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Georgia Today: Reactions to Iran airstrike; Arrest of local journalist; Ga. playwright on Broadway
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On the Monday, June 23 edition of Georgia Today: Georgia leaders react to President Trump's bombing of Iran; local press advocates sound the alarm over a journalist's arrest in metro Atlanta; and a Georgia playwright's new production puts a millennial spin on the Broadway musical.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here, we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Georgia leaders react to President Trump's bombing of Iran. Local press advocates sound the alarm over a journalist's arrest in metro Atlanta, and a Georgia playwright's new production puts a millennial spin on the Broadway musical.
Play attendee: Seeing all of these characters that you can relate to and you can kind of pick out who represents you the most, that's really powerful to see happen.
Peter Biello: Today is Monday, June 23. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: Georgia leaders are reacting after President Trump announced U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Gov. Brian Kemp released a statement thanking the president for a, quote, "successful operation." Rome congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the bombings, saying she was, quote, "sick of foreign wars." In the streets of Atlanta on Sunday, protesters gathered in opposition. GPB's Sarah Kallis has more.
Sarah Kallis: Demonstrators say they do not want to see any additional U.S. Involvement in Iran. Ashlyn Swann is an Iranian-American dual citizen, and she says the situation is nuanced.
Ashlyn Swann: I'd say that for me, personally, I think the scariest thing is really just for the potential of escalation due to the involvement of Israel and the U.S. I think that is more of a powder keg than anything in and of itself could be sensitive just to Iran.
Sarah Kallis: Supporters of the strikes, like Gov. Brian Kemp, say they were necessary to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: A Spanish-language journalist remains in ICE custody after being arrested while covering a protest in Metro Atlanta earlier this month. The arrest of Mario Guevara on June 14 while he was working as a journalist has alarmed press freedom advocates. The Committee to Protect Journalists along with the Atlanta Press Club have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security calling his arrest "chilling" and demanding his release. Mike Jordan is chair of the Atlanta Press Club's board of directors and he's with me now. Welcome to the program.
Mike Jordan: Thanks for having me, Peter.
Peter Biello: So why did the Atlanta Press Club want to sign on to this letter?
Mike Jordan: The Atlanta Press Club's mission is serving the evolving professional, educational and social needs of the media community here, and we're fostering journalism excellence, advancing the public's interest in and the understanding of a free press. And so when we talk about a free press, we're talking about a local journalist here. Guevara is an Atlanta journalist. This happened in the Atlanta area. And it is important to our organization to speak out whenever situations like these arise, and a member of the press is detained. We think that speaks directly to our mission. And we were in contact with CPJ and we said that this is something that we believe in and our board decided that we wanted to sign on to their letter because we are in solidarity with this situation and we would like to see a more thorough review and better treatment of journalists in Atlanta and beyond.
Peter Biello: What is your understanding of what happened on that day, June 14?
Mike Jordan: Well, my understanding is that he was detained. We are still looking at the facts, but this was covering a protest in the Embrey Hills neighborhood. So I understand that they're saying that there were several misdemeanor charges filed, some even in previous situations before he was taken into ICE custody. So we're still awaiting any sort of resolution. We understand that removal proceedings are still in play. So we're waiting, like everyone else, to see what's happening here. But our understanding is that he was taken into custody. He was improperly entering a roadway, they're saying. He obstructed law enforcement officers and there was unlawful assembly. But we don't believe that those charges are justified. And that's why we signed on to the letter from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Peter Biello: Regardless of what the government is trying to do, what message do their actions send, in your view, to journalists trying to cover ICE in the United States?
Mike Jordan: Well, they seem to be in conflict with the idea of a free press. Mr. Guevara, just like all of the great working journalists that cover protests and anything happening in Atlanta, whether it is related to ICE and whether it's related to the current administration or anything else, we're there to do a job. We are there to inform the public, we are there for the better understanding of how a free press operates. So this falls right into our wheelhouse of what we want to defend, of what advocate for and what we wanna see happen, which is journalists being able to keep a democratic society informed and to let people know what's going on in their neighborhoods and communities and beyond. And being connected to a wider network of journalism organizations such as CPJ, it helps us to know that we are not alone such as Mr. Guevara is not alone and we're all here to advocate and support him and other journalists who may be going through similar situations just doing their jobs.
