National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - The Rev. K Karen, left, of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York joins other protesters in song and prayer outside the United Methodist Church's special session of the general conference in St. Louis, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Since 2019, the denomination has lost about one-fourth of its U.S. churches in breakup focused in large part on whether to accept same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy. (AP Photo/Sid Hastings, File)

United Methodists endorse change that could give regions more say on LGBTQ and other issues

United Methodist delegates have overwhelmingly endorsed a constitutional amendment seen by advocates as a way of defusing debates over the role of LGBTQ people in the church. It seeks to do that by … more

By PETER SMITH | 4/25/24

This image released by 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios shows Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in a scene from "Deadpool & Wolverine." (20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios via AP)

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is (almost) ready to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Shawn Levy is no novice when it comes to rumors around his projects. Years on “Stranger Things” taught him how to tune out the noise. Yet even he’s found himself astonished by the sheer amount … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/25/24

FILE - People walk through floodwater caused by heavy rain while waiting for transportation on Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 18, 2024. A new report says climate change played a role in the floods. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike, File)

Study says it's likely a warmer world made deadly Dubai downpours heavier

A new report says circumstantial evidence points to climate change as worsening the deadly deluge that flooded Dubai and surroundings. But scientists don't see the definitive fingerprints of … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 4/25/24

This handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, Jan 11, 2024, shows Timur Ivanov, deputy defense minister, in Moscow. Ivanov, a top Russian military official was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe, authorities said Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Ivanov, one of Russia's 12 deputy defense ministers, was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)

Third man is detained in a major bribery case that involves Russia's deputy defense minister

Moscow's court service says a third man has been detained in a major bribery case involving one of Russian's most senior defense officials. It says businessman Alexander Fomin is suspected of paying … more

The Associated Press | 4/25/24

FILE - A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, Thursday, May 18, 2023. According to provisional statistics for 2023 released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, April 25, 2024, U.S. births fell last year, in a substantial drop marking an apparent end to pandemic-related fluctuations and a return to a long-standing national decline. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

US births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts say

The number of U.S. births fell last year. It was the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before. The … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 4/25/24

FILE - The Federal Correctional Institution is seen in Dublin, Calif., Monday, April 15, 2024. Nearly all inmates have been transferred out of the troubled women's prison set to be shut down in California, and U.S. senators on Wednesday, April 24, demanded an accounting of the rapid closure plan for the facility where sexual abuse by guards was rampant. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)

Senators demand accounting of rapid closure plan for California prison where women were abused

Nearly all inmates have been transferred out of a troubled women’s prison set to be shut down in California. And U.S. senators on Wednesday were demanding an accounting of the rapid closure plan … more

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER | 4/24/24

Attorney Tommy Hastings, third from left, speaks on behalf of his and fellow attorney Gabe Sassin's clients during a press conference, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in The Woodland, Texas. Several relatives of patients who died while waiting for a new liver said Wednesday they want to know if their loved ones were wrongfully denied a transplant by Dr. Steve Bynon, a Houston doctor accused of manipulating the waitlist to make some patients ineligible to receive a new organ. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Relatives of those who died waiting for livers at now halted Houston transplant program seek answers

Several relatives of patients who died while awaiting a new liver say they want to know if their loved ones were wrongfully denied a transplant by a Houston doctor accused of manipulating a hospital … more

By JAMIE STENGLE | 4/24/24

FILE - A U.S. and Niger flag are raised side by side at the base camp for air forces and other personnel supporting the construction of Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, April 16, 2018. The United States is attempting to create a new military agreement with Niger that would allow it to remain in the country, weeks after the junta said its presence was no longer justified, two Western officials told The Associated Press Friday April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch, File)

No final decision on withdrawing US troops from Niger and Chad, top official tells AP

A top U.S. military official says there's been no final decision on whether or not all U.S. troops will leave Niger and Chad. Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement last month that allows U.S. … more

By TARA COPP | 4/24/24

FILE - Tabs of buprenorphine, a drug which controls heroin and opioid cravings, are photographed in Greenfield, Mass., on July 23, 2018. It’s easier than ever for doctors to prescribe buprenorphine, a gold standard medicine for opioid addiction, since the U.S. government lifted barriers in January 2023. But despite the looser restrictions and a continuing overdose crisis, a new study finds little change in the number of patients taking the medication, according to findings published Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

More doctors can prescribe a leading addiction treatment. Why aren't more people getting help?

