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There are no hard and fast rules for deciding which students need cars, but here are some things to think about:","type":"text"},{"_id":"UWYAV7IYT5HILAVTPSKDR3PFAQ","items":[{"_id":"XZU44UWESRBETJERQJQZKNEG54","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Do they have a job or volunteer? If your student has an off-campus job or a position that requires them to work odd hours, a car might be worth the expense and hassle.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JKQJMKCVOJDJ3FBXLDEFUTQOZU","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Will they be traveling home? Many college students fly or take the train home for visits, but it’s often easier and less expensive to drive. A vehicle also makes it much easier to move in and out of the dorms each school year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NDVWAHRWGVHITHNPJOHZYRGJDA","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Can they afford maintenance and insurance? Insurance is typically more expensive for college-age drivers, even if they remain on their parents’ policies. Before sending a car to campus, call your insurer. Premiums can change if the vehicle will be garaged at school instead of at home, and the company might need the campus address to keep the policy accurate. Ask about good-student discounts, student-away discounts if the car stays home, and whether the student can remain on a parent policy. 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Here are some of the most important considerations before you buy:","type":"text"},{"_id":"QWZXZVBE7RDWNEAYSSMG5IFYMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Reliability","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"R7WZG5UCGBBVHGIXCETLXCKUHQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Some of the most reliable mainstream car brands include Subaru, Toyota, Kia, Nissan, Hyundai, and Mazda, but other names rank well on some lists. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5OMIHFI6JJFORNDVQNN4GDCWV4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Strong reliability ratings do not guarantee a trouble-free vehicle, but they are a good indication of how often a car might need service and how serious the repairs could be.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WK5V67SMPRENZD5ZUT53XKSA6Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"Safety","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"VJJ5R7FV3REIZO73DY3QAA5EAA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It might be tempting to pass down an older, less expensive car as your child heads off to college, but it should offer at least the basics of safety equipment. Newer models have advanced driver-assistance features, such as automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist and blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6L7BULEY5AGTOT5HUKCCJQRSA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those technologies and others have been proven to save lives and prevent crashes, but more basic features like air bags, anti-lock brakes and automatic headlights go a long way toward keeping your young driver safe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RAT73MDLKJCFNC25JPIZ3N3RGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Type and size","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"UYMPI3RNRRAY7M7T7H2MOMD24E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Even if you can afford a larger vehicle, it’s often better to opt for a smaller, more fuel-efficient model. College parking lots aren’t the most spacious places, which can make larger SUVs and trucks a real hassle. Smaller vehicles, such as compact SUVs and sedans, are usually less expensive to purchase, easier to park and more fuel-efficient.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AXYHB73ETJBRBAL4RZHXKRFJ2M","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Are cars getting too big for Atlanta’s parking lots?","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/are-cars-getting-too-big-for-atlantas-parking-lots/"},{"_id":"EFF2H3N6SJEM5C5ODY6C7BXXQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"You should apply the same thought process to the fuel type. Hybrids and fuel-sipping gas vehicles are great choices that probably won’t break the bank at the dealer or the pump. Plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are more expensive up front and may be difficult to charge on some campuses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3EV4ZRX4GBGPHEBGMIPWCHPMFE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Budget","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"Z6G5QVBZBFGWHJH2KUXMDYZFMI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The average new-vehicle transaction price is still over $49,000, and while there are many less expensive models on sale, the used market is a much better starting point for many shoppers. Filter your search by your budget, then look for cars with the lowest mileage from brands with strong reliability ratings. Leave room in that budget for insurance, parking permits, fuel, maintenance and surprise repairs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SWL22I326FBSTCEPOTJKVYRVSI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Used car picks for college students","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"PND5LXTFRFFOBD4MIOAIET7RLU","additional_properties":{},"content":"These are some of the best vehicles for college students and new drivers, offering a compelling blend of value, safety and maneuverability. Visit <a href=\"https://www.kbb.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.kbb.com/\">kbb.com</a> to check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for vehicles.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MKH5EKP2TVDG5OJW7OETJBF7Q4","items":[{"_id":"VJNABJNKABAINGMEMWDT6AEXTU","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"2023 Toyota Corolla: 32/41/35 mpg city/highway/combined","type":"text"},{"_id":"DO5NXPVMZBBI5DYSIGT7GM4ADY","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"2023 Honda Civic: 30/37/33 mpg city/highway/combined","type":"text"},{"_id":"P7M3DJI3CNAIRL72CV3ISHNFRE","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"2023 Hyundai Elantra: 33/42/37 mpg city/highway/combined","type":"text"},{"_id":"76SSGIFSFVEUPJXP6ETGJ3JQCU","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"2023 Mazda3: 28/37/31 mpg city/highway/combined","type":"text"},{"_id":"T5WIP35HVNDK7KCGMPBTGUKURA","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"2023 Subaru Crosstrek: 28/33/30 mpg city/highway/combined","type":"text"}],"list_type":"unordered","type":"list"},{"_id":"LACJ2LETKJGU3BEPPTO5QLRLDM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<i>Chris Teague is an editor for Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. He is a nationally syndicated radio host and has covered the automotive industry since 2016 as a writer and analyst.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"XOVOLQIGP5E6DNWVACISJVUCOQ","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<i>The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are owned by parent company, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.</i> ","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Chris Teague ","org":"Cox Automotive","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"A vehicle can make college life easier, but parking rules, insurance costs, maintenance, and campus transportation options can quickly change the math."},"display_date":"2026-07-03T12:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Cars on campus: What families should consider before teens go off to college","meta_title":"Opinion: Should kids have cars on campus? 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Student parking at UGA is extremely limited. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)\n","copyright":"CJ Bartunek, cjbartunek@gmail.com","created_date":"2026-01-25T18:36:53Z","credits":{"by":[{"name":"C.J. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"MRJ2B2FRUVDLBA3N4FWGD7II74","additional_properties":{},"content":"Across the state, a battle is taking shape between our communities and speculative infrastructure that’s left residents increasingly frustrated.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AEO22E3EHRAFRGFIMQD76ZJFNY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Georgia has one of the <a href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/data-center-growth-map-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/data-center-growth-map-states\">highest concentrations</a> of data centers in the country, and their growth shows no sign of slowing. This expansion comes at a particularly dangerous moment. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZSYDAXK2JCZRANONLYPMWF4BY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Data Surge: An AJC series about the data center development boom","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/01/data-surge-an-ajc-series-about-the-development-boom/"},{"_id":"M2CZW3ELWFBK3O3T3BXQRAEBDA","additional_properties":{},"content":"We recently faced a severe drought, with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division declaring a <a href=\"https://epd.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-04-27/level-1-drought-declared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://epd.georgia.gov/press-releases/2026-04-27/level-1-drought-declared\">Level 1 drought response</a> as some of the most <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wildfires-rage-georgia-northern-florida-severe-drought-rcna341631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wildfires-rage-georgia-northern-florida-severe-drought-rcna341631\">destructive wildfires</a> in state history burned. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZL6LYXPMVGZ3N7EZKZ3D7NU5U","additional_properties":{},"content":"At a time when water resources are already under strain, they are being further stressed by data centers, which consume <a href=\"https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/data-centers-water-secrets-companies-using-ndas-hide-water-usage-georgia/ESYQS4GRDVAM7A6EJUQKGXTPWY/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/data-centers-water-secrets-companies-using-ndas-hide-water-usage-georgia/ESYQS4GRDVAM7A6EJUQKGXTPWY/\">millions of gallons of water</a> and vast amounts of electricity each day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KMIMMYCYFB5BAMLF2RYVRXQ2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Understand the environmental impact and harms","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg?auth=3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Cyndie Roberson.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg?auth=3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg?auth=3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg?auth=3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e"},"caption":"Cyndie Roberson is a retired registered nurse and an advocate against data center expansion. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-06-23T21:14:57Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":640,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-06-23T21:14:57Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Cyndie Roberson headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/K767M5CIUBB6PAEWI7DQRIECCU.jpeg?auth=3323edde816b2db7754f6c9d0e440dfb3bb5fde5116fd4b7c85b05b4f33baf9e","version":"0.10.9","width":480,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"4D2UY5BOABDHBL4O62BOI3TQK4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<a href=\"https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/fy26-sota-georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/fy26-sota-georgia\">More than 944,000</a> Georgia children are already breathing unhealthy air, according to the American Lung Association. Expanding one of the most energy-intensive industries in the country risks making these conditions even worse.