ICE and TSA at ATL; Doubts surround illegal abortion charges; Daylight Saving Time all the time

Summary

Georgia Today – March 24, 2026
Host: Peter Biello | Georgia Public Broadcasting

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Episode Overview

This episode of Georgia Today brings updates on key issues affecting Georgia:

• The mixed public response to the deployment of ICE agents at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport amidst long TSA security lines due to a government shutdown.
• Legal doubts surrounding the murder charge against a Georgia mother arrested for an alleged illegal abortion.
• The Georgia Senate’s approval of a bill that could make Daylight Saving Time permanent in the state.
• Additional local stories, including the aftermath of a courthouse fire, a traveling exhibit of founding documents, and Atlanta music icon India Arie’s reflection on her career.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

ICE and TSA at Atlanta Airport

[00:35–01:42]

• Amid ongoing government shutdown, TSA agents remain unpaid, leading to staffing shortages and long security lines.
• ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents have been deployed, but their role and necessity are questioned.
• On the Ground: Most ICE agents were seen patrolling rather than assisting TSA directly.
  • Sam Rosales (Traveler):

    "It's very unsettling to have them in the presence of everyday stuff, not really protecting borders in Atlanta." (01:12)

• Public Protest:
  • Around 40 people protested the ICE presence, with City Councilperson Kelsey Bond also denouncing a new detention center.
    • Kelsey Bond:

      "We want to be proactive and send a message before there's a massive ICE..." (01:29)

• City Leadership: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens clarified that ICE reports to TSA while stationed there.

Notable Quote:

• State Senator Bo Hatchet (regarding Daylight Saving, repeated here but also relevant for government disruption):

  "The evidence that this system does what it was originally intended to do is weak and at best. But the evidence that it disrupts people's lives, that is overwhelming." (00:24, 03:48)

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Congressional Services and TSA Delays

[01:42–02:45]

• Delta Air Lines suspends special services (including airport escorts) for Congress members due to strains caused by the shutdown.
  • "Taking care of our people and customers...has become increasingly difficult in the current environment."
• TSA agent call-outs severely impact traveler wait times; over 37% of agents at Atlanta called out.
• Senate voted to halt Congress members’ ability to skip security, intensifying lines, with no resolution in sight.

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Legal Doubts Surrounding Abortion-Related Murder Charge

[02:45–03:48]

• Camden County’s Alexia Moore is the first Georgia mother to face a murder charge under new abortion laws.
• Judicial Response:
  • The judge voiced skepticism that a conviction was possible and set bail at $1.
  • The prosecutor labeled the charge “problematic,” noting it came from police without his office’s backing.
• Emotional toll noted as Moore was visibly distressed during her court appearance.

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Daylight Saving Time: Move to Permanent DST

[03:48–03:58 & 03:48–03:58, 03:48–03:58]

• Georgia State Senate passes a bill to adopt year-round Daylight Saving Time by moving from Eastern to Atlantic Time Zone (thus avoiding needing Congressional approval), needing only the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s sign-off.

• Bo Hatchet (Senator, Republican):

  "The evidence that this system does what it was originally intended to do is weak at best, but the evidence that it disrupts people's lives that is overwhelming." (03:48)

• Would make Georgia two hours ahead of Alabama; bill now goes to the House.

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Local News Highlights

Floyd County Courthouse Fire

[04:30–04:48]

• Fire destroyed Rome’s historic courthouse (built in 1892); no injuries reported.
• County officials uncertain if anything can be salvaged.
  • Wright Bagby (Former Chairman):

    “You don’t want to lose your history and that’s a strong part of our history.” (04:30)

Founding Era Documents on Display

[05:20–05:54]

• Nine historic documents (incl. 1789 Senate markup of Bill of Rights) arrive in Atlanta for the country’s 250th anniversary exhibit.
• Sheffield Hale (Atlanta History Center CEO):

  "Atlanta has become an emblem of the 21st-century South...doing the hard work of attempting to meet the ideals first set forth on paper 250 years ago." (05:41)

• Over 14,000 already registered to attend.

