Georgia Today: CDC layoffs; Government shutdown affects Georgia Tech; Georgia hospitals using AI

TRANSCRIPT: 

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, about 600 people have been laid off from the CDC. Georgia Tech feels the pain of the government shutdown, and the Northeast Georgia Health System is now using a type of artificial intelligence aimed at easing staff burnout.

Matt Zimmie: Again, we like to fill the tool belt up with all the tools and then, you know, you're free to choose, but we see lots and lots of people now choosing this.

Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, Oct. 14. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1

Peter Biello: The White House conducted another round of firings at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday. Around 600 people were ultimately laid off, GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

Sarah Kallis: The National Public Health Coalition, formerly known as Fired But Fighting, is a group of current and former CDC employees, including Aryn Melton Backus . She was one of the 1,300 who received a termination letter Friday, but it was rescinded less than 24 hours later.

Aryn Melton Backus: At this point, it seems like the chaos and lack of transparency is the point. It's been a long 10 months as a federal employee, but we will continue to fight back for the good of our nation and America's public health.

Sarah Kallis: This is the third major round of layoffs at the CDC since Trump took office in January. Melton Bacchus says she received termination notices during the other two rounds as well. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

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Peter Biello: Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport will not display a newly released Department of Homeland Security video in TSA lines. The video features DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. An ATL spokesperson says the airport strives to maintain a neutral and welcoming environment for travelers and will not show the video.

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Peter Biello: The former city manager of Columbus, who was fired by the Columbus council in May, is running to lead the council as mayor. Isaiah Hugley launched his mayoral campaign yesterday for next year's election. Hughley was the first Black city manager of Columbus and served in that role for 20 years before councillors voted to end his employment after a series of legal and financial controversies. The current mayor, Skip Henderson, is in his second term and is not allowed to run again. If elected, Hughley would become the city's first Black mayor. Qualifying for the race isn't until March of next year, with election day in the nonpartisan contest on May 19.

Caption

A medical practitioner holds a clipboard.

Credit: File

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Peter Biello: Northeast Georgia Health System is joining other health care providers and using a type of artificial intelligence called ambient AI, which is aimed at easing staff burnout. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Sofi Gratas: Ambient AI allows health care providers to use a transcription of a patient's checkup to fill in details on electronic health records. Providers across North Georgia Health System's five campuses are using a program created by Microsoft. Patients have to give their consent for the recordings. Chief Medical Informatics Officer Matt Zimmy says it's a far cry from pen and paper, but it helps doctors save time and keep checkups conversational. Ambient AI is still optional at the hospital system.

Matt Zimmie: Again, we like to fill the tool belt up with all the tools and then, you know, you're free to choose. But we see lots and lots of people now choosing this.

Sofi Gratas: Other Georgia hospital systems like Piedmont Healthcare and Wellstar have been using AI and other technologies, including facial recognition and virtual nurses. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

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Peter Biello: The government shutdown is hitting Georgia research universities hard. Georgia Tech says the impasse is delaying federally funded activities representing more than $100 million per month in expenses. The Institute said yesterday if the shutdown doesn't end by Monday, it's prepared to slow spending and preserve cash by limiting certain activities. That includes new hiring, major contracts, and other non-personnel expenses.

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Peter Biello: Columbus-based Synovus Securities has agreed to pay a $315,000 fine for alleged forgery and falsification of electronic signatures. A company official signed the agreement two weeks ago without confirming or denying allegations from the financial industry regulatory authority.

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Peter Biello: Pediatricians are among the first people parents trust with their babies. Now some childhood diseases that are preventable by vaccines are on the rise and messaging about vaccines from what have historically been the most respected sources of medical standards has changed. We're going to go back to Sofi Gratas for this one. And as she explained in this piece from April, pediatricians and parents are having increasingly important conversations.

Sofi Gratas: Starting at 2 months old all over the country, babies go into clinics like Dr. Brittany Lord's for an important visit. They get their first big round of vaccines. Today is Memphis Brown's turn. Lord explains the rundown to mom Mahogany Brown.

Dr. Brittney Lord (to a patient): We're getting three shots, and then there's a liquid we give by mouth.

Sofi Gratas: She does this vaccine counseling with every patient.

Dr. Brittney Lord: I kinda go through the vaccines in, like, layman's terms.

Dr. Brittney Lord (to a patient): People used to get polio and not be able to walk, get paralyzed.

Dr. Brittney Lord: That's where we have that conversation: "Why are you afraid of vaccines? Why are you hesitant of it? What is it?" And then that's where we can engage in the conversation.

Sofi Gratas: Lord has been at the Eastman Pediatric Clinic in Middle Georgia's Dodge County for four years. The office is between the County Hospital and Tractor Supply Company. She's having more of these conversations, with parents coming in not outright against vaccines.

