Video above: Thousands rally in U.S. demanding action on gun laws

Senate negotiators in both parties are pushing to announce as soon as Sunday the outlines of an agreement on new measures to address gun violence, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The sources underscore that the agreement is in principle only and that thorny legislative text is not yet written.

Still, the agreement would be significant given how divided lawmakers have been over the gun issue, even in the wake of a series of devastating mass shootings, including one that killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

One source with knowledge of the discussions said negotiators are hoping to get 10 Republican senators to sign on to the agreement before it is announced, in order to show they can overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold. The Senate is currently evenly divided between the Democratic and GOP conferences with 50 seats each.

Sources involved in the talks said the agreement outline includes providing funding to incentivize states to implement "red flag" laws, an expansion of mental health services by growing a 10-state pilot program for behavioral health services to all 50 states, allowing juvenile records to be searched during background checks for those under 21 years of age, and funding for school security measures. It would also change the background check system to better crack down on criminals who evade that system by using smaller "hobbyists" to illegally buy guns.

The agreement is not expected to include a number of provisions pushed by President Joe Biden and gun control advocates, namely a renewal of the so-called assault weapons ban and raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.

The four main Senate negotiators -- Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina -- have been in talks all weekend to hammer out the final details and have also been in discussions with a larger bipartisan group of negotiators.

The House voted 223-204 last week to pass a wide-ranging package of gun control legislation called the Protecting Our Kids Act. The measure is not expected to pass the Senate, however, amid widespread GOP opposition to stricter gun control.

Passage of the legislation in the House took place hours after an emotional hearing on gun violence in which families of victims pleaded for more action.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Sunday praised the Senate negotiators for their work on the legislation but stopped short of voicing his support for the forthcoming package.

"Well, we would certainly vote on it and work on it," he said on "State of the Union" when asked if would vote for the bill, adding: "It's moving in the right direction. We're glad the Senate is finally awake about this."

ATLANTA —

Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker acknowledged on Wednesday that he has a son whom he has not previously mentioned publicly, a disclosure that draws renewed attention to his previous outspoken calls for Black men to play an active role in the lives of their children.

Walker's campaign confirmed the existence of his 10-year-old son after The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that the boy's mother had taken Walker to court in 2014 to establish paternity and to get child support payments.

"Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn't married. He's supported the child and continues to do so," Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise said in a statement Wednesday. "He's proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is 'hiding' the child because he hasn't used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd."

Walker sends Christmas and birthday presents to the boy but has not played an active role in raising him, the Daily Beast reported, citing an unnamed person close to the son's family with direct knowledge of the events.

The Walker campaign did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about his involvement in the boy's life.

Walker has repeatedly criticized absentee fathers over the years, holding up his relationship with his older son, Christian Walker, whose mother is Walker's former wife, Cindy Grossman. Walker has said he worked with his ex-wife and current wife to raise Christian.

"I want all African Americans to know, even though you may leave the mom, don't leave the child," Walker told WABE-TV's "Love and Respect with Killer Mike" on May 27. "Continue to be a dad, continue to be a strong figure in that child's life, because that happens, that happens. I said, 'I'm going to continue to raise him, and be right there with him.'"

Walker faces Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November in a critical battleground state that could be key to determining party control of the chamber. Warnock helped flip the Senate to Democrats after he and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won a pair of runoff elections in early 2021.

Walker, who has been endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has faced criticism throughout the campaign about whether he's been truthful about his past.

Walker drew attention for his past mental health struggles, as well as allegations that he threatened his ex-wife's life. He's dramatically inflated his record as a businessman and overstated his role in a for-profit program that is alleged to have preyed on veterans while defrauding the government. And his claim that he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to a 1980 championship, was also untrue. He didn't graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.

In the statement that acknowledged paternity, Walker's campaign accused Warnock of engaging in "both a nasty mudslinging campaign and a nasty custody dispute with his ex-wife."

"This is a complete double standard," Paradise said.

Warnock's ex-wife, whom he divorced in 2020, said in court filings in February that Warnock wasn't upholding his end of the shared custody agreement of their two children and asked the court to order Warnock to pay more in child support, arguing that his income had risen.

Warnock's campaign said the senator is a "devoted father."

"Rev. Warnock is a devoted father who is proud to continue to co-parent his two children as he works for the people of Georgia," said campaign spokesperson Meredith Brasher.

After the House passed a bill on Tuesday recognizing same-sex and interracial marriages at the federal level, the question now moves to the Senate.

In order to make it to President Joe Biden's desk, 10 Senate Republicans would have to approve.

On Tuesday, 47 House Republicans voted with Democrats in support of the legislation, which is a direct response to growing concern over a conservative Supreme Court that appears to many as possibly poised to nullify marriage equality in the U.S.

Several Senate Republicans expressed an openness to supporting such a measure.

"I'm looking at the bill and I probably will," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told CNN.

"That'll be up to Sen. Schumer, but if, and when he brings a bill to the floor, you know, we'll take a hard look at it," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. "I think it's, as you saw, there was pretty bipartisan and support in the house yesterday. And I would expect there would probably be same thing you'd see in the Senate."

Senate minority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, was not willing to publicly state a position on the measure on Tuesday.

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in the Obergefell v. Hodges case that same-sex marriage cannot be banned by states.

The legislation is a preemptive attempt to solidify gay and interracial marriage rights nationwide. House Democrats say there is a possibility that the conservative Supreme Court could reverse same-sex and interracial marriage and contraception rights at the national level the same way it overturned Roe v. Wade, which includes leaving the question of legal abortions to the various U.S. states.

“The Supreme Court’s extremist and precedent-ignoring decision in Dobbs v. Jackson has shown us why it is critical to ensure that federal law protects those whose constitutional rights might be threatened by Republican-controlled state legislatures,” said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. “LGBTQ Americans and those in interracial marriages deserve to have certainty that they will continue to have their right to equal marriage recognized, no matter where they live, should the Court act on Justice Thomas’ draconian suggestion that the 2013 United States v. Windsor and 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges rulings be reconsidered or if it were to overturn Loving v. Virginia.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested the Supreme Court was wrong in Obergefell v. Hodges, saying the decision to permit gay marriage should be left to states.

“In Obergefell, the court said, 'No, we know better than you guys do, and now every state must, must sanction and permit gay marriage.' I think that decision was clearly wrong when it was decided. It was the court overreaching,” he said on his podcast. 

Writing the majority opinion in the abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the Supreme Court should revisit past cases.

“In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. Because any substantive due process decision is ‘demonstrably erroneous,’ we have a duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents,” Thomas wrote.

WASHINGTON —

Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage Sunday, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing immense corporations.

The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden's priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

“It's been a long, tough and winding road, but at last, at last we have arrived,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ahead of final votes.

“The Senate is making history. I am confident the Inflation Reduction Act will endure as one of the defining legislative measures of the 21st century.”

Senators engaged in a round-the-clock marathon of voting that began Saturday and stretched late into Sunday afternoon. Democrats swatted down some three dozen Republican amendments designed to torpedo the legislation. Confronting unanimous GOP opposition, Democratic unity in the 50-50 chamber held, keeping the party on track for a morale-boosting victory three months from elections when congressional control is at stake.

“I think it’s gonna pass,” Biden told reporters as he left the White House early Sunday to go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, ending his COVID-19 isolation. The House seemed likely to provide final congressional approval when it returns briefly from summer recess on Friday.

The bill ran into trouble midday over objections to the new 15% corporate minimum tax that private equity firms and other industries disliked, forcing last-minute changes.

Despite the momentary setback, the “Inflation Reduction Act” gives Democrats a campaign-season showcase for action on coveted goals. It includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change — close to $400 billion — caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. By raising corporate taxes, the whole package is paid for, with some $300 billion extra revenue for deficit reduction.

