National Business - The Morning Sun

Republican Senate candidates promote 'replacement' theory

A half-dozen mainstream Republican Senate candidates are drawing on the white “replacement" conspiracy theory to court voters this campaign season. Those Republicans promote the baseless notion … more

By STEVE PEOPLES | 5/17/22

FILE - An Abbott Laboratories manufacturing plant is shown in Sturgis, Mich., on Sept. 23, 2010. In mid-February 2022, Abbott announced it was recalling various lots of three powdered infant formulas from the plant, after federal officials began investigating rare bacterial infections in four babies who got the product. Two of the infants died. But it's not certain the bacteria came from the plant; strains found at the plant didn't match the two available samples from the babies. (Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal via AP, File)

EXPLAINER: What we know about shuttered baby formula plant

Many questions remain about the shuttered Abbott baby formula plant at the center of a nationwide shortage. Although U.S. officials have a deal with Abbott to restart production, it’s not yet clear … more

By MATTHEW PERRONE | 5/17/22

This photo provided by Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, shows Mykhailo Fedorov, vice prime minister of Ukraine and minister of digital transformation. The Ukrainian government is marrying some digital marketing tools with crowdfunding and other incentives for giving to keep global attention trained on its war efforts against the Russian invasion. “There is a wave and there is this kind of euphoria, but then it abates," Fedorov, told The Associated Press, Wednesday, May 11, 2022 during an interview. (Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine via AP)

Ukraine's crowdfunding aims to keep donors' interest in war

Ukraine is marrying some digital marketing tools with crowdfunding and other incentives for giving to keep global attention trained on its war efforts against the Russian invasion. Ukrainian … more

By THALIA BEATY | 5/17/22

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, is interviewed, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. Sturgeon spoke to the Associated Press Tuesday on her first US visit since the COVID lockdown. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The AP Interview: Scottish leader pushes independence, NATO

Scotland's leader says the Russian war in Ukraine only makes Scotland’s drive for independence from U.K. more important. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on her … more

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ANNA JOHNSON | 5/17/22

FILE - The scene of a fatality car crash, June 2, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. (Tanner Laws/Tulsa World via AP, File)

Nearly 43,000 people died on US roads last year, agency says

Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. Traffic deaths rose … more

By TOM KRISHER | 5/17/22

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, and Vice President Kamala Harris, left, listen as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivers remarks to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Greek's leader tells Congress democracy is tested by Russia

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says democracy is being tested with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Greek leader spoke to a joint meeting of the Congress. Mitsotakis is in Washington to … more

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER | 5/17/22

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a Mark 3 shoulder launch LML (Lightweight Multiple Launcher) missile system, at Thales weapons manufacturer in Belfast, Monday May 16, 2022, during a visit to Northern Ireland. Johnson said there would be “a necessity to act” if the EU doesn't agree to overhaul post-Brexit trade rules that he says are destabilizing Northern Ireland's delicate political balance. Johnson held private talks with the leaders of Northern Ireland's main political parties, urging them to get back to work. (Liam McBurney/Pool via AP)

UK raises stakes in EU feud with threat to break Brexit deal

The British government says it will pass a law to scrap parts of the trade treaty it signed with the European Union less than two years ago. The move dramatically escalates a fight with the EU over … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 5/17/22

FILE - A shopper pushes a child in a cart while browsing big-screen televisions on display in the electronics section of a Costco warehouse, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Lone Tree, Colo. U.S. retail sales rose 0.9% in April, a solid increase that underscores Americans’ ability to keep ramping up spending even as inflation persists at nearly a 40-year high. The Commerce Department said Tuesday, May 17, that the increase was driven by greater sales of cars, electronics, and at restaurants. Even adjusting for inflation, which was 0.3% on a monthly basis in April, sales increased. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Retail sales rise 0.9% in April as consumers show resilience

U.S. retail sales rose 0.9% in April, a solid increase that underscores Americans’ ability to keep ramping up spending even as inflation persists at nearly a 40-year high. The Commerce Department … more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER | 5/17/22

U.S Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, right, talks to Holocaust survivor, Marian Turski, while attending a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the Ghetto Heroes Monument in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk)

Yellen warns Europeans about working with China, urges unity

Even as Western allies grapple with how to counter Russia’s assault on Ukraine, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning that they also must take a wary and united approach to checking China … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 5/17/22

