Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Russian troops closed in on two key cities in eastern Ukraine; Beto O’Rourke headlined a protest outside the National Rifle Association’s convention in Houston; Wall Street recovered after eight weeks of straight losses, and more.

National

In the wake of mass shootings, Supreme Court sits poised to expand gun rights

As the country grapples with the murders of 19 children and two schoolteachers in the deadliest mass shooting of the year, the Supreme Court stands ready to release a consequential ruling on gun rights that could change how courts evaluate the Second Amendment.

Two Texas troopers light a candle at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, the day after a mass shooting. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Earnings to the rescue, as Wall Street breaks cold snap

Following eight weeks of straight losses, Wall Street recovered this week after a raft of extremely positive corporate earnings and government data showing improving inflation.

High gas prices are seen in front of a medical billboard on May 11, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Regional

O’Rourke headlines gun control rally outside NRA convention in Houston

Outraged by the shooting of schoolchildren in Uvalde, Texans from across the state converged in Houston Friday, joining Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke in a protest outside the National Rifle Association’s convention.

Beto O'Rourke speaks at Discovery Green in Houston on Friday, May 27, 2022, at a rally in response to an elementary school shooting three days earlier in Uvalde, Texas. (Courthouse News photo courtesy of Karen Yip)

Donald Trump loses court battle to halt NY investigation

A New York federal judge ruled against former President Donald Trump on Friday in a suit that sought to block the state attorney general’s probe of the Trump Organization and its eponymous leader.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana, File)

Tennessee officials dodge claims from internet-ordained ministers

A nondenominational church based in Seattle and several of its members cannot fight Tennessee’s ban on internet-ordained ministers solemnizing marriages via claims against state officials, according to a Friday ruling from a Sixth Circuit panel.

(SPOTSOFLIGHT/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Napa man pleads guilty to Democratic HQ bombing plot

A Napa man pleaded guilty Friday to charges of planning to firebomb the Democratic headquarters in Sacramento and possessing explosives and a machine gun.

The John L. Burton Democratic Headquarters building in Sacramento, Calif. (California Democratic Party via Facebook)

International

Ukraine suffers in Donbas, Kyiv pleads for more help

Russian troops and Kremlin-backed forces on Friday were closing in on two key cities in eastern Ukraine, a development that has left Ukraine’s military leaders with difficult choices because thousands of their soldiers are at risk of being encircled.

Men repair a building damaged by shelling in Makariv, Ukraine, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Report calls UK withdrawal from Afghanistan a ‘disaster’

The British Parliament has issued a strong rebuke over the government’s handling of the Afghanistan military withdrawal last year, describing the outcome of the pull-out as a “disaster and a betrayal.”

Taliban fighters patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

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