Top eight

Your Friday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

National

1.) Charged with obstructing justice and lying to the FBI, the billionaire former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump was ordered to pay a $250 million bond, wear a GPS ankle bracelet and surrender his passport ahead of an appearance next week in Brooklyn federal court. 

2.) With rural wells running dry and reservoir levels dwindling amid the Western drought, California senators are pressing Congress for an infusion of cash to renovate the state’s collapsing drinking water system.

3.) To keep the United States from defaulting on its financial obligations, the U.S. Treasury Secretary issued a stark warning to Congress that it must raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit by August.

Regional

4.) The city of San Francisco will pay $8 million to settle a lawsuit with a man who spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit after a police officer allegedly falsified evidence against him.

5.) After halting all vaccine outreach efforts to minors under pressure from Republican lawmakers, the Tennessee Department of Health will resume those efforts with the exception of social media posts directed only to minors, the department’s commissioner said Friday.

6.) As Louisiana wades through another spike in Covid-19 cases, doctors and public officials warn that widespread vaccination is the only way to outpace mutations like the highly contagious delta variant.

7.) Chicago's largest annual music festival is set to start next week. City and state officials say it’s safe, even as variants fuel a rise in coronavirus cases.

8.) A settlement agreement proposed Friday in Brooklyn federal court marks the end of New York state’s plan to offer affordable broadband internet to low-income families — at least for the foreseeable future. 

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