Jaclyn Diaz

It's long been known that the Vikings were the first Europeans to make the long journey to the Americas, arriving in what is now Canada sometime around the end of the first millennium.

But a new article in the journal Nature is the first to pinpoint a precise date: 1021, exactly 1,000 years ago — beating the arrival of Christopher Columbus by nearly 500 years.

Despite lofty commitments by governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they are still planning to extract huge amounts of energy from fossil fuels in the coming years, according to a new report from the United Nations.

The report published Wednesday details how the world's largest fossil fuel producers plan to carry on using coal, gas, and oil — despite promises made under the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

A group of educators and civil rights groups is challenging Oklahoma's new law limiting public school teachings on race and gender issues in court.

The lawsuit, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma, was filed Tuesday. The organizations argue that HB 1775, which took effect in May, interferes with students' and educators' First Amendment rights to learn and talk about gender and race issues in school.

Head football coach Nick Rolovich was fired by Washington State University for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine as required by a mandate for state employees.

Four of Rolovich's assistant coaches — Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber — were also terminated by the university for failure to get fully vaccinated by Monday.

Los Angeles County is demanding that a judge force Vanessa Bryant and others to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before a lawsuit they filed against county officials goes to trial.

Six years ago, the brutal murder of 14-year-old Argentinian Chiara Páez sparked a movement.

Páez, who was pregnant at the time, allegedly wanted to keep the baby. But her then-16-year-old boyfriend didn't. And so, he beat her to death.

Her death, along with other similar high-profile murders of young women in Argentina at the time, was a breaking point for women there.

Facebook will expand its current harassment policies to further protect users from abuse and harmful content on the platform.

On Wednesday, the company announced it would ban content that degrades or sexualizes public figures, such as elected officials, celebrities, activists, and journalists. This builds on the company's current policies that exist to protect ordinary users in the same way.

A federal judge in Texas ordered United Airlines to temporarily halt its plan to put unvaccinated employees on unpaid leave if they have requested an exemption from the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

United Airlines announced Aug. 6 that the Chicago-based airline was requiring all 67,000 of its U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated. At the time, the airline said about 90% of pilots and 80% of flight attendants had already been vaccinated.

It's time to get those costumes and bowls of candy ready — Halloween is just around the corner.

And unlike last year, trick-or-treating can go ahead this season — that's according to the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"I think that, particularly if you're vaccinated, you can get out there and enjoy it," Fauci told CNN's State of the Union this weekend.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nearly crossed paths with thousands of people protesting vaccine mandates in Italy this weekend.

Pelosi, who was in Rome for a meeting with foreign leaders, was attending Mass in the city at St. Patrick's Church. Outside the church, chaos was erupting as thousands of Italians took to the streets over Italy's new requirement for workers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine in the form of a "green pass."

The California Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the oil spill that occurred off the coast of Huntington Beach this month.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday that authorities from his office will work to determine the cause of the spill and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent or minimize it.

After surging coronavirus cases during the spring scuttled a much-anticipated cruise trip to Montreal, Nate Burglewski and his extended family really wanted to gather this summer — while also staying safe.

The trip had to meet a few requirements: a destination that wasn't too far for elderly relatives in the Midwest, had strict local coronavirus safety measures and offered lots of outdoor activities. Burglewski and his wife live in upstate New York, while other relatives are scattered across the country.

Senior members of the Biden administration will meet with their Mexican counterparts in Mexico City on Friday to discuss overhauling an existing security arrangement between the two nations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will lead high-level security discussions between the two nations.

By next month Los Angeles will require residents and visitors to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to eat, drink, or shop in indoor establishments across the city.

Under this mandate, eligible patrons will need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, bars, coffee shops, stores, gyms, spas or salons. People attending large, outdoor events will also need to show evidence of either vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test to attend the event.

A two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night during the National League Wild Card Game.

The Dodgers' Chris Taylor, who was suffering from a recurring neck injury, netted the team the needed late-in-the-game lead over the Cardinals.

A split federal appeals court in California ruled that a state law banning private detention facilities can't be enforced because it will likely intrude on the immigration authority held by the federal government.

The 2-1 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit also reverses an earlier trial court's dismissal of prior challenges to California's AB 32.

Some of Australia's world famous national parks have been returned to the hands of Indigenous owners after a deal was negotiated with the government.

A data scientist named Frances Haugen has revealed herself to be the whistleblower behind a massive exposure of the inner workings at Facebook.

Prior to appearing on 60 Minutes on Sunday, Haugen, a former employee at the social media giant, kept her identity a secret after sharing thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents to the media and federal law enforcement.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the CDC's strongest recommendation yet for pregnant people and those who were recently pregnant to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The former head coach of the Washington Spirit was fired by the National Women's Soccer League following an investigation into allegations of harassment and a toxic work culture. Other team representatives were also suspended from roles within the league.

Popular game maker Activision Blizzard reached an $18 million settlement with the U.S. government over allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination against female employees at the company.

Activision Blizzard, which is behind the hugely popular game franchises Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush, confirmed the deal was reached with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Monday. Earlier that day, the agency filed a civil rights lawsuit against the company in federal court in California.

California has become the first state to implement a law that addresses working conditions for warehouse workers, like those for Amazon and other major companies.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 701, which takes effect in the new year, into law on Wednesday. The law aims to address the impact of quotas on worker injuries and health.

Upon taking the podium at the United Nations in New York City, the far-right leader of Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, remained defiant against his many critics.

"I came here to show a Brazil that is different from what is shown in the newspapers and on television," he told the chamber. "Brazil has changed — and a lot — since we assumed office in January 2019."

People who receive a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster shot are better protected against the coronavirus for a longer period of time, according to the pharmaceutical company's latest trial results.

Sarah Dash, the singer and co-founder of the all-female singing group Labelle, best known for their 1974 hit "Lady Marmalade," died Monday at the age of 76.

Dash's bandmate Patti LaBelle announced her longtime friend's death on social media.

The first results from the highly anticipated trial studying the effectiveness and safety of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 showed promising results.

The pharmaceutical companies said early results of their trial indicate the vaccine is safe for children and establishes a strong antibody response against the virus.

A surge in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is again causing issues for federal authorities and local officials in Texas.

The stark situation of COVID's impact on Alaska has affected the ability of the state's largest hospital to provide care for some patients.

On Wednesday, the state reported 1,068 new virus infections — a level 13% higher than last week and one shattering the state's daily case rate since the pandemic began. The highest number of cases is in Anchorage, which reported more than 470 new cases.