By Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN) — It’s been one week since Nolan Wells and his friends went on a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island – an uninhabited stretch of pristine wilderness off the Mississippi coast with no shelters, no facilities and no communications.

His friends made it back home. Wells, a student and wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, did not. His body was found by a National Park Service agent face-down in the water off the shoreline Monday morning.

Now, many questions remain unanswered: Why didn’t he return on the boat with his friends? Why didn’t he have his cellphone with him? Was Wells involved in an altercation? Did he break off from his friends to speak with a girl on the island?

While the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating, Wells’ death has stoked speculation and distrust in part due to Mississippi’s fraught racial history, the fact that Wells appeared to be the only person of color in an image with friends on the trip, and an earlier comment from the sheriff saying he didn’t suspect foul play – but didn’t explain why.

“This does not smell right,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said at a news conference Friday. “Some people are saying, ‘Reverend, are y’all bringing in race?’ Well, we’re not bringing in race. But we’re not discounting race, either, because we don’t know what it is. So, to tell us, ‘Don’t rush to judgment saying it was racist’ is fine. But then I’m telling you, don’t rush to judgment saying it was not racism, because we do not know.”

But nothing about the case – other than speculation about race – is particularly unusual, CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey said. It’s quite common for law enforcement officers to take a week or longer to gather all the necessary evidence and interviews to determine what caused a death.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter did not respond to CNN’s questions Friday, such as whether all of Wells’ friends from the trip had been interviewed. But Ledbetter previously told CNN affiliate WXXV, “It’s gonna take a lot of hard work” to get to the bottom of this case.

Here’s what that work could entail:

Key interviews

It’s important to interview each of the friends Wells traveled with, anyone who was on the beach at the time, and a girl he was purportedly talking to on the island, Ramsey said.

“They’ve got to interview them one at a time, individually, to make sure the story is consistent,” said Ramsey, who previously led the Philadelphia and Washington, DC, police departments.

Attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Wells’ family, said he’s dismayed by the lack of clear details that have emerged in the case.

“A young woman he was talking to says that ‘Well, Nolan said he was going back to get on the boat with the boys.’ The boys say that Nolan told them he was going to stay and talk to the young woman. It’s a contradiction,” Crump said.

Questions about Wells’ phone

One of the stranger parts of the case involves Wells’ cellphone. Crump said it’s bizarre for a teenager to not have his cellphone and noted that Wells’ parents managed to find the phone before police did.

The parents said location history data found in apps on the phone left them with questions. They also expressed concerns that messages or images may have been deleted from Wells’ phone.

There’s also been speculation that Wells was in an altercation shortly before he was reported missing.

Wells’ mother said her son was not

By Billy Stockwell, CNN

(CNN) — Greg Morley has spent decades sailing around the world on LGBTQ+ cruises with his husband, visiting far-flung destinations across the Americas, Asia and Europe – all from the safety of a ship where, he says, “everyone belongs.”

So, when the 59-year-old Philadelphian, who now lives in Paris, embarked on his latest “Athens to Venice” voyage, overseen by LGBTQ travel company Atlantis Events, he said he couldn’t wait to see the “amazing and iconic” sights on offer.

But those plans were derailed on Thursday when Egyptian authorities blocked the ship, the Scarlet Lady, from entering its waters at the last minute, according to Atlantis Events, days after the vessel was refused entry to Turkey.

“We had full approval and they denied us clearance at the 11th hour,” Rich Campbell, the president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN.

In a memo to passengers on Thursday morning, seen by CNN, Campbell said: “I know how much this visit meant to so many of you. We successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue, so we were surprised by this unfortunate decision.”

For Morley, the last-minute turnaround brought a huge feeling of disappointment, but he said passengers have turned their frustration into a sense of “recommitment to the community,” including those living in Turkey and Egypt where human rights groups warn of eroding LGBTQ rights.

CNN has reached out to Turkish and Egyptian authorities for comment.

‘Two countries in one week’

Last week, Turkish authorities blocked the Scarlet Lady cruise ship, which is hosting more than 1,000 passengers from the US, from docking in two of the country’s ports, with officials claiming the vessel was chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.”

Atlantis quickly diverted the ship to Cairo, but Egypt followed Turkey’s lead and moved to ban the cruise from entering its waters, according to Campbell, who called the decision “outrageous.” On Friday, the cruise ship sailed to the Greek island of Crete instead.

“My mind went to the LGBTQ communities in Egypt and Turkey where LGBTQ individuals don’t have the opportunities to just sail away,” passenger Morley told CNN. “Discrimination and the lack of opportunities that come with the shortsighted marginalization of LGBTQ people and other minorities damages far beyond a cruise ship rescheduling.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ community over the past decade, sparking condemnation from rights groups. Authorities have banned Pride marches in Istanbul since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns.

