CNN – National

By Raja Razek and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and creator of the “1619 Project,” whose tenure last year was initially denied by the University of North Carolina board of trustees despite a recommendation by the tenure committee, has reached a settlement with the UNC over tenure, according to a statement from the university.

By Hira Humayun and Paradise Afshar, CNN New Mexico District Court Judge Douglas Driggers ruled there was “insufficient evidence” for the trial of former Las Cruces police officer Christopher Smelser to continue and dismissed the second-degree murder charges filed against him for the death of Antonio Valenzuela in 2020, according to the New Mexico Attorney

By Andy Rose and Bill Kirkos, CNN A small-town library in Iowa is scrambling to reopen after community complaints about its book selection prompted full-time staff members to resign. The controversy started over complaints about books on display for children with information on the LGBTQ community, according to Jimmy Kelly, board chair of the Vinton

By Rebekah Riess and Kevin Dotson, CNN Thirty women who “have made, or intended to make, claims” against the Houston Texans organization over the sexual misconduct allegations against former Texans player Deshaun Watson, have settled their claims, according to a release from the claimants’ attorney Tony Buzbee and a statement issued by the Houston Texans’

By Lauren del Valle, CNN A man recently exonerated of his wrongful conviction for the assassination of civil rights icon Malcolm X has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the City of New York. According to the civil rights lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday, Muhammad Aziz’s “wrongful conviction was the product of

By Kristina Sgueglia, Omar Jimenez and Liam Reilly, CNN An autopsy revealed Jayland Walker, the unarmed man who was shot and killed by Akron, Ohio, police at the end of a high-speed chase, had 46 gunshot entrance wounds or graze injuries, Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler said Friday. His death was due to

By Alisha Ebrahimji and Jamiel Lynch, CNN The Mega Millions jackpot has swelled to more than half a billion dollars after nobody drew the winning six numbers Friday night. The next drawing is Tuesday, and the jackpot will be at least $530 million, or about $304.7 million in cash, according to the lottery organizers. That

By Elizabeth Wolfe and Anna Chernova, CNN Lawyers for WNBA star Brittney Griner told Russian judges Friday that she was prescribed medical cannabis for “severe chronic pain.” Griner’s defense team submitted to the Russian court a letter from a US medical center issuing a permit in Arizona in 2020 for the use of medical cannabis

By Jamiel Lynch and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A Georgia school district approved a policy Thursday that allows some employees to carry weapons in schools, excluding teachers and staff who supervise classrooms. The Cobb County Board of Education voted 4-2 to pass the measure intended to improve security in Georgia’s second-largest school district. “This policy gives

By Lauren del Valle, CNN Officials urged swimmers in Long Island, New York, to be cautious after at least four people were injured in suspected shark attacks this month. “We are telling people that if they are swimming, they need to swim in lifeguard areas. They should only go waist deep and that they should

By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN Garnell Whitfield is still suffering the trauma of losing his mother to racist violence at a Buffalo supermarket. Whitfield said the mass shootings that followed and Republican lawmakers’ refusal to support significantly stricter gun laws have made it even harder to cope. He also worries many elected officials and religious

By Josh Campbell and Aya Elamroussi, CNN A Maryland man was arrested Thursday for allegedly assaulting men he believed were gay over a three-year period in a Washington, DC, park, officials said. Michael Thomas Pruden, 48, is accused of spraying the men with a “chemical irritant” at DC’s Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm

By Amir Vera and Eric Levenson, CNN For 87 years, the Murdaugh family name came to represent a legal dynasty in coastal South Carolina, where three successive generations controlled the local prosecutor’s office. But now, the family has been closely connected to a bloody tragedy, allegations of embezzlement and a bizarre murder-for-hire plot to score

By Raja Razek, CNN An 8-year-old boy was shot and killed by his 5-year-old brother Thursday in what Arkansas authorities believe was an accidental shooting. “This is a tragic incident that could have been avoided. I can’t emphasize strongly enough that guns need to be well secured and kept out of the hands and away

By Sharif Paget, CNN As heavy rains lashed southwestern Virginia late Tuesday, causing flash floods and damaging roads, Nancy Howell began to worry about her mother. So, she turned to Facebook to ask if anyone had seen her. “I don’t know if she made it home from church,” Howell, 43, wrote in a post. “I’m

By Sonia Moghe and Alaa Elassar, CNN The man accused of opening fire on shoppers inside a Buffalo supermarket and killing 10 people was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday — a day ahead of the store’s long-awaited reopening. Exactly two months after the shooting, Payton Gendron, 19, has been indicted on 27 counts,