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Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.

Georgia’s Republican presidential electors formally cast their votes for former President Donald Trump Tuesday in a ceremony at the state Capitol.

The 16 electors, consistently largely of local GOP leaders, met on the same day electors in every state cast their votes either for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris, depending on which candidate the majority of voters in their state supported on Election Day last month.

Trump received 312 electoral votes – well above the 270 needed to win the election – to 226 for Democrat Harris. The former president carried Georgia by more than 115,000 votes.

Democrats have complained in recent years about the Electoral College, which was incorporated into the U.S. Constitution by the nation’s founders.

Democrat Hillary Clinton won more popular votes than Trump in 2016 but lost to Trump in the Electoral College. The same thing happened to Democrat Al Gore in 2000, when he won the popular vote but lost to Republican George W. Bush.

But Georgia Republican Chairman Josh McKoon, who served as an elector and chaired Tuesday’s meeting, defended the Electoral College as a wise decision by the founders.

“They didn’t want the most populous state in the nation picking the president,” McKoon said. “That’s why every state is able to participate in the Electoral College.”

McKoon said he was gratified that Tuesday’s meeting ran “like clockwork” in contrast to four years ago, when Republicans fielded an alternate slate of electors that met at the Capitol to vote for Trump, even though Democrat Joe Biden had won the popular vote in Georgia. The real electors – all Democrats – met on the same day inside the state Senate chambers to vote for Biden.

On Tuesday, McKoon said the Republican group met on the advice of lawyers who said the alternate slate of electors was necessary to preserve Trump’s legal options to challenge the results of the 2020 election. Those challenges were later dismissed in a variety of courts.

Congress will meet on Jan. 6 to count the electoral votes from across the nation. Trump will take the oath of office Jan. 20 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former University of Georgia football standout Herschel Walker to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.

Trump recruited Walker, a longtime friend and ally, to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, but the Republican lost to incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.

“A successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL great, Herschel has been a tireless advocate for youth sports,” Trump posted on his social media site this week. “During my first term, he served as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.”

Trump and Walker’s friendship goes back to the 1980s, when the United States Football League team Trump owned, the New Jersey Generals, signed Walker to his first professional contract.

Walker is just the latest Republican with Georgia ties nominated by Trump to serve in his administration.

The list includes former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., to serve as U.S. ambassador to China, former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., to head the Small Business Administration, and former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, to serve as director of the Veterans Administration.

All of the nominations are subject to confirmation by the Senate, which will be in Republican hands when the new Congress convenes next month.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.

Your San Diego Adventure

San Diego County: An Urban/Recreation Adventurer’s Paradise from Golden Beaches to the City San Diego County is more than just a destination—it’s a raw, unfiltered mix of experiences that throws together natural wonder, heart-pumping adventures, and urban cool. It might be the epitome of the California experience that Americans, Canadians and Brits love so much….

The role of the IT professional is undergoing a significant transformation as organizations face challenges in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud adoption, according to a new annual report titled “Paessler Perspectives”. Released today by Paessler GmbH, a leading provider of IT and IoT monitoring solutions, the report reveals that 77% of IT professionals identify cybersecurity as their top concern, alongside AI (34%) and cloud adoption (27%). The report notes these forces are reshaping the skills, strategies, and priorities required of IT.

Top challenges and strategies

More than 1,500 global IT leaders were asked to rank their top challenges in the next two to three years. Cybersecurity emerged as a top concern at 77%, followed by Artificial Intelligence (34%) and Cloud Adoption (27%). IT teams will be increasingly conscious of cyber threats into 2025, with a single data breach costing organizations an average of $4.88 million, along with irreparable damage to trust and reputation. The shift to cloud, though mitigating some risks, also introduces its own cybersecurity challenges.

