CNN – National

By Ed Lavandera and Theresa Waldrop, CNN The entire nation seemed captivated by the suspected theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo last week. But no one was more worried about Bella and Finn than zoo staff members, who were already on edge after a string of other disturbing incidents there. There

By Alaa Elassar, CNN A suburban Alabama community is rallying behind a Black author after the school district rescinded an invitation to have him speak and read his books at local elementary schools during Black History Month. Award-winning children’s book author Derrick Barnes, known for writing stories for and featuring Black children, will no longer

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN If you find yourself gazing at the sky tonight, you may notice the moon appears slightly smaller than normal. That’s because you’re looking at a micromoon, a term used to designate when the moon is at a quite distant location in orbit around Earth. Here’s what else you need to know

By Hannah Sarisohn and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A single ticket in Washington state matched all winning numbers for Monday night’s Powerball jackpot of $754.6 million, the fifth-largest in its history, according to the game’s website. The winner’s ticket matched all the lucky numbers required to clench the grand prize: 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and

By Celina Tebor and Alaa Elassar, CNN A man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting the 90-year-old owner of an iconic 24-hour candy shop in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood, according to the New York Police Department. Luis Peroza, 39, was arrested Friday on charges of assault for allegedly striking Ray Alvarez, the owner of Ray’s

By Hannah Sarisohn, CNN Police in suburban Atlanta are investigating after residents reported finding flyers with antisemitic imagery and messaging in their driveways. They were found Sunday morning in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, according to officials in both cities, home to many Jewish families. On Twitter, Georgia Rep. Esther Panitch said on Twitter she received

By Hannah Sarisohn, CNN Residents near the site of a train derailment that sparked a massive fire in East Palestine, Ohio, were urged to evacuate immediately Sunday night due to the risk of an explosion, authorities said. “Within the last two hours, a drastic temperature change has taken place in a rail car, and there

By Hannah Sarisohn and Eric Levenson, CNN The Miami Police on Thursday unveiled a Black History Month-inspired vehicle wrap that features the pan-African colors, outlines of the African continent, raised fists and kente cloth. “Miami Police Supports Black History Month,” reads a message on the vehicle’s back window. The wrap and a Black History Month-inspired

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Customs officers intercepted 120 cockfighting spurs sent from Mexico City to Illinois, officials say. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Louisville Port of Entry discovered the package on January 17, according to a news release from the agency. It contained 120 cockfighting spurs, which are traditionally affixed to the natural

By Paradise Afshar and Michelle Watson, CNN Authorities in Austin, Texas, responded to gridlocked roads near an H-E-B grocery store this week after more than 250 people clamored for food that had been discarded due to the sustained power outage at the location. Travis County Constable Pct.4 George Morales III posted photos of the incident

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Madison Russo allegedly used social media to spread awareness about her battle with cancer and to raise almost $40,000 on GoFundMe — but the entire operation was a scam, according to Iowa police, who have charged Russo with theft. Russo, a 19-year-old TikTok content creator, raised more than $37,303 from 439

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Yale University has honored Bobbi Wilson, a 9-year-old Black girl who had the police called on her after spraying invasive spotted lanternflies. The Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony to celebrate Bobbi’s efforts to eradicate the invasive species on January 20th, according to a news release from the university.

By Christina Maxouris, CNN Federal authorities made a grim and unexpected discovery in an unattended bag last week at a Detroit airport. Inside, the bag held a young dolphin’s skull, the US Customs and Border Protection said in a news release Friday. The bag was separated from its owners while traveling and when it arrived

By Celina Tebor and Emma Tucker, CNN A New York City directive allowing first responders to enforce a state law that allows them to potentially involuntarily commit people experiencing a mental health crisis can proceed after facing legal challenges by mental health advocates, a judge has ruled. The ruling, issued Monday by U.S. District Judge

By Melissa Alonso, CNN The Texas woman accused of killing Heidi Broussard and kidnapping the victim’s infant has been sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2019 murder, according the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. Magen Fieramusca, 37, was arrested more than a week after Broussard’s body was discovered in a

By Taylor Romine and Ralph Ellis, CNN A man wanted by police in Oregon in a bizarre incident at a house featured in “The Goonies” was the subject of a daring Coast Guard rescue when he was tossed from a stolen boat as it capsized, authorities said. On Wednesday, police in Astoria, Oregon, received a

