Nightly Brief

Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including Washington grappling with presidential calls for new policies on guns as students returned to the Parkland, Florida high school that was the scene of the nation’s latest mass shooting; Hope Hicks resigning as White House communications director; Republican gubernatorial candidates vying for the office of governor of California debate at El Camino College in Torrance; the European Court of Justice rules Hungary’s rules for licensing casinos and online gaming operations quash foreign competition, and more.

Sign up for CNS Nightly Brief, a roundup of the day’s top stories delivered directly to your email Monday through Friday.

National

**1.) ** As Parkland, Florida students return to class in the wake of a mass shooting that left 17 of their fellow students dead, Washington continued to grapple with President Trump’s call for tougher background checks, better school safety and more mental health resources to prevent shootings.

**2.) ** Hope Hicks, who only 24 hours ago told a congressional committee she has told “white lies” to benefit President Donald Trump, is resigning as White House communications director.

**3.) ** President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the latest charges filed against him in the broad investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

**4.) ** While the rest of the Supreme Court kept their views close to their robes, Justice Samuel Alito showed little esteem Wednesday for a Minnesota ban on political attire at the polls.

**5.) ** The NAACP claims in a federal class action that Capital One Bank is closing branches in minority neighborhoods because it prefers white customers, while featuring black celebrities in commercials as cover for its discrimination.

Regional

**6.) ** West Virginia Governor Jim Justice agreed to terms Tuesday evening to end the statewide teacher strike following several hours of talks between opposing sides.

**7.) ** As its vital snowpack shrinks and droughts intensify, California’s giant $50 billion agricultural industry is at a crossroads: how to keep feeding the nation while adapting to the reality of climate change.

**8.) ** Republican gubernatorial candidates vying for the office of governor of California debated at El Camino College in Torrance Tuesday evening, criticizing Democratic state leaders and proposing their respective solutions to problems in the state.

9.)  A federal judge Tuesday dismissed a constitutional challenge to classifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, the highest level of classification under the Controlled Substances Act.

International

10.)  Hungary’s rules for licensing casinos and online gaming operations quash foreign competition and therefore violate EU law, the European Court of Justice ruled Wednesday.