Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including the Supreme Court took up its first batch of cases since the summer recess; Vice President Mike Pence is the latest to be pulled into Democrats’ impeachment inquiry; Microsoft said a hacking group linked to the Iranian government launched attacks on email accounts associated with an undisclosed U.S. presidential campaign, and more.

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National

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington as the justices prepare to hand down decisions, Monday, June 17, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

1.) Taking up its first batch of cases since the summer recess, the Supreme Court accepted dueling appeals over new Louisiana abortion rules.

Vice President Mike Pence talks to the gathered employees of Caterpillar during a visit to the Tinaja Hills Demonstrations and Learning Center, Green Valley, Ariz., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. (Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star via AP)

2.) Vice President Mike Pence is the latest to be pulled into Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, as House lawmakers on Friday requested the second-in-command turn over records related to President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s leader that sparked the probe.

FILE - This July 3, 2014, file photo, shows the Microsoft Corp. logo outside the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft says hackers linked to the Iranian government have targeted a U.S. presidential campaign, as well as government officials, media targets and prominent ex-patriate Iranians. (AP Photo Ted S. Warren, File)

3.) A hacking organization linked to the Iranian government launched attacks on Microsoft email accounts associated with an undisclosed U.S. presidential campaign, the tech giant said Friday.

In this Sept. 17, 2019, photo job seekers line up to speak to recruiters during an Amazon job fair in Dallas. On Friday, Oct. 4, the U.S. government issues the September jobs report. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

4.) American employers fell short of expectations and added just 136,000 jobs in September, while the U.S. trade deficit widened as imports and exports both ticked up.

Regional

5.) The Trump administration opened about approximately 720,000 acres of land for oil and gas development in California’s Central Coast as the administration pursues its energy agenda despite local opposition.

The Ghost Ship Warehouse on Dec. 3, 2016, after a fast-moving fire swept through the building in Oakland, Calif., killing 36 partygoers. (KGO-TV via AP, File)

6.) A new jury will decide whether Derick Almena is criminally liable for the deaths of 36 people in a fire at the Ghost Ship artist collective, after the judge in the case set a new trial date Friday.

A field of corn is seen in front of a barn carrying a large Trump sign in rural Ashland, Neb., Tuesday, July 24, 2018. The Trump administration announced Tuesday it will provide $12 billion in emergency relief to ease the pain of American farmers slammed by President Donald Trump's escalating trade disputes with China and other countries. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

7.) Following months of complaints from the Midwest, the Trump administration announced fuel-blend requirements Friday that will boost ethanol demand, turning the page on oil-refinery exemptions that crippled some corn farmers.

FILE - In this March 26, 2019, file photo, actor Jussie Smollett talks to the media before leaving Cook County Court after his charges were dropped, in Chicago. The latest twist in the Jussie Smollett saga is the revelation of a possible conflict of interest by the special prosecutor investigating why prosecutors dropped charges accusing the actor of staging a racist, homophobic attack on himself. Dan Webb disclosed this week he once co-hosted a political fundraiser for a figure central to his investigation, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. A Cook County judge must now decide if bias or the appearance of bias renders Webb's position untenable. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty, File)

8.) Brushing aside his disclosure of a potential conflict of interest, an Illinois judge gave a special prosecutor the green light Friday to continue investigating how the State’s Attorney’s Office handled the brief prosecution of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.

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