Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including President Donald Trump backing up revelations by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that Trump repaid his personal lawyer Michael Cohen the $130,000 Cohen gave adult film star Stormy Daniels; published reports say federal investigators monitored Michael Cohen’s phone calls weeks before the raids on his office; Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed a request for 70 blank subpoenas in the Virginia court presiding over one of two criminal proceedings involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort; Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signs into law a portion of the state budget that will give teachers a 20 percent pay raise over the next three years, ending a six-day walkout by educators; Chinese researchers say they have developed a sophisticated membrane that can dramatically improve water desalination systems, and more.

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**National **

1.) In a series of tweets early Thursday, President Donald Trump backed up revelations by his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani that Trump repaid his personal lawyer Michael Cohen the $130,000 Cohen spent on an agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her 2006 affair with the president.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is rushed into an adult venue, Blush, by a bodyguard as she arrives to perform in her show in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday, May 2, 2018. President Donald Trump's new lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that Trump repaid his personal attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Daniels, directly contradicting the president's past statements. (Stephanie Strasburg/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

**2.) ** Federal investigators monitored Michael Cohen’s phone calls weeks before the public search warrant that resulted in the raids on his office, home and hotel room in April, according to reports from NBC.

3.) Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Thursday filed a request for 70 blank subpoenas in the Virginia court presiding over one of two criminal proceedings involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

4.) A Native American feather dancer asked the U.S. government Thursday to end its restrictions on tribes using eagle feathers in religious ceremonies.

FILE - In this April 3, 2018 file photo, Central American migrants traveling with the annual "Stations of the Cross" caravan sleep at a sports club in Matias Romero, Oaxaca State, Mexico. The group that led a monthlong caravan of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States wanted to draw attention to the plight of people in the violent region. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)

**Regional **

Teachers chant as they continue to protest at the Arizona Capitol on May 3, 2018, in Phoenix. After an all night legislative budget session the legislature passed the new education spending portion of the budget and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed that part of the budget. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

6.) Arizona Governor Doug Ducey early Thursday signed into law a portion of the state budget that will give teachers a 20 percent pay raise over the next three years, ending a six-day walkout by educators.

In this Feb. 12, 2018, photo, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson sits inside the House chamber while waiting on Gov. Asa Hutchinson to deliver his State of the State address in Little Rock. Goodson is running for re-election and has been targeted in advertising by the Judicial Crisis Network. The same group targeted her during her unsuccessful 2016 bid to become Arkansas chief justice. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

7.) The Arkansas Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will allow the state to enforce a voter identification law that was struck down as unconstitutional last week by a state judge.

Ghost Ship warehouse after the fire. [photo credit: Jim Heaphy]

Jannett Martinez holds her cat, Gigi, as she rides a boat out of her neighborhood, which was inundated after water was released from nearby Addicks Reservoir when it reached capacity due to Tropical Storm Harvey on Aug. 29, 2017, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

9.) A group of flood-weary Houston homeowners asked the Fifth Circuit on Thursday to revive their claims the city is liable for approving construction projects that drain rainwater into their neighborhoods.

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, water flows through an irrigation canal to crops near Lemoore, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

**Science **

11.) Chinese researchers have developed a sophisticated membrane that can dramatically improve water desalination systems, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.

**International **

12.) Recommending some slack for digital-privacy laws, a magistrate for Europe’s highest court said Thursday that cellphone metadata should be accessible to police even if a crime is not particularly serious.

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