Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including the Supreme Court struggled to pin down when, whether and how to tackle gerrymandering driven by political, rather than racial, bias; A second Wisconsin judge issued a ruling blocking some sections of lame-duck laws passed during December’s controversial extraordinary floor session; U.S. Senator Kamala Harris dangled expansive raises for the nation’s teachers to be paid for by taxing the rich, and more.

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National

In this Feb. 16, 2016, photo, Republican state Sens. Dan Soucek, left, and Brent Jackson, right, review historical maps during the Senate Redistricting Committee for the 2016 Extra Session in the Legislative Office Building at the N.C. General Assembly, in Raleigh, N.C. (Corey Lowenstein/The News & Observer via AP, File)

1.) Considering the issue for the second time in as many years, the Supreme Court struggled Tuesday to pin down when, whether and how to tackle gerrymandering driven by political, rather than racial, bias.

FILE - In this May 23, 2018, file photo, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., joins an women's advocacy group, MomsRising, to protest against threats by President Donald Trump against Central American asylum-seekers to separate children from their parents along the southwest border to deter migrants from crossing into the United States, at the Capitol in Washington. The White House is using its official Twitter handle to target Democratic lawmakers who have criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policies, drawing complaints that government resources are being used to undercut potential 2020 rivals. The White House handle falsely accused Harris on July 2 of "supporting the animals of MS-13" and erroneously said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was "supporting criminals moving weapons, drugs, and victims" over the border. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

2.) Thrusting herself into a labor fight amid a long stream of recent strikes, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris dangled expansive raises for the nation’s teachers Tuesday to be paid for by taxing the rich.

Then-President Donald Trump's Twitter feed is seen on a computer screen in 2017. (J. David Ake/AP)

3.) Ticking off a list of recently tweeted presidential proclamations, a panel of Second Circuit judges took turns on Tuesday skewering the argument that Donald Trump acted as a citizen in blocking Twitter followers.

4.) An Alaskan moose hunter who challenged a regulation that bans him from using a hovercraft while on federal land won a reversal Tuesday from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Regional

Opponents of an extraordinary session bill submitted by Wisconsin Republican legislators hold "Stop Lame Duck" signs at a rally outside the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

5.) Delivering another blow to the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature, a second state judge issued a ruling Tuesday blocking some sections of the lame-duck laws passed during December’s controversial extraordinary floor session.

OxyContin pills are seen at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt., in 2013. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

6.) The maker of prescription painkiller OxyContin and the wealthy family that owns the company agreed Tuesday to pay $270 million to settle claims by the state of Oklahoma as authorities struggle to respond to the nationwide opioid addiction epidemic.

International

A man walks by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

7.) Requiring applicants seeking work at EU government institutions to be proficient in either English, French or German as a second language is discriminatory, the European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday, but left the door open for review if the institutions can prove a legitimate justification for the requirement.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 file photo, an Uber App is displayed on a phone in London. Uber is beginning its court case to remain on the streets of London, arguing that the ride-hailing app has made significant changes since a regulator refused to renew the company's operating license last year. Lawyers for the company are opening their case Monday, June 25, 2018 at Westminster Magistrates Court in an effort to overturn Transport for London's ruling last September that Uber was not a "fit and proper" company after repeated lapses in corporate responsibility. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

8.) The European Commission gave the green light Tuesday to a citizen’s petition seeking a minimum wage for gig economy workers, allowing petition organizers to begin collecting signatures of support.

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