Sandra Day O'Connor, first female US Supreme Court justice, dies at 93.
O'Connor died from complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She was born in 1930 in Texas, raised at her family's Lazy B ranch in Arizona, and attended Stanford University at age 16, where she later graduated from its law school. O'Connor eventually became an Arizona state judge and was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1981 by then-President Ronald Regan. She was the court's first female justice in 191 years and later retired in 2006 to care for her husband who had Alzheimer's. See her notable court opinions here. View her life in pictures here.
Israel, Hamas resume fighting after temporary cease-fire expires.
Israel claimed Hamas fired rockets toward its territory in the last hour of their cease-fire deal, after which Israel struck more than 200 targets in Gaza, including areas of the southern city of Khan Younis. Israeli forces reportedly left leaflets in the city ordering residents to move further south to Rafah near Egypt's border. Another truce deal between the two sides does not appear to be likely, according to reports.
Venezuela set to hold referendum altering Guyana's control over disputed land.
Venezuelans are expected to vote tomorrow on whether to establish a new state in a disputed oil-rich territory currently controlled by neighboring Guyana. While the land is governed by Guyana, Venezuela has laid claim to the region in a long-running dispute. The UN's International Court of Justice has ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking any action, but it's unclear if Venezuela will halt the referendum.
Federal appeals court rules Jan. 6 lawsuits against Trump can continue.
Former President Donald Trump had sought to dismiss cases accusing him of encouraging the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol. Trump claimed he should be immune from the lawsuits because he was acting in his official capacity as president. The three-judge panel ruled Trump was acting under his personal capacity as a presidential candidate at the time, not as president.
Federal judge blocks Montana's first-in-nation TikTok ban.
A US district judge issued a preliminary injunction in a case filed by TikTok's Beijing-based parent ByteDance, ruling Montana's ban on the video-sharing app was unconstitutional. Montana's ban, which was set to take effect Jan. 1, would have prohibited downloads of TikTok in the state and fined an entity $10K each time someone in the state was able to access the platform.
Panera Bread reportedly preparing to go public in 2024.
The restaurant chain, known for its sandwiches, salads, and soups, confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering for next year. Panera, founded in St. Louis in 1987, last publicly traded in 2017 when German conglomerate JAB Holding bought it for $7.5B.
Bottlenose dolphins can sense weak electric fields, study finds.
Researchers have discovered adult bottlenose dolphins use dimples on their snouts, known as vibrissal pits, to sense electric fields produced by lifeforms underwater. The ability to sense these electric fields helps the dolphins detect prey hidden in the sand.
