Top Eight

Your Thursday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top eight stories for today including President Joe Biden signaled a sharp departure from the foreign policy of his predecessor; California lawmakers called for a reboot of the state’s Employment Development Department; The International Criminal Court convicted a Ugandan rebel leader of 61 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and more.

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National

1.) Focusing on genetic material called mRNA allowed researchers to overcome scientific barriers and develop the two vaccines now used in the United States. Here’s how it happened. 

2.) In two speeches, President Joe Biden signaled a sharp departure from the foreign policy of his predecessor, saying restoration of alliances, a greater emphasis on diplomacy and a focus on democracy and human rights will return America to a position of moral authority on global issues. 

3.) A new Maine rule that says nobody can look at electronic court records until three days after they are served was challenged by newspapers, under the sweeping authority of the First Amendment. 

4.) A voting company caught in a right-wing election conspiracy theory sued Fox News, Rudy Giuliani and other commentators Thursday for $2.7 billion, claiming they manufactured the bogus story to maintain a grip on angry Trump voters and the outgoing president.

Regional

5.) Inheriting a mounting bureaucratic disaster that has floated lifelines to inmates but left newly jobless Californians broke, lawmakers on Thursday called for a reboot of the state’s Employment Development Department.

6.) In a pair of cases that could send shockwaves through the multitrillion-dollar municipal bond market and dramatically increase borrowing costs for governments at all levels, the First Circuit heard arguments Thursday on whether Puerto Rico bondholders could collect on collateral for almost $4 billion worth of defaulted loans. 

International

7.) The International Criminal Court convicted a Ugandan rebel leader on Thursday of 61 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

8.) The United Nations’ top court found on Thursday that it lacks jurisdiction to hear a dispute between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over a yearslong blockade.  

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