North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has signed a law to strip Gov.-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat, of some of his gubernatorial powers in what The Associated Press deemed an "extraordinary move." Cooper had threatened to sue if the Republicans took such measures, calling the power play "unconstitutional" and saying GOP lawmakers would "see me in court, and they don't have a good track record there."
Republican lawmakers had introduced the bills in a surprise special session Wednesday, in hopes of stripping powers from Cooper before he takes office in January; Cooper narrowly unseated McCrory in a bitter election that the incumbent only conceded nearly four weeks after votes were cast, ending four years of unified Republican control in the state. Republicans want to strip the governor of control over local election boards and the right to appoint University of North Carolina trustees, and are seeking to cut to 300 from 1,500 the number of state employees who serve at the governor's pleasure in an effort to protect hundreds of McCrory appointees.
"Most people might think this is a partisan power grab, but it's really more ominous," Cooper told Politico.
-
From Da Vinci to a golden toilet: a history of museum heistsIn the Spotlight Following the ‘spectacular’ events at the Louvre, museums are ‘increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs’
-
Can Gen Z uprisings succeed where other protest movements failed?Today's Big Question Apolitical and leaderless, youth-led protests have real power but are vulnerable to the strongman opportunist
-
The allegations of Christian genocide in NigeriaThe Explainer West African nation has denied claims from US senator and broadcaster
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
