JON OSSOFF

Senators from both parties bashed the Department of Justice over lax reporting on deaths in prisons and jails across the country.

"You have utterly failed," said Sen. Ron Johnson. "I mean, literally, you've utterly failed."

During the hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Sen. Jon Ossoff said a report showed that at least 990 individuals died in custody in 2021, and that the Department of Justice failed to investigate those deaths as they are required to by law.

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is launching an intensive effort to get out the vote by urging potential supporters to cast in-person ballots the first week of early voting as she tries to navigate the state’s new election laws.

Georgia voters will see at least one fall debate between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Georgia's Republican Party once relied on votes in Atlanta's close-in suburbs, but today the GOP increasingly relies on the mountains of north Georgia for its votes.

Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker may be getting closer to debating in the state’s U.S. Senate race.

Georgia Democrats had a contested primary for governor four years ago because the party old guard didn’t believe in Stacey Abrams.

Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams have little wiggle room in their rematch this fall in the closely contested state.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer effectively became the leader of the U.S. Senate on the morning of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

The federal Bureau of Prisons is keeping its former director on the payroll as an adviser to his successor, at least for a short time.

Georgia Republican Herschel Walker has accepted an invitation in his U.S. Senate race to debate Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock.

Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock is running for his first full Senate term, pitching himself as a lawmaker willing to do whatever it takes to help his state.

Erika Ramirez, the Atlanta prison’s former chief psychologist, said she was transferred to a different federal prison out of retaliation after raising concerns about poor conditions and a rash of inmate suicides. Ramirez said she alerted the prison’s warden, other higher ups and the agency's headquarters, to no avail. “Is the Bureau of Prisons able to keep female detainees safe from sexual abuse by staff?" Afterward, Ossoff took issue with Carvajal's claims that the Bureau of Prisons can keep female inmates — or any inmates — safe. “It is demonstrably false that female detainees in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons are safe,” Ossoff told the AP.

With just days left in his tenure, the embattled director of the federal prison system faced a bipartisan onslaught Tuesday as he refused to accept responsibility for a culture of corruption and misconduct that has plagued his agency for years.

Federal Prisons FILE - In this July 6, 2020, photo, a sign for the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons is displayed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The Justice Department announced last week it was replacing Carvajal with Colette Peters, the director of Oregon's prison system. Carvajal, a Trump administration holdover, has been at the center of myriad crises within the federal prison system. The committee's investigation has included examination of abuse, misconduct and corruption both at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta — Osoff's home state — and more broadly in the federal prison system. The Bureau of Prisons is one of the largest Justice Department agencies, budgeted for around 37,500 employees and over 150,000 federal prisoners.

The outgoing director of the Bureau of Prisons has been subpoenaed to testify before a Senate committee examining abuse and corruption in the beleaguered federal agency.

Amid criticism of other voting changes, few noticed in 2021 when Georgia lawmakers shortened the period between an election and a runoff from nine weeks to four weeks.

According to a government memo, Friday, June 3, 2022, a federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine at the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) (Stephen B. Morton)SAVANNAH, Ga. — (AP) — A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge. The Twin Pines project in Georgia will require consultation with the Muscogee Creek Nation before it can move forward, the memo said. “I am pleased to announce the restoration of protection for this wildlife refuge and its surrounding wetlands,” Ossoff said in a statement late Friday. Twin Pines wants permits to mine a small fraction of the acreage DuPont pursued.

The Army Corps said in a memo that a previous decision allowing the project to move ahead was no longer valid because the corps had failed to properly consult with tribal stakeholders.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — (AP) — A federal agency delivered a big setback Friday to a company's controversial plan to mine near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge. He said the prior decisions allowing them to bypass federal regulators “are not valid” because tribal governments with ancestral ties to the proposed mining sites had not been consulted. The Twin Pines project in Georgia will require consultation with the Muscogee Creek Nation before it can move forward, the memo said. Two decades ago, chemical giant DuPont retreated from plans to mine outside the Okefenokee after meeting fierce resistance. Twin Pines wants permits to mine a small fraction of the acreage DuPont pursued.