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z3JYBVLJLFHF7N23L5NLUKSNKM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Georgia Power has projected the need for an additional 10,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity — enough to power roughly <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/georgia-power-electricity-data-centers-psc-bills-0b377d6a4a57c9353c0eb577b8951af3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://apnews.com/article/georgia-power-electricity-data-centers-psc-bills-0b377d6a4a57c9353c0eb577b8951af3\">four million homes</a>. Meeting that demand will guarantee years of higher emissions and environmental strain, with the costs ultimately falling on residents. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FC3F75CTDNGBBFJRF7VVKCG2KM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"A independent study by <a href=\"https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/Health-Impacts-Vantage-Data-Center-Report-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.pecva.org/wp-content/uploads/Health-Impacts-Vantage-Data-Center-Report-2.pdf\">EmPower Analytics Group LLC</a> on Virginia underscores the stakes: A single 135 MW data center in Loudoun County was estimated to generate up to $99 million annually in health-related damages, driven by premature deaths, respiratory illnesses like asthma and cardiovascular disease. Georgia is now pursuing data center expansion on a far larger scale, raising serious concerns about the cumulative public health impact.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JFQI6VFB7VG2TLCXPMPNQ4POD4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/04/georgia-wildfires-are-the-latest-test-for-gov-brian-kemp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/04/georgia-wildfires-are-the-latest-test-for-gov-brian-kemp/\">Gov. Brian Kemp</a> may have declared a state of emergency to ensure our safety from wildfires, but the long-term strain posed by this resource-intensive industry raises equally urgent questions. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6ZZC7VOHGJBE5ESALDDKT3L75A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Georgia should also consider declaring a state of emergency on new data center permitting until the full environmental and public health impacts are better understood. Given the scale of potential consequences, the case for such an order is strong.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FN4KEFEJH5GCZCA5L3AHCZBRFI","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Georgia’s data center boom requires a strategy, not just hoping for the best","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/05/georgias-data-center-boom-requires-a-strategy-not-just-hoping-for-the-best/"},{"_id":"ZNSINSYJZZBDTDO2RTYY3ZYL6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Despite widespread public concern, the state’s response has been marked by inaction and deference to corporate interests. more by deference to industry than by caution. Thousands of residents have called for basic safeguards like <a href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/26/georgia-datacenters-ai-ban\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/26/georgia-datacenters-ai-ban\">statewide bans</a>, consumer protections, and other common-sense guardrails that would give communities a say in how and where these projects are built. Those calls have gone largely unanswered.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2CPBMHBJGRE4BJSUSNG7DSX5KQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Lawmakers are favoring the industry over citizens","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG?auth=9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"69aa021a062c0306ce04cb9f","keywords":["ajc","freelance"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"030626 crossover day live updates 10.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG?auth=9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG?auth=9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-03-06T17:24:47Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG?auth=9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13&width=300","version":1},"address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"Ga"},"auth":{"1":"9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13"},"caption":"Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, talks with journalists after the Senate passed a data center bill during Crossover Day at the Georgia Legislature in Atlanta on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Ben Gray for the AJC)","copyright":"Ben Gray 2026","created_date":"2026-03-06T17:50:19Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"(Ben Gray for the AJC)","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Ben Gray","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2667,"last_updated_date":"2026-03-06T17:50:20Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/030626 crossover day live updates 10.JPG","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["69aa021a062c0306ce04cb9f"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LGCZTTQKMJFE7JQWCD3BJJ5LFA.JPG?auth=9fcb4419bc0358dd5d84afc6a2bee89fd9420a4023e46d49f31cca4286ce4a13","version":"0.10.9","width":4000},{"_id":"LWO4LFMIEFEVZBG5O2XEVZZZ6U","additional_properties":{},"content":"During the Georgia General Assembly’s 2026 regular legislative session, lawmakers introduced 20 bills addressing data center development, but <a href=\"https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.wabe.org/advocates-frustrated-after-20-data-center-bills-fail-to-pass-georgia-legislature/\">not a single one</a> made it to the governor’s desk. Instead, state leaders <a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72285\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72285\">continued providing incentives</a> for developers, handing out an estimated <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/02/georgias-sales-tax-breaks-for-data-centers-tally-more-than-25-billion/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">$2.5 billion in tax breaks</a> for data center projects in 2026 alone. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SGMACGQ635BXHMFOBQ32WUZ6NI","additional_properties":{},"content":"(Editor’s note: In 2026, the state Senate passed a repeal of the incentives through <a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72285\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72285\">Senate Bill 410</a>, but the House did not approve it).","type":"text"},{"_id":"GX5RFIHTQRD7HBHJ44IA5XOK5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"These subsidies come with no guarantee of meaningful economic return. After the South was labeled by the Southern Environmental Law Center as “<a href=\"https://www.selc.org/topic/data-centers-across-the-south/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.selc.org/topic/data-centers-across-the-south/\">ground zero</a>” for data center expansion, Georgia finds itself in a familiar position: with little oversight and even less accountability.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KZV6LQL4OFEMZLSVDPPMMPUEUQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"This is not responsible governance. Development should never come at the expense of public health, environmental stability, and community trust. Leadership requires the ability to set limits when communities are at risk. Right now, that responsibility is being ignored.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6WXCJ2DYNNFVLPDMTWCP2BFVVY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ignoring constituents carries consequences. In <a href=\"https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-04-09/after-these-independence-councilmembers-supported-an-ai-data-center-voters-ousted-them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-04-09/after-these-independence-councilmembers-supported-an-ai-data-center-voters-ousted-them\">Independence, Missouri</a>, voters removed every city council incumbent who supported a $6 billion data center project despite major opposition. The outcome was clear: when leaders fail to listen, voters hold them accountable.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OUESCLUKUVB47DZNXTDJSOA4EE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Georgia benefits from data centers, the backbone of a modern economy","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/04/georgia-benefits-from-data-centers-the-backbone-of-a-modern-economy/"},{"_id":"JPGLISDV2BBR3FSODRRNOE2IKI","additional_properties":{},"content":"What’s happening in Georgia is not inevitable. It reflects deliberate choices about whose voices are heard. At present, those choices favor industry over citizens. That can change, but only if elected leaders are willing to act.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X3O6SFLPSZAJNFVTTAWO63I4BI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Georgia needs a more measured path forward. That begins with leadership that listens to constituents and prioritizes their well-being first. It includes a pause on data center and electricity grid expansion until we can better understand their full range of unintended consequences — insights that can be gained through environmental impact studies, rigorous analyses of water consumption and access to clean, reliable drinking water and comprehensive human health assessments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CKHD2UM5CVCZ5NYCWHLXAEVACI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Above all, it requires renewed attention to Georgia’s most precious resources: its children. They will bear the consequences of today’s decisions in the form of air quality, noise and overall health. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SCCUDA7V4FGMBDTFWMU5V4UCHY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Do they need more industrial strain from artificial intelligence (AI), more pollution and more risk added to an already fragile system? State leaders must decide whether they are willing to protect their future — or trade it away.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HHLAHMTYYJFNPKX2OEVU6WBUCQ","type":"divider"},{"_id":"4ID3QWJOKZAJTAS4CNV32UFM4A","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Cyndie Roberson, MSN, a retired registered nurse and community advocate, is a member of the Georgia Data Center Community Coalition and a board member of the </i><a href=\"https://www.nationalcoalitionagainstcryptomining.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.nationalcoalitionagainstcryptomining.com/\"><i>National Coalition Against Cryptomining</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"GXHW3YRGB5FT3IDFF4RXXW2UGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Cyndie Roberson","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"We need a more measured path forward. 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href=\"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-fighter-josh-hokit-defends-135424778.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-fighter-josh-hokit-defends-135424778.html\">UFC fighter Josh Hokit</a> used a post-fight interview on White House grounds to repeat a remark that has followed former first lady Michelle Obama for years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DUU3GPLIFZELFKGBN7RKYEU52E","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Michelle Obama is a man, am I right, America?” Hokit said <a href=\"https://youtu.be/WAzj231xfTI?si=2nGfrBw3iALb_K2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://youtu.be/WAzj231xfTI?si=2nGfrBw3iALb_K2c\">during an interview</a> with right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan at UFC Freedom 250, the first professional sporting event held at the White House.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3UP7QBO5DZC5JJ3YE3YTMM56HQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"For some, the comment may seem easy to dismiss as crude, ignorant or attention-seeking. Others treated it as a joke. But the remark deserves a deeper examination — not because it was new, but because it was familiar.