Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including a Georgia judge ordered the partial release of a grand jury report on possible criminal efforts to overturn 2020 election results; A coalition of national and regional newspapers piled into a legal brief attacking Virginia’s two-road system of access to court records; Brazil and Argentina are laying the groundwork for a common currency, and more.

National

Tarrio’s arrest ahead of insurrection dissected as defense

Defense lawyers for members of the far-right Proud Boys group tried to use Enrique Tarrio's arrest only days before the insurrection to their benefit Monday, saying there could be no seditious conspiracy plot after the leader of the group entered federal custody.

Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump breach the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Regional

News coalition joins case attacking Virginia access policy

A coalition of national and regional newspapers have piled into a legal brief attacking Virginia’s two-road system of access to court records where one privileged group can review the records online while the press and public are cut off.

Georgia judge orders partial release of report in Trump election interference probe

The judge overseeing the investigation into possible criminal efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results by former President Donald Trump and his allies ruled Monday that key parts of the special grand jury's report will be released later this week.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney hears arguments in Atlanta on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, from media outlets and District Attorney Fani Willis, right, over whether to publish the findings of a special grand jury’s investigation into 2020 election interference. (Megan Butler/Courthouse News)

Capital trial of NYC bike path killer enters penalty phase

The first death penalty trial of the Biden administration entered the punishment phase on Monday afternoon, with a New York jury reassembling to decide between the death penalty or life in prison for the man who committed an ISIS-inspired truck attack.

Sketch shows Sayfullo Saipov during closing statements at his trial in Manhattan federal court on Jan. 24, 2023. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Ninth Circuit considers effects of ‘temporary’ logging roads in national forest

A Ninth Circuit panel heard from both sides Monday in a fight over what are supposed to be temporary roads for a logging project in a Washington state national forest.

Clouds roll over a placid Snow Lake in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington state. (Kelsey Jukam/Courthouse News)

International

EU forecasts no recession, modest growth and recovery from energy-fueled inflation

The European Union continues to face high inflation and slow growth, but may have turned the corner without first dropping into a recession, according to the Winter 2023 Economic Forecast published on Monday.

FILE - In this Wednesday, April 28, 2021 file photo, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni addresses the plenary chamber at the European Parliament in Brussels. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP, File)

Mexican rescue dog dies seeking survivors of Turkey quake

Mexicans and Turks alike mourned the death of a search and rescue dog sent to Turkey to aid with recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that rocked the region this month.

The search and rescue dog Proteo stands with a handler from the Mexican army. Proteo died Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, while searching for survivors among the rubble in the aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude quake that rocked Turkey and Syria earlier in the month. (Sedena via Courthouse News)

Will Brazil and Argentina share a common currency?

Brazil and Argentina are laying the groundwork for a common currency to strengthen regional trade and lessen the dependency on the U.S. dollar. But the road to implementation faces multiple hurdles.

Argentina President Alberto Fernández and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva meet at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Jan. 23 2023. (Casa Rosada)

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