A federal agency has delivered a big setback to a company's controversial plan to mine at the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp's vast wildlife refuge.

Georgia still struggles with its history of slavery, segregation and racial injustice, but voters in the Deep South state have for the first time selected two Black candidates to represent the major parties in a U.S. Senate race.

In response to a letter from Sen. Jon Ossoff, Homeland Security said it plans to begin the process to create new rules to increase protections for farmworkers.

The governor's race in Georgia between Republican incumbent Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams promises to be a brutal battle that will further amp up the state's charged political environment.

Federal Prisons FILE - Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. — is the latest step by members of Congress to further oversight of the beleaguered federal prison system, which has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years. The Bureau of Prisons’ policy required officials at the prison to “promptly” notify the family of inmates who have serious illnesses. “We will never have that chance.”Similar instances were also reported in local jails and state prisons in Georgia, Ossoff’s office said. Read more of AP's reporting on federal prisons at apnews.com and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

New legislation in the Senate requires the Justice Department to establish guidelines for the federal Bureau of Prisons and state correctional systems to notify the families of inmates if their loved one has a serious illness, a life-threatening injury or if they die behind bars.

A Georgia judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former U.S. Sen. David Perdue that alleged fraudulent or counterfeit ballots were counted in the state’s most populous county during the 2020 general election.

Republicans who embraced discredited conspiracy theories about Donald Trump's 2020 defeat and preached skepticism about elections now need their supporters to trust the system enough to vote for them.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Senate has voted to confirm Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Australia, and Philip Goldberg to serve as ambassador to South Korea. Kennedy served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013-17 during Barack Obama's presidency. The Senate approved the nominations Thursday as President Joe Biden's administration looks to fill out its diplomatic team with key allies in Asia. South Korea is one of our most important security partners," Ossoff said. “We need a U.S. ambassador to lead our mission in South Korea."

The Senate has voted to confirm Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F.

An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Justice Department’s largest law enforcement agency, the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Proposals to ban stock trading by lawmakers are gaining ground in Congress and on the campaign trail.

Two service members recounted their harrowing experiences with military housing at a hearing Tuesday. “Our military families should not be forced to live in fear of their own homes," Fe Torres said. He said those emails came in after the 2013-2019 period in which Balfour Beatty had pleaded guilty to defrauding the government. The committee also heard from military housing advocates critical of Balfour Beatty. The report concluded with a call for federal agencies to “conduct more robust oversight" of Balfour Beatty to ensure military families get the housing services they deserve.

One of the largest providers of military housing in the United States continues to respond inadequately to mold and other problems reported by residents.

Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue is building his campaign around Donald Trump and veering to the right as he tries to unseat Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in a May 24 GOP primary.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and top Republican challenger David Perdue are bickering over who was to blame for 2020 and 2021 Republican election losses in their first of three debates Sunday.

Georgia Republican Herschel Walker says his U.S. Senate campaign raised $5.5 million in the first three months of 2022.

Empathy is not a quality many Republican senators want to see in the next Supreme Court justice.

It’s not just Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who is being watched as she makes history as the first Black woman to be considered for the job.

A planned $5 billion electric vehicle plant that has been billed as the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history is drawing opposition from an unusual source: former Republican U.S. senator David Perdue.

Federal Prisons FILE - Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., takes a question from a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 28, 2021. The working group is led by Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia and Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican. The group plans to examine the conditions of incarceration inside America’s 122 federal prisons, protect human rights and promote transparency. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also will be part of the group. In early January, the embattled federal prisons director, Michael Carvajal, announced he was resigning amid growing criticism over his leadership of the bureau.

The U.S. Senate is launching a bipartisan working group of lawmakers to scrutinize conditions within the Bureau of Prisons following reporting by The Associated Press that uncovered widespread corruption and abuse in federal prisons.

Congress Stock Trading FILE - Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., walks on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 7, 2021, in Washington. Public anger over congressional stock trading has mounted since the first tremors of the pandemic. The Georgia Democrat beat Republican Sen. David Perdue last year in a race that turned largely on Perdue’s pandemic-era stock trading. She has also called for extending stock trading disclosure requirements to members of the judiciary, while stiffening penalties for members of Congress who flout the rules. “It really did reduce stock trading activity by members of Congress by two-thirds,” Holman said.