“IT professionals are navigating a period of unprecedented change as AI reshapes cybersecurity and cloud requirements, and similarly reshapes IT roles, as teams are required to implement and secure AI-driven tools, automate processes, and address the increased complexity of AI-powered environments,” said Helmut Binder, CEO of Paessler GmbH. “These changes emphasize the growing need for IT professionals to develop a mix of technical, strategic, and cybersecurity skills to keep pace with technological advancements.”

When asked which strategic approaches their IT operations or monitoring team were considering, IT leaders stated that automated root cause analysis (46%) and observability (40%) were planned or under discussion. These processes remain critical when it comes to maintaining system health and minimizing downtime, especially as cyber threats become more sophisticated. IT leaders now have no option but to ensure cybersecurity is integrated and considered through the entire IT stack, so teams can quickly detect, diagnose, and respond to issues before they lead to serious breaches.

Cloud vs on-premises

The report highlights that 76% of IT infrastructure is still on-premises, indicating a reliance on legacy systems, making it harder to maintain both efficiency and security – especially as the amount of data generated and processed continues to increase. Indeed, over a quarter (27%) stated that cloud adoption will be a top three challenge moving forward.

Encouragingly, most IT leaders are willing to overcome the challenges for the rewards cloud will bring long-term, with 60% of leaders believing that they will transition to the cloud in the next two years. This transition places IT professionals at the center of managing hybrid cloud environments, and will demand new levels of expertise when it comes to securing, integrating, and optimizing both cloud and on-premises systems. 

“It’s clear that while cloud adoption is recognized as crucial for the digital transformation efforts and competitiveness of a business in today’s landscape, many organizations are still in the early stages of leveraging its full potential,” said Dinesh Senanayake, Paessler GmbH’s COO and CFO. “Monitoring tools are essential in this shift, empowering IT professionals to track performance, identify issues, and optimize resource usage – enabling them to balance cost, efficiency, and strategic impact in their evolving responsibilities.”

The role of IT leaders in a sustainable future

IT professionals placed sustainability last on the list of potential challenges in the next few years, with just 5% identifying it as a ‘top three’ priority. What’s more, almost half (44%) of respondents are not factoring sustainability into their IT strategies. Yet, with rising regulations, IT leaders must recognize the value of sustainability, particularly in creating energy-efficient, secure infrastructures that optimize and monitor resources in real-time.

For IT leaders who are considering sustainability in their IT decisions, 62% stated that a key benefit was cost reduction and increased efficiency in tandem. Meanwhile, 60% believe that sustainability is important on a personal level, whilst 37% of those surveyed stated that management plans to prioritize it.

“While sustainability may not be a top priority right now, we believe it will soon climb the agenda for IT departments everywhere”, said Paessler GmbH’s CEO Helmut Binder. “Looking to the future, robust and secure IT infrastructure is essential for achieving business goals, allowing companies to monitor resource consumption and make data-driven improvements that benefit both the business and the planet.”

Binder continues, “Despite the challenges, this is a defining era for IT leaders to drive innovation and shape a technological future that benefits both businesses and the planet. By leveraging advanced monitoring tools, businesses can simplify their cloud transitions, enhance cybersecurity, and boost efficiency. It’s a pivotal moment for IT leaders to drive meaningful change and shape a sustainable, tech-driven future.”

Porsche Financial Services, Inc. (PFS), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has issued its third U.S. auto Asset Backed Securities (ABS) offering of 2024 with a principal amount of $891 million dollars. This follows two auto lease ABS issuances by PFS in August and October.

Porsche Financial Services, Inc. is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of German luxury car maker Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (“Porsche AG”).

Supported by a growing base of loyal investors, the issuance achieved record pricing for an auto transaction in the U.S. ABS market since April 2022, when the industry moved to the I-curve. The AAA-rated securities, issued in the Rule 144A transaction were divided into five tranches, including a floating rate tranche, and backed by a pool of retail sales contracts financing Porsche vehicles. This was also the first time that PFS included a percentage of battery-electric vehicles into the transaction.