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H423TJYTUZAKPFE4P4UYAUEMAM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Obama has spent years being subjected to <a href=\"https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/michelle-obama-speaks-out-racist-remarks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">racist and sexist attacks</a> questioning her appearance, femininity and womanhood. Long before social media amplified these attacks, Black women have been forced to navigate a society that often denies them the grace, softness and humanity routinely afforded to white women.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PB4FXPKS7FCALJEORQ2OKERNKI","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: As a Black American, here’s why I cannot celebrate Juneteenth","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/as-a-black-american-heres-why-i-cannot-celebrate-juneteenth/"},{"_id":"DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M","additional_properties":{"countryId":227,"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg?auth=830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"DCJE436","iptc_source":"AP","iptc_title":"STF","keywords":["america 250","mixed martial arts","ultimate fighting championship","Sports","Mixed martial arts","250th Anniversary of American Independence"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"download?role=main&qt=jGiFvrxaMeS&cid=cd46385a614f4d1f97bc92beb01c9d12&ai=724c875d7a7cbfed087e179e8f689ec0","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg?auth=830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg?auth=830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-06-15T02:41:29Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg?auth=830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4&width=300","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"locality":"Washington","region":"DC","country_name":"USA"},"auth":{"1":"830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4"},"caption":"Josh Hokit lands a punch as he fights Derrick Lewis during their heavyweight bout at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved","created_date":"2026-06-15T03:21:11Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP Photo/Alex Brandon","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Alex Brandon","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90"},"height":4297,"last_updated_date":"2026-06-15T03:21:11Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"APTOPIX UFC Freedom 250 Trump","source":{"name":"Associated Press","source_id":"77e26e64bdd9433a8d94689c1ffa1006","source_type":"wires","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M","system":"Associated Press"},"subtitle":"APTOPIX UFC Freedom 250 Trump","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DQ7HSFL6NFDOPLMHJVZ54AUW4M.jpg?auth=830c60ab61f779f56f5dd7e9a5c794aa64c9c0df1f3e751708b11560c8028ac4","version":"0.10.9","width":6445},{"_id":"LQJ67HSHT5BWDGMHPBVN35GGHE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Joke assumes that being trans is humiliating","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg?auth=64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Tymia Ballard.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg?auth=64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg?auth=64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg?auth=64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606"},"caption":"Tymia “Ty” Ballard is a junior associate of community and media at GLAAD, and a digital organizer at the Yellowhammer Fund. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-06-26T13:25:51Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":1523,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-06-26T13:25:51Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Tymia Ballard headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DHR242GLARH7LCE73STYWEODIQ.jpg?auth=64255fed02caf5d5da0cba65398c612bce99b6c35f39a8808cea0bba7858a606","version":"0.10.9","width":1290,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"36LS5B3WKNGHFGVMCSN6MJWXWM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"What happened at the White House was not simply an attack on Obama. It was a reminder of how racism, misogyny and anti-trans rhetoric often work together — and how the harm of that rhetoric extends far beyond transgender people.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SGTFXXVVNZFR5L44TSD5FAXADA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The attack only works if people believe being perceived as transgender is something shameful — reducing the lives of transgender people to a harmful punchline.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6APQUGXKKZER7AK3UUGFJCNUR4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The joke relies on the assumption that being mistaken for a trans woman is inherently humiliating. That assumption is not incidental to the attack. It is the attack.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FYHLSKXP2RB3HPWMGUCH6FJ3AA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"This kind of thinking is part of a growing phenomenon often referred to as <a href=\"https://glaad.org/transvestigation-definition-meaning-anti-lgbt-online-hate/?no_redirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://glaad.org/transvestigation-definition-meaning-anti-lgbt-online-hate/?no_redirect=true\">“transvestigation,”</a> or the conspiracy theory that public figures, particularly women, are secretly transgender. These accusations are rooted in the same logic that fuels anti-trans panic: the belief that strangers have the authority to inspect, evaluate and determine who is “really” a woman.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2LWPHGPFHVCZLJUCWSOG2R4P2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"https://nbjc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://nbjc.org/\">National Black Justice Collective</a> has noted that women of color are disproportionately accused of being transgender or intersex because of racist assumptions about their bodies and rigid demands for gender conformity. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IRWTLMVV5BAY7OSGFFLD4EEHMI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Across the country, women have reported being harassed in public restrooms because someone decided they looked too masculine. <a href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/track-field/caster-semenya-sex-eligibility-battle-confounded-sports-16-years-still-rcna218122\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/track-field/caster-semenya-sex-eligibility-battle-confounded-sports-16-years-still-rcna218122\">Female athletes</a> have had their bodies scrutinized and their identities questioned. Women whose appearance falls outside narrow, Eurocentric beauty standards are routinely subjected to invasive speculation about their bodies and identities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PFXFE766AZBQVFNNTBBLNDYOHY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false,"storyId":""},"content":"Georgia Democrats’ political rally to resist redistricting turned into a revival","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/ga-democrats-political-rally-to-resist-redistricting-turned-into-a-revival/"},{"_id":"7NN4FMIN3JEYHML62NTMRQDO4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Serena Williams, Brittney Griner faced same scrutiny","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg?auth=d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"68a63a04c8ed1b390e919224","iptc_source":"AJC","iptc_title":"staff","keywords":["atlanta dream","new york liberty","wnba"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"082425 DREAM HS24.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg?auth=d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg?auth=d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2025-08-23T20:09:05Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg?auth=d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149&width=300","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"GA"},"auth":{"1":"d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149"},"caption":"Brittney Griner (right), shown here playing for the Atlanta Dream as they battled the New York Liberty, has faced public attacks questioning her femininity and womanhood, guest columnist Tymia Ballard writes. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2025)","copyright":"2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution","created_date":"2025-08-23T20:27:13Z","credits":{"by":[{"name":"HYOSUB SHIN / AJC","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2171,"last_updated_date":"2025-08-23T20:27:14Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"aajc 082425 dream photos","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/082425 DREAM HS24.jpg","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["68a63a04c8ed1b390e919224"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BLQVMLXX6FASFKI4SSJ2ZEYTQ4.jpg?auth=d47310831c6aefc435c28d85bbc014b4b0159f3541105921ef48a2973b0b8149","version":"0.10.9","width":2954},{"_id":"LPNRBFPPPVE2XLVT3SFNPCCGFA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Misogynoir, the intersection of anti-Black racism and sexism, has long denied Black women full recognition of their femininity.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHH6J4MJNZFIBF6WSF5GAQBHME","additional_properties":{},"content":"Black women have been stereotyped as aggressive, masculine, hypersexual, physically imposing and fundamentally different from the ideal of womanhood that American culture has historically reserved for white women. Black women, such as <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/herstory/2026/05/how-serena-williams-went-from-winning-grand-slams-to-writing-big-checks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/herstory/2026/05/how-serena-williams-went-from-winning-grand-slams-to-writing-big-checks/\">Serena Williams</a> and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/sports/dream-come-true-brittney-griner-rediscovers-joy-purpose-in-atlanta/HVMPU5IJ5JGJ3AAFUJHVSDBSHA/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/sports/dream-come-true-brittney-griner-rediscovers-joy-purpose-in-atlanta/HVMPU5IJ5JGJ3AAFUJHVSDBSHA/\">Brittney Griner</a>, have faced public attacks questioning their femininity and womanhood.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VUNUNPVWEVD25KDNUIIXG2CSQ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The message becomes clear. That if a woman does not fit a narrow standard of femininity, her womanhood becomes open for debate.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D67HPEC525DYJPXXHQDPSLTSME","additional_properties":{},"content":"And that same logic sits at the heart of anti-trans rhetoric.