CNN – National

By Jason Hanna, Adrienne Broaddus, Eric Levenson and Susannah Cullinane, CNN Zoe Pawelczak’s dad thought the repetitive pops ringing out at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade Monday morning were part of the show, she says. But she felt something was off. “I’m like, ‘Dad, no … something is wrong,’ and I grabbed him” and

By Kevin Dotson, CNN Competitive eater Joey Chestnut won his record-extending 15th Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, devouring an astounding 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes on Monday. Chestnut has won the long-running Independence Day contest seven consecutive times and 15 of the last 16 years. He put away 15 and

By Dakin Andone, CNN The city of Akron, Ohio, is on edge this Fourth of July, one week after the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker. A news conference by city officials Sunday, along with the release of 13 police body camera videos, has started to paint a fuller picture of the shooting, which

By Eric Levenson, Melissa Alonso and Carmen Conte Widman, CNN Addison Bethea was out hunting for scallops in the waters off Keaton Beach, Florida, on Thursday when a shark latched onto her flesh. “I didn’t really know exactly what to do, but I knew that with sharks you’re supposed to punch them in the nose

By Lauren del Valle, Artemis Moshtaghian and Benjamin Schiller, CNN R. Kelly was removed from suicide watch Tuesday morning following a clinical assessment, according to a letter filed by prosecutors in federal court. The disgraced R&B artist was placed on suicide watch after he was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison on sex

By Hannah Sarisohn, CNN A California woman sentenced to life without the possibility of parole as a teenager for fatally shooting a man who abused and sex trafficked her was granted clemency Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Sara Kruzan was 16 at the time of the shooting, according to the pardon. In 1995, Kruzan was

By Polo Sandoval, Dakin Andone and Samantha Beech, CNN A 25-year-old Black man suffered at least 60 wounds when police officers fatally shot him last week following a high-speed chase during which the man fired a gun out the driver’s side window, authorities said. Jayland Walker was unarmed at the time he was killed, though

By Paradise Afshar and Alaa Elassar, CNN A Michigan police chief has issued a public apology after reports that targets with images of Black men were seen at his department’s target practice area. Concerns about the images were initially raised in April, after a Boy Scout troop toured the building used for target practice by

By Sara Sidner, CNN The first sign of trouble was brief. Just a couple of comments during the hustle and bustle of regular life. Karen Amsden was chatting to her son in the driveway while picking up her grandchildren when she mentioned something about a quote by Anne Frank, one of the most famous victims

By Zoe Sottile, CNN Firefighters in Morristown, Tennessee, staged an adorable rescue mission after a kitten was found trapped in a Pepsi vending machine inside a Walmart store. Lindsay Russell, a Walmart employee, was on her lunch break Wednesday when she heard meowing coming from one of the store’s vending machines, according to CNN affiliate

By Sharif Paget and Dakin Andone, CNN A jet-powered stunt truck spun out of control and crashed at an air show in Battle Creek, Michigan, killing the driver, according to police and footage of the incident. In a statement, Battle Creek police identified Chris Darnell, 40, as the driver of the SHOCKWAVE Jet Truck, a

By Andrew Torgan, CNN This Fourth of July weekend is shaping up to be quieter than most. Much of the US is likely to see the chance of rain through Monday, putting a damper on fireworks displays. It’ll be a different story in the West, where severe drought conditions have led many cities to cancel

By Michelle Watson and Holly Yan, CNN Houston police are asking for the public’s help in finding whoever opened fire on a car overnight, killing a 5-year-old child and injuring an 8-year-old. Just after 1 a.m. Sunday, officers received calls about a shooting in the 13300 block of Northborough Drive, Houston Police Asst. Chief Chandra

By John Blake, CNN A White judge tells an interracial couple that “Almighty God” placed the races on different continents because he “did not intend for the races to mix.” A US Senator writes a book about the dangers of interracial unions called, “Take Your Choice: Separation or Mongrelization.” A White father is so disgusted