Police officers man a barricade at the entrance to the Sri Lankan parliament in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Censure vote vs Sri Lankan leader fails as crisis simmers

Sri Lanka’s ruling party has defeated a move in Parliament to urgently debate a motion censuring President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the nation’s worst economic crisis. The prime minister said Sri … more

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI | 5/17/22

A woman shows a security guard proof for entry near the words "Peking University" at one of the entrance to the main campus of Peking University on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Beijing. Administrators at the elite Beijing university have backed down from plans to further tighten pandemic restrictions on students as part of China’s “zero-COVID” strategy after a weekend protest at the school, according to students Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Beijing locks down more people in China's 'zero-COVID' fight

Authorities in Beijing are restricting more residents to their homes in a now 3-week-long effort to control a small but persistent COVID-19 outbreak in the Chinese capital. Seven adjoining areas in … more

5/17/22

Press secretary hopes her rise helps kids 'dream bigger'

President Joe Biden's new spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, says she hopes kids will “dream big and dream bigger” because she's now the White House press secretary. Jean-Pierre is the first Black … more

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE | 5/17/22

Spanish govt proposes wider abortion rights, menstrual leave

The Spanish government has approved a draft bill that widens abortion rights for teenagers and may make Spain the first country in Europe entitling workers to paid menstrual leave. The measures are … more

5/17/22

FILE - A Walmart employee helps a customer outside the Walmart store in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Walmart reported stronger sales for the fiscal first quarter, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, but its profits took a beating as the nation’s largest retailer grappled with surging inflation on food and fuel and higher costs from a still snarled global supply chain. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Walmart profit hit as inflation afflicts low-wage earners

Walmart reported stronger sales for the first quarter, but its profit took a beating as the nation’s largest retailer grappled with surging inflation on food and fuel and higher costs from a … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | 5/17/22

FILE - Moroccans, including many who have been in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta since before the border crisis, wait at the border to return voluntarily to their home country, Thursday, May 20, 2021. The land borders between Spain and Morocco at Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s North African enclave cities, have begun to reopen on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 after being closed for just over two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and later a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

Spain, Morocco reopen land border crossings as ties improve

The land borders between Spain and Morocco at Spain’s North African enclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla have reopened after being closed for more than two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and … more

5/17/22

Home Depot overcomes slow start to year, rising home prices

Home Depot’s fiscal first-quarter sales improved even as the chain faced a slower start to spring, and it raised its full-year guidance. The home improvement company’s revenue increased about 4% … more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN | 5/17/22

Musk's China ties add potential risks to Twitter purchase

Elon Musk’s ties to China through his role as electric car brand Tesla’s biggest shareholder could add complexity to his bid to buy Twitter. Other companies that want access to China’s huge … more

By JOE McDONALD | 5/17/22

FILE - Part of the Twitter page of Elon Musk is seen on the screen of a computer in Sausalito, Calif., on Monday, April 25, 2022. The Tesla CEO gave the strongest hint yet Monday, May 16, 2022, that he would like to pay less for Twitter than his $44 billion offer made the previous month. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Musk: Doubt about spam accounts could scuttle Twitter deal

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his deal to buy Twitter can’t move forward unless the company shows public proof that less than 5% of the accounts on the platform are fake or spam. Musk made the comment … more

5/17/22

Wayne Jones, left, looks on as his aunt JoAnn Daniels, holds a photograph of his mother Celestine Chaney, who was killed in Saturday's shooting at a supermarket, during an interview with The Associated Press in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Carnage, livestreamed: Tech platforms' role in mass killings

These days, mass shooters don’t stop with planning out their physical attacks — they also create marketing plans while arranging to livestream their massacres on social platforms in hopes of … more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, HALELUYA HADERO and MATT O'BRIEN | 5/17/22

FILE - Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., May 5, 2019. Buffett's company on Monday, May 16, 2022, revealed all the investment moves it made in the first quarter, when it spent more than $51 billion on stocks. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Buffett's firm reveals new stakes in Paramount, Citigroup

Warren Buffett’s company has revealed all the investment moves it made in the first quarter, when it spent more than $51 billion on stocks. But Buffett had already shared the biggest investments … more

By JOSH FUNK | 5/16/22