National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Signs stand outside Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., Jan. 25, 2023. A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been indicted on eight felony counts of child neglect in the case of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in Newport News, Virginia, last year, according to indictments unsealed Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Newport News Circuit Court. (AP Photo/Denise Lavoie, File)

Former assistant principal charged with child neglect in case of 6-year-old boy who shot teacher

A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been indicted on eight felony counts of child neglect in the case of a 6-year-old boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher in … more

4/9/24

The criminal complaint against Alexander Scott Mercurio is photographed on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Mercurio, 18, is charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group after prosecutors said he planned to carry out an attack on a Coeur d'Alene church. Mercurio was arrested Saturday, and the charges were unsealed in Idaho's U.S. District Court on Monday. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Idaho teen faces federal terrorism charge. Prosecutors say he planned to attack a church for ISIS

Authorities say a teenager planned to attack churches in a northern Idaho city using a metal pipe, butane fuel, a machete and potentially his father’s guns. Eighteen-year-old Alexander Scott … more

By REBECCA BOONE | 4/9/24

FILE - Rain soaked memorials for those who died in a mass shooting sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Testimony stretched into a second day, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, as a legislative committee heard testimony on the red flag proposal that aims to let family members or others petition a judge to initiate the process of temporarily removing someone’s guns during a psychiatric crisis. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Sister of Maine mass shooting victim calls lawmakers' 11th-hour bid for red flag law 'nefarious'

The sister of one of the victims of the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history is accusing state lawmakers of acting “nefariously” by pressing at the 11th hour for a so-called red flag law. … more

By DAVID SHARP | 4/9/24

This 2019 photo provided by Porscha Banks, shows Dexter Reed, center, along with his mother Nicole Banks and sister Porscha Banks. Reed died March 21, 2024 after Chicago Police officers shot him during a traffic stop. Plainclothes Chicago police officers fired nearly 100 gun shots over 41 seconds during a traffic stop that left Dexter Reed dead and one officer injured, according to graphic video footage a police oversight agency released Tuesday, April 9. (Porscha Banks via AP).

Videos show Chicago police fired nearly 100 shots over 41 seconds during fatal traffic stop

Plainclothes Chicago police officers fired nearly 100 gun shots over 41 seconds during a traffic stop that left one man dead and one officer injured last month. That's according to graphic video … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN and KATHLEEN FOODY | 4/9/24

FILE - Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, leader of the "Kinnar Akhara," a monastic order of the transgender community, meets with followers at the Kumbh Mela festival in Pragraj, India, Feb. 5, 2019. The Kumbh Mela is a series of ritual baths by Hindu holy men, and other pilgrims that dates back to at least medieval times. The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex – a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church. Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of transgender people. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)

Transgender inclusion? World's major religions take varying stances on policies toward trans people

The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex. It's a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more … more

By The Associated Press | 4/9/24

FILE - Arizona Supreme Court Justices from left; William G. Montgomery, John R Lopez IV, Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer, Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel, Clint Bolick and James Beene listen to oral arguments on April 20, 2021, in Phoenix. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, April 9, 2024, that the state can enforce its long-dormant law criminalizing all abortions except when a mother’s life is at stake. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Arizona court ruling makes nearly all abortions illegal in a presidential battleground state

An Arizona Supreme Court decision that will end virtually all abortions in the state puts the issue front and center in a critical battleground state. Democrats immediately pounced on the ruling … more

By JONATHAN J. COOPER | 4/9/24

FILE - Los Angeles city employees clean up a homeless encampment to relocate homeless individuals into temporary housing as part of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. A state audit has found that California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over a five year period but didn’t consistently track the outcomes or effectiveness of its programs. The report released Tuesday, April 9, 2024, attempts to assess how effective the state and local cities have been spending billions of dollars to address the ongoing homelessness crisis in California. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

How effective are California's homelessness programs? Audit finds state hasn't kept track well

A state audit has found that California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over the past five years but didn’t consistently track whether the spending actually helped alleviate the problem. … more

By TRÂN NGUYỄN | 4/9/24

A photo released by the Federal Public Defender, shows inmate Brian Dorsey at the Potosi Correctional Center, Washington County, Missouri. Dorsey is scheduled to be executed Tuesday, April 9, 2024, for killing two people in 2006. (Jeremy Weis, Federal Public Defender via AP)

Missouri inmate nears execution for 2006 killings of cousin and her husband after appeals denied

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied two appeals on behalf of Missouri inmate Brian Dorsey, clearing the way for his scheduled execution Tuesday evening. The court had no comment in rejecting the … more

By JIM SALTER | 4/9/24

FILE - A couple sit along a trail overlooking White Rock Lake in Dallas on Feb. 24, 2024. Coming up with the best tax strategy in retirement can be much trickier than it seems, and tax pros agree that it is a time when people need to be especially careful. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez-File)

If you're retired or about to retire, think carefully about your tax strategy

Coming up with the best tax strategy in retirement can be much trickier than it seems, and tax pros agree that it is a time when people need to be especially careful. Experts say you should look at … more

