Capitol Beat

Georgia. Politics.

U.S. House passes Laken Riley Act

ATLANTA - The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Republican-backed legislation named in honor of Georgia murder victim Laken Riley as the first act of the new Congress. The Laken Riley Act requires detention of illegal immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes...

Carter eulogized inside U.S. Capitol Rotunda

ATLANTA - The celebration of the life of former President Jimmy Carter moved from Atlanta to the nation's capitol Tuesday, with a day full of pageantry capped by a memorial service inside the Capitol Rotunda. The nation's top political leaders praised the many...

State prisons chief seeking $372M for safety upgrades

ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Corrections asked state lawmakers Tuesday for $372 million to improve a prison system the Justice Department criticized last fall in a scathing report. Most of the additional investments would go toward hiring...

Geoff Duncan booted from Georgia Republican Party

ATLANTA - Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has been expelled from the Georgia Republican Party for endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president last year. "By his pattern of conduct, Duncan has forfeited any claim to being even a nominal 'Republican,' " the state...

Fulton County agrees to improve inhumane jail conditions

ATLANTA - The Justice Department has entered into a consent decree with Fulton County calling for a series of improvements at the county jail aimed at ending violations of prisoners' constitutional rights, the federal agency announced Friday. The feds launched an...

Macon man pleads guilty to robbing credit unions

ATLANTA - A Macon man has pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing two credit unions in 2022 and attempting to rob a third. Felix Cordes, 57, faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 after pleading guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Macon...