Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel, without citing evidence, that he believes the government spied on the Trump campaign during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election; The House passed a bill to reinstate net-neutrality rules, though it is expected to be defeated in the Senate; Scientists unveiled the first ever photograph taken of a black hole, and more.

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National

In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since taking office, and amid intense speculation over his review of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, Attorney General William Barr appears before a House Appropriations subcommittee, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

1.) Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday, without citing evidence, that he believes the government spied on the Trump campaign during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

A router and internet switch are displayed in East Derry, N.H., on June 19, 2018. Net neutrality traces back to an engineering maxim called the “end-to-end principle,” a self-regulating network that put control in the hands of end users rather than a central authority. Traditional cable-TV services, for instance, required special equipment and controlled what channels are shown on TV. With an end-to-end network like the internet, the types of equipment, apps, articles and video services permitted are limited only to imagination. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

2.) In a move already predicted to meet Senate defeat, the House passed a bill Wednesday to reinstate net-neutrality rules.

Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a convention of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Monday, April 8, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

3.) When he last ran for president on a platform of health care as a human right, Senator Bernie Sanders espoused what had been a position from the margins — at least in the United States. On Wednesday, Sanders had at least four of his Democratic opponents co-sponsor his plan for Medicare for All.

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2019, file photo, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks at a Politics & Eggs event in Manchester, N.H. Swalwell is officially in the running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Swalwell made the announcement during a taping Monday, April 8, of CBS’ “Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

4.) On the heels of announcing his plans for a presidential run, Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California focused on gun-law reforms at a town hall in Florida on Tuesday night, saying lawmakers wary of the National Rifle Association have done little to nothing to curb gun violence despite “mass shooting after mass shooting.”

5.) Analysts on both sides of the aisle agree: America is in crisis, brought on not by immigration or hate but by political contention.

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

6.) Executives from Facebook and Twitter defended their platforms Wednesday against claims they censor conservative voices, pointing to an internal study conducted this year showing posts by Republican and Democratic lawmakers were viewed at the same rate.

International

President of European Central Bank Mario Draghi speaks during a press conference Wednesday following the Governing Council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

7.) The head of the European Central Bank warned that global friction over trade — such as U.S. threats to impose more tariffs — is holding back the economy as he underlined the bank’s readiness to deploy more stimulus if needed.

Science

Scientists revealed the first image ever made of a black hole after assembling data gathered by a network of radio telescopes around the world. (Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration/Maunakea Observatories)

8.) Unveiling the first ever photograph taken of a black hole, scientists celebrated a groundbreaking moment in astrophysics Wednesday morning.

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