Arrested journalist could be deported; Atlanta tree protection; Proposed Medicaid cuts

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Host: Peter Biello, Georgia Public Broadcasting

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1. Arrested Journalist Faces Potential Deportation

In a concerning development for press freedom in Georgia, Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist known for his coverage of immigration raids, was arrested over the weekend. Guevara documented a protest in DeKalb County when he was charged with obstructing officers and subsequently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Guevara was covering a protest when he livestreamed video of his arrest,” reported Peter Biello at [00:51]. This incident has raised alarms among press freedom advocates who fear that such actions could deter journalists from covering sensitive topics related to immigration and law enforcement.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Department confirmed Guevara's detention, highlighting the tension between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The potential deportation of a journalist under these charges underscores the precarious situation for media professionals working on immigration issues in the state.

2. Atlanta Strengthens Tree Protection Ordinance

In an effort to preserve the city’s green canopy, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a significant update to the tree protection ordinance, marking the first major revision in over 25 years. The new measures include increased fees for tree removal, doubled fines for illegal removals, and enhanced funding for arborists tasked with enforcing the ordinance.

Greg Levine of Trees Atlanta expressed his concerns, stating at [06:19], “The updated fee structure still allows too many loopholes.” Despite these improvements, environmental groups argue that the ordinance does not go far enough to protect Atlanta's urban trees from unchecked development and neglect.

City officials emphasized the importance of the ordinance’s timing, noting that it lays the groundwork ahead of Atlanta’s comprehensive zoning rewrite scheduled for 2026. “It's in place ahead of the city's major zoning rewrite in 2026,” Biello noted at [06:33], highlighting the council's proactive approach to urban forestry management.

3. Proposed Federal Cuts to Medicaid Stir Worries Among Caregivers

The possibility of significant federal reductions to Medicaid funding has sparked anxiety among Georgia’s caregiving community. Medicaid plays a crucial role in supporting aging in place initiatives, allowing seniors to receive care at home or within their communities rather than in more expensive nursing facilities.

Sophie Gratas of GPB News detailed how reductions could negatively impact both the physical and mental well-being of elderly Georgians. At [04:03], Lisa Thigpen, nurse manager at Home Place Adult Day Center in Wrens, Georgia, warned, “I feel like if you take this out or cut back, then you're going to see more people decline not only in their physical well being, but their mental well being.”

Home Place Adult Day Center exemplifies the benefits of Medicaid’s Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program, offering services such as daily exercise routines, painting sessions, field trips, pet therapy, and gardening. Patricia Cheeley, a long-term client, relies on the program for both social interaction and essential care, including assistance with household chores.

Becky Kurtz from the Atlanta Regional Commission highlighted the state's reliance on Medicaid to fund home-based services, noting at [05:10], “Georgia has seen Medicaid fund services at home for almost as many people who use Medicaid to pay for nursing homes.” However, she expressed skepticism about the state’s ability to compensate for potential federal cuts, especially under President Trump’s proposed budget, which threatens unprecedented reductions in Medicaid funding.

The impending cuts not only jeopardize services for the elderly but also place additional strain on families who depend on day centers to support their caregiving roles. With Georgia allocating 22% of its state budget to Medicaid—approximately $14 billion, with $9 billion from federal sources—the stakes are high as the Senate deliberates the federal spending bill.

4. Other Notable Stories

• Healthcare Developments: State health officials are intensifying efforts to combat the rise in infectious diseases, including a fifth measles case in Georgia this year. State epidemiologist Sherry Drenzik emphasized the importance of vaccination, especially for vulnerable groups, amid concerns of a potential COVID-19 summer wave.

• Film Industry Expansion: The Georgia Film Academy is partnering with Assembly Studios to launch a new 32,000 square foot facility adjacent to Assembly Atlanta's campus. This initiative aims to provide comprehensive film education and workforce training, enhancing Georgia's reputation as a vibrant hub for film and production.

• Historic Preservation at Risk: Georgia’s historic preservation efforts face uncertainty due to delays in federal funding and proposed budget cuts. Nathan Lott of Historic Macon highlighted the critical dependency on the Federal Historic Preservation Fund, stressing that without these funds, the state may have to seek taxpayer support to maintain its historic sites.

• Sports Highlights: Chelsea FC secured a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC in Atlanta’s first World Cup match, with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez. Additionally, Atlanta Dream guard Alicia Gray earned the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for her outstanding performance, marking her second accolade this season.

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Conclusion

Today's episode of Georgia Today delved deep into pressing issues affecting the state, from judicial actions impacting journalists and environmental protections to significant healthcare funding challenges. These stories underscore the intricate balance between policy, public welfare, and individual rights within Georgia’s diverse communities.

For more detailed reporting and updates, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the Georgia Today podcast and visit GPB News online.

