Luigi Mangione’s attorneys will present a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial this fall, arguing he killed UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson while suffering an extreme emotional disturbance. At a hearing Wednesday, Judge Gregory Carro said he planned to unseal records related to an affirmative defense available to New York state criminal defendants charged with murder, in which the accused admits to the charged conduct but argues they should not be held fully criminally liable because he or she acted while experiencing a mental health episode. Experts have told CNN a psychiatric defense would be challenging but is likely Mangione’s best argument given the strength of the evidence against him. In a key ruling last month, Carro cleared the way for prosecutors to present crucial evidence they contend ties him to crime scene and could shed light on his motive for the killing.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/17/us/luigi-mangione-murder-trial-psychiatric-defense
The results of the world’s largest wine awards have been announced, and there are plenty of surprises among the countries and regions that have triumphed. “There’s never been a better time to be a wine drinker,” said Pierre Mansour, a judge and regional chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, at a preview tasting of the top wines for 2026. “We are in a golden era. It’s extraordinary.” More than 17,000 wines from 58 countries were entered into the awards, before being supped and quaffed by 245 judges in a rigorous two-week process held in London. Several countries recorded their strongest-ever performances in the awards’ 23-year history and numerous regions earned medals for the first time.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/17/travel/decanter-world-wine-awards-2026
When knights of old went looking for Robin Hood, they knew where to find him. The legendary outlaw has been associated with England’s Sherwood Forest for centuries, and one tree in particular has traditionally been cited as his hideout: the Major Oak. Scientists now believe this 1,200-year-old oak tree has died after it failed to produce any new leaves this spring, British conservation body the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said in a news release. With a canopy spread of 28 meters (92 feet) and a trunk circumference of 11 meters (36 feet), the Major Oak was one of the biggest trees in Britain. Supports for some of the branches were put in place in the early 20th century, and the tree was fenced off in the 1970s.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/17/science/major-oak-tree-robin-hood-dead-scli-intl
Ukraine has launched the largest drone offensive on Moscow of the full-scale war, in an attack that damaged a key oil refinery, caused fires, and sent debris raining down across the region. Air defenses shot down at least 194 drones bound for the Russian capital overnight into Thursday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. That’s far higher than other days of heavy attacks in recent months, when drones only numbered in the double digits. The barrage was part of a larger Ukrainian attack over a broad swath of Russia, with air defenses intercepting 555 drones, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense – including over the Sea of Azov.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/18/europe/ukraine-strikes-moscow-oil-refinery-intl-hnk
For the first time in his two presidencies, Donald Trump attended a Group of 7 summit this week without blowing it up. Sure, he complained when the temperature of the meeting room was too warm. He joked, upon arriving an hour late to one session, that he was his fellow leaders’ boss. The summit’s host, French President Emmanuel Macron, was caught on a hot mic describing an al fresco first-night dinner with Trump as a “difficult discussion.” Yet Trump didn’t leave early, as he did last year in Canada, which was a baseline success for Macron, who had engineered the lakeside summit to ensure the US president stayed for the entire program.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/17/politics/trump-versailles-g7