Top Stories for Thursday 9 February 2017

Washington Correspondent Simon Marks says President Trump is expressing unprecedented disdain for the courts. A fire at St John's Presbyterian Church in Rotorua has left the building little more than a mangled wreck. Clinton Thinn is facing a death row sentence after a killing in the San Diego prison where he was being held on bank robbery charges. Cabinet Minister Nikki Kaye is Thinn's step-sister and says it's a difficult and sad time for the family. Labour MPs are closing ranks over the Willie Jackson controversy as the party leader Andrew Little demands an outward display of unity. RNZ political editor Jane Patterson says Mr Little's problems may not be over, however. Russia's main opposition leader vows to overturn a conviction for embezzlement, saying he's a victim of dirty politics