By Justin Gamble, CNN Black children living in poverty face increased instances of stress and trauma that can alter their brain development, a new study found. The study was published this week by the American Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers at Harvard University examined MRI scans of 7,350 White and 1,786 Black children ages 9 and

By Zoe Sottile, CNN An Indiana man died after falling from a cliff in Puerto Rico while trying to make a video for TikTok, according to his family. Edgar Garay, 27, of Indiana, was on a recreational day trip to the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico on January 29 when he fell off a 70-foot coastal

By Aaron Cooper and John Miller, CNN Gunshots fired at two power substations in Moore County, North Carolina, late last year left 45,000 homes and businesses without power and more attacks just like that could already be planned by domestic extremist groups, according to experts. “All of a sudden, about 8:45 p.m., about 20 shots

By Rebekah Riess, CNN Le Le, a 24-year-old male giant panda, died at the Memphis Zoo earlier this week, according to officials. The panda died early Wednesday in his sleep after spending about 20 years at the facility, Memphis Zoo chief executive officer Matt Thompson said during a news conference Friday. “Le Le’s name translates

By Ella Nilsen, CNN Driving along county roads that are little more than dirt paths, Tim Walsh remarked that the expansive valley below the Long Mountain range used to be no more than tumbleweeds and scraggly cactuses. Now, it’s pistachio trees as far as the eye can see. Far from mature, the pistachio saplings are

By Rebekah Riess, Hannah Sarisohn and Christina Maxouris, CNN Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders remain in effect in a northeastern Ohio town after a train derailment sparked a massive fire and concerns about air quality. A Norfolk Southern train with more than 100 cars derailed in East Palestine, about 15 miles south of Youngstown, according to

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Shrek is love, Shrek is life, Shrek is… missing? Police in Hatfield, Massachusetts, have launched a search for a 200-pound statue of the cinema ogre after it was reported missing from its home. The Hatfield Police Department posted an alert about the absent ogre on Facebook on Wednesday. They included a

By Mallika Kallingal and Rob Frehse, CNN Authorities at New York’s Central Park Zoo are scrambling to recapture an Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped after its enclosure was vandalized. Officials discovered Flaco’s exhibit was vandalized and the stainless steel mesh was cut on Thursday night, the zoo said in a statement. The New York City Mayor’s

By Ray Sanchez, Dianne Gallagher and Alta Spells, CNN Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh never told the family of his late housekeeper that he collected more than $4 million in insurance settlements after she fell at his home, according to testimony at his double murder trial Friday. Outside the presence of the jury, Judge

By Cheri Mossburg, CNN Two suspects were taken into custody, one after a shootout, in a “cartel-style” massacre last month that left six people dead in central California, including a young mother and her 10-month-old son, authorities announced Friday. The suspects, identified in charging documents as Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, are known

By Nick Valencia, Emma Tucker, Paradise Afshar and Melissa Alonso, CNN Another Memphis police officer has been fired and two first responders had their licenses suspended following the violent arrest and death of Tyre Nichols last month, officials announced Friday. The former police officer, Preston Hemphill, was relieved of his duties for violating multiple departmental

By Alisha Ebrahimji and Chris Boyette, CNN A year after a 22-year-old Black man was shot dead by police serving a no-knock warrant, Amir Locke’s parents on Friday sued the city of Minneapolis and the officer who fired the fatal shot in federal court. “We all saw that horrific video where Amir Locke didn’t even

By Kyung Lah and Taylor Romine, CNN The failed GOP candidate accused of coordinating the shootings at Democratic officials’ homes in Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded not guilty Friday. Solomon Peña entered the plea through his attorney Roberta Yurcic at an arraignment hearing. Both appeared via teleconference. Peña was indicted by a grand jury on 14

By Taylor Romine, CNN San Francisco police arrested a man suspected of firing several apparently blank rounds inside a synagogue and a movie theater earlier this week, authorities said Friday. Officers found the man around 5:00 p.m. PT Friday and detained him “without further incident,” the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Investigators

By Janelle Davis, CNN The footage of Tyre Nichols’ deadly police arrest is hard to watch, but for those who have survived brutal police encounters, it can be unbearable. “I’m very intentional about not watching those types of videos. They are extremely triggering for me,” said Leon Ford, who survived a police shooting and now

By Chris Boyette, Vivian Kuo and Andy Rose, CNN Authorities allege the man arrested in the suspected theft of a pair of emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo earlier this week was also allegedly involved in tampering with other habitats at the zoo. Davion Irvin, 24, was arrested Thursday on six counts of non-livestock

