
Martin Madaus Elected to Hologic Board of DirectorsEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With tears occasionally welling in his eyes, Daniel Jones disagreed on Thursday with the New York Giants’ decision to bench him earlier this week and perhaps end his five-plus tenure as the team’s quarterback. The 27-year-old Jones said he gave the team everything he had after being taken sixth overall in the 2019 draft and he believes he still has a future in the NFL. He held himself accountable for the Giants making the playoffs once in his tenure as the starter. The Duke product took over early in his rookie season when then-coach Pat Shurmur benched two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, who was near the end of his career. Coach Brian Daboll benched Jones on Monday after the Giants (2-8) returned to practice following a bye week and 20-17 overtime loss to Carolina in Germany. Tommy DeVito will start Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Daboll hoping he can spark the team. “Definitely not happy about it,” said Jones, who read a 90-second statement before taking questions from reporters. “Yeah, not what you want to hear. So, yeah, all those emotions you have. But at the end of the day, this is football. We’re in a business where your expected to get results and we weren’t doing it.” RELATED COVERAGE Nick Chubb plows through heavy snow for 2-yard TD, giving Browns 24-19 win over Steelers Browns’ Myles Garrett sends message to Steelers and T.J. Watt with 3 first-half sacks Patriots’ Drake Maye vs. Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa could be the first meeting of many Wearing his no-contact red jersey with a faded No. 8, Jones indicated the Giants offered him the opportunity to walk away from the team with seven games left in the season. He said he is considering it, but he also wanted to stay and help DeVito get ready this week. It is unlikely the Giants are going to let him play again. He has two years left on a four-year, $160 million contract. Next season includes a $23 million guarantee that will kick in if he is hurt and is not ready to start the 2025 season. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . Since being benched, Jones is barely getting any snaps, with most of them being taken by DeVito and backup Drew Lock. “I got the injury guarantee,” Jones said of his lack of work. Asked if he would have waived the guarantee, Jones said general manager Joe Schoen and his agent, Brian Murphy, discussed the issue but that was it. Jones spoke for almost 11 minutes. He got emotional when told receiver Darius Slayton and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence both referred to him as still the best quarterback on the team. All three were drafted in 2019. Jones called the Giants a first-class organization, cherished the relationships he has and thanked his teammates, coaches and staff. “There have been some great times. But of course, we all wish there had been more of those,” Jones said. “I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more wins. No one wanted to win more games worse than me. I gave everything I had on the field and in my preparation.” Jones called the 2024 season disappointing and took responsibility. “The idea to change something happens, and I understand. I love the game,” Jones said. “I love being part of a team. I’m excited for the next opportunity. I know that there’s a lot of good football in front of me.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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As the 2024 elections draw near, residents of the Sagnarigu District in the Northern Region have made their concerns known, urging parliamentary candidates to present concrete, actionable plans for the region’s development. A dialogue session organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) served as a platform for constituents to voice their pressing concerns across various sectors, seeking detailed responses from the candidates regarding their vision for the district. Economic challenges have taken center stage in the district, with micro-businesses collapsing and livelihoods being severely affected. Constituents called on candidates to outline strategies to revive small businesses and create sustainable economic opportunities. There was a strong demand for innovative policies that would support the growth of the local economy and ensure the viability of economic sub-sectors. Agriculture, a key source of livelihood in the region, has been underperforming. Residents voiced concerns about the loss of farmland to urbanization and asked candidates to present plans to make agriculture more attractive to the youth. They also highlighted the difficulty in accessing subsidized fertilizers and called for measures to ensure farmers benefit from government policies. The lack of agricultural extension officers and veterinary services was also raised, as these are crucial for improving crop and livestock productivity. Infrastructure issues were another critical concern. The district’s poor road networks, which hinder the movement of goods and people, were flagged as a major obstacle to economic development. Constituents also expressed frustration over inadequate drainage systems, which contribute to flooding during the rainy season, causing damage to properties and lives. Candidates were urged to propose practical solutions to improve infrastructure and address the challenges posed by inadequate drainage. Education also emerged as a key issue. Constituents pointed out the