Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including early, in-person voting getting underwat in Georgia where Republican Brian Kemp, currently Georgia’s secretary of state, and Democrat Stacey Abrams are vying to succeed Nathan Deal as the next governor; accused Russian spy Maria Butina files a letter requesting the government turn over criminal records, arrest reports and details on witnesses prosecutors might use to build their case against her; the Supreme Court agrees to review a Second Circuit ruling involving the application of the First Amendment to the private operator of a public-access television channel; the Florida Supreme Court rules that the state’s next governor and not current Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Scott will get to pick three new justices to the state Supreme Court; a new study says the global supply of beer could be the next victim of climate change; Bavarian voters did what they were expected to do Sunday: They dealt German’s ruling “grand coalition” of conservatives and Social Democrats a resounding defeat, and more.

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National

In this Monday Oct. 8, 2018, photo, Leila Hart, 21, explains early voting and absentee voting to a resident in Forest Park, Ga. Hart is a paid canvasser for Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections. Forest Park is a Democratic-leaning Atlanta suburb among the many pockets of Georgia where Abrams hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Republican Brian Kemp. (AP Photo/Bill Barrows)

1.) Early, in-person voting began Monday in Georgia where Republican Brian Kemp, currently Georgia’s secretary of state, and Democrat Stacey Abrams are vying to succeed Nathan Deal as the next governor.

2.) Accused Russian spy Maria Butina on Sunday filed a letter requesting the government turn over criminal records, arrest reports and details on witnesses prosecutors might use to build their case against her.

3.) Sears, once a powerhouse of American retail, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday and said it will close 142 stores amid mounting debt.

4.) The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a Second Circuit ruling involving the application of the First Amendment to the private operator of a public-access television channel.

Regional

5.) The Florida Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state’s next governor and not current Republican incumbent Gov. Rick Scott will get to pick three new justices to the state Supreme Court.

This photo provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment shows Christopher Lloyd, left, as Dr. Emmett Brown, and Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly in the 1985 film, "Back to the Future." A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the widow of automaker John DeLorean over royalties stemming from the "Back to the Future" movies. Sally DeLorean claimed a Texas company using the DeLorean name had illegally accepted royalties from Universal Pictures for the promotional use of images of the iconic car. But a judge ruled Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, that a 2015 settlement agreement in a separate lawsuit over trademarks prohibited her from suing for the royalties. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment via AP)

6.) A federal judge on Friday dismissed a royalties lawsuit brought by the widow of the inventor of the DeLorean, the car made famous as the time machine in the “Back to the Future” movies, finding her claims are barred by a 2015 settlement agreement.

7.) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected bid by paint companies to avoid liability over lead paint abatement in California.

Science

FILE - This Wednesday, April 19, 2017 file photo shows the beer cooler behind the counter in a convenience store in Sheridan, Ind. In future sweltering years with a double whammy of heat and drought, losses of barley yield can be as much as 17 percent, computer simulations show. And that means “beer prices would, on average, double,” even adjusting for inflation, said a study published in the journal Nature Plants on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

8.) The global supply of beer could be the next victim of climate change, according to a study published Monday in Nature Plants.

International

9.) Bavarian voters did what they were expected to do Sunday: They dealt German’s ruling “grand coalition” of conservatives and Social Democrats a resounding defeat at the polls. It’s a defeat that casts doubt on the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe’s political lodestar.

10.) Italy’s anti-immigrant government is seeking to end a small southern Italian town’s years-long celebrated effort to reinvigorate its dwindling population by welcoming immigrants and refugees.

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