By Rene Marsh, CNN It’s January, the middle of the school year, and yet tenth grader Lala Bivens is preparing for her first day at a new school. Bivens started fall classes at One City Preparatory Academy, a new charter middle and high school in Madison, Wisconsin, but on January 13 a teacher shortage forced

By Faith Karimi, CNN Throngs of people hang outside the American Pain clinic in Boca Raton, Florida, waiting their turn. Inside, a doctor greets them one by one and prescribes them pain medication, a handgun peeking out from under his white coat. American Pain is a one-stop shop, supplying both prescriptions and painkillers. At the

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN While you were sleeping this week, many sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere were up overnight trying to catch a glimpse of a rare green-hued comet passing by Earth. Take a look at some of the photos they captured of the celestial object swinging through our cosmic neighborhood. Here’s what else

By Sara Smart, Emma Tucker and Amanda Watts, CNN No charges will be filed against the Ohio police officers who shot and killed a man who had been suspected of burglary while cleaning out his dead grandmother’s home, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announced Friday. Police alleged the man, 28-year-old Joe Frasure Jr., drove a

By Lauren Koenig, Michelle Watson and Christina Maxouris, CNN Attorneys representing the family of Hae Min Lee, the teen whose 1999 killing was investigated on the “Serial” podcast, asked an appellate court on Thursday to redo a hearing that vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed — and to reinstate Syed’s conviction in the meantime.

By Omar Jimenez, CNN A small family-run business that employed one of the purported leaders of a White supremacist, pro-Nazi homeschooling network announced he is no longer an employee as a result of “this disturbing and secretive behavior.” The Lawrence Insurance Agency, with an office in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, released a statement condemning the messages

By Hannah Sarisohn and Andi Babineau, CNN An Oregon woman faces charges after allegedly helping a kidnapping suspect destroy and hide evidence last week while he was evading police, according to an affidavit obtained by CNN. Benjamin Foster, 36, was accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon January 24. He died from a

By Emma Tucker, CNN An attorney for Briana Foster Newton, the former principal at Richneck Elementary School, said on Thursday her client didn’t know that a 6-year-old student had a gun at the school the day he allegedly shot a teacher. Newton was reassigned after the first grader allegedly shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, inside

By Dakin Andone, Dianne Gallagher and Alta Spells, CNN The chief financial officer of Alex Murdaugh’s former law firm testified in his double murder trial Thursday about confronting the now-disbarred attorney about missing funds the morning his wife and son were killed, as prosecutors work to convince the judge to allow testimony about Murdaugh’s alleged

By Kristina Sgueglia, Eric Levenson and Kiely Westhoff, CNN A 30-year-old councilwoman in the borough of Sayreville, New Jersey, was found shot to death in her car on Wednesday, according to authorities. Eunice Dwumfour, a Republican councilwoman, was found by police with multiple gunshot wounds just after 7 p.m. Wednesday and was pronounced dead on

By CNN Meteorologist Monica Garrett Punxsutawney Phil — the legendary groundhog weather watcher — woke up and saw his shadow Thursday morning, calling for six more weeks of winter. Each February 2, on Groundhog Day, the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club make the pilgrimage to Gobbler’s Knob, Phil’s official home. The group waits for

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN Happy Groundhog Day! This morning, many Americans woke up early to see whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, a sign that supposedly determines whether we can expect six more weeks of winter or an early spring. For what it’s worth, that’s according to a groundhog’s nonscientific forecast — and his accuracy

By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN A Metro transit system employee in Washington, DC, was shot and killed trying to stop a gunman from targeting commuters Wednesday morning, police say. Robert Cunningham, a mechanic in the power department, was identified by police as the person “who intervened on behalf of a customer … at Potomac Avenue

By Nouran Salahieh, CNN Up to 20 hours of additional footage relating to the deadly Memphis police beating of a 29-year-old Black man has yet to be released, a prosecutor said Wednesday as his office contemplates whether to file more charges in the case. The unreleased footage surrounding Tyre Nichols‘ brutal January 7 traffic stop

By Omar Jimenez, CNN The Ohio Department of Education is investigating an online homeschooling network after reports of parents sharing messages of White supremacy as educational resources, according to a state education official with knowledge of the review. But there is likely little the state can do to change the curriculum, and using and sharing

