Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump denouncing the removal of monuments to Confederate figures as “foolish,” days after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., led to the death of a counterprotester and the injury of 19 others; at least 13 people were killed and 80 others injured on Thursday in what Spanish officials said was a terror attack by van in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district. Two men were later taken into custody. A third alleged accomplice was found dead; an unusual white dwarf star in the Milky Way galaxy may be the first example of the byproduct of a recently discovered, fainter type of supernova, and more.
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1.) In National news President Donald Trump on Thursday denounced the removal of monuments to Confederate figures as “foolish,” days after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., to protest the planned removal of a statue of the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee led to the death of a counterprotester and the injury of 19 others.
2.) A personal attorney for President Trump purportedly forwarded an email to government officials and conservative journalists Wednesday equating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee with President George Washington, and claiming that terrorists have infiltrated the Black Lives Matter movement, according to reports.
3.) Strong words, starkly different positions, and a sense of uncertainty dominated the opening round of talks on Wednesday on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
4.) In Regional news An anti-transgender “bathroom bill” that would have required people to use public facilities that match their biological sex is dead in Texas, after the Legislature adjourned its special session a day early.
5.) Alabama sued its largest city Wednesday, claiming Birmingham violated a new state law by covering up a 112-year-old monument to Confederate soldiers in a downtown park in response to the deadly clash in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend.
6.) In International news 13 people were killed and 80 others injured on Thursday in what Spanish officials said was a terror attack by van in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas district. One man has been taken into custody.
7.) The International Criminal Court on Thursday ordered an extremist from Mali to pay $3.2 million in reparations for demolishing Sufi shrines that cemented Timbuktu’s reputation as the “City of 333 Saints.”
8.) From the world of Science comes word that an unusual white dwarf star in the Milky Way galaxy may be the first example of the byproduct of a recently discovered, fainter type of supernova.
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