CNN – National

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN It’s that time of the year when most Americans finish Thanksgiving leftovers and venture out in search for the best holiday sales. More importantly, they plan their household centerpiece of the season: the Christmas tree. While some revel in the scent of a real tree and the joy of picking one

By Amanda Jackson, CNN A married couple’s hiking trip in a Utah national park turned deadly when they started experiencing symptoms of hypothermia, leading to the wife’s death, officials said. The couple began a hike on a 16-mile trail Tuesday at Zion National Park and started facing cold weather overnight into Wednesday morning, according to

By Aya Elamroussi and Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN The gunman in this week’s deadly Walmart shooting in Chesapeake, Virginia, purchased the handgun he used the morning of the attack and left a “death note,” outlining grievances against people in his life, city officials said Friday. The note — found on his phone — talks about

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Who’s a good boy? This year, it’s Winston. Winston the French Bulldog won Best in Show, the top spot, at this year’s 21st Annual National Dog Show presented by Purina. Winston is the first French Bulldog to ever win the competition’s top prize. “They have cornered the market on energy, enthusiasm

By Rashad Walker, Karol Suarez and Melissa Alonso, CNN Mexican prosecutors have obtained an arrest warrant for the friend of a North Carolina woman found dead last month while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas and on Thursday called the death the result of “a direct attack.” Shanquella Robinson, 25, was traveling with college friends

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Thanksgiving, for many in the US, usually means a few things: food, family… and football. Every year, millions tune in to watch the annual Thanksgiving NFL games — last year’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders garnered an audience of 38.5 million people, the most-watched NFL regular

By Sonia Moghe, CNN Adult survivors of sexual abuse now can sue their abusers in New York — even if the statute of limitations on their claims has expired — under a state law that goes into effect Thursday. The new law gives adult survivors of sexual assault one year to file lawsuits against their

By Chris Boyette, CNN A car speeding down a Chicago street in the wrong direction Wednesday slammed into several other vehicles at an intersection, killing its two occupants and injuring 16 other people, including seven children, police said. The vehicle, a Dodge Charger, was traveling “at a very high rate of speed” the wrong way

By Natasha Chen and Cheri Mossburg, CNN The family of Katie Meyer, a star soccer player who died by suicide last spring, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Stanford University and several administrators alleging their actions surrounding a potential disciplinary action caused her “to suffer an acute stress reaction that impulsively led to her

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN After an ordinary workday turned deadly at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, survivors and investigators are spending the Thanksgiving holiday questioning the motive of an employee who opened fire on coworkers, killing six before fatally turning the gun on himself. Employees were preparing for an overnight shift Tuesday when a manager

By Jeremy Harlan and Chris Boyette, CNN Two Colorado deputies have been indicted and fired following investigations into the June fatal police shooting of Christian Glass, a 22-year-old man who was armed with a knife and had called 911 for roadside assistance, officials and family attorneys say. A grand jury Wednesday delivered an indictment against Clear Creek County Sheriff’s

By Travis Caldwell, CNN Police in Idaho will be working through the Thanksgiving holiday on their investigation into the killings of four University of Idaho students that has yet to reveal a suspect or a murder weapon, according to officials. Four students — Ethan Chapin, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Madison Mogen,

By Leyla Santiago and Denise Royal, CNN A former Olympic boxer from North Miami has been arrested and accused of threatening to shoot up a gym in South Florida, according to an arrest affidavit. Azea Augustama, who represented Haiti at the 2008 Olympics, was arrested Tuesday after putting a deposit down to buy an AK-47

By Amir Vera and Adrienne Winston, CNN Three teenagers and an adult were shot Wednesday night in the parking lot of a strip mall in Temple Hills, Maryland, according to police, who are working to determine a suspect. The shooting happened around 6:25 p.m. when a suspect or suspects shot at a group, police said.

By Rob Frehse, CNN Seven Michigan State football players have been charged after a scuffle in a stadium tunnel with University of Michigan players moments after their game more than three weeks ago, according to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. CNN is in the process of reaching out to the players for comment and has

By Eliott C. McLaughlin, Brian Todd, Paradise Afshar and Christina Maxouris, CNN Though Jessie Wilczewski had been working at the Chesapeake, Virginia, Walmart for only a few days, her Tuesday night shift started like all the rest, with a routine team meeting in the break room. Moments after the meeting began, Wilczewski found herself face