Barely more than one-tenth the size of Biden’s initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion rainbow of progressive aspirations in his Build Back Better initiative, the new package abandons earlier proposals for universal preschool, paid family leave and expanded child care aid. That plan collapsed after conservative Sen. Joe. Manchin, D-W.Va., opposed it, saying it was too costly and would fuel inflation.

Nonpartisan analysts have said the “Inflation Reduction Act” would have a minor effect on surging consumer prices.

Republicans said the measure would undermine an economy that policymakers are struggling to keep from plummeting into recession. They said the bill's business taxes would hurt job creation and force prices skyward, making it harder for people to cope with the nation's worst inflation since the 1980s.

“Democrats have already robbed American families once through inflation, and now their solution is to rob American families a second time," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued. He said spending and tax increases in the legislation would eliminate jobs while having an insignificant impact on inflation and climate change.

In an ordeal imposed on all budget bills like this one, the Senate had to endure an overnight “vote-a-rama” of rapid-fire amendments. Each tested Democrats' ability to hold together a compromise negotiated by Schumer, progressives, Manchin and the inscrutable centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.

Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., offered amendments to further expand the legislation's health benefits, and those efforts were defeated. Most votes were forced by Republicans and many were designed to make Democrats look soft on U.S.-Mexico border security and gasoline and energy costs, and like bullies for wanting to strengthen IRS tax law enforcement.

Before debate began Saturday, the bill's prescription drug price curbs were diluted by the Senate's nonpartisan parliamentarian. Elizabeth MacDonough, who referees questions about the chamber's procedures, said a provision should fall that would impose costly penalties on drug makers whose price increases for private insurers exceed inflation.

It was the bill's chief protection for the 180 million people with private health coverage they get through work or purchase themselves. Under special procedures that will let Democrats pass their bill by simple majority without the usual 60-vote margin, its provisions must be focused more on dollar-and-cents budget numbers than policy changes.

But the thrust of their pharmaceutical price language remained. That included letting Medicare negotiate what it pays for drugs for its 64 million elderly recipients, penalizing manufacturers for exceeding inflation for pharmaceuticals sold to Medicare and limiting beneficiaries' out-of-pocket drug costs to $2,000 annually.

The bill also caps Medicare patients' costs for insulin, the expensive diabetes medication, at $35 monthly. Democrats wanted to extend the $35 cap to private insurers but it ran afoul of Senate rules. Most Republicans voted to strip it from the package, though in a sign of the political potency of health costs seven GOP senators joined Democrats trying to preserve it.

The measure's final costs were being recalculated to reflect late changes, but overall it would raise more than $700 billion over a decade. The money would come from a 15% minimum tax on a handful of corporations with yearly profits above $1 billion, a 1% tax on companies that repurchase their own stock, bolstered IRS tax collections and government savings from lower drug costs.

Sinema forced Democrats to drop a plan to prevent wealthy hedge fund managers from paying less than individual income tax rates for their earnings. She also joined with other Western senators to win $4 billion to combat the region's drought.

Several Democratic senators joined the GOP-led effort to exclude some firms from the new corporate minimum tax.

The package keeps to Biden's pledge not to raise taxes on those earning less than $400,000 a year.

It was on the energy and environment side that compromise was most evident between progressives and Manchin, a champion of fossil fuels and his state's coal industry.

Clean energy would be fostered with tax credits for buying electric vehicles and manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines. There would be home energy rebates, funds for constructing factories building clean energy technology and money to promote climate-friendly farm practices and reduce pollution in minority communities.

Manchin won billions to help power plants lower carbon emissions plus language requiring more government auctions for oil drilling on federal land and waters. Party leaders also promised to push separate legislation this fall to accelerate permits for energy projects, which Manchin wants to include a nearly completed natural gas pipeline in his state.

While the likelihood of Democrats holding onto the House appears to be slim based on polling and historic trends, the party is hoping to maintain control of the Senate.

The current balance of power is split 50/50, but Vice President Kamala Harris acts as a tiebreaker in favor of the Democrats. In total, 35 seats are open in next week's midterm election.

Midterm elections have not been kind to the party of the sitting president in recent elections. That would be good news for Republicans. But it’s been six years since the current crop of senators was last elected in a year that was favorable for Republicans.

Through special elections, Democrats picked up Senate seats in Arizona and Georgia. The result could mean that the Democrats could hang onto the Senate simply by holding onto the seats they have now. They also could potentially pick up seats in states such as Pennsylvania or Wisconsin.

But Republicans are hoping to win back seats in Arizona and Georgia, among others.

Here is a look at the 10 seats that will decide the election. Currently, five of these seats are held by Democrats and five are held by Republicans. If Democrats win five of these seats, they will likely remain in control of the Senate.

Arizona

Democrat: Mark Kelly* Incumbent
Republican: Blake Masters 

Recent Polling

New York Times/Sienna: Kelly leads 51-45

Kelly was elected in a special election in 2020, defeating Martha McSally by a 51-48 margin. He is a former astronaut and the husband of Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot at a town hall event in 2011. Masters, a venture capitalist and author, seeks his first political office.

Colorado

Democrat: Michael Bennet* Incumbent
Republican: Joe O’Dea

Recent Polling

Marist: Bennet leads 49-43

Bennet gained some name recognition after making a brief presidential run before the 2020 election. Bennet is running for his third full term after first being appointed to the seat in 2009. Unlike many other Republicans, O’Dea has largely shied away from former President Donald Trump, stating he would not back Trump in a potential run in 2024.

Florida

Democrat: Val Demings
Republican: Marco Rubio* Incumbent

Recent Polling

University of North Florida: Rubio leads 54-43

This one is probably the longest shot for Democrats. Rubio has seen his lead grow in recent polls. It also helps that the Republican Party has become stronger in Florida in recent election cycles. Demings is a three-term member of the U.S. House who was widely rumored to be among Biden’s possible running mates in 2020.

Georgia

Democrat: Raphael Warnock* Incumbent
Republican: Herschel Walker

Recent Polling

New York Times/Sienna: Warnock leads 49-46

Warnock won narrowly in a special election in early 2021, becoming the first Black person to represent Georgia in the Senate. Although the incumbent and former pastor led in the New York Times poll, other polls have shown the race tied or with Walker leading slightly. Although reports have surfaced that Walker paid for a woman to have an abortion, it appears his polling has improved in the weeks since.

Nevada

Democrat: Catherine Cortez Masto* Incumbent
Republican: Adam Laxalt

Recent Polling

New York Times/Sienna: Tie

Cortez Masto had giant shoes to fill replacing Democrat Harry Reid, who led the Democratic caucus from 2007-17. She narrowly defeated Joe Heck in 2016 in one of the few battleground states Democrats held. While inflation has been a major issue in this year’s Senate campaign, it’s especially an issue in Nevada, where average gas prices remain more than $1 higher than the national average. Laxalt is the state’s former attorney general who narrowly lost a gubernatorial bid in 2018. He then went on to lead Trump’s reelection bid in the state.

New Hampshire

Democrat: Maggie Hassan* Incumbent
Republican: Don Bolduc

Recent Polling

WHDH/Emerson: Hassan leads 48-45

Hassan won by a very narrow margin in 2016, defeating incumbent Ayotte by just .1%. Hassan may need to pull out a similar victory for her to remain in the Senate. Bolduc is a former general in the U.S. Army. He recently garnered attention for repeating false claims that schools have litter boxes for children to use.

