Nightly Brief

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

Flags fly in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday morning, Jan. 1, 2019, as a partial government shutdown stretches into its third week. A high-stakes move to reopen the government will be the first big battle between Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump as Democrats come into control of the House. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

1.) The White House has begun the New Year with a statement opposing the proposal by House Democrats to end the partial government shutdown.

This undated photo provided by the Whelan family shows Paul Whelan in Iceland. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in Russia on espionage charges, was visiting Moscow over the holidays to attend a wedding when he suddenly disappeared, his brother said on Jan. 1, 2019. (Courtesy of the Whelan Family via AP)

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.

In this Saturday, March 3, 2018, photo, shows Mitt Romney speaking with a group at Tamarisk Restaurant during a breakfast campaign stop, in Green River, Utah. The former Republican presidential nominee continues his bid to become a U.S. Senator for Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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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