CNN – National

By Claudia Dominguez and Paradise Afshar, CNN Evacuation orders are still in place for about 600 homes in the Florida Panhandle as crews battle at least four dangerous wildfires, authorities said. The Florida Forest Service said Sunday that nearly 10,000 acres are currently burning in the Panhandle. Additional resources have been deployed to help fight

By Andy Rose and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A former Kansas City police officer convicted in the killing in 2019 of a Black man who was backing a pickup truck into his garage was sentenced Friday to six years in prison and will remain free on bond while his conviction is appealed. Eric DeValkenaere, who’s White,

By Emma Tucker, CNN Pro-gun legislation that would allow citizens to legally carry concealed guns in public without firearm training or a license is advancing in several states, as law enforcement officials and advocacy groups nationwide continue to raise the alarm about the policy’s safety risks. The controversial “constitutional carry,” or permitless carry, legislation has

By Emma Tucker and Mark Morales, CNN Major crimes in New York City spiked nearly 60% in February compared to the same month in 2021 — a large majority occurring in a small swath of the metropolis — as Mayor Eric Adams rolled out his plan to combat gun violence and crime in the city.

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the Boston Marathon terror attack. On April 15, 2013, double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured at least 264. Facts The bombs exploded 12 seconds apart near the marathon’s finish line on Boylston Street. According to Richard DesLauriers, the

By Jamiel Lynch, CNN More than 600 homes have been evacuated as a fast-moving wildfire in Bay County on the panhandle of Florida prompted authorities to issue a state of emergency. The Adkins Avenue fire has burned more than 1,400 acres (1.6 square miles) and is 20% contained, the Florida Forest Service said. The fire

By Sam Perez and Nicole Chavez, CNN The first Black student to attend the University of Alabama has died, days after a building on campus was dedicated in her honor, the university announced in a statement. Autherine Lucy Foster, whose last name was then Lucy, made history in 1956 when she enrolled as the university’s

By Sonia Moghe, CNN The engineer at the controls of an Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia in 2015 has been found not guilty on all charges related to the crash that killed eight and injured more than 150 people. A jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching an acquittal verdict Friday for

By Alaa Elassar, CNN Convoy groups led by American truckers are making their way toward the nation’s capital to demand an end to all Covid-19 mandates and restrictions. The protesters, with members coming from at least three individual convoy groups, are expected to arrive in Washington, DC, throughout the upcoming weekend. The convoys follow the

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, Hannah Sarisohn and Andy Rose, CNN A Kansas high school principal and school resource officer were shot at Olathe East High School in Kansas Friday, and Olathe Police say a student was the shooter. The school resource officer returned fire, wounding the suspect, who is expected to survive, according to Olathe

By Artemis Moshtaghian and Jay Croft, CNN New York City is dropping mask requirements for K-12 schools and lifting proof of vaccine mandates for restaurants and theaters starting next week, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday. New York joins cities and states across the country that are loosening Covid-19 rules after health officials released new guidelines

By Stella Chan, CNN Stanford University star soccer player Katie Meyer died by suicide, her mother told NBC’s “Today” show during an emotional interview Friday. Meyer, a senior who helped secure the 2019 NCAA championship title for the Cardinal, was found dead in her dorm room on Tuesday, according to the university. “The last couple

By Jay Croft and Melissa Alonso, CNN When she was found after a three-week search in 2016, a Northern California woman told police she had been abducted and branded by two women who kept her chained in a closet. She gave an elaborate story of her kidnapping and treatment at the hands of the supposed

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN The Opening Ceremony of the Winter Paralympics kicks off in Beijing today and a record number of Para athletes — around 700 — are ready to showcase their skills in events such as alpine skiing and wheelchair curling. Notably absent, though, are about 80 Russian and Belarusian athletes who were banned

By Jennifer Henderson, Amy Simonson and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A now-retired Indiana high school teacher who was arrested after video showed him hitting a student during a confrontation over wearing a hooded sweatshirt on school grounds was charged Friday with battery, according to court documents. Security footage obtained by CNN shows the incident on February

By Sarah Moon and Cheri Mossburg, CNN Fourteen children were taken to hospitals Thursday after a vehicle crashed into a day care center in north-central California, officials said. Most of the children were taken to hospitals for precautionary reasons, the Anderson Police Department said in a statement. No fatalities were reported, and none are expected,

By Andy Rose and Caroll Alvarado, CNN A candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, who is campaigning against gender-affirming treatments for children, was shouted down by protesters while speaking at an event Wednesday organized by a conservative campus group. Social media videos show demonstrators banging on desks and chanting “fascist” as Republican candidate Jeff

