Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including business owners asked the Supreme Court to rule that New York's latest crackdown on guns is unconstitutional; Mexico’s Supreme Court elected its first female chief justice; Northern California is bracing for another storm that could bring historic levels of rain, and more.

National

Firearm dealers ask Supreme Court to defang New York’s new regulations

Joining the gun owners that brought a challenge a week and a half earlier, a group of business owners asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to rule that New York's latest crackdown on guns is unconstitutional.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a package of bills to strengthen gun laws, Monday, June 6, 2022, in New York. New York has strengthened gun laws as part of a series of laws signed this week by Gov. Kathy Hochul with the hope to lessen gun violence and gun-related deaths. Hochul, a Democrat, signed 10 gun-related bills Monday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty to massive fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried, the extradited former CEO of collapsed crypto exchange FTX, pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon to allegations that he diverted billions of dollars in customer funds to a crypto hedge fund where the money was lost in risky trades.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, second from right, arrives at Manhattan federal court on Jan. 3, 2023. The 30-year-old is charged with cheating investors and looting customer deposits on his cryptocurrency trading platform. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Desegregation triumph dominates in high court’s year-end report

Chief Justice John Roberts warned against defying the Supreme Court’s rulings on Saturday afternoon, capping off a turbulent year in which the conservative majority handed down multiple opinions at odds with public opinion across the country.

The Supreme Court held a special sitting on September 30, 2022, for the formal investiture ceremony of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. From left to right are Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas; Chief Justice John G. Roberts; and Associate Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan and Brett Kavanaugh. (Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Courthouse News)

Regional

Waterlogged California bracing for another round of storms

After a record-setting New Year’s Eve storm that brought widespread flooding to much of Northern California, the region is bracing for another storm that could bring historic levels of rain — and more flooding — to many vulnerable areas.

Much of Northern California is at risk of flooding during a storm Wednesday and Thursday. (National Weather Service via Courthouse News)

NYC subway shooter pleads guilty to all counts

Nine months after he shot 10 people, Frank Robert James of the Bronx told the court Tuesday that he didn’t intend to kill anyone but knew he might do so by spraying bullets into a crowded subway car during rush hour.

The complaint against Frank James includes this still from surveillance video shot at West Seventh Street and Kings Highway in Brooklyn, New York, at 6:12 a.m. on April 12, 2022. Encircled in red is an individual wearing a yellow hard hat and orange working jacket with reflective tape, using one arm to carry a backpack and another to drag a rolling bag. (Department of Justice via Courthouse News)

Two men charged over Christmas substation attacks in Washington state

Court records unsealed Tuesday revealed federal prosecutors have charged two men for a series of substation attacks in Pierce County, Washington, that left thousands without power on Christmas Day.

A Tacoma Power crew works at an electrical substation damaged by vandals on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022, in Graham, Wa. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)

International

Mexico Supreme Court elects first woman as chief justice

Mexico’s Supreme Court made history Monday when it voted a woman to head the tribunal for the first time.

Jacaranda trees bloom outside the entrance to Mexico's Supreme Court, in Mexico City's Historic Center. (Cody Copeland/Courthouse News)

Domestic gin brands fueling growth in wine-loving Argentina

Rising demand for gin in Argentina is fueling a wave of new domestic brands and distilleries, cultivating a nascent and thriving market in a country famed for its malbec wines.

Hundreds of new gin brands have come into production across Argentina in just a few years, contributing to an 81% increase in gin consumption in Argentina. (La Nación via Courthouse News)