DOJ sues Fulton County over 2020 Election records; Senate rejects health care bills

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary

Episode Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Orlando Montoya (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Episode Focus: DOJ lawsuit over Fulton County 2020 election records, Senate health care bill battles, naturalization ceremony in Atlanta, Savannah hotel ban, ProPublica’s Albany health report, Georgia Ports Authority, cellist Joshua Roman’s long Covid journey, Beltline FIFA preparations, and Atlanta Braves updates.

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Episode Overview

This episode of Georgia Today provides a snapshot of pivotal news from Georgia: breaking legal actions over election records, divided national health care reform efforts, immigration and citizenship celebrations in Atlanta, tensions over tourism policy in Savannah, a deep-dive into healthcare disparities in Albany, updates from Georgia’s ports, an intimate portrait of a musician’s recovery from long Covid, community endeavors ahead of the FIFA World Cup, and key Atlanta Braves offseason moves.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DOJ Sues Fulton County for 2020 Election Records | [00:33–02:22]

• Summary:
  The U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against the Fulton County Board of Elections, seeking access to sealed records from the 2020 presidential election.

  • The subpoenaed records include all used and void ballots, ballot stubs, signature envelopes, and digital files.
  • The DOJ argues that the Federal Civil Rights Act allows for these documents to be made available, drawing parallels to historic voting rights documentation.

• National Context:
  The Justice Department is also suing states such as Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada for voter roll access.

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2. Senate Rejects Health Care Bills; Focus on Pharmacy Benefit Managers | [02:22–03:40]

• Summary:
  Two partisan bills aimed at tackling rising health care costs were voted down in the U.S. Senate.

  • A bipartisan group in the House—featuring Georgia’s Buddy Carter (R) and Sanford Bishop (D)—is targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who are accused of inflating drug prices.

  Notable Quote:

  • Sarah Kalis:

    "We want accessible, affordable, quality health care. That's what Representative Bishop wants. That's what I want." [02:22]

  • Orlando Montoya:

    "That's what every member of Congress wants." [02:30]

• Legislative Effort:
  The "Florida Pharmacists Fight Back Act" aims to rein in PBMs.

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3. Atlanta Naturalization Ceremony | [02:57–03:40]

• Summary:
  About 90 new citizens were sworn in at an Atlanta event, though some ceremonies were canceled amid heightened immigration scrutiny following new federal restrictions.

  Memorable Moments:

  • Emotional stories from new citizens:

    "People have been so kind... it's been a good journey." – Cindy Reyno Seguelar [02:57]

  • Federal action:
    Recent presidential suspensions on immigration from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.

  • Local uncertainty:
    Three immigrant ceremonies were canceled without explanation.

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4. Savannah Hotel Ban Amid Overtourism Concerns | [03:40–04:20]

• Summary:
  Savannah city council voted to ban new hotels (16 rooms or more) in the Victorian, Streetcar, and Kyler Brownsville neighborhoods, reflecting residents’ concerns about overtourism.

  Notable Quote:

  • Joshua Roman:

    "Everybody wants to visit Disneyland, but nobody wants to live in Disneyland." [04:06]

  • Sarah Kalis:

    "We're a great place to visit for even a more phenomenal place to live." [04:14]

• Context:
  The ban balances economic tourism income and residents' quality of life. Inns and B&Bs are still allowed.

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5. ProPublica Report: Albany's Health Care Disparities | [04:20–12:22]

• Summary:
  Ginger Thompson details ProPublica’s five-part series "Sick in a Hospital Town," which investigates why major health inequalities persist in Albany, Georgia, despite the dominance of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, Albany was an international hotspot, revealing longstanding vulnerabilities in local health.
  • Phoebe Putney Memorial acting like a “company town” (akin to GM in Detroit): central, powerful, but its growth hasn’t translated into improved community health.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Ginger Thompson:

    "Albany to some extent acted as a microcosm for the rest of the country's relationship to healthcare." [06:01]
    "The reason that the community was so vulnerable to Covid was because it had been so sick in the first place." [06:11]

  • On Dr. Anthony Parker’s story:

    "If anyone should get good care at Phoebe Putney Memorial, it is Dr. Anthony Parker... he was a part of the Phoebe family." [08:16]

  • Hospital CEO Scott Steiner on balancing care and finances:

    "That is part of our mission statement, that we provide that service regardless of race, religion and the ability to pay. But we're always trying to balance that out to paying the bills." [10:15]

  • On health care in America:

    "We as Americans... cling to this idea of our healthcare system as a public service. And in many wealthy countries it is just that. But in the United States, it's a business." – Ginger Thompson [10:42]

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6. Georgia Ports Authority Record Month | [12:22–13:04]

• Summary:
  The Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County moved almost 4,000 containers in November—a 35% jump year-over-year.
  • Opened in 2018, the port alleviates traffic and provides regional economic benefits through its rail link to Savannah.

