National News - The Morning Sun

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

A shopper looks at clothes at a Walmart store in Secaucus, N.J., on March 25, 2024. On Monday, April 15, 2024, the Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for March (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

Retail sales up a strong 0.7% in March from February, underscoring the resiliency of the US consumer

Americans increased their spending pace in March at a better-than-expected pace from February, underscoring how shoppers remain resilient despite inflationary pressures and other economic challenges. … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | 4/15/24

The Seine river is seen Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Paris. The river will host the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony with boats for each national delegation. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Macron says the Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine could be moved to stadium for security reasons

French President Emmanuel Macron says the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics planned on the River Seine could be shifted instead to the Stade de France if the security threat is deemed too high. … more

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN | 4/15/24

The UN's Secretary-General on Sunday called for “maximum restraint” and de-escalation in the Middle East after Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel.

The Latest | World leaders urge Israel not to retaliate for the Iranian drone and missile attack

World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told the … more

By The Associated Press | 4/15/24

FILE - A traveler takes a nap as he waits for a ride outside Miami International Airport, Friday, July 1, 2022, in Miami. The Gallup survey, released Monday, April 15, 2024, says that a majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep. But in the U.S., where the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, getting enough sleep can seem like a dream. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Are Americans feeling like they get enough sleep? Dream on, a new Gallup poll says

It seems Americans don't think they're particularly well-rested. A new poll says that a majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep. But in the U.S., where the … more

By DEEPTI HAJELA and LINLEY SANDERS | 4/15/24

A police officer, sheriff's deputy and suspect killed in a shootout in upstate New York, police say

A police officer and a sheriff's deputy in upstate New York were shot and killed Sunday night in an exchange of gunfire with a suspect, who also was killed. Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile says … more

4/15/24

Trump the defendant and 2024 presidential candidate aims to campaign at New York hush money trial

Trump's history-making hush money trial starts Monday with jury selection

The hush money trial of former President Donald Trump begins Monday with jury selection. It's a singular moment for American history as the first criminal trial of a former U.S. commander in chief. … more

By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R. SISAK | 4/15/24

FILE - Visitors stand on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol, April 23, 2023, in Denver. Colorado's Democratic-controlled House on Sunday, April 14, 2024, passed a bill that would ban the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms, a major step for the legislation after roughly the same bill was swiftly killed by Democrats last year. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Semiautomatic firearm ban passes Colorado's House, heads to Senate

Colorado’s Democratic-controlled House has passed a bill that would ban the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms. It's a major step for the legislation after roughly the same bill was … more

4/14/24

FILE - Libya's Khalifa Hifter, the commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, is seen at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. A U.S. judge tossed out a series of civil lawsuits, Friday, April 12, 2024, against Hifter, who used to live in Virginia and was accused of killing innocent civilians in that country's civil war. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)

US judge tosses out lawsuits against Libyan commander accused of war crimes

A U.S. judge has tossed out a series of civil lawsuits against a Libyan military commander who used to live in Virginia and was accused of killing innocent civilians in that country’s civil war. A … more

By MATTHEW BARAKAT | 4/14/24

FILE - Denise Lodge, left, covers her face with a printout of the indictment against her as she walks from the federal courthouse, Wednesday, June 14, 2023, in Concord, N.H., following her arrest on charges related to an alleged scheme to steal and sell donated body parts. Lodge, 64, the wife of a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager has pleaded guilty Friday, April 12, 2024, to a federal charge after investigators said she shipped stolen human body parts to buyers. (Steven Porter/The Boston Globe via AP, File)

Wife of ex-Harvard morgue manager pleads guilty to transporting stolen human remains

The wife of a former Harvard Medical School morgue manager has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after investigators said she shipped stolen human body parts to buyers. Sixty-four-year-old Denise … more

4/14/24