Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Europe’s human rights court ruled Turkey violated international law by ignoring orders to release a jailed philanthropist; Texas’ grid operator asked residents to conserve electricity amid a heat wave; Reality TV star Jen Shah pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and more.

National

Pro-religion decisions of 2022 had Christianity front and center

Sixty years after it had called it unconstitutional for state officials to establish official school prayers in public schools, the Supreme Court now has two decisions from a single term that bolster the rights of Christian schools on one hand and Christian public school employees on the other.

(Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

‘Real Housewives’ star pleads guilty to ripping off older business owners

One week before her federal trial was set to kick off in New York City, reality television star Jen Shah pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a telemarketing scheme.

Jen Shah, a member of the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" cast, arrives at federal court in Manhattan on July 5, 2022, for a pretrial conference ahead of her July 18 trial. Shah faces money laundering and wire fraud charges in connection with a telemarketing scheme that preyed on vulnerable and elderly victims. (Josh Russell/Courthouse News Service)

Regional

Gulf lawmakers sound alarm over delayed offshore drilling plan

Republican lawmakers along the Gulf Coast are expressing frustration with the Biden administration’s proposed five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, which opened for a 90-day public comment period July 1 after the previous five-year program expired June 30.

A man wears a face mark as he fishes near docked oil drilling platforms in Port Aransas, Texas, on May 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texans asked to conserve electricity amid dangerous heat wave

Texas’ grid operator has asked residents to conserve electricity Monday afternoon, raising the specter of rolling blackouts with temperatures projected to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit in Austin and San Antonio.

Mitchell Clearman takes a photo of a sign at El Arroyo restaurant in Austin, Texas, on June 23, 2022. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

International

Rights court slams Turkey’s refusal to release political prisoner

Europe’s top rights court found on Monday that Turkey violated international law by ignoring orders to release a jailed a philanthropist.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. (hpgruesen/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Continued EU population decline driven by Covid pandemic

Deaths continued to outpace births and migration in the European Union in 2021, resulting in a 1% population decline, according to data published Monday.

Climate activists demonstrate outside the European Parliament, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Argentina gets new finance minister amid economic crisis

Argentina’s economy minister Martín Guzmán has resigned and been replaced by economist and politician Silvina Batakis amid deepening tensions within the government and soaring inflation.

Argentina President Alberto Fernández introduces his new economic minister Silvina Batakis on July 3, 2022. (Casa Rosada photo via Courthouse News)

New evidence delays verdict in trial over killing of Dutch crime reporter

A Dutch court ruled Monday that it will postpone its verdict in the murder trial of famed Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries until sometime in the fall.

In this July 8, 2021, file photo, a photo and floral tributes mark the spot where journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)

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