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7. Joshua Roman: Long Covid & "Immunity" Album | [13:27–17:12]

• Summary:
  Cellist Joshua Roman describes his journey with Long Covid and creative recovery.

  • Initially lost his sense of taste and smell, suffered intense fatigue and neurological symptoms, and considered leaving music.
  • His return to the cello—described as feeling "like a hug"—restored his sense of purpose.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Joshua Roman:

    "I just didn’t get better... a crash looks like me not being able to open my eyes, not being able to speak..." [14:01] "The cello... is the size of a human and you put it against your chest... People have described it as like a hug." [15:36] "It was one of the few times in my life that I've been moved to tears just by the feeling of music moving through me." [15:50]

• Event:
  Roman’s performance at ABV Gallery, Atlanta, includes music from his "Immunity" album tracing his recovery.

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8. Beltline Preps for FIFA World Cup | [17:12–18:00]

• Summary:
  The Beltline announces a small business toolkit to help local businesses get ready for the surge of visitors during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

  Notable Quote:

  • Kelvin Collins (Beltline VP):

    "This toolkit is designed to help small businesses prepare, position and profit." [17:53]

• CEO Clyde Higgins’ top priority: public safety, aiming for "zero incidents" during the tournament.

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9. Atlanta Braves Roster Moves | [18:00–19:24]

• Summary:
  • Braves acquire pitcher Robert Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (two-year, $23 million contract).
  • Yastrzemski’s commitment:

    "I want to be a part of an organization that wins... gives me the availability to 100% buy in, be the best teammate I can." [18:37]

  • Team flexibility in the outfield; new manager Walt Weiss faces lineup decisions.

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Memorable Quotes and Moments

• "Everybody wants to visit Disneyland, but nobody wants to live in Disneyland." – Joshua Roman [04:06]
• "If anyone should get good care at Phoebe Putney Memorial, it is Dr. Anthony Parker... he was a part of the Phoebe family." – Ginger Thompson [08:16]
• "We as Americans... cling to this idea of our healthcare system as a public service. And in many wealthy countries it is just that. But in the United States, it's a business." – Ginger Thompson [10:42]
• "The cello... People have described it as like a hug." – Joshua Roman [15:36]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• DOJ Sues Fulton County / Election Records: 00:33–02:22
• Senate Health Care Bill Battle / PBMs: 02:22–03:40
• Naturalization Ceremony: 02:57–03:40
• Savannah Hotel Ban: 03:40–04:20
• Albany Health Disparities / ProPublica Interview: 04:20–12:22
• Georgia Ports Record: 12:22–13:04
• Joshua Roman Long Covid Interview: 13:27–17:12
• Beltline FIFA Prep: 17:12–18:00
• Braves Offseason Moves: 18:00–19:24

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Summary Tone & Style

The episode balances clear, factual reporting with human stories and direct, often empathetic, participant quotes, maintaining a professional and conversational public radio tone throughout.

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This summary provides a thorough yet concise guide to every major story in the episode, with clear speaker attribution and timestamps for listeners who want to revisit or further explore each topic.

Transcript

[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, the U.S. department of justice sues Fulton county over records relating to the 2020 presidential election. The U.S. senate rejects two bills addressing rising health care costs, and 90 new citizens are sworn in at a naturalization ceremony in Atlanta.

[Sarah Kalis]

People have been so kind.

[Joshua Roman]

Just they're all so kind and welcoming and make things easy.

[Sarah Kalis]

So it's been a good journey.