North Carolina

Democrat: Cheri Beasley
Republican: Ted Budd

*Incumbent Sen. Richard Burr not running for reelection

Recent Polling

Marist: Budd leads 49-45

North Carolina was among six states that President Donald Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020, helping Democrats expand their footprint. Republicans hope to reclaim a state that has voted Republican in every Senate election since 2008. As a member of the U.S. House, Budd was among the 147 who objected to the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden. Beasley has experience in narrow elections, barely winning her spot as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court by 401 votes out of nearly 5.4 million cast.

Ohio

Democrat: Tim Ryan
Republican: J.D. Vance

*Incumbent Sen. Rob Portman not running for reelection

Recent Polling

Marist: Tie

Vance was trailing in the polls ahead of the May Republican primary before Trump endorsed the author. Meanwhile, Ryan has attempted to distance himself from Democratic leaders by running as a moderate candidate. While the state generally leans Republican, polling shows a tight race, which could result in Democrats holding both Senate seats in a generally red state.

Pennsylvania

Democrat: John Fetterman
Republican: Mehmet Oz

Incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey not running for reelection

Recent Polling

New York Times/Sienna: Fetterman leads 49-44

If Democrats hope to add to their number of seats in the Senate, Pennsylvania would be the first place to go. The race has attracted much attention as Fetterman had a stroke in the days leading up to the Democratic primary. Oz, a doctor who hosted a medical TV show, survived a hotly contested GOP primary. While Fetterman once held a modest lead in polling, many recent polls have shown a race within the margin of error.

Wisconsin

Democrat: Mandela Barnes
Republican: Ron Johnson* Incumbent

Recent Polling

CNN: Johnson leads 50-49

Johnson is attempting to claim his third term in the Senate, and after a summer that showed unfavorable polling, the incumbent senator has held a slight edge recently. Barnes saw a surge in support in the summer following the Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down Roe v. Wade. In the months since, Johnson has seen his numbers bounce back. In hopes of keeping his campaign from sinking, Barnes campaigned with former President Barack Obama.

For more updates on outstanding races across the country, click here.Control of the Senate hinged on a series of tight races Wednesday after a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative victories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden’s leadership.Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Arizona — where the races were too early to call. But there was a strong possibility that, for the second time in two years, the Senate majority could come down to a runoff in Georgia next month, with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker failing to earn enough votes to win outright.In Pennsylvania, Democrats won the governorship and Senate in the key battleground state. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke five months ago, flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat, topping Trump-endorsed Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. In the governor’s race Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro beat Republican Doug Mastriano, an election denier who some feared would not certify a Democratic presidential win in the state in 2024.Georgia, meanwhile, was set for yet another runoff on Dec. 6. In 2021, Warnock used a runoff to win his seat as did Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — which gave Democrats control of the Senate. Both Warnock and Walker were already fundraising off the race stretching into a second round.Both Republicans and Democratic incumbents maintained key Senate seats. In Wisconsin, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson prevailed over Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, while in New Hampshire, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassen beat Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had initially promoted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election but tried to shift away those views closer to Election Day.

JUNEAU, Alaska —

Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won reelection, defeating Donald Trump-endorsed GOP rival Kelly Tshibaka.

Murkowski beat Tshibaka in the Nov. 8 ranked choice election. The results were announced Wednesday, when elections officials tabulated the ranked choice results after neither candidate won more than 50% of first-choice votes.

The race also included Democrat Pat Chesbro and Republican Buzz Kelley, who suspended his campaign after the August primary and endorsed Tshibaka.

Murkowski was the only Senate Republican who voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial last year who was on the ballot this year. Trump was not convicted. But her vote was a sore point for the former president, who vowed to campaign against her.

In 2020, before that year's election and far before Tshibaka jumped into the Senate race, Trump announced plans to campaign against Murkowski after she criticized him: "Get any candidate ready, good or bad, I don't care, I'm endorsing. If you have a pulse, I'm with you!"

He appeared at a rally in Anchorage in July for Tshibaka and Sarah Palin, whose run for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat he endorsed. He more recently participated in a telerally for Tshibaka in late October. Tshibaka, who worked in federal inspectors general offices before leading the Alaska Department of Administration for two years, credited Trump with helping to raise her name recognition and give her candidacy a boost.

Murkowski, who was censured by state Republican party leaders last year for offenses that included her impeachment vote, paid little attention to Trump during a campaign in which she emphasized a willingness to work across party lines and focused on her record and seniority. Murkowski, a moderate who has been in the Senate since 2002, is the most senior member of Alaska's congressional delegation following the death in March of Republican Rep. Don Young, who held Alaska's House seat for 49 years.

Murkowski is no stranger to tough reelection fights. She won a general election write-in campaign in 2010 after losing her party primary that year to a tea party Republican. Coming into this race, she had never won a general election with more than 50% of the vote.

This year's elections were held under a new system approved by voters in 2020 that replaced party primaries with open primaries and instituted ranked voting in general elections. Under the open primary system, the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.

Tshibaka criticized a super PAC aligned with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for running ads against her when she said those resources could have been used to help Republicans in other states.

She said she "ranked the red," or the Republican candidates, on her ballot — but not in the Senate race. She said she did not consider Murkowski a "red" candidate.

"I didn't vote her either," Murkowski said on Election Day.

ATLANTA —

Polls began to close Tuesday night in the country's final Senate contest, as Georgia voters await a winner in the runoff election between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican football legend Herschel Walker.

The contest will determine whether Democrats gain an outright 51-49 Senate majority or retain their bare control of a 50-50 chamber based on Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote. Last year, runoff victories by Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff gave the party that razor-thin edge.

Click here to see election results from sister station WJCL.

In the November election, Warnock led Walker by about 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million but fell shy of a majority, triggering the second round of voting. About 1.9 million runoff votes already had been cast by mail and during early voting, an advantage for Democrats whose voters more commonly cast ballots this way. Republicans typically fare better on Election Day itself.

The extended campaign became a bitter fight between two Black men in a major Southern state: Warnock, the state’s first Black senator and the senior minister of the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, and Walker, a former University of Georgia football star and political novice backed by former President Donald Trump.

A Warnock victory would solidify Georgia’s status as a battleground heading into the 2024 presidential election. A win for Walker, however, could be an indication of Democratic weakness, especially given that Georgia Republicans swept every other statewide contest last month.

Walker awaited results Tuesday night at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta, while Warnock was at a hotel less than a mile away.

Video above: What to watch in Tuesday's Georgia Senate runoff

Last month, Walker, 60, ran more than 200,000 votes behind Republican Gov. Brian Kemp after a campaign dogged by his meandering campaign speeches and by damaging allegations, including claims that he paid for two former girlfriends’ abortions — accusations that he denied.

Voting went smoothly Tuesday, despite some cold, rainy conditions in some parts early in the day. Stephanie Jackson Ali, policy director for the progressive New Georgia Project Action Fund, said the group had seen few issues around the state, with lines advancing and equipment issues being addressed promptly.

Voting Tuesday in Atlanta, Tom Callaway praised the Republican Party's strength in Georgia and said he’d supported Kemp in the opening round of voting. But he cast his ballot for Warnock because he didn't think “Herschel Walker has the credentials to be a senator.”

“I didn’t believe he had a statement of what he really believed in or had a campaign that made sense,” Callaway said.

Warnock, whose 2021 victory was in a special election to serve out the remainder of GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson's term, said he believed he had convinced enough voters, including independents and moderate Republicans, that he deserved a full term.

“They know this race is about competence and character,” Warnock said. Walker, too, predicted victory and likened the contest to his leading Georgia to the 1980 national championship: “I love winning championships.”

Video above: Raphael Warnock prepares for Georgia Senate runoff watch party

Total spending on the seat this cycle approached $400 million by Tuesday, a staggering figure even for such a populous state with an expensive major media market like Atlanta.