Peter Biello: Whether or not Mr. Guevara is released from detention, does the fact of his detention instill a chilling effect to some extent on those who are working press?
Mike Jordan: Well, I would say that individual members of the press probably have their own feelings and situations. Not everyone covers the same beat. But the job of media is not a job that is always understood. And a lot of times, we are put in positions to where we put ourselves — not necessarily in harm's way, but in the way of activity as it's going on. So this is not the first time that journalists have been detained. We don't want to see it happen ever. But I would say in terms of the chilling effect, what I would say, we are, as an industry, as a community of journalists, of people who report on news and share that information — we are not a group of people that are easily backed down. This is a job that is relied upon. The American people, the citizens of Atlanta and Georgia, they rely on our journalists to keep them informed and that's exactly what we're going to do. So I will tell you that I personally feel no chilling effect and I can tell you that the Atlanta Press Club Board is behind this effort to make sure that Mr. Guevara is treated fairly, and we want his freedom, and we wanna see all journalists to not have any sort of situation that would put them in the way of being afraid and intimidated to do their job, which is informing the American press of what's happening in their communities.
Peter Biello: Mike Jordan is chair of the Atlanta Press Club's Board of Directors. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I appreciate it.
Mike Jordan: Always a pleasure, Peter.
Peter Biello: Guevara is not a legal permanent resident, but has authorization to work in the United States. You can follow developments on this story at GPB.org/news.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Georgia-based supporters of America's national parks are sounding the alarm about funding cuts under President Trump's proposed mega bill. The National Park Service stands to lose a quarter billion dollars in staff funding. That's according to the non-profit National Parks Conservation Alliance. Ebony Preston Goddard is the group's Atlanta-based Southeast Regional Director.
Ebony Preston Goddard: A matter of you know a person having to do the job of two or three to now having to do it for four or five. And so as a system that really values people the visitors that are coming it's going to be really hard to manage with any fewer folks and they were already pretty understaffed.
Peter Biello: About 7 million people visited Georgia's 11 National Park Service units in 2023, according to the latest agency figures. Those extend from the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in the Georgia mountains to Cumberland Island National Seashore on the coast. Preston Goddard has her favorites.
Ebony Preston Goddard: I'm in Atlanta. I mean, Martin Luther King Jr.'s ertainly in my backyard, but I'll go ahead and tell you a little secret. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Kennesaw. If you go to Pigeon Hill, they have one of the most gorgeous hikes that you would never think that you're in the metro Atlanta area. The views are just absolutely amazing. So if you haven't been, I encourage you to do so.
Peter Biello: She urges park supporters to get involved with local park unit Friends groups and contact their members of Congress. And what is your favorite National Park Service unit in Georgia? Do you know a spectacular trail or viewpoint that feels like your secret? If you can, tell us your secret. Email us. GeorgiaToday@GPB.org.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: Crews in Savannah began disassembling the city's iconic Forsyth Park fountain today. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports it's the first step in a major restoration of the Antebellum landmark.
Benjamin Payne: After a few rusty bolts were removed from the statue of a robed woman topping the fountain, a towering crane carefully hoisted her onto a flatbed truck below. Each piece of the fountain built in 1858 will get hauled to a repair shop in Alabama where a contractor will sandblast and restore the ornate ironwork. Greg Jacobs is with Landmark Preservation, a consultant on the project.
Greg Jacobs: It's going to look a lot crisper. With nearly 40 coats of paint, you can expect that a lot of the detail has been lost. So removing that alone is going to give this such more depth and more character. You're going to be able to see the details.
Benjamin Payne: This marks the first major restoration of the Forsyth Park Fountain since 1988. The $650,000 project is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: A new report from the Commonwealth Fund ranks Georgia's health care system 45th overall in the nation. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports on the findings.
Ellen Eldridge: The ranking looked at health care access, affordability and disease prevention. Among other things, it found Georgia saw higher rates of breast cancer deaths than the rest of the country. Like other diseases, breast cancer is considered a mostly preventable form of mortality because screening is available. Sarah Collins, with the Commonwealth Fund, says many Georgians cannot afford coverage.
Sarah Collins: If you don't have access to providers because you don't have health insurance coverage, it is nearly impossible to get regular cancer screens.
