Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Supreme Court ethics concerns swelled as new reporting revealed an unreported luxury vacation Justice Samuel Alito accepted from a billionaire GOP donor; The Federal Trade Commission accused Amazon of enrolling customers in its paid Prime program without consent; A Southern California man was convicted of smuggling an ancient Roman mosaic into the U.S., and more.

National

Alito kicks up ethics questions with new undisclosed gifts from billionaire donors

Supreme Court ethics concerns swelled on Wednesday as new reporting revealed an unreported luxury vacation Justice Samuel Alito accepted from a billionaire GOP donor with business before the court.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito testifies before the House Appropriations Committee on March 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Durham testimony on Trump-Russia probe sparks partisan firestorm

Partisan tensions flared Wednesday morning as lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee grilled the lead investigator in a probe of the Justice Department's motivations in investigating former President Donald Trump.

Special Counsel John Durham testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2023, a month after Durham published a report that criticized the Justice Department for its investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump's contact with Russia during the 2016 election. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

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Grasping at access to Afghanistan docs, GOP digs in on subpoena threat

Having already dodged one subpoena threat from House Republicans, Secretary of State Antony Blinken already faces another one concerning documents related to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/U.S. Marine Corps via AP)

FTC accuses Amazon of unknowingly enrolling customers in Prime

The Federal Trade Commission hit Amazon.com with an 87-page federal complaint Wednesday, alleging the tech giant enrolls customers in its paid Prime program without consent and then purposefully makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions.

An Amazon logo on the company's building in Schoenefeld near Berlin, Germany, March 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

Regional

Southern California man found guilty of smuggling ancient Roman mosaic into US

A Southern California man was convicted Wednesday of smuggling an ancient Roman mosaic that federal prosecutors believe was looted from war-torn Syria into the U.S.

Late Roman mosaic showing Hercules rescuing Prometheus, allegedly looted from Syria and illegally imported into the U.S. (Court filings via Courthouse News)

Chief justice tells Colorado courts to hold post-pandemic trials in person

Colorado courts should keep their web cameras at the ready, following the chief justice’s signing of a virtual proceedings policy that allows continued use of technology to facilitate hearings while mandating trials be held in person.

The Colorado Supreme Court. (Chris Marshall/Courthouse News)

Minnesota high court gives go-ahead to challenge of mine permit

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a challenge to the NorthMet mining project’s air emissions permit Wednesday, raising yet another hurdle for advocates of the controversial copper-nickel mining project in northern Minnesota.

The Minnesota Supreme Court Chamber, located inside the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (Photo via Jonathunder/Wikipedia Commons)

Science

Mysterious Neanderthal cave engravings offer new glimpse into origins of art

The oldest known Neanderthal engravings in the world have been found on the walls of a cave in Central France, researchers said on Wednesday.

Trine Freiesleben and Jean-Claude discussing the fingerprints and where to take OSL samples. (Kristina Thomsen/Creative Commons via Courthouse News)

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