[Orlando Montoya]

Today is Friday, December 12th. I'm Orlando Montoya and this is Georgia Today. The U.S. department of justice is suing the Fulton County Board of Elections in the federal agency's pursuit of records relating to the 2020 presidential election. We When Georgia's state election board subpoenaed Fulton county records related to the election, which under state law must remain sealed. County officials did not comply. Now, in a lawsuit filed in an Atlanta federal court today, the department says a provision of the Federal Civil Rights act originally meant to preserve and make available to the U.S. attorney General documents related to Jim Crow era practices like poll taxes also makes the Fulton county records fair game. The records sought are all used in void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 general election in Fulton County. The Trump administration also is suing Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada for access to their voter rolls. The U.S. senate yesterday rejected two competing partisan bills aimed at addressing rising health care costs. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. house is tackling that same concern by taking aim at pharmacy benefit managers. Those companies, often referred to as prescription drug middlemen, are accused of inflating drug prices. Two Georgia members of the US House yesterday joined other colleagues in announcing the reintroduction of the Florida Pharmacists Fight Back Act. Pharmacist and Southeast Georgia Republican Buddy Carter spoke before southwest Georgia Democrat Sanford Bishop.

[Sarah Kalis]

We want accessible, affordable, quality health care. That's what Representative Bishop wants. That's what I want.

[Orlando Montoya]

That's what every member of Congress wants.

[Sarah Kalis]

We can bring drug prices down by.

[Orlando Montoya]

Reining in the PBMs. The companies blame drug makers for high prices and say they help control health care spending. Around 90 new citizens were sworn in today at a naturalization ceremony in Atlanta. But as GPB's Sarah Kalis reports, not all those scheduled to be there attended.

[Sarah Kalis]

Cindy Reyno Seguelar came to the US in 2019 from Ecuador. She says she's feeling excited to finally become a US Citizen, and she's hopeful for the road ahead. Been good. People have been so kind as the man that just they're all so kind.

[Joshua Roman]

And welcoming and make things easy.

[Sarah Kalis]

So it's, it's been a good journey. The ceremony came at a time of heightened scrutiny around immigration. Earlier this month, President Trump suspended some immigration activities for people from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. Court officials say three immigrant ceremonies were canceled at the last minute, but they would not say why. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis in Atlanta.

[Orlando Montoya]

Savannah is banning new hotels in certain neighborhoods. The city's council voted yesterday to approve the ban in three neighborhoods just south of the city's most visited area, the Downtown Historic Landmark District. The move comes amid complaints from residents about over tourism in Georgia's first city. Some Savannah Mayor Van Johnson says the measure balances a major economic driver with quality of life.

[Joshua Roman]

Everybody wants to visit Disneyland, but nobody.

[Sarah Kalis]

Wants to live in Disneyland. And so what makes us the city.

[Orlando Montoya]

We are is because we're a great.

[Sarah Kalis]

Place to visit for even a more phenomenal place to live.

[Orlando Montoya]

The hotel ban applies to the Victorian streetcar and Kyler Brownsville neighborhoods, but only to lodgings with 16 rooms or more. So inns and BBs are still permitted. Southwest Georgia's Albany is to a large extent a company town. And that company is Phoebe Putney Memorial hospital. A new five part investigative series by ProPublica investigates why in a place like Albany, vast disparities in access to health care persistent and have persisted for a long time. Reporter Ginger Thompson spoke with GPB's Peter Biello about her reporting. So this series of stories is broadly about inequalities in healthcare access. Specifically, it's about how that works in the city of Albany. How did that become the place for you to crack open that topic?

[Sarah Kalis]

I first went to Albany in 2020 when a lot of other reporters were thinking about Albany. But the pandemic had hit the country and out of nowhere, Albany became the fourth biggest hotspot in the world behind like Wuhan, China and New York City. And I think the world was as surprised by it. Albany was surprised to have found itself in that position. And I'm a longtime foreign correspondent. I parachute into places that are in crisis all the time. And so when I saw this happening in Albany, that's exactly what I intended to was to go to this place and write about COVID and this community's response to Covid.

[Orlando Montoya]

But when you got there, you found that Albany to some extent acted as a microcosm for the rest of the country's relationship to healthcare. How so?

