Welcome to the Friday Five! Every Friday we share our top five articles, stories, and quotes for you to read and share with your friends and church families.

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1. NC VALUES: We Did It. Cooper’s Veto is No More. The Opportunity Scholarship is Funded

Earlier this week, the NC General Assembly returned to Raleigh to address many substantive issues. We’re excited to share with you that both the House and Senate have now voted to successfully override Governor Cooper’s veto of House Bill 10!

Tens of thousands of families throughout North Carolina can rest easy knowing that the NC General Assembly has overridden the veto of Governor Roy Cooper on HB10, a bill that includes several top policy initiatives and fully funds the waiting list for children who have applied for the Universal Opportunity Scholarship.

Read more: https://ncvalues.org/we-did-it-coopers-veto-is-no-more-the-opportunity-scholarship-is-funded/

2. NEWS & OBSERVER: It’s Official: Next NC House GOP Speaker Will Be Destin Hall. What He’ll Make a Priority

“House Rules Committee Chair Destin Hall, a Caldwell County attorney, has been expected to take on the role for some time, having already received the blessing of outgoing House Speaker Tim Moore, who won his race for Congress earlier this mont

Hall was elected without any opposition, he told reporters on Tuesday after the Republican caucus voted. That makes him all but certain to be chosen as speaker when the full House convenes for the 2025 session.”

Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article295792109.html

3. CAROLINA JOURNAL: Griffin Challenges 60,000 Ballots as NC Supreme Court Recount Continues

“Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is challenging 60,000 ballots cast in this month’s election. Griffin filed his challenge as county elections officials continue to recount votes in Griffin’s race against appointed incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs.

Riggs led Griffin by 625 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes counted at the end of the county canvass from the Nov. 5 election.

‘As North Carolinians, we cherish our democratic process. Protecting election integrity is not just an option — it’s our duty,’ Griffin said in a North Carolina Republican Party news release. ‘These protests are about one fundamental principle: ensuring every legal vote is counted.'”

Read more: https://www.carolinajournal.com/griffin-challenges-60000-ballots-as-nc-supreme-court-recount-continues/

4. FOX NEWS: Democrat Who Spoke Out Against Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports Comes Under Attack From Own Party

“Democratic House Rep. Seth Moulton is doubling down after he sparked a debate in his party over transgender inclusion in women’s sports.

‘I’ve never had more people, parents and, by the way, a lot of L.G.B.T.Q. community members, reach out to me and say, “Thank you for saying this,”‘ Moulton told The New York Times in an interview Friday.

Moulton, who just won re-election, has sparked a debate around transgender athletes after he spoke out against his party’s stance on trans athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. Moulton has defended his position in several interviews since then, inciting more and more backlash from his party members.”

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/media/democrat-who-spoke-out-against-trans-athletes-womens-sports-under-attack-own-party

5. WRAL: Trump’s Nominations Put NC’s Tillis Under the Microscope. Why He’s the Nation’s ‘Most Vulnerable’ GOP Senator

“As the U.S. Senate considers president-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for top government leadership positions, political analysts say no Republican will face more scrutiny than North Carolina’s Thom Tillis. Tillis is expected to seek reelection in 2026 in a state with some of the nation’s narrowest election margins.”

Yesterday, after US Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz withdrew, President-elect Trump announced Pam Bondi as his new pick.

Read more: https://www.wral.com/amp/21724608/

Weekly Prayer: Officials

LORD, you also have instructed us to pray for our governing officials, and we come to you in the spirit of this petition. We pray for our state government and its executive, legislative, and judicial servants. May they indeed be servants unto the people, and govern in a manner that protects liberty and virtue. In the same spirit, we pray for public servants across our local governments. May they all heed your mandate in Romans 13:4 to be in positions of authority as “God’s servant” and for the “good” of the public. They govern in what we confess are difficult times. May they plead with you to give them wisdom, and may your grace to govern wisely be poured out on them.

Protect us from the oppression and loss of freedoms that other countries have experienced, and help us to value and preserve freedom, which we know comes only from You.

“I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.  I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.” Acts 7:34

Amen