Georgia Today: Senators won't support DHS/ICE funding; Emory doctor ties to Iran; Savannah port dip

TRANSCRIPT: 

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Georgia's U.S. senators plan to vote against funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. An Emory doctor has cut ties with the hospital amid controversy over her family's ties to Iran. And after a busy 2025, the Port of Savannah is seeing a slowdown to start this year. 

Griffith Lynch: We do anticipate softer demand for the next six months, but we're hearing our customers get excited about the second half of 2026 and perhaps going into 2027. 

Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, Jan. 27. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1

Peter Biello: Georgia U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff say they will vote against a spending package that includes funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Their decision comes after federal agents fatally shot two people in Minneapolis this month during immigration crackdowns. Ossoff says he wants to see the Senate pass funding for other government services like national defense and transportation. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff: While we negotiate some solution that's responsive to this overwhelming public concern about the chaos and the indignity and the constitutional rights violations that we're seeing in Minnesota and elsewhere. 

Peter Biello: The senators join other Democrats demanding civil liberty protections before approving more ICE funding. Failure to pass the package, up for a vote this week, could lead to a partial government shutdown. 

Story 2

Peter Biello: Emory University says one of its doctors is no longer working at its Winship Cancer Center after a controversy involving her father's ties to Iran. Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani  is the daughter of a senior Iranian government official whom the U.S. blames for thousands of deaths and injuries during a wave of anti-government protests in Iran. The university has been under pressure to fire the lung cancer specialist. Some of that pressure has come from Georgia congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Buddy Carter, and Emory's statement doesn't say why she's no longer in her position, claiming it's a personnel matter. 

Caption

A man who uses the pseudonym Lt. Dan holds a piece of pallet as a reminder of how far he has come in his recovery from alcohol addiction.

Credit: Ellen Eldridge/GPB News

Story 3 

Peter Biello: Sober housing organizations are places where people with substance use disorder can live with and support each other as they work toward independence. But you still have to pay the rent. And as with conventional rental properties, these rentals can sometimes come with bad landlords who don't uphold their obligations in the lease. A new study is out with recommendations on how Georgia might regulate peer support housing. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more. 

Ellen Eldridge: After leaving the Navy for the corporate world, 44-year-old "Lieutenant Dan" juggled work and family responsibilities until his substance misuse caught up to him. He uses a pseudonym out of respect for the 12-step principle of anonymity. Addiction ruined his marriage and gave him a criminal record. 

Lt. Dan: Sat in jail for 21 days. Got out Veterans Day of 2018 about 3 o'clock in the morning 

Ellen Eldridge: He walked 6 miles in the rain to his tent in the woods. 

Lt. Dan: 40 degrees outside. I've got shorts and a T-shirt on, you know, because I went in when it was warm. 

Ellen Eldridge: The next day, three people found Dan asleep, rolled up in a dirty rug on the red patio of The Extension in Marietta.

Lt. Dan: One of the guys said "Hey listen, this is also a drug and alcohol rehab center. It's free." I said, "OK." He's like "Sit out here on the bench. I know it's cold. You can come in get coffee, go to the bathroom, whatever you need to do, but just sit out here. Wait till our counselor comes in. We'll do an an intake interview."

Ellen Eldridge: The Extension's year-long residential recovery program helped Dan get back on his feet, but there was no formal plan to help him move when he graduated. After incarceration or inpatient treatment, people with the disease of addiction need a strong support system and access to work and education. Graduates of programs like the one in Marietta don't have a transitional housing plan. 

Lt. Dan: During my time there, that wasn't a thing. It's like, "Hey, you know, use your network," which is great. There's — there are hundreds of us out here. 

Ellen Eldridge: The Georgia Association of Recovery Residences, or GAR, has been certifying sober living residences for decades, guided by an established set of standards. But GAR membership isn't mandatory to open or operate a halfway house. Recently, the Senate Study Committee on Recovery Residences heard concerns from people in the addiction recovery community about the need for sober homes. Sen. Randy Robertson chaired the committee. 

Randy Robertson: My primary focus here is getting the bad actors out of this arena and making sure that we have good, clean, safe places for people that are recovered or recovering. 

