National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - This Feb. 5, 2021, photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows James Coddington. Oklahoma executed Coddington on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, for a 1997 killing, despite a recommendation from the state's Pardon and Parole Board that his life be spared. He received a lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 10:16 a.m. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Oklahoma executes James Coddington for 1997 hammer killing

Oklahoma has executed a man for a 1997 killing despite a recommendation from the state’s Pardon and Parole Board that his life be spared. Fifty-year-old James Coddington received a lethal injection … more

By SEAN MURPHY | 8/25/22

A mailbox stands in floodwaters from heavy rains that have plagued the region in recent days on Foxboro Drive in northeast Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. Torrential rains and flash flooding prompted rescue operations, closures and evacuations in the central part of the state. (Hannah Mattix/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

Flash flooding: Toddlers rescued, fish flop in parking lot

Law enforcement officers in central Mississippi carried toddlers out of a flooded day care center after storms dumped rain that caused creeks to overflow. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department … more

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG and EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 8/25/22

FILE - Work is done on the roof of a building under construction in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, March 3, 2022. The California Employment Development Department said Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, that the state's unemployment rate was 3.9% in July. That's the lowest since 1976 when the state began using its current method of measuring job growth. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli,File)

Fewer Americans claim jobless benefits last week

Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continues to stand out as one of the strongest segments of the U.S. economy. Applications for jobless aid for the week … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 8/25/22

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California shows some smuggled animals from Mexico and Hong Kong into the U.S. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, Manuel Perez, of Oxnard, Calif., who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the U.S., including 60 reptiles, hidden in his clothing, pleaded guilty to federal charges. (US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California via AP)

California man pleads guilty to smuggling 1,700 animals

A California man who smuggled more than 1,700 wild animals into the United States, including 60 reptiles hidden in his clothing, has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Jose Manuel Perez of Oxnard … more

8/24/22

FILE - Justin Blake poses for a photo at Grace Lutheran Church, where he volunteers, in Kenosha, Wis., Oct. 14, 2021. Blake is the uncle of Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back by a Kenosha police officer in August 2020. Justin Blake filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, alleging sheriff's deputies in Wisconsin unjustly arrested and tortured him during a protest over the 2020 Kenosha police shooting of his nephew. (AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger, File)

Jacob Blake's uncle alleges Wisconsin deputies tortured him

An uncle of Jacob Blake filed a federal lawsuit alleging sheriff’s deputies in Wisconsin unjustly arrested and tortured him during a protest over the 2020 Kenosha police shooting of his nephew. … more

8/24/22

In this image made from video, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with educators, parents and students during a back-to-school event at Novi High School on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Novi, Mich. A day earlier, two men were convicted of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

Whitmer kidnap plot convictions unlikely to curb extremism

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling for a political cooling-off after two men were convicted of plotting to kidnap her. But experts say that appears unlikely. A federal jury found Adam Fox and … more

By JOHN FLESHER | 8/24/22

FILE - South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 25, 2022. A South Dakota government ethics board Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, pressed forward in its investigation of two complaints against Gov. Noem. She is under scrutiny from the state's Government Accountability Board for allegations she misused the powers of her office by interfering in her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license and flying on state-owned airplanes to political events. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

SD ethics board puts it to Noem whether to fight allegations

A South Dakota ethics board’s finding that Gov. Kristi Noem may have engaged in misconduct by intervening in her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license isn’t likely the last … more

By STEPHEN GROVES | 8/24/22

Columbus teachers picket on Monday, August 22, 2022, outside Yorktown Middle School, in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus City Schools teachers union voted to strike on Sunday, August 21, 2022. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Columbus teachers strike on first day back to school

A strike by teachers in Ohio's largest school district is continuing for a third day on the first day of school for its 47,000 students. The Columbus School District and the union resumed bargaining … more

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON | 8/24/22

EXPLAINER: NASA tests new moon rocket, 50 years after Apollo

NASA's new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 322-foot rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 8/24/22

Psychologist: School shooter didn't get consistent treatment

A psychologist who treated Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz when he was 8 years old testified that Cruz was a “peculiar child” who had many behavioral and developmental issues. Frederick … more

By TERRY SPENCER and FREIDA FRISARO | 8/24/22

Our first steps? Fossil may boost case for earliest ancestor

A new study adds evidence that a fossil species from Africa could be our earliest known ancestor. Researchers examined arm and leg bones linked to a 7-million-year-old skull that was found two … more