Transcript

[Peter Biello]

DBHDD is reminding Georgians that the 988 lifeline can help those worried about opioid and stimulant misuse. The three digit number is free and confidential. Help is available 24. 7 More [e-mail] welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, a journalist arrested in Georgia over the weekend could face deportation. The city of Atlanta updates its ordinance on protecting trees and proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. Have some caregivers worried.

[Lisa Thigpen]

I feel like if you take this out or cut back, then you're going to see more people decline not only in their physical well being, but their mental well being.

[Peter Biello]

Today is Tuesday, June 17th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. The baby of a Georgia woman who was declared brain dead and has been on life support for months has been delivered. The baby was born prematurely by emergency cesarean section on Friday and is expected to survive. The baby was named Chance. April Newkirk says her daughter, 31 year old Adriana Smith, will be taken off life support today. The pregnancy became caught up in abortion politics after the family said doctors told them they weren't allowed to end Smith's life support because of the state's abortion law. Georgia Attorney General Kris Carr later said the law did not require medical professionals to keep a woman declared brain dead on life support. A Spanish language journalist known for documenting immigration raids could face deportation after police arrested him on charges of obstructing officers as he covered a weekend protest in metro Atlanta's DeKalb County. The county Sheriff's Department confirmed today that Mario Guevara was being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was jailed Saturday. Guevara was covering a protest when he livestreamed video of his arrest. As the US Population skews older, more people are choosing to age at home. For many, Medicaid has been helping by paying for the services that seniors can no longer do for themselves. Now, proposed cuts to Medicaid have caregiving providers worried. GPB's Sophie Gradas has more.

[Lisa Thigpen]

How about we'll do the first five? Okay, Y' all ready?

[Sophie Gratas]

Every morning, nurses at the Home Place Adult Day center in Wrens, Georgia, engage their visitors in an exercise routine.

[Peter Biello]

1, 2, 3.

[Sophie Gratas]

They do right and left leg kicks and ankle rolls and weights and jumping jacks. For those who are able, here's nurse Pam Williford. We just do different activities that they can do to still keep them moving to keep that range of motion going.

[Peter Biello]

Right leg kicks already.

[Sophie Gratas]

Also on the center's calendar today? Painting. Other days they do field trips to a local grocery store, pet therapy and gardening. Homeplace, which really is laid out like a home, is just one example of what aging can look like with the help of federally funded Medicaid services. Most of the clients here are on the Elderly and Disabled Waiver Program. It's a program for people with low incomes who want to get care at home or in their communities rather than at a nursing home or hospital. For Patricia Cheeley, the waiver also pays for an aide who helps her clean her apartment.

[Greg Levine]

Sometimes I can't even hardly walk so far without pain starting to slow me down and stuff.

[Sophie Gratas]

Cheelie lives alone. She doesn't have family in town. She comes to Home Place every day and has been for about five years.

[Greg Levine]

It feels good getting away from the house, because I don't. It's more comfortable being up here around people than just sitting around the house by myself.

[Sophie Gratas]

Cheele says she's heard about potential cuts to Medicaid but trusts that if she did lose access to services, her faith community would support her. Others may not be so lucky, says nurse manager at the center Lisa Thigpen.

[Lisa Thigpen]

I feel like if you take this out or cut back, then you're gonna see more. More people decline not only in their physical well being, but their mental well being.

[Sophie Gratas]

Not just that of elderly people, but families too, she says, who might rely on day centers to recharge from the job of being caregivers. Plus, in Wrens, there is no pharmacy and no hospital. The same goes for other towns. The day center goes and picks up clients from when people come here. There's a flock of attentive nurses and two hot meals a day, stability that not every client has, thigpen says.

[Lisa Thigpen]

It may be that maybe they only get one meal at home.

[Sophie Gratas]

Thigpen, other nurses and Medicaid caseworkers can look out for them. Georgia has 22% of its state budget set aside for Medicaid. That's around $14 billion. Nine billion of that comes from the federal government. Becky Kurtz leads aging services for the Atlanta Regional Commission. She says Georgia recently hit a milestone. The state has seen Medicaid fund services at home for almost as many people who use Medicaid to pay for nursing homes.

[Becky Kurtz]

It's exciting because the vast majority of older adults say, I would rather be in my home or I would rather live with my family. That's my choice.

[Sophie Gratas]

A choice that could be threatened by President Trump's big spending bill, which proposes a historic cut to federal Medicaid spending.

[Becky Kurtz]

If it's small, I'm thinking Georgia can handle it. If it's huge, if it's hundreds of millions of dollars, I don't see how Georgia is going to replace the funding needs.

[Sophie Gratas]

Already, a federal grant supporting senior AmeriCorps volunteers was canceled, and Kurtz says demand for aging in place services is outpacing state money. The federal spending bill is now in the hands of the Senate. For GPB News, I'm Sophie Gratas.

