A MARTA history lesson, DHS complicity & who's working to solve issues vs who's politicizing

Repubs on Platner lack self-awareness, but ... | Where's GA's commitment to MARTA?

Watching from afar as the Graham Platner situation continues to unfold, I'm both amused (by Kellyanne Conway and Trump's utter lack of self-awareness) and concerned that his being the Democratic nominee in Maine to unseat Susan Collins could make retaking the Senate a nailbiter. --- Meanwhile, Georgia Recorder scribe Jay Bookman joined me fresh from posting his latest op/ed: "Where is the state’s commitment to helping Atlanta’s public transit system succeed?" [https://georgiarecorder.com/2026/06/11/bookman-where-is-the-states-commitment-to-helping-atlantas-public-transit-system-succeed/] Valid question, indeed.

Ossoff for President? Not so fast (says one local scribe)

PLUS: Donald pisses off Knicks' fans; where's the proof from the FBI / Fulton seizure & MARTA's naysayers seem unaware of the authority's efforts to address homelessness The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Patricia Murphy - perhaps as a response to national media fawning over Jon Ossoff [https://heargeorgianow.com/a-marta-history-lesson-dhs-complicity-whos-working-to-solve-issues-vs-whos-politicizing/]as a potential 2028 contender - brought the wet blanket [https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/06/sorry-liberals-jon-ossoff-isnt-running-for-president/]to that notion. Okay fine; but it's hard to argue that his being on a potential 2028 ticket wouldn't make it a better ticket. - - - - Donald Trump showing up for the New York Knicks' NBA Finals game earlier this week was clearly another "Make a Wish" presidency stop: more about him and less about the tens of thousands there or the hundreds of thousands who hoped to attend watch parties around the venue. Fans there let him know they were pissed, but the nationally syndicated morning show "The Breakfast Club" also weighed in on Stephen A. Smith's disdain for Trump's presence [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7qSoweY-6U&pp=ygUrU3RlcGhlbiBBIFNtaXRoIEJyZWFrZmFzdCBDbHViIFRydW1wIEtuaWNrcw%3D%3D]. - - - - The AJC reports on the FBI seizure of Fulton County 2020 boxes of ballots: that it's "investigation fails to deliver, so far." [https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/06/fbis-fulton-county-2020-investigation-fails-to-deliver-so-far/] Ya don't say. - - - - The thing about "big city" issues is (I've said this many times) that Republicans never offer actionable solutions, but like "Statler & Waldorf," the old snipes in "The Muppet Show" balcony, have snide comments and no contribution. Most right wing MARTA grousers are likely unaware MARTA's actually long teamed up with an Atlanta homeless advocacy organization [https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/03/homeless-people-shelter-at-marta-stations-a-program-helps-them-find-housing/?gift_article_code=RmRtb2NLbXdocFo4UTBUcjk5S1V0c0VudF9yQUE4RDBhcEJsbmxLdFJfazoxNzgzODY3NTc1OmZkOGVkZTRlNmVhNWQxYTI&utm_campaign=articlegifting](gift link) to assist the unhoused who show up in their stations and on their trains.

A MARTA history lesson, DHS complicity & who's working to solve issues vs who's politicizing

