Here's a roundup of news trending across the nation and world today.
What to know now:
1. "Bathroom bill" stands: North Carolina's "bathroom bill" will remain in place after a plan to repeal the legislation broke down Wednesday. A special session called to kill House Bill 2, which omits gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protections, broke down when both sides blamed the other for the legislation that led to the state losing entertainment and sporting events and causing some corporations to put off moves there.
2. Family files lawsuit: The family of singer Christina Grimmie filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a theater where the young woman was gunned down this past June. AEG Live, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Plaza Foundation and a security contractor are named in the suit that claims security was lax and that allowed a deranged fan to shoot Grimmie at point blank range, killing her. Grimmie was a YouTube star and a contestant on "The Voice."
3. Not raising funds: Eric Trump says he will stop directly raising funds for his cancer charity over concerns it could look like he was selling influence to his soon-to-be president father. The younger Trump started the charity, which raises money for terminally ill children suffering from cancer, years ago and says it has raised $15 million.
4. Ukrainian officer hacked, too: According to a cyber security firm, the same Russian intelligence hackers who stole information from the Democratic National Committee also used computer malware to hack into the cell phone of a Ukrainian military officer. According to the firm CrowdStrike, the hack allowed the Russian military to target and destroy Ukrainian artillery forces in that country. CrowdStrike was hired by the DNC in the spring after emails the organization sent and received were hacked and released to the public.
5. How Thicke died: Actor Alan Thicke died when his aorta tore then ruptured as he was playing hockey with his son, according to his death certificate. Thicke's artery tore some three hours before he went to play hockey, then ruptured while he was at the rink, the report said. There was no autopsy performed, according to reports, instead the cause of death was determined by a doctor. Thicke died on Dec. 13. He was 69.
And one more
Benny Birchfield, the husband of the late Country Music Hall of Fame singer Jean Shepard, was stabbed and his granddaughter killed Wednesday. According to police, Travis Sanders, 21, was found shot to death at the Birchfield home in Hendersonville, Tenn., and Birchfield and his granddaughter, Icie Hawkins, were found wounded as police arrived. Hawkins later died of the injuries described as self-defensive wounds. Birchfield told police he heard a disturbance in his basement, went to investigate, and was confronted then stabbed by Sanders. Birchfield told the police he shot Sanders.
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