Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including New Hampshire voters are uninterested in culture wars and deeply worried about the economy; Germany is rebuilding its armed forces and beginning to flex its military muscles; Jurors determined a man “on trial for memes” worked to trick Hillary Clinton voters into staying home on Election Day 2016, and more.

National

Pro-Trump troll found guilty of election interference

The man “on trial for memes” worked to trick Hillary Clinton voters into staying home on Election Day in 2016, jurors determined Friday, entering a conviction after taking nearly as many days to deliberate as they did hearing witnesses.

Douglass Mackey tweeted a fake flier during the 2016 presidential campaign that said people could text their votes for Hillary Clinton to a "avoid the line." Mackey is charged with one count of conspiracy to interfere with voting rights. (Twitter via Courthouse News)

Markets end March on a high after tempestuous start

Wall Street was able to overcome a rocky beginning to finish March on the positive side of the ledger, though consumer confidence hints at problems to come.

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Regional

New Hampshire electorate worried about money, not culture wars

As Republican politicians prepare to descend on New Hampshire ahead of its pivotal primary 10 months from now, interviews with voters in the conservative-leaning middle-class town of Salem reveal an electorate that is profoundly uninterested in culture wars, deeply worried about the economy and convinced that political leaders are out of touch with real life.

Bill Hurley fills out his ballot at the Chesterfield, N.H., polling site during the New Hampshire state primary elections on Sept. 8, 2020. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP, File)

EPA clears way for California’s zero-emission truck sales requirement

California can proceed with its plan to require that truck manufacturers sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission medium and heavy-duty trucks in the state starting next year.

Nikola TRE Battery Electric Truck (Source: California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project via Courthouse News)

Justice Department sues Norfolk Southern over Ohio train derailment

Filing a federal lawsuit against the company, the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency pledged to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for cleaning up the environmental havoc caused by the Feb. 3 derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials through East Palestine, Ohio.

Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the previous night in East Palestine, Ohio, remain on fire at midday on Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

International

Germany, Europe’s powerhouse, is rearming – but slowly

Slowly, cautiously and proudly, Germany is rebuilding its armed forces and beginning to flex its military muscles – a development long desired by the United States, NATO and hawks in Europe, but regarded with unease by those who dread seeing Berlin's return to militarism.

Two Leopard 2 tanks are seen in action at the Field Marshal Rommel Barracks in Augustdorf, Germany, on Feb. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

EU inflation cools amid drop in energy prices

The European Union's inflation rate fell nearly two points in March, signaling recovery from last year’s record high prices and record deep trade deficit.

A customer pays for vegetables at the Maravillas market in Madrid. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Argentina raises minimum wage as triple-digit inflation pulls more into poverty

Argentina’s wage council approved a 26.6% increase in the minimum wage by June in an attempt to keep up with historic levels of inflation, despite trade unions criticizing the increase as enough for workers dealing with the soaring cost of living.

The current breakdown of poverty levels in Argentina. (INDEC via Courthouse News)