Government & Politics
Hate groups’ political influence growing, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 hate and anti-government extremist groups were active across the United States in 2022, according to the SouthernPoverty Law Center’s latest report on the nationwide prevalence of extremists who target people of color, LGBTQ people, Jewish communities and other religious minorities. While the overall number of hate and anti-government groups tracked by the […]
Crackdown on opponents of planned Atlanta police training center spurs First Amendment debate
The recent arrests of three organizers behind a group supporting activists bent on stopping a planned Atlanta police training facility have elevated concerns about the government’s response to the intense opposition to the project, which moved forward with a pivotal vote early Tuesday morning. The three organizers – Adele Maclean, Savannah Patterson and Marlon Scott […]
Cost controversies still inflame critics of Plant Vogtle expansion as kilowatts go online
Georgia Power customers have been vocal about their displeasure over ratepayers bearing the hefty tab for the nuclear power expansion at Plant Vogtle. Opponents of the Plant Vogtle expansion, including residential customers and organizations like the Sierra Club of Georgia, argue that household and commercial customers are shouldering a larger portion of the project’s expenses […]
State agencies slow to reopen public meetings to in-person access; DNR reverts to pre-pandemic ways
It takes around four hours by car to go from Savannah to Atlanta – not an easy trip to make in time for a 9 a.m. weekday meeting of the state Board of Natural Resources. But with no option to participate virtually, many south Georgia residents are faced with a difficult choice: an eight-hour plus […]
U.S. Senate sends Biden debt limit legislation ahead of Monday default deadline
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan debt limit bill is on its way to President Joe Biden after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to clear the measure for his signature. The 63-36 vote followed several amendment votes, all of which were rejected. Biden is expected to quickly sign the package, preventing a default on the debt that […]
Failed Georgia school voucher bill finds ardent backer in lone Democratic lawmaker
Democrats savored a rare win under the Gold Dome in March when, with the help of a handful of Republicans, they fended off a plan to expand Georgia’s school voucher program. But Atlanta state Rep. Mesha Mainor, the sole Democratic pro-voucher vote, has not been celebrating. Flanked by Republican state Reps. Reynaldo “Rey” Martinez of […]
U.S. Senate votes to block student loan relief, White House will veto
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is on hold due to a pending Supreme Court decision. President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the resolution, but the 52-46 vote forced vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2024 to take a public […]
U.S. House approves debt limit package, sending it to Senate days before default deadline
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House took a broadly bipartisan vote Wednesday night on the debt limit package, sending it to the U.S. Senate where lawmakers are expected to vote quickly to clear the measure. The bill would suspend the nation’s borrowing limit through Jan. 1, 2025 and set caps on discretionary spending for two years. […]
Georgia Supreme Court backs lower court’s rejection of ‘campus carry’ challenge
Georgia college students can continue to bring their handgun to class after the Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a challenge to the state’s campus carry law from a group of five professors. The law, which went into effect in 2017, requires the university system’s 26 universities to allow lawful […]
New work requirements for some SNAP recipients included in debt limit deal
WASHINGTON — The holiday weekend debt ceiling deal struck by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserves in part new work requirements for some food stamp recipients but now with exceptions for certain populations, including veterans. The agreement released late Saturday night showed concessions from both sides — from GOP members, who wanted […]
Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote
WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement forged over the weekend, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly […]
Rosalynn Carter, former first lady and lifelong mental health advocate, diagnosed with dementia
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia, the Carter family announced through the Carter Center Tuesday. In a written statement, the family did not share details, such as exactly when Rosalynn Carter was diagnosed or what type of dementia she was diagnosed with. But the letter did point out that one in […]