CDC shooting intensifies conversation over public health misinformation

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Chattooga County School District cuts rate of absent students.
State Sen. Sonya Halpern mulls her next move.
State Rep. David Clark files to run for lieutenant governor.

CDC tragedy

Credit: Jeff Amy/AP

Credit: Jeff Amy/AP

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was already a symbol of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda long before a gunman opened fire at four buildings on the agency’s campus.

But the attack on Friday, which left a police officer dead after he tried to stop the gunman, turned the CDC into something more: a tragic flashpoint in a broader political conversation about public health and misinformation.

The CDC has long helped make Atlanta a hub of public health and research, drawing top-notch experts whose work is central to both the city’s economy and identity. It’s no wonder “Save the CDC” signs became commonplace across the region when Trump first announced cuts to the agency earlier this year.

Initial reaction from politicians across the spectrum condemned last week’s violence and mourned the officer’s death. But Democrats quickly sharpened their criticism amid reports that the suspect was fixated on the coronavirus vaccine, which he blamed for his health problems.

State Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta, a leading Democratic candidate for governor, linked the violence to the Trump administration’s ordered layoffs that gutted the CDC.

“In the last year, these hardworking men and women have faced reckless mass firings, funding cuts, the politicization of their public service, and now targeted gun violence,” he said. “It shouldn’t be this way, and it’s past time our federal and state leaders step up to protect and support our CDC and public health workers.”

Credit: David Aaro/AJC

And Democratic state Rep. Jasmine Clark, an Emory University biologist running for Congress, said the campuswide alert — “Run. Hide. Fight.” —shook her to her core.

“Everyone deserves to be able to go to work and school without fear of being shot,” Clark posted on X. “Parents deserve to be able to send their toddler to daycare without getting an emergency text that shots have been fired right next door. I refuse to accept this as our reality.”

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was “deeply saddened” by the shooting and said “no one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”

Fired but Fighting, a group of laid-off CDC employees, blamed Kennedy for “continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust.”

The group’s statement continued: “We don’t need thoughts and prayers. We need an administration that does not villainize federal workers who are just trying to do their job. We need a HHS Secretary who does not promote misinformation about science and vaccines.”

Things to know

Good morning! We’re a week away from the start of the qualifying period for this fall’s municipal elections.

Here are three other things to know for today:

The Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures has become a public venue for conservative activists to demand major changes to Georgia elections, writes the AJC’s Mark Niesse.
Authorities arrested a northwest Georgia man accused of making a threat on social media to kill President Donald Trump, the AJC’s Alexis Stevens reports.
Several Georgia hemp companies are suing the state, saying new regulations threaten to put them out of business, the AJC’s Amy Wenk reports.

Absent students

Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC

Georgia lawmakers are spending the Legislature’s offseason brainstorming ways to get the state’s chronically absent students back in school. But they won’t have to look far for a potential solution.

More than 42% of students in the Chattooga County School District missed 18 days or more of the school year in 2022. Last school year? It’s down to 17.8%.

One of their most effective methods was to hire a part-time principal who knew the community. Instead of threatening parents and students, the district changed its approach to one of “how can I help?”

“This person reinvented the job of what used to be called a truancy officer,” said Justin Hill, deputy superintendent for the Georgia Department of Education. “Instead of doing court cases … they focused on home visits.”

This solution was expensive but worked, in part, because the district was smaller and more manageable. Hill said it was a good example of how schools can succeed by focusing on improving the school experience.

“Make students really want to go to school and have a good experience there,” he said.

Georgia 2026

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

The field for Georgia’s 2026 elections is almost set — but one of the biggest Democratic names is still on the sidelines.

State Sen. Sonya Halpern has spent months considering whether to seek higher office or stay in her Atlanta-based seat. She briefly launched a bid for U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath’s seat earlier this year, then pulled back when the incumbent opted to stay put.

Halpern told us she’s still undecided on her next move.

“My focus is on delivering wins for Georgia, whether that is as a state senator or in another official capacity,” she said. “I am weighing my options on the best way to help move our state forward.”

Campaign watch

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

The field might be firming up, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be surprises.

State Rep. David Clark, R-Suwanee, set off a buzz in GOP circles when he filed paperwork to run for lieutenant governor over the weekend. He told us an official announcement could come soon.

Clark, a military veteran, was something of a rabble-rouser early in his career. He pushed for then-House Speaker David Ralston’s ouster and mounted a failed bid for his gavel in 2020. The following year he was ejected from the House floor for defying a requirement to get tested for COVID-19.

A few months later, he said he wouldn’t seek another term. But he changed his mind and ousted a fellow incumbent in the 2022 GOP primary after redistricting.

Lately, he’s adopted a somewhat lower-key persona. This year, he pushed bipartisan legislation to restrict judges from ordering controversial “reunification treatments” that some family courts use to settle custody disputes.

Pick a side

Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC

What makes someone a Republican? Or a Democrat? Georgia law is ambiguous, and the courts haven’t answered definitively. Now, a local election official is asking lawmakers to settle the question.

Polk County Elections Director Noah Beck pleaded with state lawmakers last week to step in and pass a law making it clear how and when politicians can affiliate themselves with political parties.

Beck said lawmakers could leave it up to the political parties themselves, effectively empowering them to act as gatekeepers for the ballot. Or they could restrict the parties’ power, thus letting candidates declare their affiliation.

“We would ask that you at least come down on the issue on one side or the other,” Beck told lawmakers during a meeting of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Election Procedures. “When you don’t and the judiciary puts off answering the question, it becomes an issue for us.”

The Catoosa County GOP has attempted to disqualify some candidates from running as Republicans. Judges have, so far, stopped those efforts — but without answering the underlying question of if local parties have the power to do this.

Budget watch

Georgia’s tax collections fell 2.7% in July compared to a year ago, a decrease of about $70 million.

Taxes on sales, individual income, gas and motor vehicles were all up slightly. But corporate income taxes were down a whopping 56.6%. Gov. Brian Kemp’s office noted state and corporate tax rates are 3.7% lower now than they were this time last year.

Lawmakers and their political consultants will be watching the numbers closely over the next year as Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and other ambitious Republican senators pledge to pass a plan to eliminate the state’s income tax.

Human trafficking

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Attorney General Chris Carr announced last week the arrest of a 29-year-old man Bibb County man accused of selling a 15-year-old girl for sex.

The arrest is part of the attorney general’s newly expanded Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which Carr started in 2019 with support from Gov. Brian Kemp and the state Legislature.

This year, lawmakers agreed to spend more than $748,000 to expand the unit into Augusta and Macon. Those cities sit near major interstates, making them more likely to be part of the routes used by human traffickers.

“We established a new regional team in Macon for this very reason,” Carr, who is running for governor, said in a news release. “We won’t rest until every victim is recovered and every trafficker is behind bars.”

Listen up

Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast the hosts discuss former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond’s decision to enter the Democratic primary for governor. Then AJC education reporter Martha Dalton joins the show to explain why Georgia schools are starting earlier than ever and discuss concerns about declining childhood vaccination rates.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Trump today

President Donald Trump will hold a news conference at the White House to announce he is using federal resources to address his concerns about crime and homelessness in the District of Columbia.

Shoutouts

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Belated birthdays:

State Rep. Lauren McDonald III, R-Cumming (was Sunday).
Olu Brown, Democratic candidate for governor (was Sunday).

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.