Meanwhile, in Egypt, morality laws are often used to prosecute LGBTQ people, with the UK-based organization the Human Dignity Trust reporting that members of the community are subjected to frequent arrests, harassment and the forced payment of bribes.

For some cruise passengers, like UK-based actor Rob Houchen, the bans have been a “real wake-up call” regarding the plight of LGBTQ rights globally.

“Things aren’t getting better, and there needs to be awareness of that,” he said on Thursday on social media. “Look out for all those around you, all those queer people, and keep them safe.”

Morley said it was time for the LGBTQ community to “recommit how we spend our considerable discretionary travel dollars.”

Approximately 1,100 of the 1,900 guests on the voyage are from the US, according to Campbell. The remaining travelers are from the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, among other nations.

Impact on local businesses

Passenger Randy Slovacek, who CNN Read more

By Jon Sarlin, CNN

(CNN) — This World Cup, a bunch of people decided to gamble millions on whether soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo would cry during a match.

The bet, which happened on Polymarket, isn’t weird for the wild world of prediction markets. Like whether aliens will be announced by the US government, whether a coup attempt will take place in Russia — even whether the earth is flat. (One trader lost $915 betting against the earth’s sphericity).

So traders looking to get an edge began closely examining Ronaldo’s long, storied career for evidence of crying. There were tears of despair, like from Portugal’s heartbreaking 2022 World Cup loss, in which he kneeled on the grass while weeping. There was also a record of happy tears, like this year, when he helped his club secure the Saudi title for the first time during his tenure.

This week, the odds had settled at around 70% favoring tears.

Monday’s match was to be Ronaldo’s last of this World Cup, ending in heartbreak for the 41-year-old soccer legend, with Portugal falling to Spain 1-0. It could be his final World Cup match ever.

So did he cry or what?

“You see Ronaldo here, obviously very emotional,” a FOX broadcaster remarked as the Portuguese legend wiped his face and walked off the pitch.

But exactly how emotional was he? The harder they looked, the less everyone agreed. Then the investigations began.

Enhance!

After the match, users on Polymarket’s Discord channel began downloading and scrutinizing zoomed-in photos of Ronaldo’s scrunched face. The odds shot up and down as new evidence came in.

Arrows were added pointing to potential tears on Ronaldo’s right eye and nose. Newly found video angles were scrutinized frame-by-frame.

“Only sweat and glistening skin,” said one user in the “no-crying” camp. “Yes, he is tearing up, fighting it. But clearly there are no tears.”

Another pointed to Ronaldo’s previous, wetter sobs, listing three “good examples” of Ronaldo “clearly shedding tears in the past,” including Ronaldo’s acceptance speech for winning the 2013 Ballon D’Or during which falling liquid can clearly be seen on the right side of his cheek.

But those in the pro-crying wing dismissed the so-called “sweat theory.”

“Yes, he cried, and we all know he cried,” one Discord user wrote. “It’s possible to draw this conclusion from the micro-expressions of sadness in the videos and photos.”

Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.

The BBC’s headline read “Ronaldo’s World Cup career ends in tears…,” while ESPN also included a sorrowful description: “A visibly emotional Ronaldo wiped tears from his eyes as he applauded the fans.”

“You cannot wipe tears that don’t exist,” the poster noted.

Crying foul

Polymarket’s procedures call for disputed markets to be adjudicated by the company’s internal markets team and then formally voted on by holders of the cryptocurrency UMA.

After the debate started brewing, Polymarket flagged the market for review, eventually making a determination: yes, they said. He

Por Gloria Pazmino, CNN

El Departamento de Investigación de la ciudad de Nueva York ha abierto un expediente después de que las columnas de un rascacielos de Manhattan cedieran a principios de esta semana, obligando a los trabajadores a huir y a las autoridades a evacuar los edificios vecinos y cerrar las calles, informó a CNN un portavoz del departamento.

El promotor del rascacielos, la antigua sede de Pfizer que se está transformando en apartamentos, declaró anteriormente a CNN que la culpa la tenían los soportes defectuosos de las columnas, que soportaban demasiado peso, y que desde entonces el edificio ha sido estabilizado.

La empresa estaba añadiendo 5486 metros cuadrados en 15 nuevas plantas superiores del edificio, y la carga adicional provocó que dos columnas se doblaran, hundiendo los suelos, algunos hasta 10 cm, declaró Nathan Berman, fundador y director general de MetroLoft, a CNN.

Si bien el promotor afirmó que ninguna parte del edificio, ubicado en East 42nd Street, estuvo en riesgo de derrumbarse, los funcionarios de la ciudad describieron el martes el edificio como inestable y establecieron una “zona de colapso” formal a su alrededor.

