CNN – National

By Paul P. Murphy, Christina Maxouris and Alaa Elassar, CNN The man arrested in connection with the November killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death attended a nearby university in Washington state and traveled across the country in December to spend the holidays with his parents. Bryan Christopher Kohberger,

By Sharif Paget and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN As a deadly and historic blizzard barreled through Erie County, New York, last weekend, some residents found themselves in a dire scenario — stranded in howling snow with nowhere to go, their cars dwindling in gas supply with police unable to come to the rescue. Among those trapped

By Josh Campbell, Jim Sciutto, Lauren del Valle, Mark Morales and John Miller, CNN A graduate student at Washington State University was arrested Friday in his home state of Pennsylvania in last month’s killings of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home — a brutal attack that rattled a small college town, authorities

By Faith Karimi, CNN Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1. Ukraine Ukraine said its forces shot down 16 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia overnight, a

By Steve Almasy and Anne Clifford, CNN Mark Johnson II’s efforts to bring comfort and supplies to hundreds of Buffalonians stranded after a massive blizzard begins before dawn every day and goes until almost midnight. Johnson feels compelled to help, inspired by the memory of a good friend who was killed. Johnson said he could

By Taylor Romine and Amir Vera, CNN Two people are dead after a rockfall occurred Tuesday at Yosemite National Park in Northern California, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. The sheriff’s office has two coroner cases as a result of the incident, Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kristie Mitchell said. No other information was

By Amir Vera and Justin Gamble, CNN Al and Vivian Robinson added more than 100 people to their family in the last few days — all thanks to the couple’s kindness in the face of a deadly storm. The couple, both pastors at Spirit of Truth Urban Ministry in Buffalo, New York, rescued and housed

By Emma Tucker and Laura Ly, CNN The first public sales of regulated cannabis in New York began at a dispensary in Manhattan’s East Village on Thursday at 4:20 p.m., hours after the first sale was made to a city official, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced. Housing Works Cannabis Company became the first licensed

By Amir Vera, Michelle Watson and Devon M. Sayers, CNN The FBI Atlanta field office is offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding a vandalism incident that took place at Georgia’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary this summer, the agency said in a news release Thursday. The church’s sanctuary was vandalized in the late

By Lauren del Valle, CNN The mastermind of a historic pay-to-play scheme for wealthy parents to get their teens into top universities is set to be sentenced next week. Prosecutors want William “Rick” Singer, the college admissions scam architect, to serve six years in prison and pay over $19 million in fines and asset forfeitures.

By Sharif Paget, Caroll Alvarado and Jeanne Bonner, CNN Abdul Sharifu, 26, left his home in Buffalo Saturday afternoon in blizzard conditions to get milk and other supplies. He never made it back. Sharifu is among at least 39 fatalities in Erie County, New York, from the winter storm that buried the city of Buffalo

By Michelle Watson, CNN The massive hunt for missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari has been hampered by how late police in North Carolina were notified of her disappearance, Cornelius police Capt. Jennifer Thompson said in a video update. “One of the challenges in this case, simply put, we were not notified she was gone,” said Thompson.

By AJ Willingham, CNN Twenty-two years ago, humanity was teetering on the fulcrum of a new era. Our love affair with technology still felt glamorous and new, the internet a vast frontier full of danger and promise. Yes, we knew there may be troubles down the road, but the consequences of climate change and geopolitical

By Angela Fritz, CNN Lakefront homes in Ontario were encased in a thick, spiky coat of ice after last weekend’s blizzard whipped frigid waves on shore. Residents of the Fort Erie community, coincidentally named Crystal Beach, said the waves were crashing over their Lake Erie break wall during the storm. “Then the water has frozen

By Elizabeth Wolfe and Andy Rose, CNN A former Minneapolis police officer is charged with assaulting a man during nighttime civil unrest following the death of George Floyd in May 2020, according to a complaint filed Wednesday. Former officer Justin Stetson is accused of repeatedly punching, kicking and kneeing Jaleel Stallings in the head and

By Paradise Afshar and Dakin Andone, CNN Patrick Holland had only been on the heart transplant list for a few weeks when he said he got a call last Thursday from the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle that a donor match had been found. The 56-year-old Alaska man, who has congestive heart failure,

By Miguel Marquez, Bonney Kapp and Frank Bivona, CNN Casey Maccarone’s mother was always a kind of superwoman, but even so, when Monique Alexander decided to go out on Christmas Eve, Maccarone worried. It would have been a simple decision any other day, but a blizzard was setting in — one that would leave some