The transaction was led by Société Générale and supported by Bank of America Securities, CIBC, Truist Bank, and BNP Paribas as book runners. The deal attracted strong subscription levels in each tranche from a growing investor base, comprised of investments funds, asset managers of financial institutions, trusts, banks and corporates.

“We are thrilled with the result of our final issuance of 2024,” says Tobias Hausladen, Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer, Porsche Financial Services, Inc., “The successful execution of five deals across our lease and retail installment sales contract programs since May 2023 is a remarkable accomplishment. I am very grateful for the loyal investor base we were able to build over the last 18 months.”

Porsche Financial Services, Inc. (PFS), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the dedicated provider of leasing and financing products for Porsche in the United States. Founded in 1991, PFS provides custom financial solutions and products to Porsche customers and dealers in the United States. In 2012, PFS expanded its North America operations to become the captive finance provider for the exclusive brands of the Volkswagen Group which include Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti. As an integrated premium financial services provider, every new product – whether it be a leasing offer or a service offer – contains the DNA of some of the world’s most exclusive vehicle manufacturers.

As Secretary of State, my top priority is clear: creating better futures for Georgia families. Whether it’s securing our elections, cutting red tape for businesses, or empowering individuals to thrive, every initiative we pursue is aimed at building a stronger, brighter Georgia. As we step into 2025, I’m excited to share the progress we’ve made in 2024—because understanding where we’ve been helps us chart the path forward. Together, we’re making a difference. I’m happy to share highlights from our office, as well as our 2024 Annual Report. 

Securing Elections for Georgia

Every voice matters. That’s why we’ve revolutionized how elections are conducted in Georgia to ensure integrity and trust. Here’s how we’ve delivered:

• Enhanced Voting Security: We implemented photo ID requirements for all forms of voting and conducted two citizenship verification audits to ensure that only U.S. citizens participate in our elections.
• Improved Voting Experience: Upgraded poll pad technology significantly reduced wait times, making the voting process smoother and more efficient for everyone.
• Innovative Audits: In 2024, Georgia became the first state to conduct an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) audit of every single paper ballot in the Presidential Election. This groundbreaking initiative validated the accuracy of the results by analyzing the human-readable text on each ballot.

Georgia’s elections are working for the people, and the results speak for themselves: secure, accurate, fair, and accessible.

Empowering Georgians for Success

A better future starts with empowered individuals. That’s why we’ve prioritized equipping Georgians with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. In 2024, our efforts in financial literacy and leadership outreach reached new heights:

• She Leads, our flagship women’s leadership program, hosted 10 engaging webinars and a special live event tailored for senior citizens.
• FIN FIT, aimed at small business owners and entrepreneurs, brought practical advice to 7 live events across the state.
• Funding The Future educated students on smart financial decisions through 16 impactful school events.
• Money Talks inspired the next generation with 12 dynamic events focused on financial literacy.

These programs aren’t just talks—they’re launching pads for change. For those who missed them, recordings and free resources are available here.

Simplifying Government for Georgians

A brighter future starts with a government that works for its people, not against them. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to cut through red tape and streamline processes, empowering Georgia’s entrepreneurs and professionals to focus on what they do best: driving growth and innovation.

In 2024, we partnered with the Georgia General Assembly to pass transformative licensing reforms:

• Fast-Tracking Opportunities for Veterans: Military veterans now have a quicker path to licensure, helping them transition into meaningful careers with ease.
• Expediting Essential Services: Therapists can now get licensed faster, ensuring critical mental health support reaches those who need it most.
• Modernizing the System: The GOALS platform’s revamped licensing framework brings efficiency and transparency, making it easier than ever for Georgians to navigate the process.
• From October to November, call center performance improved by nearly 10%, helping Georgians better navigate the licensing process and get back to work quickly.

These reforms are more than just policy changes—they’re real solutions fueling growth across our state. More Georgians are getting to work, and essential services are reaching communities faster than ever.

The numbers tell the story:

• 231,328 new business filings were processed in 2024 by our Corporations Division, reflecting Georgia’s booming entrepreneurial spirit.
• The Securities Division shattered records with 500,297 active security filings, a testament to our thriving financial ecosystem.