By Rob Frehse, CNN A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with one count of attempted use of fire to damage a building after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a New Jersey synagogue Sunday, according to court documents. Nicholas Malindretos, 26, of Clifton, will appear in federal court in Newark on Thursday

By Toby Lyles and Will Mullery, CNN Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January, although King was actually born on the 15th of January 1929, 94 years ago. Coretta Scott King and musician Stevie Wonder fought for years to make it a federal holiday. Wonder told CNN that they

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN Nestled between the snowy ranges of Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak, a significant glacier in Washington state has disappeared after existing full of ice and snowpack for millennia, according to a researcher who has tracked the glacier for years. In this swath of mountain range in the Washington Cascades east of

By Alisha Ebrahimji and Christina Zdanowicz, CNN As investigations continue into the deadly police beating of a 29-year-old Black man in Memphis, public servants involved in Tyre Nichols‘ traffic stop and brutal confrontation are facing repercussions — some as severe as murder charges — and more fallout is possible. “We are looking at everybody who

By Holmes Lybrand and Nouran Salahieh, CNN A Washington, DC man has been charged with shooting and killing a 13-year-old boy while he said he was investigating noises outside his home. At his first appearance in DC Superior Court on Tuesday, Jason Lewis, 41, pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder while armed

By Randi Kaye, Dakin Andone, Dianne Gallagher and Theresa Waldrop, CNN Two witnesses in the murder trial of Alex Murdaugh told the court Wednesday they are “100%” certain that Murdaugh’s voice is on footage prosecutors say undermines the disgraced former South Carolina attorney’s claim he was not at the scene of the killings when his

By Nicole Chavez, CNN The College Board released Wednesday the official framework of a new Advanced Placement course on African American Studies that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier denounced for imposing a “political agenda.” In recent months, the multidisciplinary course has been praised by academics and historians, all while becoming a target for lawmakers aiming

By Tina Burnside, CNN Twelve squirrel monkeys have been stolen from a zoo in Louisiana after their facility was broken into over the weekend. The theft happened shortly before midnight Saturday and authorities are investigating, Zoosiana said on its Facebook page. “The individual targeted facilities of smaller primates and specifically compromised the Squirrel Monkey exhibit,”

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN The CDC is urging people to stop using a certain brand of eyedrops while it investigates at least 50 infections across 11 states. A formal recall hasn’t been issued, but officials are looking into how the artificial tears led to instances of permanent vision loss, hospitalizations and one death. Here’s what

By Andi Babineau, Andy Rose and Aya Elamroussi, CNN The emperor tamarin monkeys that disappeared from the Dallas Zoo earlier this week but were recovered by police in an abandoned home on Tuesday are healthy and uninjured, the zoo said. “Emperor tamarin monkeys, Bella and Finn, were so happy to snuggle into their nest sack

By Paradise Afshar, Joe Sutton and Steve Almasy, CNN Investigators believe a man who was accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot after a standoff with law enforcement also killed two men while he was on the run, authorities said Wednesday. Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, died

By Ray Sanchez, CNN Mourners, from Vice President Kamala Harris to the activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, on Wednesday celebrated the life of Tyre Nichols, whose death at the hands of police in Memphis led to second-degree murder charges against five officers. “Mothers around the world, when their babies are born, pray to God when

By Ella Nilsen, CNN In a closed-door negotiation last week over the fate of the Colorado River, representatives from California’s powerful water districts proposed modeling what the basin’s future would look like if some of the West’s biggest cities — including Phoenix and Las Vegas — were cut off from the river’s water supply, three

By Lauren del Valle, CNN A Michigan man was convicted in Detroit federal court Monday on charges connected to his years-long stint in Syria training and fighting for the terror group ISIS, the Department of Justice said. Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli traveled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS, participating in a religious training camp and

By Eric Levenson, Madeline Holcombe and Josh Campbell, CNN The initial Memphis police statement on the events of January 7 was vague. There had been a “confrontation” between officers and a driver suspected of reckless driving, police said. The suspect fled the scene on foot, and another “confrontation occurred” as officers tried to take him

By Michelle Watson and Amy Simonson, CNN Multiple Michigan agencies are investigating what happened to three local rappers who went missing 10 days ago after a performance at a club was canceled, Detroit police said Monday. Armani Kelly, 28, Dante Wicker, 31 and Montoya Givens, 31, who are all associates, were supposed to perform at