By Zenebou Sylla, CNN The Princeton University student who was initially considered missing and was later found dead on the university’s campus, died by suicide, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. An official autopsy conducted on Misrach Ewunetie by the Middlesex Regional Medical Examiner’s office ruled her death a suicide

By Sara Smart, CNN ‘Twas two days before Christmas when within the house, a soon-to-be mother began having contractions. Erica and Davon Thomas were expecting their first child on Christmas Day, but around 11 p.m. on December 23, Erica’s contractions began. On Christmas Eve morning, the contractions worsened — but the Thomas’ couldn’t leave their

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN A federal appeals court has ruled that three Sikh men should be allowed to go through US Marine Corps recruit training with their turbans and beards intact. Milaap Singh Chahal, Jaskirat Singh and Aekash Singh each tried to enlist in the Marine Corps between March and November 2021, according to a

By Rosa Flores and Karol Suarez, CNN In response to the increased number of migrants crossing the border in El Paso, US Customs and Border Protection is erecting a soft-sided tent facility to increase migrant processing capacity by about 1,000, according to Landon Hutchens, US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson. “The facility will be used

By Taylor Romine and Nouran Salahieh, CNN An additional five charges were filed Tuesday against a Stockton man already charged with murder in a series of killings in Northern California, San Joaquin County prosecutors said Tuesday. Wesley Brownlee, 43, was already facing three counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez,

By Sharif Paget, CNN A 22-year-old woman was found dead over the holiday weekend in Buffalo, New York, after being trapped in her car by the blizzard that paralyzed western New York, her family told CNN on Tuesday. Anndel Taylor, who had moved to Buffalo from Charlotte, North Carolina, was driving home from work at

By Leyla Santiago, Rosa Flores and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN The future for migrants waiting in El Paso, Texas, after crossing the US-Mexico border remains uncertain following the Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision that allows federal officials to continue expelling migrants before they have received an asylum hearing. “We were hoping for something else,” said Rosanni Rodríguez,

By Josh Campbell, CNN It was every parent’s worst nightmare. Two days after Christmas 2020, Chris Didier went into his son Zach’s bedroom in their home near Sacramento. The accomplished student, school theater actor and athlete was unresponsive at his desk — his head lying on his arm. “I could feel before I even touched

By Celina Tebor, CNN As a powerful storm battered western New York with blinding blizzard conditions in the early hours of Christmas Eve, a Buffalo woman jumped into action when she saw a man who was caught in the storm. Sha’Kyra Aughtry said she was home when she heard someone screaming on her street. When

By Brandon Miller and Cheri Mossburg, CNN The climate crisis is among the key factors in a new assessment that shows more than 85% of California’s rural and unincorporated land is now in “high” or “very high” severity zones for wildfire danger, the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) recently announced. California’s

By Rebekah Riess, CNN A 44-year-old man died in an avalanche in Colorado on Christmas Day, authorities said. Four people were caught in the slide on Berthoud Pass near the town of Winter Park. Two of them were buried, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said. Bystanders and family members helped rescue one. But when the

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN On certain corners of the internet, a segment of women is exhibiting a nostalgia for an era it has never known. These millennials and zoomers glamorize the aesthetics of 1950s Americana, donning retro fit-and-flare dresses and posting vintage illustrations of aproned housewives placing dinner on the table. Their politics, too, hearken

By Faith Karimi, CNN After taking a few days off to celebrate the holidays, 5 Things is back! And speaking of the holidays, inflation forced Americans to shell out more money for retail goods and dining experiences this season. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your

By Rosa Flores, CNN Nearly 1.6 million asylum applications are pending in US immigration courts and at US Citizenship and Immigration Services — the largest number of pending asylum cases on record, according to analysis of federal data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. US immigration courts have seen an over seven-fold

By Hannah Sarisohn, CNN The city of Jackson, Mississippi, is struggling to return pressure to its water system, after issuing a citywide boil water notice, the city said in a Monday morning update. The troubled system lost pressure due to line breaks likely caused by the weather, according to an earlier statement from the city. “We continue to

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN Photographs by Julian Rigg, CNN Armed with an iPhone, a microphone and a lifetime’s worth of connections with former cops and criminals, Michael Moy is racing to capture a piece of New York City’s forgotten history. Moy operates a YouTube Channel called Chinatown Gang Stories, which he launched six months ago.