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UNQUCER3ZVBYNML4IFZYTU7GXA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Transgender women often bear the brunt of this system — facing <a href=\"https://reports.hrc.org/an-epidemic-of-violence-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://reports.hrc.org/an-epidemic-of-violence-2024\">disproportionate levels</a> of harassment, discrimination and violence. But once society normalizes the idea that womanhood can be questioned based on appearance, there is no logical stopping point. The scrutiny inevitably expands to anyone who fails to conform to society’s expectations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE","additional_properties":{"countryId":227,"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg?auth=4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"ILCHS502","iptc_source":"Pool Chicago Sun-Times","iptc_title":"POOL","keywords":["barack obama","chicago","michelle obama","obama","opc","president","the obama foundation","Politics"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"download?role=main&qt=ho_d53FOgceS&cid=2b655ecae2c044d99b1aa38091f376f6&ai=7f655b125d3cc28dcee91e1645842782","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg?auth=4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg?auth=4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-06-19T16:27:02Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg?auth=4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3&width=300","usage_instructions":"POOL PHOTO; MANDATORY CREDIT","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"locality":"Chicago","region":"IL","country_name":"USA"},"auth":{"1":"4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3"},"caption":"Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama read “Where the Wild Things Are” to children inside the Obama Presidential Center’s Chicago Public Library branch on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Ashlee Rezin/AP Pool)","copyright":"Chicago Sun-Times","created_date":"2026-06-19T19:21:11Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Ashlee Rezin /Pool Chicago Sun-T","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Ashlee Rezin","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90"},"height":4139,"last_updated_date":"2026-06-19T19:21:12Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"Obama Presidential Center","source":{"name":"Associated Press","source_id":"da37c5095e2c4a8992442a9a78cfd44d","source_type":"wires","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE","system":"Associated Press"},"subtitle":"Obama Presidential Center","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/NH5B7RYZJBEYPIJR5EEYNBLWAE.jpg?auth=4bfbff06062fe333be389f1d439cb6fe79052b045de18029464117b09b8038e3","version":"0.10.9","width":6205},{"_id":"TNNWWF7RYRGFPDZ6XJTKF2KJIM","additional_properties":{},"content":"This is why anti-trans rhetoric is not solely a transgender issue. It is a cultural, racial justice and women’s issue. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXBKATP5QFC75AEUBZ7E7IOQUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"When a public figure can stand on White House grounds and casually repeat racist and transphobic rhetoric about a former first lady, it signals how normalized this is in our culture. It tells us that questioning a woman’s identity has become acceptable entertainment. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"JWMSLWADBVCH5BWEW3I5YGSBPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"There is nothing harmless about rhetoric that encourages strangers to investigate and challenge another person’s identity. And there is certainly nothing protective about a movement that claims to defend women while simultaneously creating an environment where women are constantly forced to prove themselves.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6ORWVQOIZRF7ZOPIHMMZFOQ7FU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The lesson from this moment is not that Michelle Obama deserves better because she is Michelle Obama. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LXABQGINTVESZHC4OTIZQAZ4TY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"A bond forged in history: John Lewis, Barack Obama and the promise of America","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/a-bond-forged-in-history-john-lewis-barack-obama-and-the-promise-of-america/"},{"_id":"BU775EX5TJF4XJNN46U3R5YTTE","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is that all women deserve better.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6C6Y3WXYSJAQBHAN63VYM3CVK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"We should not have to meet a particular standard of beauty, softness, race, size or presentation to be treated with dignity. We should not have to perform femininity for strangers. And we should not have to fear that our identities will be questioned simply because someone believes we do not look the way a woman is supposed to look.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PZMZY6BKRFA6PGENMOO5GZGKQE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The answer is not deciding who counts as a woman.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VYLJ2XO4AZDATEKQ3YYVDBIKUY","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is recognizing the humanity of all women and rejecting the systems that encourage us to treat their identities as public property.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SSAZ6GKESJE25G6IXDCAEWAFLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Because the moment we grant people permission to decide who is “really” a woman, we create a world where every woman is subject to judgment — and none of us are truly safe from it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UZ5BNRZNE5DZXJKLSCB3HJQERQ","type":"divider"},{"_id":"EUJ3DVXZMBDSRDAQEKG6KJJOMM","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Tymia “Ty” Ballard is a storyteller, organizer, creative</i><i> and catalyst for cultural change. She is a junior associate of community and media at </i><a href=\"https://give.glaad.org/page/99546/donate/1?redirect_source=https%3A%2F%2Fglaad.org%2F%3Fgad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D20254219834%26gbraid%3D0AAAAAD7GZsePptj-Awr6pZEDZiMvslNFW%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwxvjRBhC2ARIsAI7KJa08FrCH7qf-fQuOUUH7IeyYASrskhJboFAaNLyc-oY-HKpG8QBkjykaAsqDEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://give.glaad.org/page/99546/donate/1?redirect_source=https%3A%2F%2Fglaad.org%2F%3Fgad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D20254219834%26gbraid%3D0AAAAAD7GZsePptj-Awr6pZEDZiMvslNFW%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwxvjRBhC2ARIsAI7KJa08FrCH7qf-fQuOUUH7IeyYASrskhJboFAaNLyc-oY-HKpG8QBkjykaAsqDEALw_wcB\"><i>GLAAD</i></a><i>, and a digital organizer at the </i><a href=\"https://abortionfunds.org/fund/yellowhammer-fund/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://abortionfunds.org/fund/yellowhammer-fund/\"><i>Yellowhammer Fund</i></a><i>. Her work amplifies LGBTQ</i><i>+</i><i> communities, reproductive justice, HIV advocacy</i><i> and other issues impacting marginalized communities. Follow her on Instagram @</i><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/tymia.db/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.instagram.com/tymia.db/\"><i>tymia.db</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Tymia Ballard","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"Black women’s femininity and beauty have long been attacked. Josh Hokit’s attack was just the latest."},"display_date":"2026-06-29T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"UFC fighter’s slur against Michelle Obama shows transphobia has no bounds","meta_title":"Opinion: UFC fighter’s remark on Michelle Obama fuels anti-trans rhetoric","mobile":"","native":"","print":"Slur against Michelle Obama shows transphobia has no bounds","table":"","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"guest column"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"guest column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"Black women’s femininity and beauty have long been attacked. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"X3DOQ2XQOBF57D4UM22AESPKF4","additional_properties":{},"content":"When we ignore vehicle maintenance, it’s to the detriment of fellow commuters. Fortunately, my recent procrastination with a tire pressure sensor did not block traffic — but it did set my wife, Momo, back. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QQF7YG4C5RGBHLL5GX3WOXCRAQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Tire pressure sensors are vital to a vehicle’s health, especially when driving on pothole and junk-laden Atlanta streets. Ironically, my reaction to a previous illuminated tire light may have lulled me into complacency when that light returned months later. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZMEGSCOY6RAKZBESBLE4HBVRVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The saga began when I parked to run a brief errand, and then, as I fired up our 2017 Ford Edge to leave, saw the yellow tire light and heard an alert. It said “Edna” was losing left-rear pressure rapidly. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"5I5OTGUKVVCK7MWN5SXGPZXYAE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Gridlock Guy: Atlanta gets a win for World Cup traffic not being worse","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/atlanta-gets-a-win-for-world-cup-traffic-not-being-worse/"},{"_id":"2TWX76T3MFCP3JO62DYI5V2CK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sure enough, when I bounced out of the car — at the end of a long work week, no less — I heard the hissing air and saw a screw drilled plum into the tire tread. I had just placed a lunch takeout order a few blocks away from our Chamblee home. Darn it! ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBJUXLT2GJBUFCPCQAFZO2V62I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Thankfully, a mechanic shop was a short drive away. The tire held air on the ride, and a patch did the job. Edna and I were on our way some 40 minutes and $40-$50 later to pick up lukewarm Thai food. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IMG75SUJLND7DFJJPSAETOC2GM","additional_properties":{},"content":"A couple of months later, that same left-rear tire light came on while I was en route to host my Thursday trivia<b> </b>night at Iron Horse Tavern in Norcross. I decided to press on at freeway speed, as I did not feel any weird vibrations. Sure enough, all tires were up and there were no obvious punctures or hissing sounds. Great as this was, it may have programmed a glitch in me. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7XFN4PN5UJBZBNE7WBOBGJXDMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The light stayed on, and I went to get it checked a few days later. The dealership service tech could not get the same alert to come on for him. Strange. He told me to come back when it did. I should have just asked him to fix it then. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UNO7NLFVBRCG3IFQEQEP6MATOQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Since nothing was actually wrong with the tire then (emphasis on “then”), I did not return to the shop when the alert came back. I silenced the alarm immediately every time I drove, telling myself I would get it fixed. I did this for months. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZKVIKJ2BVFRTHBMJ6FLNIQHKE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Gridlock Guy: Following detour signs, not GPS, and other lessons from I-285 closures","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/following-detour-signs-not-gps-and-other-lessons-from-i-285-closures/"},{"_id":"5ZVMPQWIZFCABI4S2D4EHMT2IA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Then my Momo, the studious and tech-driven German, needed to use Edna. Like a good German, she is strict about car maintenance and she was, shall we say, disappointed to see Edna’s tire light on. Oh, I got a call, and I was a smart aleck about it: “Yes, yes, love. I will get it fixed right this very second.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YKJ7EUANHFGULPG5CO5PKAI3ZA","additional_properties":{},"content":"I swiped my phone screen when the second call from Momo came. The right-rear tire had gone flat at the end of her 1-mile drive to the gym. Momo babied Edna to that same nearby tire place and learned the tire had been slowly leaking for far longer than she had been driving it. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCVLK5O64ZDCNGOPRL3M5SOFMQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"If only Edna’s everyday driver had paid attention to her mild yelps for help. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7S73SU5E55HUVDJ4FUU6IC5M5E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Since Edna was soon up for an oil change and all tires were worn, Momo got it all done right then, not allowing me to intervene. I just stayed home with my cold plate of crow. