National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Poland's President Andrej Duda addresses a media conference at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania during the Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum in Vilnius, April 11, 2024. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in New York. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

Trump to meet with Polish president Duda as NATO leaders call for additional support for Ukraine

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in New York. The planned dinner comes as European leaders prepare for the … more

By STEVE PEOPLES | 4/16/24

FILE - This booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department on May 16, 2019, shows Clarisa Figueroa, who is charged in the death of 19-year-old expectant mother Marlen Ochoa-Lopez. Figueroa, a Chicago woman accused of luring the pregnant teenager to her home and cutting her baby from her womb with a butcher knife nearly five years ago, pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday, April 16, 2024, and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. (Chicago Police Department via AP, File)

Chicago woman pleads guilty, gets 50 years for cutting child from victim's womb

A Chicago woman accused of luring a pregnant teenager to her home and cutting her baby from her womb with a butcher knife nearly five years ago has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading … more

4/16/24

Festivalgoers attend the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Visa fees for international artists to tour in the US shot up 250% in April. It could be devastating

Performing in the U.S. for international musicians just got a lot more complicated. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has instituted a 250% visa fee increase. For those musicians … more

By MARIA SHERMAN | 4/16/24

FILE - DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston speaks during a news conference in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Ga., Oct. 14, 2019. Boston is one of three Georgia district attorneys who sued again on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, to overturn a law that lets a new commission to discipline and remove prosecutors. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Georgia prosecutors renew challenge of a law they say undermines their authority

Three district attorneys in Georgia are asking a judge to strike down a law creating a commission to discipline and remove prosecutors. They argue that it violates both the U.S. and Georgia … more

By JEFF AMY | 4/16/24

A group of barges sit pinned against the Emsworth lock and dam in Pittsburgh, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. More than two dozen river barges broke loose from their moorings and floated down the Ohio River, damaging a marina and striking a bridge. (WTAE via AP)

Company believes it found sunken barge in Ohio River near Pittsburgh, one of 26 that got loose

A barge operator believes it has found a sunken barge in the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, one of 26 that broke loose and floated away during weekend flooding. Crews used sonar to locate an object in a … more

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM | 4/16/24

FILE - Esperanza Treviño, Melissa Lucio's mother, pleas to the public as she is surrounded by family and friends on the steps of the Cameron County Courthouse Administrative entrance in Brownsville, Texas, Feb. 7, 2022, that her daughter is innocent and was wrongfully sentenced to death for the murder of Lucio's 2-year-old daughter. A judge has recommended that the conviction and death sentence of Lucio, a Texas woman whose execution was delayed in 2022 amid growing doubts she fatally beat her 2-year-old daughter, should be overturned amid findings that evidence in her murder trial was suppressed. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald via AP, File)

Texas inmate Melissa Lucio's death sentence should be overturned, judge says

A judge has recommended that the conviction and death sentence of Texas inmate Melissa Lucio should be overturned. Lucio's execution was delayed in 2022 amid growing doubts she fatally beat her … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 4/16/24

FILE - This Tuesday, March 12, 2019 file photo shows the iconic Tommy Trojan statue at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. University of Southern California officials have canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, a pro-Palestinian Muslim, citing “substantial risks relating to security and disruption” of the event that draws 65,000 people to campus. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

Citing safety, USC cancels speech by valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians

The University of Southern California has canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, a Muslim student who has expressed support for Palestinians, citing substantial security risks for … more

By JOHN ANTCZAK and JULIE WATSON | 4/16/24

FILE - This May 18, 2021, photo shows a woman typing on a laptop on a train in New Jersey. Record numbers of people are starting new businesses, and more and more of them are women and minorities, according to a new study. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Business boom: Record numbers of people are starting up new small businesses

Record numbers of people are starting new businesses, and more and more of them are women and minorities, according to a new study. New business applications jumped in 2020 as the pandemic started, … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 4/16/24

FILE - Clouds hang over a home destroyed in a wildfire in Kula, Hawaii, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday, April 16, 2024, detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Maui Fire Department to release after-action report on deadly Hawaii wildfires

The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August. That includes … more

By REBECCA BOONE and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 4/16/24

Paul and Julie Page speak to reporters in Las Vegas on Monday, April 15, 2024, while a photo of their daughter Ashley Prince is projected behind them on a screen. Their daughter and her husband, lawyer Dennis Prince, were shot and killed by another attorney on April 8, 2024, during a deposition hearing in an ongoing custody fight for her two young children from a previous marriage. (AP Photo/Rio Yamat)

Las Vegas lawyer and wife killed amid custody fight for children from prior marriage, family says

Authorities and relatives say a Las Vegas lawyer and his wife were fighting to win custody of her children from a previous marriage when the woman’s former father-in-law, also an attorney, fatally … more

