Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the EU’s highest court upheld Italian rules requiring Airbnb to collect a rental income tax and share information with tax officials; Residents of Great Lakes states prepared for arctic conditions as a violent winter storm system moved into the region; The founder of the crypto exchange FTX was released on a $250 million bond, and more.

National

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried released on $250 million bond

A New York federal judge set bail for Sam Bankman-Fried on Thursday, one week after the founder of the crypto exchange FTX was indicted on criminal fraud and conspiracy charges.

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried exits the Manhattan federal court building on Dec. 22, 2022, after posting a $250 million bail package. (Josh Russell/Courthouse New Service)

Regional

Midwest braces for frigid cold, high winds

Residents of the Great Lakes states prepared for arctic conditions Thursday, as a violent winter storm system moved into the region.

Streets in Chicago emptied Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, as temperatures and visibility both began to drop in the afternoon. (Dave Byrnes/Courthouse News)

Denver sees record-breaking 37-degree temperature drop in a single hour

An arctic cold front swept through Denver on Wednesday afternoon, driving temperatures down an astounding 75 degrees over an 18-hour period and setting a new record for greatest temperature decrease in a single hour — from 42 degrees to 5 degrees.

A map of the United States showing temperature for Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (NOAA image via Courthouse News)

Attorneys sound alarm over Alabama child abuse registry

More than 6% of Alabama’s population is listed on a database of people accused of child abuse or neglect. The information can be disclosed prior to dispositions in cases and without the person’s knowledge or consent.

The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. (Pixabay image via Courthouse News)

Texas man claims police, newspaper endangered him with smuggler label

A South Texas oilfield worker claims in court his life is in danger from cartels who believe he is encroaching on their business after a local newspaper published a front-page story identifying him as a “known human smuggler” based on bogus intel provided by a sheriff’s department official.

A Customs and Border Protection agent patrols on the U.S. side of a razor-wire-covered wall along the Mexico border east of Nogales, Ariz., in March 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

International

Airbnb fought the rental tax rules in Italy, and the rules won

The European Union’s highest court ruled Thursday in favor of Italy, which requires Airbnb to collect a rental income tax and share information with tax officials.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, photographed on Oct. 5, 2015. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

Journalists at Mexico news agency prepare for third Christmas on strike

Journalists and administrative employees of Mexico’s state-owned news agency will soon see another December go by without a Christmas bonus as they round out a third year on strike.

Ornaments bearing the logos of Notimex and the Notimex workers' union adorn a small Christmas tree set up in one of four sit-ins outside of the news agency's offices in Mexico City. Dec. 22, 2022, marked the 1036th day of the strike. (Cody Copeland/Courthouse News)

Science

Glass frogs divert blood during sleep to become transparent, study finds

New research says that glass frogs can regulate their blood flow and increase transparency during sleep for protection against predators.

A glass frog. Note its internal organs are partly visible. (Mauricio Rivera Correa/CalPhotos/Wikipedia via Courthouse News)

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