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Georgia Today: Trump signs order closing U.S. Education Dept; Taliban hostage from Atlanta freed
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On the March 20 edition: Trump aims to dismantle the Department of Education; study shows AI helps predict which children will develop mental health issues; an Atlanta man held by the Taliban is released.
Sofi Gratas: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. On this podcast, you'll hear the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. Today is Thursday, March 20. I'm Sophie Gratas. On today's episode. President Donald Trump aims to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. A new study shows how AI can help predict which children will develop serious mental health issues. And the family of an Atlanta man held hostage for two years by the Taliban is grateful for his release.
Dennis Fitzpatrick: They're overjoyed and relieved. It's been a long, difficult journey, but today is all about gratitude.
Sofi Gratas: These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Sofi Gratas: President Trump signed an executive order today to close the U.S. Department of Education. The agency accounts for, on average, about 16% of funding for public schools in Georgia, according to the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. As of January, the agency's website listed nearly 600 age, race, sex and disability cases under investigation at Georgia schools. The department's Office of Civil Rights was gutted by layoffs earlier this month.
Story 2:
Sofi Gratas: The Georgia Supreme Court is considering a challenge to seven rules adopted by the Republican-controlled State Election Board last fall. Just before last year's general election, a state judge blocked these rules, determining the board didn't have the authority to pass them. During arguments held in Northwest Georgia's Cartersville yesterday, Justice Andrew Pinson pushed back against claims that the board was legally exercising its discretion.
Andrew Pinson: It's not just discretion. It's discretion that looks a lot like sort of setting up their own sort of mini set of laws that that govern, that aren't sort of connected to anything in the code.
Sofi Gratas: The seven rules dealt mostly with procedures after ballots are cast and spawned a flurry of lawsuits.
Story 3:
Sofi Gratas: The Georgia House narrowly passed a bill that would limit civil lawsuits in the state, bringing Gov. Brian Kemp's top legislative priority closer to becoming law. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: Senate Bill 68 would limit Georgians' ability to sue businesses for crimes that occur on their property, stops attorneys from recovering fees twice for the same cases, and allow separate trials for assigning responsibility in damages. Supporters, like Rep. Chaz Cannon, say the bill ensures legal balance.
Chaz Cannon: This protects businesses from unjust lawsuits while maintaining accountability for genuine negligence.
Sarah Kallis: But opponents like Rep. Stacey Evans, who's an attorney, say: .
Stacey Evans: It ensures — and I can say this without a shadow of a doubt — that good cases will languish.
Sarah Kallis: The bill passed 91 to 82, with a handful of representatives voting with another party. The House version of the bill includes some carve outs for sex trafficking victims, so the Senate will need to approve it again before it goes to the governor's desk. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.
Story 4:
Sofi Gratas: Legislation that would codify in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, into Georgia law passed a state Senate committee yesterday. The bill comes after the Alabama legislature passed a bill protecting IVF in response to an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year that frozen embryos are children with a constitutional right to life. Georgia House Bill 428 passed the state House unanimously last month.
Story 5:
Sofi Gratas: A new study from Emory University shows how artificial intelligence can predict which children will develop serious mental health issues up to a year in advance. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.
Ellen Eldridge: An analysis of survey data from more than 11,000 children aged 9 to 10 found that sleep disturbances were the strongest predictor of future psychiatric illness. Neuroscientist Jung Wang, with the Emory University School of Medicine, coauthored the study. She said they also found that neuroimaging did not improve the AI model's accuracy.
Jung Wang: It's good news because MRI scans are expensive and — meaning ... [researchers] can use low-risk and low-cost questionnaires to predict a future mental health issue.
Ellen Eldridge: She says the model catches 75% to 80% of young people at risk of mental illness. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 6:
Sofi Gratas: A Georgia man has been sentenced to one year in prison for transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters Tournament memorabilia. GPB's Chase McGee has more.
Chase McGee: Last year, Richard Globensky pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines. On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered him to pay $3 million in restitution. Over the course of several years, Globensky took in more than $5 million by selling memorabilia he'd stolen between 2009 and 2022 to an auction company in Florida. Items included an iconic green jacket owned by Arnold Palmer. This comes as Augusta prepares for this year's Masters Tournament, set to begin on April 10. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.
Story 7:
Sofi Gratas: Two brothers of the Venezuelan man who killed Georgia nursing student Laken Riley will be deported along with their former roommate after they pleaded guilty to possessing fake green cards, federal authorities say. Jose Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year for murdering Riley. Investigators found his brothers, Diego and Argenis Ibarra, and ex-roommate Rosbeli Flores Bello all had counterfeit green cards. They were sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty last year. Officials say Diego Ibarra will be deported after serving a four-year federal sentence and the other two got time served and were immediately turned over to immigration authorities.
Story 8:
Sofi Gratas: In Atlanta, man held hostage by the Taliban for more than two years is coming back to the U.S. Former Delta Air Lines mechanic George Glezmann traveled to Afghanistan as a tourist before being detained. Dennis Fitzpatrick represents his family.
Dennis Fitzpatrick: They're overjoyed. Overjoyed and relieved. It's been a long, difficult journey, but today is all about joy and gratitude.
Sofi Gratas: Fitzpatrick says Glezmann will reunite with his wife in Texas, where he'll recover his health before returning to Georgia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is praising the Qatari government for helping to secure the release.
Story 9:
Sofi Gratas: The National Weather Service's final report on Hurricane Helene outlines billions of dollars in losses, including in Georgia. The report, released yesterday, highlights significant damage to property and lives. It accounts for 37 deaths in Georgia.
Story 10:
A biodegradable materials manufacturer in Southwest Georgia is filing for bankruptcy. Dannemora Scientific started bankruptcy proceedings in a Delaware court on Tuesday. The company notified Georgia officials that it was laying off 82 employees last week. Four years ago, the then-10-year old company announced a $700 million expansion at its headquarters in Decatur County.
Story 11:
Sofi Gratas: Macon's International Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off this weekend, bringing 10 days of pink-filled celebrations to Middle Georgia. The festival begins tomorrow with the Pink Provisions Preview party, featuring food and drinks from local restaurants. During the weeklong festival, visitors can enjoy the Pink Pancake Breakfast, the annual parade and new attractions like piglet races. Businesses have decorated storefronts to ensure a picture-perfect experience for visitors, and the blooms have started blossoming just in time for the event. The festival runs through March 30.
That's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you would like to learn more about these stories, please visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't yet hit subscribe on this podcast, take a moment right now and keep us current in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, we would love to hear it. Please email us at GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Sofi Gratas. We will see you tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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