National News - The Morning Sun

Investigators say the electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimore’s port were “mechanically distinct from” those that resulted in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge hours later.

Ship that struck Baltimore bridge had 4 blackouts before disaster. Here's what we know

The Dali container ship experienced a near perfect storm of calamities before it struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. But a report released Tuesday by federal investigators leaves … more

By BEN FINLEY | 5/15/24

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

What to know about a bus crash that killed 8 Mexican farmworkers in Florida

A bus carrying people to work in a watermelon field in central Florida was sideswiped by a suspected drunk driver and overturned in a field, killing eight of them and injuring up to 40 others. The … more

By FREIDA FRISARO | 5/15/24

Dawud Assad, 92, stands in front of Palestinian decor in his home in Monroe Township, N.J., on May 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Noreen Nasir)

Palestinians recount painful history with war in Gaza as a reminder

Dawud Assad still has nightmares of the day Jewish militias attacked his village of Deir Yassin outside Jerusalem 76 years ago, killing more than 100 people. That massacre, along with similar attacks … more

By NOREEN NASIR | 5/15/24

A boat moves past the bow of the container ship Dali prior to the detonation of explosive charges to bring down sections of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge resting on the Dali on Monday, May 13, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Investigation continues into 4 electrical blackouts on ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse

Investigators say the electrical blackouts experienced by the container ship Dali before it left Baltimore’s port were “mechanically distinct from” those that resulted in the deadly collapse of … more

By LEA SKENE | 5/15/24

CORRECTS SERVICE BRANCH TO U.S. AIR FORCE INSTEAD OF U.S. NAVY - Chantemekki Fortson, mother of Roger Fortson, a U.S. Air Force senior airman, holds a photo of her son during a news conference regarding his death, along with family and attorney Ben Crump, Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Fortson was shot and killed by police in his apartment, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Who gets to claim self-defense in shootings? Airman’s death sparks debate over race and gun rights

The death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson in Florida this month reignited a complicated debate about race, gun laws and self-defense – namely, who is typically afforded deference when it comes to … more

By AARON MORRISON | 5/15/24

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, talks to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year. Having previously served twice as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, the 59-year-old's third term made him the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia’s history. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

Shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico sends shockwaves across Europe

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot by an assailant following a political event. The shooting sent shockwaves across Europe a few weeks before EU … more

The Associated Press | 5/15/24

This illustration provided by the University of Vigo and University College London, depicts a dromaeosaur incubating its eggs as snow falls. The raptor, along with other select dinosaurs, may have evolved to be warm-blooded 180 million years ago, generating their own body heat to withstand chilly temperatures, according to research published in the journal Current Biology Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Davide Bonadonna/University of Vigo/University College London via AP)

When the first warm-blooded dinosaurs roamed Earth

A new study suggests that the first warm-blooded dinosaurs may have roamed Earth about 180 million years ago. Scientists once thought of dinosaurs as sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. Then research … more

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN | 5/15/24

Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts say it's too soon to celebrate

The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the numbers Wednesday. CDC officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 5/15/24

In this courtroom sketch, defense attorney Susan Necheles, center, cross examines Stormy Daniels, far right, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, as former President Donald Trump, left, looks on with Judge Juan Merchan presiding during Trump's trial in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The jurors in Trump's hush money trial are getting a front row seat to history -- most of the time

A gag order. Legal wrangling over witness testimony. Angry denouncements of the judge overseeing the case. Some of the most explosive moments in Donald Trump’s hush money trial have played out for … more

By COLLEEN LONG | 5/15/24

This photo shows Tara Brach leading a meditation class at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland on March 23, 2012. Research shows a daily meditation practice can reduce anxiety, improve overall health and increase social connections, among other benefits. (Jonathan Foust/River Road Unitarian Universalist Church via AP)

If you’ve tried meditating but can’t sit still, here’s how — and why — to try again

If you’ve tried meditating but can’t sit still, you’re not alone. Experts say many people try it only once because they are antsy and feel they’re doing it wrong. The key is to relax and … more

By ALBERT STUMM | 5/15/24

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at the Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Villa's Champions League qualification gets royal approval as Postecoglou questions culture at Spurs

The Premier League’s fourth and final representative for next season’s Champions League will be Aston Villa after fifth-place Tottenham's 2-0 loss to Manchester City. Aston Villa's players … more

By STEVE DOUGLAS | 5/15/24

FILE - A man uses a cell phone in New Orleans on Aug. 11, 2019. Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they've taken to a "blockout" to pressure the stars to take a stand. For the blockout, users put a block on seeing any and all content from the accounts of certain celebrities on social media platforms including X, TikTok and Instagram. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

What is the celebrity 'blockout' over the war in Gaza?

