Nightly Brief

Your Friday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announcing his agency is reviewing Obama-era coal ash pollution rules, a win for utility groups who had been petitioning for changes; a St. Louis judge issuing a not-guilty verdict Friday to the white former police officer who killed a black motorist six years ago; a Ninth Circuit panel dealing a punishing blow to foie gras producers and enthusiasts on Friday by reviving a California ban in the back-and-forth battle over the ethics of the polarizing delicacy, and more.

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**1.) In National news EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced his agency is reviewing Obama-era coal ash pollution rules, a win for utility groups who had been petitioning for changes.

2.) Citing rising uncertainty in insurance markets, the Congressional Budget Office said late Thursday it expects premiums on the Affordable Care Act’s benchmark plan to increase by 15 percent next year.

3.) The Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments Friday in a case centered on whether residents of Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands should be allowed to vote absentee in their former state of residence.

5.) A Ninth Circuit panel dealt a punishing blow to foie gras producers and enthusiasts on Friday by reviving a California ban in the back-and-forth battle over the ethics of the polarizing delicacy.

**6.) ** Republican voters in Alabama will head to voting booths soon to decide a runoff election that’s more than just picking another U.S. senator. It’s become a fight over the style – not substance – of the candidates, and could signal how the GOP base thinks of Congress.

7.) San Diego’s international Comic-Con won a preliminary victory this week when a federal judge refused to dismiss its trademark case against Salt Lake City Comic Con.

**8.) In International news President Donald Trump was quick to take to twitter on Friday after 29 people were injured in London by a bomb planted on a crowded commuter train, but his unfiltered response reportedly angered British officials.