Ellen Eldridge: Attorney Ian Neubauer testified before the committee about the challenges in opening certified recovery residents. 

Ian Neubauer: From the operator's perspective, the biggest hurdle facing recovery residences right now is zoning, stigma, and NIMBYism. 

Ellen Eldridge: The final report recommends that the General Assembly allow the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to, quote, "adopt standards and best practices" for certified recovery residences. Robertson says they want to stay away from legislation as much as possible. 

Randy Robertson: Right now, I think a lot of the recommendations we will make will be administrative-type recommendations within DBHDD and DHS as far as changing of policies. 

Ellen Eldridge: As the state's licensing authority, DBHDD would maintain a registry and further study the impact of zoning laws. Because, Neubauer says, the goal is:

Ian Neubauer: Create a family that props one another up, supports one another. 

Ellen Eldridge: And that's what keeps Lieutenant Dan and his peers in recovery. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge. 

Story 4

Peter Biello: A federal appeals court has upheld parts of a 2021 Georgia law that allows the state to take over county election management, among other provisions. The ruling last week by the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is the latest decision supporting the law passed in the wake of the contentious 2020 election. The unanimous three-judge panel found that the plaintiffs, including election security advocates, lacked standing to sue because they couldn't show they suffered an injury. The court did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr both praised the decision, calling it a win for election integrity. The plaintiffs had called the county takeover provision a danger to free and fair elections, claiming it violated constitutionally guaranteed separation of powers. 

Story 5

Peter Biello: Health care giant Kaiser Permanente has bought a 7-acre site near downtown Atlanta. The California-based company calls the $31 million purchase a, quote, "first step" to improve access to care. It's unclear what the development might lead to. The site is a few miles away from where Wellstar abruptly closed its hospital, Atlanta Medical Center, in 2022. Kaiser Permanente says it intends to quote, "thoughtfully engage" with community leaders and residents to develop a plan. 

Credit: Associated Press/Stephen B. Morton

Story 6

Peter Biello: The Port of Savannah is calling 2025 its second-busiest year on record. GPB's Chase McGee reports the numbers are partly about tariffs. 

Chase McGee: Over the summer of 2025, American ports smashed records for imports, as businesses stocked up on products in anticipation of new tariff policy. The Port of Savannah reported their second-busiest year on record, behind 2022, moving 5.7 million 20-foot equivalent containers of cargo, or TEUs. Griffith Lynch is the CEO of Georgia Ports Authority. He says things could be slower in the first half of this year.

Griffith Lynch: We do anticipate softer demand for the next six months, but we're hearing our customers get excited about the second half of 2026 and perhaps going into 2027. 

Chase McGee: Lynch also noted that the closure of paper mills owned by International Paper did hurt the port, but he says a new customer will make up for the loss of business. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee. 

Story 7

Peter Biello: UPS is planning to cut up to 30,000 operational jobs this year as it continues with its turnaround efforts. The Atlanta-based package delivery company is reducing the number of Amazon shipments that it handles. UPS Chief Financial Officer Brian Dykes said today the job reductions will be made through a voluntary buyout offer for full-time drivers and attrition. He said the company also is looking to close 24 buildings in the first half of year and is evaluating additional buildings to be closed later in the year. 

Story 8

Peter Biello: ESPN has named the Atlanta Braves the top breakout team for the 2026 season. In his latest projections, ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle gives Atlanta a 59% chance to reach 90 wins. That is the highest breakout probability of any team he studied, signaling real confidence that the Braves are positioned for a rebound after two disappointing and injury-filled seasons. Doolittle points to missed time and slow recoveries for key players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider as the main reasons for last season's slide. If those stars return closer to full strength and the rotation stabilizes, his simulations project an 11-win improvement. 

And that's all we've got for Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in and remember to come back tomorrow. Subscribe to this podcast and you won't miss a thing. And check out gpb.org/news for updates and the latest headlines. And if you've got feedback or a story idea, send it our way by email. The address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. 

I'm Peter Biello. Hope you're staying warm. We will see you tomorrow.