By Andy Rose, CNN A former police officer accused of breaking an elderly woman’s arm during an arrest in Loveland, Colorado, in 2020 agreed to a plea deal Wednesday. Austin Hopp entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault of Karen Garner, which is punishable by two to eight years in prison, Jodi Lacey with the

By Cheri Mossburg, Dakin Andone and Amir Vera, CNN California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new plan Thursday to help unhoused individuals struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues through a court-ordered program that would provide them access to support services like housing assistance and treatment plans. The Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE)

By Raja Razek and Amy Simonson, CNN Philadelphia police provided more details Wednesday on a deadly incident, in which officers chased and shot a boy after a shot was fired into the officers’ car. Police identified the boy as 12-year-old Thomas Siderio, and said in a statement he was shot in the back by an

By Dakin Andone and Stella Chan, CNN Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez faces a charge of attempted murder after prosecutors say he shot one man while intending to kill another man who was recently charged with molesting one of Velasquez’s relatives. The shooting Monday afternoon occurred during an “11-mile, high speed chase through busy

By Tina Burnside and Dakin Andone, CNN Markeith Loyd, convicted of the murder of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton, was sentenced to death Thursday by a Florida judge. The sentence, handed down by Ninth Circuit Judge Leticia Marques, came nearly three months after a jury recommended the death penalty in Loyd’s case and more than

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft. Personal Birth date: March 24, 1956 Birth place: Detroit, Michigan Birth name: Steven Anthony Ballmer Father: Fred Ballmer, manager for Ford Motor Co. Mother: Bea (Dworkin) Ballmer Marriage: Connie Snyder (1990-present) Children: three sons Education: Harvard University, B.A.,

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of former US Secretary of State and ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson. Personal Birth date: March 23, 1952 Birth place: Wichita Falls, Texas Birth name: Rex Wayne Tillerson Father: Bob Tillerson, Boy Scouts of America executive Mother: Patty (Patton) Tillerson Marriage: Renda (St. Clair) Tillerson Children:

By Liam Reilly, CNN An explosion that wrought “catastrophic damage” Thursday to a garden-style four-story building in Silver Spring, Maryland, has left over a dozen injured, five seriously, a Montgomery County Fire Department public information officer said. Firefighters immediately made several rescues, said spokesperson Pete Piringer. All priority-one patients have been transported or are in

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of civil rights activist and former ambassador Andrew Young. Personal Birth date: March 12, 1932 Birth place: New Orleans, Louisiana Birth name: Andrew Jackson Young Jr. Father: Andrew Jackson Young, a dentist Mother: Daisy (Fuller) Young, a teacher Marriages: Carolyn (McClain) Young (April 15, 1996-present);

By Nicole Chavez, CNN The distribution of White supremacist propaganda in 2021 reached the second-highest level recorded since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking it, the group announced on Thursday. Last year, there were 4,851 documented cases of racist, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ fliers, stickers, banners and posters distributed in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN The fallout from the war in Ukraine is extending to outer space. Russia’s space agency is refusing to launch a batch of internet satellites for a London-based startup as a form of retaliation against UK sanctions. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your

By Stella Chan and Holly Yan, CNN Almost 15 months ago, Orrin and Orson West’s adoptive parents told police the young boys disappeared from the family’s Southern California yard, authorities said. Now, authorities say the brothers were actually killed by their adoptive parents months before they were reported missing — though their bodies “have not

By Scottie Andrew, CNN New books are coming to the wide Dr. Seuss canon — and new creators are taking the reins from the late children’s author to write stories that reflect Seussian whimsy and the diversity of his readership. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, with Random House Children’s Books, will publish a line of books for

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Personal Birth date: March 17, 1945 Birth place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Birth name: Michael Vincent Hayden Father: Harry Hayden Mother: Sadie Hayden Marriage: Jeanine (Carrier) Hayden Children: Margaret, Michael and Liam Education: Duquesne University, B.A, 1967; Duquesne

By Kiely Westhoff and Mirna Alsharif, CNN A New York man was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly assaulting seven Asian women in a span of about two hours over the weekend, according to the New York City Police Department. Police have recommended Steven Zajonc, 28, be charged with seven counts of assault as a hate

By Lauren del Valle, CNN A juror in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial who may have lied about his history of sexual abuse on a jury questionnaire form says he will invoke his Fifth amendment right to remain silent at an upcoming hearing. “I write to inform the Court that Juror 50 will invoke his

