nightly brief

Top CNS stories for today including a federal judge temporarily barred California from enforcing a law enacted to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns in order to appear on the state’s upcoming primary ballot; The son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia defended his record from Senate Democrats who said his history representing large companies in court should disqualify him from leading the Labor Department; A new poll shows President Trump’s approval ratings rose slightly from last month while partisanship is at an all-time high, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including tech giant Apple continued its fight against a demand for $14 billion in back taxes from the European Union, arguing alongside Ireland that EU regulations on corporate tax are “untethered from reality”; American sanctions against Iran will tighten, after a tweet from President Donald Trump and a week of speculation; California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a contentious bill into law that makes it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors and deny them benefits, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the Second Circuit ruled that the judiciary has the power to reduce incentives for government officials “currying favor” with President Donald Trump by visiting his restaurants and hotels; Pacific Gas and Electric agreed to pay $11 billion to insurers that covered losses for Northern California wildfires in 2017 and 2018; The D.C. Circuit struck down an Environmental Protection Agency regulation that requires states to lower emissions that can flow across state lines and hurt the air quality of their neighbors downwind, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the Trump administration formally rolled back a major Obama-era policy that brought under federal protection many streams and wetlands across the U.S.; A new poll indicates a deep divide between Democrats and Republicans on how they view the Trump administration’s handling of climate change and energy policy; A federal judge issued an injunction temporarily halting the implementation of a Tennessee law designed to regulate voter registration drives, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including California lawmakers voted to shatter the business models of homegrown companies like Uber and Lyft by approving legislation that would force the tech industry and many others to turn independent contractors into employees; A White House lawyer President Donald Trump has nominated for a spot on the Second Circuit dodged questions about whether he advised on some of the administration’s most controversial immigration policies; A Scottish court ruled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson unlawfully thwarted Parliament’s power when he got the queen to suspend Parliament for five weeks on the eve of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump fired John Bolton, his third national security adviser, after months of disagreement over the direction of foreign policy; The president’s approval numbers dipped below 40% as jitters over a potential recession materialize, but Democrats warn the president’s approval ratings remain strong in rural areas of swing states; A House panel grappled with how Congress should respond to the $1.5 trillion in student loan debt borrowers have racked up, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote this week on a resolution that will clarify the boundaries of its probe into whether to begin formal impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump; A federal judge restored a nationwide block of a Justice Department rule that makes asylum seekers ineligible for refugee status unless they applied for and were denied asylum in Mexico or another country passed en route to the United States; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is contemplating ways to defy Parliament’s passage of a bill aimed at delaying Brexit, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the U.S. Department of Justice launched an antitrust probe into a deal struck by California and four automakers to boost fuel efficiency; The American economy added a somewhat disappointing 130,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate held steady at a healthy 3.7%; Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a rare victory when a legal challenge against his controversial decision to suspend Parliament was shot down by a British court, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the National Rifle Association, 10 states and nearly two dozen members of Congress joined a U.S. Supreme Court battle over how Remington Arms marketed the Bushmaster assault rifle used in the Sandy Hook shooting; The European Court of Justice ruled Italy did not take crucial steps to stop the diffusion of a deadly plant disease now killing olive trees in southern Italy and spreading to other parts of the Mediterranean basin; Former Vice President Joe Biden leads among Texas Democrats in a new poll as the Democratic presidential candidates prepare for next week’s debate in Houston, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the Trump administration announced a new rule that will remove limits on how long the government can detain immigrant children; The Congressional Budget Office predicted that the federal deficit will average $1.2 trillion between 2020 and 2029; U.S. trade officials announced a tentative deal with Mexican growers that will head off implementation of a 25% tariff on tomato crops, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump confirmed he is considering a temporary payroll tax cut to boost the economy; Former vice president and 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden has solidified his lead over the field of candidates for the Democratic nomination; A young rape victim whose miscarried baby died at birth was found not guilty of first-degree murder in El Salvador, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including groups focused on the courts say those seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 have given little airtime to filling judicial vacancies; Attorney General William Barr appointed a new head to the Bureau of Prisons; California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that requires officers to avoid deadly force and only shoot when “necessary,” and more.

Top CNS stories for today including California sued to stop the Trump administration’s new rule that allows the government to deny green cards to people relying on some forms of public assistance; The Ninth Circuit thwarted the White House by denying its request to stay a block of a rule making all asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border ineligible for refugee status unless they were denied protection in a country they passed along the way; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to impart a domestic-terrorism label on mass shootings by white supremacists is earning accolades from political and activist leaders, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including Israel said it will not allow two minority Democratic congresswomen who have been critical of the treatment of Palestinians to enter the country next week; A federal judge ordered Georgia to retire old, hack-prone voting machines in time for the March 2020 primaries; A Ninth Circuit panel dismissed an appeal by the Trump administration challenging how undocumented immigrant children in U.S. detention facilities should be treated, and more.

Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News Top CNS stories for today including the D.C. Circuit rejected

Top CNS stories for today including the Trump administration said some Chinese electronics and other items will be exempt from new tariffs until December; Two California counties sued over White House plans to give greater weight to an immigrant’s use of public assistance when deciding whether to approve green card applications; Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg told Iowa State Fair attendees the country needs a leader for the 21st century, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including the Trump administration finalized changes to dramatically overhaul enforcement of the landmark Endangered Species Act; The government issued a rule that allows it to deny green cards or visas to people who rely on public benefit programs or may need them in the future; The Ninth Circuit ruled college football players are not NCAA employees entitled to minimum wage, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including a 2016 deposition with alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre darkens the doors of two U.S. presidents with testimony about their sex-offender connections; President Donald Trump pledged that the National Rifle Association will have a seat at the table for discussions about implementing stricter background checks for Americans buying guns; Bail agents are fighting back with a double-edged attack on a law that abolishes bail in California, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including former Vice President Joe Biden gave Iowa State Fair visitors a sample of the major themes he is hitting on the presidential campaign trail; Ex-FBI official Andrew McCabe filed a lawsuit claiming the agency fired him on the same night he planned to retire after he refused to swear personal allegiance to President Donald Trump; The Atlantic Ocean is predicted to see more hurricanes than normal this year, and more.

Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump was met by protesters at the site of a mass shooting who urged him to do something to stem the tide of gun violence in America; Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves billed himself as “the one true conservative” in the state’s gubernatorial race but did not garner enough votes in the Republican primary to stop a runoff election; This year’s Iowa State Fair will bring in Democratic presidential candidates eager to plunge into the sweaty crowds and be seen by national media, and more.