lack of access to basic learning materials, poor performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), and limited opportunities for ICT learning. The high cost of secondary and tertiary education was another concern, with many parents struggling to afford educational expenses for their children. The residents called on candidates to present actionable plans to improve education outcomes and reduce the financial burden on families. The dialogue session was a dynamic and hopeful exchange, with residents emphasizing the need for real, tangible solutions to their challenges. As the election approaches, the people of Sagnarigu are eager for candidates to demonstrate their commitment to addressing these critical issues.RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. The statewide machine recount — in which ballots were run again through tabulators — that wrapped up this week showed Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs with a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, who is a Court of Appeals judge. Most county election boards reported minor vote changes from the machine recount requested by Griffin. But State Board of Elections data showed the post-recount lead exactly the same as what Riggs held after all 100 counties fully completed their ballot canvass in November. Griffin led Riggs by about 10,000 votes on election night, but that lead dwindled and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Griffin, who already has pending election protests challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots counted statewide, has asked for a partial hand-to-eye recount, which county boards will start Wednesday or Thursday. The partial hand recount applies to ballots in 3% of the voting sites in all 100 counties, chosen at random Tuesday by the state board. Once the partial recount is complete, a statewide hand recount would be ordered if the sample results differ enough from the machine recount that the result would be reversed if the difference were extrapolated to all ballots. Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 and now seeks an eight-year term, again claimed victory Tuesday. In a campaign news release, spokesperson Embry Owen said Griffin “needs to immediately concede – losing candidates must respect the will of voters and not needlessly waste state resources.” Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member court. Through attorneys, Griffin has challenged ballots that he says may not qualify for several reasons and cast doubt on the election result. Among them: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver's license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina may run afoul of state residency requirements. State and county boards are considering the protests. Griffin's attorneys on Monday asked the state board to accelerate the matters before it and make a final ruling early next week. "Our priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted and that the public can trust the integrity of this election,” state Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a news release. Final rulings by the state board can be appealed to state court. Joining Griffin in protests are three Republican legislative candidates who still trailed narrowly in their respective races after the machine recounts. The Supreme Court race and two of these three legislative races have not been called by The Associated Press. The key pending legislative race is for a House seat covering Granville County and parts of Vance County. Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by 228 votes, down from 233 votes before the recount. Sossamon also asked for a partial hard recount in his race, which was to begin Tuesday. Should Cohn win, Republicans will fall one seat short of the 72 needed in the 120-member House to retain its veto-proof majority — giving more leverage to Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein in 2025. Senate Republicans already have won 30 of the 50 seats needed to retain its supermajority in their chamber. The AP on Tuesday did call another legislative race not subject to a protest, as Mecklenburg County GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham won her reelection bid over Democrat Nicole Sidman. A machine recount showed Cotham ahead of Sidman by 213 votes, compared to 216 after the county canvass. Cotham’s switch from the Democrats to the Republicans in April 2023 secured the Republicans' 72-seat veto-proof majority so that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes could be overridden by relying solely on GOP lawmakers. Cotham had already claimed victory weeks ago. Sidman said Tuesday in a written statement: "After a fair vote and a recount following established procedure, I accept the result in my race. In the interest of respecting the will of North Carolina's voters, I urge all candidates to accept the results in their races as well.”FIFA vice-president says Canada’s drone-spying at Olympics was ‘completely stupid’Shares of major Asian chip stocks mostly shrugged off a U.S. announcement of new semiconductor export controls on China. Taiwan's TSMC was up 2.4%, while several Japanese chip stocks also gained, with Tokyo Electron up 4%. Major Asian chip stocks outside of China rose Tuesday, shrugging off a new round of U.S. semiconductor export curbs on Beijing aimed at impairing the country's capability to produce certain high-end chips. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company — the world's largest contract chip supplier — saw shares rise 2.42%. Several Japanese chip-related stocks also gained. Tokyo Electron rose 4.7%, Lasertec climbed 6.7%, Advantest gained 3.9% and Renesas Electron advanced 2.2%. Japanese technology conglomerate Softbank , which owns a stake in British chip designer Arm, saw its shares rise 3.6%. The Biden administration's latest chip curbs will also target sales of high-bandwidth memory chips, which could affect the world's two largest memory chip makers — South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung. Shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, however, rose 0.9% and 1.8%, respectively. Money Report CNBC Daily Open: Investors are filled with the holiday spirit Jaguar reveals ‘Type 00' concept car, first under controversial new brand identity Derrick Irwin, portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia," on Tuesday that the high-bandwidth memory controls would impact South Korean players to a degree. "Although our belief is that the impact and sales of high bandwidth memory chips into China are reasonably small from these players in the scheme of things, and they'll probably be able to shift that demand into the U.S. and other markets," he said. The Department of Commerce announced on Monday that it was curbing semiconductor exports to 140 new companies in its latest effort to limit China's ability to access cutting edge chip technology that could be used for advancing its military capabilities. Naura Technology Group , Piotech and ACM Research were among the largest Chinese companies to be included in the export controls list. Shares of Naura Technology and ACM Research fell 3% and 1%, respectively, in China while Piotech rose 1%. China's largest chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, fell 1.5% in Hong Kong. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said Monday that the new export controls were the "culmination of the Biden-Harris Administration's targeted approach to impair the PRC's ability to indigenize the production of advanced technologies that pose a risk to our national security." In addition to the entities added, the latest U.S. restrictions include new controls on 24 types of manufacturing equipment and three types of software tools used for developing semiconductors. Last month, the effectiveness of U.S. chip restrictions had been thrown into question when it was reported that a chip made by TSMC had been found in a Huawei product . The new export restrictions include a new "red flag guidance" to address compliance concerns, and several "critical regulatory changes" to enhance the effectiveness of existing controls. Also on CNBC China's AI balancing act — beating the U.S. but keeping control of the tech Tesla CEO Elon Musk loses bid to get $56 billion pay package reinstated Kai Cenat breaks Twitch subscriber record during 30-day livestream
Military rule in South Korea is surprising but nothing newLocal Republican Central Committee to host interviews for coroner replacement
Cryptocurrencies are enormously volatile, but that volatility can create opportunities for profit if you’re looking to trade these digital assets. Cryptos such as Bitcoin and have risen a lot since their debut — but they’ve also experienced tremendous boom-bust cycles along the way. Experienced traders have been speculating on cryptocurrencies for years, but how can you get started if you’re new to the crypto market? Here’s how to start investing in cryptocurrency and the significant risks you need to watch out for. 5 steps for investing in cryptocurrency First things first, if you’re looking to invest in crypto, you need to have all your finances in order. That means having an emergency fund in place, a manageable level of debt and ideally a . Your crypto investments can become one more part of your portfolio, one that helps raise your total returns, hopefully. Pay attention to these five other things as you’re starting to invest in cryptocurrencies. As you would for any investment, understand exactly what you’re investing in. If you’re buying stocks, it’s important to read the annual report and other to analyze the companies thoroughly. Plan to , since there are literally thousands of them, they all function differently and new ones are being created every day. You need to understand the investment case for each trade. Related Articles In the case of many , they’re backed by nothing at all, neither hard assets nor cash flow of an underlying entity. That’s the case for , for example, where investors rely exclusively on someone paying more for the asset than they paid for it. In other words, unlike stock, where a company can grow its profits and drive returns for you that way, many crypto assets must rely on the market becoming more optimistic and bullish for you to profit. Some of the include Bitcoin, Ethereum, , and . So before investing, understand the potential upside and downside. If your financial investment is not backed by an asset or cash flow, it could end up being worth nothing. A mistake that many new investors make is looking at the past and extrapolating that to the future. Yes, Bitcoin used to be worth pennies, but . The key question, however, is “Will that growth continue into the future, even if it’s not at quite that meteoric rate?” Investors look to the future, not to what an asset has done in the past. What will drive future returns? Traders buying a cryptocurrency today need tomorrow’s gains, not yesterday’s. The prices of cryptocurrencies are about as volatile as an asset can get. They could drop quickly