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Federal judge agrees to end Michigan recount after 3 days

DETROIT (AP) — The Latest on the presidential recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (all times local): 7:50 p.m. A federal judge who ordered Michigan to start recounting presidential votes has dropped his decision, effectively ending a second look at ballots statewide. Judge Mark Goldsmith acted Wednesday night, a day after the state appeals court said the Green Party candidate isn't eligible to seek a recount of millions of vote cast Nov. 8. Earlier Wednesday, the Michigan elections board said the recount would end if Goldsmith extinguished his earlier order. It was Goldsmith's midnight ruling Monday that started the recount in Michigan. But his order dealt with timing — not whether a recount was appropriate. More than 20 counties so far are recounting ballots, and some are finished. The state appeals court said Tuesday that Jill Stein doesn't qualify as an "aggrieved" candidate under state law because she got only 1 percent of the Michigan vote and can't win with a recount. Stein is appealing to the Michigan Supreme Court. ___ 11:30 p.m. A federal judge in Detroit has called a hearing for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to consider whether Michigan's presidential recount should continue after an unfavorable ruling by a state appeals court. U.S District Judge Mark Goldsmith's order allowed the recount to begin Monday, but his decision dealt with the timing, not the merits of the count. On Tuesday, a Michigan appeals court ordered the state's election board to reject Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein's petition for the recount, finding that she had no chance of emerging as the winner in the state. Goldsmith's hearing on Wednesday could sort out whether the recount will be able to go forward or be halted. Michigan is one of three states narrowly won by Donald Trump in which Stein has sought a recount. ___ 7:40 p.m. The Michigan appeals court says Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has no right to seek a recount in the state because of her fourth-place finish in the Nov. 8 election. The court ordered the Michigan election board to reject her recount petition. It's unclear how this would affect the recount, which began on Monday. The appeals court ruled in favor of Republican Donald Trump and the state attorney general, who argued that Stein is not an "aggrieved" candidate under Michigan law because she can't win the state with a recount. Attorney General Bill Schuette says the recount now "must stop." But Stein's attorney, Mark Brewer, says the recount still isn't over. He pointed to a Monday decision by a federal judge who accelerated the process. ___ 7:10 p.m. A federal appeals court won't stop the recount of Michigan's presidential votes. In a 2-1 decision Tuesday, the court upheld a decision by a Detroit federal judge who on Monday ordered the recount to start immediately instead of waiting until mid-week. The recount was requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who concedes she can't win Michigan but has concerns about accuracy. Republican Donald Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan. Attorneys for Trump argue that Stein has no right to a recount because she finished fourth. The appeals court says it's not deciding the merits of the recount, only the timing and how it relates to voting rights under the U.S. Constitution. Separately, the recount is being opposed by the Trump campaign in Michigan state court. ___ 5:50 p.m. The Michigan appeals court has heard arguments on a request to stop the state's presidential election recount. Lawyers for Republican Donald Trump and the state's Republican attorney general say Green Party candidate Jill Stein shouldn't have been allowed to request a recount because she finished so far back, with about 1 percent of the vote, that she couldn't win even if some votes were miscounted. Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Michigan and two other states where Stein requested recounts, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Stein's attorney, Mark Brewer, argued Tuesday that she's "going to bat" for voters to ensure that their votes were properly counted. Michigan's recount started Monday. ___ 4:30 p.m. A federal judge has ordered a hearing on the Green Party request for a presidential election recount in Pennsylvania. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond scheduled the hearing for Friday. The Republican Party and Trump oppose a recount. They've warned that the case threatens Pennsylvania's ability to certify its election results before the Dec. 13 federal deadline. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has spearheaded recount efforts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in all three states. Stein's team hasn't produced evidence of hacking but has called Pennsylvania's election system "a national disgrace." ___ 2:30 p.m. Donald Trump has added to his victory total in Wisconsin as the state's presidential recount continues. Trump had picked up 146 votes on Hillary Clinton based on counties that reported by Tuesday that they had completed the recount. Trump beat Clinton by about 22,000 votes in the state. Wisconsin's recount began Thursday. Since then, 23 out of 72 counties have reported that they are done recounting. In those counties, Trump has picked up 105 votes and Clinton has dropped 41 votes. Green Party candidate Jill Stein requested the recount of the nearly 3 million ballots cast. Stein got less than 1 percent of the statewide vote and has said her goal is to rule out any concerns about the integrity of the vote being compromised. ___ 10:35 a.m. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein could be forced to pay the entire cost of Michigan's statewide recount under a bill advancing in the state Legislature. The Republican-controlled House Elections Committee approved the legislation Tuesday. It would require any candidate who loses by more than 5 percentage points to pay 100 percent of the estimated cost of the recount. Those candidates now pay $125 per precinct, which is Stein's case is nearly $1 million. Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has said the recount may cost $5 million. The bill would retroactively apply to Stein. Democrats voting against the measure questioned the constitutionality of changing the rules "in the middle of the game." The sponsor, Republican state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, says taxpayers shouldn't foot the bill for "frivolous" recounts. ___ 10:30 a.m. The county that includes Detroit is among six in Michigan that have started recounts of the state's presidential election results. Wayne County's recount got underway Tuesday at a Detroit convention hall. Seven of the state's other 83 counties have also started recounts since Monday. Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, says it's possible not all votes will be recounted in Wayne County because of improper seals on ballot boxes and other issues. In such cases, the original vote would stand. Democrat Hillary Clinton won 67 percent of Wayne County's vote. The recount is being driven by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who also requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Republican Donald Trump narrowly won all three states, with Stein getting about 1 percent in each. ___ 2:10 a.m. The presidential recount in Michigan expands Tuesday to its largest county, which includes Detroit, and five other counties, and the fate of a statewide recount push in Pennsylvania awaits action in federal court. President-elect Donald Trump narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in both states and Wisconsin, which started its recount last week. The recounts requested by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein were not expected to change enough votes to overturn the result of the election. Stein, who received about 1 percent of the vote in all three states, says her intent is to verify the vote's accuracy. She has suggested, with no evidence, that votes cast were susceptible to computer hacking. A partial recount underway in Nevada was requested by independent presidential candidate Roque De La Fuente.

The Latest: Federal judge agrees to end Michigan recount