Victim's dad: More love for big cats now
On Wednesday, 24-year-old Dianna Hanson was killed by a lion at the California sanctuary where she had been volunteering as an intern for several months. The male African lion named Couscous was shot by a sheriff's deputy after the attack.
Hanson's father and brother said she was living her dream and was the happiest their family had ever seen her in the time before her death. They wanted to share memories of her with Anderson Cooper to help cope with their tragic loss.
"About 7 years old, she just developed a fixation on tigers ... She used to tell everyone she was going to grow up and study Siberian Snow Tigers in Siberia," said her father Paul Hanson.
Sen. Paul: Happy with answer from Holder
Sen. Rand Paul ended his quest Thursday to block a vote on the nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director after he received an answer from the Obama administration about his question on drones.
Paul's decision to back down cleared the way for a final Senate vote this afternoon, and the chamber confirmed Brennan in a 63-34 vote that crossed party lines.
In a letter to Paul Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the president does not have the authority to use a drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil.
Hanna: We must respect wild animals
Anderson Cooper talks with Jack Hanna about the 350-pound African male lion who killed Dianna Hanson, a 24-year-old intern at a California sanctuary, and the risks of working with big cats.
Justice Sotomayor fights for school
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor returns to her grade school in the Bronx, which is scheduled to close.
She credits Blessed Sacrament School with giving her a strong foundation for success, despite the limited opportunities that many children have in underprivileged communities.
Anderson Cooper walked the hallways with Sotomayor to find out why the Catholic school was such a critical part of her personal journey, and why it's being shut down with more than 20 other similar schools. She told him that she wouldn't be where she is today if it weren't for the educational institution she attended thanks to her mother's hard work to earn tuition.
Read more about why Justice Sotomayor's school is so important to her
Grace: Arias jury is ultimate fact finder
Nancy Grace and Jeffrey Toobin are in favor of the jurors asking Jodi Arias questions in court. Toobin says it proves the men and women deciding if Arias lives or dies are focused and paying attention.
The jury collectively submitted over 200 questions for the defendant. Mark Geragos calls it absurd to have an "interactive" trial that allows that type of questioning.
The AC360 Weekly Buzz: Arias testimony, FL sinkhole, Pistorius' past, HIV 'cure,' Chavez dies, lion attack
What everyone’s talking about:
Venezualen president Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday at the age of 58. He was considered a hero to the lower economic class during his 14 years in office. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Larry King discuss Chavez’s legacy and the power vacuum left behind.
Jodi Arias has taken the witness stand for 16 days now testifying about her relationship with Travis Alexander and his death in June 2008. Jurors were able to ask Arias questions via the judge on Wednesday. CNN’s Randi Kaye was in court and has the story. Anderson also had a lively discussion with CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin, Mark Geragos, and HLN’s Nancy Grace about the jury’s “perceptive” questions.
Tonight on AC360: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talks to Anderson
Tonight in an AC360° exclusive interview, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talks with Anderson Cooper about something close to her heart - her old school up in the Bronx, here in New York.
Chances are you haven’t heard of Blessed Sacrament School, but it’s one of 24 schools closing across the Archdiocese due to financial pressures, leaving plenty of students, parents and graduates upset.
That includes Justice Sotomayor, Blessed Sacrament’s valedictorian of the Class of 1968. She grew up in the area in the housing projects that now bear her name. She came back home today to help lift the spirits of Blessed Heart’s students and staff.
Sotomayor believes she wouldn't be where she is today without the school. She tells Anderson that parents, especially from immigrant families, rely on educational institutions like Blessed Sacrament to give underprivileged children opportunities to rise above their socioeconomic status.