By KATHERINE ROTH | 4/9/24

FILE - A woman browses produce for sale at a grocery store, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in New York. In final rule changes announced Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the federal program that helps millions of low-income mothers, babies and young kids will soon emphasize more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as provide a wider choice of foods from different cultures. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie, File)

New WIC rules include more money for fruits and veggies. They also expand food choices

The federal program that helps pay for groceries for millions of low-income mothers, babies and young kids will emphasize more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. New rules to the WIC program were … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 4/9/24

Palestinians walk through the destruction in the wake of an Israeli air and ground offensive in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, April 8, 2024. Israel says it has withdrawn its last ground troops from the city, ending a four-month operation. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

The Latest | Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion, which US says would be a mistake

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade Rafah. In a video statement Monday, he declared: “It will happen. There is a date,” without elaborating. He spoke as … more

By The Associated Press | 4/9/24

The moon covers most of the the sun as it approaches the total solar eclipse, as seen from the summit of Saddleback Mountain, Monday, April 8, 2024, near Rangeley, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Can't get enough of the total solar eclipse or got clouded out? Here are the next ones to watch for

If you missed North America's total solar eclipse or if you caught the eclipse bug, there are more chances to see the sun disappear. Full solar eclipses happen about every year or two or three, due … more

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN | 4/9/24

Kristin Fritz, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Dr. Derrick Todd, poses for a portrait, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Portsmouth, N.H. Fritz and more than 200 women have accused Todd, a former rheumatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, of sexual abusing them by performing unnecessary pelvic and breast exams while under his care. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

More than 200 women and several men accuse doctor in lawsuit of sexual abuse, unnecessary exams

More than 200 women have accused a Massachusetts doctor in a lawsuit of sexual abusing them by performing unnecessary pelvic and breast exams. Former rheumatologist Dr. Derrick Todd is accused in the … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 4/9/24

FILE - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a speech at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Jan. 18, 2016. For conservative, anti-abortion Christians, former President Donald Trump delivered in four years what no other Republican before him had been able to do. He transformed the U.S. Supreme Court into a conservative majority that would go on to overturn Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Conservative Christians praise Trump's anti-abortion record but say he's stopped short of the goal

For conservative, anti-abortion Christians, former President Donald Trump delivered in four years what no other Republican before him had been able to do. He transformed the U.S. Supreme Court into a … more

By HOLLY MEYER and TIFFANY STANLEY | 4/8/24

Law enforcement responds to a shooting Monday, April 8, 2024 at a law office in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

3 dead, including suspect, after shooting inside Las Vegas law office, police say

Authorities say three people died Monday in a shooting inside a law office in the affluent Summerlin neighborhood of Las Vegas. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that the … more

Associated Press | 4/8/24

The moon covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

AP PHOTOS: Total solar eclipse sweeps across North America

DALLAS (AP) — Millions across North America witnessed the moon block out the sun during a total solar eclipse Monday. The eclipse’s path of totality stretched from Mazatlán, Mexico to … more

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN | 4/8/24

FILE - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gives remarks during a presentation at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, April 2, 2024. With his days as Republican leader now numbered, the Kentuckian is talking more freely about his priorities once he's no longer calling the shots for his party. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

McConnell, back in Kentucky, talks about life in the Senate after leaving longtime leadership post

For nearly two decades, Mitch McConnell’s only job uncertainty hinged on whether he’d serve as Senate majority or minority leader after the next election. With his days as Republican leader now … more

By BRUCE SCHREINER | 4/8/24

A sign for the Powerball jackpot is displayed at a 7-Eleven, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Winner in Portland: What AP knows about the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot so far

A lucky ticket-buyer in Oregon has won a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, which was the eighth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. Should the winner who matched all six numbers forgo the rarely … more

By MEAD GRUVER | 4/8/24

FILE - Kevin Costner arrives at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 7, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Kevin Costner’s multi-episode epic “Horizon, An American Saga” will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced Monday. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Kevin Costner's Western epic 'Horizon, An American Saga' will premiere at Cannes

Kevin Costner’s multi-episode epic “Horizon, An American Saga” will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced Monday. The first chapter of “Horizon” … more

By JAKE COYLE | 4/8/24

Emergency workers and police ride a boat during evacuations in a flooded street after parts of a dam burst, in Orsk, Russia on Monday, April 8, 2024. Floods caused by rising water levels in the Ural River broke a dam in a city near Russia's border with Kazakhstan, forcing some 2,000 people to evacuate, local authorities said. The dam broke in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region, less than 12.4 miles north of the border on Friday night, according to Orsk mayor Vasily Kozupitsa. (AP Photo)

Russians stage a rare protest after a dam bursts and homes flood near the Kazakh border

Russians in the city of Orsk gathered in a rare protest Monday calling for compensation following the collapse of a dam and subsequent flooding in the Orenburg region near the border with Kazakhstan. … more

The Associated Press | 4/8/24