For months, the senator focused on his work in the Senate and his status as senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. However, beginning with the closing stretch before the Nov. 8 general election, he added withering takedowns of Walker, using the football star’s rocky past to argue that the political newcomer was “not fit” for high office.

Walker countered by seeking to portray Warnock as too beholden to President Joe Biden. He even accused Warnock of “being on his knees, begging” at the White House, a searing charge for a Black challenger to level against a Black senator about his relationship with a white president.

Video above: Herschel Walker prepares for Georgia Senate runoff watch party

A multimillionaire businessman, Walker has inflated his philanthropic activities and business achievements, including claiming that his company employed hundreds of people and grossed tens of millions of dollars in sales annually, even though records indicate he had eight employees and averaged about $1.5 million a year. He has suggested that he’s worked as a law enforcement officer and graduated college, though he has done neither.

Walker was also forced to acknowledge during the campaign that he had fathered three children out of wedlock whom he had never before spoken about publicly — in conflict with his yearslong criticism of absentee fathers and his calls for Black men, in particular, to play an active role in their kids’ lives.

His ex-wife said Walker once held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. He has never denied those specifics and wrote of his violent tendencies in a 2008 memoir that attributed the behavior to mental illness.

Warnock promoted his Senate accomplishments, touting a provision he sponsored to cap insulin costs for Medicare patients. He hailed deals on infrastructure and maternal health care forged with Republican senators, mentioning those GOP colleagues more than he did Biden or other Washington Democrats.

After the general election, Biden, who has struggled with low approval ratings, promised to help Warnock in any way he could, even if it meant staying away from Georgia. Warnock campaigned instead with former President Barack Obama.

Wary of possible backlash, Walker avoided campaigning with Trump until the campaign’s final day, when the pair conducted a conference call Monday with supporters.

Walker’s candidacy was the GOP’s last chance to flip a Senate seat this year. Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, Blake Masters of Arizona, Adam Laxalt of Nevada and Don Bolduc of New Hampshire, all Trump loyalists, lost competitive Senate races that Republicans considered part of their path to a majority.

Walker separated himself from Trump in one notable way. Trump has spent two years falsely claiming that his loss in Georgia and nationally was fraudulent, despite being rebuked by numerous federal and local officials and a long list of courts.

At his lone debate against Warnock in October, Walker was asked whether he’d accept the results even if he lost. He replied with one word: “Yes.”

___

Associated Press Writer Ron Harris contributed to this report.

A senator from Washington is second in line for the presidency. Sen. Patty Murray moved up in the line of succession after being sworn in Tuesday as Senate president pro tempore.

That position is typically third in the line of succession, after Speaker of the House. However, Republicans failed to elect a speaker on Tuesday and it's unclear when someone will receive the 218 votes to assume the role.

Murray, 72, has been in office since 1993. She is the first woman to serve as Senate president pro tempore. In her position, she is authorized to preside over the Senate, sign legislation and issue the oath of office to new senators.

Murray will move back down to third in line for the presidency after the Speaker of the House is elected.

Order of presidential succession:

1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
5. Secretary of the Treasury
6. Secretary of Defense
7. Attorney General
8. Secretary of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10. Secretary of Commerce
11. Secretary of Labor
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
14. Secretary of Transportation
15. Secretary of Energy
16. Secretary of Education
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
18. Secretary of Homeland Security

Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday that she will not run for reelection in 2024, but will serve out the remainder of her term.

The Democrat said she will spend her remaining time in the Senate working on issues she campaigned on in 2018, including combating wildfires, responding to the homeless crisis, and ensuring all Americans have access to health care.

"Congress has enacted legislation on all of these topics over the past several years, but more needs to be done – and I will continue these efforts," Feinstein said in a statement.

Feinstein, 89, is a historic political figure. In 1992, she became the first woman from California to be elected to the Senate. She was also the first woman ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committe and the first woman chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Feinstein is a major supporter of gun control legislation, and she said she will continue "fight the epidemic of gun violence."

"That’s what I’ve done for the last 30 years, and that’s what I plan to do for the next two years," Feinstein said.

The senator's announcement was not unexpected. Two Democrats had already announced their intention to run for the seat.

Rep. Katie Porter promised to keep her campaign a "grassroots" effort and said she would refuse corporate PAC money, donations from federal lobbyists, and money from executives of oil and pharmaceutical companies.

Rep. Adam Schiff also announced last month that he would run for the Senate seat. Cornerstones of his campaign include "protecting democracy," combating climate change and taxing the rich.

Senator John Fetterman’s candid approach to his struggles with mental health is unusual on Capitol Hill, where issues with members’ health are frequently kept hidden from the public.

But Fetterman’s openness has led to praise from mental health advocates, fellow members of Congress, and President Joe Biden, who said in a tweet, "We’re grateful to you for leading by example." 

Such mental health struggles in politics are not new — but they’re not mentioned often.  

In 1972, U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton was forced to bow out as the vice presidential pick for Democratic nominee George McGovern after his mental health struggles became public.

And in 2007, then-Congressman Patrick Kennedy opened up on Larry King live about his struggles with mental health.   

After a late-night car crash on Capitol Hill, the Rhode Island Democrat pled guilty in 2006 to charges of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.  

Since departing Congress, he founded the Kennedy Forum, which he describes as a think tank focused on mental health and addiction policy. 

"I think Senator Fetterman, simply by checking himself in saying he needs help and going to get that help, is going to probably help more people in that single act than any other bill that he sponsors or acts that he passes in Congress this year for sure," Kennedy said last week. "When I did go to treatment, I went under the cover of darkness, I did not do what Senator Fetterman has done, and that is to be very public about going to treatment. When I did go publicly, it was because I was forced to go publicly, I had had a DWI."

Fetterman suffered a stroke during his Senate campaign last year. His office said he has experienced depression on and off throughout his life but it became more severe recently.   

Mental health experts say his transparency about his struggles is an important signal to those dealing with similar issues. They say depression following a stroke isn’t unusual. 

 "We know that up to a third of people who have a stroke will suffer depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in people who have had a stroke. So I think for him to be so public about it is so courageous and he's been courageous up until this point, and he continues to do so," said Dr. Daniel Bober, a psychiatrist. 

Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression in February, he walked the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits. These days, he's back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator.

Male senators are expected to wear a jacket and tie on the Senate floor, but Fetterman has a workaround. He votes from the doorway of the Democratic cloakroom or the side entrance, making sure his "yay" or "nay" is recorded before ducking back out. In between votes this past week, Fetterman's hoodie stayed on for a news conference with four Democratic colleagues in suits, the 6-foot-8 Fetterman towering over his colleagues.

People close to Fetterman say his relaxed, comfortable style is a sign that the senator is making a robust recovery after six weeks of inpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where his clinical depression was treated with medication and he was fitted for hearing aids for hearing loss that had made it harder for him to communicate. His hospitalization came less than a year after he had a stroke during his Senate campaign that he has said nearly killed him, and from which he continues to recover.

"He's setting a new dress code," jokes Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, who is the only other newly elected Democrat in the Senate and spent a lot of time with Fetterman during their orientation at the beginning of the year. "He was struggling. And now he's a joyful person to be around."

Senators do occasionally vote in casual clothing — Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, for example, is known for sometimes arriving in gym clothes. But Fetterman's regular attire is redefining fashion in the stuffy Senate. He's turning heads on a daily basis as he walks the halls in his signature baggy Carhartt sweatshirts and saggy gym shorts, his hulking figure surrounded by much more formally dressed Washington types buzzing around the Capitol.

The senator's staff had originally asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates. But after a check with the Senate parliamentarian upon his return, it became clear that he could continue wearing the casual clothes that were often his uniform back at home in Pennsylvania, as long as he didn't walk on to the Senate floor.

