Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including a federal judge ordered Senator Lindsey Graham to testify before a special grand jury investigating attempts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results; Argentina created a "super ministry" to deal with its deep financial crisis; Thousands of mental health care workers kicked off a strike across Northern California, and more.

National

Federal judge orders Graham to testify in Georgia election probe

A federal judge refused Monday to quash an Atlanta-area prosecutor’s subpoena of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, meaning he will have to appear next week before a special grand jury investigating whether former President Donald Trump and his allies illegally attempted to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks at a South Carolina GOP dinner on July 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

Heard hires new legal team for appeal of Depp defamation trial verdict

Elaine Bredehoft, known for representing Amber Heard during an arduous, high-profile six-week defamation trial, stepped down Monday as lead attorney for the “Aquaman” actress.

Actor Amber Heard testifies in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Va., Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, Pool)

Regional

Mental health workers on strike at hospital giant Kaiser

Thousands of mental health care workers kicked off a strike with no end date across Northern California on Monday over what they say is deliberate understaffing as the number of patients needing care skyrockets.

Health care workers strike at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, Calif. on Aug. 15, 2022. (Natalie Hanson/ Courthouse News)

Grassland oil wells settlement

Conservation groups reached a settlement with the Bureau of Land Management securing the permanent closure and restoration of 11 long-dormant oil wells inside California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument.

The Carrizo Plain National Monument. (Photo via Antandrus / Wikipedia)

International

New ‘super-minister’ tasked with saving Argentina’s ailing economy

Argentina’s new Economy Minister Sergio Massa has outlined his strategy to restore fiscal control and reverse runaway inflation with the government creating a "super ministry" as the country faces a deep financial crisis.

Sergio Massa, now the economy minister of Argentina, with then-President Cristina Fernández in 2008. (Presidente de Nacion Argentina via Courthouse News)

Europe endures devastating drought as rivers run low

Much of Europe is in the midst of a historic drought with water levels dangerously low in lakes and rivers, a situation that's caused drinking water shortages, fish kills, crop losses and disruptions of key barge routes.

A dead fish skeleton is seen on the cracking earth of a dry lake bed near the village of Conoplja, Serbia, on Aug. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

Science

Nuclear war would cause global food and climate catastrophes, study finds

Food may seem like it would be the least of your concerns after experiencing a nuclear event, but a new study has shown that the detonation of nuclear warheads would devastate global food resources and cause extensive fatalities around the world.

Steam escapes at night from the nuclear plant of Nogent-sur-Seine, 110 kms (63 miles) southeast of Paris, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Opinion

Run free!

How can you be wild if you spend almost a quarter of your life locked up? Also: not everyone hated the pandemic.

(Image by B Snuffleupagus from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

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