Morning News Briefs: Tuesday, December 6, 2016

New North Carolina Governor To Face Resolute GOP Legislature

North Carolina's next governor campaigned to work if elected on bending back state government's recent right-ward turn. That includes the repeal of a law outgoing Gov. Pat McCrory signed limiting LGBT rights known as House Bill 2.

But Democrat Roy Cooper may have trouble doing that given that Republicans will still hold veto-proof majorities when he takes office next month. GOP legislative leaders are resolute in keeping their conservative policies intact.

Cooper will succeed McCrory after the Republican incumbent conceded Monday as a key recount in Durham County showed Cooper still ahead statewide by more than 10,000 votes. Cooper is planning to hold a victory rally Tuesday evening.

Republican Newton Concedes Loss In NC Attorney General Race

Democrat Josh Stein is set to become North Carolina's next attorney general after his Republican opponent conceded defeat.

Republican Buck Newton of Wilson conceded his loss Monday, nearly four weeks after Election Day.

Newton says he wanted to wait until he was satisfied with the vote count, but now sees it's clear that Stein received the majority. Newton said he would continue working for conservative principles.

Stein declared victory shortly after the election and has been preparing to take office in January.

Move To Delay Finalizing Election Results Pulled

A pending lawsuit challenging North Carolina's same-day registration process has been withdrawn.

A federal judge late Monday granted a request by lawyers for the head of a conservative-leaning group to withdraw his bid to prevent the certification of statewide results until the voter verification was complete. A hearing on blocking the certification had been set for Thursday.

Attorneys for the Civitas Institute president wrote that State Board of Elections rulings involving election protests and recounts have changed the necessity for blocking the certification.

The withdrawal request was filed the same day Republican Gov. Pat McCrory conceded his close race to Democrat Roy Cooper.

Kennedy Vote Seems Key To Supreme Court Redistricting Cases

Justice Anthony Kennedy appears to hold the decisive vote in two Supreme Court cases involving challenges from African-American voters to electoral districts in North Carolina and Virginia.

The court's liberal and conservative justices seemed otherwise divided after arguments Monday about whether race played too large a role in the creation of congressional districts in North Carolina and state legislative districts in Virginia.

Pizzagate Shooting Suspect Ordered Held By Judge

A North Carolina man who police say fired an assault rifle inside a pizzeria in the nation's capital while investigating a fake news story about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring has been ordered held until at least Thursday.

Presiding Magistrate Judge Joseph E. Beshouri ordered 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury jailed until a preliminary hearing and detention hearing set for Thursday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Welch was arrested after Sunday's shooting at Comet Ping Pong. No one was injured.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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