Pressure is building for Congress to pass legislation that would curtail lawmakers’ ability to speculate on the stock market.

Herschel Walker’s Republican rivals for U.S. Senate in Georgia say reports by The Associated Press about the former football great's past leave the GOP vulnerable to losing the race if the party nominates him.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he will propose a measure that will let parents opt their children out of school mask mandates.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, an investment manager and options trader, could be up big on Wednesday with Alphabet's equity pop.

Will Congress take the bold step of barring its members from trading stocks?

Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton Thursday told the Associated Press he had 'a mixture of disappointment and anger' when he heard that the voting rights bill failed to pass in the Senate. (Jan. 20)

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Josh Hawley introduced competing bills to ban members of Congress and their immediate family members from trading stocks while in office.

Congress often talks tough about reining in Wall Street. But now there's growing pressure on Capitol Hill to curb lawmakers' own trading.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he'll push for a new state law that would loosen the state's handgun requirements.

Democrat Stacey Abrams is calling on Congress to act on voting rights as she launches a second bid to become Georgia's governor.

Georgia Republican David Perdue is furthering his embrace of debunked claims that Georgia’s 2020 presidential election was wrongly decided as he runs for governor.

Former President Donald Trump has set out to reshape the GOP in his image across the nation’s top political battlegrounds, sparking bitter primary battles.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is likely to face a prominent challenger for the 2022 Republican primary for governor, former Sen. David Perdue.

Stacey Abrams' 2022 Democratic campaign for Georgia governor is likely to be different than her narrow 2018 loss.

Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.

Supporters of Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp are fighting back against Donald Trump and their own party leaders.

Democrats are fretting about how they’d divide a shrinking pie amid signs that negotiations over President Joe Biden’s massive domestic policy bill could yield a smaller serving of health care spending.

Broken security cameras at federal prisons across the U.S. have allowed inmates to escape from prison undetected and hampered investigations into misconduct.

The rewards of an early Donald Trump endorsement were on display Saturday evening in Georgia.

The rewards of an early Donald Trump endorsement will be on display Saturday in Georgia.

In the nation’s capital on Saturday, multiracial coalitions of civil, human and labor rights leaders are convening rallies and marches to urge passage of federal voter protections that have been eroded since the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

President Joe Biden has honored the 2020 WNBA champions Seattle Storm at the White House.

A national coalition of civil rights groups will release on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, a comprehensive, state-by-state review of hate crime laws in the United States. The report, first shared with The Associated Press ahead of its Wednesday release, is a comprehensive national review of hate crime laws that shows gaps and variances in the laws. The majority of all U.S. hate crimes are committed by white people, according to available data, and the majority of all hate crimes are motivated by racial or ethnic bias. Etcubañez added that a lack of accurate hate crime statistics is what inspired passage of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, as part of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The report on hate crime laws also highlights a growing politicization of such legislation.

A national coalition of civil rights groups will release on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, a comprehensive, state-by-state review of hate crime laws in the United States. The report, first shared with The Associated Press ahead of its Wednesday release, is a comprehensive national review of hate crime laws that shows gaps and variances in the laws. The majority of all U.S. hate crimes are committed by white people, according to available data, and the majority of all hate crimes are motivated by racial or ethnic bias. Etcubañez added that a lack of accurate hate crime statistics is what inspired passage of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, as part of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The report on hate crime laws also highlights a growing politicization of such legislation.

A coalition of civil rights groups releasing a report on hate crime laws says the protections against bias-motivated violence are inconsistent and lack uniformity nationally.

Three Democratic U.S. senators from states that have refused to expand Medicaid want the federal government to set up a mirror plan to provide health insurance coverage to people in those states.

Brian Kemp often tells supporters to “keep choppin’ wood,” his way of urging a calm, deliberate approach — even in politics.