Welch said Fetterman was quiet and withdrawn when he first came to Washington and often sat in the back of closed-door caucus meetings. Now he's standing up and talking, sometimes joking and ribbing Pennsylvania's senior senator, Democrat Bob Casey.

Fetterman, Welch and Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama became friends at the orientation, and those two colleagues stayed close with him through his recovery. Britt says that in those early days, Fetterman would only really engage if she started the conversation, but they bonded over having children of a similar age and the fact that Britt's former football player husband, Wesley, is the same height as the Pennsylvania senator. When Fetterman checked into the hospital, Britt's staff brought food to his office next door.

Britt later visited him at Walter Reed, at his request, and found Fetterman to be totally changed. "When I walked in that day, his energy and demeanor was totally different," Britt said in an interview.

Now, he's loud and outgoing, she says -– even yelling "Alabama!" at her down a hallway when he caught sight of her last week, giving her fist bumps and asking about her husband and family.

"That shows you the difference that treatment can make," Britt says. "It's just incredible to see."

Fetterman's decision to seek treatment won bipartisan praise from his colleagues, a sharp turn from his bruising Senate race against Republican Mehmet Oz that was the most expensive in the country.

Joe Calvello, a spokesman for Fetterman who has worked for him since the beginning of his campaign and before the stroke, said his boss is more back to his old self after a difficult year. Fetterman is getting to know all his staff after his return to the Senate on April 17, making friends with his Senate colleagues and speaking out on progressive issues on which he campaigned.

"It's good to be on the other side of that," Calvello said.

Last week, Fetterman stood alongside the other senators in suits to urge President Joe Biden to raise the debt ceiling on his own under a clause in the 14th Amendment instead of negotiating with Republicans. He also questioned bank executives at a hearing — dressed in a suit, as he does for committee meetings — and asked whether they should be subject to work requirements like those Republicans have proposed for food aid recipients in the debt ceiling negotiations.

Fetterman's words are still halting and sometimes hard to understand, due to his stroke. He has auditory processing disorder, which makes it harder to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning. He uses iPads in conversations, meetings and congressional hearings that transcribe spoken words in real time, and when he speaks publicly he often appears to be reading closely off a sheet of paper. He rarely speaks with reporters in the hallways.

While questioning the bank executives his words were occasionally jumbled, due to his auditory processing difficulties. "Shouldn't you have a working requirement after we sail your bank, put billions in your bank?" Fetterman asked.

The senator's conservative critics have frequently jumped on his stumbles, mocking them in television spots.

But his chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, tweeted that the moment at the banking hearing was unscripted -– and a surprise to even him.

"John Fetterman just asked the Silicon Valley Bank CEO if there should be work requirements for CEOs who crash banks and dear reader, I almost fell out of my chair," Jentleson wrote.

Constituents he has met with say it can take a moment to get used to his speaking difficulties.

The president of the Pennsylvania Farmers Union, Michael Kovach, said Fetterman unexpectedly popped in when Kovach was meeting with the senator's staff in Washington. It was only Fetterman's second day back, but he stayed for a half hour, using a transcription device to read Kovach's responses in their discussion about helping farmers who keep good conservation practices on their land.

Kovach said Fetterman asked thoughtful questions, made thoughtful comments and joked about beard envy with Kovach, who sports a long graying goatee.

"It's the same Fetterman that I recall as lieutenant governor, it's just difficult for him to communicate, so the elephant in the room obviously is the screen that he's reading from," Kovach said. "It's a bit of a distraction, but something I got quickly used to."

Fetterman is also back to social media, which was a staple of his campaign before the stroke. This past week he posted a photo of himself and Welch on Twitter sitting in a Senate courtyard and wearing hoodies.

Welch is hosting Fetterman and Britt at his house for dinner soon. Fetterman is "on his game" these days, Welch said.

Another Democratic colleague, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, said she noticed that Fetterman was "inwardly focused" when he arrived in Washington. But he's now gregarious and cracking jokes.

"It's really, really great to see, it's a good message to send to people to seek help," Duckworth said. "It makes a difference."

WASHINGTON —

Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.

Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences, are joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” He asked the lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.

It was a notable show of unity after a long year of bitter acrimony between Biden’s Democratic coalition and the Republican opposition.

Biden’s 62-minute speech, which was split between attention to war abroad and worries at home — reflected the same balancing act he now faces in his presidency. He must marshal allied resolve against Russia’s aggression while tending to inflation, COVID-19 fatigue and sagging approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.

Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and the commitment of a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions. He warned of costs to the American economy, as well, but warned ominously that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.

“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”

As Biden spoke, Russian forces were escalating their attacks in Ukraine, having bombarded the central square of country’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower, killing at least five people. The Babi Yar Holocaust memorial was also damaged.

Biden announced that the U.S. is following Canada and the European Union in banning Russian planes from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He also said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after crimes of Russian oligarchs, whom he called “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”

“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said, pledging that the U.S. and European allies were coming after their yachts, luxury apartments and private jets.

“Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he will never gain the hearts and souls of the Ukrainian people," Biden said. "He will never extinguish their love of freedom. He will never weaken the resolve of the free world.”

Even before the Russian invasion sent energy costs skyrocketing, prices for American families had been rising, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt families and the country’s economy.

Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.

“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said. “Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”

Biden entered the House chamber without a mask, in a reflection of the declining coronavirus case counts and new federal guidance meant to nudge the public back to pre-pandemic activities. But the Capitol was newly fenced due to security concerns after last year’s insurrection.

Set against unease at home and danger abroad, the White House had conceived Tuesday night's speech as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook, rebrand Biden's domestic policy priorities and show a path to lower costs for families grappling with soaring inflation. But it took on new significance with last week's Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling by Putin.

As is customary, one Cabinet secretary, in this case Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, was kept in a secure location during the address, ready to take over the government in the event of a catastrophe.

In an interview with CNN and Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he urged Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion. In a show of unity, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joined First Lady Jill Biden in the gallery.

In a rare discordant moment, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado yelled out that Biden was to blame for the 13 service members who were killed during last August’s chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“You put them in. Thirteen of them,” Boebert yelled as Biden mentioned his late son Beau, a veteran who died from brain cancer and served near toxic military burn pits, used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden is pursuing legislation to help veterans suffering exposure and other injuries.

Rising energy prices as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine risk exacerbating inflation in the U.S., which is already at the highest level in 40 years, eating into people's earnings and threatening the economic recovery from the pandemic. And while the crisis in Eastern Europe may have helped to cool partisan tensions in Washington, it didn't erase the political and cultural discord that is casting doubt on Biden’s ability to deliver.

A February AP-NORC poll found that more people disapproved than approved of how Biden is handling his job, 55% to 44%. That's down from a 60% favorable rating last July.

Ahead of the speech, White House officials acknowledged the mood of the country was “sour,” citing the lingering pandemic and inflation. Biden, used his remarks to highlight the progress from a year ago — with the majority of the U.S. population now vaccinated and millions more people at work — but also acknowledged that the job is not yet done, a recognition of American discontent.

“I have come to report on the state of the union,” Biden said. “And my report is this: The state of the union is strong—because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”

Before Biden spoke, House Republicans said the word “crisis” describes the state of the union under Biden and Democrats — from an energy policy that lets Russia sell oil abroad to challenges at home over jobs and immigration.

“We’re going to push the president to do the right thing,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

At least a half dozen lawmakers, including Reps. Jamie Raskin and Pete Aguilar, both members of the committee investigating last year’s Capitol riot, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., had tested positive for COVID-19 and were not expected at the Capitol for the speech.