Dr. Brittney Lord: But they are hesitant about giving so many at one time.

Sofi Gratas: The majority of families in the U.S. still vaccinate their kids. Most of Lord's patients are vaccinated. But there is evidence that since COVID, thousands of families have opted out of routine vaccines. And now an outbreak of measles, the first in years, is getting mostly unvaccinated kids sick. It killed one child in Texas early this year. When parents here want to space out the timing of vaccines, Lord will, and she always welcomes questions.

Dr. Brittney Lord: I knew like I would be here for a long time and I needed to develop a relationship with these families so I can't just shut them down and say "You're wrong."

Sofi Gratas: If she did, she fears she would lose these families altogether. Emory University Global Health Professor Robert Bednarczyk says it's hard for scientists like him to know why any one parent worries about vaccines.

Robert Bednarczyk: What are people thinking? What are people feeling about these vaccines?

Sofi Gratas: He says scientists need people like Dr. Lord to find out.

Robert Bednarczyk: Being able to have that open conversation is — is one of the the best steps that we can have towards coming to — to better decision making around vaccines.

Sofi Gratas:  Bednarczyk says those decisions are key to all our health because vaccine-preventable diseases can be super contagious.

Dr. Grace Davis: And this is what I explain to parents because [they're] thinking that, "Oh, it's not gonna reach me." And I'm like, "You're not gonna stay home. You're not in a bubble. You go to Walmart."

Sofi Gratas: Dr. Grace Davis runs Sylvester Pediatrics. She's been practicing in this small South Georgia community for over four decades. She encourages these parents, most her former patients, to ask questions about their children's care.

Dr. Grace Davis: Because it's a partnership.

Sofi Gratas: And for the few unvaccinated families she has?

Dr. Grace Davis: I tell them up front, I said, "You know, this is gonna be an ongoing conversation because we're not gonna stop talking." And they say, "Yeah, we know." And then I tell them true stories.

Sofi Gratas: Like from before vaccines, of hospitals full of kids with meningitis, and of kids now, unprotected from the bacteria that come with the normal cuts and scrapes of childhood. Back in Eastman, Dr. Brittany Lord has her own stories. She once saw vaccine-preventable pertussis, whooping cough, leave a baby gasping for air.

Dr. Brittney Lord: That, I will never forget and I still kind of get upset about it. And I try to stress to parents, you know, I can't guarantee that everything's a hundred percent, you know, but we can do as if we can do all we can to help prevent as much as we can. That's what matters.

Sofi Gratas: Two-month old Memphis might have a low fever later, or get a little knot in his leg from his shot.

Dr. Brittney Lord: Good job.

Sofi Gratas: The people in this room agree those are small discomforts for a life of protection. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Eastman, Ga.

Story 8

Peter Biello: Sandy Alomar Sr., the Puerto Rican infielder and longtime baseball journeyman, passed away yesterday at the age of 81. Alomar first reached the majors with the Braves in September 1964, where he started at shortstop and collected a base hit in his very first game. In the years that followed, he remained woven into the Braves system, shuttling between the big club and its AAA affiliates, including the Atlanta Crackers. His early seasons with the Braves in Milwaukee, Richmond, and then Atlanta, shaped a career built on quiet determination and defensive skill. Later, he became a respected coach and the patriarch of one of baseball's most enduring families.

Caption

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Atlanta.

Credit: AP Photo/Mike Stewart

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Peter Biello: In other sports, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Buffalo Bills yesterday, 24-14. Running back Bijan Robinson had a career-best 238 yards from scrimmage, but the Falcons struggled with their kicking game as Parker Romo had a field goal blocked. The Falcons will have a second straight primetime game when they travel to San Francisco and face the 49ers on Sunday night.

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Peter Biello: And homecoming nights are meant to be special, but at Roswell High School, quarterback Trey Smith made this one unforgettable. Moments after being crowned homecoming king, Smith walked straight into the sidelines to place the crown on the head of his friend Jake Jeffries, a senior with Down syndrome and the team's biggest fan. Jake has been part of the program since his freshman year, helping the training staff and cheering from the sidelines at every game. On Friday night, the stadium erupted as Smith handed over the crown.

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Georgia Today is just one of many ways that GPB helps keep you informed, entertained, connected and safe. Because you value GPB's impact in your community, make a gift right now during our Fall Fund Drive to support it. You can give by calling 800-222-4788. It's also easy to donate at GPB.org. Your gift is a vote of confidence in us, and we appreciate your support. If you want to learn more about any of the stories you heard on this podcast today, visit gpb.org/news. We're always posting new stories there. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast, do it now. We'll be back tomorrow with all the latest headlines. And the headlines are shaped by you, listeners like you. So send us what you think about what we've been doing or maybe news tips that you might have. The email address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. When you use that email, it goes to the whole team. So again, GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. We'd love to hear from you. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow.