Vaccine task force; New EPA guidelines; Documentary series on Magic City

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary

Date: August 15, 2025
Host: Peter Biello (GPB News)
Main Topics: CDC vaccine task force reinstatement, new EPA guidance on dicamba, Magic City documentary series, and updates on local Georgia news.

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Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners up to speed on significant news impacting Georgia:

• The reinstatement of a federal vaccine task force with CDC involvement
• The EPA’s new draft guidelines on dicamba herbicide for farmers
• An in-depth look at a new Starz documentary on Atlanta's legendary Magic City nightclub
• Brief coverage of local stories in crime, sports, education, and policy

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Key Segments and Discussions

1. Magic City: The Documentary Series

[00:39–07:05]

Segment Overview

Pamela Kirkland interviews “Magic: An American Fantasy” executive producers Jamie Gertz and Bayan Junum about Magic City’s complex legacy, cultural impact, and why now is the right time for its story.

Main Discussion Points

• Why Tell Magic City’s Story Now?
  • The mainstreaming of club dancing in American music and culture
  • Iconic artists like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion began as dancers; Magic City helped shape their journeys
• Humanizing the Institution
  • Magic City isn’t just a club—it’s a family-run business, central to Atlanta's cultural fabric and Southern hip hop
  • Insight into the family and everyday community surrounding the club
• Producer Jamie Gertz’s Atlanta Connection
  • Moved to Atlanta after becoming a Hawks co-owner, instantly welcomed by Magic City’s community
  • Personal motivations: highlighting grit, hustle, and the "Atlanta way" of turning dreams into reality

Notable Quotes

• Bayan Junum:
  • “Dancing, particularly in the club, has gone from being in the shadows taboo to something that’s now very mainstream…” ([01:34])
  • “It’s a really important moment… the story of these dancers who are, in their own way, becoming part of the American dream.” ([01:41])
• Jamie Gertz:
  • “For me, it was more wanting to tell a story about an American family, an American success story, and just the grit and the heart and the hustle of what I’ve become to known as the, you know, Atlanta way.” ([03:19])
  • “Mr. Magic wanted everyone who comes there and spends money there to feel special. So whether you had 20 bucks… or you had $10,000… it was kind of like Cheers in a way.” ([04:48])

Memorable Moments

• Killer Mike’s observation (paraphrased by Gertz): “The sinners and the saints needing each other… out of sin, many saintly moments.” ([05:13])
• The organic way Magic City became an incubator for Southern hip hop, where mixtapes lived or died on dancers' reactions, shaping the careers of rising stars
• The club as a “love letter to Atlanta,” celebrating both the city’s challenges and triumphs

Additional Information

• The docuseries premieres on Starz, debuting the night of the podcast’s release

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2. Atlanta Track Club Race Honoring Fallen Officer

[07:30–08:16]

• Proceeds from the Atlanta’s Finest 5K to benefit the family of a police officer killed in a CDC campus shooting
• Track Club CEO Rich Kana notes a surge in registrations as the community comes together
• Quote: “I wanted to lean into what the running community could do.” (Rich Kana, [07:58])

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3. EPA’s Dicamba Guidelines: Georgia Farmer Perspectives

[08:16–09:17]

Key Points

• EPA announces draft guidelines for dicamba use, with stricter controls due to concerns about herbicide drift damaging neighboring crops
• Enforcement challenge: Cannot apply dicamba if temperatures exceed 95°F
• Farmer Lee Nunn emphasizes both economic impact and personal responsibility in spraying
  • Quote: “I do 100% of the spraying with this machine.” (Lee Nunn, [09:01])

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4. Other Major Georgia News Briefs

[09:17–13:00]

MARTA Leadership Change

• Jonathan Hunt named interim GM/CEO after Collie Greenwood retires

Georgia Power Natural Gas Plant

• Three new turbines at Plant Yates to serve surging demand, especially from new data centers
• Environmentalists urge a push for renewables

Reinstated Vaccine Task Force

• HHS revives the Safer Childhood Vaccines group, including CDC leaders
• Reactivated in the broader context of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation
• Recent CDC attack linked to distrust in vaccines

UGA Top Student Life Ranking

• University of Georgia ranked #1 for student life in the U.S.

Savannah Carriage Horse Heat Ordinance

• City Council votes to lower max temperature for working horses; possible mayoral veto pending
• Quote: “This is sort of a compromise position… we just want improved animal welfare.” (Activist Robin Lowe, [12:31])

Economic Updates

• State unemployment falls slightly; 500 jobs lost in July
• Job losses in accommodation, food, transportation, warehousing, utilities sectors

Sports Highlights

• Braves beat Mets 4-3 behind Ozzie Albies
• Buford High School opens new $62m stadium with a win; notable high school football results

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Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• Bayan Junum (on Magic City and mainstreaming):
  • “Dancing… has gone from being in the shadows taboo to something that’s now very mainstream…” ([01:34])
• Jamie Gertz (on Atlanta and Magic City):
  • “For me, it was more wanting to tell a story about an American family, an American success story…” ([03:19])
• Rich Kana (Track Club CEO):
  • “I wanted to lean into what the running community could do.” ([07:58])
• Lee Nunn (Madison, GA Farmer):
  • “I do 100% of the spraying with this machine.” ([09:01])
• Robin Lowe (Animal Welfare Activist):
  • “This is sort of a compromise position at the moment…” ([12:31])

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Major Takeaways

• Magic City’s cultural history is being told on a national stage, highlighting personal stories, Atlanta’s music legacy, and broader social trends
• The EPA's effort to consult Georgia farmers on new dicamba herbicide restrictions spotlights the complexity of balancing agricultural need with environmental safety
• Local initiatives underscore the community’s resilience in responding to tragedies and evolving policies
• The University of Georgia garners national recognition as a top college for student life, and Atlanta continues to grow as an economic, technological, and cultural hub

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For more stories and extended coverage, listeners are encouraged to visit gpb.org/news.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia TODAY podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, leaders from the Atlanta based CDC will be part of a reinstated vaccine task force. The EPA announces new guidance for farmers on a controversial herbicide. And a new documentary series profiles the Atlanta cultural institution known as Magic City.

[B]

It's a really important moment not only to tell this family story that most people probably don't think about when they see Magic City, but then also the story of these dancers who are, in their own way becoming part of the American dream.

[A]

Today is Friday, August 15th. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. Since opening its doors in 1985, Magic City has been called many things, a launchpad for Southern hip hop, the black Studio 54, and an Atlanta cultural institution. Now a new Starz docu series called Magic An American Fantasy pulls back the curtain on the history and the influence of one of the most famous and perhaps infamous clubs in the country. Executive producers Jamie Gertz and Bayan Junum joined GPB's Morning Edition host Pamela Kirkland to talk about the series.

[C]

Bayan this is really a story 40 years in the making. There hasn't been a docu series like this about Magic City. You guys got incredible access to both the club as well as the people that you speak to. But why do you think now is a good time to go through the chronicle of what Magic City is?

[B]

I think now is a good time because dancing, particularly in the club, has gone from being in the shadows taboo to something that's now very mainstream, with artists like Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion speaking very openly about their experiences as dancers before becoming hip hop artists. So now I think it's in the club you see that as well, where several of the dancers are rappers, they're musicians, they're producing their own music to dance to. So I think it's a really important moment not only to tell this family story that most people probably don't think about and see when they see Magic City, but then also the story of these dancers who are in their own way becoming part of the American dream and capturing that.

[C]

So used to seeing you on the screen from movies like Twister, shows like Modern Family and Still Standing. You are also co owner of the Hawks. So you spend a lot of time here in Atlanta. Your family lives here. What was it like to take a story, such true Georgia roots and bring it to life?

[D]

You know, Atlanta has become my adopted home. When we purchased the hawks back in 2015, I still had A child at home in high school. So I. I didn't move here permanently until a few years after that, so. And I moved here having never been to Atlanta and knowing no one in Atlanta. And I have to say, you know, I had heard about Southern hospitality, but I wasn't quite aware of it. And the very first people to extend their hand and to introduce themselves to our family were Juju and Mikey, Barney, Little Madge. And I didn't even know what their business was, what they did, but they became friends with my boys, ultimately learned about their family business, ultimately met the king, the man himself, Mr. Magic. So it was really, for me, came from the heart, because these are people that extended themselves to us, our family. So for me, it was more wanting to tell a story about an American family, an American success story, and just the grit and the heart and the hustle of what I've become to known as the, you know, Atlanta way.

[C]

Yeah. How did you get so many people to sign on to tell these stories?

[D]

Well, I have to say, you know, the NBA is just a place where people gather to watch greatness because these athletes, these basketball players are so extraordinary. And being here in Atlanta and, you know, having 41 out of the 82 home games, I met a lot of people along the way. It was easy to ask people. They wanted to speak about this club, they wanted to speak about this family. So it was an easy ask.

[C]

Walk me through the storytelling process a little bit.

[D]

Well, I think at the core of it is a business and its customers. And what I was always struck by is Mr. Magic wanting everyone who comes there and spends money there to feel special. So whether you had 20 bucks to spend or you had $10,000 to spend, he wanted everyone to. To feel welcome. It was kind of like cheers in a way. Like, everyone who comes in, you know, you get to have that same experience. So I wanted to be able to tell. We wanted to be able to tell that story of the everyday. Joe, who goes there. There's also kind of killer Mike talks about the sinners and the saints needing each other. And I thought that that was also a. A beautiful stepping point to talk about what many people would say is sinful. But then we saw out of sin, many saintly moments. Music, which is universal. So this place that music emanated from, that started off with people having a dream and bringing a mixtape in and trying to get this DJ to get his attention, to get him to play your mixtape, and then to have the dancers, like, up there, and if they were, like, not vibing or feeling it. That mixtape was given back to that, you know, artist saying, hey, come back next time they're not feeling it. So just to show the kind of working atmosphere of how music was created, dancers with these amazing reputations and the dancers became so famous that they were became these video stars because all the musicians, if they did hit it, would want them to be in their videos. The A and R that then said, I want to break new music. I have to now go to this tiny club in Atlanta, Georgia, because they're playing the hippest, coolest music right now. And this is where I'm going to go to find this great music. And for me, it was also a love letter to Atlanta, my new home.

[A]

The first episode of Magic City in American Fantasy premieres on Starz Tonight, and you can hear more of Pamela Kirkland's conversation with the producers at gpb.org news. The Atlanta track Club is donating proceeds from a race on Saturday to the family of the police officer killed in the shooting at the campus of the CDC last week. GPB's Sarah Kallis has more.

[E]

Proceeds from race registration for The Atlanta's finest 5K will go to Officer David Rose's children and family. Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kana says this race, which has been held since the 1990s, is a way for the track club to honor law enforcement.

[A]

As I sat in my office last.

[D]

Friday watching.

[A]

The attack unfold and felt helpless like everyone else.

[D]

I wanted to.

[A]

Lean into what what the running community could do.

[E]

Registration fees are $45 per person. Kanah says the track club saw a spike of close to 2,000 registrations for the race. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

[A]

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced new draft guidelines for the use of dicamba, a powerful but controversial herbicide prized by some farmers for control of weeds and crops like corn and soybeans. GPB's Chase McGee has more from a meeting between the EPA and Georgia farmers.

[F]

Dicamba has been approved by the EPA in the past, only to see that approval fall after some farmers complain that herbicides sprayed on their neighbors fields can drift into theirs and kill valuable crops. Lee Nunn grows wheat, cotton, corn and soybeans on around 1600 acres near Madison, Georgia. He lost money when dicamba was banned last year, but but he says only he's allowed to run the machine that sprays it on his farm.

[A]

My son will move it around, wash it or clean it or do things like that, but I do 100% of the spraying with this machine.

[F]

The EPA is asking for feedback from farmers on new Dicamba guidelines for use. One sticking point is a ban on application when it's hotter than 95 degrees, which can make it more likely to drift. For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee.