“Tonight, I can say we are moving forward safely, back to more normal routines,” Biden said, outlining his administration's plans to continue to combat COVID-19 and saying, “It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again.” He announced that people will be able to order another round of free tests from the government and that his administration was launching a “test to treat” initiative to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies to those who test positive for the virus.

Where his speech to Congress last year saw the rollout of a massive social spending package, Biden this year largely repackaged past proposals in search of achievable measures he hopes can win bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress before the elections.

The president also highlighted investments in everything from internet broadband access to bridge construction from November’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law as an example of government reaching consensus and delivering change for the nation.

He also appealed to lawmakers to compromise on rival competitiveness bills that have passed the House and Senate, both meant to revitalize high-tech American manufacturing and supply chains in the face of growing geopolitical threats from China.

“Instead of relying on foreign supply chains – let’s make it in America,” Biden said.

As part of his pitch to voters, he also put a new emphasis on how proposals like extending the child tax credit and bringing down child care costs could bring relief to families as prices rise. He was said his climate change proposals would cut costs for lower- and middle-income families and create new jobs.

Biden called for lowering health care costs, pitching his plan to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, as well as an extension of more generous health insurance subsidies now temporarily available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces where 14.5 million people get coverage.

He proposed initiatives on mental health that dovetail with growing bipartisan interest in Congress amid evidence that the pandemic has damaged the national psyche, and discussed new ways to improve access to health benefits for veterans sickened by exposure to the burning of waste during their service.

Biden also appealed for action on voting rights, which has failed to win GOP support. And as gun violence rises, he returned to calls to ban assault weapons, a blunt request he hadn’t made in months. He called to “fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”

In addition, Biden led Congress in a bipartisan tribute to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and pressed the Senate to confirm federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman on the high court to replace him. He nominated her last week.

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Fatima Hussein, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Jason Dearen in New York contributed to this report.

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico says his health is improving after suffering a stroke.

Lujan, a Democrat, posted a video on social media with two of the doctors who have been treating him.

"I'm doing well. I'm strong. I'm on the road to recovery and I'm going to make a full recovery. I'm going to walk out of here. I'm going to beat this," Lujan said.

Lujan suffered a stroke in the cerebellum and underwent surgery to ease swelling.

Once the senator leaves UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, he said he will go to a rehabilitation center to continue the recovery process.

With the Senate split 50-50, there was some concern about whether Lujan would be able to vote for Biden's eventual Supreme Court nominee. Lujan said he expects to be back in Washington in time to consider the nominee.

The 49-year-old is a first-term senator. He was elected in 2020 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrats have quickly pushed legislation through the House that they say positions the U.S. to better compete with China economically by strengthening the domestic semiconductor industry and shoring up strained supply chains.

The bill passed by a vote of 222-210. Criticizing China has become a bipartisan playbook in Washington. But, in this case, Republicans panned the measure as "toothless" and short of what is needed to hold China accountable for a range of actions.

The nearly 3,000-page bill includes massive investments designed to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., but Democrats have also tucked in other priorities that have raised GOP concerns.

As Reuters pointed out, a vote on the bill happened just hours after the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony. Congress has been critical of the International Olympic Committee for awarding China the opportunity to host the Games.

The need to increase manufacturing for chips is high.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told a group of reporters, "Every day we delay we fall farther behind and that increases our domestic national security risk."

The House has now taken the next step in authorizing nearly $300 billion for research and development, which would include $52 billion in semiconductor subsidies which are key to making automobiles and computers.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 16-6 on Thursday to advance a bill limiting the way big companies like Amazon, Apple and Google do business.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act targets a practice known as self-preferencing.

"Self-preferencing is mainly intended to describe situations where, if you're a merchant selling a product through an e-commerce platform, and that e-commerce platform is a competitor of yours who offers the same product, the platform somehow induces the consumer to have a preference for its own product," said Tad Lipsky, the director of the Competition Advocacy Program at the Global Antitrust Institute.

"It's really easy to find examples of that tension," Lipsky continued. "For Amazon, it could be any of a whole range of products that they offer themselves. Google, same thing. There are a lot of e-commerce searches on Google sites that can relate to products that Google offers."

The bill does not identify any major companies by name. It says any new rules will apply to companies with at least a billion monthly users, a list which would include companies like Amazon, Google and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

In 2021, Amazon and Meta were two of the top three companies in terms of spending money to lobby Congress, according to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who spoke at Thursday's hearing.

"They are never going to like this bill," said Sen. Klobuchar. "When companies take them on, they have, for decades, formed an impenetrable shield. They're making a lot of money. They want to maintain and profit and keep their positions as monopoly gatekeepers."

The major tech companies did not comment on Thursday's hearing, but most have raised objections to the legislation moving through Congress.

Amazon has warned third-party sellers that they might be kicked off the marketplaces if the legislation passes.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said during the hearing that Apple CEO Tim Cook called him personally to talk about the bill for more than 40 minutes.

Cruz, and several other senators, said they were advancing the bill for a full Senate vote with the knowledge that more amendments will be made.

"This bill may become law without there ever having been a public hearing about how these particular provisions are supposed to operate," said Lipsky. "They're very extensive, complex provisions. It could lead to a tremendous amount of disruption and intervention in these companies' business, and nobody has established by the usual legislative procedures that there's a need for that to happen."

It's not clear when, or if, the bill will make it onto a crowded Senate calendar for a vote.

If it passes in the Senate, it would still have to clear some hurdles in the House before becoming law. But it has enjoyed some measure of bipartisan support throughout the process, a rarity in an often-divided Congress.

"It's nice and refreshing to see something resembling real debate on substance," said Sen. Cruz. "It's something we as a committee, and we as a Senate, ought to do more often."

WASHINGTON —

Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights groups argued is vital for protecting democracy was blocked Wednesday by a Republican filibuster, a setback for President Joe Biden and his party after a raw, emotional debate.

Democrats were poised to immediately pivot to voting on a Senate rules change as a way to overcome the filibuster and approve the bill with a simple majority. But the rules change was also headed toward defeat, as Biden has been unable to persuade two holdout senators in his own party, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to change the Senate procedures for this one bill.

"This is not just another routine day in the Senate, this is a moral moment," said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

The initial vote was 49-51, short of the 60 votes needed to advance over the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted no for procedural reasons so Democrats can revisit the legislation.

The nighttime voting capped a day of piercing debate that carried echoes of an earlier era when the Senate filibuster was deployed in lengthy speeches by opponents of civil rights legislation.

Voting rights advocates are warning that Republican-led states nationwide are passing laws making it more difficult for Black Americans and others to vote by consolidating polling locations, requiring certain types of identification and ordering other changes.

Vice President Kamala Harris presided, able to cast a potentially tie-breaking vote in the 50-50 Senate.

Democrats decided to press ahead despite the potential for high-stakes defeat at a tumultuous time for Biden and his party. Biden is marking his first year in office with his priorities stalling out in the face of solid Republican opposition and the Democrats' inability to unite around their own goals. But the Democrats wanted to force senators on the record — even their own party's holdouts — to show voters where they stand.

"I haven't given up," Biden said earlier at a White House news conference.

Sinema and Manchin have withstood an onslaught of criticism from Black leaders and civil rights organizations, and they risk further political fallout as other groups and even their own colleagues threaten to yank campaign support.

Schumer contended the fight is not over and he ridiculed Republican claims that the new election laws in the states will not end up hurting voter access and turnout, comparing it to Donald Trump's "big lie" about the 2020 presidential election.

The Democrats' bill, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, would make Election Day a national holiday, ensure access to early voting and mail-in ballots — which have become especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic — and enable the Justice Department to intervene in states with a history of voter interference, among other changes. It has passed the House.

