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All eyes on Georgia

Julius Lasin, USA TODAY
·5 min read

Georgia voters will decide how Congress will look, as the state holds a runoff for the final undecided Senate seat. The suspect accused of the mass shooting at a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub was formally charged with 305 counts. And a rare December subtropical storm could form.

Hi there! It's Julius with Tuesday's news. Let's get into it, shall we? 

But first, the Golden Girls Kitchen is coming to New York City! A pop-up restaurant inspired by the beloved TV series will open Wednesday in Manhattan. 

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Georgia holds runoff for final Senate seat

Georgia voters headed to the polls Tuesday for the Senate runoff race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Democrats have already secured the upper chamber's majority with victories in other states, but a win from Warnock would give them control of committees and frees them from leaning on Vice President Kamala Harris to cast tie-breaking votes. But if Walker prevails, it keeps the pressure on Democrats to remain united. Follow our live coverage here.

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  • Why is there another vote? After the November election, Warnock was up about 1 percentage point over Walker but hadn't cleared the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff.

  • Will voting be monitored? The Justice Department will monitor polls in four Georgia counties. The DOJ regularly dispatches monitors as a guard against voting rights violations.

  • What time do polls close? Polling places in Georgia's 159 counties will close at 7 p.m. EST.

  • Was there early voting? Yes. According to the secretary of state's office, more than 1.8 million Georgians have already voted.

At a polling location in Johns Creek, Ga., voters in suburban Atlanta lined up before the polls opened on Tuesday to cast their ballot, undeterred by a 40-degree wind chill and steady rain. The line at Shakerag Elementary School moved swiftly. One voter called Election Day voting at this polling location, “smooth.”
At a polling location in Johns Creek, Ga., voters in suburban Atlanta lined up before the polls opened on Tuesday to cast their ballot, undeterred by a 40-degree wind chill and steady rain. The line at Shakerag Elementary School moved swiftly. One voter called Election Day voting at this polling location, “smooth.”

Jan. 6 committee will recommend DOJ pursue criminal charges

The House committee investigating the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, has decided to recommend the Justice Department pursue criminal charges, but has not yet identified who should be targeted, the committee's chairman said Tuesday. The panel has already made criminal referrals against four people accused of contempt of Congress for defying committee subpoenas, and the department charged two of them. But additional recommendations could reach as high as former President Donald Trump and cover crimes beyond the riot, such as perjury or witness tampering. The committee's recommendations, which will be included in its final report, are nonbinding but would reflect a legislative perspective for executive branch investigators to consider. Keep reading.

  • The Trump Corp. was found guilty Tuesday on nine criminal counts and the Trump Payroll Corp. was found guilty on eight criminal counts in a criminal tax fraud scheme. The companies face penalties of up to $1.6 million. Trump was not charged in the case.

What everyone's talking about

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Suspect in Colorado LGBTQ nightclub shooting charged with 305 counts

The suspect accused of a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ bar and nightclub last month was formally charged with 305 counts Tuesday, including hate crimes and murder. They had been preliminarily charged with five counts of murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury during a Nov. 24 hearing and have been held without bail. Colorado Springs police say the suspect walked into Club Q just before midnight with an AR-15-style rifle and opened fire, killing five people and injuring 17 others. Read the latest updates.

Hawaii activates National Guard amid Mauna Loa eruption

Authorities in Hawaii on Monday activated the state's National Guard after the eruption of Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano. Gov. David Ige activated 20 National Guard members to help with traffic control and other roles as lava from the eruption inches toward a key highway, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Mauna Loa, located on Hawaii's Big Island, erupted on Nov. 27 for the first time in nearly four decades. Authorities have assured residents that surrounding communities are far enough away from the lava flow to not be in danger for now, and evacuations have not been ordered. Learn more about the decision.

In an aerial view, lava shoots up from a fissure of Mauna Loa Volcano as it erupts on Monday in Hilo, Hawaii. For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Mauna Loa volcano, the largest active volcano in the world, has erupted.
In an aerial view, lava shoots up from a fissure of Mauna Loa Volcano as it erupts on Monday in Hilo, Hawaii. For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Mauna Loa volcano, the largest active volcano in the world, has erupted.

Real quick

December subtropical storm could form for first time in nearly a decade

The National Hurricane Center issued a special tropical weather outlook Monday as a low-pressure system is "producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms" in the central Atlantic Ocean. This could mean an organized tropical depression or a subtropical storm, which according to the National Weather Service says has "heavy thunderstorm activity in a band removed at least 100 miles from the center." The potential arrival of Owen, the next name on the list, comes on the heels of Hurricane Nicole in November. The last storm to become subtropical this late in a calendar year was an unnamed system in 2013, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read more.

A break from the news

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Short List: Georgia runoff, Mauna Loa, Jan. 6 committee. Tuesday's news.