National News - The Morning Sun

This photo provided by Brooke Comer on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, shows Athena, a 4-year-old German shepherd and husky mix, who returned home to her Florida family in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve 2024 by ringing the doorbell, ending a more than weeklong mass search among her community. (Brooke Comer via AP)

Missing dog returned to family home and rang the doorbell

Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her. Yet on Christmas Eve, … more

By STEPHANY MATAT | 12/27/24

FILE - This undated electron microscopic image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows two Influenza A (H5N1) virions, a type of bird flu virus. (Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC via AP, File)

Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and … more

By LAURA UNGAR | 12/27/24

FILE - This image made available by NASA shows an artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. It's designed to take solar punishment like never before, thanks to its revolutionary heat shield that's capable of withstanding 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,370 degrees Celsius). (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP, File)

NASA's Parker Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun's scorching surface

NASA has confirmed that a spacecraft has made the closest approach to the sun. Earlier this week, the Parker Solar Probe passed within a mere 3.8 million miles of the sun. Space agency officials … more

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN | 12/27/24

FILE - A worker does checks on battery storage pods at Orsted's Eleven Mile Solar Center lithium-ion battery storage energy facility, Feb. 29, 2024, in Coolidge, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Climate-friendly electricity sees big battery projects soar again for 2024

2024 was another banner year for a source of electricity that is better for people’s lungs, better for climate change and may be reaching your home now when you turn on the lights or turn up the … more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN and MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN | 12/27/24

Takeaways from AP's report on social safety nets in states that ban abortion

Recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press found states with restrictive abortion laws have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children. In Tennessee, people of childbearing … more

By LAURA UNGAR and KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 12/27/24

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

Azerbaijan's flag carrier suspends flights to more Russian cities following crash that killed 38

Azerbaijan’s flag carrier has announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports, citing potential flight safety risks following a crash of one of its planes that many experts have … more

By The Associated Press | 12/27/24

An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said early Thursday. The Israeli military said it had targeted a group of militants. (Production by Wafaa Shurafa)

Middle East latest: Houthi rebels fire missile at Israel hours after airstrikes on Yemen airport

Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired a missile at Israel hours after a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport as the World Health Organization’s director-general was about to board a … more

By The Associated Press | 12/27/24

FILE - Ricky Leath, an outreach specialist with the City of Miami, talks with Bei Zhao, right, as he works with the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust to distribute bottles of water and other supplies to the homeless population, helping them manage high temperatures, May 15, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Climate change added 41 days of dangerous heat around world in 2024

Scientists say human-caused climate change added an average of 41 days of dangerous heat worldwide in 2024. The analysis from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central comes after a year likely … more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN | 12/27/24

The option to play the $1.15 billion Mega Millions jackpot is seen on a self-serve terminal inside a gas station in Baltimore, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Another jackpot surpasses $1 billion. Is this the new normal?

Remember this moment because it probably won’t last: A U.S. lottery jackpot is projected to soar above $1 billion, and that's still a big deal. Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an … more

By BEN FINLEY | 12/27/24

Dancers perform during a Christmas ballet event in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

AP Week in Pictures

Dec. 20 - 26, 2024 This photo gallery, curated by photo editor Anita Baca, highlights some of the most compelling images worldwide made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. more

By The Associated Press | 12/26/24

There have been plenty of “firsts” in the history of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race which was first held in 1945. An all-Filipino crew of 15 sailors will make it another when the annual ocean classic begins in Sydney on Thursday. With veteran sailor Ernesto Echauz at the helm, Centennial 7 will embark on the 628-nautical mile (722 miles, 1,160 kilometers) race.

Organizers say two sailors have died in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race amid a stormy first night

Two sailors on separate boats have been killed in boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the annual Sydney to Hobart race, adding to the event’s long history of deaths at … more

By DENNIS PASSA | 12/26/24

Middle East latest: WHO chief says he was at Yemen airport as Israeli bombs fell nearby

The World Health Organization’s director-general said airstrikes on Yemen’s main airport occurred as he was about to board a flight in the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa. The Israeli military … more

By The Associated Press | 12/26/24

FILE - A sign marks Navajo Drive, as Sentinel Mesa stands in the distance in Oljato-Monument Valley, Utah on the Navajo Reservation, April 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Boy killed in Colorado reservation shooting was in bed when he was hit

A man has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a 7-year-old boy on a tribal reservation in Colorado earlier this month. Police on the Navajo Nation in Utah say 23-year-old Jeremiah Hight was taken … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN | 12/26/24

Vehicles make their way on a rain soaked highway in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel

A line of severe thunderstorms are firing up in Texas and could spark severe weather, including high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. Some flights were delayed or cancelled early Thursday at … more

12/26/24

Friday's Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion, one of the game's top jackpots

Americans still dreaming of a really big Christmas present can keep that dream alive during Friday’s Mega Millions drawing for a jackpot worth an estimated $1.15 billion. Friday’s jackpot will … more

By The Associated Press | 12/26/24

FILE - A sign is displayed at an electric vehicle charging station, March 8, 2024, in London, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

Five facts about electric vehicles in 2024

Here are a few takeaways on electric vehicles in 2024: As of November, the global EV market grew by 25% year-over-year. That is for both battery EVs plus hybrids that plug in but which also have a … more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN | 12/26/24

The home of the late Amada Cardenas, who was one of the first federally licensed peyote dealers, alongside her husband, to harvest and sell the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church, Monday, March 25, 2024, in Mirando City, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade

Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the … more

By DEEPA BHARATH and JESSIE WARDARSKI | 12/26/24

FILE - People walk past the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 26 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers

What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The … more

The Associated Press | 12/26/24

What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of 67 people on board

The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in … more

By The Associated Press | 12/26/24

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mount about its cause

Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the air crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the … more

By The Associated Press | 12/26/24