Morning, y’all! We have some more deep dives into bills and politics today. They are important, but I get it if it’s not your cup of tea. So, before we get there, watch this video of Ameerah Hardy-Dozier absolutely dominating “The Freeze,” the blue-spandex-clad Olympic-level sprinter who typically embarrasses normal-Joe runners. But not so for this Cobb County police officer. Go ahead, click and watch.
OK, ready? Let’s dig in.
POTENTIAL ENERGY ISSUES
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC
Big? Definitely. Beautiful? Depends on the eye of the beholder.
Republicans in the U.S. Senate have passed the “big, beautiful bill” championed by President Donald Trump, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote after three GOP members voted “no” with Democrats.
The wide-ranging package extends tax cuts and slashes federal spending on safety net programs. The vote was initially delayed as Republican leaders worked to get enough support in their party to pass the measure.
The bill now moves back to the House, where the AJC’s Tia Mitchell reports a slim Republican majority will be asked to approve changes made in the Senate. All nine members of Georgia’s House GOP delegation have signaled their support, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The 940-page Senate bill strikes fear into Georgia’s clean energy and electric vehicle sectors because it:
- Revokes incentives for solar facilities that start producing electricity after 2027, years earlier than planned.
- Eliminates the $7,500 federal consumer tax credit for the purchase of certain qualifying EVs at the end of September.
- Sunsets the 30% federal tax credit offered for residential clean energy installations, such as rooftop solar, by the end of this year. That tax break was set to be offered through 2032.
- Phases out subsidies for domestic manufacturing of solar, battery, wind and other clean energy components.
- Imposes a new tax on solar projects that begin generating electricity after 2027.
☀️ Georgia’s solar developers and installers were already struggling with the whiplash of tariffs and economic uncertainty. Now, some in the industry say more pain could be on the horizon.
Georgia will lose thousands of solar jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in clean energy investment," if the bill isn't altered.
🚗 Vehicles made at Hyundai Motor Group’s $7.6 billion Metaplant near Savannah and EVs produced at Rivian’s future $5 billion factory 50 miles east of Atlanta would likely be eligible for the federal credits that are on the chopping block. Battery factories and EV component manufacturers have also sprung up like kudzu across the state to support those projects. In the longterm, the fate of that broader ecosystem is uncertain.
Want some opinions? We’ve got that, too.
💼 Small Business: Georgia small businesses need Big Beautiful Bill Act’s permanent deduction, Hunter Loggins
🩺 Health care: Georgia mothers’ lives are at risk if Medicaid cuts reduce maternal care coverage, Cary Perry, M.D.
🔬 Science: As a UGA scientist, I know NIH and NSF cuts will threaten valuable research, Sunita Sharma
☤ Medicaid: Cuts harm Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Rep. Marvin Lim
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ARDUOUS JOURNEYS HOME
Travel to Israel this summer proved fraught, as visitors found themselves stranded in the country at the center of a war zone when the Israeli Air Force preemptively struck Iran during the early hours of June 13.
Locally, that included an Alpharetta woman accompanying her best friend to volunteer, two Dunwoody residents at the nuptials of a friend and family member and a group of 15 from Atlanta on an educational trip.
The AJC’s Michelle Baruchman shares details of how the Georgians cobbled together return plans that involved 30-hour boat rides to Cyprus, detours through Egypt and Jordan and waiting it out in the hopes that a truce could be reached soon.
🗣️ Roey Shoshan, who was born and raised in Israel but now lives in Atlanta: “I went for a wedding, I went for something very happy. (When the war began,) it was a complete 180. To be there, physically on the ground when it’s all going down, really leaves a tremendous mark on you, and … you realize the complexity of life in Israel.”
🗣️ Wendy Klarman, of Dunwoody: “It takes a minute to unwind and you’re laying in bed and you can hear the artillery echoing off in the distance, boom, boom.”
🗣️ Sonia Delgado, of Alpharetta, on instructions when they crossed into Jordan: “Don’t show your yarmulke. Don’t show your tefillin. Hide it. Put a hat on. Don’t speak Hebrew.”
BUCKHEAD SEAFOOD RESET
“We didn’t realize it would freak everybody out.”
That’s Killer Mike, the rapper and a principal with Bankhead Seafood, the iconic Westside restaurant that reopened in November after being closed for years. Now, it’s temporarily closing to make several changes to its flagship location and operations.
A manager at the restaurant— which serves fried platters of pollock, catfish and shrimp, along with crabcakes, sandwiches and seafood boils — said plans are to reopen by July 14 but noted the date was subject to change.
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🛏️ The Atlanta Housing Authority approved a $453.3 million budget for the fiscal year 2026, decreasing its spending plan by $80.6 million — a 15% reduction — in response to potential federal funding cuts. That is the sharpest single decline in the past five years.
⚖️ Metro Atlanta-based reporter Mario Guevara reportedly will be released from ICE custody Tuesday night. Guevara, an immigrant from El Salvador, remains in deportation proceedings but will be home with his family as his case works its way through immigration court.
CONCERT VENUES
The Sphere in Las Vegas. Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Those are the only two venues to gross higher box office sales between last October and March than State Farm Arena, according to a Billboard report.
- Also charting: The Fox Theatre, which took the top spot of the highest-grossing venues with a 2,501-5,000 capacity.
There are still growth opportunities. State Farm would like to begin hosting what it calls “mini-residencies” — a series of back-to-back shows at the arena, such as Usher’s six-night stop in October. Also expect more shows across several different genres, including EDM, Latin and country music.
NEWS BITES
Atlanta law firm eyes deal after losing large attorney group
They are now in “advanced discussions.” Legal talk at its finest.
Atlanta’s first bar for women’s sports opens this week in Pullman Yards
About time.
Atlanta airport scrubs scheduled overnight power outages until after July 4th
Holiday travel chaos + planned power outages = Asking for trouble.
Brookhaven removes colored glass from City Centre dome after uproar
Some say the colors were too bright and the glass distracted from the building’s muted design. No, I’m not kidding.
ON THIS DATE
July 2, 1979
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
The Atlanta Journal — Stoplight race adieu; I’m ridin’ the rails today. Like flying from here to Washington, the worst part about riding MARTA’s new trains is getting to and from the terminal. The ride itself is slick and short, but the drive to the station isn’t. And the walk from Georgia State into downtown is long, uphill, humid and far from scenic.
In the summer of 1979, MARTA’s first rail station opened with the East Line service beginning between Avondale and Georgia State stations. Officials charged a fare of 25 cents. AJC opinions editor David Plazas recently rode MARTA for the first time. Here was his impression.
ONE MORE THING
This should be a space that generally makes you feel good or at least provides you with information that tricks you into feeling good. The latter is how I feel about this study that found a cup of coffee a day could help you age healthier. Believe what you want. Personally, I’ll be signing up for the Ameerah Hardy-Dozier diet. I’m coming for you next, Freeze!
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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