U.S Sen. Raphael Warnock challenged his colleagues Wednesday to support federal legislation that would strengthen voting rights he says are under attack in Georgia and other states following the contentious presidential election. 

A two-page Senate bill dealing with absentee applications has now been substituted for a 93-page election omnibus as House and Senate leaders continue to disagree on what voting restrictions should be approved.

President Biden's aides are beginning to put policy into action, while the U.S. Senate is taking up his nominees.

The report says Russian leader Vladimir Putin authorized a campaign to assist former President Donald Trump and undermine Joe Biden, though it was not on the same scale as Moscow's efforts in 2016.

Voting rights protesters gathered Monday outside the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta and some threatened a boycott if the beverage giant does not speak out more forcefully against sweeping voting restrictions being considered in the Georgia Legislature.

The then-president asked a Georgia law enforcement official to find evidence of fraud with absentee-by-mail ballots. He told her: "When the right answer comes out, you'll be praised."

Commissioners in Stark County voted to reject a recommended purchase of Dominion voting machines. Former President Trump falsely accused the machines of switching votes for him to President Biden.

The Hancock County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to ask Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) to resign as county attorney after pressure from citizens opposed to his work on proposed voting law changes.

The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General found election mail was delivered on time at a higher rate than regular first-class mail.

Crossover Day in the Georgia legislature was dominated by a tale of contrasts Monday: In the Senate, Republicans narrowly advanced a bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting, while the House unanimously approved an overhaul of the citizen's arrest statute.

With Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and three Republican senators skipping debate, a slim majority of the Georgia Senate approved SB 241, an omnibus voting bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting after 16 years.

Blunt is the fifth Republican senator to announce his intention not to seek reelection next year.

It's Crossover Day for the Georgia Legislature, and the Senate will focus on voting bills in particular. It's typically the last day a bill has to pass out of one chamber to be considered for the rest of the session. Watch a Special one-hour edition of Lawmakers tonight at 7 p.m. for the latest. 

President Biden is signing an executive order on voting rights. The order won't make major changes — but it signals Biden's views at a time when Republicans are seeking to restrict voting access.

The fight over election law is not new to Georgia lawmakers, but prevailing views have changed. Republicans passed no-excuse absentee voting in 2005, over objections from Democrats concerned about the lack of ID required to vote by mail and stricter regulations to vote in person.