Inland Port and Braves’ TV Deal

[06:08–07:13]

• Georgia Ports’ $134M inland port in Gainesville opens May 4 to boost rail links, cut truck traffic.
• Atlanta Braves launch “Braves Vision” cable channel—over 140 games in 2026, new streaming plan with no blackouts.

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India Arie’s “Acoustic Soul” 25th Anniversary

[07:13–10:50]

• India Arie reflects on her breakthrough 2001 album and Atlanta’s music scene before 9/11 and social media.

  • India Arie:

    “We were a collective of young people on the same wavelength...just learning, but with the backdrop of us all being very serious about our music.” (07:37)

• On songwriting with late collaborator Blue Miller:

  • “He did that all the time...that round part—’come back, come back, come back to the middle’—that was Blue.” (08:34)

• Discussed honoring ancestors and musical influences (Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder).

  • “When times get hard, call on them. And so doing it musically just ended up being a me thing, this confluence of all the things that I was.” (09:18)

  • On Stevie Wonder:

    “He was the blueprint for a lot of us—still is. I remember thinking, I could do that first. I need to do this before somebody else does it.” (10:08)

• Reflects on meaning of the album 25 years later:

  • “Maybe at 25 years, I can [take all my flowers].” (10:35)

• India Arie to perform “Acoustic Soul” in its entirety at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater (March 29 & April 3).

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Memorable Quotes

• Sam Rosales (Traveler, on ICE at ATL):

  "It's very unsettling to have them in the presence of everyday stuff, not really protecting borders in Atlanta." (01:12)

• Sen. Bo Hatchet:

  "The evidence that this system does what it was originally intended to do is weak at best, but the evidence that it disrupts people's lives that is overwhelming." (00:24, 03:48)

• Wright Bagby (On Courthouse Fire):

  "...you don't want to lose your history and that's a strong part of our history." (04:30)

• India Arie:

  “We were a collective of young people on the same wavelength and later we ended up being called Neo Soul...it was just all about the craft and learning how to be in community with people.” (07:37)
  “He [Blue Miller] did that all the time...that round part—‘come back, come back, come back to the middle’—that was Blue.” (08:34)
  “He [Stevie Wonder] was the blueprint for a lot of us—still is. I remember thinking, I could do that first.” (10:08)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• ICE & TSA at ATL: [00:35–01:42]
• Congressional Airport Perks/Shutdown Impact: [01:42–02:45]
• Georgia Abortion Law/Murder Charge Doubts: [02:45–03:48]
• Daylight Saving Time Bill: [03:48–03:58]
• Floyd County Courthouse Fire: [04:30–04:48]
• Founding Documents in Atlanta: [05:20–05:54]
• Inland Port/Braves TV launch: [06:08–07:13]
• India Arie’s Retrospective: [07:13–10:50]

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Tone

The episode balances sober reporting on contentious and impactful state issues with moments of local pride and cultural reflection, consistent with GPB’s community-oriented, in-depth tone. India Arie’s segment adds warmth and a personal, reflective note to close out the edition.

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For further information, visit gpb.org/news and access updates and community news.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, ICE agents get a mixed reception at Atlanta's airport. A judge and a prosecutor expressed doubt about the murder charge against a Georgia mother arrested after an alleged abortion. And state senators have passed a bill that could make daylight saving time permanent in Georgia.

[B]

The evidence that this system does what it was originally intended to do is weak and at best. But the evidence that it disrupts people's lives, that is overwhelming.

[A]

Today is Tuesday, March 24th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. As travelers continue to face long security lines at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the response to the deployment of ICE agents there is mixed. GPB's Sophie Gratis has more.

[C]

On Monday, during a lull in massive lines, most ICE agents at Hartsfield patrolled security lines rather than directly help TSA officers who remain unpaid under a partial government shutdown. The presence of federal agents made Sam Rosales on his second day of travel feel uneasy.

[D]

It's very unsettling to have them in the presence of everyday stuff, not really protecting borders in Atlanta.