[A]

Marta has a new interim general manager and CEO. The the board of directors of metro Atlanta's transit system yesterday appointed its chief legal counsel, Jonathan Hunt, to the position. The former general manager and CEO, Collie Greenwood, announced his retirement last month, citing personal and immigration issues. Greenwood is a Canadian citizen. MARTA has had problems recently, including an escalator malfunction that injured several people. The MARTA board of directors has formed a search committee to find a permanent GM and CEO. The first of three natural gas turbines has arrived at a new Georgia Power natural gas plant in west Georgia's Coweta County. It's the first of three planned for the former coal burning plant Yates near Newnan. When all three are installed, they'll put out the same amount of power as one unit at Plant Vogel, the nuclear plant near Augusta. This marks the first new natural gas generator in Georgia Power's portfolio in a decade. Natural gas is somewhat cleaner than coal, but has faced opposition from environmentalists. They say Georgia Power should push harder for renewable energy. Georgia Power has said it needs new natural gas to help power Georgia's growing data center industry. Speaking of data centers, a new data center project has been proposed for the northeast Georgia city of Greensboro. Developers say the data center, called Project Turbo, will occupy 900,000 square feet across multiple buildings. They anticipate $25 million in annual local tax revenue, and it is expected to open in 2020. A reinstated vaccine task force will consider changes to vaccine recommendations. The U.S. department of Health and Human Services says the task force on Safer Childhood Vaccines will include leaders from the Atlanta based cdc. The group was formed with a different name in the late 1980s but was disbanded after about a decade of work. It was founded in the wake of claims of vaccine related injuries. The move comes as CDC employees call for the removal of federal health officials who have spread false claims about vaccines. That includes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Last week's attack at the CDC was inspired in part by distrust in the COVID 19 vaccine. The university of Georgia has been ranked the nation's number one college for student life in 2025. That's out of nearly 1500 colleges surveyed by the website Niche. UGA, with almost 29,000 undergraduates, earned the top spot for its friendly campus culture. The University has a 43% acceptance rate and popular majors include biology, psychology and finance. Among Georgia schools, Georgia Tech ranked 71st, Kennesaw State ranked 119th and Spelman College 197th. Emory, Morehouse, Georgia State and several others also made the list. Nationally, UGA was followed by the University of California, USC and Vanderbilt. The Savannah City Council has voted to gradually lower the highest temperature that carriage horses will legally be allowed to work. In a 5 to 4 vote, the city Council voted to bring the maximum temperature down to 92 degrees until the end of this year. Starting in January, the limit would be 85 degrees. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson says he has not yet made up his mind on the ordinance and could veto it. He has five days to sign or veto it. Activist Robin Lowe of Ban Horse Carriages Savannah pushed for the lower temperature limit.

[G]

This is sort of a compromise position at the moment because it became clear that just a ban is just not on the horizon soon. Obviously we just want improved animal welfare, so if a compromise makes that happen and it at least helps the horses in the summer, we're happy to celebrate this win.

[A]

Now, opponents of the ordinance said it didn't take into consideration measures the owners of the horses take to keep them cool, such as hosing them down. The Georgia Department of Labor reported yesterday the state's unemployment rate fell slightly to 3.4% last month, down 0.1% in June. Despite the decline in unemployment, the number of jobs in Georgia decreased by 500 last month to just short of 5 million. The sectors with the biggest job losses were accommodation and food services and transportation, warehousing and utilities. In sports and baseball, Ozzy Albee's homered, drove in the go ahead run with a double in the eighth inning and hit an RBI single as the Braves beat the slumping New York Mets 4 3. Last night, Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder allowed two earned runs over seven innings for the Braves. The Braves continue their six game road trip today as Hurston Waldrop takes the mound in Cleveland against the Guardians in football. High school football season in Georgia is now underway and Buford High School opened its brand new $62 million Philip Beard Stadium with a win. The wolves ended Milton's 25 game winning streak with a 2013 victory. Last night. A 70 yard interception return gave Buford momentum and another interception set up a key field goal. Elsewhere, Two other top 10 Georgia teams, Cartersville High School and Hebron Christian Academy, also grabbed early wins. Keep up with the latest in high school football around the state with GPB Sports Football Friday's podcast hosted by John Nelson and Hannah Gooden. And that's all we've got for the podcast today. But thank you so much for tuning in. We hope you have a great week. To stay on top of any of the stories that you heard Today, check out gpb.org news and of course, subscribe to this podcast. We'll have the latest in your podcast feed on Monday afternoon, and your feedback is always welcome, of course. Send it by email. The address is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. Have a great weekend and we will see you on Monday.