CNN – National

By Eric Levenson, CNN In opening statements of Nikolas Cruz’s death penalty trial, his defense laid out their plan to persuade the jury to spare his life. They planned to present him as a disturbed, mentally ill human being. “In telling you Nik’s story, in telling you the chapters of his life, we will give

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN The future of some of America’s beloved retail stores is looking questionable right now amid fierce competition online. Bed Bath & Beyond, Rite Aid, Party City, Tuesday Morning and Joann are among several chains that may not survive a recession due to their elevated risk of bankruptcy, according to credit agencies.

By Ray Sanchez, Ryan Young, Devon Sayers and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A 15-year-old suspect is in custody after five people were killed and at least two others wounded in a mass shooting Thursday in Raleigh that North Carolina’s governor called a “moment of unspeakable agony.” A handgun and long gun were recovered after the shooting,

By Andi Babineau and Sharif Paget, CNN The trial for the man accused of raping and impregnating a child in Ohio who then had to travel to Indiana for an abortion has been set for early next year, according to a court document obtained by CNN. Gerson Fuentes, 27, is facing two counts of felony

By Sara Weisfeldt, Jason Hanna, Elizabeth Wolfe, Leyla Santiago and Christina Maxouris, CNN One of the three jurors in the Parkland school massacre case who was against the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz told CNN Friday she did not make her decision until the “very last minute.” Ultimately, she was persuaded to vote for life

By Jamiel Lynch, CNN Two men have been charged with attempted murder in Florida after two children were injured in a road rage shooting, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during a news conference. Just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, a Dodge Ram and a Nissan Murano were driving Northbound on US 1 from the

By Hannah Sarisohn and Christina Maxouris, CNN The US high school graduating class of 2022 had the lowest average ACT score in more than three decades, the organization behind the test said on Wednesday, noting the class also endured the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic for three academic years. The ACT is a standardized exam

By Justin Gamble, CNN A Black woman in Michigan says a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy racially discriminated against her when responding to a fight between the woman and a White couple outside a liquor store in Lambertville, Michigan, according to a federal civil rights suit filed Monday. Police body camera footage of officers’ response to

By Sara Smart, CNN Renovations at a Texas school led to an unexpected discovery of an accessory frozen in time. Beneath the floorboards of a stage at a League City school, around 26 miles southeast of Houston, contractors found a small, plastic clutch filled with items that once belonged to a 13-year-old. Sydney Hunt, a

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of Scott Walker, former Republican governor of Wisconsin. Personal Birth date: November 2, 1967 Birth place: Colorado Springs, Colorado Birth name: Scott Kevin Walker Father: Llewellyn Walker, Baptist preacher Mother: Patricia (Fitch) Walker, bookkeeper Marriage: Tonette (Tarantino) Walker Children: Matt; Alex Education: Attended Marquette University,

By Eric Levenson and Joe Sterling, CNN A football coach. An athletic director. And young, eager and forward-looking students. They were among the 17 people killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day in 2018. Here are the victims: Alyssa Alhadeff, 14 Alyssa, 14, was a student