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"S6QJ5S5KP5GAJOHZA4N225TSDY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Two days later, Edna’s oil pan cover came loose on I-85 southbound during my early morning drive to work. Instead of driving a couple more miles to 11Alive, I got Edna to a parking lot and called <a href=\"https://www.11alive.com/traffic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">11Alive Traffic Impact Tracker</a> photog Stephen Boissy for a ride. I did not want to cause Edna more damage or potentially impact someone else. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"YF6XMN2P2JGFZFDLF3XFVMFCLQ","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Gridlock Guy: A drag racer’s sons died in a crash. Now he runs teen driver safety classes.","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/a-drag-racers-sons-died-in-a-crash-now-he-runs-teen-driver-safety-classes/"},{"_id":"IQXPD5SOFNG77KNW34RWSEXNZQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"I was going anyway to take Edna for new tire sensors after work that day, and a AAA wrecker got her to the dealership instead. She is safe and sound now. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HLT3OLA5QJFLNJNH2IOJRS5YMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Just one day after getting her back, I passed a guy driving on Shallowford Road in DeKalb County with the whole front end of his car bashed in, presumably from a very recent wreck. The bumper was rubbing the tire and a headlight looked to be dragging. But he rode merrily along, smoking a cigarette and seemingly in no rush to get it fixed. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ECM4643OPZC63EC3XF2ZEX6CWA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Unrepaired autos can cause more cars to need repairs. Junk can fall in the road and broken vehicles are harder and less safe to operate. All of that increases the likelihood for collateral damage. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"57N5XM4OEBDYXD3QZ2TD72RSS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"We were fortunate that the impact from Edna’s issues stayed in our household, where I will taste that nasty crow for quite some time. Lesson learned, again.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EFHFLU5STVENJASTQECMLYUV7I","type":"divider"},{"_id":"FDC5FCF4BJGCHFGCNWK4IPIHMY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Doug Turnbull covers the traffic/transportation beat for WXIA-TV (11Alive). His reports appear on the 11Alive Morning News from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and on </i><a href=\"http://11alive.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>11Alive.com</i></a><i>. Email Doug at </i><a href=\"mailto:dturnbull@11alive.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>dturnbull@11alive.com</i></a><i>. Subscribe to the weekly “Gridlock Guy” newsletter for the column </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/newsletters/Doug-Turnbull-columnist/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i> ","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"_id":"doug-turnbull","type":"author","version":"0.5.8","name":"Doug Turnbull","image":{"url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/bf68c1be-b9d3-4403-9631-a05a2df7f391.png","version":"0.5.8"},"description":"Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years.","url":"/staff/doug-turnbull/","slug":"","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":""},{"site":"twitter","url":"dougturnbull"}],"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","url":"","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links."},{"site":"twitter","url":"dougturnbull","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links."}],"additional_properties":{"original":{"_id":"doug-turnbull","firstName":"Doug","lastName":"Turnbull","byline":"Doug Turnbull","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/bf68c1be-b9d3-4403-9631-a05a2df7f391.png","email":"","affiliations":"","education":[],"awards":[],"books":[],"podcasts":[],"bio_page":"/staff/doug-turnbull/","bio":"Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years.","longBio":"Doug Turnbull covers the traffic/transportation beat for WXIA-TV (11Alive). 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July 4 of that year marked the <a href=\"https://archivesfoundation.org/newsletter/americas-milestone-birthdays/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MIFQFS2BKVBQRE6YDOP2WCDKTU","additional_properties":{},"content":"As what was known as the “Jubilee” of American independence approached, Americans realized that the founding generation was dying off. They wanted to take advantage of the Founders’ insights while they still could.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDWV7DKYSBCFTABM6NMITWUAHU","additional_properties":{},"content":"This meant soliciting memories and advice from the signers of the declaration, only three of whom were still alive. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the men most closely associated with the independence movement, yet they both lay dying and <a href=\"https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/07/deaths-of-john-adams-and-thomas-jefferson-on-july-4th/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">both declined invitations</a> to <a href=\"https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/214.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">attend the festivities planned for July Fourth</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LBBIIDA4UZAG5MZVH46RZFURAM","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: America at 250: My immigrant clients believe in U.S. system. We should too.","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/america-at-250-my-immigrant-clients-believe-in-us-system-we-should-too/"},{"_id":"KNVJT5XZS5E2JGOTG3QTBWTNIE","additional_properties":{},"content":"But they were able to answer letters from younger men interested in their perspective on the revolution and subsequent history they had helped shape.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6AO5UUYL5VF63CQ3XVDWG3TORM","additional_properties":{},"content":"(Adams served as president from 1797 to 1801. Jefferson, who was Adams’ vice president, defeated his running mate and served as president from 1801 to 1809).","type":"text"},{"_id":"4BOAYO3T5JAYDCAITPYZTB6MBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"As an <a href=\"https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/remembering-john-adams/?srsltid=AfmBOorcSik7nsJBlwVeMwKzBjWzmRfIM4RPPJUm2JpRrzaQoKf7tSei\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Adams scholar and someone interested in how he is remembered</a>, I have studied with interest his response to the questions posed to him. He also wrote a good deal about the Revolution to his friend and onetime rival, Jefferson.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RSUEFJKNZ5GALPIXSTJBCJHCUQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"These two men — who had worked well together during the American Revolution — <a href=\"https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/adams-interview-historians/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">could not have been more different</a>. Both had thought long and hard about what the American Revolution meant to them. They did not always agree.","type":"text"},{"_id":"H7JLIDAZOFDLVAVNY5H56T3VIQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"If Americans today are looking for a unified vision of their country in their own 250th celebrations, they will not find it with Adams or Jefferson.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CUGONFWO5FCE5DEMLAV7SWZU3I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Rival friends renewed their correspondence","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg?auth=81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Marianne Holdzkom.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg?auth=81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg?auth=81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg?auth=81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd"},"caption":"Marianne Holdzkom is a history professor at Kennesaw State University. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-06-22T14:41:37Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Kennesaw State University","name":"Kennesaw State University","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":222,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-06-22T14:41:37Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Marianne Holdzkom headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SY2AM5GK4ZBJBCSEGZQHYX34T4.jpg?auth=81433efd4129b443827746ca42add4c0c5b4ac821d917fb88ec586356821d8cd","version":"0.10.9","width":465,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"EXB7DT5AFBGCPI5473BONCRXOA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"After the Revolutionary War, Adams and Jefferson became political rivals. They disagreed about how powerful the federal government should be and on foreign policy at a time when England and France, once again at war, <a href=\"https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/french-rev\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">were presenting challenges to the new country.</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BW7RVCLGWFBSTFEJ2ZTUTO2WPU","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Jefferson founded the Democratic-Republican Party to counter the influence of Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party. While Adams never formally aligned with the Federalists, he agreed with many of their policies, especially on foreign policy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3SXDUWY47JHZRLP4BMAHYS5N2Y","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"As a result, the friendship between Adams and Jefferson unraveled. For years, they did not speak or correspond until a <a href=\"https://wallbuilders.com/resource/benjamin-rush-dream-about-john-adams-and-thomas-jefferson/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, encouraged their reconciliation</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GORLKM7I7FGATG6I7UQ3BKPHKI","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"On New Year’s Day 1812, Adams was the first to reach out. He used the excuse of <a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-5735\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">sending to Jefferson a pamphlet written by his son</a>, John Quincy, saying that it was from “One who was honoured in his youth with Some of your Attention and much of your kindness.” Adams continued, in casual language, to tell Jefferson about the family and wished him a happy new year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F2ISB2AKKRGVZAR3AT6GWKEOUM","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: America at 250: Georgians put aside political differences for one night","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/america-at-250-georgians-put-aside-political-differences-for-one-night/"},{"_id":"7FZEPLOGABH65N3FKLQCPMSJ4E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jefferson responded warmly, telling Adams, “<a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-5743\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">A letter from you calls up recollections very dear to my mind</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OTX3ENHJDJEG5BZ2CLSFQBPVSQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"From that time on, the two wrote to each other on a regular basis, discussing every topic imaginable, from agriculture to religion. Yet it was clear that their past rift was on Adams’ mind when he wrote, “You and I, ought not to die, before We have <a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-06-02-0247\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">explained ourselves to each other</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YQSU7OVD6JHLDCZLAAWWZSVQIM","additional_properties":{},"content":"In the process, they revisited the days when they worked together to form a new nation. As they reflected on the meaning of the United States’ birth, they agreed that writing a history of the American Revolution was next to impossible.