Top Eight

Top eight CNS stories for today including disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape; A federal judge affirmed the importance of press access to new court complaints on the day they are filed; Italy is taking drastic steps to contain an outbreak of coronavirus, and more.

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National

1.) More than two years after allegations of a decades-long pattern of sexual predation upended his Hollywood legacy, Harvey Weinstein was found guilty Monday on two of the less serious counts against him.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for jury deliberations in his rape trial, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in New York (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

2.) Over four days of trial earlier this month, Virginia court clerks used public funds and private attorneys to fight tooth and nail against press access. They wound up losing in spectacular fashion, with a federal judge issuing a lengthy opinion affirming the importance of press access to new court complaints on the day they are filed.

3.) Major League Baseball wants a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss a class action filed by five fans who claim their fantasy baseball scores were harmed by the Houston Astros’ use of technology to steal signs.

A fan holds a sign criticizing a sign-stealing scandal during a spring training baseball game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

4.) A divided en banc Ninth Circuit on Monday lifted three injunctions against a Trump administration rule that denies federal funding to clinics that refer women for abortions.

Regional

5.) For the second year in a row, Oregon’s Republican state senators say they will flee the capitol in order to prevent the Democratic majority from advancing a cap-and-trade bill.

6.) A Virginia Senate committee on Monday advanced several pieces of legislation that would limit access to firearms, inching them closer to certain passage in the full Democrat-controlled chamber.

A collection of firearms on display at the Colonial Shooting Academy in Richmond, Va., in 2019. (Brad Kutner/Courthouse News)

International

7.) Italy is taking drastic steps to contain an outbreak of coronavirus in the north of the country and try to stop its spread into the rest of Europe.

Police stops cars trying to enter or leave the cordoned area in Casalpusterlengo, Northern Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. A dozen Italian towns saw daily life disrupted after the deaths of two people infected with the virus from China and a pair of case clusters without direct links to the outbreak abroad. A rapid spike in infections prompted authorities in the northern Lombardy and Veneto regions to close schools, businesses and restaurants and to cancel sporting events and Masses. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)

8.) Emphasizing the U.S. military response to Sudan for having supported a pair of embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, a lawyer for the victims argued Monday at the Supreme Court that punitive damages were appropriate.

FILE - In this Aug. 8, 1998 file photo, the United States Embassy, left, and other damaged buildings in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, are shown on the day after it was bombed by terrorists. Some of the victims of the bombing will be in Washington on Monday, Feb . 24, 2020, to hear arguments in a Supreme Court case that could affect the compensation they ultimately receive for their injuries. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)

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