Nightly Brief

Your Friday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump attorneys reportedly seeking to negotiate a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, offering a sit-down interview with the president in return for a speedy end to the probe into Russian election meddling; experts say that to survive a legal challenge by the U.S. Department of Justice, California must prove that its sanctuary policies don’t interfere with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws; the New York Times brings a federal lawsuit to force production of Justice Department records on Ukrainian and pro-Russian lobbying firms; "Pharmo Bro" Martin Shkreli received a seven-year prison sentence for three counts of securities fraud and conspiracy; the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration over its denial of Endangered Species Act protection to the Pacific walrus, and more.

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National

1.) President Donald Trump’s attorneys are seeking to negotiate a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, offering a sit-down interview with the president in return for a speedy end to the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to multiple reports.

2.) To survive a legal challenge by the U.S. Department of Justice, California must prove that its sanctuary policies don’t interfere with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws, experts say.

3.) The New York Times brought a federal lawsuit to force production of Justice Department records on Ukrainian and pro-Russian lobbying firms.

4.) U.S. crude oil production is humming at more than 10 million barrels per day, putting the country on track to become the world’s top oil producer by 2019, but experts say production may be stunted by President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs.

Regional

5.) In the third day of a federal bench trial that could help determine the legality of voter ID laws, lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday challenged the claim of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach that thousands of noncitizens voted in Kansas elections.

6.) A former friend of Grammy winner Jill Scott claims in court that the R&B singer cut him out of a business he conceived to put her lyrics on greeting cards.

7.) Video game behemoth Blizzard’s legal fight with Chinese competitor Lilith Games ended in a draw Thursday, with a federal judge finding it failed to show Lilith’s mobile game “Soul Hunters” rips off its hit franchises Starcraft and Diablo.

8.) Choking up Friday as he apologized for the Ponzi-like scheme that landed him behind bars, Martin Shkreli received a seven-year prison sentence for three counts of securities fraud and conspiracy.

Science

9.) Continuing a week of expert testimony on the alleged link between cancer and the world’s most widely-used pesticide, a scientist on Thursday said he found no connection between the two in animal studies.

The Environment

10.) The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration Thursday over its denial of Endangered Species Act protection to the Pacific walrus.

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