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA","additional_properties":{"countryId":227,"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg?auth=151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"NYBZ831","iptc_source":"Alonzo Chappel","iptc_title":"HOGP","mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"AP18256555620860.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg?auth=151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg?auth=151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a","restricted":false,"takenOn":"1776-07-01T00:00:00Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg?auth=151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a&width=300","usage_instructions":"AP PROVIDES ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTED HANDOUT PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ALONZO CHAPPEL; MANDATORY CREDIT.","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"country_name":"USA"},"auth":{"1":"151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a"},"caption":"This image provided by the National Archives shows the 19th century engraving \"Drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, 1859\" by Alonzo Chappel, which depicts the committee chosen to draft a declaration of independence. The five members are, from left: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. (Alonzo Chappel/National Archives via AP)","copyright":"AP1776","created_date":"2026-06-22T15:54:47Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2973,"last_updated_date":"2026-06-22T15:54:47Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"Businessmen Political Dreams","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/AP18256555620860.jpg","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Franklin Jefferson Adams","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/E23VJ6SAMBANPIFUOBD4URWEVA.jpg?auth=151641351b7c17c7fae0030e1ca8cead1630d3183d4bdc2e7deb12ad0815466a","version":"0.10.9","width":2312},{"_id":"XVYBPEGJLZDA5GN56QJFTRXGWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Adams wrote to Jefferson: “Who shall write the history of the American revolution? Who can write it? <a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-08-02-0507\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Who will ever be able to write it?</a>”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZ63PH34R5E6NMYKNKDM22QLYU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The problem, as Adams saw it, was that so much was done in secret. Nobody recorded the debates and speeches of the Continental Congress, the governing body during the revolution. Therefore, how could a true history ever exist?","type":"text"},{"_id":"KT7Q7KURORGDTDRWN3A4KJQ4CM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jefferson agreed. After restating Adams’ question about who could write a true history, Jefferson’s response was “<a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-08-02-0533\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">nobody; except merely it’s (sic) external facts</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GENJKFPAWRD25IASA7TVR24QQY","additional_properties":{},"content":"On this, they could agree. On some of the specifics, they did not.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YP2TRMGMHZF5XIKSW5ITLMWMPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"What these Founding Fathers’ disagreements mean for the U.S.","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"5PFURN5XSZAF3JEYOZJK2PQBX4","content":"<CustomInfoBox id=\"OH73ADCFIZBPJAQKUBR47TJI6E\" />","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"Y624SVYJQJF7DDDRJFLCH5WMXI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In old age, Adams remembered vividly how he <a href=\"https://cooperative-individualism.org/mcglone-robert_deciphering-memory-john-adams-1998-sep.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">convinced Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence</a>. One historian has argued that Adams’ memory seems a bit too clear and suggested that Adams was working to elevate himself in the process of telling the story by claiming that he alone persuaded a reluctant Jefferson to take on the task.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MDBUKGZEJBAJXOF22ELTKJATPY","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, <a href=\"https://constitutioncenter.org/signers/john-adams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">scholars still accept Adams’ version</a> of this event. <a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-20-02-0123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Jefferson remembered the incident differently</a>, stating that he was urged by the entire committee charged with producing the declaration, not just Adams, to take on the task and that he was happy to comply.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VZV556P2DBBMHGPDDWPQHD7NGE","additional_properties":{},"content":"More important than the details was the ultimate interpretation by these two men of what they had accomplished 50 years before.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZI3YFAAD5FCMBFULHGYPLV7CDU","additional_properties":{},"content":"What their letters written after the Jubilee committee’s invitation reveal is a fundamental difference in their attitudes about the human spirit. Adams wrote that he appreciated the invitation and was sorry to decline. He called the birth of the U.S. “<a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-8023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">a Memorable epoch in the annals of the human race</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EFFZ6PXGPBAH7P3L5RFDDZYS3Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"Yet he also demonstrated his realistic view of human beings when he wrote that the independence movement would “form the brightest or the blackest page, according to the use or abuse of those political institutions by which they shall be shaped by the human mind.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534","additional_properties":{"countryId":227,"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg?auth=2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"DCRL125","iptc_source":"FR172078 AP","iptc_title":"FRE","keywords":["america 250","mixed martial arts","ultimate fighting championship","Politics","250th Anniversary of American Independence"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"download?role=main&qt=PzWZNalPrFeS&cid=a72f2ac004c44d63b9ef18190a44c065&pt=NDE2NjV8MTIzMjgzfDF8MHwt","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg?auth=2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg?auth=2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-06-15T05:19:42Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg?auth=2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe&width=300","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"street_address":"The White House","locality":"Washington","region":"DC","country_name":"USA"},"auth":{"1":"2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe"},"caption":"Fireworks explode above the White House during the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn in Washington on Monday, June 15, 2026. (Rod Lamkey Jr./AP)","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","created_date":"2026-06-15T05:43:02Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP Photo/Rod Lamkey","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Rod Lamkey","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"height":3983,"last_updated_date":"2026-06-15T05:43:03Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"APTOPIX UFC Freedom 250 Trump","source":{"name":"Associated Press Photo Stream","source_id":"14b86f2139ca427da2e9831d7788b3da","source_type":"wires","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534","system":"Associated Press Photo Stream"},"subtitle":"APTOPIX UFC Freedom 250 Trump","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3OR3BFMVA5HFFBCOACP3BEP534.jpg?auth=2e4c4946978d6be3269da5519b973bd88471f773b6ed021e5f2b0d37b4568ffe","version":"0.10.9","width":5974},{"_id":"FRJMWB6KPRA6NGZ6GC7DNY5XKM","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: America at 250: Taking the scenic route through family memories","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/wellness/2026/06/america-at-250-taking-the-scenic-route-through-family-memories/"},{"_id":"WYPIKLMXKRC7ZGAVAWV42V2TXE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Adams understood that people interpret history according to their own circumstances. He was a realist who could not bring himself to accept the fundamentally optimistic view that <a href=\"https://lawliberty.org/the-divide-between-jefferson-and-adams-on-human-nature-is-ours-too/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">humanity was always moving toward liberty</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BRVKC3623BBV5DRLMQRWDNGNZM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jefferson, on the other hand, was hopeful about the revolution’s impact on the world. He believed that the declaration would be “the Signal of arousing men to burst their chains.” The <a href=\"https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-6179\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">entire letter</a> to the Jubilee committee offered an optimistic view of the future in which the human race was always progressing toward freedom.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6DLYRUVLVFAMBMMNRRFWEPG2CI","additional_properties":{},"content":"When Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, their lives took on new meaning. In eulogizing them, House member Daniel Webster told the American public: “They are no more. They are dead. But how little is there of the great and good which can die! To their country <a href=\"https://landmarkevents.org/daniel-websters-eulogy-to-adams-and-jefferson/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">they yet live, and live forever</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WLZM6FO6RFAL7EK2DZ6PKC4SGU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Now, 200 years later, Americans still look to these Founding Fathers for inspiration. However, what Adams and Jefferson demonstrate is not unity. Instead, they exemplify the capacity for people to disagree and yet work for a common cause.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5CSIN4LONBBCZOSGZQZAZALVBU","type":"divider"},{"_id":"UUL4X34NDNGOFOZ6T42YZH5RYY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://theconversation.com/profiles/marianne-holdzkom-2260621\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>Marianne Holdzkom</i></a><i> is a professor of history at Kennesaw State University who specializes in s</i><i>econd President John Adams. This essay originally appeared in </i><a href=\"https://theconversation.com/john-adams-and-thomas-jefferson-disagreed-about-the-american-revolutions-meaning-even-as-they-lay-dying-278347\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://theconversation.com/john-adams-and-thomas-jefferson-disagreed-about-the-american-revolutions-meaning-even-as-they-lay-dying-278347\"><i>The Conversation</i></a><i>, a platform that amplifies the writing of academics. </i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"4RPMM3LDLFFPTJBGZPBM2XDL4I","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>The AJC is inviting readers to answer this question: “What are your hopes, concerns and reflection on the United States turning 250 this July 4?” Email letters of 250 words or fewer with your name and city/town to </i><a href=\"mailto:david.plazas@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>david.plazas@ajc.com</i></a><i>. Use the subject line “America at 250.” Also, send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"OFAY7XNQOBGX3I36BDOE74SHXY","content":"<img src=\"https://counter.theconversation.com/content/278347/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" />\n","type":"raw_html"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Marianne Holdzkom","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"The second and third U.S. presidents shaped this nation, but once in office, they had diametrically different visions for the country."