Some social media users are calling out celebrities for what they say is inaction in the face of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and they’ve taken to a “blockout” to pressure the stars to … more

By DEEPTI HAJELA | 5/15/24

FILE - Arizona Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-District 2, speaks, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the state Capitol in Phoenix. Bolick joined Democrats in the Arizona Senate on Wednesday to vote to repeal an 1864 ban on almost all abortions that her husband, Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, helped reinstate. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

An Arizona judge helped revive an 1864 abortion law. His lawmaker wife joined Democrats to repeal it

Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick sided with the majority in restoring an 1864 ban on nearly all abortions. Republican state Sen. Shawnna Bolick joined Democrats to repeal the ban a few … more

By RIO YAMAT | 5/15/24

This photo provided by Dalvin Gadson shows Gadson, right, with his attorney, Harry Daniels, April 29, 2024, in Denver. The city of Colorado Springs, Colo., agreed on Tuesday, May 14, to pay $2.1 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Gadson, who was punched and kicked by police during a traffic stop in 2022. (Dalvin Gadson via AP)

Colorado city agrees to settle police beating lawsuit for $2.1 million

The city of Colorado Springs has agreed to pay $2.1 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a Black man who was punched and kicked by police during a traffic stop in 2022. City councilors … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN | 5/14/24

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has become the highest-level Republican to attend Donald Trump's hush money trial, a signal of the former president’s grip on the GOP as the country heads toward the November election.

Lies, loyalty and a gag order upheld: Tuesday's Trump hush money trial takeaways

Donald Trump’s defense attorneys have grilled prosecutors’ star witness in his hush money trial, portraying former attorney Michael Cohen as a media-obsessed liar who’s determined to see the … more

MICHAEL R. SISAK, ERIC TUCKER, MICHELLE L. PRICE and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER | 5/14/24

FILE - This artist depiction shows Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, right, appearing in U.S. District Court in Boston, April 14, 2023. The Massachusetts Air National Guard member who pleaded guilty to federal crimes for leaking highly classified military documents appeared at a hearing Tuesday, May 14, 2024, on whether he should face a military trial on additional charges. (Margaret Small via AP, File)

Military hearing officer deciding whether to recommend court-martial for Pentagon leaker

A military hearing officer is deciding whether to recommend a court-martial for Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges for leaking … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 5/14/24

This giant gas planet is as fluffy and puffy as cotton candy

Astronomers say a planet that's bigger than Jupiter is surprisingly as fluffy and light as cotton candy. An international team reported Tuesday that the planet has an exceedingly low density for its … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 5/14/24

This undated photo shows 6-month-old Nyla Brooke Haywood, a baby girl born Nov. 17, 2023, at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, Illinois. Nyla was born at just 22 weeks weighing 1 pound and 1 ounce, making her what’s known as a “micropreemie.” She left Silver Cross Hospital on Monday weighing a healthy 10 pounds, and was taken home by her first-time parents, NaKeya and Cory Haywood of Joliet, Illinois. (NaKeya Haywood via AP)

`Micropreemie' baby who weighed just over 1 pound at birth goes home from Illinois hospital

A baby girl who weighed just over one pound when she was born prematurely has beaten the odds and gone home with her parents after six months at a Chicago area hospital. Nyla Brooke Haywood left a … more

5/14/24

This composite radio and optical image provided by researchers in May 2024 shows IRAS 23077, center, a planet-forming disk, and several surrounding stars. The star at the center of IRAS 23077 is not visible because its light is blocked by its surrounding disk, which is viewed from the side. The diameter of this colossal disk is roughly 3,300 times the distance between Earth and the sun, with enough gas and dust to form super-sized planets in far-flung orbits, the U.S. and German researchers reported in May 2024. (Radio: SAO/ASIAA/SMA/K. Monsch et al; Optical: Pan-STARRS via AP)

Astronomers find the biggest known batch of planet ingredients swirling around young star

Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the biggest known batch of planet-making ingredients in the cosmos. The colossal disk of gas and dust is swirling around a young star 1,000 … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 5/14/24

Chicago mayor's bumpy first year tests progressive credentials, puzzling some supporters

Onetime union organizer Brandon Johnson took office as Chicago’s mayor a year ago promising “bold” action as one of the country’s most progressive leaders. But a look at his bumpy first year … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 5/14/24