[C]

Outside the airport, about 40 people protested against the deployment of ice, including Atlanta City Councilperson Kelsey Bond, who also denounced the construction of an ICE detention center in Social Circle.

[E]

We want to be proactive and send a message before there's a massive ICE

[C]

deployment here, atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. ICE agents will report directly to TSA officers as long as they're here. For GPB News, I'm Sophie Gradis.

[A]

Atlanta based Delta Air Lines is suspending its special services for members of Congress as the partial shutdown continues to cause long lines at airports nationwide. GPB Sarah Kalis reports.

[F]

Delta's special services program includes airport escorts and red coat services for members of Congress. The airline's Capitol desk that helps members book lights remains open, but the other services are paused during the shutdown. In a statement, a Delta spokesperson said, next to safety, Delta's number one priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment. Delta says the suspension is due to strain on resources during the partial government shutdown that began February 14th. This week, over 37% of TSA agents at the Atlanta airport have called out, causing hours long security wait times for passengers. Last week, the Senate voted to stop allowing members of Congress to skip security lines, but they have yet to reach a deal to end the partial shutdown. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallas,

[A]

A state judge and a state prosecutor in Southeast Georgia are expressing doubt about the case against a 31 year old mother who arrested earlier this month for an alleged illegal abortion. Camden County's Alexia Moore is the first Georgia mother to be charged with murder under the state's strict abortion law. GPB Media Partner the current reports that in her first court appearance yesterday, she was granted bail of $1. The judge was skeptical the state could secure a conviction. The prosecutor said the charge was problematic and brought by the Kingsland Police Department. Without his office's support, Moore could be seen crying through the lengthy proceeding. State senators have passed a bill that could make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Georgia. The legislation, approved overwhelmingly yesterday, would shift the state from the Eastern time zone to the Atlantic time zone. Doing it that way would avoid having to get an act of Congress. It would require only the approval of the US Secretary of Transportation, Cornelia Republican State Senator Bo Hatchet says the twice annual time change disrupts sleep, productivity and safety.

[B]

The evidence that this system does what it was originally intended to do is weak at best, but the evidence that it disrupts people's lives that is overwhelming.

[A]

The Atlantic time zone includes Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico and is two hours ahead of neighboring Alabama. The bill now goes to the State House for more consideration. Commissioners in northwest Georgia's Floyd county will meet tonight, a day after a fire destroyed the county's historic courthouse. No one was injured in the swift moving blaze and fire officials are still investigating its cause. Former County Chairman Wright Bagby says the county now will have to find a new home for several county functions that includes the offices of the tax commissioner and the tax assessor.

[G]

Other most important things are figuring out if anything is salvageable and the building can be salvaged because I hope it will, that will turn out to be the case. I'm not sure that's possible right now, but you don't want to lose your history and that's a strong part of our history.

[A]

He called the landmark's loss a tragedy for the community. The building in downtown rome dates to 1892. Proceedings at the more modern Floyd County Courthouse next door have been postponed until tomorrow at the earliest. Nine original founding era documents from the National Archives arrived in Atlanta yesterday. GPB's Devons Wald reports. Atlanta is the second destination in an eight city traveling exhibit commemorating the country's 250th anniversary.

[H]

A Senate markup of the Bill of Rights from 1789 and an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence are two of the nine documents that flew in on the Freedom Plane and the public can view the documents starting Friday at the Atlanta History center in Buckhead. Sheffield Hale center president and CEO says it's fitting that Atlanta was chosen for this exhibition.

[D]

Today, Atlanta has become an emblem of the 21st century south, one that is dynamic and forward looking, a city that has spent generations doing the hard work of attempting to meet the ideals first set forth on paper 250 years ago.

[H]

Hale says 14,000 people have already registered with the Atlanta History center to view the documents. They'll be on display from March 27 until April 12. For GPB news, I'm Devin Zwald.

