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For the first time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ready to give up Ukrainian territory to Russia for peaceRALEIGH, 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. — 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 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, 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 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 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.OTTAWA — The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations is calling on all members of Parliament to send a First Nations water bill to the Senate before the holiday break, saying the water crisis demands urgent action. “This legislation reflects years of advocacy by First Nations and marks a milestone in a decades-long fight for adequate water and wastewater in First Nations across Canada,” Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak wrote in an open letter to MPs. “We cannot afford further delays to this legislation or missed opportunities while First Nations continue to live without access to safe and clean water. Bill C-61 must advance now, not next year. We urge all members of Parliament, across all party lines, to act.” The government legislation known as Bill C-61 recognizes that First Nations have an inherent right to clean drinking water and commits the government to provide adequate and sustainable funding for water services in First Nations. The House of Commons has been gridlocked since late September because of an ongoing privilege debate that centres on a request for the Liberals to hand over to Parliament and the RCMP unredacted documents about misspending at a now-defunct green tech fund. That has taken precedence over nearly all other government business, and the water bill is awaiting a final vote in the House of Commons. Last week, Liberal MP Jaime Battiste, who is Mi’kmaq from Eskasoni First Nation, asked for unanimous consent from MPs to adopt the bill and send it to Senate. But several Conservative MPs said no. The Conservatives then introduced a unanimous consent motion of their own that also asked MPs to condemn the Liberals for their inaction on the file. That, too, was voted down. Chiefs who gathered with Battiste and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu last week expressed their disappointment with the bill not moving forward, and accused Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer of using the bill as a political tactic. “I’m very disappointed that he used clean drinking water as a tactic in this House in order to say, ‘If you do this, then we will do this,’ where there’s real lives that are being affected,” Cowessess First Nation Chief Erica Beaudin told reporters at a news conference. “We’re not talking about toys, we’re not talking about items that are not essential, but water is essential and you either believe in clean drinking water for everybody or you don’t. And if you do, you do everything you possibly can to work toward that happening.” There are 31 long-term boil water advisories on First Nations across the country, and 36 short-term advisories, government data shows. In a statement last week, Scheer said the Liberals shut down his motion because they would like to avoid “proper debate” on the legislation. “Liberal MPs should be outraged with themselves. They could properly debate this legislation today if they stopped their cover up of their $400 million green slush fund scandal by providing the documents to the RCMP as ordered by Parliament,” Scheer said. Since Bill C-61 was introduced nearly a year ago it has been subject to debate in the House of Commons, studied at committee and had amendments tacked on. At the Assembly of First Nations gathering last week, the AFN executive passed a resolution to continue advocating for the bill’s approval. Hajdu and Woodhouse Nepinak stood together in October making a similar push for the bill to move forward, with Hajdu blaming the Conservatives for delays. Scheer, in response, pointed back to that privilege debate and said the House can resume its work once the Liberals hand over the documents. It’s unclear whether the Liberals will attempt a unanimous consent motion again before the holidays. They are expected to introduce the fall economic statement on Monday, and the House of Commons is set to rise on Tuesday for a break that last until Jan. 27. In her letter to MPs, Woodhouse Nepinak said advancing the bill before then will demonstrate Canada’s commitment to upholding its responsibilities. “Support and prioritize the advancement of Bill C-61, refer it to the Senate, and take this necessary step toward ensuring every First Nation has access to the clean and safe drinking water, as it is their basic human right,” she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. — With files from David Baxter Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