Both Manchin and Sinema say they support the legislation but are unwilling to change Senate rules. With a 50-50 split, Democrats have a narrow Senate majority — Harris can break a tie — but they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome the GOP filibuster.

Instead, Schumer put forward a more specific rules change for a "talking filibuster" on this one bill. It would require senators to stand at their desks and exhaust the debate before holding a simple majority vote, rather than the current practice that simply allows senators to privately signal their objections.

But even that is expected to fail because Manchin and Sinema have said they are unwilling to change the rules on a party-line vote by Democrats alone.

Emotions were on display during the floor debate.

When Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky whether he would pause for a question, McConnell left the chamber, refusing to respond.

Durbin said he would have asked McConnell, "Does he really believe that there's no evidence of voter suppression?"

The No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, said at one point, "I am not a racist."

McConnell, who led his party in doing away with the filibuster's 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees during Donald Trump's presidency, warned against changing the rules again.

McConnell derided the "fake hysteria" from Democrats over the states' new voting laws and called the pending bill a federal takeover of election systems. He said doing away with filibuster rules would "break the Senate."

Manchin drew a roomful of senators for his own speech, upstaging the president's news conference and defending the filibuster. He said majority rule would only "add fuel to the fire" and it was "dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart."

"For those who say bipartisanship is impossible, we have proven them wrong," Manchin said, citing the recent infrastructure bill he helped pass into law. "We can do it again. ... We can make it easier to vote."

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked across the Capitol building for the proceedings. "We want this Senate to act today in a favorable way. But if it don't, we ain't giving up," said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest-ranking Black member of Congress.

Manchin did open the door to a more tailored package of voting law changes, including to the Electoral Count Act, which was tested during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. He said senators from both parties are working on that and it could draw Republican support.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said a bipartisan coalition should work on legislation to ensure voter access, particularly in far-flung areas like her state, and to shore up Americans' faith in democracy.

"We don't need, we do not need a repeat of 2020 when by all accounts our last president, having lost the election, sought to change the results," Murkowski said.

She said the Senate debate had declined to a troubling state: "You're either a racist or a hypocrite. Really, really? Is that where we are?"

Once reluctant himself to change Senate rules, Biden has stepped up his pressure on senators to do just that. But the push from the White House, including Biden's blistering speech last week in Atlanta comparing opponents to segregationists, is seen as too late.

At one point Democratic senators huddled in the cloakroom, in deep discussion with Manchin. Sinema sat in her chair throughout the debate, largely glued to her phone.

___

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Brian Slodysko contributed to this report.

Days before the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote on filibuster rules changes to advance stalled voting legislation that Democrats say is needed to protect democracy.

In a letter Monday to colleagues, Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate “must evolve” and will “debate and consider” the rules changes by Jan. 17, on or before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Democrats seek to overcome Republican opposition to their elections law package.

“Let me be clear: January 6th was a symptom of a broader illness — an effort to delegitimize our election process," Schumer wrote, “and the Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an aberration — they will be the new norm.”

The election and voting rights package has been stalled in the evenly-split 50-50 Senate, blocked by a Republican-led filibuster and leaving Democrats unable to mount the 60-vote threshold needed to advance it toward passage.

Democrats have been unable to agree among themselves over potential changes to the Senate rules to reduce the 60-vote hurdle, despite months of private negotiations.

Two holdout Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have tried to warn their party off changes to the Senate rules, arguing that if and when Republicans take majority control of the chamber, they could use the lower voting threshold to advance bills Democrats oppose.

President Joe Biden has waded cautiously into the debate — a former senator who largely stands by existing rules but is also under enormous political pressure to break the logjam on the voting legislation.

How the Senate rules would be changed remains under discussion.

Voting rights advocates warn that Republican-led states are passing election legislation and trying to install elections officials loyal to the former president, Donald Trump, in ways that could subvert future elections.

Trump urged his followers last Jan. 6 to “fight like hell” for his presidency, and a mob stormed the Capitol trying to stop Congress from certifying the state election tallies for Biden. It was the worst domestic attack on the seat of government in U.S. history.

The Senate approved legislation Tuesday to lift the nation's debt limit by $2.5 trillion under a deal struck between party leaders, defusing a volatile issue until after next year's midterm elections while saddling majority Democrats with a tough vote.The 50-49 party line vote came just one day shy of a deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last month that she was running out of maneuvering room to avoid the nation's first-ever default. The measure now moves to the House where a vote could come as early as Tuesday night, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk."This is about paying debt accumulated by both parties, so I'm pleased Republicans and Democrats came together," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said of the agreement, which created a workaround that allowed Democrats to avoid a Republican filibuster. Despite a seemingly straightforward name, the nation's debt limit does little to curtail future debt. Established in 1917, it instead serves as a brake on spending decisions already approved by Congress and the White House — some decades ago — that if left unpaid could cripple markets, send the economy into a tailspin and shake global confidence in the U.S. That hasn't stopped Republican saber-rattling. For months, they've used the debt limit to attack Democrats' big-spending social and environmental agenda while pledging to staunchly oppose the current effort to increase the threshold. As recently as October, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not "be a party to any future effort to mitigate the consequences of Democratic mismanagement."In striking a deal, McConnell backtracked on his word. But he also got much of what he wanted: Democrats taking a politically difficult vote without Republican support, while increasing the limit by a staggering dollar figure that is sure to appear in future attack ads."If they jam through another taxing and spending spree this massive debt increase will just be the beginning," the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday.The decision, however, has proven unpopular with some Republicans, particularly Donald Trump. The former president has railed against the deal repeatedly, calling McConnell a "Broken Old Crow" who "didn't have the guts to play the Debt Ceiling card, which would have given the Republicans a complete victory on virtually everything." "GET RID OF MITCH!" Trump said in a statement issued Sunday. Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also criticized the intricate process Schumer and McConnell agreed to, which he warned could be used in the future to "launder" potentially unpopular votes while bypassing the Senate's normal mode of operation. Under the agreement, an amendment was made to an unrelated Medicare bill that passed last week with Republican votes. It created a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit that allowed Democrats to do so with a simple majority, bypassing the 60 vote threshold to avoid a GOP filibuster.Lee said the process was intended to make the Republican votes last week "appear as something other than helping Democrats raise the debt ceiling," which he said Republican leadership "committed, in writing no less, not to do." Yet Republican arguments against debt limit increases often ignore inconvenient facts. The nation's current debt load of $28.9 trillion has been racking up for decades. Major drivers include popular spending programs, like Social Security and Medicare, interest on the debt and recent COVID-19 relief packages. But taxation is also a major factor, and a series of tax cuts enacted by Republican presidents in recent decades has added to it, too.The national debt includes $7.8 trillion heaped onto the pile during Trump's four-year presidency, an analysis of Treasury records shows. The GOP-championed 2017 tax cut is projected to add between $1 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

WASHINGTON —

The Senate voted on Thursday to advance a bill to create a fast-track process allowing Democrats to raise the federal debt limit without votes from Republicans, a crucial next step as lawmakers race the clock to avert a catastrophic debt default.

A first-ever default would trigger financial disaster and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the debt limit could be reached on Dec. 15, leaving little time left to act. Party leaders on both sides of the aisle have made clear that default must be prevented, but Republicans have insisted that Democrats should bear the burden of raising the limit on their own.

Now that the Senate has cleared a key procedural hurdle to advance the measure, a final Senate vote to approve the fast-track process could take place as soon as later in the day Thursday if an agreement is reached to speed up the process. If there isn't an agreement, the final vote is expected Friday.

Passage of the bill would then pave the way for Senate Democrats to take up and pass separate legislation to increase the debt limit by a specific dollar amount with 51 votes using the newly created fast-track process.

