Morning, y’all! A heat wave is a-here and the U.S. has entered the war in Iran. This is the space where AJ Willingham typically guides us through the muck for a better understanding to start your day. Alas, your beloved host is off globetrotting and being otherwise merry — so I’ll be stepping in with the help of Nicole Bennett, the newest wizard on the AJC’s newsletter team. We will get through it all together.
So, let’s start with the tough stuff.
Conflicting opinions
Credit: Zaire Breedlove AJC
Credit: Zaire Breedlove AJC
The U.S. military struck three nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s effort to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
The decision to directly involve the U.S. comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country’s air defenses and offensive missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. Military units around Georgia are likely to play a significant role.
👀 You can keep up with the latest here.
Trump’s move drew praise from most top Georgia Republicans — but also revealed a sharp break within the GOP ranks and a divide among Democrats.
House Speaker Jon Burns (R): “This is what peace through strength looks like,” echoing other Trump allies who endorsed the attack.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R): “Israel is a nuclear-armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D): “With thousands of American troops at risk for potential retaliation, this is not ‘the art of the deal.’ This is war. And this is not the first time the American people have been told that it will end quickly.”
State Rep. Ruwa Romman (D), who is the lone Palestinian American in the Legislature: “This illegal action is opposed by the majority of Americans, will put us all in danger, and only benefits weapons manufacturers and warmongers.”
🔎 Read more: ‘You hope for peace’: People in Atlanta wonder ‘what’s next?’ after Iran strike
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Happy swamp things
Credit: Mike Luckovich
Credit: Mike Luckovich
Despite the uncertainty abroad, there is cause for celebration over a battle won locally: The Okefenokee Swamp has been saved from a nearby mining project.
A conservation group says it will pay $60 million to buy land just outside the Okefenokee, the largest U.S. refuge east of the Mississippi River, from a company that spent years fighting environmentalists over its plans to extract minerals that produce an ordinary compound commonly found in toothpaste whitener and powdered doughnuts.
It's a big undertaking, but it was also an existential threat to the entire refuge. We've done larger deals for larger acres, but dollar-wise this is the largest deal we've ever done in Georgia.
Just over a year ago, the fate of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was all but sealed after the state’s Environmental Protection Division appeared poised to issue official permits enabling Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals to mine the 582 acres of Trail Ridge. Instead, the Conservation Fund said it will buy all 7,700 acres that Twin Pines owns outside the refuge in southeast Georgia, halting the mining plans.
This AJC’s Editorial Board described it as a “heroic” deal, while calling out the Legislature and Gov. Brian Kemp for not stepping up as they should have.
The Editorial Board wrote it’s not too late for Kemp to lead, saying he should offer his full-throated advocacy for a UNESCO bid:
“The Okefenokee is our Yellowstone. Our Everglades. If the swamp is granted UNESCO status like those global treasures, The Conservation Fund estimates it will double the number of annual visitors to 1.6 million. The influx could create 750 long-term jobs and add $60 million to the economies of nearby counties.”
The swamp we’re all feeling
“I’m over the summer.” That was my wife yesterday. Unfortunately for her and anyone else with her disposition, we are only on like day 4 — and the swelter is just starting. A heat dome over the U.S. means record-breaking temps from the Midwest to the East Coast, and a forecast in the mid-90s in Atlanta through Wednesday. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- About 1.7 million air conditioners were recalled earlier this month warning of increased risks of developing mold. Make sure and check on yours.
- If you work outside, know what workplace protections you have. But be aware there are no federal heat rules to protect workers in the U.S.
- Don’t exercise at the hottest times of the day, and bring more water than you think you need.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💸 President Trump’s spending bill’s cuts to government-subsidized health insurance could send struggling rural Georgia hospitals into distress or bankruptcy, according to research released by its critics.
⚾ The Los Angeles Dodgers donated $1 million to assist families affected by weeks of immigration raids in Southern California.
🚂 Nearly 2½ years after Norfolk Southern’s East Palestine, Ohio, derailment contaminated the area’s soil, water and air, the National Institutes of Health is committing $10 million to study the catastrophe’s long-term health effects on residents.
⚽ A controversial plan to remove homeless people from downtown Atlanta before the 2026 FIFA World Cup could lead to some arrests “solely to make the city look nice,” according to a Fulton County judge.
An animated life
Credit: Courtesy of Pixar
Credit: Courtesy of Pixar
Atlanta native Stephen Wong graduated from Georgia Tech in 2001 with a computer science degree but had an itch to get into movies. For the first time, Wong has moved up the ranks to become the directing animator of a new film, “Elio,” which focuses on a quirky young boy whose parents have died, and, feeling alienated from fellow humans, seeks connection with aliens.
🔎 Read his conversation with the AJC’s Rodney Ho
Also: I want to support our man, but did anyone check this out over the weekend? Should I bring my 4-year-old to the theaters ... or just wait ‘til it comes to our couch?
NEWS BITES
Bassist Carol Kaye says she’s declining Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, ‘Permanently’
I’d still recommend bowing if she walks by. Her credits include the bass lines on Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound,” the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.”
A guide to 11 metro Atlanta summer concerts
Beyoncé. Teddy Swims. Dua Lipa. Gladys Knight … Can anyone point me to some good babysitters?
Backyard wellness is booming. Here’s how to create your own sanctuary.
I could go for a cold plunge right about now.
Dream season: Smesko era starts strong — but real tests still lie ahead
Plenty of room on this bandwagon.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship
Let’s sing it together: Oh, what a beautiful mornin,’ oh what a beautiful day …
ON THIS DATE
June 23, 1970
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal: Age-18 vote OKd by doubtful Nixon. President Nixon reluctantly has signed the Voting Rights Act and ordered an early court ruling whether it is constitutional for Congress to lower the voting age to 18.
The 26th amendment was passed in 1971, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. U.S. involvement in World War II and the Vietnam War put pressure on lawmakers as the phrase “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” took hold.
ONE MORE THING
A new study found that being exposed to a heat index over 90 degrees can accelerate biological aging ... So now when will I have time to build my backyard sanctuary?
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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