CNN – National

By Karina Tsui, CNN (CNN) — A word that has been used incessantly to describe the fraught state of American politics and society is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year. That word is “polarization.” Defined as a “division into two sharply distinct opposites,” “polarization” grew dramatically in search volume over the past year due to

By Ashley R. Williams, Gloria Pazmino, Mark Morales, Brynn Gingras, John Miller, Dakin Andone, Zoe Sottile and Karina Tsui, CNN (CNN) — New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with murder in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, hours after he was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday. The 26-year-old Ivy

By Alaa Elassar and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN (CNN) — Hate crime charges have been dropped for all but three of the 15 students at Salisbury University in Maryland who police said targeted a man and lured him to an off-campus apartment where they beat him, court records show. All of the students were initially charged

By Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN (CNN) — New Orleans, known for its celebrations and festive spirit, is now banning the release of metallic balloons – a decision that follows repeated disruption to the city’s electrical services and sewer systems caused by stray and discarded balloons. The city council passed an ordinance last month banning the release

By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Millions of tons of coal ash left over from burning the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel are sitting in ponds and landfills, able to leach into waterways and pollute soil. But this toxic waste may also be a treasure trove of the rare earth elements needed to

CNN By Andrew Torgan and Daniel Wine, CNN (CNN) — Millions of tons of coal ash left over from burning the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel are sitting in ponds and landfills, able to leach into waterways and pollute soil. But this toxic waste may also be a treasure trove of the rare earth elements needed

By Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN (CNN) — Tracy Whitney was last seen leaving a Burger King after an argument with her ex-boyfriend in August 1988. Less than 24 hours later, fishermen found her body in a river near Sumner, Washington, about 12 miles east of Tacoma. She was 18 years old. An autopsy revealed Tracy

By Ashley R. Williams, Gloria Pazmino, Evan Perez, Mark Morales, Brynn Gingras, Shimon Prokupecz and Ryan Young, CNN (CNN) — As the manhunt for a still-unidentified suspect in the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan continues on its fifth day, police are missing key pieces of evidence and combing through what they

By Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN (CNN) — A pair of Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” which were stolen from a Minnesota museum almost 20 years ago, sold at auction for $28 million Saturday. The pair – one of four surviving pairs Garland wore in the film – is the most valuable

By AJ Willingham, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s Note: Get 5 Good Things in your inbox each week by subscribing to 5 Things right here. Right about now, you’re likely seeing clumps of poinsettias cropping up like flame-red jewels on porches, doorways and holiday displays around town. The poinsettia, also known as the Mexican flame flower

By Rebekah Riess, CNN (CNN) — As investigators work to piece together the possible motive and movements of 26-year-old Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, here’s what we know. This timeline is based on information from law enforcement sources, official police releases, surveillance images and social media records. Summer

By Alaa Elassar, CNN (CNN) — As bombs fell on Pearl Harbor during a shocking attack, transforming serene Hawaiian waters into a graveyard of twisted metal, burning wreckage and the roar of destruction, Earl “Chuck” Kohler did not hesitate to fight back. He was 17 when Japanese bombers descended from the sky, killing 2,403 Americans

By Holly Yan, CNN (CNN) — He killed a high-profile CEO on a sidewalk in America’s largest city, where thousands of surveillance cameras monitor millions of people every day. But the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a busy hotel keeps evading capture. Now, authorities say he might have slipped out of New

By Gloria Pazmino, Evan Perez, Mark Morales, Brynn Gingras, Shimon Prokupecz and Ryan Young, CNN (CNN) — For the latest developments, read our new story. NYPD divers were searching a body of water in New York’s Central Park on Saturday for the firearm used in the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan,

By Chelsea Bailey, CNN (CNN) — The body of a Pennsylvania woman believed to have fallen into a fresh sinkhole this week while searching for her cat has been found in a long-abandoned mine that the sinkhole exposed, state police said Friday. Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was found dead Friday in the mine in the southwestern

By Alexandra Banner, CNN (CNN) — NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade amid a renewed international push for lunar exploration, is facing more delays. The mission was previously set to launch in 2026 but will now take place no earlier than mid-2027. Here’s what else you need to