[Sarah Kalis]

So as I went in with My foreign correspondents, I looked as much at the place as I did at the pandemic. And when you start to just look at Albany and say, what is this place? You learn quickly that it has some of the highest rates of chronic conditions in Georgia. So Covid was terrible, epic and devastating. But the reason that the community was so vulnerable to Covid was because it had been so sick in the first place. And then you see that the dominant institution in Albany, politically, economically, and certainly as it concerns healthcare, is a hospital, Phoebe Putney Memorial, which had grown in the last three decades from a small sort of county run facility into the flagship of a sprawling health system. And so while so much about Albany had been on a decline for three decades, Phoebe Putney Memorial had been on an ascent. And what I wanted to know was, how are those two things connected? And I thought if I could answer some of the questions, they were questions that went beyond Albany and that would speak to the healthcare system writ large.

[Orlando Montoya]

This series has a lot of experts and community leaders passing through it, a lot of history, and one story stands out in your reporting. The Constant is the story of Dr. Anthony Parker and his wife Sandra shares a little bit about their experience.

[Sarah Kalis]

We still have questions, no doubt.

[Orlando Montoya]

He went in for an ablation and.

[Sarah Kalis]

He'S not here with us anymore. He would want to make sure that.

[Orlando Montoya]

Whatever happened doesn't happen again.

[Sarah Kalis]

So I hope that the problems can.

[Orlando Montoya]

Be fixed because Phoebe's all that Albany has. What is the problem that she is referring to there?

[Sarah Kalis]

What was so moving to me about the Parker family and what happened to the Parker family is that if anyone should get good care at Phoebe Putney memorial, it is Dr. Anthony Parker. He was a part of the Phoebe family. He was one of the few African Americans invited to be on the board of the health system. He and his family had long years of a very close relationship with Phoebe and had every faith in it when they went through, when they went to this to have this procedure, even though over the years they too had heard numerous horror stories from people that were close to them, their own, you know, close friends, co workers. And so Phoebe is a very powerful institution in town. Albany is, as you described, a company town. And Phoebe is sort of the GM of Albany, just the way that GM was in Detroit. And so, you know, very few people who have felt that they didn't get the care that they or their loved ones should have from Phoebe didn't have the power to fight it, didn't have the power to stand up against it. And Mrs. Parker did. And so telling her story was sort of, you know, the reason she stood out to me is because she, unlike so many others, could actually fight and did. And she allowed me to sort of follow her as she went through that fight.

[Orlando Montoya]

You reached out to the CEO of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Scott Steiner, and had conversations with him. I want to play a little bit of what he told you about why Phoebe approaches things the way that it does. I think there's always a dilemma of.

[Joshua Roman]

How do we continue to serve our.

[Orlando Montoya]

Community if you can't pay for it.

[Joshua Roman]

That is part of our mission statement, that we provide that service regardless of race, religion and the ability to pay. But we're always trying to balance that.

[Orlando Montoya]

Out to paying the bills because we don't get anything for free. So what do you make of his comments about how Phoebe runs the business?

[Sarah Kalis]

It's one of the most important parts of my many years of conversations with Scott Steiner and who I'm really grateful for how responsive he has been over the years to our reporting. You know, we, and I say this in the story, we as Americans, we cling to this idea of our healthcare system as a public service. And in many wealthy countries it is just that. But in the United States, it's a business. First and foremost, it's a business. And while it's not like, you know, Home Depot, it's not selling two by fours, it is a business. And you know, another thing that Scott Steiner told me in that interview is that you know, at a supermarket, if you're hungry, if you can't just go into the store and fill up your cart and walk out without paying. And the same is true for hospitals. You know, you go in and get services. And sure, the mission is real. Providing care for everybody who walks in without, you know, regard for whether they can pay is a real thing. But even that has its limits if you as a hospital have bills to pay as well. And so what he is saying there is that, that this is a business and it has to, you know, make decisions that are good for the business if it's going to keep its doors open and serve anyone.

[Orlando Montoya]

Well, Ginger Thompson, reporter for ProPublica, thank you so much for speaking with me about your reporting. Really do appreciate it.

[Sarah Kalis]

Thank you for your time. Really appreciate it.

[Orlando Montoya]

That was GPB's Peter Biello talking with ProPublica's Ginger Thompson. Her five part series is called Sick in a Hospital Town. The Georgia Ports Authority's Appalachian Regional Port moved a record number of containers in November. The agency on Thursday said the facility in northwest Georgia's Murray county moved nearly 4,000 containers last month, a 35% jump from a year earlier. The Appalachian Regional Port, connected by rail to the Port of Savannah, opened in 2018, taking freight traffic pressure off of Atlanta area highways and contributing to job growth in the region.

