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Blade runner gets U.S. help for murder trial
With his murder trial approaching this March, South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has hired some help from the United States to challenge the case against him.
An American forensic team will give expert testimony to cast doubt on evidence entered against the athlete nicknamed the "blade runner" for the special prosthesis legs he sprints with, his spokeswoman Anneliese Burgess said Wednesday.
The track star, whose legs are amputated below the knees, admitted to shooting dead model Reeva Steenkamp, in his home on Valetine's Day. But he has said it was an accident.
She was 29 when she died.
Murder, victim photo posted on Facebook
People confess to a lot of things on Facebook: their frustrations, bad habits, secret longings and new loves. A Florida man allegedly confessed to a murder Thursday on the social media website, that of his wife, whom he shot dead in their kitchen.
Derek Medina, 31, posted a picture of her blood-stained body, collapsed and contorted on the floor in the corner, to his Facebook feed with a note.
Poll: Less than half of Americans upset about gun vote
Heading into last week's gun control vote, polls showed that nearly nine in 10 Americans favored background checks not currently required by law for gun sales–a rarely seen, overwhelming amount of support for a piece of legislation in Washington.
Now that the Senate actually failed to pass such a measure, a new poll indicates Americans aren't as upset about the unsuccessful bill.
The Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll suggests that post-vote attitudes stray from the wide support for the background check measure before the debate, which hovered around 85% in multiple polls.
A plurality of Americans - 47% - say they are either "angry" or "disappointed" with the Senate's action on gun legislation, far different from the amount of people who strongly approved the proposal before the vote. Meanwhile, 39% say they are "relieved" or "happy" about the vote.
FULL STORY
Gun control bill passes in Maryland
Maryland is set to adopt some of the nation's strictest gun laws after the state Senate passed a bill on Thursday that includes an assault weapons ban and gun magazine limits.
The legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is expected to sign it into law.
"With today's vote, Maryland has chosen to enact a comprehensive, common sense approach to prevent gun violence & make our communities safer," he posted online after the vote.
It includes a ban on assault-style weapons and sets a 10-round limit for gun magazines, two measures topping the list of many gun control advocates.
Thursday's live events
Watch CNN.com Live for gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial of Jodi Arias, who's accused of killing her ex-boyfriend in 2008.
Today's programming highlights...
11:00 am ET - Anti-gun rally - On the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, faith leaders will call on Congress to pass "common sense" gun control legislation.
Tuesday's live events
Watch CNN.com Live for gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial of Jodi Arias, who's accused of killing her ex-boyfriend in 2008.
Today's programming highlights...
11:00 am ET - NRA discusses school safety initiative - The National Rifle Association will unveil the conclusions of its school safety initiative in Washington.
Documents to be released in Conn. shooting
There has been much speculation over what was going on in Adam Lanza's head when he walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, with an assault rifle in December and opened fire on small children.
Thursday morning state prosecutors are planning to release new documents in the case, but it may not shed more light on the reasons for the mass shooting.
FULL STORYThursday's live events
Watch CNN.com Live for gavel-to-gavel covearge of the trial of Jodi Arias, who's accused of killing her ex-boyfriend in 2008.
Today's programming highlights...
11:00 am ET - Biden, Bloomberg talk gun violence - Critics are upset that the Senate appears to have given up on legislation to ban assault weapons. This morning, Vice President Biden and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg discuss efforts at passing "common sense" legislation to reduce gun violence.
Colorado to tighten gun control with 3 new laws
After witnessing two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, Colorado is expected to pass a series of gun control laws Wednesday.
Gov. John Hickenlooper will sign three bills into law Wednesday, his office said. The new legislation includes:
– A 15-ammunition limit on magazines;
– A universal background check for prospective gun buyers; and
– A requirement for gun purchasers to pay for their own background checks
FULL STORY
Ohio school shooter faces sentencing
T.J. Lane took a .22 caliber gun to school just over a year ago in northeastern Ohio.
Without saying a word, he walked up to a table in the cafeteria of Chardon High School and opened fire.
He killed three and wounded three more.
On Tuesday, Lane finds out what price he will pay for his crime when he is sentenced.
FULL STORYWednesday's live events
$85 billion in automatic across-the-board spending cuts will take place if President Obama and Congress can't reach a deal by March 1. Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage on this story.
Today's programming highlights...
10:00 am ET - Assault weapons ban legislation briefing - The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on proposed legislation that, if signed into law, would ban the sale and manufacturing of dozens of firearms.
