Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Spain is heading into a toxic election cycle that will severely test Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez; A federal judge ruled in favor of Greenpeace in a yearslong case brought by a Canadian logging conglomerate; Britain’s deputy prime minister resigned amid a bullying scandal, and more.

National

Bill to loosen gun laws heads to House where ATF director is set to testify

A Republican lawmaker opposed to new restrictions on a gun feature aimed at owners with disabilities but one that is also prevalent in mass shootings took a victory lap this week as his legislation cleared committee.

A demonstrator stands in front of a large "Come and Take It" banner at a rally in support of open-carry gun laws at the Texas State Capitol in Austin in 2015. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Trump defamation suit returns to court that first gave it legs

Some two and a half years since he distinguished the president from other federal employees, refusing to let the Justice Department stand in for Donald Trump as it would for other government workers, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan is being asked again to decide the fate of a defamation lawsuit from a woman who says Trump raped her.

E. Jean Carroll, center, waits to enter a courtroom in New York for her defamation lawsuit against then-president Donald Trump, March 4, 2020. A federal judge wants to know if ex-President Trump plans to attend a New York trial in April 2023, resulting from Carroll's claims that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

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Greenpeace prevails in defamation suit by Canadian logging company

A federal judge granted summary judgment in favor of Greenpeace in a yearslong case brought by a Canadian logging conglomerate claiming Greenpeace's protests of its operations amounted to defamation.

Piles of logged trees. (James DeMers/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Regional

Heavy rains brought out California wildflowers. But is it a superbloom?

Dozens of atmospheric rivers throughout the winter have California awash in wildflowers. But not everyone wants to call it a "superbloom."

Carrizo Plain National Monument features grassland and mountains, running along the San Andreas Fault. (Pat Pemberton/Courthouse News)

Feds to reevaluate threat of gillnet fishing to humpback whales

Environmentalists claimed victory following an agreement by the National Marine Fisheries Service to complete a new biological assessment on the state of humpback whales living in the waters off the West Coast.

Humpback whale, photo: Ed Lyman/NOAA Permit # 774-1714

International

Spain is entering a bitter election cycle. Will its Socialist leader survive?

Spain, a rare outpost of progressive politics in a right-veering Europe, is heading into a toxic election cycle that will severely test Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe's more successful left-wing politicians who's up for reelection this year.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference at the Spanish embassy in Beijing on March 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Nationwide strike cripples German railway network at rush hour

Millions of German commuters were forced to find alternative ways to reach work on Friday after a nationwide strike brought the country's railway network to a standstill.

Trains at the Berlin-Pankow station in Berlin, Germany, were up and running again on Friday, April 21, 2023, after a nationwide strike during the morning rush hour. (Lasse Sørensen/Courthouse News)

British deputy prime minister resigns amid bullying scandal

British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned from his post Friday, following a long-awaited report which found that he engaged in “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” behavior during his time in government and had misused power “in a way that undermines or humiliates.”

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab leaves 10 Downing Street in London on March 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

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