Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including President Biden used his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to establish a new national monument in Colorado; A copyright case involving famous photographs of the late musician Prince had the Supreme Court justices pondering how to protect art without stifling its creation; A federal judge refused to pause discovery in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against Donald Trump, and more.

National

GOP states argue for injunction against Biden student loan forgiveness plan

Republican-led states told a federal judge that a 2003 law does not give the president or Department of Education the authority to cancel up to $20,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower.

Graduates walk at a Harvard commencement ceremony held for the classes of 2020 and 2021 in Cambridge, Mass., on May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Warhol’s Prince series brings pop art and culture to high court

A copyright case involving famous photographs of the late musician Prince had the justices pondering how to protect art without stifling its creation during Wednesday morning oral arguments.

Screenshot from a Second Circuit opinion shows three images from Andy Warhol's Prince series. (Image via Courthouse News)

No deposition delay for Trump in suit with rape accuser

A federal judge refused Wednesday to pause discovery in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against Donald Trump while the former president awaits appellate court input on a question of liability.

Columnist E. Jean Carroll leaves federal court in New York on Feb. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister)

Budget squeezes hindering US efforts to save endangered species

When it comes to environmental conservation, it’s easy to champion the Endangered Species Act as the save-all solution to protecting imperiled species. However, new research published Wednesday suggests the U.S. is not protecting enough species in a timely manner.

An ʻiʻiwi, also known as a scarlet Hawaiian honeycreeper. The pollinator of hibiscus and other plants is listed as endangered. (Credit: Dan Clark / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Hope Solo: Soccer settlement neither fair nor adequate

Hope Solo, the former goalkeeper of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, objected to the $22 million settlement between players and the U.S. Soccer Federation over allegations they got paid less than players on the men’s team and had to endure substandard accommodations compared to the men.

Hope Solo waits for the U.S. team's friendly soccer match against Colombia in Chester, Pa., on April 10, 2016. The former team goalkeeper says she’s running for president of U.S. Soccer. Solo made the announcement Thursday night on Facebook. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)

Regional

Biden designates new national monument in Colorado

For the first time in his presidency, President Joe Biden on Wednesday used his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to establish the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. Nearly the size of the nation's capital, the 53,804-acre monument lies in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and caps years of efforts by regional communities and Congress to recognize and preserve the historical area.

Public land advocates Susie Kincade and Bradley Noone hike at Camp Hale near Vail, Colo., in October 2022. The camp was where soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division trained in the harsh, wintry conditions of the Rocky Mountains in preparation for fighting in the Italian Alps during World War II. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Panel rules against church leaders who gave bologna sandwiches to homeless

The city of St. Louis did not violate the First Amendment rights of a Christian pastor and his assistant by threatening to prosecute them for handing out bologna sandwiches to the homeless, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

(José Manuel de Laá/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Science

Video gaming neurons in a dish learn how to play Pong

In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Neuron, researchers present the first synthetic biological intelligence able to adapt its behavior on a real time basis. Dubbed BrainDish, the system of brain cells on a multielectrode array was able to play one of the world’s earliest video games: Pong.

An Atari Flashback 2 video game console. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma,File)

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