Georgia Today: Atlanta United 2026 season; Funding for mental health hospital; Trump visit

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Atlanta United kicks off the 2026 season tomorrow. Georgia lawmakers are seeking funding to build a new mental health hospital. And President Trump visited Northwest Georgia yesterday. His speech touched on tariffs, the upcoming congressional race, and the 2020 election. 

Donald Trump: And now they're trying to stop anybody from looking. You know why? Because they cheated like dogs. 

Orlando Montoya: Today is Friday, Feb. 20. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Georgians are reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision striking down many of President Trump's tariffs. The 6-to-3 decision handed down today is a major blow to the president's signature economic agenda. Democratic U. S. Sen. Raphael Warnock welcomed the ruling, calling the tariffs reckless and a way for the administration to quote, "move wealth from the bottom to the top." Emory University Law Professor Alexander Volokh said it also reigns in the presidency's increasing power. 

Alexander Volokh: It's the Supreme Court that has been in part responsible for allowing the imperial presidency to develop. And so I think that if they're cutting back on that, maybe they realize that it's a problem because of Trump, but it's actually been a problem for a long time. And so, I think it's welcome development even apart from Trump. 

Orlando Montoya: Southeast Georgia Republican congressman Buddy Carter criticized the court, saying it, quote, "undercut the president's ability to defend American workers." 

Orlando Montoya: The day before the ruling, the president visited a steel company in Rome to promote his tariff policies. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: In his first Georgia appearance since taking office, Trump said his controversial tariff policy saved the economy and manufacturing companies like Coosa Steel, where he spoke. 

Donald Trump Without tariffs, what would you do? You know what? Everybody would be bankrupt. Everybody. 

Sarah Kallis: The Supreme Court ruled that only Congress can impose tariffs. Trump tried using a 1970s law allowing him to expand his powers during emergencies. Rally attendee D. Russell says he wishes Trump would address ongoing criticism about high prices. 

D. Russell: Message needs to be, "I understand some people are still hurting, but we're going to fix that."

Sarah Kallis: Trump's tariffs have generated billions in revenue for the U.S. government, but have generally not reduced prices for consumers. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Rome. 

Orlando Montoya: While he was in Rome, Trump gave his full endorsement to Clay Fuller, a Northwest Georgia District attorney and one of many candidates in a crowded field running to replace former U.S. congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Rome resident Clay Cooper says he hasn't decided who to vote for yet, and while Trump's endorsement matters, it's not the only thing he's considering. 

Clay Cooper: I don't just kind of blindly follow what he says. 

Orlando Montoya: Early voting is already underway, and election day is March 10. 

Orlando Montoya: Trump's visit also showed the president remains fixated on the 2020 presidential election. He praised the FBI search of a Fulton County elections warehouse in January when agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots. 

Donald Trump: And now they're trying to stop anybody from looking. You know why? Because they cheated like dogs. 

Orlando Montoya: Multiple ballot counts showed no evidence of mass voter fraud in Georgia in 2020. Fulton County officials have filed a lawsuit to get the confiscated ballots back. A judge has yet to rule on that case. 

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: The Georgia Senate is requesting a $409 million adjustment to the state budget to build a mental health hospital that would be the first of its kind in decades. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more. 

Sofi Gratas: The proposed forensic mental health facility would house people that local sheriffs say got stuck in their jails and on the street due to behavioral health or mental health crises. This kind of facility is only possible because the state has been released from a federal settlement over its historic treatment of mentally ill people, Senate Appropriations Chair Blake Tillery explains. 

Blake Tillery We've worked really hard to provide those services in communities. We've done a pretty good job. But there are some people who we still need to have in the state's mental health hospitals. 

Sofi Gratas: Tillery said the 300-bed facility could be built in Atlanta or Augusta over the next one to two years. House lawmakers will have to approve this budget request before it's sent to the governor. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas. 