By Sharif Paget, CNN After thousands of customers in Pierce County, Washington, were affected Sunday when burglars vandalized three energy substations, power was then knocked out for even more homes after a suspect or suspects gained access to a fourth substation, vandalizing the equipment and causing a fire, according to an update from the Pierce

By Michelle Krupa, Artemis Moshtaghian and Nicole Grether, CNN It was days before Christmas when the blizzard slammed Buffalo, New York, with the fierce winds, heavy snow and dangerous cold it already had inflicted across much of the United States. That’s when the power blinked out in nearby Williamsville, leaving Demetrice and Danielle and their

By Camila Bernal and Sarah Moon, CNN When Santa Claus arrived at a migrant shelter in El Paso, Texas, to bring presents for the children, one migrant asked for just a photo with him. The photo Geovanny Caripaz, 39, took was quickly sent through WhatsApp to his 7-year-old son in Venezuela. “I told him Santa

By Hannah Sarisohn and Alaa Elassar, CNN Law enforcement officials are investigating an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday at a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Thornton, Colorado, police said. Police in Thornton responded to a call of fire at the congregation where they were told an adult female was shot and killed by an adult male

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Fifties’ child star Gayla Peevy’s plea for a “hippopotamus for Christmas” came true for one Virginia zoo. The Metro Richmond Zoo welcomed the birth of a pygmy hippopotamus in time for Christmas, according to a December 22 news release from the zoo. The adorable newborn was born on December 6, says

By Zoe Sottile, CNN A Kentucky woman brought home the best present at her office gift exchange. Lori Janes, from Louisville, won $175,000 after receiving a lottery ticket at her office holiday party, according to a news release from the Kentucky Lottery. Janes, an officer manager and treatment coordinator at Harmon Dental Center, participated in

By Zenebou Sylla, CNN A fire on board a JetBlue Airways plane forced more than 160 passengers to evacuate using emergency slides at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, fire department officials said. The incident — which happened shortly after the flight from Barbados landed at the airport — may have started

By Camila Bernal, Sarah Moon, and Paradise Afshar, CNN More than 300 people stayed overnight at the El Paso Convention Center in Texas, as the community works to accommodate a growing number of migrants, El Paso’s Strategic Communications Director Laura Cruz-Acosta told CNN via email Saturday. The city recently declared a state of emergency as

By Zoe Sottile, CNN An “unhappy” 16-foot albino reticulated python was rescued by an animal shelter in Austin, Texas on Monday — after being missing for months. The Austin Animal Center wrote on its verified Facebook page that they received a call about the huge reptile on Monday. “Due to the temperatures the snake was

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN There’s still time to win big at the lottery before the year is up. The Mega Millions jackpot has grown to an estimated $565 million after no one took home the top prize in Friday’s drawing. The next drawing is set for December 27, and if someone wins the jackpot, it

By Amanda Musa and Harmeet Kaur, CNN Two Indianapolis police officers had spent the day searching in vain for a missing baby in a stolen vehicle when they stopped to eat and gather their wits. A woman suspected of stealing the 2010 black Honda Accord had been taken into custody earlier that day, on December

By Amanda Jackson, CNN Santa Claus has packed his sleigh with toys for all the good kids and he has made sure the reindeer are secured for takeoff. Now, they are traveling around the world to visit millions of households. While you are waiting to hear the jingle of bells in the air that means

By Adrienne Broaddus, CNN Marzena Stasieluk needed a new kidney. She’d been diagnosed with kidney disease in 2015, and ultimately needed dialysis, a grueling process where a machine did the work her kidneys could no longer do. But in order for a kidney transplant to succeed, she needed a liver first. Stasieluk’s liver disease had

By Eric Levenson, Rebekah Riess and Wayne Sterling, CNN The NFL’s Tennessee Titans delayed its scheduled noon CT game by an hour due to temporary rolling blackouts in the region that stemmed from the winter storm and brutal cold. “Due to the extreme weather and power outages affecting our region, kickoff for today’s game has

By Tina Burnside and Harmeet Kaur, CNN Three people, including two minors, have been charged in connection with the Friday shooting at Minnesota’s Mall of America, the largest shopping center in the US, that left a 19-year-old dead, Hennepin County District Court spokesperson Matt Lehman said. Taeshawn Adams-Wright is charged with second-degree murder with intent

By Aya Elamroussi, Derrick Hinds, Travis Caldwell, Maureen Chowdhury, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By Rob Frehse and Melissa Gray, CNN A Vietnam-era veteran in Massachusetts can call himself lucky for life after winning six lottery prizes of $25,000 a year for life — in the same drawing. Raymond Roberts Sr., of Fall River, matched the first five numbers on six tickets he bought for a Lucky for Life