Biden Infrastructure Buttigieg U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg hosts a press conference following a tour of East Point, Ga., Friday, May 21, 2021. Buttigieg said the federal mask mandate, which remains in effect on planes, buses and trains until Sept. 13, continues to be driven by public health considerations. He stressed that travelers should abide by it as both a matter of safety and respect to transportation workers. The FAA says reports of unruly passenger behavior has been on the rise this year as more travelers return to the skies. Buttigieg spoke on ABC's “This Week” and CNN's “State of the Union.”Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

They represent two closely contested Sun Belt states. But Georgia's Democratic senators are taking more progressive positions, while Arizona's are opting for a more centrist approach.

Republicans in the Senate Rules Committee rejected an amendment to the For The People Act that would ban states from restricting volunteers from handing out food or water to people standing in line to vote. The amendment was proposed by Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia – where Republicans have recently passed a law that criminalises giving out food and water to voters at the polls – as part of his Voter Access to Water Act. Republicans have claimed that allowing people to hand out food and water would encourage electioneering at the polls, which is already illegal.

Before his first in-person political rally as president, Biden visited former president Jimmy Carter at his home.

Anchor, CBS News Streaming Network

Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who is running for reelection, speaks during a campaign event at Peachtree Dekalb Airport in Atlanta, Ga., on Monday, November 2, 2020. Georgia Republican David Perdue said Tuesday he will not mount a new bid for the Senate in 2022, abruptly ending speculation he had stoked just one week earlier. The seat is held by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of two Georgia runoffs on Jan. 5. The victories by Ossoff and Warnock delivered effective control of the Senate to Democrats by the narrowest or margins. Perdue's potential challenge in 2022 was expected to be against Warnock, who is serving out the term of Republican ex-Sen. Johnny Isakson.

With Ossoff, Padilla and Warnock seated, Democrats hold the narrowest possible majority in the Senate. New Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday that lawmakers would get to work on implementing the "lengthy agenda" set by President Biden, such as addressing the coronavirus pandemic. Schumer said that the Senate would work differently under a Democratic majority, implicitly drawing a contrast with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who as majority leader blocked several bills passed in the House from moving forward in the Senate. However, in his first speech as minority leader, McConnell indicated that he did not believe Democrats had a mandate, given their narrow majority in the Senate. Democrats will have such a narrow majority in the Senate that it could be difficult for Congress to pass some of Mr. Biden's legislative priorities.

Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Alex Padilla of California took office, bringing the Senate party split to 50-50. Democrats took control of the Senate on Wednesday when three new members of the party were sworn in, giving a boost to President Joe Biden 's ambitions in the White House. Though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats will decide what the Senate pursues, they face a challenge in finding Republican support to pass most legislation. This will be an exceptionally busy and consequential period for the United States Senate," Schumer said in his first speech as majority leader. Some Democrats have called to get rid of the tool to allow bills to pass with a simple majority vote.

That will help President-elect Joe Biden push his legislative agenda, and higher taxes are expected to be a major part of his plans The estate tax could be a prime target for Democrats. Households will file about 4,100 federal estate tax returns for people who died in 2020 — only approximately 1,900 of them will be taxable, according to estimates from the Tax Policy Center. Alvina Lo chief wealth strategist for Wilmington TrustThose returns could generate roughly $16 billion in estate tax liability for 2020, the center estimated. "Even with a Democratic president, House and Senate, the estate tax may not be at the top of their agenda," she said. In other words, the window to use the huge exemption to avoid estate taxes may remain open for another year.

Faith leaders condemn attack on U.S. Capitol Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II joins CBSN to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol and what Raphael Warnock's and Jon Ossoff's historic Senate victories mean for the incoming Biden administration.

Just two months later, Georgia voters made history again in two competitive runoff elections by sending Democrats to the Senate for the first time in two decades. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, will be the first Black senator from Georgia. Strong turnout from Black voters and other voters of color fueled Warnock and Ossoff's historic wins in Georgia – the culmination of on-the-ground organizing and voter mobilization efforts years in the making. More than 4.4 million ballots have already been counted in the runoffs, shattering turnout records for such elections in Georgia. Roughly 30% of the registered voters in Georgia are Black and 92% of Black voters supported the Democratic Senate candidates, according to NBC exit polls.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock's projected historic wins come on the heels of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Georgia in November. While these numbers are impressive for a runoff, they did not match the even larger rates in more Democratic counties. While it was a small chunk of the electorate, accounting for 4% of the early vote, every vote is critical in tight races. Six in 10 of these new early voters were under 40, and four in 10 were Black — groups that were favorable to Ossoff and Warnock. An analysis by Charles Stewart of MIT showed Warnock over-performed Ossoff by relatively more in Democratic precincts and in precincts with more White voters, suggesting that straight-ticket Democratic voting was less common among White voters than among Black voters.

