CNN – National

By Andrew Torgan, CNN President Joe Biden expressed optimism for the future of the country during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony yesterday in Washington, telling the American people that “we have so much ahead of us.” Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can

By Andy Rose and Chris Boyette, CNN A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an intellectually disabled woman in an Arizona long-term health care facility was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday, according to prosecutors. Nathan D. Sutherland, formerly a licensed practical nurse who was caring for the woman, was accused of impregnating

By Sarah Moon, CNN Fourteen people involved in recent group thefts at high-end Los Angeles stores have been arrested, authorities said. Groups working in tandem stole property “using weapons and physical force to overwhelm and intimidate store employees and other patrons” in 11 instances from November 18-28, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore announced

By Amir Vera and Amy Simonson, CNN The woman formerly known as “Jane Arroyo Grande Doe” now has a name after 41 years, police in Henderson, Nevada, announced Thursday. Thanks to a process called investigative genetic genealogy, the woman was identified November 10 as Tammy Terrell. The 17-year-old’s body was found October 5, 1980, according

By Dakin Andone, CNN A 13-year-old boy who was manufacturing and selling so-called “ghost guns” has been arrested after he allegedly shot and killed his 14-year-old sister with one of his own homemade firearms, according to the Douglas County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office. Two people had come to the family’s home in Douglasville, about 20 miles

By Nicquel Terry Ellis and Eva McKend, CNN When Danielle Atkinson’s daughter brought home a second-grade assignment that highlighted Christopher Columbus’s explorations, Atkinson said she began to notice inequities in the curriculum being taught in the school district. There were plenty of lessons about Columbus and other historic White figures, but the contributions of Black

By Omar Jimenez, Eric Levenson and Bill Kirkos, CNN Two brothers testified in court over the past two days that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett directed them to carry out a fake hate crime while pretending to be Donald Trump supporters in an attempt to get media attention. Abimbola “Bola” Osundairo and his brother Olabinjo “Ola”

By Lauren del Valle, CNN The longtime house manager of Jeffrey Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, Florida, read aloud from an instruction booklet Ghislaine Maxwell gave him in 2001 or 2002 that instructed staff in minute detail how to handle Epstein’s homes. “I’m sorry to say that it was very degrading to me. Most of

By Liam Reilly, CNN The man who stood outside the United Nations with a shotgun held to his head has been taken into custody and transported to a hospital, New York Police Department First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Tucker said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Tucker said police responded to 911 calls for a man