By Aaron Cooper, Eric Levenson and Steve Almasy, CNN The former Louisville Metro Police detective who was part of the botched raid of Breonna Taylor’s apartment in March 2020 testified through tears at his trial Wednesday as he defended his decision to open fire into the home. Former Detective Brett Hankison testified that when a

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN A growing list of energy companies, including BP, Shell, and now ExxonMobil, have announced they will leave Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Unwinding their operations in the oil-rich country will have financial repercussions for the companies — but executives appear ready to accept the losses in order to stand in

By Chris Boyette, Amy Simonson and Aya Elamroussi, CNN Philadelphia police shot and killed a boy Tuesday night after he allegedly shot at four officers, authorities said. The incident began around 7:20 p.m. in South Philadelphia, where four officers dressed in plainclothes were in an unmarked car on a surveillance assignment, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric

By Gregory Lemos, Andy Rose and Raja Razek, CNN The state of Texas has begun investigating the parents of transgender teens for child abuse, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas and LGBTQ civil rights organization Lambda Legal that aims to stop the practice. The move

By Sarah Moon, CNN Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested in connection with a shooting in California’s Bay Area, police said. The victim was taken Monday to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the San Jose Police Department. Velasquez was booked into the Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of attempted

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the NAACP Image Awards. February 26, 2022 – The 53rd NAACP Image Awards ceremony is held. March 27, 2021 – The 52nd NAACP Image Awards ceremony is held. History The Image Awards were established in 1967 “to honor outstanding black actors, actresses, writers, producers, directors, and recognize those

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Facts It is the main governing body for stock car racing in the United States. NASCAR was created by William H.G. (Bill) France, a stock car driver and gas station owner. Stock cars are large, late model sedans that

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN Disney is pausing the release of its films in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Although Russia is not a major movie market like China and the US, Disney’s move to stop releasing films there is notable. And “The Batman,” which is anticipated to be one of the biggest blockbusters

By Amy Simonson, CNN A former Delaware officer seen on surveillance footage appearing to slam a suspect’s head against plexiglass has been indicted on multiple charges, including two felonies, officials announced Monday. The state’s Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust secured the indictment against former Wilmington Police Officer Samuel Waters, 27,

By Mirna Alsharif, CNN A man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly hitting a woman over the head several times with a hammer before robbing her at a New York subway station, according to the Queens County District Attorney’s office. William Blount, 57, was arraigned Monday night in Queens Criminal Court, the DA’s

By Jamiel Lynch, Tina Burnside and Taliah Miller, CNN An Ex-North Carolina police chief accused of faking his suicide was found and arrested in Horry County, South Carolina, the agency said on Facebook. Former Chadbourn Police Chief William Anthony Spivey was located near Loris, South Carolina, near the North Carolina border, on February 24, according

By Amir Vera and Liam Reilly, CNN The Asian woman who was attacked last year in Queens by a man with a rock died Monday, her family announced on a GoFundMe page dedicated to her. In November, GuiYing Ma, 61, was sweeping the sidewalk of an empty property in Jackson Heights when a man allegedly

By Jacob Lev and Eric Levenson, CNN New York City plans to soon lift one of its Covid-19 vaccine requirements for indoor activities, but Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated, still won’t be able to play home games due to the city’s workplace vaccine mandate, a city official confirmed to CNN. However, Irving

By Travis Caldwell, CNN Russia’s invasion has spurred a groundswell of support for Ukraine in the US, where people rallied in demonstrations over the weekend and states announced decisions to boycott or sever ties with Russian entities. Thousands gathered in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York — where key landmarks were lit up

By Emma Tucker, Pooja Agrawal and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday, citing steep declines in Covid-19 hospitalizations statewide. Individual counties and cities with higher transmission rates may still require masks in schools, and parents and guardians may

By Alaa Elassar, CNN Bohdan Andrukh was on his way to meet friends for dinner at a San Francisco restaurant last Wednesday when he received a phone call from his mother in Lviv. She was crying; the sound of a nearby explosion had woken her. The war has begun, she told Andrukh, who was far

By Emmy Abbassi, CNN For Juan Hernandez, it wasn’t just beginner’s luck… The man from Uniondale, New York, recently won a $10 million lottery prize, three years after winning another prize for the same amount. In fact, Hernandez told New York Lottery officials on Tuesday that he’s “still trying to spend the $10 million” he

By Jeffrey Winter, CNN Anthony Sims has spent 24 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit. He was convicted in 1999 of killing a Chinese immigrant in Brooklyn and sentenced to 25-to-life. Sims’ friend, Julius Graves, was the single eyewitness who testified to seeing him fire the fatal shot. Sims