By Rob Frehse, CNN Adnan Syed, recently exonerated after spending over two decades behind bars, is now working as a program associate for Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative, the school announced. The initiative “addresses the root causes and consequences of mass incarceration and offers educational programs and training for incarcerated individuals and returning citizens,”

By Zoe Sottile, CNN A statue of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were used without her consent in crucial medical research, will replace a monument to Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Roanoke, Virginia. Lacks, a Black mother of five receiving treatment for cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital, was undergoing radium treatments in 1951 when

By Paradise Afshar and Zoe Sottile, CNN The Purdue Board of Trustees has issued a formal reprimand to Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon in response to a racist comment he made during a commencement ceremony earlier this month, according to a statement from the board’s chairman. Faculty and students alike have called for Keon

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN It’s the most wonderful time of the year, yes — but if your family is anything like mine, there might be some chaos too. Last-minute gift shopping, cooking for hours, deep cleaning before loved ones arrive; it’s frantic, hilarious and often vexes me, but I wouldn’t change a thing. As your

By Ashley Killough and Ed Lavandera, CNN As freezing temperatures from a coast-to-coast winter storm arrive in El Paso, Texas, some migrants who haven’t turned themselves in to border agents or officials after crossing the US-Mexico border are having a difficult time finding shelter. El Paso is in the midst of a declared state of

By Aya Elamroussi, Derrick Hinds, Travis Caldwell, Aditi Sangal, Leinz Vales, Adrienne Vogt, Matt Meyer and Tori B. Powell CNN The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By Rebekah Riess and Emma Tucker, CNN The new sexual assault charges filed against the delivery driver suspected of kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand in Texas earlier this month date back to three separate incidents in 2013, charging documents show. An investigation by the Fort Worth Police Department determined Tanner Lynn Horner allegedly sexually

By Michelle Watson, CNN A bear at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida was shot and killed after it escaped and attacked a staff member Wednesday, the zoo said in an email to CNN. The attack occurred about 5:10 p.m. when the North American black bear “escaped the exhibit and engaged with a zookeeper

By Lauren del Valle, CNN The man accused of shooting passengers at random on a Brooklyn subway in April intends to plead guilty to terrorism charges, according to court documents. In a letter to the court Wednesday, court-appointed attorneys for the defendant, Frank James, indicated that “he wishes to schedule a guilty plea to the

By Amanda Musa and Tavleen Tarrant, CNN Two suspended Washington, DC, officers have been found guilty on charges related to the death of a 20-year-old man during a 2020 police pursuit, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a news release Wednesday. Suspended Metropolitan Police Department Officer Terence Sutton, 38, was

By Priscilla Alvarez, CNN Arizona agreed to remove shipping containers placed as a makeshift wall along its shared border with Mexico as part of an ongoing lawsuit, according to a Wednesday court filing. In August, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey — a Republican and critic the Biden administration’s border policies — issued an executive order telling

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN Severe winter weather is threatening holiday travel on some of the busiest days of the year, but there are ways you can avoid a fiasco if you have a trip coming up. Arrive at airports early, pack light and consider rerouting your itinerary if your flights are in the path of

By Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN Several hundred people gathered at The Times Center in New York City Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the memory, life and impact of acclaimed sportswriter and soccer journalist Grant Wahl. Wahl died earlier this month at age 49 while covering the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a ruptured aortic aneurysm, according

By Nouran Salahieh and Emma Tucker, CNN Kason Thomass, the 5-month-old baby who was kidnapped with his twin while inside a car that was stolen Monday, was found safe and alive in Indianapolis Thursday, just hours after the suspect was taken into custody, according to a statement from the Columbus Division of Police. Kason was

By Aya Elamroussi, Travis Caldwell, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales, Tori B. Powell and Matt Meyer, CNN The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By Lauren del Valle and Tavleen Tarrant, CNN A former Harvard fencing coach and a Maryland businessman were both acquitted of conspiring to get the businessman’s two sons admitted to Harvard in exchange for more than $1.5 million in bribes, authorities announced Wednesday. Former fencing coach Peter Brand, 67, and businessman Jack Zhao, 61, were

By Sharif Paget and Ray Sanchez, CNN Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown will not face charges stemming from an alleged domestic battery incident involving a woman in Florida in late November, the State Attorney’s Office in Tampa said in a statement Wednesday. The Tampa Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office had previously determined