Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top CNS stories for today including Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti revealing more women have reached out to him with affair-payoff claims against President Donald Trump; U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III receives unredacted documents outlining the scope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election; the governments urges the 11th Circuit on Wednesday to find that, when it comes to deductions, nuclear-waste disposal is not the same as decommissioning a nuclear plant; a New York appeals court rules defamation claims by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos should advance to discovery; a new study finds the world’s nations can protect the vast majority of plant and animal species from climate change by limiting global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100; three neonicotinoid insecticides will remain banned in Europe, the General Court ruled Thursday, finding the measures justified to protect honeybees, and more.
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National
1.) More women with affair-payoff claims against President Donald Trump similar to those of Stormy Daniels have sought counsel from attorney Michael Avenatti, the lawyer revealed Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
2.) U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III is now among the privileged few who know the full, approved scope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
4.) With nearly $100 million in taxes on the line, the U.S. government urged the 11th Circuit on Wednesday to find that, when it comes to deductions, nuclear-waste disposal is not the same as decommissioning a nuclear plant.
Regional
6.) Attorneys made their closing arguments Wednesday in a case where the city of Pomona claims that a subsidiary of a Chilean chemical company “poisoned” its groundwater over the course of decades, costing millions in cleanup costs.
7.) After a federal judge found that President Donald Trump is not immune from defamation claims by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, a New York appeals court ruled Thursday that the case should advance to discovery.
8.) As Memphis faces political fallout for using a loophole in state law to remove three Confederate statues from city parks, a state judge sided with the city Wednesday and declined to issue an injunction in favor of a Confederate heritage group.
9.) A decorated military veteran running for Congress in Michigan sued his fellow Republican rival for defamation this week, claiming he called his military record, which includes two Bronze Stars, “fraudulent and fake.”
Science
10.) Around a third of land set aside for environmental protection globally faces serious threats from human development, according to a study issued Thursday.
11.) The world’s nations can protect the vast majority of plant and animal species from climate change by limiting global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, a new study finds.
International
12.) Three neonicotinoid insecticides will remain banned in Europe, the General Court ruled Thursday, finding the measures justified to protect honeybees.
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