National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - The progression of a total solar eclipse is seen in a multiple exposure photograph taken in 5-minute intervals, with the moon passing in front of the sun above Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia, 225 kilometers (140 miles) from Phnom Penh, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 1995. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

April’s total solar eclipse is a month away. Here’s why it’s worth the watch and how to stay safe

A total solar eclipse is coming to North America. On April 8, the sun will pull another disappearing act across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada, turning day into night for as much as 4 … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 3/12/24

A Uvalde police officers patch a badge are seen as he stands watch over a special city council meeting in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Almost two years after the deadly school shooting in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the city council met to discuss the results of an independent investigation it requested into the response by local police officers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during Robb Elementary shooting resigns

The Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during the Robb Elementary School shooting has resigned. The announcement Tuesday came less than a week after a report ordered by the city defended the … more

By ACACIA CORONADO | 3/12/24

FILE - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen receives a briefing during a visit to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Va., Jan. 8, 2024. The National Small Business Association has won a court challenge against the Corporate Transparency Act, a law designed to combat money laundering. A federal court in Alabama on Friday ruled the legislation unconstitutional. The Corporate Transparency Act requires businesses to report owners and beneficial owners to an agency called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)

Small biz advocacy group wins court challenge against the Corporate Transparency Act

The National Small Business Association has won a court challenge against the Corporate Transparency Act, a law designed to combat money laundering. A federal court in Alabama on Friday ruled the … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 3/12/24

FILE - A costumer pumps gas at a gas station in Mundelein, Ill., Feb. 8, 2024. A Nebraska woman is facing theft charges, accusing her of exploiting a gas pump glitch at a Lincoln, Neb. service station. Authorities say the woman found that by double-swiping a rewards card, she could put the pump into demo mode and get free gas. She's accused of costing the station nearly $28,000 in gas over a seven-month period. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)

Double-swiping the rewards card led to free gas for months — and a felony theft charge

A Nebraska woman allegedly found a lucrative quirk at a gas station pump — double-swipe the rewards card and get free gas! Unfortunately for her, you can’t do that, prosecutors say. The … more

3/12/24

FILE - Visitors walk past a sign for Everglades National Park as they enter from overflow parking, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Everglades National Park, Fla. Officials say a man visiting the Florida Everglades is recovering after being bitten by a crocodile after falling off a boat. The National Park Service says the attack occurred Sunday, March 10, 2024 at the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Man bitten by a crocodile after falling off his boat at a Florida Everglades marina

Officials say a man visiting the Florida Everglades is recovering after being bitten by a crocodile after falling off a boat. The National Park Service says the attack occurred Sunday afternoon at … more

3/12/24

As Ramadan commenced, Palestinians embarked on their fasting amid a backdrop of stalled ceasefire negotiations, escalating hunger and the ongoing devastation wrought by Israel's five-month-old assault on Gaza. The holy month, typically a time of communal joy and reflection, is overshadowed by the grim reality of a conflict that has claimed over 30,000 Palestinian lives and left vast swaths of Gaza in shambles. (AP Video: Wafaa Shurafa)

A Gaza family uprooted by war and grieving their losses shares a somber Ramadan meal in a tent

For Muslims around the world, Ramadan combines religious reflection and charity with festive celebrations as families gather for the evening meal breaking the fast. In Gaza, ravaged by war, this … more

By MOHAMMED JAHJOUH and SAMY MAGDY | 3/12/24

A Ukrainian drone hit an oil processing facility Tuesday in the Nizhny Novgorod region, causing a fire, said regional governor Gleb Nikitin. Videos posted on social media showed heavy fire and smoke in the area. Damage from the fire was not detailed, but the attack was notable because the region is well inside Russia, about 775 kilometres (480 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russia reports Ukrainian drone strikes on targets deep inside its territory

Russian officials say Ukraine has launched a wave of long-range drones against targets deep inside Russia. They said Tuesday that the drones hit at least two oil facilities in the attack on eight … more

By JIM HEINTZ and HANNA ARHIROVA | 3/12/24

FILE - Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks to pass during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Oct. 29, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. Kirk Cousins is heading to the Falcons. Saquon Barkley is joining the Eagles. Brian Burns is going to the Giants. The first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period Monday, March 11, 2024, was a free-for-all frenzy with teams making one big move after another, highlighted by Cousins’ decision to leave Minnesota for Atlanta. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)

Kirk Cousins chooses Atlanta, Saquon Barkley goes to Philly on a busy first day of NFL free agency

Kirk Cousins is heading to the Falcons. Saquon Barkley is joining the Eagles. Brian Burns is going to the Giants. The first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period was a free-for-all frenzy with … more

By ROB MAADDI | 3/11/24

FILE - Bishop Lamor Miller-Whitehead speaks with the media, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in New York. Miller-Whitehead, a Brooklyn preacher known for his flashy lifestyle and who boasted of his friendship with New York City’s mayor, was found guilty in federal court Monday, March 11, 2024, of wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying to the FBI. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Brooklyn preacher known for flashy lifestyle found guilty of wire fraud and attempted extortion

A Brooklyn preacher known for his flashy lifestyle and who boasted of his friendship with New York City’s mayor has been found guilty in federal court of wire fraud, attempted extortion and lying … more