Historic wins tip control of U.S. Senate to Democrats Democrat Jon Ossoff beats incumbent Georgia Senator David Perdue while Democrat Raphael Warnock is the projected winner in the state's other runoff against incumbent Kelly Loeffler. Neither Perdue nor Loeffler have conceded. Mark Strassmann reports.

Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff picked up two Senate seats in Georgia, and those victories won control of the U.S. Senate for their party. Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock received over 90% of their support, which was even higher than the 88% who voted for Joe Biden in November. Ossoff and Warnock each got the support of two-thirds of voters under 30, compared to Biden's 56% in November. Just like November, seven in 10 White voters voted Republicans, including majorities of both White men and White women, and White voters of all age groups and education levels, and overwhelmingly by White evangelicals, who made up more than a third of all voters. The survey included in-person interviews with Election Day voters, those at early voting locations and phone interviews that measured the views of absentee/by mail voters and early voters.

Democrats secure Senate control as Warnock, Ossoff clinch Georgia runoffs Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won the Georgia runoffs, handing control of the Senate to Democrats. Mark Strassmann reports from Atlanta, including analysis from CBS News political correspondent Ed O'Keefe and CBS News' chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett.

Without a GOP-controlled Senate, Biden has greater leeway to pass climate change legislation. The goals of Biden's climate plan are in line with targets set by other major economies including China and the European Union. But experts are optimistic for some broader bipartisan-backed climate legislation to pass in upcoming years. Additionally, one of Biden's earliest expected executive orders would require that every government agency and department tackle climate change. "President-elect Biden and the administration he is building understand this and are ready to act," Deatrick said.

Jon Ossoff will win his Georgia Senate runoff race, CBS News projects, beating incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue. Ossoff, 33, will be the youngest Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate since President-elect Joe Biden, who assumed office in 1973 at the age of 30. When he was sworn in, Mr. Biden became the sixth youngest senator ever at 30 years, 1 month, and 14 days. Former Oklahoma Senator Don Nickels, a Republican, was the youngest senator since Biden when he was sworn in at 32 years old in 1981. He is the youngest Republican ever elected to the Senate.

Ossoff and Warnock are the first Democrats Georgia has sent to the Senate since 2005, another signal that Georgia may be turning blue after President-elect Joe Biden won the state in November. This dynamic will make it easier for Mr. Biden to begin implementing his agenda upon entering office. It all but guarantees that Mr. Biden's Cabinet nominees will be confirmed quickly, without a Republican majority to delay the process. The Republican majority in the Senate had previously blocked dozens of President Obama's nominations in the waning years of his term. With Democrats in control of the Senate, Mr. Biden will see his judicial nominees confirmed for the next two years at least.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff of Georgia speaks to supporters during a rally on November 15, 2020 in Marietta, Georgia. Ossoff faces incumbent U.S. Sen. David Purdue (R-GA) in one of two January 5 runoffs for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. Democrat Jon Ossoff beat Republican David Perdue in one of Georgia's two Senate runoffs, NBC News projected Wednesday, sealing his party's control of Congress and the White House. The victories set up a 50-50 split in the Senate, giving Democrats a slim majority with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote. He and Warnock — who will become the first African American senator from Georgia and the third sitting Black senator — sealed the first Democratic Senate majority since 2014.

Jessica McGowan | Getty ImagesDemocrats will now have a narrow lead in the Senate, which may give President-elect Joe Biden's tax plan a better chance at passing. Increasing the top individual income tax rate to 39.6%: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set a top marginal individual income tax rate of 37%. Biden's proposal would tax unrealized capital gains. Biden's proposal calls for lowering this limit to $3.5 million per individual in bequeaths and $1 million in gifts. The corporate tax rate is currently 21%, but Biden's proposal calls for increasing it to 28%.

