
Bipartisan group of senators optimistic about push to allow cameras in federal courtrooms
CBSN
Washington — Amid a torrent of high-profile cases, including more than 1,000 prosecutions stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a bipartisan group of senators said they are optimistic about the prospects of new legislation to allow camera access inside America's federal courts.
The federal court system, including nearly 100 U.S. District Courts and approximately a dozen Courts of Appeals, prohibit the use of video cameras during proceedings. The prohibition means the public can't watch criminal and civil trials from anywhere outside a courthouse, leaving some of the highest-stakes cases in America out of view.
Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa who has championed legislation to end the court system's camera prohibition for years, told CBS News the prospects of passing legislation to allow recording have improved in recent years, and a bill might have sufficient votes for approval in this Congress.

Yangon — Myanmar's military leader lauded President Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, the ruling junta said Friday, after a tariff letter from the U.S. president that it has taken as Washington's first public recognition of its rule. Min Aung Hlaing endorsed Mr. Trump's false claim that the 2020 U.S. election was stolen, and thanked him for shutting down funding for U.S.-backed media outlets that have long provided independent coverage of conflict-wracked Myanmar.

After years of unsuccessful attempts to finance and build a public alarm network that would warn residents of Kerr County, Texas, about dangerous flooding, officials in the region, nicknamed "flash flood alley," were going to start developing a centralized flood monitoring system this summer to help leaders and emergency managers plan ahead.

Washington — The Senate is expected to vote next week on a request from the White House to claw back funding for international aid and public broadcasting. But the funding for rural radio and television stations — sometimes an area's sole source for emergency warnings and other news — has sparked concern among some Senate Republicans, especially after the recent devastating flash floods in Texas.