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Oklahoma Stops Execution After Botching Drug Delivery; Inmate Dies
A vein on an Oklahoma inmate "exploded" in the middle of his execution Tuesday, prompting authorities to abruptly halt the process and call off another execution later in the day as they try to figure out what went wrong.
The inmate, Clayton Lockett, died 43 minutes after the first injection was administered - according to reporter Courtney Francisco ofCNN affiliate KFOR who witnessed the ordeal - of an apparent heart attack, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton said.
That first drug, midazolam, is supposed to render a person unconscious. Seven minutes later, Lockett was still conscious. About 16 minutes in, after his mouth and then his head moved, he seemingly tried to get up and tried to talk, saying "man" aloud, according to the KFOR account.
We have the latest on "Early Start," and you can see more on this story HERE.
MH370: Plane Audio Recording Played in Public for First Time to Chinese Families
It sounds like standard radio chatter between an airplane and ground control, mostly repeating the identifying number of the flight.
But the recording that Malaysian officials played for the first time in public in a Beijing conference room on Tuesday is purportedly the last known words of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 before it disappeared on March 8.
"Malaysia three-seven-zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120.9, good night," says a voice identified by Malaysian officials as that of a radar controller in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital.
"Good night Malaysian three-seven-zero," answers a male voice believed to be a crew member on the plane.
Malaysian officials released the audio recording more than 50 days after the plane disappeared, in a long-awaited briefing before scores of relatives of the flight's Chinese passengers.
MORE on CNN.com
75 Million People Under Storm Threat
The scope is staggering. Some 75 million Americans are under threat of severe weather on Tuesday.
People from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, and from the Midwest to the East Coast, are advised to keep their eyes to the sky and their ears to the radio. That's a third of the country.
The greatest risk will again be in the Deep South, with Mississippi and Alabama in the bull's eye for the worst of the storms.
The first two days of this powerful spring storm system, which is expected to rage into Wednesday, claimed 29 lives in six states.
We'll have the latest updates on "Early Start."
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U.S., EU to Impose New Sanctions on Russia for Ukraine Actions
Russia is expected to face new sanctions Monday for its actions in Ukraine, President Barack Obama told reporters in Manila, Philippines.
"The sanctions build on the ones that were already in place. We're moving forward with expanded list of individuals," he said.
The move, Obama said, was to spur Russian President Vladmir Putin to "walk the walk not just talk to talk" in resolving the crisis in Ukraine.
If the latest round of sanctions don't work, the next phase could target sectors like banking, Obama said.
The European Union also is expected to impose sanctions Monday on about 15 Russian officials who are believed to be undermining democracy and creating chaos in Ukraine, according to Western diplomats.
The sanctions will include asset freezes and travel bans.
MORE on CNN.com.
'Houses Are Just a Pile of Brick'
A brutal band of severe weather battered the central Plains and mid-South late Sunday, killing at least 12 people in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.
Some of the worst damage was north of Little Rock, Arkansas, where reported tornadoes devastated the towns of Mayflower and Vilonia.
"It's chaos here," said Vilonia Mayor James Firestone. "Our downtown area seems like it's completely leveled."
The nightmare is all too familiar for the community of about 3,800 people. Another storm ransacked the town almost three years ago to the day and followed essentially the same path, the mayor said.
"There's a few buildings partially standing, but the amount of damage is tremendous," Firestone said Sunday. "There's gas lines spewing. Of course, power lines down. Houses are just a pile of brick."
We'll have the latest on "Early Start" at 4am ET.
MORE at CNN.com.
Chicago Pediatrician Among 3 Killed by Afghan Guard
A Chicago pediatrician who "felt called" to move to Afghanistan to treat children and train physicians was among three Americans killed Thursday at a Kabul hospital by an Afghan guard.
The police guard opened fire on the pediatrician and four others with him at the CURE Hospital's gates, Kabul police said, in violence not unlike the "green-on-blue" attacks in which Afghan security forces fire upon coalition troops.
Two others were killed, and a third person was injured in the hospital attack. A fourth person was unharmed.
Dr. Jerry Umanos practiced medicine in inner-city Chicago before moving to Afghanistan in 2005, according to the U.S. hospital with which he was affiliated, Lawndale Christian Health Center.
