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ByMarcLevyandScott Bauer The Associated Press Presidentialelectionre- count efforts came to an end Monday in Pennsylva- nia and Wisconsin, with both states certifying Re- publican Donald Trump as the winner in contests that helped put him over the top in the Electoral College stakes. Trump's victory in Wis- consin was reaffirmed fol- lowing a statewide vote recount that showed him defeating Democrat Hill- ary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes. Meanwhile, a federal judge issued a stinging rejection of a Green Party-backed re- quest to recount paper ballots in Pennsylvania's presidential election and scan some counties' elec- tion systems for signs of hacking. Green Party candidate Jill Stein successfully re- quested and paid for the Wisconsin recount while her attempts for simi- lar statewide recounts in Pennsylvania and Michi- gan were blocked by the courts. Stein got only about 1 percent of the vote in each of the three states that Trump narrowly won over Clinton. Stein argued, without evidence, that vot- ing machines in all three states were susceptible to hacking. All three states were crucial to Trump's victory, having last voted for a Republican for pres- ident in the 1980s. The numbers barely budged in Wisconsin after nearly 3 million votes were recounted. Trump, a bil- lionaire New York real es- tate mogul, picked up 162 votes and still won by more than 22,000 votes. The fi- nal results changed just 0.06 percent. In Pennsylvania, state officials certified the re- sults of the election in the hours following the deci- sion by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond. Trump beat Clinton in the state by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast, or less than 1 percent, ac- cording to the final tally af- ter weeks of counting pro- visional and overseas bal- lots. Green Party voters had petitioned some coun- ties to do partial recounts, affecting few votes, county officials said. Diamond said there were at least six grounds that required him to reject the Green Party's lawsuit, which had been opposed by Trump, the Pennsylva- nia Republican Party and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election "borders on the irrational" while granting the Green Party's recount bid could "ensure that no Pennsyl- vania vote counts" given Tuesday's federal deadline to certify the vote for the Electoral College, wrote Diamond, an appointee of Republican former Presi- dent George W. Bush. "Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that any 'hack' occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania's voting sys- tem was not in any way compromised," Diamond wrote. He said the lawsuit suf- fered from a lack of stand- ing, potentially the lack of federal jurisdiction and an "unexplained, highly prej- udicial" wait before filing last week's lawsuit, four weeks after the Nov. 8 elec- tion. The decision was the Green Party's latest roadblock in Pennsylva- nia after hitting numer- ous walls in county and state courts. Green Party- backed lawyers argue it was possible that com- puter hackers changed the election outcome and that Pennsylvania's heavy use of paperless ma- chines makes it a prime target. Stein also con- tended Pennsylvania has erected unconstitutional barriers to voters seeking a recount. A federal judge halted Michigan's recount last week after three days. Trump won Michigan by fewer than 11,000 votes out of nearly 4.8 million votes cast. ELECTION Recounteffortsend:Trump wins in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania MATTROURKE—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Ilann Maazel, lead counsel for the Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein campaign, speaks with members of the media outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia. SUSAN WALSH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday. By Ken Thomas The Associated Press NEW YORK The top Senate Republican said Monday that Congress will investi- gate a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the No- vember election on behalf of Donald Trump, an in- telligence conclusion that the incoming commander in chief has called "ridicu- lous." Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that an inquiry would be conducted by the Senate intelligence panel. Two key Senate Republicans — John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a leading Trump critic — have joined with two Democrats in seeking a bipartisan investigation into the Kremlin's activi- ties during the election. After McConnell spoke, House Speaker Paul Ryan released a written state- ment saying a House Intel- ligence Committee probe of cyber threats by other coun- tries and terrorist groups "will continue and has my support." Ryan, R-Wis., said for- eign interference in U.S. elections is "entirely unac- ceptable" and said Russia under President Vladimir Putin "has been an aggres- sor that consistently under- mines American interests." UnlikeTrump,whohasex- pressedadmirationforPutin, McConnell said flatly, "The Russiansarenotourfriends." "Obviously any foreign breach of our cybersecu- rity measures is disturb- ing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts," McCon- nell said. Asked about McConnell's support for a congressional probe, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said the focus on Russian interference in the election is "an attempt to delegitimize President- elect Trump's win." The CIA recently con- cluded with "high confi- dence" that Russia sought to influence the U.S. elec- tion on behalf of Trump, raising red flags among lawmakers concerned about the sanctity of the U.S. vot- ing system and potentially straining relations at the start of Trump's adminis- tration. Trump said Sunday the recent CIA assertion that Russian hacking had sought to help his can- didacy was "ridiculous," and he praised ExxonMo- bil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has emerged as the leading contender to lead the State Department. "It's a matter of concern to me that he has such a close personal relation- ship with Vladimir Putin," McCain said of Tillerson. "And obviously they've done enormous deals together." In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," McCain said, "That would color his approach to Vladimir Putin and the Russian threat." Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the incoming Democratic leader, on Mon- day welcomed McConnell's endorsement of an inquiry, which he said must be bi- partisan and encompass "all of the relevant intelli- gence." "This issue should not and must not turn into a political football," Schumer said. Meanwhile, Trump's transition team announced Monday that his choice to head the Department of Homeland Security is, as expected, Gen. John Kelly. Kelly is a former com- mander of U.S. Southern Command with "unique in- sight into some of the chal- lenges the United States faces at its southern border," the announcement said. The transition team also announced that Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn would serve as assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council. Trump met Monday with former technology CEO Carly Fiorina, who is seen by some Trump advis- ers as a candidate for Di- rector of National Intelli- gence, which oversees 17 intelligence agencies. Also meeting with Trump were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers of Wash- ington State, as well as Democratic Sen. Joe Man- chin. Top GOP leader: Senate to probe reports of Russia hacking WASHINGTON By Josh Lederman The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama on Monday turned down a request from some senators to declassify a Senate report document- ing the CIA's harsh treat- ment of detainees after 9/11. As the end of Obama's presidency approaches, a number of senators have urged him to declassify the 6,770-page investigation so that the public can have a full accounting of past tor- ture practices. But White House counsel Neil Egg- leston said Obama had de- cided to preserve the report in his archives instead. Eggleston, in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein released by the Califor- nia Democrat's office, said Obama had told the Na- tional Archives and Records Administration that access to classified material should be shielded from public ac- cess requests for 12 years, the full period allowed by the Presidential Records Act. After 12 years, a re- cords request to Obama's archives would prompt a process to consider declas- sification. "At this time, we are not pursuing declassification of the full study," Eggleston wrote. Feinstein, who spear- headed the five-year in- vestigation and is the top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence panel, said she was pleased that Obama was preserving it in his ar- chives, but acknowledged he was rejecting the request for its immediate declassi- fication. INTELLIGENCE Ob am a to a rc hi ve C IA t or tu re r ep or t, declassify material a er 12 years By Kathy Mccormack The Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. Snow and freezing rain made for messy commutes and closed hundreds of schools Monday as a snowstorm pushed into the Northeast. The storm left nearly a foot of snow on the ground in some spots in the Great Lakes and upper Mid- west before dumping up to about a half-foot across New York and northern New England. Boston, New York City and Philadelphia were spared. Speeds were reduced on snow-packed roads and there were many school delays and closures from Michigan to Maine. Au- thorities said there were numerous crashes on the Maine Turnpike, and crashes on local roads in Gorham and New Port- land, Maine, resulted in two fatalities. Portland, Maine, got about 4 inches of snow, but that wasn't enough to close down the Portland Fish Ex- change, an auction house that was preparing for the arrival of day boat scallops later Monday. "We've got a crew in here doing snow removal and repairs and whatnot," said auction house general manager Bert Jongerden. "It's pretty rare that we happen to close here. This is just a little bit of nui- sance snow, really." Pats Peak Ski Area in Henniker, New Hampshire, had received 6 to 8 inches by midmorning. Spokes- woman Lori Rowell said the ski area that opened Saturday with about half its trails saw more children Monday, thanks to school closures. "We love it," Rowell said. "There are lots kids there that took advantage of that opportunity." But it wasn't all fun and games. Brian Audet, of Epsom, said he saw one car off the road as he drove into Concord early Monday. "It was slow going, but they stayed ahead of it, and it was pretty decent," he said. David Holden, owner of Hair Biz Salon in Concord, was among those spending the morning shoveling the city's newly expanded side- walks. "The roads are really slippery this morning. It's a first bigger snow for us in New Hampshire, we proba- bly have 6 or 7 inches, and so they were a little slip- pery and people were mov- ing slow," he said. The National Weather Service said that 3 to 6 inches fell in Maine and New Hampshire while Vermont saw 8 inches in West Brattleboro and 2 to 4 inches in most other places. Hundreds of Michi- gan schools closed Mon- day as the state dug out from more than 10 inches of snow that fell over the weekend. In southeastern Michigan, schools were closed Monday in Detroit and surrounding Wayne County. Wayne State Uni- versity in Detroit also was closed. WEATHER Snow, freezing rain pelt Northeast The Saturday Market SlowFood Shasta Cascade ® 9-12:30, every Saturday Home Depot parking lot Your community YEAR-ROUND Certified Farmers & Artisan Market Sponsoredby aroundtheholidays? WE CAN HELP! 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