},"display_date":"2026-06-26T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"America at 250: Adams, Jefferson disagreed to the end on Revolution’s meaning","meta_title":"Opinion: Adams, Jefferson disagreed to the end, yet worked for a common cause","mobile":"","native":"","print":"Adams, Jefferson disagreed to the end on Revolution’s meaning","table":"","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"guest column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"The second and third U.S. presidents shaped this nation, but once in office, they had diametrically different visions for the country."},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM.png?auth=5fdbc4833685d6acf335a8da045f5e7e22aff128ce1009b7449f261b5a9f6d96","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":["illustration"],"mime_type":"image/png","originalName":"Screenshot 2026-06-25 at 3.30.47 PM.png","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM.png","owner":"philip.robibero@ajc.com","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM.png?auth=5fdbc4833685d6acf335a8da045f5e7e22aff128ce1009b7449f261b5a9f6d96","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM.png?auth=5fdbc4833685d6acf335a8da045f5e7e22aff128ce1009b7449f261b5a9f6d96","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/EJASYOHDRZCVZOI5OFNHZ5NLWM.png?auth=5fdbc4833685d6acf335a8da045f5e7e22aff128ce1009b7449f261b5a9f6d96&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594,"focal_point":{"max":[998,460],"min":[998,460]}},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"5fdbc4833685d6acf335a8da045f5e7e22aff128ce1009b7449f261b5a9f6d96"},"caption":"Presidents John Adams (left) and Thomas Jefferson. 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Gov. Burt Jones’s</a> to lose. He did just that. As I noted a few months ago, Georgia has a history of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/02/rick-jacksons-surprise-entry-makes-gop-gubernatorial-primary-a-real-race/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/02/rick-jacksons-surprise-entry-makes-gop-gubernatorial-primary-a-real-race/\">rejecting its lieutenant governors</a> for the top job. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"B3PFIA2L4ZFQRJUJJPTT37PM2U","additional_properties":{},"content":"Normally, that happens in the general election. It is what the Democrats were counting on. Nobody saw health care billionaire <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/rick-jackson-my-vision-for-ga-protects-children-pocketbooks-public-safety/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/rick-jackson-my-vision-for-ga-protects-children-pocketbooks-public-safety/\">Rick Jackson</a> coming.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NO257JV5JVCWTCVLUGFHD3QEFI","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a Greek tragedy, Jackson’s entry into the race would be Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’s <a href=\"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peripeteia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peripeteia\">peripeteia</a>, without, at first knowing it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZMUS3Y4AFGFRL73DJ6IC3K27M","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Keisha Lance Bottoms’ momentum and anti-Trump vote make her Atlanta past moot","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/05/keisha-lance-bottoms-momentum-and-anti-trump-vote-make-her-atlanta-past-moot/"},{"_id":"FXYJQ3VWHBE4TEAOGP2SQYXGS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"His entry is the upending of her path towards power. Jackson clearly planned this out, going so far as to get Burt Jones to record a <a href=\"https://x.com/RickJacksonGA/status/2032064735261208610\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://x.com/RickJacksonGA/status/2032064735261208610\">video praising Jackson</a> before Jackson entered the race. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4NZDPASTA5AVLAFH5PR5TQ2DYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jones’s allies viewed it as a dirty trick. Every political consultant in Georgia knew that was the sign Jackson not only meant business but has put a lot of thought into winning.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GPABT65VJ5AFLO7FYRJCCC2EF4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jackson articulated his ambition better than Jones","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"XP5UNEI4ANG7FKHJWDY7KWMD5E","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The race is now upended. Democrats had expected to run against a lieutenant governor tied to Donald Trump in a state more blue now than in 2018 when Brian Kemp, then branded as Trump’s guy, narrowly beat Stacey Abrams for governor. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXMVLKOO3BGHBG6DHBYL4R5RKQ","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"One cannot blame them. Everyone expected the same thing. Jones had money to burn. Neither of his opponents had the money or organization Jones had built. Jones had cultivated allies among the conservative grassroots with stewardship of socially conservative legislation. He did everything he was supposed to do.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R6YJPQ4FDZBJTLGRDBG2ASQXM4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"But there were problems. Had Jackson ultimately lost, I would have written a piece that Jackson’s entry into the race made Jones a better candidate. Burt Jones is a great guy, but he was generally a terrible interview. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OE3UOYDIOVHQJO3Y5YBOEZAGHE","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"More than once, I had privately urged his team to get him media training. When I interviewed him and the other Republican candidates before the primary, he had improved his skills. The conversation flowed better, he was more relaxed, and he was a more engaging interview. The problem was his answers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU.jpg?auth=aa819bac3d3478fe8875123dc9c7aedd123b17408dc2731085277d6b0399c4d7","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Erick Erickson.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU.jpg?auth=aa819bac3d3478fe8875123dc9c7aedd123b17408dc2731085277d6b0399c4d7","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU.jpg?auth=aa819bac3d3478fe8875123dc9c7aedd123b17408dc2731085277d6b0399c4d7","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/RQIMRWW4AVBNXJD2XM46F7XQOU.jpg?auth=aa819bac3d3478fe8875123dc9c7aedd123b17408dc2731085277d6b0399c4d7&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"aa819bac3d3478fe8875123dc9c7aedd123b17408dc2731085277d6b0399c4d7"},"caption":"Erick Erickson is host of the nationally syndicated “Erick Erickson Show\". 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"7S3NUL2MHFEPJHG5NKEMWCG2KI","additional_properties":{},"content":"I asked all four major Republican candidates for Georgia governor a variation of that question — why are you running for governor? More specifically, for Jones, I asked: “Some say this is just a step up for you, or do you feel passionate about leading the state?” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG?auth=0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"69e79c0a062c0306ce1362c0","iptc_source":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"042726 gov debate filed at 1943.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG?auth=0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG?auth=0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-04-27T21:25:29Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG?auth=0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39&width=300","version":1},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39"},"caption":"(L-R) Republican candidates for governor Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones interact at the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young governor debate at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta on April 27, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","created_date":"2026-04-27T21:37:09Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2001,"last_updated_date":"2026-04-27T21:37:10Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"042726 gov debate","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/042726 gov debate filed at 1943.JPG","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Democrat and Republican candidates for governor debate\r\r","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["69e79c0a062c0306ce1362c0"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/AQFSBM3SKJFPVL6JEKEMH374Q4.JPG?auth=0415158d078310a34fcfceed8a8e7416747c6429d5029fd01aaa4c8d8167ff39","version":"0.10.9","width":3000},{"_id":"IGQFFCF3GNGVTM32BKDRA4DGEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"He said he felt passionate about leading the state but seemed boxed in by Governor Kemp’s legacy. He wanted to continue the course, not chart a new vision. The answer came across flatter than his opponents. Perhaps it was my question, but around the state talking to voters and even supporters, people were not sure what the vision and message were beyond being ready for the promotion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WY6EBE5KLRHZ3FHEQZOSK2GOGE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jackson came in with a fully formed campaign from Day 1 that centered on his impressive biography — a biography Democrats must now try to battle. He came in with a vision for foster care reform, his signature issue, and for real reforms for property taxes and even how to let counties reject or embrace data centers as counties might want. He was thoughtful. Jackson also became notorious for lingering on the campaign trail and answering any questions from anyone. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KHVGEIGLSBC2RFS3H4BHSC6LAI","additional_properties":{},"content":"How Democrats respond will define the elections","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG?auth=d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6a3d56383315424f2536e627","keywords":["ossoff bottoms rally"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"AAJC062826OssoffBottomsRally_22.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG?auth=d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG?auth=d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-06-27T19:10:57Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG?auth=d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8&width=300","version":1},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8"},"caption":"Keisha Lance Bottoms (left) and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff hold up their hands in solidarity at the Ossoff/Bottoms rally on June 27 in Savannah, Ga. (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)","copyright":"2026 Atlanta Journal Constitution","created_date":"2026-06-27T21:49:23Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Sarah Peacock","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Sarah Peacock","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":3430,"last_updated_date":"2026-06-27T21:49:23Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"AAJC 062826 Ossoff Bottoms Rally","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/AAJC062826OssoffBottomsRally_22.JPG","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Ossoff Bottoms Rally","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["6a3d56383315424f2536e627"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/XKHVUY3SBBHP5OINNXGFWYHYX4.JPG?auth=d2e3f6856f0c6c45e23ef768b5fd9e469bd6029a85bb752da9d9381464f08ce8","version":"0.10.9","width":5155},{"_id":"3S66MKOIKBBRBMB6WJBOHM3VVA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Democrats had intended for U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Mayor Bottoms to run as a ticket, doing rallies and campaigning around the state together. But that was with U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and Burt Jones on the Republican side. Now, the Republicans are offering up Collins with a man who grew up in the projects, ran away from home and became a billionaire. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EJMOSJWVPNDMVHDMN6GAWP24AQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Attacking his wealth will be an attack on the American Dream at a time Democrats are being overrun by the Democratic Socialists of America. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RJUU35AVHJHOFF6WAZLT4NISEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Attacking him as an employer when he has a highly diverse workforce will be difficult. Jackson’s company saved a lot of lives in Georgia during COVID.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E3JAPFJD5NBNPCHN2PMDJAEVLE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Ossoff and Bottoms launch unified ticket with attacks against Trump","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/06/ossoff-and-bottoms-launch-unified-ticket-with-a-litany-of-attacks-against-trump/"},{"_id":"OUSHOC4JFZE5PJIHS3I7WZQATY","additional_properties":{},"content":"How Ossoff and Bottoms, in this changed dynamic, campaign together will be interesting. So too will the dynamics between Collins and Jackson. But, most interestingly, will be how Democrats respond to the plot twist.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FM5WHFST5ZAQZI2AR2Q2OWZCSM","additional_properties":{},"content":"For Georgians, we have at least one blessing in all of this. With the runoffs now over, we are marked safe from campaign ads for a month or so.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FEENNLDA6FE6JFHDTIWGYWIFEU","type":"divider"},{"_id":"PHB4XBA2JRF27KS2MKC7KUOEQQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/01/americans-can-defend-lawful-deportations-and-condemn-wrongful-enforcement/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>Erick Erickson</i></a><i> is host of the nationally syndicated </i><a href=\"https://erickerickson.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>“Erick Erickson Show,”</i></a><i> heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on WSB radio. He is also a </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/about-us/2025/11/erick-erickson-named-opinion-contributor-at-the-atlanta-journal-constitution/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>contributor to the AJC</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"MUSCNTD42JCFXCGF4MWUC5WDKA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Erick Erickson","org":"AJC Contributor","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"Insurgent candidate Rick Jackson beat GOP favorite Lt. Gov. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"75LNRUFJZRFNVCJPG7S4SOEX2E","additional_properties":{},"content":"I drive a compact car, so I’m fortunate that it fits in almost any spot. However, when I drive my husband’s midsize SUV to the grocery store or mall, I am amazed at how claustrophobic a parking space can feel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R4LWKYZWPVG5FH7DMHLYNJZFJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Cox Automotive sales data confirms what many of us see when we run errands: SUVs make up the largest share of the U.S. new-vehicle market. The category covers everything from compact crossovers to three-row luxury models. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FTEXNCSF2ZFCHPMB6XZZZW6ZO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"For many buyers, SUVs have replaced the compact sedan or minivan because the broad SUV segment meets a wide range of needs and comes in various sizes. The length of a typical SUV is 14 to 18 feet. Considering that a typical parking space is 18 feet deep and 7.5 to 9 feet wide, that’s not a lot of wiggle room.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YBOORNO3BRBJZLRC6PTJ6Y6AJE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Outside of SUVs, trucks are also taking up space. The bestselling Ford F-150 is more than 19 feet long and almost 8 feet wide, including its mirrors. 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Add in midsize trucks, large SUVs, and other oversized vehicles, and it’s easy to understand why parking lots can feel more crowded than they used to.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PFSNPOEJNZACZPAYPSQS7K2VQE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The bigger, the better?","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"C227PPLEDNGTBKNUWWDGQD5EKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In short, Americans are buying bigger vehicles, and vehicles sold in America are getting bigger, too. Some reports say that several car manufacturers increased the lengths of their vehicle offerings by as much as 20% from the 1990s to now. While those might be outliers, the mainstream is growing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg?auth=edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"2025 Lincoln Navigator Reserve Jet Package_Grey Mist_01 (3).jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg?auth=edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg?auth=edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2024-06-16T22:46:00Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg?auth=edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44"},"caption":"A reproduction model of the 2025 Lincoln Navigator. (Courtesy of Lincoln)","copyright":"2024 TYLER GOURLEY                                                                                                              ","created_date":"2025-11-11T18:13:20Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Special","name":"Special","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":8736,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2025-11-11T18:13:20Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"slug":"2025 Lincoln Navigator Reserve Jet Package Grey Mist","source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Lincoln Navigator","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FO4LTT7BYREXVAMVRVSTDJR26A.jpg?auth=edc8ab728d5e22b445fa1302411f4cc053b9bcb220f7a6b3026b59fbdca5cf44","version":"0.10.9","width":11648,"syndication":{}},{"_id":"SXEFSRSZZZDKJGXA5IEOS7CLSQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Take, for example, the Toyota Corolla. This staple in the compact car segment grew by 5% since 2002. Today’s models are 8.5 inches longer and 3.4 inches wider than 24 years ago. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HTIELU4XU5EQXKSZHAX2XUHTV4","additional_properties":{},"content":"One reason vehicles are getting bigger is that they are expected to contain more. Safety regulations require more equipment, shoppers demand more comfort and tech, and automakers are also responding to consumer expectations for roomier cabins.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PJWBBAFLR5HEFFU6IBZYZDKWZM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Same small spaces","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"B2YJACGTTBEZLBGOL2C5GMEZBU","additional_properties":{},"content":"If vehicles in almost every segment are getting larger, why aren’t parking spaces also getting larger in response? One big deterrent is the cost of creating new parking spaces. Depending on the lot’s location, a redesign or new build can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Parking decks are even costlier. In the case of paid parking, the additional cost would be passed on to consumers. Local zoning laws can also dictate the dimensions of parking spaces.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6X3EQ5BZ4FBXZGUCPWZYVZUZOQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"When designing a parking lot, a “design vehicle” is used. This sample vehicle is a composite based on U.S. car sales data and is the size of a vehicle that is bigger than 85% of cars sold but smaller than the other 15%. This size is used to design every parking space, even though not all cars have the same measurements.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZEBUAKL4FF5ZPARG5E6OKCXBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Parking space dimensions can vary depending on the type of business or institution the lot serves. The Urban Land Institute and National Parking Association recommend a minimum 9-foot width for stalls at high-turnover retail locations. Spaces at a school or office building can be six inches narrower.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6JJA4U3NPRA7BCLMG6IDILQ7NA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Traditionally, parking lot designers aimed to leave 20 inches of space for car doors. However, as vehicles grow, the margin for error keeps shrinking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FEIJPOF5JBGVVL45JBNRARG52U","additional_properties":{},"content":"Drivers may also feel the squeeze at home. Even a “standard” two-car garage can feel uncomfortably tight once you park a modern pickup or large SUV inside, especially if you still want room to open doors or store anything else.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JDAIKHQKSZGQRLQZBMYNGHJEPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The cost of parking","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"2FE4LGXAWNCVNEV3HDAF5RUWBM","additional_properties":{},"content":"That cost calculation has real consequences for drivers. Parents loading children into car seats, wheelchair users and anyone with mobility issues often need more than the bare minimum stall width. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"XZOSHL7S5RFXHGZXHBMCRGPO3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"But with parking spaces costing thousands of dollars apiece — one transportation cost analysis put the land-and-construction cost of a surface parking space at about $8,000 in 2022 dollars — the incentive to design bigger spaces quickly fades. It comes down to inches, which can make the difference between profit and loss for a parking lot.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3E7LWEKNJ5HKTBLMVIOIMD7M2Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"One size doesn’t fit all","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"KTV36YFKPBDALPDVLU6K6AQEKA","additional_properties":{},"content":"One solution is obvious: Americans could gravitate toward smaller cars. This might seem unlikely now, but when gas prices rise, smaller cars with smaller fuel tanks can become more appealing. 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While no one likes paying more, this solution is perhaps a fair one. Drivers would pay more for using more space. The increase in cost would pay for the bigger spaces. Drivers of smaller cars would pay a lower rate for using a smaller space. The challenge, of course, would be enforcement: lots would need a simple way to classify vehicle size without slowing drivers down.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G44NGIRGANE5HCCWUWS6CC25DA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Until car sizes or costs trend downward, both drivers and developers will have to get creative with parking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKNTRFX6IRGPLE4JM6VXR67KMQ","type":"divider"},{"_id":"UKI4ARQUYRCTLNRDMKKHIU342E","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Beth Livesay is a Texas-based editor at Cox Automotive. Prior to her work writing about cars, she spent 12 years running print and digital magazines. She has written for HuffPost, The Tease, Revlon, Bloomingdale’s, and National Hardware, among other brands.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"2WQ3B4PIEFGNNJEL7GMORTT7CQ","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<i>The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive. 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