Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including the late Senator John McCain’s appointed successor Jon Kyl of Arizona announced he will resign at the end of the year; The Fourth Circuit invoked Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax” in a ruling scrapping a key federal permit for a planned section of a natural gas pipeline; Outgoing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed three bills weakening the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general, and more.

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National

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., walks between the Senate chamber and the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in Washington on Dec. 30, 2012. Sen. John McCain's widow on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, said Kyl will fill her late husband's seat. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

1.) Positioning the governor to appoint a second successor to the late Senator John McCain, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona announced Friday he will resign Dec. 31.

2.) Quoting Dr.Seuss’ “The Lorax,” the Fourth Circuit spoke for the trees by scrapping a key federal permit for a planned section of a natural gas pipeline crossing 21 miles of national forest in Virginia, including a section of the Appalachian Trail.

3.) The library at Princeton University boasts some of the rarest and most obscure religious manuscripts in the world. And according to a federal complaint filed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, it also houses four holy texts from the Byzantine era that were looted from a small monastery during World War I.

FILE- In this Nov. 23, 2018, file photo a shopper walks through Dolphin Mall while shopping on Black Friday in Miami. On Friday, Dec. 14, the Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for November. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

4.) Despite low gas prices offsetting a strong holiday shopping season, U.S.retail sales beat expectations and increased by 0.2 percent last month.

Regional

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2018, file photo, Democratic challenger Tony Evers, left, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, shake hands during gubernatorial debate in Madison, Wis. Republicans pushing to hang on to power in Wisconsin and Michigan aren't stopping at curbing the authority of incoming Democratic governors. They're also trying to hamstring Democrats who are about to take over as attorneys general. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)

5.) Outgoing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed three bills Friday giving more power to the Republican-controlled Legislature and weakening the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general.

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2018, file photo, Mark Harris speaks to the media during a news conference in Matthews, N.C. The nation's last unresolved fall congressional race with Harris against Democrat Dan McCready is awash in doubt as North Carolina election investigators concentrate on a rural county where absentee-ballot fraud allegations are so flagrant they've put the Election Day result into question. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

6.) Amid an ongoing investigation surrounding the still undecided 9th Congressional District race, the focus in North Carolina has shifted to whether the apparent Republican winner knew about fraudulent activity that may have been connected to his campaign.

Science

7.) Shedding new light on old research about how young pregnancy can reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer, the National Institute of Health reported Friday that such benefits do not appear to kick in for several decades.

International

A Palestinian protester takes cover during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank, on Dec. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

8.) Four years after it questioned the basis for an asset freeze against Hamas, the European General Court reversed course Friday, saying American decisions hold no sway but that EU lawmakers were entitled to rely on the findings of a U.K. official.

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