A $15 federal minimum wage edged closer after Tuesday's Georgia runoff election, which seems likely to flip Senate control and unify government under the Democratic Party. Such a pay boost would more than double the current federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, but would likely face resistance from some Republicans and business groups. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, won the U.S. Senate runoff in Georgia on Tuesday, beating the Republican incumbent, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, according to NBC News projections. Democratic victories in those contests would give Democrats control of the Senate, the House and the presidency. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who typically votes with Democrats, said in a Tuesday tweet that a $15 minimum wage was at stake in Georgia's runoff election.

Georgia runoffs and the path ahead for Democrats and Republicans CBS News projects Democrat Raphael Warnock will beat out Senator Kelly Loeffler in Georgia, while votes are still being counted in the runoff between Jon Ossoff and GOP Senator David Perdue. Political contributors Leslie Sanchez and Antjuan Seawright spoke joined CBSN to discuss about the futures of the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the effort by some GOP lawmakers in Congress to object to Electoral College votes.

Democratic candidates for Senate Jon Ossoff (L) and Raphael Warnock (R) bump elbows on stage during a rally with US President-elect Joe Biden outside Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 4, 2021. The U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia currently point to a victory for Democrats. That could also mean a win for one issue that has become more prominent in recent days — $2,000 stimulus checks. The idea of the $2,000 checks was a big issue in the Georgia races. Raphael Warnock who ran against incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and Democrat Jon Ossoff who faced off against Republican Sen. David Perdue.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Georgia's runoff election "changes everything" during a Wednesday briefing, saying shifts in the Senate will return money to New York and help the state fight the spread of the coronavirus. An Ossoff win would give the Senate a 50-50 split along party lines, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tie-breaker vote. And New Yorkers have been crime victims as far as I'm concerned by the theft of the federal government," he said. The state saw its first confirmed diagnosis of the new, apparently more contagious virus variant this week, detected in Saratoga Springs. Total coronavirus hospitalizations in the state Wednesday stood at 8,655 and there were 161 new deaths due to the virus.

Jon Ossoff claims victory in close Georgia Senate race as vote count continues Democrat Jon Ossoff claimed victory in the Georgia Senate runoff race against Republican Senator David Perdue as votes were still being counted. CBS News has not yet projected a winner in the race, but Ossoff held a razor-thin margin over Perdue on Wednesday morning. Watch Ossoff's remarks.

Trump and Republicans face reckoning as Democrats turn out in Georgia CBS News projecting Democrat Raphael Warnock will win his Georgia Senate runoff, but the other election between Democratic Jon Ossoff and Republican Senator David Perdue is still too close to call. Now, Republicans and President Trump face a reckoning after losing the White House and possibly the Senate. CBS News senior national correspondent Mark Strassmann reports from Decatur, Georgia, and CBSN political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns joins CBSN from Atlanta with the latest developments.

Democrat Jon Ossoff declared victory Wednesday morning in one of two Georgia Senate runoff elections. CBS News, however, has not projected a winner in the race, although Ossoff currently holds a slight edge over his Republican opponent David Perdue. "This campaign has been about health and jobs and justice for the people of this state, for all the people of this state, and they will be my guiding principles as I serve this state," Ossoff said. Noting the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Ossoff urged Georgians to "unite now to beat this," and vowed to support economic relief to both the state and the American people. Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff speaks with members of the media at Dunbar Neighborhood Center on January 05, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Warnock projected to beat Loeffler, Ossoff gains edge over Perdue in Georgia Senate runoffs Democrats have picked up at least one Senate seat in Georgia's special elections, according to CBS News data. CBS News projects Reverend Raphael Warnock has defeated his Republican opponent, incumbent Senator Kelly Loeffler, while, Jon Ossoff is now taking the lead over Republican incumbent Senator David Perdue. Mark Strassmann reports.

How outcome of Georgia Senate runoffs could affect Biden's agenda If both Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff can prevail in Tuesday's runoff election, Democrats would take control of the Senate. CBS News correspondent Nikole Killion joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano to discuss how the outcome of these races could impact President-elect Joe Biden's chances of moving legislation through Congress.