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Georgia Today: Georgia abortion attempted murder charges, Gabbard's Fulton testimony, Gas tax relief
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On the March 19 edition: A Georgia woman has been charged with attempted murder under the state's abortion law; Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies on her role in the raid on a Fulton County elections warehouse; And soaring gas prices prompt state lawmakers to suspend the state's gas tax
Transcript:
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, a Georgia woman has been charged with attempted murder under the state's abortion law. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies on her role in the raid on a Fulton County elections warehouse. And soaring gas prices prompt state lawmakers to suspend the state gas tax.
John Carson: That saves the average Georgian probably about $5 or $6 dollars when they fill up. It's going to save 34 cents per gallon for the next 60 days.
Peter Biello: Today is Thursday, March 19. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today.
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Peter Biello: A 31-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Southeast Georgia has been charged with attempted murder under the state's strict abortion law. It's the first time a mother has been charge under the law. GPB media partner The Current reports the arrest comes two months after the woman, Alexia Moore, was rushed to a Camden County hospital while pregnant and in extreme pain. Police say doctors delivered a premature baby girl who lived for about two hours. Earlier this month, police in Kingsland charged Moore with attempted murder and possession of controlled substances for what they allege was an attempted illegal abortion.
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Peter Biello: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified in front of a Senate committee yesterday about her role in the January raid on a Fulton County elections warehouse. GPB's Chase McGee has more.
Chase McGee: Gabbard joined intelligence officials from a variety of agencies for the annual Worldwide Threats hearing. She told Sen. John Ossoff that she was directed by President Donald Trump on the day of the raid to oversee the operation. David Becker is a former Department of Justice civil rights attorney and now runs a nonprofit focusing on elections. He says it's unusual for the president to be involved in or even know about a search warrant in advance.
David Becker: And the fact that he clearly knew about it before its execution raises real questions for the president about how he knew about, who he heard it from, and why he thought it was appropriate to start sharing that this search warrant was going to be executed prior to its execution.
Chase McGee: A judge has ordered the federal government and Fulton County into mediation over the materials seized in the raid. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.
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Peter Biello: Soaring gas prices are prompting state lawmakers to suspend the state's gas tax. Auto Club AAA says the state average for a gallon of regular is $3.76 as of today. That's up $1.05 from a month ago before the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Yesterday, the state House voted to suspend that tax. Marietta Republican state Rep. John Carson says Georgians need relief now.
John Carson: That saves the average Georgian probably about 5 or 6 dollars when they fill up. It's going to save 34 cents per gallon for the next 60 days.
Peter Biello: The state Senate approved the bill today, and it now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk.
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Peter Biello: GBI agents have identified the remains of a man who has been known since 1976 as Seminole County John Doe. Agents used genetic technology to identify Curtis Lee Jones, whose remains were found by hunters in December 1976 near the Chattahoochee River. Despite a lengthy investigation, his remains could not be identified, and his case was entered into the national missing and unidentified person system. Texas-based forensic company Othram and Jones' relatives helped the GBI identify the remains. His cause of death is still unknown.
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Peter Biello: Grady Health System announced plans yesterday for a new medical center campus in South Fulton County. Grady says the campus will have a medical office building with a surgery center, specialty clinics, as well as a 200-bed acute care hospital. Grady said the project is expected to cost more than a billion dollars and will be funded through $300 million in Fulton County bond funding, as well Grady financing and philanthropic support.
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Peter Biello: Kennesaw State University earlier this week held an event to share mental health resources with students. The immersive experience also was meant to raise awareness about suicide prevention. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more.
Ellen Eldridge: KSU partnered with the nonprofit organization Active Minds for their quote, "send silence packing" display of about 100 backpacks placed on clothes hangers. Each one includes a personal story from someone who lost a loved one to suicide. Eric Rockwood is with Active Minds.
Eric Rockwood: As you read them, a common theme is a lot of them feel like they were alone in their struggles. They couldn't reach out for help. And that's why we come out and we partner with the local community and schools to bring out resources. So we have national resources here at this table, 988 crisis text lines.
Ellen Eldridge: Rockwood says it's important for people to know if they are struggling with their mental health, they are not alone and should reach out when they need help. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
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Peter Biello: Atlanta business leaders and politicians gathered last night for the annual State of the City Address. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports.
Amanda Andrews: In his remarks, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens highlighted Atlanta's investments in housing, public safety, and opportunities for youth. Atlanta Public Schools saw record graduation rates with 90.5% of high school seniors receiving a degree. Dickens touted the neighborhood reinvestment initiative he created last year to focus city resources on underserved areas. He said resolving those inequalities is the priority for the remainder of his term.
Andre Dickens: We must be honest about the true scale of this challenge. Think about this: There is no hospital in Atlanta south of I-20. That's chaos, not community.
Amanda Andrews: He ended by challenging business owners to expand into developing neighborhoods. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
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Peter Biello: Georgia state senators have given final passage to a bill that could make defibrillators more accessible. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: Senate Bill 399 would create a map of defibrillators and train 911 operators to walk people through how to use them over the phone. The bill, called the Mason Sells AED Coordination Act, was named after a Mercer University student who died from cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest with a soccer ball. Scott Sells, Mason's father, approached Sen. Marty Harbin about passing AED legislation after Mason's death.
Scott Sells: Our actions today can't save Mason, but they can impact future young people and their parents and the like.
Sarah Kallis: AEDs have a success rate of about 90% if used in the first minute of cardiac arrest. The bill now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk to be signed into law. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.
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Peter Biello: Commissioners in Southeast Georgia's Camden County are rejecting plans by the National Park Service to swap public and private land at Cumberland Island National Seashore. GPB's Orlando Montoya has more.
Orlando Montoya: The agency wants to swap 142 acres of parkland with private landowners to, quote, "improve manageability." Advocates for the largely undeveloped seashore fear development might be driving the proposal. Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Zachary Hennessee says there are too many unanswered questions about it.
Zachary Hennessee: It may well be the case that that's not the intention of the Park Service or the private landowners that are part of this exchange, but if there aren't protections in place to prevent that, then that might be something that future landowners who inherit the property or receive the property through sales could contemplate.
Orlando Montoya: Commissioners voted down a letter of support for the plan on Tuesday. Advocates say they'll be watching to make sure it doesn't resurface. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.
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Peter Biello: More than 300 Georgia high schools will receive funding for girls' flag football for the coming season from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons. The funding will help launch 27 new programs and support almost 300 existing programs. Falcons have been boosters of girls' flag football in the state since launching a pilot program for 19 high schools in Gwinnett County in 2018. Georgia became the fourth state to sanction girls' flags football as an official high school sport in 2020.
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Peter Biello: Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurikson Profar will miss the 2026 season and postseason. That's after the resolution of his appeal of a 162-game suspension by Major League Baseball for a second failed drug test. The AP reports sources spoke on condition of anonymity today because no official announcement has been made. Following the announcement of the discipline on March 3, Profar initially asked the Players' Association to file a grievance appealing to baseball's independent arbitrator. The discipline followed Profar testing positive for testosterone that was not produced in his body. Profar will lose his $15 million salary for the year as part of a $42 million three-year contract through 2027. He lost half his $12 million salary last year due to the initial suspension.
And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you wanna learn more about any of these stories, check out gpb.org/news. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, make sure you do it now, so we'll be back tomorrow afternoon with all the latest news. And send your feedback to us by email. The address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.
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