Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the landmark lawsuit over homelessness in Los Angeles that refuses to go away is still not going away; The Senate Judiciary Committee returned to work despite the prominent absence of a senior Democratic member; The Texas Senate passed a bill banning diversity programs at public universities, and more.

National

Fine without Feinstein: Senate panel presses on with court noms

The Senate Judiciary Committee returned to work Thursday voting on the Biden administration’s federal court nominees, despite the prominent absence of one of the panel’s most senior Democratic members.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., walks through a Senate corridor on Feb. 14, 2023, after telling her Democratic colleagues that she will not seek reelection in 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Bill that would bar trans kids from public school sports passes House

Leveraging their recent House majority, congressional Republicans cleared a measure Thursday that, if made law, would threaten federal funding for schools where female-only sport teams are open to transgender women and girls.

The House of Representatives votes on the passage of H.R. 734, a bill aimed at blocking transgender student athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports teams, on April 20, 2023. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Courthouse News’ podcast Sidebar, tackling the stories you need to know from the legal world.

GOP blocked in subpoena of lawyer who used to helm Trump probe

The Second Circuit entered a late-night reprieve Wednesday for the former assistant district attorney facing a congressional subpoena in the wake of former President Donald Trump's criminal indictment.

House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan delivers opening remarks at a committee field hearing in Manhattan on April 17, 2023. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Regional

Judge rejects deal in sprawling lawsuit over LA County homelessness

The landmark lawsuit over homelessness in Los Angeles that refuses to go away is still not going away, after a federal judge on Thursday rejected a proposed settlement that would have seen LA County spend an additional $850 million on services and outreach.

In this Feb. 4, 2021, file photo, Jeff Page, right, also known as General Jeff, a homelessness activist and leader in the Downtown Los Angeles Skid Row Neighborhood Council, walks with U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, middle, and Michele Martinez, special master on the issues of homelessness, after a court hearing at Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Texas Senate approves ban on college diversity programs

A bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Texas public universities was passed by the state Senate on Wednesday night, sending the controversial legislation to the House for final approval.

Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, speaks in favor of a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Kirk McDaniel/Courthouse News)

International

Europe’s 2022 heat stroke: Report shows every painful milestone

Hottest summer on record? Check. Heat records? Broken on land and sea. Glacier melt in the Alps? Worst on the books. Europe's official climate report for 2022 came out Thursday, and it's depressing.

This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region shows a wildfire near Landiras, France, on on July 17, 2022. (SDIS 33 via AP)

Rights court to hear claims of Russia-linked abuses in Georgia

Europe's human rights court on Thursday agreed to open hearings into allegations that Russia-backed border guards in Georgia have committed a wide range of crimes, including killings, while policing the boundaries of the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In this Aug. 9, 2008, file photo, a wounded Georgian woman lies with other people in front of an apartment building damaged by a Russian airstrike in the northern Georgian town of Gori. (AP Photo/George Abdaladze, File)

Science

Elephant seals sleep dive into the depths to avoid predators

Elephant seals get the most sleep during breeding season, while they're lying on the beach. But scientists now have an idea of how they sleep while they're out at sea on monthslong foraging trips.

Elephant seals sleep about 10 hours a day on the beach, but during months-long foraging trips at sea they average just 2 hours of sleep per day. These 2-month-old northern elephant seals are sleeping on the beach at Año Nuevo State Park. (Jessica Kendall-Bar, NMFS 23188/University of California San Diego)

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