Nightly Brief

Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including fired FBI Director James Comey confirming reports that President Donald Trump pressed him to end the bureau’s investigation into former NSA chief Michael Flynn; the New Mexico Legislature raised the stakes in its feud with Gov. Susana Martinez, asking a court to declare several of her vetoes as invalid; the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea will complete its three-year trip around the world and return to Hawaii June 17, and more.

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1.) In National news fired FBI Director James Comey on Thursday will confirm reports that President Donald Trump pressed him to end the bureau’s investigation into former NSA chief Michael Flynn, and, separately, described the inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election as “a cloud,” asking “what we could do to ‘lift the cloud.’”

2.) President Donald Trump has nominated Christopher Wray to be the next FBI director. He is a former Justice Department official who served as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s lawyer during the George Washington Bridge lane-closing investigation.

3.) The girlfriend of Philando Castile, who live-streamed on Facebook the immediate aftermath of his killing by a Minnesota police officer, led off the testimony on the second day of the manslaughter trial of St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez.

4.) In Regional news, the New Mexico Legislature raised the stakes in its feud with Gov. Susana Martinez, who vetoed more than half the bills it approved this session. In state court, the Legislature says 10 of her vetoes are invalid, so those bills have become law.

5.) The Justice Department said Wednesday it will intervene in a lawsuit accusing the city of Los Angeles of lying about providing fair and equal access to apartments to people with disabilities after securing almost $1 billion in federal funds.

6.) Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s push to slash income taxes in Kansas to zero is over. In a late night session, the Republican-held Kansas House and Senate voted to overturn the governor’s veto of a budget bill that will increase taxes and roll back the tax exemptions granted to S-corporations and limited liability companies.

7.) In International news, Europe’s general court on Wednesday ordered the European Union to pay a glass company over $730,000 in damages due to the excessive length of antitrust proceedings against the company.

8.) The Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea will complete its three-year trip around the world and return to Hawaii June 17, where thousands are expected to greet the traditional double-hulled craft, flanked by seven other voyaging canoes from Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, at Magic Island, Oahu, in an arrival ceremony and celebration.

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