Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top CNS stories for today including the White House has begun the New Year with a statement opposing the proposal by House Democrats to end the partial government shutdown; The retired U.S. Marine facing espionage charges in Russia will be allowed to meet with American diplomats; A former coach from the University of Southern California pleaded guilty to raking in $4,100 as part of a much larger bribery conspiracy that rattled college basketball last year, and more.
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National
1.) The White House has begun the New Year with a statement opposing the proposal by House Democrats to end the partial government shutdown.
2.) The retired U.S. Marine facing espionage charges in Russia will be allowed to meet with American diplomats Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
3.) A former coach from the University of Southern California pleaded guilty Wednesday to raking in $4,100 as part of a much larger bribery conspiracy that rattled college basketball last year.
4.) Days away from joining the Senate’s Republican majority, Senator-elect Mitt Romney broadly criticized President Donald Trump’s policies and character and argued that the president “has not risen to the mantle of the office.”
Regional
5.) As the Golden State moves into 2019, it will close the book on an abnormally dry year with hopes that a few rain storms can stave off the prospect of another drought.
6.) The California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a sheriff union’s request to block a new state law that provides public access to past police-misconduct and use-of-force records.
7.) The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday denied as untimely a Chicago police union’s attempt to intervene in Illinois’ lawsuit against the city over police brutality against blacks and Latinos.
International
8.) The growing threat of desertification and its effects on European land, especially in the Mediterranean regions, are being poorly monitored and prepared for by the European Commission, according a new audit by an EU watchdog agency.
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