"We still have a few more steps to take before we completely resolve this matter, but I'm optimistic that after today's vote, we'll be on a glide path to avoid catastrophic default," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in floor remarks Thursday ahead of the procedural vote.

Although Republicans and Democrats have sparred over how to avert the looming debt limit crisis in recent months, Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached an agreement to create the temporary, one-time process that will let Democrats raise the debt ceiling on their votes alone.

A number of top Senate Republicans have signaled they will support the fast-track debt limit plan. But McConnell has also faced pushback from some frustrated Republican lawmakers who feel the plan still amounts to their party helping Democrats raise the debt limit even as it paves the way for Democrats to ultimately act alone.

How action unfolded in the Senate

The first vote to take place in the Senate on Thursday was a cloture vote to break a GOP filibuster, which required 60 votes to succeed. The vote tally was 64 to 36 and 14 Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats, who control only 50 seats in the chamber.

McConnell predicted earlier in the week that there would be enough GOP votes to clear that threshold. The language to create the fast-track process has been packaged as part of a more popular bill to prevent cuts to Medicare, likely making it easier to round up the votes.

"We'll be voting on it Thursday and I'm confident this particular procedure coupled with the avoidance of Medicare cuts will achieve enough Republican support to clear the 60-vote threshold," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said at a news conference on Tuesday.

It's not yet clear if there will be agreement to hold a final vote on the debt limit plan Thursday evening, but Sen. John Thune, the GOP minority whip, indicated that lawmakers generally want "to get it wrapped up in a timely way."

"I know the folks you would think might [hold it up] are working cooperatively to try to figure out how to land it," Thune said. "I think everybody has an understanding of how this is probably going to end and wants to get it wrapped up in a timely way."

"It depends on cooperation," he added.

The House took the first step to implement the fast-track plan on Tuesday by voting to pass new legislation that will set up the process.

Once the Senate passes the measure, it will go to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. After it has been signed into law, lawmakers will be able to start the process of passing an increase to the debt limit under the new fast-track process.

How the debt limit deal came together

Congress has been struggling on and off with how to address the debt limit for over the past few months.

In October, lawmakers passed a short-term debt limit extension into December after Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to avert economic disaster following weeks of partisan deadlock over the issue.

The extension passed after Republicans first argued that Democrats should act alone to address the debt limit through a process known as budget reconciliation. Democrats rejected that idea, arguing that the issue is a shared bipartisan responsibility and that the process would be too lengthy and unwieldy, making the risk of miscalculation too high.

But McConnell warned Biden in October in a letter that Democrats should not expect Republicans to help again.

Democrats, however, held firm and continued to resist pressure from Republicans to pursue dealing with the debt limit through the time-consuming reconciliation process in the weeks that followed.

Earlier this week, McConnell rejected the idea that by brokering a new deal to stave off default with Democrats he has reversed his earlier position of saying that Republicans would not help Democrats deal with the issue.

"The red line is intact. The red line is that you have a simple majority, party-line vote on the debt ceiling. That's exactly where we will end up," he said on Tuesday.

"I think this is in the best interest of the country by avoiding default. I think it is also in the best interest of Republicans," McConnell said. "I believe we've reached here a solution to the debt ceiling issue that's consistent with Republican views of raising the debt ceiling for this amount at this particular time and allows the Democrats to proudly own it, which they are happy to do."

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Charles “Chuck” Sams III as National Park Service director.

He becomes the first Native American to lead the agency that oversees more than 131,000 square miles of parks and other landmarks.

Some conservationists hailed Sams’ confirmation as a commitment to equitable partnership with tribes, the original stewards of the land.

Sams told the Confederated Umatilla Journal that he's deeply honored.

Sams has said he would work to ensure that Indigenous history of National Park Service lands is included.

Sams is Cayuse and Walla Walla and lives on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon.

WASHINGTON — Should women register for the draft?

For years the answer has been no. However, that could change when the Senate debates and votes on the National Defense Authorization Act.

WOMEN IN MILITARY

From female fighter pilots to women completing Navy Seal training to General Lori Robinson commanding NORAD, women are ubiquitous in the military— even though men may still make up the majority.

According to military.com, a nonpartisan military news publication, women account for 20% of new recruits and 16% of active duty personal.

SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION

For over 100 years, only young men have been required to register for the draft.

The United States Senate is taking up the National Defense Authorization Act this month. In addition to addressing military pay and other benefits, senators are set to consider whether women should register with the Selective Service when they turn 18.

Professor Jen Spindel of the University of New Hampshire noted the significance of the potential change.

"It really is the first moment that including women in the draft seems like it might pass," Spindel told Scripps' National Political Editor Joe St. George.

If it passes it would mean women, just like men, who are between the ages of 18 to 25 would have to go to the selective website and submit their name, address and social security information.

In theory, that would be it.

The United States hasn't actually used the draft since 1973, relying on volunteers to staff the military.

However, Spindel explains that many worse-case scenarios highlight the U.S. being at a disadvantage for not including women presently.

“By excluding women from the draft, should the U.S. ever need to activate the draft, they would be missing out on a lot of skills that women bring,” Spindel said.

The ACLU has called this one of the last remaining sexist policies by the federal government, advocating for it to change.

But there is conservative opposition.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley has said it is “immoral” to draft young women into combat.

It's unclear exactly how this will play out in Congress but a final decision is expected in the coming weeks.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Senate president pro tempore and the chamber's current longest-serving member, announced Monday that he plans to retire when his term ends in 2023.

"I have reached the conclusion that it is time to put down the gavel," Leahy said during a press conference Monday. "It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter, who will carry on this work for our great state. It's time to come home."

Leahy, a Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in 1974. He's currently in the midst of his seventh six-year term in the Senate.

According to Senate records, only four other people in U.S. history have served in the Senate longer than Leahy.

In addition to serving as the Senate's president pro tempore, Leahy has also served as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"So I will carry forever with me the enduring bond with my fellow Vermonters whose common sense and goodness are what I try to match as their representative," he said Monday.

At age 81, Leahy is the fifth-oldest Senator currently serving. Chuck Grassley, the 88-year-old senator from Iowa and the oldest Republican in the Senate, announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election in 2022.

At 88, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, is the oldest current senator.

According to The Washington Post, the current Senate class has the oldest average age in the chamber's history.

WASHINTON, D.C. -- Senate Democrats are unveiling a plan to extend additional unemployment benefits.

This is for the extra $600 every week, on top of what states already offer for unemployment.

The new proposal would decrease the added benefit as the unemployment rate drops.

The Economic Policy Institute supports that plan, saying the additional benefit should stay in place as long as needed.

“People are really, really uncertain about how this is going to unfold over the coming months, so putting some arbitrary end date on any provisions related to supporting the economy and the people in it during this crisis makes no sense,” said Heidi Shierholz, Senior Economist and Director of Policy at the Economic Policy Institute.

The institute tells us the expansion makes a huge difference, not just for the individual, but for all of us. It estimates if it cuts off at the end of July, that could cost the U.S. 5 million jobs over the next year. That's because less spending creates a further drag on the economy.

However, Republicans say the expanded benefit gives people a reason to not go back to work.

Some studies have found the economy could actually be worse off if people don't get working again.

The American Enterprise Institute agrees, saying the move was just meant to get through the initial lockdown.

“This is becoming less of a, the pandemic caused us to initiate lockdowns and people are at home, and now it's just we have a large number of unemployed people, what should we do to assist them, and $600 addition to unemployment checks in a bad economy is a really unprecedented step,” said Matt Weidinger with the American Enterprise Institute.

The group says extending the benefits could set that precedent for Congress to act similarly for any future recessions.