Top Eight

Top eight CNS stories for today including the House debated for hours before its planned vote to impeach the president for the third time in U.S. history; The Fifth Circuit ruled the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate tax penalty zeroed out by Congress two years ago is unconstitutional; The Trump administration is forging ahead with its plan to allow states to import prescription drugs from Canada, and more.

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National

1.) Six hours of debate followed by a pair of votes on a two-part resolution. So will mark the historic moment Wednesday where the House is expected for the third time in U.S. history to impeach the president.

Protesters demonstrate as the House of Representatives begins debate on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol building, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

2.) The Affordable Care Act was dealt a big legal blow Wednesday when the Fifth Circuit ruled the individual mandate tax penalty zeroed out by Congress two years ago is unconstitutional, but the court declined to invalidate the entire law.

The HealthCare.gov website, as seen in 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

3.) The Trump administration is forging ahead with its plan to allow states to import prescription drugs from Canada – a move aimed at lowering prices for Americans, but one that’s drawing warnings from law enforcement and drug industry experts.

4.) Immigration courts are beholden to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda by focusing more on deporting immigrants than ensuring fair legal proceedings for them, legal advocates say in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

In this June 28, 2018, photo, people line up outside the building that houses the immigration courts in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

5.) The Supreme Court took up two cases Wednesday that ask whether teachers at religious schools can sue their employers for discrimination.

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2017, file photo, the Supreme Court in Washington, at sunset. The Supreme Court is turning to gun rights for the first time in nearly a decade, even though New York City gun owners already have won changes to a regulation they challenged in court. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

6.) The Trump administration on Wednesday announced new restrictions on immigrants’ eligibility for seeking asylum, blocking out those who have been convicted of drug and gang charges, among other crimes.

International

7.) Seeking to calm nationwide strikes that threaten to cause havoc during the winter holidays, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday signaled a willingness to make a key concession in his plans to overhaul France’s retirement system.

A protester uses a flare during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019. Workers at the Eiffel Tower, teachers, doctors, lawyers and people from across the French workforce walked off the job Tuesday to resist a higher retirement age, or to preserve a welfare system they fear their business-friendly president wants to dismantle. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

8.) Embattled Dutch deputy finance minister Menno Snel resigned Wednesday after mishandling a child care benefit scandal.

Menno Snel, the Dutch deputy finance minister who stepped down amid a child care benefits scandal on Dec. 18, 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Dutch government)

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