[Sarah Kalis]

How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living Longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

[Orlando Montoya]

Joshua Roman picked up the cello as a toddler and by his 20s was celebrated for his music. But in 2021, he caught Covid and never recovered. His album Immunity traces his long Covid journey through pieces for cello, some he composed. Now he's on tour to connect with other people with Long Covid and to help them find community in each other. Joshua Roman spoke to GPB Sarah Zaslaw ahead of his performance Saturday at Atlanta's ABV Gallery.

[Joshua Roman]

The main thing was that I just didn't get better. My Covid itself didn't have the flu like symptoms. It was mostly the weird symptoms like loss of taste and smell, the incredibly intense fatigue, the brain fog, very strange neurological things. And when I got my sense of taste and smell back, other things just didn't quite come back. I still couldn't go up the stairs, I still couldn't walk very far. I couldn't read. I stopped after a couple of performances that I had. These performances were the only performances on the calendar generally because of COVID Everything was canceled. And so I pushed through and I crashed really hard. And you know, when I'm talking about a crash, I'm somebody who used to run the mile in under six minutes and then go off and play a concert the same day. And a crash looks like me not being able to open my eyes, not being able to speak, sometimes not even being able to get off the ground or lift my arm to indicate what I might need in that moment. And I thought, well, like, what's the point anyway? Is music so important to me that I should brute force my way and further harm myself? But what that actually allowed me to do was face questions and doubts that I think I had pushed away prior to that. And eventually I pretty much had decided to leave music. And then I picked up the cello because I'd promised a friend I would play for her party. And it was actually the cello that brought me back. It was holding it again, feeling the vibrations. The cello is the size of a human and you put it against your chest, you hold it between your knees, you're using both arms. People have described it as like a hug. And when I felt those vibrations again, it was one of the few times in my life that I've been moved to tears. Just by the feeling of music moving through me with no one else around. And in that moment I was reminded that it's important for me to have a place and that that place is not, and that it's very human. And actually that's part of why it's good. So now I'm back and now I have a new tool as I continue my recovery from perfectionism, as it were.

[Orlando Montoya]

That was cellist Joshua Roman and his composition Immunity. Roman performs on Saturday at 1pm at ABV Gallery in Atlanta's East Atlanta neighborhood. The concert and its live stream are free Atlanta's popular walking and biking destination. The Beltline has unveiled initiatives aimed at preparing for the FIFA World cup, soccer's biggest event next summer in 16 North American cities, including Atlanta, promises to spur economic growth. The Beltline's vice president for economic development, Kelvin Collins, said yesterday the organization is rolling out a small business toolkit.

[Joshua Roman]

This toolkit is designed to help small businesses prepare, position and profit.

[Orlando Montoya]

The initiative includes training on attracting customers, applying for grants and complying with regulations in a Q and A. Beltline CEO Clyde Higgins said his number one priority for the games is public safety on the Beltline. He said he's working with the Atlanta Police Department on the goal of zero incidents on the trail, which attracts about two and a half million visitors annually after a losing season. The Atlanta Braves are making personnel moves as they Prepare for the 2026 season. GPB's Chase McGee has more on some of the changes.

[Joshua Roman]

The Braves picked up pitcher Robert Suarez as well as outfielder Mike Yastremski for a $23 million, two year old contract. Yastremsky addressed the media about the move in a Thursday press conference. I want to be a part of an organization that wins and with them showing me the commitment to giving me a two year guaranteed deal that gives me the availability to 100% buy in, be the best teammate I can and try to find any given way to help them out. Adding a Stremsky to the outfield gives the team flexibility with some of their other stars in the outfield like Ronald Acuna Jr. Michael Harris III and Jurickson Profar. The team's new manager, Walt Weiss, also has a decision to make about who he'll play at shortstop For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee.

[Orlando Montoya]

And that's it for today's edition of GEORGIA Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, we have many of them up on our website, gpb.org news we always encourage you to hit subscribe on the podcast. That helps you. And it helps us because you stay current with us in your feed just by hitting subscribe. We love feedback. Send that to us@georgia todaypb.org I'm Orlando Montoya. I hope you have a great weekend.

[Sarah Kalis]

How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge, and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.