Biden on gun debate: Forget political risk
Political risk shouldn't matter when it comes to combating gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden argued Thursday at a conference in Danbury, Connecticut.
Danbury is just west of Newtown, where a gunman massacred 20 children and seven adults, including his mother, in December.
As the National Rifle Association continues to beef up its campaign and rhetoric against the Obama administration's gun proposals, Biden warned his colleagues on Capitol Hill not to succumb to the group's power and money.
"If you're concerned about your political survival, you should be concerned about the survival of our children," Biden said, arguing that those who "refuse to act" are the ones who should pay politically. "Because America has changed on this issue. You should all know the American people are with us."
FULL STORY
Gun background checks in January were second highest ever, FBI data shows
As the President continues to push for new gun control measures, new FBI data shows January was the second highest month on record for gun background checks.
FBI figures posted Tuesday show there were 2,495,400 background checks done through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System known as NICS. The number was more than a million higher than any previous January. The data does not indicate exactly how many weapons might have been purchased as some customers buy more than one gun at a time.
December was the number one record-setting month with 2,783,765 background checks.
The FBI does not comment on the data but makes it available on its website. But the figures typically show high numbers of background checks during the holiday shopping months of November and December. The background check numbers usually decline January. There also is often a spike in checks after dramatic incidents of gun violence. The NICS system was launched in November 1998 after being mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993.
Gun debate: Where is the middle ground?
Why new laws could miss America's bigger gun problem
The faces of America's gun debate
FULL STORY
Giffords will give opening statement in Congress gun hearing
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will give an opening statement today at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence, according to two sources close to Giffords.
It is the first congressional hearing on gun violence since the Connecticut school massacre that left 26 people dead. A top NRA official plans to tell lawmakers Wednesday that new weapons restrictions are not a "serious solution" to the problem.
Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, will be one of five witnesses at the hearing. Giffords' husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, will also testify.
The hearing comes a few weeks after President Barack Obama's legislative proposals aimed at curbing gun violence after the Newtown shootings, which left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooter, Adam Lanza, also killed his mother and himself.
FULL STORYWednesday's live events
President Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address before Congress on February 12. Watch CNN.com Live for all of your political coverage.
Today's programming highlights...
10:00 am ET - Gun violence hearing - Expect sparks to fly at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on America's gun violence crisis. Among those testifying - former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, as well as the NRA's Wayne LaPierre.
NRA says it adds 500,000 members since Newtown
The National Rifle Association has gained about a half million members since the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting. The NRA now has more than 4.5 million members, Andrew Arulanandam with the NRA tells CNN.
Read the latest on the gun debate:
Why new laws could miss America's bigger gun problem
Violent mentally ill can buy guns
Masculinity, mental illness and guns: A lethal equation?
Want to know more? Do you think there can there be a solution to America's gun problems? Anderson Cooper looks at both sides of the debate in "Guns Under Fire: an AC360º Town Hall Special" Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.
Friday's live events
President Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address before Congress on February 12. Watch CNN.com Live for all your political coverage.
Today's programming highlights...
11:00 am ET - Gun violence roundtable - The Obama administration takes its gun policy message on the road, as Vice President Biden and others lead a roundtable discussion on gun violence in Richmond, Virginia.
Watch live: Feinstein proposes banning 100+ firearms
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is offering details on her proposal to federally ban some assault weapons, as well as ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
You can watch the announcement in Washington live on CNN.com.
Her measure is designed “to help end the mass shootings that have devastated families” and communities, she said. The proposal comes about a month after a shooting that killed 20 children and six women at a Connecticut elementary school.
Feinstein, while making the announcement, also is displaying examples of weapons that would be banned. Her measure would stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of more than 100 specialty firearms and certain semi-automatic rifles, as well as limiting magazines to 10 rounds or less. Not all of the weapons in the bill meet the technical definition of assault weapons.
The measure would not cover weapons already owned before it passed, as well as other hunting, sporting, antique, manually operated and disabled weapons.
Gov. Christie calls NRA ad 'reprehensible'
Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey skewered the National Rifle Association Thursday for referencing the president's children in a political attack commercial.
Speaking in a press conference, the outspoken governor decried the move as "reprehensible" and argued the group lost some credibility by making the ad.
FULL STORYNRA president defends controversial ad
The president of the National Rifle Association is standing by the group's new controversial ad that has drawn fire for referencing the president's children, a rare move in a political attack.
David Keene told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday that the ad is "not about them specifically," arguing the television commercial was more than just about President Barack Obama's children.
FULL STORY
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