CNN – National

By Melissa Alonso, Alaa Elassar and Eric Levenson, CNN The man accused of kidnapping and killing Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher was arraigned Thursday for aggravated rape charges in a separate 2021 incident after DNA evidence from the Fletcher investigation linked him to the crime. Cleotha Henderson, 38, was indicted last week on charges of aggravated

By Nicole Chavez, CNN As some public and school libraries pulled books from their shelves earlier this year, New York City’s Brooklyn Public Library made access to thousands of books easier for teens across the country. In the past several months, the Brooklyn Public Library has issued more than 5,100 free electronic library cards to

By Melissa Alonso, CNN A driver died Thursday after crashing into a barrier at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, the base said via Twitter. The unidentified driver “attempted to run the Birmingham Gate” at 6:30 a.m., according to the base. Sentries deployed a protective barrier, stopping the vehicle, the base tweeted. “The driver is

By Jamiel Lynch and Melissa Alonso, CNN Vicky White and Casey White, the Alabama prison guard and the dangerous inmate who she helped escape, spoke on the phone “over 900 times” in the months before their getaway from prison in April — including sexually explicit calls, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN. “They did

By Jason Hanna, Priscilla Alvarez, Lauren Koenig and Gabe Cohen, CNN Texas’ governor says his state intentionally sent two buses of migrants to Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in the nation’s capital — resulting in a Thursday morning arrival that surprised volunteers who said they weren’t prepared to receive them at that site. The drop-off

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN “Chai tea latte, please… but with oat milk, a shot of espresso, two pumps of brown sugar syrup, extra hot, no foam, and cinnamon on top.” More Starbucks customers are opting for elaborate concoctions like this instead of the normal drinks on the menu, the company says. To speed up service

By Jamiel Lynch and Chenelle Woody, CNN The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is praising a Chick-fil-A employee in Florida who it said rushed to the aid of a woman who was being carjacked. The woman was getting a baby out of her vehicle outside the restaurant in Fort Walton Beach when a man wielding a

By Christina Maxouris, CNN Last week, Janet Stickler was forced to evacuate the trailer she lived in as the Mosquito Fire — a raging blaze that has become California’s biggest this year — was inching closer to the community of Garden Valley. She found shelter in the home of her niece’s friend, who offered a

By Rebekah Riess and Chris Boyette, CNN Prosecutors in Colorado are reviewing the June fatal police shooting of a 22-year-old man who was armed with a knife and had called 911 for roadside assistance, according to officials and family attorneys. The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office received a “motorist assist” call on June 10 at

By Sonia Moghe, CNN R. Kelly was convicted of multiple child pornography charges at a Chicago federal trial and acquitted on others. Kelly was convicted on three of four counts of production of child pornography and three of five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was acquitted on

By Lucy Kafanov and Chuck Johnston, CNN A girl who was 15 when she killed a man she said raped her multiple times must pay his family $150,000 in restitution, an Iowa judge ruled Tuesday. Pieper Lewis, who killed her alleged rapist in 2020, received a deferred judgment from Polk County District Judge David Porter

By Eric Levenson, Devon M. Sayers and Dianne Gallagher, CNN Text messages released as part of a civil lawsuit related to misspent welfare funds in Mississippi allegedly show former Gov. Phil Bryant worked to help former NFL and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre obtain funds to build a volleyball facility at the University of

By Amy Simonson and Ray Sanchez, CNN Baltimore prosecutors filed a motion Wednesday asking for a new trial for Adnan Syed, whose case was the subject of the hugely popular first season of the “Serial” podcast. A statement from the state attorney’s office cited newly discovered evidence. “After a nearly year-long investigation reviewing the facts

By Bethany Hines, CNN “Being outside was where it felt sacred,” Kimberly Flores recalled. She was 10 years old and camping with her grandparents when she was struck by the majesty of nature. “This is a gift that was given to us,” she told CNN. “We get to live in this space and we need

By Mark Morales and Ray Sanchez, CNN The 30-year-old mother of three children found unresponsive on the Coney Island shoreline in Brooklyn has been arrested and charged in their deaths, a law enforcement official told CNN Wednesday. Erin Merdy has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of depraved indifference to human