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Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top CNS stories for today including Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee denying Democrats’ attempts to force the committee to subpeona records related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh; Senator Dianne Feinstein refers information she received about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to “federal investigative authorities”; President Donald Trump’s ex-attorney dropped an arbitration bid against adult film star Stormy Daniels; three months after picking party nominees for federal office, New Yorkers return to the polls Thursday for an important round of state primary elections; the Bay Area needs to take control and be prepared for the effects of climate change, Dutch experts advised in a report presented at a forum for urban and regional planners and local government; the European Court of Justice rules that an EU member state cannot turn down requests for international protection based solely on the sentence an applicant receives for a crime, and more.
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National
1.) With Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s agenda for the first time on Thursday, the fight over access to documents from his time in the White House boiled over as Republicans denied Democrats’ attempts to force the committee to issue subpoenas for his records.
2.) Senator Dianne Feinstein said Thursday she has referred information she received about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to “federal investigative authorities.”
**3.) ** Officials spent much of Thursday reminding North Carolina residents who chose to ignore evacuation orders that Hurricane Florence will cause massive storm surges and flooding across the state’s eastern part as the storm comes ashore sometime this evening.
**4.) ** The official overseeing the federal response to Hurricane Florence is also reportedly the target of an ongoing investigation by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general over his alleged misuse of government vehicles for private use.
Regional
6.) With hundreds of miles of picturesque and accessible coastline, California has an abundance of beaches for all of its 39 million residents plus tourists to enjoy. But while the state’s constitution guarantees a public right of beach access and there are over 1,000 access points statewide, low-income and minority communities have long struggled to connect with the Golden State’s majestic shoreline.
7.) The Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments Thursday in an artisanal butter maker’s challenge to a Wisconsin law that requires all butter sold in the state to be graded on taste.
8.) Three months after picking party nominees for federal office, New Yorkers return to the polls Thursday for an important round of state primary elections. Here’s a rundown of candidates vying for governor, attorney general and other big races in the Legislature.
Science
9.) From flooding to severe drought, the Bay Area needs to take control and be prepared for the effects of climate change, Dutch experts advised in a report on Bay Area resiliency presented Wednesday at a forum for urban and regional planners and local government.
Research & Polls
10.) A report released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union and environmental and human rights groups says the Trump administration’s border policies are based on politics, not facts, and the groups called on Congress to reject funding for an expanded border wall later this month.
International
11.) The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday that an EU member state cannot turn down requests for international protection based solely on the sentence an applicant receives for a crime, and instead must assess the seriousness of the crime on an individual basis.
12.) A Russian national out of St. Petersburg, thought to be the ringleader of a global hacking operation, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to operating a vast network of computers to distribute thousands of spam emails, steal login credentials and install malicious software.
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