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: Senators also are considering a bill that would make Medicaid coverage available to another of the state's most vulnerable populations. Georgia's Medicaid-funded home and community-based services allow people who are elderly, disabled, and medically fragile to get services at home, outside of hospitals and institutions. Senate Bill 428 aims to make another category of people eligible for those services: adults with mental illness who frequent jails and emergency rooms because they can't afford primary care. Marietta Republican state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, is the bill's sponsor. 

Kay Kirkpatrick: And it's to deal with the most complex homeless individuals who are also seriously mentally ill. This problem impacts cities, counties, businesses and public safety all over our state. 

Orlando Montoya: If the bill passes, the Department of Community Health still would need federal approval to offer the coverage. A Senate committee yesterday unanimously approved it, sending the bill to the full Senate for consideration. 

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: The trial of Colin Gray, father of accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, is winding down its first week. GPB's Chase McGee has the latest from the courthouse in Winder. 

Chase McGee: The prosecutor spent the week questioning witnesses and presenting material evidence from the shooting that happened on Sept. 4, 2024. Teachers, students, law enforcement officers, and health care workers have all testified about the day of the shooting and how their lives have been affected. Katherine Greer is a teacher at Apalachee High School. She testified that Colt Gray left her classroom and tried to re-enter with a rifle, but the door was locked. 

Katherine Greer: There was a kid that was in front of the door that just had to drop where he was. So I crawled over and grabbed his hand. I reached up and flipped off the light and went back over to the kids in the corner.

Chase McGee: Colt's father, Colin Gray, is facing multiple charges for allegedly providing his son with the rifle used in the shooting. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee. 

Story 5: 

Orlando Montoya: A performance space in Atlanta dedicated to dance, burlesque and queer arts plans to close. Metropolitan Studios has been open in East Atlanta Village for a decade. It's home to the Atlanta School of Burlesque, and the Candy Box Revue. All are scheduled to close at the end of June. Co-founder Rebecca Beasley says they're closing the space to move out of the state and closer to family. 

Rebecca Beasley: We have a lot of growth. We have lot of momentum. It's a really great time for us to pass it on so that the next organizations can sort of ride that wave and sort of help ensure their success and their longevity. So that's what we're hoping to do. 

Orlando Montoya: Beasley says a new group is expected to carry on the studio's mission in a new location. 

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Atlanta United will kick off its 2026 season tomorrow in one of the toughest places in the MLS to win on the road, Cincinnati. The team is going into the season after a massive overhaul, led by legendary coach Tata Martino. The Argentine late last year returned to Atlanta, the club he led to an MLS Cup title in 2018, after stints with the Mexican national team and Inter Miami. He addressed reporters yesterday. 

Tata Martino: Bueno, faltar falta compensito. 

Orlando Montoya: He said, "Well, what's missing is that we have to compete. The good thing is that I have an idea and we are seeing that idea reflected in our training and I believe that we're ready to compete." Unquote. A pair of new forwards and a new defender headline other new signings with Miguel Almiron expected the lead from midfield. After matches in Cincinnati and San Jose, the Five Stripes will play their home opener against Salt Lake City on March 7. 

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: Spring-like temperatures are expected around the state on Saturday, and there are plenty of activities for you to go out and enjoy this little bubble of warmth. We have a few that you might enjoy. In Dublin, Ga., their month-long St. Patrick's Day Festival will continue this weekend. Braselton will host an art festival called Artrageous. And in Athens, Terrapin Beer Company will host its Wake-and-Bake off. This event is a unique cooking and baking competition full of creative cuisine, utilizing Terrapin's Wake and Bake coffee oatmeal imperial stout as an ingredient. 

Outro:

Orlando Montoya: And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We invite you, as always, to hit "subscribe" on this podcast. That helps you, and it helps us, by keeping us in connection, and you'll never miss an episode that way. If you'd like to send us feedback, we always welcome that at georgiatoday@gpb.org. Visit our website for more news all the time, 24-7, it's kept updated at gpb.org/news. I'm Orlando Montoya. Have a great weekend. 

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