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Blinken and Mayorkas to press Mexican counterparts to drive down border crossings as Biden faces increasing pressure

Senior US officials arrived in Mexico Wednesday to seek more help from their counterparts to drive down border crossings as President Joe Biden faces increasing pressure over the handling of the US southern border.

Fishermen spotted something shiny near a creek. It was the first step toward a ‘miracle’

The two men had gone out the day after Christmas, scouting for fishing holes at a creek in northwest Indiana, when something shiny in the distance caught their attention.

5 easy ways to keep your brain sharp

As the year wraps up, people have their sights on 2024 and what changes it will bring.

How 4.5 million people managed to buy a home this year amid the toughest market in a generation

This has been a year of superlatives in residential real estate — and not in a good way.

Spellbinding photos capture the ‘mermaid’ divers of South Korea

After spending several days with the Haenyeo, a group of women on South Korea’s Jeju Island renowned for harvesting seafood from the ocean floor without scuba gear, photographer Peter Ash Lee said one conversation — with one of the youngest of the island’s “freedivers” — stood out from the rest.

YouTuber leads authorities to human remains believed to be of man missing since 2013

Human remains were found Sunday in connection to a 2013 missing person’s case with the help of a YouTuber, according to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri.

Treacherous travel underway as blizzard conditions and ice blast parts of central US

A blizzard-fueling winter storm is sweeping across the Plains and upper Midwest with heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds, making for dangerous travel during the busy holiday week.

Free returns are going away

If you’re thinking of sending back a disappointing gift you just received over the holidays, the return may bring even more disappointment.

Baltimore grandmother goes viral over Christmas surprise

It's a gift more than 50 years in the making. Barbara Rieco wrote a children's book in 1972.

Make-a-Wish will fulfill a four-year-old's dream of meeting princesses

The past couple of years hasn't been easy for a four-year-old in Bel Air who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, but there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Mother’s last words inspire surprise act of compassion

Hours before her death, Rosie Minor got on the phone and called into a prayer line with friends and members of her church.

Tackle these health issues to reduce risk of early dementia, study says

Cognitive decline can begin years before signs of dementia set in, which for some can be as early as age 30, a condition known as young-onset dementia.

Ken Jennings says Mayim Bialik’s ‘Jeopardy’ exit caught him ‘off guard’

Ken Jennings is opening up about the departure of Mayim Bialik as co-host of the long-running game show “Jeopardy!”

Delayed, lost or damaged luggage: What you should do

It’s enough to give anyone already on edge about how to handle possible flight delays and cancellations yet another reason to pop an antacid or two: the prospect of delayed, lost or damaged baggage.

Mississippi officer who shot 11-year-old is suspended without pay

Since this story was published in June, a grand jury declined to return an indictment against Sgt. Greg Capers, the officer who shot Aderrien Murry, reporting it found no criminal conduct on behalf of the officer involved.

Prices fell last month for the first time since April 2020

After three-plus years of prices steadily — and sometimes sharply — increasing month after month after month, they fell in November.

Why Harvard continues to back President Claudine Gay during her plagiarism controversy

Harvard President Claudine Gay is facing intensifying pressure as the drip, drip, drip of plagiarism allegations gradually spills out.

Theatre returns lost wallet 65 years later

For more than 80 years, the Plaza Theatre has churned out reliable entertainment, complete with popcorn, soda, and, of course, movies.

Biden ramps up the pressure on AMLO as border surge inflames a longstanding political problem

President Joe Biden is ramping up the pressure on his Mexican counterpart to help with the untenable situation at the US southern border that’s left officials scrambling to respond to an unprecedented migrant surge and exacerbated one of the president’s longstanding political problems.

They sold everything to become a digital nomad family. Here’s what happened next

They’d always made traveling a priority, and after settling down and having their first child, Courtney and Justin Orgias were keen to keep exploring the world as much as they could.

Mortgage rates in America dropped to their lowest level since June

US mortgage rates continued to plunge this week – good news for home buyers who have been facing the least affordable housing market since the 1980s.

10 dead and others wounded in shooting at Prague university, emergency services say

At least 10 people have died and 30 others were injured in a gun attack at a university in Prague, emergency services in the Czech capital say.

Mapping the Ursid meteor shower

The last meteor shower of 2023 is set to send meteors streaking across the sky just in time for the holidays.

Thousands of homes and businesses without power as cold weather and ‘significant’ storm damage torment Maine

A deadly storm that deluged much of the the Northeast has given way to frigid temperatures as tens of thousands of people grapple with no electricity in the cold.

Judge halts California law that would have banned carrying concealed firearms in many public places

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked parts of a California law that would have banned carrying concealed firearms in certain “sensitive places,” including places of worship, public libraries, amusement parks, zoos and sporting events.

