soccer tournament kicks off exactly one year from today. In a wide-ranging update, officials addressed public safety, public transportation, infrastructure and other concerns. Leading the meeting, Dan Corso of the Atlanta Sports Council says planning is moving into a new phase.

Dan Corso: A lot of the work to this point has been a lot of thinking and discussion and planning with local partners in FIFA, but now we're at the point of making decisions: what goes where and why and how you're going to move people around.

Peter Biello: New information shared today included more details about a free fan fest in downtown Atlanta, the naming of four Georgia-based corporate sponsors, and a statewide partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. Atlanta is one of 16 World Cup host cities, expecting a huge influx of visitors over the course of the 39-day tournament.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Georgia officials are warning demonstrators planning to join nationwide protests against the Trump administration on Saturday that they will not tolerate anything other than peaceful rallies. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today said he'd bring domestic terrorism charges against, quote, "those who earn it," and Governor Brian Kemp says violence against officers will be met with, quote "quick and heavy accountability." Cautions come after arrests at an immigration protest in Atlanta yesterday and ahead of a, quote, "day of defiance" as President Trump holds a military parade in Washington on Saturday.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced a lawsuit today against four companies that he alleges were responsible for a fatal dock collapse last year on Coastal Georgia's Sapelo Island. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: Seven people died in October when the ferry dock's gangway gave out, plunging them into the water below. The victims were returning from an annual festival of Gullah Geechee culture on Sapelo Island, 40 miles south of Savannah. Four firms involved with the gangway's design and construction are named in the lawsuit, which alleges professional negligence. Speaking at a press conference, attorney Ben Crump said the festival —

Ben Crump: It was supposed to be a celebration of Black pride, but it became a day of great, great Black loss of humanity and life. This tragedy was totally preventable.

Benjamin Payne: The lawsuit represents over 30 victims. Monetary damages were not specified in the filing. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The Barrow County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing Monday to discuss the future funding for school resource officers. A new budget being proposed by the commission shifts more financial responsibility for the officers to the Barrow County School District. The proposed FY26 budget includes two dozen SRO positions, but shifts financial responsibility for five existing roles entirely to the school district. The school board is also being asked to fully fund eight additional SROs, positions that were requested following the September shooting last year at Apalachee High School. The change ends a decades-long 50-50 funding partnership between the county and school board. Apalachee High School teacher Charity Lee joined other residents urging the commission not to pull back funding.

Charity Lee: This year —this year, some of you are questioning whether the county should continue funding SROs. After officers saved lives in our school, you're asking whether it's worth it? Could you be more callous?

Peter Biello: While some commissioners supported revisiting the proposed partnership, Commission Chair Pat Graham said the Board of Education has enough money saved up to pay for the cost of all two dozen SROs. A final budget vote is set for June 24.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Savannah Music Festival has named a new executive director. The organization announced yesterday Sinisa Ciric as its new leader. The Spring Festival is one of Savannah's major economic drivers, creating about $7 million in direct spending last year.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: And Georgia's Fort Eisenhower is getting its old name back, Fort Gordon. The Army announced the change yesterday as part of a Trump administration effort to store the names of bases that previously honored Confederate leaders. As with Georgia's Fort Benning, the Army is getting around a 2021 law that requires bases not to be named for Confederates by finding service members with the same last names to honor. The base now is named for Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, honored for his valor during a 1993 battle in Somalia.

And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you wanna learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news, and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. We hope you come back tomorrow. And if you've got feedback, let us know by email. The address is georgiatoday at gpd.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