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Anchored by Jake Tapper, The Lead airs at 4 p.m. ET on CNN.
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pop lead
Colbert's epic goodbye
(CNN) - The Colbert Report ended its incredible 9 year run last night.
In the past 1,442 episodes, Stephen Colbert has pretty much done and seen it all. He's interviewed presidents and celebrities alike, had a NASA treadmill named after him, and hosted a rally on the national mall to restore sanity and/or fear.
Last night, on the final show, he brought back a just a few friends, including CNN's Jake Tapper to send Colbert - the pukey-pundit character Colbert, that is - into immortality.
Obama's 3D portrait: How'd they do it?
(CNN) – The Smithsonian Institution is always looking for new ways to tell America's story.
Now through the use of 3D imaging, guests can come face-to-face with American presidents.
Eventually, anyone will be able to re-create the scientifically accurate renderings at home, along with dinosaur fossils, and other items from the museum collection.
The only thing more fascinating than the finished products, is how the 3D wizards behind the technology pulled it off.
CNN's Jake Tapper reports.
national lead
Ferguson protesters stage nationwide walkouts
(CNN) – It was hands up, walk out.
Across the country Monday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets at 12:01 p.m. Ferguson (Central) time to mark the moment unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was killed by Officer Darren Wilson.
After a few days of violent reactions in Ferguson to the grand jury's decision not to charge Wilson, today protesters around the country, largely peacefully, voiced their opposition to not only what they perceived as the specific injustice in the Brown case, but larger issues of social injustice for minorities
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national lead
Ferguson businesses destroyed after fires and looting
(CNN) – Ferguson store owners were promised they would be protected, assured their businesses would be safe.
"Together, we are all focused on making sure the necessary resources are at hand to protect lives, protect property, and protect free speech," Gov. Jay Nixon said ahead of the announcement of the grand jury decision Monday.
But that same night, those promises fell apart.
FULL POST
national lead
Ferguson: A city on edge
Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) – Ferguson, Missouri, is a city on edge.
It seemed all too quiet here Monday, with boarded-up shop windows lining the streets, as if a hurricane is headed here.
A grand jury decision is about to be announced, determining the fate of Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.
Sporadic protests have continued in Ferguson since August. Even last night, protesters bloodied an out-of-town reporter.
There are those worried about whether justice will be served, and those worried that their livelihoods will be destroyed
"We don't want to have to go through what we went through last time," store owner Jan Lalani told CNN. He and his dad own a convince store not far from the protest sites in August; their store was looted twice this summer.
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