By MADDIE BURAKOFF | 8/24/22

Jerry Allison, drummer for Buddy Holly, dead at 82

Drummer Jerry Allison, who played and co-wrote songs with rock pioneer and childhood friend Buddy Holly and whose future wife inspired the classic “Peggy Sue,” has died. He was 82. Holly’s … more

By KRISTIN M. HALL | 8/24/22

Mary Beth Orr poses for a photo in her home, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022 in Burien, Wash., south of Seattle. Orr used to have five or six drinks every evening and more on weekends before she enrolled in a study in 2018 to see if the compound in psychedelic mushrooms could help heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely. She stopped drinking entirely for two years, and now has an occasional glass of wine, and credits psilocybin for her progress. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

'Magic mushroom' psychedelic may help heavy drinkers quit

The compound in psychedelic mushrooms helped heavy drinkers cut back or quit entirely in the most rigorous test of psilocybin for alcoholism. The study was published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 8/24/22

FILE - Demonstrators march and gather near the Texas state Capitol in Austin following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. A federal judge in Texas issued a ruling on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, temporarily blocking the federal government from enforcing guidance against the state that requires hospitals to provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Judge blocks enforcement of Biden abortion guidance in Texas

A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked the federal government from enforcing a legal interpretation that would require hospitals in the state to provide abortion services if the life of the … more

8/24/22

Larry the Cat, Britain's Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, sits in front of the flower decoration featuring sunflowers , outside 10 Downing street, in the national Ukrainian colours, on Ukraine Independence Day in London, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Western leaders salute Ukraine on its Independence Day

Western leaders are pledging unwavering support for Ukraine as the war-ravaged country marks its Independence Day. The commemorations Wednesday coincide with the six-month milestone of Russia’s … more

The Associated Press | 8/24/22

FILE - New graduates line up before the start of a community college commencement in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 17, 2018. President Joe Biden is expected to announce Wednesday Aug. 24, 2022 that many Americans can have up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiven. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Biden's student loan plan: What we know (and what we don't)

President Joe Biden is expected to announce that many Americans can have up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiven. Details of the plan are still being finalized, but three people familiar … more

By CORA LEWIS and ADRIANA MORGA | 8/24/22

This May 2, 2022, photo provided by Xingu + Network shows an illegal road inside a protected area called Terra do Meio (Middle Earth) Ecological Station in Para state, in the Brazilian Amazon. The dirt road is now just a few miles shy of connecting two of the worst areas of deforestation in the region. (Xingu + Network via AP)

Crucial illegal road threatens Amazon rainforest

An illegal dirt road ripping through protected areas in Brazil is only a few miles shy of connecting two of the worst areas of deforestation in the Amazon basin. If the road is completed it will turn … more

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE | 8/24/22

FILE - Ukrainian soldiers take positions in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25, 2022. Six months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in an unprovoked act of aggression, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. Putin expected a quick victory but it has turned into a grinding war of attrition. Russian offensive are largely stuck as Ukrainian forces increasingly target key facilities far behind the front lines. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

EXPLAINER: Where Ukraine war stands after 6 months

Six months ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in an unprovoked act of aggression, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. Putin expected a … more

By The Associated Press | 8/24/22

FILE - A forest along NM518 in Mora County, N.M, is scorched by the Calf Canyon Hermits Peak Fire, May 23, 2022. More than four grueling months and $300 million later, the federal government has declared the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history 100% contained, a notable milestone but just another step in what local residents and officials say will be a long journey toward recovery. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, File)

Record-setting wildfire in New Mexico declared contained

More than four months and $300 million later, the federal government has declared the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history 100% contained. The blaze was sparked in the spring by two … more

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN | 8/23/22

Randal Worcester walks out of the Crawford County Justice Center in Van Buren, Ark., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Three Arkansas law enforcement officers were suspended after a video of Worcester's arrest showed two of them beating the suspect while a third officer held him on the ground outside a convenience store. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Experts: Police appear excessive in Arkansas beating video

A bystander’s video of Randal Worcester’s arrest on Sunday in the small town of Mulberry, Arkansas, sparked outrage after it was posted online. It shows a sheriff's deputy repeatedly punching and … more

By JAKE BLEIBERG | 8/23/22