[Peter Biello]

Atlanta City Council members unanimously passed the city's first major update to its tree protection ordinance in more than 25 years. The measure raises the fee for tree removal, doubles fines for illegal removals and boosts funding for arborists, among other measures. Greg Levine of Trees Atlanta says the updated fee structure still allows too many loopholes.

[Nathan Lott]

Trees really are important for the health of the people that live here. And as much as this ordinance has, these drafts have had some improvement in them. They're still just not doing enough.

[Peter Biello]

City Council members say it was important to pass the legislation now. So it's in place ahead of the city's major zoning rewrite in 2026.

[Greg Levine]

Planet Money helps you understand the economy. We find the people at the center of the story. Garbage in New York that was like a controlled substance. We show you how money influences everything. Tell me what you like by telling me how you spend your money. And we dig until we get answers.

[Nathan Lott]

I had a bad feeling you're gonna bring that up.

[Greg Levine]

Planet Money finds out. All you have to do is listen. The Planet Money podcast from npr.

[Peter Biello]

State health officials are responding to a spread of infectious diseases by reminding people to get vaccinated. GPB Sophie Gradis has more from a recent meeting of the Georgia Board of Public Health.

[Sophie Gratas]

State epidemiologist Sherry Drenzik says the investigation into Georgia's fifth measles case this year is ongoing.

[Lisa Thigpen]

They were family members that lived in.

[Peter Biello]

The same household, one of whom had traveled internationally.

[Sophie Gratas]

The state has provided follow up care and is still tracking possible exposure. Measles is extremely contagious and cases have more than doubled in the US this year compared to last. Public health guidance is that anyone traveling internationally should be fully vaccinated. Georgia could see another summer wave of COVID 19. Drenczyk says vulnerable groups like babies, seniors and the immunocompromised should consider a booster, despite what she called, quote, confusing changes to the CDC recommendations amid recent firings of a vaccine council for GPB News I'm Sophie Gradis.

[Peter Biello]

The Georgia Film Academy is partnering with Assembly Studios to provide film education and workforce training in a new facility next to the Assembly Atlanta campus. Starting in August, Georgia Film Academy will offer courses in a 32,000 square foot space designed to give students hands on experience. GFA already operates an instructional hub at Fayetteville based Trilith Studios, located at the former site of a General Motors assembly plant in Doraville. Assembly Studios is a newly completed studio complex owned by Atlanta based Gray Media. CEO of Gray Media, Hilton H. Howell Jr says the partnership offers a quote unquote unparalleled opportunity to thrive in the vibrant film and production world. Georgia historic preservation groups are scrambling amidst delays in funding from the federal government, and the Trump administration's proposed cuts to next year's budget are leaving the fate of preservationists in limbo. GPB's Lenka Anuraj reports.

[Lenka Anuraj]

The Federal Historic Preservation Fund sends money to states largely to help preserve old, important buildings. The funds money for this fiscal year has not yet been disbursed and the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 eliminates it altogether. The money comes from offshore oil and gas leases and not taxpayers. Nathan Lott is the executive director of the nonprofit Historic Macon, which receives federal money.

[Nathan Lott]

The problem here is that these are funds that were already authorized by Congress that the state of Georgia was counting on and we built a state budget around the assumption that this pass through.

[Lenka Anuraj]

Funding would come down, lott emphasizes. If preservation is to continue in Georgia, taxpayers could be asked to help. For DPB News, I'm Lenka Anaraj in Macon.

[Peter Biello]

In Atlanta's first World cup match yesterday, Pedro Neto scored in the first half and Enzo Fernandez in the 79th minute to give Chelsea FC a 20 win over Los Angeles FC. Chelsea put pressure on LA goalkeeper Hugo Lloris early into the match. Neto found the breakthrough in the 34th minute, picking up a pass from Nicholas Jackson and cutting into his left foot for a near post finish. The next Club World cup match scheduled for Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta is Thursday, when Inter Miami takes on FC Porto. In other sports, the New York Mets arrive at Truist park today for a three game series against the Braves. Spencer Schwellenbach is scheduled to get the start for the Braves. And in basketball, Atlanta Dream guard Alicia Gray has been named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week and AP Player of the Week for Week four. It marks the second weekly honor of Gray's career, both coming this season and makes her the first dream player since 2018 to win the award multiple times in a single season. Alright, that's it. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast today. And Georgia Today will be back tomorrow afternoon. Of course. So make sure you subscribe to this podcast and check gpb.org news often as our reporters are constantly posting new stories there. If you've got feedback, let us know by email. The address is Georgia [e-mail] I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

[Greg Levine]

Planet Money helps you understand the economy. We find the people at the center of the story. Garbage in New York that was like a controlled substance. We show you how money influences everything. Tell me what you like by telling me how you spend your money. And we dig until we get answers.

[Nathan Lott]

I had a bad feeling you're gonna bring that up.

[Greg Levine]

Planet Money finds out. All you have to do is listen. The Planet Money podcast from NPR.