3/11/24

In this image made from video provided by Illinois State Police Troop 6, Illinois State Police Capt. Jody Huffman, at podium, speaks during a news conference about the five people, including three children, who were killed Monday, March 11, 2024, after a school bus and semitruck collided on a highway in western Illinois. (Illinois State Police Troop 6 via AP)

3 children and 2 adults die after school bus collides with semi in Illinois, authorities say

Authorities in western Illinois say five people, including three children, have been killed after a school bus and semi-truck collided on a highway. The bus was traveling eastbound on Illinois Route … more

3/11/24

FILE - The lights of the state Capitol glow into the night in Sacramento, Calif., Aug. 31, 2022. A new California law that takes effect April 2024 requires a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. Negotiations over that law concluded last fall and reflect the reality of public policy making in the United States. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Confidentiality pact deepens mystery of how bakery clause got into California minimum wage law

Private organizations involved in negotiations over California's minimum wage for fast food workers signed a confidentiality agreement. The agreement was confirmed to The Associated Press by two … more

By ADAM BEAM | 3/11/24

Evidence markers are seen following a shooting in Northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Four shootings over four days in Philadelphia left three dead and 12 injured, many of them children — violence that put renewed focus on safety within the sprawling mass transit system and gave ammunition to critics of the city's progressive chief prosecutor. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Suspected shooter, driver are in custody in Philadelphia bus stop shooting that injured 8 teens

A law enforcement official says the driver and a suspected gunman are in custody in the shooting of eight Philadelphia high school students at a bus stop. The official on Monday says police … more

By MARYCLAIRE DALE | 3/11/24

A sign on the Seaside Heights, N.J., boardwalk on May 15, 2020, advises people how far away from each other they should stay to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 11, 2024, an independent report examining New Jersey's response to the pandemic said the state and nation were unprepared for it, adding the state is still underprepared for the next crisis. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Report: New Jersey and US were not prepared for COVID-19 and state remains so for the next crisis

An independent report has found New Jersey and the nation were not prepared when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the state remains underprepared for the next emergency. The report released Monday … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 3/11/24

FILE - The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., on March 17, 2023. Former President Donald Trump said Monday, March 11, 2024, that he still believes TikTok poses a national security risk. But he opposes banning the hugely popular app because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Trump says banning TikTok would help Facebook, even if it's a national security threat

Former President Donald Trump says he still believes TikTok poses a national security risk. But he opposes banning the hugely popular app because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he … more

By JILL COLVIN | 3/11/24

Oakland County Sheriff officers take the handcuffs and chains off James Crumbley, with attorney Mariell Lehman looking on, in the Oakland County Courtroom on Monday, March 11, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley, 47, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in his 15-year-old son's killing of four students at Oxford High School. (Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP, Pool)

Counselor recalls morning of Michigan school attack when parents declined to take shooter home

It’s day three of the trial for the father of a Michigan school shooter. Prosecutors are focusing on the morning of the tragedy at Oxford High School in 2021. A school counselor says Ethan … more

By ED WHITE | 3/11/24

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., arrives at Manhattan federal court, Monday, March 11, 2024, in New York. Sen. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, are charged with conspiring with three businessmen to accept bribes of gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for the senator’s help in projects pursued by the businessmen. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)

Sen. Bob Menendez enters not guilty plea to latest criminal indictment

Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife have pleaded not guilty to new obstruction of justice charges in a New York court. The new charges were in a rewritten indictment returned last week against the … more

By LARRY NEUMEISTER | 3/11/24

This image provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows inmate Willie James Pye. A judge on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, signed the order for the execution of Pye, who was convicted of murder and other crimes in the November 1993 killing of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. The execution is set for March 20 at 7 p.m., after the judge set an execution window between noon that day and noon on March 27. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

Georgia readies to resume executions after a 4-year pause brought by COVID and a legal agreement

An execution scheduled for next week would be the first in Georgia in more than four years. The state is trying to move past an agreement made amid the coronavirus pandemic that effectively halted … more

By KATE BRUMBACK | 3/11/24

FILE - A man wraps his shirt over his face as he tries to extinguish a fire, near the seaside resort of Lindos, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on July 24, 2023. Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

The first-ever European climate risk assessment finds a continent unprepared for growing extremes

Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared. That's according to the European Environment Agency’s first-ever risk assessment about the impact of climate change on the continent. It … more

By CARLOS MUREITHI and DANA BELTAJI | 3/11/24

This photo provided by City of Venice Florida shows a whale on Sunday, March 10, 2024, off Venice, Fla. Authorities were working to assist a beached sperm whale that is stranded on a sandbar off Florida's Gulf Coast on Sunday morning. (City of Venice Florida via AP)

Beached sperm whale dies after beaching along Florida's Gulf Coast

Florida wildlife officials say a sperm whale that became famous after beaching itself on a sandbar has died. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement that the whale … more

3/11/24

Gabrielle Longhi poses for a portrait, Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. In a recent lawsuit, Longhi alleges she was sexually abused at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, Maryland. The sexual abuse of children by Catholic nuns often has been overlooked in the Catholic clergy abuse crisis, but survivors of nun abuse hope to raise awareness of the issue. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisis

The sexual abuse of children by Catholic sisters and nuns has been overshadowed by far more common reports of male clergy abuse. Women in religious orders have been not only abuse victims but also … more

By TIFFANY STANLEY | 3/11/24