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News Wrap: Overheated voting machines slow progress of Fla. recount

In our news wrap Wednesday, voting machines in Palm Beach County overheated as election officials raced to meet the Thursday deadline for reporting tallies. Now 174,000 ballots must be recounted. Meanwhile, in Georgia, all but one county has certified its election results. Also, Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned suddenly, protesting a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    In the day's other news, recount efforts in Florida's Senate and governor races hit another snag. Voting machines in Palm Beach County overheated last night as election officials raced to meet a Thursday deadline. They now have to recount 174,000 early voting ballots.

    Meanwhile, in Georgia, all but one county has certified their election results. They have until Friday to declare a winner in the governor race between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams.

    And last night in California, Democrats picked up another House seat after Josh Harder ousted four-term Republican Congressman Jeff Denham.

    Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has secured her Cabinet's backing for a proposed Brexit deal to leave the European Union. May told reporters today that she firmly believes the agreement is — quote — "the best deal that could be negotiated." But its fate remains uncertain, as it still requires approval from the European Union and the British Parliament.

    We will take a closer look at the terms of the deal later in the program.

    Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned suddenly today to protest a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take over his defense portfolio in the interim. He will also serve — continue to serve as the country's foreign minister.

    In Jerusalem today, Lieberman said the cease-fire was his last straw, after two days of deadly cross-border attacks.

  •  Avigdor Lieberman (through translator):

    For me, what happened yesterday, the cease-fire yesterday combined with the long term deal with Hamas is a surrender to terrorism. There's no other definition, no other meaning, but surrender to terrorism.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinians and Hamas officials celebrated the news of Lieberman's resignation.

  • Ismail Radwan (through translator):

    This constitutes a victory for the resistance and recognition of defeat and failure by Lieberman and the Zionist occupation. It's a failure of the policy of siege and devastating wars against the Gaza Strip.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    So far, the truce reached yesterday has largely held. But this afternoon, Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian fisherman they said had gotten too close to the border fence separating Gaza and Israel.

    In total, seven Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed in this week's fighting.

    Back in this country, Defense Secretary James Mattis visited some of the more than 5,000 U.S. troops stationed along the Mexico border. President Trump deployed them as multiple caravans of Central American migrants journeyed north to seek legal asylum in the U.S.

    Today, Secretary Mattis toured a military base in McAllen, Texas, with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Before arriving, he said the troops are there to support border personnel and not confront the migrants.

  •  James Mattis:

    The Department of Defense missions do not involve military personnel, at this time, directly participating in any law enforcement. At the present, I do not anticipate military personnel coming into direct contact with migrants.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    Right now, the migrant caravan is making its way toward California. Nearly 400 Central Americans arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana today aboard a fleet of school buses.

    And stocks fell on Wall Street again today, dragged down by losses in the banking and tech sectors. The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 206 points to close at 25080. The Nasdaq fell 64, and the S&P 500 slipped 20.

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