Top eight today

Top eight stories for today including Poland's prime minister hit back at the European Union; The first-ever exchange-traded fund linked to Bitcoin debuted with a rousing success; The FDA is planning to let Americans mix and match Covid-19 booster shots, and more.

National

Bitcoin-backed fund takes off at launch, likely faces regulatory scrutiny

The first-ever exchange-traded fund linked to Bitcoin debuted with a rousing success on Tuesday, though heightened scrutiny by regulators is sure to come.

A Bitcoin logo is shown at an ATM in Hong Kong, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017. (Kin Cheung/AP)

Capitol rioters face trial delays caused by court backlog, mass of evidence

A federal judge acknowledged on Tuesday that there could be constitutional problems with the length of time that Capitol rioters have to wait for their trial, as the mass of discovery from the Jan. 6 insurrection is enormous and growing by the day.

The government used this photo of Paul Johnson pushing over police barricades in their case against him for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (Image via Courthouse News)

FDA expected to greenlight mix-and-match Covid boosters

The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly planning to let Americans mix and match booster shots as all are relatively effective at boosting immunity regardless of patients’ original vaccination series.

A medical staff member prepares the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, California, on Jan. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Regional

Judge won’t release identifying documents in lawsuit alleging San Diego police bias at Trump rally

The city of San Diego does not have to disclose the identity of a suspect who allegedly threw an incendiary device at anti-Trump demonstrators at a Pacific Beach “Patriot March” on Jan. 9 where Trump supporters clashed with counter-protesters.

(Image by Yildiray Yücel Kamanmaz from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

California misses water conservation mark for 2nd month as state records driest year since 1924

Slogging through one of the hottest and driest stretches in state history, Californian cities and water districts combined to slash water usage by 5% in August compared to August 2020.

(Karolina Grabowska/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Sheriff charged with false reporting in relation to confrontation with Black newspaper carrier

The Washington Attorney General’s Office filed misdemeanor criminal charges against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer on Tuesday, on suspicion he followed a Black newspaper carrier in his neighborhood and told police 911 dispatchers the man threatened to kill him.

Pierce County (Washington) Sheriff Ed Troyer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

International

Polish leader accuses EU judges of activism and ‘creeping revolution’

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday escalated a conflict between his right-wing nationalist government and the European Union by accusing the bloc's leaders of “blackmail” and its courts of a “creeping revolution” by expanding the EU's supranational powers.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, right, delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , in red, listens. (Ronald Wittek, Pool via AP)

Rights court condemns secret Russian terrorism trial

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned Russia for holding a flawed secret trial against nine men convicted of carrying out terrorist attacks in 2009.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. (Photo by CherryX from Wikipedia Commons via Courthouse News)