Stories by CNN

National data from the FBI covering January to September 2023 showed an 8.2% drop in all violent crime, including a 15.6% drop in murders, compared to the same period in 2022. These declines were seen in cities over 1 million people and those under 10,000, and across all four regional quadrants of the US.

Here are six mysteries about human history that scientists have cracked in 2023. Plus, one that still has researchers scratching their heads.

Darien Harris had served more than 12 years of his 76-year sentence before prosecutors decided not to move forward with their case and dropped the charges against him on Tuesday.

Although the common cold doesn’t get as many names – at least not the ones that make headlines – the specificity with which scientists talk about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, matters because it is still such a problem.

It’s a big blow to the well-oiled cybercriminal syndicate that, according to the Justice Department, has targeted over 1,000 victims around the world and extorted them for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Presidnent Joe Biden, who pledged to restore the US immigration system during the 2020 campaign, is now considering immigration restrictions that stand to have lasting implications for migrants, a move that could backfire with his progressive base.

About 7 million fewer adults have gotten their flu shot so far this season compared with the last virus season. Vaccination coverage for COVID-19 is also low, with just 17% of adults and about 8% of children getting the latest shot, according to CDC data through Dec. 2.

The Michigan city has tracked an “unprecedented” reduction of homicides as of November 30, down 18% in the first 11 months of 2023 compared to that period last year, according to a joint news release from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Detroit mayor’s office. The city reported 228 homicides this year as of Nov. 30, compared to 278 homicides during that period last year.

The EPA proposal said lines must be replaced within 10 years, regardless of the lead levels in tap or other drinking water samples.

Three cases were reported in both California and Florida, with other cases reported in Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.

After rediscovering the old photo, the father and son added a goal: not only did they want to fly together, they wanted to recreate the 1990s flight deck photo, over two decades later. Not just as father and son, but as colleagues and co-pilots.

More United Nations aid workers have been killed in Gaza than in any other single conflict in the organization’s 78-year history, a stark reminder that humanitarian staff have not been spared from Israel’s relentless bombardment of the besieged strip.

The inmate, Michael Johnson, argued that the deprivation of yard time – in the absence of a true security justification – violated the Constitution’s ban on cruel and inhumane punishment.

U.S. public health officials are calling for urgent action to curb an alarming increase in the number of babies born with syphilis. In infants, syphilis can be a severe, disabling and sometimes life-threatening infection.

Retailers say theft is exploding, and some data from retailers along with numerous videos of violent store robberies and looting seem to support the claim. But some retail analysts and researchers say stores may be over-stating the extent and impact of theft.

The FDA has been officially exploring the possibility of a menthol ban for more than a decade. In July 2013, the FDA requested comments on preliminary research, data and evaluations with regard to the regulation of menthol.

Despite mechanical woes, the vehicles have developed a cult following. And this one, a 1981 model that has spent the majority of its life in a barn, only had 977 miles on the odometer — a rarity.

CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are eliminating some locations as they face rising competition for these items from Amazon, big-box stores with pharmacies like Walmart, and Dollar General in rural areas.

The sheriff’s office said the landlord did not make a statement, but investigators were able to determine the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

Awareness of the lung cancer’s effects on women is lacking, experts say, and the U.S. government spends significantly less on its research than on similar studies in men.

Scientists have long identified an association between the use of hair-straightening chemical products with an increased risk of certain cancers. Research suggests that about 50% of products advertised to Black women contain these types of chemicals, compared with about 7% that are advertised to White women.

Authorities discovered the body of 73-year-old Myrtle Brown on Sept. 16 after relatives alerted police they’d been unable to find or contact her or her son, the Maywood Police Department said in a news release. Her body was found near a creek behind her home in Maywood, about 11 miles from Chicago, according to the department.

Named Cayo margarita as a nod to Buffett’s song “Margaritaville,” the bright yellow specimen is a worm snail, a type of mollusk that sticks to hard surfaces within the coral reef and forms a tubular shell around itself.

The American Red Cross, which provides about 40% of the nation’s blood and blood components, says the distribution of blood products to hospitals is outpacing the number of donations. Since early August, there has been a nearly 25% decline in donations, it says.

Israel on Sunday formally declared war on Hamas in response to the unprecedented attack, which has killed at least 900 people in Israel, Israel’s Army Radio reported Monday. At least 2,506 people have been injured, the Israeli Health Ministry said earlier. The Israeli strikes have killed at least 560 people, including dozens of children, and left 2,900 injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The plane, which was supposed to fly to Dayton, Ohio, was taken out of service and passengers boarded a different plane to continue to Dayton, American Airlines said.