Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Mexico’s Senate voted to extend the deployment of the armed forces in matters of public safety until 2028; A federal jury convicted Uber’s former head of security of concealing a data breach from authorities and obstructing an investigation; A Texas statute that criminalizes possession of images lewdly displaying the pubic area of clothed children puzzled jurists of the state’s highest criminal court, and more.

National

Jackson makes a splash during debut on the bench

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said her ascension to the Supreme Court meant marginalized groups were invisible no more. During her first week on the bench, she made sure their voices were heard as well.

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)

Deepwater Horizon restoration group spreading settlement funds beyond the Gulf

The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group was awarded $1.2 billion in a settlement agreement with BP. It has leeway to spend that money outside areas directly impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including on bird nesting grounds in the Midwest.

Platform supply vessels battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010. (Photo via U.S. Coast Guard/Wikipedia)

Former Uber security chief found guilty of covering up data breach

In a verdict with far-reaching implications for security chiefs nationwide, a federal jury convicted Uber’s former head of security Joe Sullivan on Wednesday of concealing a 2016 data breach from authorities and obstructing an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into Uber’s security practices.

A person holding an iPhone. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Regional

State court trial begins for Michigan trio charged in plot to kidnap governor

Trial began Tuesday for three of the 14 men arrested in connection with a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, with opening statements painting disparate pictures of the defendants’ relationships with alleged plot leaders Barry Croft and Adam Fox and with an FBI informant.

Paul Bellar, middle, appears before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 for trial in Jackson, Mich. Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico are charged in connection with a 2020 anti-government plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (J. Scott Park/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP, Pool)

Climate change drives another outbreak: In California, it’s a spike in Valley fever cases

California researchers say climate change is driving a statewide spike in Valley fever throughout the Southwest as the region experiences swings between extreme drought and warming temperatures to unexpectedly high precipitation.

This image shows the riparian community woodlands along the lower Tuolumne River near Merced, California. The dry grassland in the background indicates the semi-arid conditions and drought environment. (Credit: John Stella, ESF)

Texas appeals court scrutinizes state law barring possession of child erotica images

A Texas statute that criminalizes possession of images lewdly displaying the pubic area of clothed children puzzled jurists of the state’s highest criminal court Wednesday. They must decide if it violates the First Amendment.

The Texas Supreme Court building in Austin, which is also home to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. (Kelsey Jukam/Courthouse News)

International

Mexico Senate extends use of armed forces for public safety to 2028

Mexico’s Senate advanced President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s expansion of military power Tuesday when it voted to extend the deployment of the armed forces in matters of public safety until 2028.

Mexican soldiers drive an army tank through the streets of downtown Mexico City during the country's annual Independence Day military parade on Sept. 16, 2022. (Cody Copeland/Courthouse News)

Embattled Denmark PM announces national elections, citing crises

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Wednesday for general elections in Denmark, an expected move from the leader of the Social Democratic Party only days ahead of a vote of no confidence against her.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, May 24, 2021. European Union leaders are expected, during a two day in-person meeting, to focus on foreign relations, including Russia and the UK. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, Pool)

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