in seconds on nothing more than a rumor that ends up proving baseless. That can be great for sophisticated investors who can execute trades rapidly or who have a solid grasp on the market’s fundamentals, how the market is trending and where it could go. For new investors without these skills — or the high-powered algorithms that direct these trades — it’s a minefield. Volatility is a game for high-powered Wall Street traders, each of whom is trying to outgun other deep-pocketed investors. A new investor can easily get crushed by the volatility. That’s because volatility shakes out traders, especially beginners, who get scared. Meanwhile, other traders may step in and buy on the cheap. In short, volatility can help sophisticated traders “buy low and sell high” while inexperienced investors “buy high and sell low.” If you’re trading any asset on a short-term basis, you need to , and that can be especially true with volatile assets such as cryptocurrency. So as a newer trader, you’ll need to understand how best to manage risk and develop a process that helps you mitigate losses. And that process can vary from individual to individual: Newer traders should consider setting aside a certain amount of trading money and then using only a portion of it, at least at first. If a position moves against them, they’ll still have money in reserve to trade with later. The ultimate point is that you can’t trade if you don’t have any money. So keeping some cash in reserve means you’ll always have a bankroll to fund your trading. It’s important to manage risk, but that will come at an emotional cost. Selling a losing position hurts, but doing so can help you avoid worse losses later. Finally, it’s important to avoid putting money that you need into speculative assets. If you can’t afford to lose it — all of it — you can’t afford to put it into risky assets such as cryptocurrency, or other speculative assets, for that matter. Whether it’s a or an important upcoming purchase, money that you need in the next few years should be kept in safe accounts so that it’s there when you need it. And if you’re looking for an absolutely sure return, your best option is to pay off high-interest debt. You’re guaranteed to earn (or save) whatever interest rate you’re paying on the debt. You can’t lose there. Finally, don’t overlook the security of any exchange or broker you’re using. You may own the assets legally, but someone still has to secure them, and their security needs to be tight. If they don’t think their cryptocurrency is properly secured, some traders choose to invest in a to hold their coins offline so they’re inaccessible to hackers or others. Remember that investing in cryptocurrency can be part of a broader investment strategy, but shouldn’t be your only one. Other ways to invest in cryptocurrency While investing directly in cryptocurrency is popular, traders have other ways to get into the crypto game, some more directly than others. These include: Each of these methods varies in its riskiness and exposure to cryptocurrency, so you’ll want to understand exactly what you’re buying and whether it fits your needs. Cryptocurrency investing FAQs In theory it takes only a few dollars to invest in cryptocurrency. Most crypto exchanges, for example, have a minimum trade that might be $5 or $10. Other might have a minimum that’s even lower. However, it’s important to understand that some trading platforms will take a huge chunk of your investment as a fee if you’re trading small amounts of cryptocurrency. So it’s important to look for a broker or exchange that minimizes your fees. In fact, many so-called “free” brokers embed fees — called spread mark-ups — in the price you pay for your cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is based on . Blockchain is a kind of database that records and timestamps every entry into it. The best way to think of a blockchain is like a running receipt of transactions. When a blockchain database powers cryptocurrency, it records and verifies transactions in the currency, verifying the currency’s movements and who owns it. Many crypto blockchain databases are run with decentralized computer networks. That is, many redundant computers operate the database, checking and rechecking the transactions to ensure that they’re accurate. If there’s a discrepancy, the networked computers have to resolve it. Some cryptocurrencies reward those who verify the transactions on the blockchain database in a process called mining. For example, miners involved with Bitcoin solve very complex mathematical problems as part of the verification process. If they’re successful, miners receive a predetermined award of Bitcoins. To , miners need powerful processing units that consume huge amounts of energy. Many miners operate gigantic rooms full of such mining rigs in order to extract these rewards. As of October 2024, running the Bitcoin system burned as much energy per year as the country of Poland. If you’re looking to invest in Bitcoin, you have a variety of ways to do so, and you can work with a number of companies, including: If you’re looking to buy Bitcoin, pay particular attention to the fees that you’re paying. Here are other key things to watch out for as . What are altcoins? An altcoin is an alternative to Bitcoin. Many years ago, traders would use the term pejoratively. Since Bitcoin was the largest and most popular cryptocurrency, everything else was defined in relation to it. So, whatever was not Bitcoin was lumped into a catch-all category called . While Bitcoin is still