Amir Vera

Breaking News Editor

Amir Vera is a breaking news editor for CNN's Live News Team.
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Amir Vera
Amir Vera

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Explosions heard near military base in Iran.
IRGC
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April 18, 2024 - Iran targeted in aerial attack
Apr 19, 2024
Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, according to a US official.
An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel April 14, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Amir Cohen/Reuters
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April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war
Apr 16, 2024
The Israeli war cabinet has reviewed military plans for a potential response against Iran, an official said. The cabinet remains determined to act, but it’s not clear if a decision has been made.
A screen displays "Trump wins Nevada", during a Nevada caucus night party for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Trump at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
David Swanson/Reuters
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The latest on the 2024 presidential race
Feb 10, 2024
Former President Donald Trump has won all three GOP presidential primary contests so far — in Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire — as he moves closer to the party’s nomination.
People from northern Gaza are now staying in a UNRWA school in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The war has displaced nearly 1.6 million Palestinians, according to UNRWA. Inside the school, already at full capacity, individuals have resorted to building tents around it due to the overwhelming demand for shelter. Hundreds of thousands now live in these cramped shelters with limited food and inadequate water. (Photo by Mohammed Zaanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP/Getty)
Mohammed Zaanoun/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
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February 8, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Feb 9, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Hamas’ proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Follow for live updates.
11/12/2023 Rafah, Palestine. People from northern Gaza have left and are now staying in a UNRWA school in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The war has displaced nearly 1.6 million Palestinians, according to UNRWA. Inside the school, already at full capacity, individuals have resorted to building tents around it due to the overwhelming demand for shelter. Hundreds of thousands now live in these cramped shelters with limited food and inadequate water. the Palestinian health ministry reports that over 11,000 people have lost their lives due to relentless Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the conflict began. This escalation followed a raid by Palestinian militants on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in at least 1200 casualties, as per official Israeli figures. (Photo by Mohammed Zaanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ZAANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Mohammed Zaanoun/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
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February 7, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Feb 8, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Hamas’ proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.
A man carries relief supplies provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Jan. 28, 2024. Funding suspension would force UNRWA to halt all its activities in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip in a few weeks, the UN relief agency's commissioner-general said Sunday. The United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, Finland, and the Netherlands decided to pause funding to UNRWA after Israel accused several UNRWA employees of suspected involvement in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Khaled Omar/Xinhua/Getty Images
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February 6, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Feb 7, 2024
Hamas has sent a “positive” reply to a proposal aimed at the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and a sustained cessation in fighting, Qatar’s prime minister said. Follow here for live updates.
Biden Haley Trump split
Getty Images
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Haley loses Nevada’s GOP primary as Biden wins Democratic contest
Feb 7, 2024
GOP candidate Nikki Haley lost Nevada’s Republican primary to “none of these candidates,” according to a CNN projection, as President Joe Biden won the state’s Democratic presidential primary.
california storms weather chinchar
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Atmospheric river lashes California with heavy rain and wind
Feb 6, 2024
An intense, long-lasting atmospheric river is bringing the potential for life-threatening flooding to California from Sunday through Tuesday.
Palestinians look at their neighbour's damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Fatima Shbair/AP
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January 31, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war
Feb 1, 2024
Israeli aircraft and artillery have again intensified attacks on Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to reporters in the enclave.
A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on January 24, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
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January 30, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Jan 31, 2024
US President Joe Biden said he has decided on the US response to the drone strike that killed three service members in Jordan. Meantime, a powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq announced the suspension of its operations against US forces.
Israeli soldiers move on armored personnel carriers (APC) near the Israeli-Gaza border as smoke rises to the sky in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Leo Correa/AP
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January 26, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Jan 27, 2024
An oil tanker went up in flames in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a Houthi missile. The Iran-backed Yemeni group claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in response to the “American-British aggression against our country” and in support of the Palestinian people.
Nikki Haley, left, and Donald Trump.
AP/Reuters
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The latest on the New Hampshire primary and 2024 campaign
Jan 25, 2024
Former president Donald Trump won New Hampshire’s GOP primary on Tuesday, defeating Nikki Haley and further cementing his path toward a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination. Follow for live updates.
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike in Kahan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)
Mohammed Dahman/AP
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January 16, 2024 Israel-Hamas war
Jan 17, 2024
Israel’s defense minister says the intensive stage of the country’s military offensive in Gaza will “end soon.” Follow live updates.
SPLIT donald trump nikki haley ron desantis
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images/Will Lanzoni/CNN
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The latest on the Iowa caucuses and 2024 primary campaign
Jan 17, 2024
Former President Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses, cementing his front-runner status in the GOP field. Follow here for the latest live news updates and analysis.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in a CNN Republican Town Hall moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
Will Lanzoni/CNN
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CNN town hall with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa
Dec 13, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is participating in a CNN town hall tonight from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, with just weeks until the pivotal Republican caucuses in the state. Follow here for the latest live news updates.
Israeli military tanks roll near the border with the Gaza Strip on December 5, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Israel pressed on with its expanded ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the expiry of a seven-day truce on Friday, after which fighting resumed. Hamas militants from Gaza launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
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December 7, 2023 Israel-Hamas war
Dec 8, 2023
There is “unimaginable loss, destruction and misery” in the Gaza Strip, the head of the World Food Programme said Thursday. “Everyone in Gaza is hungry,” WFP chief Cindy McCain said.

About

Vera was previously a writer on CNN Digital’s National News Desk where he reported on some of the biggest breaking news stories. He also wrote in-depth and explanatory features on the topics of race, culture, criminal justice and education. His reporting and commentary earned him a 2021 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Award in online features projects.

Prior to CNN, Vera worked at two Virginia newspapers – The Progress-Index in Petersburg and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk – where he won multiple awards from the Virginia Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists.

Vera is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.