These achievements aren’t just milestones—they’re building blocks for a stronger Georgia. By simplifying government, we’re unlocking potential, one innovation and one opportunity at a time. 

Secretary Raffensperger’s Visits Across Georgia

Throughout the summer and fall, Secretary Brad Raffensperger traveled extensively across Georgia, engaging with local leaders and community groups to prepare for the 2024 Presidential Election. His efforts included addressing community organizations and conducting unannounced security inspections at county election offices to ensure readiness and compliance.

Recent Highlights

• Columbia County Board of Elections: Raffensperger visited the board to discuss election preparedness and assess operations.
• Spalding Elections Office: The Secretary made a stop to review processes and meet with local officials.
• Monroe County Election Training: During his visit, Raffensperger addressed election workers and highlighted new measures being implemented for greater security and efficiency.
• Hall County “Health Check”: The Secretary conducted a surprise inspection, part of his ongoing commitment to election integrity.
• Calhoun Rotary Visit: Recently, Secretary Raffensperger shared updates and goals for the 2025 legislative session with the Calhoun Rotary Club.
• Policy Advocacy in Washington: Raffensperger participated in a policy-focused event, advocating for national election reforms to enhance transparency and efficiency.

By engaging directly with counties and promoting robust election security, Secretary Raffensperger prioritized election integrity and voter confidence ahead of the critical 2024 election.

No man is an island.  At least, that’s what John Donne told us in the seventeenth century.  

For some reason this quote remains stuck in my head after reading a headline on an Axios story by political reporter Erin Doherty.  “Fetterman on an island as he reaches out to MAGA.”

To be clear, she didn’t call Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman an island. She just said in the headline and her lede that the temerity of talking to Republicans put him on one, “apart from other Democrats.”

Many members of the Democratic party – those elected, within the party apparatus, and the overly sympathetic media members who cover them and for them – are still having trouble with their national sweep in the November elections.  The public coping has many going through many stages of grief on their way, we can only hope, to eventual acceptance.  

Pretending it didn’t happen, and that that next year will be a redux of 2017 resistance rather than 2025’s acceptance by most of the country will not be good for Democrats, media, nor the country.  

A few recent headlines should serve as a warning to those who still wish to pretend there is a public demand for resistance.  Donald Trump, for the first time since becoming a serious political contender, has a net positive approval rating.  More people like the President elect than those who do not.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by CNBC puts a finer point on this.  They found that a majority of Americans are ready to support President Trump and large parts of his agenda.

The 2024 election is over.  It is time to move forward.  And it is time for members of the media to realize that Republicans aren’t zoo animals to be viewed from behind glass walls in their natural habitat, but at least for right now, people that represent mainstream views for a majority of the country.

Senator Fetterman isn’t on an island.  And as the Axios article notes, he’s hardly a conservative nor a Republican.  His biggest break with the progressive wing of the Democratic party comes over support of Israel and his staunch defense of it, along with his utter contempt for the manufactured anti-Semitic protests which consumed elite college campuses and cities willing to tolerate them.

Progressives who want to win again in 2026 and 2028 should take a look at Senator Fetterman’s style. They also need to look at the Trumpian movement within the GOP for lessons on how a new majority was built.  There’s a central lesson here from and for each of them.

The MAGA faction of Republicans decided that they just wanted to win. Everything was on the table.  While Progressives and media decided to make the 2024 elections largely about Roe vs Wade, there was little attention given to the fact that former President Trump specifically told the pro-life movement there would not be a national abortion ban.  And…they just accepted it and stood down.

There is a balance that must be maintained within a party’s coalition politics.  It is the conservatives or progressives that give each party their soul.  It is the moderates that give a party power.  Those willing and able to be an independent voice often become the broker to what can and can’t be done.  

As parties become hostage to their individual base voters, moderates become more and more the enemy.  There are direct attacks.  Then there are the subtler pieces noting “that guy over there doing things differently?  He’s way out there on an island.”