Ellen Eldridge: She says the state's Pathways to Coverage program also enrolled fewer people in Medicaid, citing stronger work requirements. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: Atlanta drivers have landed near the bottom of a new national ranking for road safety. According to Allstate's' 2025 report on the 200 riskiest U.S. cities for driving, Atlanta ranks 189th. That's worse than all but 11 cities. The report says Atlanta drivers are more than 67% more likely to get into a crash than the national average. That's down 10 spots from last year. For comparison, Boston came in dead last with drivers there 244% more likely to crash.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: A Georgia playwright and college professor is luring teens to Broadway with the theatrical production John Proctor is the Villain" inspired by a 70-year-old play and Y2K pop songs. GPB's Kristi York Wooten tells us more from New York and Atlanta.
Kristi York Wooten: A line of theatergoers snakes through Schubert Alley on a wet Tuesday in May ahead of the evening performance of John Proctor is the Villain. The Broadway hit was written by Georgia native and Emory University professor Kimberly Belflower, who was inspired to add a "Me Too" twist to Arthur Miller's allegorical classic The Crucible, which by the way premiered a couple hundred feet down 45th Street back in 1953.
Kimberly Belflower: What if both things can be true? What if multiple things are true at the same time? What if in The Crucible, John Proctor does take very moral, essential stands against falsehoods? And also he's incredibly misogynistic and abusive to the other women in the play. And it's like both of, and just like in my play, you know, Mr. Smith, the teacher character, he's a great teacher. He has positively impacted many lives of his students over the years. And also, he's a predator.
Kristi York Wooten: The play features 22-year-old Atlanta film Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. Although John Proctor is the Villain took home no hardware at the ceremony earlier this month, its fictional portrayal of power dynamics and sexual assault set in a North Georgia high school classroom has electrified discussions around how young women process trauma.
Play attendee: I think, like, seeing all of these characters that you can relate to and you can kind of pick out who represents you the most, that's really powerful to see happen and also just the overall message. It's just all like a real celebration of girlhood.
Kristi York-Wooten: At their seats, teens and parents chat loudly over a pre-show playlist of hits from the 2010s, and when Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" ramps up, a multi-generational sing-along ensues.
MUSIC: Robyn - "Dancing On My Own"
Kristi York-Wooten: Belflower grew up in White County, Ga., and assigns her plays characters' Southernisms without burdening them with stereotypes.
Kimberly Belflower: When I'm writing about Southerners and when I'm writing about teenagers, I just love both of those populations of people so much that I feel like it's not a huge effort to depict them with humanity and dignity and complexity because that's how I see them, because that how they are. Then when I am workshopping a script, and this script in particular, I'm always very conscious of how people who are not from the South encounter these characters. And so I want to make sure like, "oh, is there anything that I just wasn't conscious of as I'm kind of mapping out the world?"
Kristi York-Wooten: The climax arrives in the form of New Zealand singer Lorde's 2017 anthem "Green Light," in which the traumatized yet newly liberated classmates dance wildly to pulsating lights.
MUSIC: Lorde - "Green Light"
Kristi York Wooten: John Proctor is the Villain taps into a pre-pandemic mood of America that evokes deep emotions with the current state of the world. Yet the air in the theater is so thick with pheromones and realizations of empowerment, one leaves the play feeling like they just left hot yoga with an agenda.
Kimberly Belflower: What that song means to me is what it is to be an artist and to move through something painful or traumatic and reach the other side of that experience and be like, "oh, I'm gonna make something out of that. I'm going to harness my pain and turn it into something good." I think that's what Shelby and Rae-Lynn, the characters in my play, are doing in that final moment. They're, you know, like, the institutions aren't going to protect us, the school didn't protect us. Our parents didn't protect us the church didn't protect us so like we have to show up for each other.
Kristi York Wooten: For GPB News, I'm Kristi York-Wooten in Atlanta.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: In sports the Braves face the Mets in New York tonight with Spencer Schwellenbach on the mound. Over the weekend, the Braves lost the three-game series to the Marlins in Miami two games to one. The Braves are 11 games out of first place in the National League East behind both the Mets and the first-place Phillies. The Braves host a three-game against the Phillies for their next home stand starting on Friday.
Thanks so much for choosing Georgia Today as your source for news about what's happening in the Peach State. We do appreciate you tuning in. We hope you'll come back tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast and check GPB.org/news for all the updates on the stories you heard today, as well as news stories from our reporters constantly posting new ones there. If you've got feedback, send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. When you email that address, it goes to the whole team. Again, 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
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