By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN A Texas mom is doing whatever it takes to keep her transgender child safe — even if that requires picking up their lives, leaving family and friends behind and moving hundreds of miles west. In a legal opinion released publicly on February 18, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that gender-affirming

By Sara Smart, CNN The Department of the Interior is moving forward with removing and replacing a derogatory term for Indigenous women used for decades across the US, the department said Tuesday. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order declaring “squaw” derogatory in November. The term has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN Social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle misinformation about a pandemic, a fraught US presidential election and an insurrection — often while facing criticism for doing too little or too much. Now, the platforms are scrambling to confront a growing list of challenges as Russia invades

By Giselle Rhoden, CNN The New York State Archives has uncovered nearly 200-year-old court records detailing abolitionist Sojourner Truth’s battle for her enslaved son’s freedom. Last month, archivists found the 1828 documents detailing Truth’s fight to free her youngest son, Peter, in New York. The documents included a complete court proceeding that followed the abolitionist’s

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN People wake up and choose violence every day. In many ways, it’s human nature. Headlines daily chronicle war, murder, crime, road rage, social media threats and trivial disputes that turn deadly, which is why the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta continues spreading King’s teachings

By Melissa Alonso, CNN Three people were injured Saturday night in a “partial collapse” at a house party in South Metro Denver, Colorado, authorities said. First responders were called to a home in Arapahoe County around 10 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) wrote on Twitter. “A portion of the first floor collapsed into the

By John Blake, CNN A Supreme Court justice is appointed for life, is virtually impossible to impeach and has the “unbridled” ability to nullify any law through the power of judicial review. It’s that power that affirmative action supporters dread now that the high court has decided to consider the use of race in college

By Andy Rose, CNN A Missouri school board reversed an earlier decision to remove a Toni Morrison book from school shelves just days after two students filed a lawsuit. The Wentzville school board voted on Friday to reinstate “The Bluest Eye,” with only one vote against the decision. The book tells the story of an

By Paradise Afshar and Laura James, CNN A Salinas, California, police officer was shot and killed Friday night while conducting a traffic stop, local officials said during a Saturday news conference. The Salinas Police Department identified the slain officer as 30-year-old Jorge David Alvarado, a five-year veteran of the force. At around 10:45 p.m., Alvarado

By Dakin Andone, Sara Smart, Polo Sandoval and Sarah Jorgensen, CNN Cities across the United States have seen rallies in support of Ukraine this weekend as the invasion by Russian forces continues. Crowds gathered in cities including Atlanta, Washington, DC, and New York — where Olga Ladygina told CNN at a rally in Times Square

By Paradise Afshar and Claudia Dominguez, CNN Albuquerque police have arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the shooting death of a 16-year-old student near a high school Friday after a disagreement about a gun. Police identified the victim as Andrew Burson, a student at West Mesa High School, which is near the scene of

By Emma Tucker and Laura Studley, CNN Ten years to the day that 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed, his mother Sybrina Fulton’s message was one of hope. “If you don’t do anything else, don’t give up. That’s my message, don’t ever give up. Ten years later, and I’m still standing strong,” Fulton said at a

By Paradise Afshar and Laura James, CNN At least one person was killed and 13 others injured during a shooting at a Las Vegas hookah lounge early Saturday, authorities said. Officers received reports of a shooting around 3:15 a.m. at the business in the 900 block of East Sahara Avenue, and found 14 victims had

By Jay Croft, CNN Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. A Maryland woman took a bit of bad luck and spun it into gold, turning a fender bender into a $25,000 lottery prize to help buy a new vehicle. The woman, who was not named in a Maryland Lottery press release about her misfortune/good fortune,

By Faith Karimi, CNN Photos by Austin Steele, CNN Alex Podebryi has barely slept in three days. In the dead of night he scans livestreams for updates on the Russian forces invading his home country. He zooms in on social media videos of tanks rolling into Ukrainian cities. He watches images on TV of shell-shocked

By Emma Tucker, CNN US Customs and Border Protection officers have seized nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in small packages within a shipment of onions at a commercial facility in San Diego, the agency said. Federal officers at the Otay Mesa port-of-entry facility last Sunday encountered a 46-year-old man who was driving a

By Brynn Gingras, Kiely Westhoff, Laura Studley and Liam Reilly, CNN Police have arrested a man who allegedly hit a woman over the head several times with a hammer before robbing her at a New York City substation on Thursday, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Police last week said the 57-year-old