the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization by far, it’s no longer the only game in town. Other altcoins such as Ethereum and Solana have grown in popularity, making the term altcoin somewhat outmoded. Now with a reported 15,000 or more cryptocurrencies in existence, it makes less sense than ever to define the industry as “Bitcoin and then everything else.” Bottom line Cryptocurrency is a highly speculative area of the market, and many smart investors have decided to put their money elsewhere. For beginners who want to get started trading crypto, however, the best advice is to start small and only use money that you can afford to lose. ©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The college football transfer portal swung wide open Monday. With it, seven University of Massachusetts football players have put their names into the portal, looking for a new home next fall. The names that probably stick out are quarterback Ahmad Haston and running back Jalen John, both of whom went into the portal along with tight end Matt Smith, defensive linemen Tyson Walker, Zukudo Igwenagu and Aaron Beckwith, along with wide receiver Anthony Simpson. Simpson had left the team early in the season. "Portal open! Need them dogs. #Flagship" UMass quarterback A.J. Hairston wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Hairston seems to be staying put in Amherst, so it remains to be seen if his recruiting efforts will bear fruit. The now former Minutemen will leave while four incoming freshmen signed national letters of intent last week. Hitting the portal is all about recruiting, and new football head coach Joe Harasymiak broached that subject during his introductory press conference Friday morning in Amherst. "I think it starts where you are. Home is where your feet are. We'll have a detailed plan for that," he said. "I think what I realized at Maine is the first part about recruiting is you have to get people who believe in what you believe in. With everything that's going on in college football, I think that gets lost a little bit. "We're going to make sure, and we've already started in the last few days, we're going to make sure the people that are here believe in what we believe in." The biggest name that went into the portal on Monday belongs to Haston. The quarterback, recruited to UMass out of high school, became now former offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery's running quarterback in the two-quarterback plan. Haston and Hairston, a true freshman, stepped into the breach when Taisun Phommachanh was injured in the loss at Mississippi State. The two alternated in losses to Liberty and UConn at home and at Georgia. Montgomery's plan was predicated on an injury keeping Haston from really letting the ball fly. Haston finished the season by running 18 times for 174 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 9.7 yards per carry. Haston was also 8 for 9 for 39 yards. "I am truly grateful for all the memories, growth and battle-testing experiences I was able to share with my teammates," Haston posted on social media. "I am officially entering the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility and ready to work." Jalen John, who followed former coach Don Brown from Arizona to UMass, carried the ball 111 times for 583 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry. John also had 17 receptions for 119 yards. "I also want to thank the UMass coaching staff and administration for giving me the opportunity to play football," John wrote on social media. "These last two years have been transformative for me as an athlete and an individual. After thoughtful conversations with my family, I will be entering the transfer portal with 1 year of eligibility left." As of this writing, redshirt junior Brandon Campbell and sophomore C.J. Hester lead the running back room. Hester transferred from Western Michigan and was the No. 2 rusher for the Minutemen. He ran the ball 119 times for 529 yards and caught 14 passes for 58 yards. Campbell, was a late arrival this summer from the University of Houston. Campbell had 239 yards rushing on 64 carries. Beckwith, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound redshirt junior had been at UMass for four seasons and had 32 tackles from the nose position in the last two seasons. Igwenagu is the cousin of former UMass fullback Emil Igwenagu, who spent three years in NFL training camps. Zukedo Igwenagu and Tyson Watson both transferred to UMass from Big Ten schools, Igwenagu from Rutgers and Watson from Michigan State. Neither had any tackle statistics in 2024. Smith is a 6-5, 245-pounder who transferred from Duke. The tight end had three catches for 38 yards. Simpson was UMass' leading receiver in 2023, catching 57 passes for 792 yards. The transfer from the University of Arizona was "no longer on the team" in a late-September announcement. Teams in the Mid-American Conference, UMass' home next year, have also felt the sting of players entering the portal. Five teams, led by Ball State with 13 and Akron and Northern Illinois with 12 each, had the most players in the portal as of midday Monday. MAC champion Ohio had yet to have a player enter the portal. There are four incoming freshmen who signed on the Dec. 4 early signing day. Two are defensive backs, one is a running back and one is a quarterback. The signal caller is Zach Lawrence, a 6-foot-1, 3-star recruit out of Charlotte, N.C. He played at Butler High School and was the No. 35 recruit in the state according to Rivals.com He had career