Trump and Abbott revive GOP focus on border security in 2024 election

Former President Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s contentious new law have reignited Republican efforts to make border security the focus of the 2024 election – elevating the fight over immigration policy to new heights.

Chicago man who was wrongfully convicted based on testimony from blind witness freed after 12 years in prison

A 30-year-old Chicago man who was wrongfully convicted of murder on the testimony of a blind witness walked out of the Cook County Jail this week as a free man.

Powered by rain, this seed carrier could help reforest the most remote areas

The world’s forests are under threat. As well as being logged for timber and cleared to make way for agriculture, rising global temperatures are causing more intense wildfires.

'Pent-up racial anger' led to killers' pursuit of Ahmaud Arbery, prosecutor says in closing arguments of hate crimes trial

The three White men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery pursued him in a fit of illegal vigilantism -- and they did it because they saw "a Black man in their neighborhood and assumed the worst of him," a prosecutor said in closing arguments of their federal hate crimes trial.

Cold Case Murder of 9-Year-Old is Solved Nearly 58 Years Later

Nearly 58 years ago, Marise Chiverella was murdered and her body left in a hole in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. She was only 9 years old.

Trio of Friends to Attend 56th Super Bowl.

For Tom Henschel, 80, Don Crisman, 85, and Gregory Eaton, 82, going to the big game has become a tradition. This year will be their 56th Super Bowl.

Injuries Reported in Phoenix Shooting and Barricade Situation

At least six people, including five police officers, were injured during a shooting early Friday in a Phoenix suburb, police said.

Black FedEx Driver Allegedly Shot at by White Father and Son

Gibson told CNN he was delivering packages to a home in Brookhaven, Mississippi, around 7 p.m. January 24 when he saw a white pickup truck coming from the house behind it. The truck approached Gibson and blew the horn at him, Gibson said.

Don't Panic If You Receive Scary IRS Notice

The IRS announced this week that it will temporarily suspend issuing more than a dozen different types of automated notices indicating balances due, unfiled returns and other deficiencies so that it can work through its pandemic-induced backlog

12-Year-Old Nearly Disqualified From SwimMeet For 'Black Lives Matter' Swimsuit

A 12-year-old Black girl was disqualified from a Wisconsin swim meet over the weekend for wearing a homemade Black Lives Matter swimsuit, but organizers quickly reversed the decision and let her swim.

Proposed Alabama Bills Would Protect Confederate Monuments

An Alabama legislative committee has advanced two bills designed to further protect Confederate monuments and criminalize people who attempt to remove them.

Investigations Continue On HBCU Bomb Threat

Spelman College, a historically Black institution, received another bomb threat this week -- and just days after a round of threats rattled more than a dozen HBCUs across the US.

Federal judge rules Texas school mask ban violates Americans with Disabilities Act

A federal judge has ruled that Texas' ban on mask mandates in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to court documents filed Wednesday in US District Court for the Western District of Texas.

This is exactly how dumb our politics have gotten

In the final days of the Virginia governor's race, Republican Glenn Youngkin did everything he could to suggest the contest was a referendum on what is being taught to the commonwealth's schoolchildren.

Event helps parents of children lost to violence

An event in downtown Sunday aimed to lend a helping hand to those who've experienced tragedy. At the Hall of Justice building in downtown Louisville an organization called the Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters (MOMS) meant to show parents, who lost a child to violence, will always have support throughout their grieving process.

Lil Baby in police custody in Paris, James Harden stopped by the police

Lil Baby, an American musician and rapper with a string of collaborative hits, and another individual are in police custody in France, suspected of transport of illicit drugs, the Paris prosecutor's office told CNN on Thursday.

A New Series From the Obamas Aims to Teach Civics Through Music

Michelle and Barack Obama announced that they have executive produced and Netflix will stream We the People, a 10-episode television series aimed at educating children on United States civics lessons, starting on July 4 of this year.

Georgia's Republican lieutenant governor, a Trump critic, says he will not seek reelection in 2022

Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan -- a Republican who has been critical of former President Donald Trump's false claims of fraud in the state's election -- announced Monday he will not seek reelection in 2022.

Ways to support humanitarian aid at the US-Mexico border

More than 2 million migrants are expected to make it to the US-Mexico border by September, according to internal government estimates reviewed by CNN.

HHS secretary says department won't work with Biden's team until federal agency determines he won

The Health and Human Services Department will not work with President-elect Joe Biden's team until the General Services Administration makes a determination that he won the election, Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday, even as public health experts stress that a smooth transition is a critical part of the government's response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

What 1932, 1980 and 1992 can tell us about 2020

With the 2020 presidential election less than a week away, the prospect once more looms of a challenger unseating an entrenched incumbent president. If Democratic candidate Joe Biden were to win when the results are finalized, he would make Republican President Donald Trump just the 11th incumbent in American history to try, but fail, to secure reelection.

Stories by CNN.