"Our family and friends have suffered a great loss and our hearts are aching," his wife, Jan Schuitema, told reporters in Chicago. The doctor and his wife have three children together.
"I know Jerry would also really like everybody to know about his love for the Afghan people, and our love for the Afghan people, and that we don't hold any ill will towards Afghanistan in general, or even the gunman who did this. We don't know what his history is," she said.
MORE on CNN.com.
Possible North Korea Nuclear Test Looms Over Obama's Visit to South Korea
President Obama arrived in Seoul, South Korea, Friday to news that North Korea may be counting down to a nuclear weapons test.
Such moves out of Pyongyang are no surprise and are typical for the North's behavior, Obama told reporters while in Tokyo, his previous stop on his Asia trip.
The President said he is prepared to deliver a firm response, if a test is conducted during his visit.
North Korea's heightened activity at its nuclear test site was already known. But now the final step needed for an underground detonation has been taken, a South Korean government official said Thursday.
The North has closed off the entrance to the tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, the official said.
That gives Pyongyang 11 days to either detonate a nuclear device or cancel the test. It would be the North's fourth test of a nuclear weapon.
We're expecting a live news conference from the President within the hour. We'll bring it to you when it starts on "Early Start."
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Georgia Law Allows Guns in Some Schools, Bars, Churches
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a wide-ranging gun bill into law Wednesday that has critics howling and proponents applauding.
House Bill 60, or the Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 - which opponents have nicknamed the "guns everywhere bill" - specifies where Georgia residents can carry weapons. Included are provisions that allow residents who have concealed carry permits to take guns into some bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and certain parts of airports.
GeorgiaCarry, which lobbied for the bill, calls it "meaningful pro-gun legislation," despite it being watered down from the group's perspective. Still, the group has lauded the legislation, which will go into effect July 1. Americans for Responsible Solutions opposed the bill, calling it "extremism in action."
Wednesday's signing came at an open-air picnic area along a creek in Ellijay, in northern Georgia. It opened with a prayer, the singing of the national anthem and a recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Hundreds of people filled more than 25 picnic tables, while others stood. Many were openly carrying handguns, and some wore National Rifle Association hats and buttons proclaiming, "Stop Gun Control" and "Guns Save Lives."
See the latest on "Early Start" at 5am ET and get MORE on CNN.com.
Boy Scouts Revoke Seattle Church's Charter Over Gay Scoutmaster
The Boy Scouts of America has revoked the charter of a Seattle church that refused to fire its pack's gay scoutmaster, according to a letter written by the organization's general counsel and provided to CNN by the church.
Pack and Troop 98 is composed of about 15 boys, and according to attorney Steven McGowan's letter, they will have an opportunity to transfer to another troop.
"As you are aware the policy of the Boy Scouts of America does not allow open or avowed homosexuals to serve as volunteer adult leaders," read McGowan's letter to an attorney representing Rainier Beach United Methodist Church.
The church received its charter in November and hired Geoff McGrath, a 49-year-old Eagle Scout, to lead the troop. The Rev. Monica Corsaro said she knew McGrath was gay, and she wasn't trying to make any political statement by hiring him.
"We were not hiding," she said. "We are talking about real people that are being effected by a policy of discrimination ... by a policy that BSA teaches, so we are just calling it out."
MORE on CNN.com.
Boston Marathon Survivor: 'I'm Not a Person Who Gives Up Easily'
For the White family of Bolton, Massachusetts, it's a bittersweet morning.
Bill and Mary Jo White will be at the finish line cheering on their son Kevin where all three nearly lost their lives one year ago.
Kevin, then 34, had shrapnel all through his legs. Mary Jo, then 67, caught shrapnel in her arm and it broke her wrist, and Bill White, at 71, lost his leg.
The father says: "When I woke up after the surgery the first thing that dawned on me was I have only one leg. And that's a shattering moment for you. You lay there and say how am I going to live the rest of my life?"
White tells CNN's John Berman he learned to get over those types of questions to continue living his life.
"I'm not a person who gives up easily," he says.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE MORE OF THE FAMILY'S STORY