By RIO YAMAT | 4/15/24

This undated photo taken by Cameron Clifford, shows Terrance, the pet octopus his son Cal adopted at their home in Edmond, Okla. The family soon learned that Terrance was female as she laid 50 eggs that later hatched, with nearly half of them surviving. Although female octopuses usually die soon after laying their eggs, Terrance is still alive four months later. (Cameron Clifford via AP)

A 9-year-old boy's dream of a pet octopus is a sensation as thousands follow Terrance's story online

Nine-year-old Cal Clifford had always wanted a pet octopus. His dream recently came true when his father Cameron Clifford helped him adopt Terrance the octopus and set it up in a saltwater aquarium … more

By ANITA SNOW | 4/15/24

A silvery blue butterfly, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, is seen under netting after its release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Decades after a US butterfly species vanished, a close relative is released to fill gap

Wildlife experts are bringing butterflies back to the Presidio National Park in San Francisco as part of an effort to restore native ecosystems. The park was once home to the Xerces Blue butterfly, … more

By HAVEN DALEY and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ | 4/15/24

This photo provided by Busch Gardens Tampa Bay shows a newborn female endangered Bornean orangutan that was delivered by cesarean section on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. The mother, Luna, is recuperating from surgery and will be reunited with the baby once she is stabilized. (Howard Lin/Busch Gardens Tampa Bay via AP)

Endangered Bornean orangutan born at Busch Gardens in Florida

An endangered Bornean orangutan baby has been welcomed into the world at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida. The female newborn was delivered by cesarean section on Saturday, weighing just over three … more

4/15/24

FILE - The town of Libby, Mont., is seen Feb. 17, 2010. Thousands of people have been sickened and hundreds killed by asbestos contamination in the Libby area. Victims of asbestos exposure are suing BNSF Railway alleging the railroad polluted the town by storing asbestos contaminated vermiculite at a downtown rail yard. The railroad denies the allegations. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Asbestos victim's dying words aired in wrongful death case against Buffet's railroad

The dying words of an Oregon man who had an asbestos-linked cancer are being replayed in a federal courtroom for a jury hearing a wrongful death case against Warren Buffett’s BNSF Railway. … more

By AMY BETH HANSON and MATTHEW BROWN | 4/15/24

Protestors with a giant EU flag gather outside the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 15, 2024 to protest against the "the Russian law" as it is similar to a law that Russia uses to stigmatize independent news media and organizations seen as being at odds with the Kremlin. The governing party in the country of Georgia has submitted to parliament a draft law calling for media and non-commercial organizations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their budget from abroad. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

Georgia lawmakers scuffle over a divisive bill that opponents say mimics Kremlin's repressive law

Lawmakers in Georgia’s legislature have scuffled as the parliament started debating a divisive new law dubbed the foreign agent bill. Hours later, hundreds of people protested against the … more

By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE | 4/15/24

A passenger walks on the highway as he carries his luggage to at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday, April 15, 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O'Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation's busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators block traffic into Chicago airport, causing headaches for travelers

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports. … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 4/15/24

FILE - A hearse and debris can be seen at the rear of the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Oct. 5, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. The couple who owned the Colorado funeral home — where 190 decaying bodies were discovered last year — have been indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government, according to court documents unsealed Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP, File)

190 decaying bodies were found at a Colorado funeral home. Owners charged with COVID fraud of $880K

The U.S. Attorney office in Colorado have indicted the owners of a funeral home on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government. The husband and wife are … more

By JESSE BEDAYN and COLLEEN SLEVIN | 4/15/24

Former President Donald Trump arrives at court for the start of jury selection in his historic hush money trial, Monday, April 15, 2024 in New York. (Angela Weiss/Pool via AP)

Trump Media stock slides again to bring it nearly 60% below its peak as euphoria fades

The stock price for Donald Trump’s social media company is sliding again. Trump Media & Technology Group was down 16.8% in midday trading on Monday as more euphoria fades off the stock. It’s a … more

4/15/24

FILE - Bleached coral is visible at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 16, 2023. Reef scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time due to prolonged warming of the oceans. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing mass bleaching in warming oceans

Reef scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time due to prolonged warming of the oceans. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric … more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN | 4/15/24

FILE - Arabica coffee beans harvested the previous year are stored at a coffee plantation in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala, on May 22, 2014. In a study published in the journal Nature Genetics on Monday, April 15, 2024, researchers estimate that Coffea arabica came to be from natural crossbreeding of two other coffee species over 600,000 years ago. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)

Your morning coffee may be hundreds of thousands of years old

The coffee that picked you up this morning is 600,000 years old. Researchers have found that the world's most popular type of coffee, known as arabica, emerged hundreds of thousands of years ago … more

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN | 4/15/24