CNN se ha puesto en contacto con MetroLoft para obtener comentarios sobre la investigación del incidente.

Las columnas se doblaron “básicamente por no haber sido reforzadas adecuadamente o por haberse omitido parte del refuerzo durante el proceso”, dijo Berman, y señaló que determinarán la razón exacta “a su debido tiempo”.

Según han declarado funcionarios municipales, las columnas deformadas se encuentran entre la estructura existente del edificio y los nuevos pisos que se están construyendo.

El Departamento de Edificios de la ciudad de Nueva York había declarado previamente que una “investigación exhaustiva” sobre el fallo estructural en el antiguo edificio de Pfizer ayudará a determinar cómo se produjo el fallo, qué lo provocó y cómo se pueden evitar incidentes similares en el futuro.

La investigación incluirá la revisión de los documentos de construcción, entrevistas con testigos y el análisis de cualquier evidencia en video y fotografía disponible en el lugar, entre otras cosas.

El departamento también señaló a principios de esta semana que ha exigido al propietario del edificio que contrate a un ingeniero externo para que realice una evaluación forense, una investigación formal para determinar la causa del fallo estructural.

El Departamento de Investigación de la Ciudad de Nueva York es el organismo de control independiente de la ciudad, que investiga el fraude, la corrupción, la mala conducta, los delitos municipales, los empleados municipales, los contratistas y las personas que hacen negocios con la ciudad.

Cuando las investigaciones descubren pruebas de actividad delictiva, el Departamento colabora habitualmente con los fiscales y los organismos encargados de hacer cumplir la ley para presentar cargos penales, además de emprender acciones administrativas o civiles.

CNN se ha puesto en contacto con la fiscalía del distrito de Manhattan.

Es probable que la investigación sea compleja. Los proyectos de construcción a gran escala en la ciudad suelen involucrar a múltiples promotores, contratistas generales, subcontratistas, cientos de trabajadores y múltiples entidades con responsabilidades distintas, lo que supone un amplio campo de investigación para los expertos que buscan recopilar pruebas.

Los trabajadores descubrieron las vigas de soporte deformadas el martes y ayudaron a evacuar a la gente, informó un portavoz

By Nicki Brown, Andi Babineau, CNN

Provo, Utah (CNN) — Over the last week, attorneys, news reporters and spectators gathered in a Provo, Utah, courtroom as prosecutors tried to convince a judge to allow the case against the 23-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk to proceed to trial.

The proceedings were frequently bogged down by arguments over whether certain exhibits could be admitted into evidence and publicly broadcast via a camera in the courtroom. Still, it was a pivotal moment, offering the fullest picture yet of the case against Tyler Robinson, some ten months after the death of the 31-year-old conservative firebrand and co-founder of Turning Point USA.

During the five-day preliminary hearing, the Utah County Attorney’s Office displayed campus surveillance video around the time of the shooting, alleged messages from Robinson prosecutors describe as a confession and a videotaped interview with a key witness: Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner.

The defense, meanwhile, worked to undercut the forensic evidence and raise questions about law enforcement’s handling of the investigation. Robinson’s attorneys called three witnesses to testify about the results of DNA and ballistics testing, but Robinson himself did not take the stand, choosing to heed his attorneys’ advice, his defense team said.

Now that both sides have presented some of their evidence, the judge must determine whether there’s probable cause to support the charges: aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and committing a violent act in the presence of a child.

If Judge Tony Graf finds there’s sufficient evidence to proceed to trial, Robinson will be arraigned and enter pleas. Graf is expected to rule after oral arguments scheduled in early September, shortly before the anniversary of Kirk’s death.

Kirk was killed September 10, 2025, when he was fatally shot in front of about 3,000 people during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Graphic videos of the shooting flooded social media and politicians on both sides of the aisle condemned the killing – one example of the political violence roiling America in recent years.

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty against Robinson, who turned himself in to police the day after the shooting.

Here are five things we learned in the hearing that shed new light on the case:

Robinson said he regretted shooting, his roommate told prosecutors

The most anticipated evidence came Thursday, when prosecutors presented a previously recorded video interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate at the time of Kirk’s killing.

Twiggs, who was also Robinson’s romantic partner, told prosecutors the defendant expressed regret the day after the shooting, hours before he surrendered to police.

“He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn’t done it, and then kept going around and just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted or something,” Twiggs said in the interview conducted and recorded in April. Parts of the interview were redacted due to an order by the judge.

Twiggs is a pivotal witness for prosecutors, and not only for the alleged conversation described in the interview. The state has also pointed to text mess