Senator Fetterman isn’t on an island.  If anything, he’s on an isthmus.  He’s occupying a land bridge that has open communication with those who at a minimum will control the agenda.

He’s in a position to give a critical extra vote in the Senate.  He’s also developing the gravitas to pull other moderate Senators – think Collins from Maine or Murkowski from Alaska – away from votes on bills that are too far to the right.

Those who put their party first don’t like the moderates. A quick scan of social media will already reveal calls for a primary to Senator Collins for having the temerity to assert she wants to hold to the Senate’s role of advice and consent for Presidential nominees in the confirmation process.  Nevermind that Collins is Republicans’ best chance to hold a seat in Maine which is otherwise now a Democratic stronghold.

Republicans won. Progressives lost. And yet, 2025 is largely still a blank slate.

President Trump has some conservative ideas. He also expanded the tent with union voters and other non-traditional Republican voices.  He’s very transactional in his politics, rather than an ideologue.

There’s the opportunity for those who choose to engage rather than resist to shape policy here.  It’s those who choose to stay on an island – whether alone or in large numbers – who will miss that chance.

As mixed-reality environments continue rising in popularity, researchers are working to develop safeguards to protect users from nefarious hackers.   

Kennesaw State University assistant professor of computer science Rifatul Islam and a team of researchers from around the country are working to develop these safeguards, aiming to protect against cognitive attacks on mixed-reality systems, which fuse real-world environments with virtual ones.

Islam is collaborating with researchers from higher-education institutions Pennsylvania State University, George Washington University, Northeastern University, the University of Southern California, in addition to industry partner Design Interactive

The three-year, $8.5 million project, Verified Probabilistic Cognitive Reasoning for Tactical Mixed Reality Systems, or VeriPro, is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, a research and development agency within the U.S. Department of Defense.

“We are looking for ways to protect the end user, particularly in the military, where augmented and mixed-reality applications are used for training for different types of combat,” Islam said.

Mixed-reality environments are commonly employed by the military, which uses these systems for training purposes, allowing users to grow accustomed to potential environments they might face during service.

While mixed reality is a useful training tool, it can be vulnerable to cognitive attacks, a type of warfare that seeks to alter people’s thoughts and actions into ones that favor the attacker’s objectives, which can also cause cybersickness, a set of symptoms that are similar to that of motion sickness.

The primary objective of this project is to construct and validate cognitive models to protect users against cognitive attacks during tactical mixed-reality experiences. These models will be used to automatically verify critical mixed-reality system properties, including but not limited to cybersickness, information flow and the prevention of user interface. If a system fails to meet a property, the system will provide diagnostic feedback and suggest modifications.

“One example of something that could occur during an attack is that the user’s perception could be changed. If an object in the real world is 10 meters away, an attacker could make it look like its only 5 meters away, with the change in perspective being very jarring to the user,” Islam said.

Cybersickness can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, and other symptoms, but it is caused by time spent using a screen, such as a smartphone or a computer, rather than movement. When a person in mixed reality experiences cybersickness, it can keep them from being able to make decisions in their optimal cognitive state.

Islam’s role on the team stems from his six years of work on cybersickness, during which he has studied how to detect cybersickness in real time and how to mitigate the symptoms.

“I’ve conducted a lot of different types of research around cybersickness and how to ensure user safety and comfort when they are using a mixed-reality device,” Islam said.

Islam’s expertise in cybersickness will help the team achieve their main goal of this project: to understand when a system has been compromised under different attack models and ultimately safeguard the user by observing the risks of mixed reality systems and creating solutions.

 

How to Become a Creative Travel Writer

Become a Travel Writer? It’s not a stretch to say there are millions of travel writers working today, employed by hotels, travel portals, travel magazines, travel agencies and those producing their own travel blogs. A massive audience, growing travel market, global affluence, and the desirability of travel lifestyles is pulling more into travel marketing.  And travel…