numbers of 213 for 340 for 3,377 yards and 37 touchdowns. Dajoure Hollingsworth was listed as 247Sports' No. 19 recruit in Pennsylvania. The 5-8, 175-pound back ran for 2,565 yards on 277 carries in 32 high school games, scoring 38 touchdowns. Eighteen of those came as a senior at Salisbury School in Connecticut. He started at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pa., the high school alma mater of former UMass linebacker Jerry Roberts Jr., and Roberts' younger brother Jyree, a redshirt freshman. "It starts off with being real, showing them who I am and how I'm going to run the program," Harasymiak said the day he was introduced. "Anybody that believes in that and wants to be a part of that will be here. That's okay. The transfer portal, you don't like it and you want to go somewhere else, that's awesome. If you want to be here and change something that's hard and be something that's going to be special. Stick around. That's my message to the team in the first two team meetings. A lot of things are going to change, a lot. That's evident that it needs to happen. "We're going to keep pushing forward and whoever is here, whoever believes in it, that's when we'll become as strong as we can be."First treatment in 50 years for serious asthma attacks is ‘game-changer’RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. The statewide machine recount — in which ballots were run again through tabulators — that wrapped up this week showed Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs with a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, who is a Court of Appeals judge. Most county election boards reported minor vote changes from the machine recount requested by Griffin. But State Board of Elections data showed the post-recount lead exactly the same as what Riggs held after all 100 counties fully completed their ballot canvass in November. Griffin led Riggs by about 10,000 votes on election night, but that lead dwindled and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Griffin, who already has pending election protests challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots counted statewide, has asked for a partial hand-to-eye recount, which county boards will start Wednesday or Thursday. The partial hand recount applies to ballots in 3% of the voting sites in all 100 counties, chosen at random Tuesday by the state board. Once the partial recount is complete, a statewide hand recount would be ordered if the sample results differ enough from the machine recount that the result would be reversed if the difference were extrapolated to all ballots. Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 and now seeks an eight-year term, again claimed victory Tuesday. In a campaign news release, spokesperson Embry Owen said Griffin “needs to immediately concede – losing candidates must respect the will of voters and not needlessly waste state resources.” Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member court. Through attorneys, Griffin has challenged ballots that he says may not qualify for several reasons and cast doubt on the election result. Among them: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver's license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina may run afoul of state residency requirements. State and county boards are considering the protests. Griffin's attorneys on Monday asked the state board to accelerate the matters before it and make a final ruling early next week. "Our priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted and that the public can trust the integrity of this election,” state Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a news release. Final rulings by the state board can be appealed to state court. Joining Griffin in protests are three Republican legislative candidates who still trailed narrowly in their respective races after the machine recounts. The Supreme Court race and two of these three legislative races have not been called by The Associated Press. The key pending legislative race is for a House seat covering Granville County and parts of Vance County. Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by 228 votes, down from 233 votes before the recount. Sossamon also asked for a partial hard recount in his race, which was to begin Tuesday. Should Cohn win, Republicans will fall one seat short of the 72 needed in the 120-member House to retain its veto-proof majority — giving more leverage to Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein in 2025. Senate Republicans already have won 30 of the 50 seats needed to retain its supermajority in their chamber. The AP on Tuesday did call another legislative race not subject to a protest, as Mecklenburg County GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham won her reelection bid over Democrat Nicole Sidman. A machine recount showed Cotham ahead of Sidman by 213 votes, compared to 216 after the county canvass. Cotham’s switch from the Democrats to the Republicans in April 2023 secured the Republicans' 72-seat veto-proof majority so that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes could be overridden by relying solely on GOP lawmakers. Cotham had already claimed victory weeks ago. Sidman said Tuesday in a written statement: "After a fair vote and a recount following established procedure, I accept the result in my race. In the interest of respecting the will of North Carolina's voters, I urge all candidates to accept the results in their races as well.”
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