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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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world lead
From American kid to jihadi in Syria
(CNN) - Douglas McAuthur McCain is not the only American killed while fighting for ISIS in recent days, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups said Wednesday.
A second American was killed in a battle with rival opposition groups as well, said the coalition, which calls itself the Nahrawan of Syria.
The coalition did not offer any evidence of a second American's death, but it released photos of McCain's body and his passport.
The California man has become part of the disturbing phenomenon of Americans joining terrorists who want to kill Americans.
McCain's family has been talking to CNN, and they seem blindsided by the news.
CNN's Pamela Brown reports.
national lead
Why isn’t there an official database on police killings?
(CNN) – The circumstances surrounding the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager shot and killed by a police officer, sparked a national conversation about issues of police brutality and excessive force.
FULL POST
world lead
Taliban kidnapping survivor: There’s only one way to save American hostages now
(CNN) – American journalist Steven Sotloff has been held hostage by terrorists for more than a year. His mother begged ISIS, the militant group that has her son, for mercy.
Her son has no control over what the United States government does, and he should not be held responsible for its actions, Shirley Sotloff said.
"He's an innocent journalist," she says.
Steven Sotloff appears at the end of the gruesome video ISIS released of the beheading of American journalist James Foley last week.
"The only way you can save an American hostage now is to, you know, to pay a very large ransom," said Reuters reporter David Rohde, who was previously kidnapped by the Taliban and held prisoner for seven months.
FULL POST
national lead
Hurricane Marie drives surf way, way up in Southern California
(CNN) - Smashing!
That pretty much sums up the waves coming to Southern California this week. And depending on whom you ask - weather forecasters or surfers - that word means either life-threatening peril or enlivening fun.
Far offshore, Hurricane Marie is driving some of the tallest breakers in years to crest at Los Angeles-area beaches.
The National Weather Service has issued beach hazard and high surf warnings from more than 100 miles north of L.A. down to the border of Mexico. The swells should last until Friday.
national lead
Child firing Uzi at Arizona shooting range accidentally kills instructor
(CNN) - A 9-year-old girl learning to fire a submachine gun accidentally killed her instructor at a shooting range when the weapon recoiled over her shoulder, according to Arizona authorities.
The instructor, 39-year-old Charles Vacca, died at a hospital Monday night after he was shot in the head.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the girl was with her parents. The three reside in New Jersey. The website of Bullets and Burgers, the shooting range where the accident happened, says children between the ages of 8 and 17 can shoot a weapon if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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