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Landmark mental health act reform set for second reading'Gladiator II' Jumps the Shark (Literally)TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey interim Sen. George Helmy, a Democrat appointed when Bob Menendez resigned after a federal corruption conviction , is stepping down this weekend so Sen.-elect Andy Kim can be sworn in early. The move was expected and confirmed what Helmy and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced during his appointment this summer — that Helmy would resign early so the winner of November's election could get into office before the start of the new session of Congress next month. Murphy explained the arrangement, saying he wanted the “democratically chosen winner” of this year's election to have a smooth transition into office. Kim defeated Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw on Election Day. He'll become the first Korean-American in the Senate when he is sworn in on Monday. Helmy is a former chief of staff to Murphy and has said he wasn't interested in pursuing elected office. He counted voting to confirm 20 judicial nominations and resolving more than 100 constituent cases as some of his accomplishments in little more than two months in office. Helmy said he's been working closely with Kim since his election in November to “ensure a seamless transition.” Menendez, 70, used his influence to meddle in three different state and federal criminal investigations to protect the businessmen, prosecutors said. They said he helped one bribe-paying friend get a multimillion-dollar deal with a Qatari investment fund and another keep a contract to provide religious certification for meat bound for Egypt. Menendez has vowed to fight the conviction and recently filed for a new trial , citing improper evidence that was put on a computer used by jurors. The Associated Press
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Nathan Hochman Sworn In as L.A. D.A. by Arnold SchwarzeneggerNational chief urges MPs to send water bill to Senate before holiday break
VA.-LYNCHBURG (0-4) T.Johnson 3-7 9-13 15, Bratcher 0-4 0-0 0, Corrigan 1-1 0-0 3, Jackson 3-8 10-12 16, Robinson 6-18 3-4 17, Joppy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-39 22-29 51. NC CENTRAL (3-6) Adedire 1-4 1-2 4, P.Smith 2-2 1-2 5, D.Johnson 3-7 0-0 6, King 6-12 3-3 19, Porter 9-11 2-2 23, Okworogwo 6-11 6-7 18, Murray 7-9 2-2 16, Parson 3-7 2-5 10, Rideau 5-12 2-3 16, Ch.Daniels 2-4 0-0 4, Smart 4-7 0-1 10, Ellison 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 48-87 19-27 131. Halftime_NC Central 67-25. 3-Point Goals_Va.-Lynchburg 3-15 (Robinson 2-9, Corrigan 1-1, Bratcher 0-1, Jackson 0-2, T.Johnson 0-2), NC Central 16-37 (King 4-9, Rideau 4-11, Porter 3-4, Smart 2-3, Parson 2-5, Adedire 1-2, D.Johnson 0-1, Ch.Daniels 0-2). Fouled Out_Corrigan, Smart. Rebounds_Va.-Lynchburg 19 (T.Johnson 8), NC Central 41 (Okworogwo, Murray 10). Assists_Va.-Lynchburg 6 (Bratcher 3), NC Central 31 (Adedire 7). Total Fouls_Va.-Lynchburg 16, NC Central 24. A_145 (3,056).From Moo Deng to Wicked: Here’s your 2024 pop culture recap
OpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship'Steve Hansen said Friday it was "wonderful" to be reunited in Japan with former All Blacks coaching colleague Ian Foster, the pair having won the World Cup together. Hansen and Foster are preparing for their first season co-coaching club side Toyota Verblitz, rekindling a working relationship that saw them spend eight years together with the All Blacks. Foster served as Hansen's assistant when New Zealand lifted the World Cup in 2015, before taking over as head coach when Hansen left to join Toyota as director of rugby. Foster led the All Blacks to a narrow defeat to South Africa in last year's World Cup final before being replaced by Scott Robertson. Hansen and Foster are together again as they prepare for the start of the Japan Rugby League One season later this month, and Hansen said his colleague had made an "outstanding" start to the job. "It's been wonderful to be able to start our relationship back over again," said Hansen, who will continue as director of rugby while co-coaching with Foster. "We enjoy coaching together. He's someone I trust immensely, understands the game as good as anybody in world rugby." Foster endured a rocky build-up to last year's World Cup and Robertson was announced as his replacement before the tournament began. Foster refused to reapply for the job because he thought it should be handled after the World Cup and felt it was an unnecessary distraction. The 59-year-old said he was joining a "great organization" at Toyota, who finished seventh in last season's 12-team championship table. "It's been well led by Steve and the people in Toyota are really passionate," said Foster. "I've walked into an organization that is really determined to grow." Hansen said there would be "no role division" between him and Foster in the coaching box. "Within the team itself, he's the yin and I'm the yang, and sometimes I'm the yin and he's the yang," said Hansen. "That's how we've always operated."