So much blood the theater floor had become slippery. Bodies with horrific injuries. The eerie sound of cell phones ringing, over and over again. This is the scene Aurora police Officer Justin Grizzle said he encountered moments after entering the theater where, according to authorities, 25-year-old James Holmes killed 12 people in a July 20 shooting rampage. Grizzle testified Monday on the opening day of the preliminary hearing for Holmes, who is charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons charges.

Alaska-Drilling-Rig

A Royal Dutch Shell oil-drilling barge that ran aground last week off southern Alaska arrived at a harbor Monday with no sign of any fuel leaks, an incident-response team reported.

MED-nfl-players-marker

A marker for later cognitive problems may be starting to show up in the brain tissue of former National Football League players. According to a study published Monday in JAMA Neurology, researchers found that cognitive problems and depression are more common among aging NFL players with a history of concussion. But brain damage and mood problems among some segments of the NFL population is not stunning news anymore. What has got scientists slightly giddy are those markers: Poor performance on cognitive tests also showing up on sophisticated brain scans. It suggests that damage post-concussion could some day be detectable by scanning the brain.

POLITICS

POL-Hagel-Defense

He forged his views of war and the military as a young man in mine-plagued fields of Vietnam. Now Chuck Hagel may become the first Vietnam veteran and first enlisted soldier to serve as U.S. defense secretary.

US-Chuck-Hagel-Profile

Badly burned after his armored personnel carrier hit a land mine in Vietnam, Chuck Hagel sat in a medical evacuation helicopter thinking of the horrors he had experienced during combat. "If I ever get out, if I ever can influence anything, I will do all I can to prevent war," he would later tell his biographer, Charlyne Berens. He would also be one of the few Pentagon chiefs ever to have been wounded in war, President Barack Obama said in announcing his selection on Monday to take over for outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Obama said Senate confirmation of the former Nebraska senator would be "historic."

POL-Hagel-Jewish-Community

Senior members of the White House staff called key American Jewish interest groups on Sunday to tell them about the impending nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Defense Secretary and to try to answer their concerns about his record, several sources familiar with the calls told CNN.

POL-Hagel-GOP-Criticism

A senior administration official offered some sharp pushback Monday on Sen. Lindsey Graham's comments about the president's choice in Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary.

POL-Hagel-Reactions

While President Barack Obama announced former Sen. Chuck Hagel as his pick to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, a number of groups and political figures are responding with a range of reactions, from outright opposition to hesitant backing to full support.

POL-Pro-Hagel-Group

Supporters of Chuck Hagel formed an organization to fight back against attacks directed at the former Republican senator, but for now have decided not to launch a political campaign style defense of the new Secretary of Defense nominee.

POL-CIA-Director

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated John Brennan, his chief counterterrorism adviser, to be the CIA's next director.

POL-CIA-John-Brennan-Profile

If President Barack Obama's selection to lead the CIA is confirmed, it will be a homecoming of sorts. John Brennan, the president's chief homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, spent 25 years at the Central intelligence Agency distinguishing himself as a Mideast and terrorism expert. But moving back to Langley would be a big change.

POL-Hillary-Clinton-Work

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left home to return to work Monday morning for the first time since she was sidelined by illness, a concussion and a blood clot, according to a schedule released by the State Department.

POL-Hillary-Clinton-Helmet