[A]

The Georgia Ports Authority says its new inland port in Northeast Georgia will open on May 4th. The $134 million project in Gainesville is aimed at strengthening connections by rail to the Port of Savannah and reducing truck traffic on Georgia's highways. The project was announced in 2023. The Atlanta Braves have reached a multi year agreement with Spectrum Cable to carry the new Braves Vision channel. The network is expected to air more than 140 games in 2026, excluding those reserved for national broadcasts and select streaming platforms. In addition to live games, Braves Vision will feature pre game and post game coverage, with its first broadcast scheduled for opening day on Friday against the Kansas City Royals. Fans within the team's broadcast territory can also subscribe to a direct to consumer streaming option priced at about 20 bucks a month or nearly 100 bucks a year with no blackout restrictions. The team says additional distribution announcements, including other cable and streaming partners, are expected in the coming days. Singer India Ari makes a rare live appearance this week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her debut album, Acoustic Soul. GPB's Christy Yorke Wooten has more.

[I]

In early 2001, there was a burgeoning Atlanta music scene with sunny rhythms and community voices that together created a sonic portrait of the city in a pre 911 pre social media world. For India Ari, it was simple. This sound was acoustic soul captured in the essence of her debut album.

[J]

We were a collective of young people on the same wavelength and later we ended up being called Neo Soul and in that era it was really beautiful because we were just learning. We were pretty much fresh out of high school and the pressure wasn't on yet and so it was just all about the craft and learning how to be in community with people, learning how to be friends and just learning everything new, but with the backdrop of us all being very serious about our music.

[I]

Acoustic Soul included hits like Brown Skin and earned India seven Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the year for Thydia, She wrote several songs with her late collaborator Blue Miller, like Back to the Middle and this one, Ready for Love.

[E]

I Am Ready for Love

[J]

at its best. When you're writing songs with somebody, you want them to think of things you would have never thought about, but that feel exactly like something you should have thought about. And Blue did that all the time. But Come Back to the Middle was a moment and then there's that round part. Come back, come back, come back to the middle. That piece that goes round. I remember he came in the studio and saying, what about this? And I was just like, oh, he is my favorite.

[I]

Acoustic Soul features interludes where India pays homage to her musical heroes in African culture with shout outs to Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and more.

[E]

This is in remembrance of our ancestors.

[J]

I learned the beauty and the value in calling on your ancestors when I was about 18 because I grew up around, like, the Pan African community. There was that movement towards African spirituality and how we can integrate it into our lives as black Americans. And so when I was making acoustic soul, it was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life up to that point. The teachings that were inherent in being a part of that culture were, when times get hard, call on them. And so doing it musically just ended up being a me thing, this confluence of all the things that I was.

[I]

And of course, she included a dedication to one of her favorite musicians of all time, Stevie Wonder.

[E]

You got so much soul, to put it plain and simple. You are wonderful.

[J]

That was something that I did, was like, I could be the first person to do this. Because Stevie Wonder, to me was. He is still the epitome of a lot of things around music and culture and where music and spirituality meet. And like, he was a blueprint for a lot of us still is. And I remember thinking, I could do that first. I need to do this before somebody else does it. Like, that song was definitely that.

[I]

India says she rarely looks back, but honoring acoustic soul is making her take stock of her life and career in a new way.

[J]

Maybe this is like, psychologically when you can start to look back. It just dawned on me the other day that somebody who's 40 years old was a teenager when acoustic soul came out. Like, I'm still processing what it means, but I'm happy to take all my flowers and maybe at 25 years, I can.

[I]

India Arie performs Acoustic Soul in its entirety with the ATL Collective at Atlanta's Center Stage Theater on March 29 and April 3 for GPB News. I'M Christy York Wooten in Atlanta.

[E]

Come back to the middle. Come back to the middle.

[A]

That is a wrap on this Tuesday edition of GEORGIA Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Make sure you come back tomorrow. Subscribe to this podcast and you won't miss a thing. And check gpb.org news for updates. We're also always posting news stories there. That's gpb.org news. And you could be the source of our latest story and never know. We love to hear about what's going on in your community, so email us@georgia todaypb.org that's also where you can send feedback about this podcast. Again, Georgia Today, pb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thank you again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.