Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including 17 Oregon counties fighting the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; Alexander Acosta is President Trump's new pick for labor secretary; the Phoenix City Council rejects a proposal that it become a sanctuary city; oil and gas wells linked to childhood leukemia, and more.

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1.) Alexander Acosta Trump's Pick for Labor Secretary

President Donald Trump has picked Alexander Acosta, a former member of the National Labor Relations Board, to be his new nominee for labor secretary. If confirmed, Acosta will be the first Latino appointed to Trump’s Cabinet.

2.) Oregon Counties Fight Expansion of National Monument

Seventeen Oregon counties have challenged President Obama’s 48,000-acre expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon, claiming the executive order prohibits logging the counties desperately need.

3.) Probable Cause Against Christie for NJ Traffic Plot

A second turn in the ring for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie failed to knock out potential charges for his role in the Bridgegate scandal after a judge found probable cause Thursday.

4.) Phoenix Council Rejects Sanctuary City Proposal

Phoenix will not become a sanctuary city, after its City Council voted 7-2 against the measure Wednesday in a raucous and contentious meeting.

5.) Oil and Gas Wells Linked to Childhood Leukemia

Young Coloradans living near high-density oil and gas development are over four times more likely to develop childhood leukemia than children living in areas farther away from the resulting industrial pollutants.

6.) Resounding No to Unionization at South Carolina Boeing

Workers at Boeing’s South Carolina plant in North Charleston overwhelmingly rejected an effort to unionize the plant on Wednesday, voting 2,097 to 731 to preserve the status quo at the facility that turns out the aerospace giant’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet.

7.) Don't Rush Pot Laws, Analyst Warns California

With California lawmakers scrambling to implement new policies after voters legalized recreational marijuana last November, the state’s legislative analyst on Tuesday cautioned against tossing millions at a regulatory plan that isn’t fully hatched.

8.) Bid to Update Species Law Triggers Alarm

Republicans appeared cordial Wednesday at a hearing on updating the Endangered Species Act, but conservationists who have seen an unending stream of explicit threats to the law’s existence over the years proved weary of lowering their guard.