PLUS: "everyone" wants Senator Jon Ossoff to run for President. I pulled up a recent video done by the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Ernie Suggs [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jK8PpU4x338], doing a small tour of MARTA train usage weaving in MARTA's troubled (from the start) history for some context. What frustrates me most about MARTA's issues - and the issues flowing into its stations and trains from the major city it serves - is that Republicans who have almost no footing in the metro area, and particularly not the city itself, show no interest in addressing systemic issues by offering long term solutions. Instead, they lean on "dog whistle" tropes knowing their suburban, exurban and rural voters have backed-in preconceptions about "inner city" violence and "urban" decay. There's nothing new under the sun with this sort of pandering to a mostly white voting block but what doesn't get said enough - in my opinion - is that a) "white flight" led to a lot of us b) at the state level, Republicans take a "hands off" approach to a region of the state they can't gain footing in because they don't see the electoral benefit (gee, wonder why?) which c) makes them just as (if not more) responsible, in absentia, as any local authorities or elected leaders actually *trying* to effect positive change. Atlanta police chief Darin Schierbaum opines "you can't arrest your way to a safe city" [https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/atlanta-police-chief-schierbaum-you-cant-arrest-your-way-to-a-safe-city/] in an op/ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He's right; but that's all Republicans ever offer as "solutions" to crime: bigger police presence as a (temporary) deterrent but never solution(s) to the longer term and system issues that are at the root of crime: a lack of opportunity. - - - - The New York Times' Michelle Goldberg opines that "everyone" wants Georgia's US Senator Jon Ossoff to run for President. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/opinion/jon-ossoff-president.html?campaign_id=39&emc=edit_ty_20260608&instance_id=176843&nl=opinion-today®i_id=202680014&segment_id=221135&user_id=53a3aa3ba973e8a4c90cc43cec720db0] Hey, I"m a fan, myself; I've whispered about him being a 2028 dark horse in episodes past, too, but I'm skimming over her op/ed to chew on the notion a bit. The AJC's Patricia Murphy, meanwhile, has a different take: "sorry liberals; Jon Ossoff isn't running for President." [https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/06/sorry-liberals-jon-ossoff-isnt-running-for-president/] - - - - Whew, that 'Meet The Press' sit down [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EusZcKt5fs&pp=ygUUTWVldCB0aGUgUHJlc3MgVHJ1bXA%3D] was a headscratcher, no? Why's the President holed up in a metal sided building in rural Wisconsin in the midst of severe weather to do a network TV interview, anyway? Oh, and also he's a petulant man-baby who his base entrusts to negotiate with the likes of Iran, China's Xi and Russia's Putin, but is too easily rattled by Kirsten Welker pressing him on unfounded election conspiracies. But the story that caught my attention over the weekend? That the Pentagon has ratcheted up its concerns that Israel is spying on us. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1PifafQJ510]The Hegseth-led "Department of War" raised its threat assessment level to the highest level [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-raised-threat-israeli-spying-us-highest-level-sources-say-rcna348565] on our ally - Israel - spying on us. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/06/us/politics/pentagon-sees-growing-espionage-threat-from-israel.html] - - - - Back to Trump on 'Meet The Press,' and my calling out political media for their two-toned portrayal of monthly jobs numbers from one presidency to the next. Trump is taking victory laps over jobs numbers from May that - under Biden - would've been less feted by national media. Meanwhile, farm bankruptcies are up, affordability is nearing crisis mode for many Americans (Trumps loves inflation, he said) and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins - quizzed by Rep. Eric Sorensen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjyGOObV-8] - couldn't be bothered.

Mass(ive mess) transit in ATL at a crossroads

First, with the loss of Atlanta Civic Circle, a reminder that local journalism, local podcasting, local "scrutinizers" are in short supply even in a big city, and this economy and constantly altering landscape in news and content delivery don't make it any easier. That's why I chose to divulge that my personal income situation necessitates me taking a job that'll ensure a more stable income for me; but the hope is I'll be able to figure the schedule to keep doing this show. So with that ... - - - Despite crime data showing violent crime is down both in Atlanta and where MARTA police has jurisdiction, two prominent incidents - a violent stabbing murder and a gang-related shooting - has passengers on edge and dubious right wing politicians looking to capitalize. Burt Jones, for example, has spouted off a time or two on social media - even tying Keisha Lance Bottoms to MARTA [https://x.com/burtjonesforga/status/2062961981233996207?s=20] - while offering nothing to actually solve what ails MARTA [https://x.com/burtjonesforga/status/2062156748941590921?s=20]. That's the GOP for you, though: never solutions, just band aids with badges. AJC op/ed writer David Plazas wrote on the MARTA situation [https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/marta-keeps-breaking-my-heart-ill-keep-riding-and-demanding-change/?gift_article_code=NWYwYnBuWjIyWGVSR2Q5a3lyakZsWFpCeU03X3Q3dzVyeFF5MUVNbWx5UToxNzgzMjc1MjkyOmM4ZjI0NmQ3NWVlZjQwYmQ&utm_campaign=articlegifting&fbclid=IwY2xjawSWOAlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXd0pGYlBvRm51alFITHdMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHtwA8aBNSmZODB16D4QRiAAf7UjRCVc0I-O1MkJRubvhHwfTT8GUMUdOk8sq_aem_9uWn0EHDqvDd4cDGizaCnQ] - from the standpoint of someone who enjoys using it frequently. Like the rest of us, he wants MARTA to succeed and to be better. - - - Another situation where the city's mass transit needs are being awfully bungled: the Atlanta Beltline that now has autonomous vehicles connecting patrons to the southwest portion of the trail via "ATL Spoke." One problem: a study touting its use was biased according to a filed complaint [https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/06/atlanta-beltline-study-biased-toward-autonomous-shuttles-complaint-alleges/]. Sara Gregory's thorough piece in the AJC offers a LOT of smoke that may well lead to a roaring fire of corruption.

The feds want in on MARTA | metro DA's rally to push back on clearly racist law

Notes to come ...