A new study finds little change in the number of people taking a key medicine for opioid addiction even though it’s now easier for doctors to prescribe it. The findings were published Wednesday in … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 4/24/24

FILE - Flanked by family members, attorneys and supporters, Dexter Reed's mother, Nicole Banks, speaks to reporters outside the headquarters for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in West Town, Chicago, April 9, 2024. The family of the Chicago man killed during a traffic stop where plainclothes police officers fired their guns nearly 100 times filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday, April 24, 2024 accusing the department of “brutally violent” policing tactics. (Ashlee Rezin /Chicago Sun-Times via AP, file)

Family of man killed when Chicago police fired 96 times during traffic stop file wrongful death suit

The family of a Chicago man killed when plainclothes police officers fired their guns nearly 100 times during a traffic stop has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The 81-page federal complaint filed … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 4/24/24

Smoke rises after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The plane took off in the morning from Fairbanks International Airport. It crashed about 7 miles (11 kms.) from there and "slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river where it caught fire," according to Alaska State Troopers. (Gary Contento via AP)

Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash

A federal aviation official says one of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, Alaska. Clint … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 4/24/24

FILE - Ericka Lotts stands next to a poster of her son, Derontae Martin, from his high school football playing days, Sept. 17, 2021, at her home in Ferguson, Mo. Martin died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a rural Missouri home, not at the hands of the white homeowner who had a history of racist social media postings, an FBI official told The Associated Press on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)

2021 death of young Black man at rural Missouri home was self-inflicted, FBI tells AP

The FBI has determined that a young Black man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a rural Missouri home, not at the hands of the white homeowner who had a history of racist social media … more

By JIM SALTER | 4/24/24

FILE - Cows are seen at a dairy in California, Nov. 23, 2016. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday, April 23, 2024, that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Dairy cattle must be tested for bird flu before moving between states, agriculture officials say

U.S. agriculture officials say dairy cattle moving between states must be tested for the bird flu virus in an effort to track and control the growing outbreak. The move comes a day after federal … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 4/24/24

FILE - Second-grade students select their meals during their lunch break in the cafeteria, Dec. 12, 2022, at an elementary school in Scottsdale, Ariz. The nation's school meals will get a makeover under new nutrition standards that limit added sugars for the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Mariani, File)

USDA updates rules for school meals that limit added sugars for the first time

U.S. agriculture officials announced new nutrition standards for school meals that will limit added sugars for the first time. The Department of Agriculture issued final rules for the program that … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 4/24/24

From left, Lyudmila Navalnaya and Anatoly Navalny, parents of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and Navalny's mother-in-law Alla Abrosimova visit the grave of the late Russian opposition leader son on the fortieth day after his death as per Orthodox tradition at the Borisovskoye Cemetery, in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vitaly Smolnikov)

A Russian Orthodox priest who took part in services for Navalny is suspended by the patriarch

The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Chuch has suspended a priest who participated in services for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Dmitry Safronov took part in Navalny's funeral as well … more

By The Associated Press | 4/24/24

Top Russian military official appears in court on bribery charges

A top Russian military official arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe has been sent to pre-trial detention after appearing before a court in central Moscow. Timur Ivanov, 48, is one of … more

By The Associated Press | 4/24/24

FILE - The historic Arizona Capitol building stands, April 11, 2024, in Phoenix. Democrats in the Arizona House are expected on Wednesday, April 24, to make another attempt to repeal Arizona's near-total abortion ban, which the state's highest court says can be enforced. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Arizona Democrats attempt to repeal the state’s 19th century abortion ban

For a third straight week, Democrats at the Arizona Legislature are attempting to repeal the state’s near-total ban on abortions after a court concluded the state can enforce the long-dormant law … more

4/24/24

FILE - 155 mm M795 artillery projectiles are stacked during manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pa., Thursday, April 13, 2023. The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine within days if Congress passes a long-delayed aid bill. That's because it has a network of storage sites in the U.S. and Europe that already hold the ammunition and air defense components that Kyiv desperately needs. The House approved $61 billion in funding for the war-torn country Saturday, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

A look at what's in the $95 billion foreign aid package passed by the House

The $95 billion foreign aid package approved by the U.S. Congress provides military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenishes U.S. weapons systems and gives humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. … more

By The Associated Press | 4/23/24

Kathy Knight, left, of Madison, and Kathleen O'Beirne of Ridgeland, hold a sign urging lawmakers to fully fund a Mississippi Medicaid expansion plan, while Jack Reed Jr., a former Tupelo mayor and a long time northeast Mississippi businessman, right, joins a group of small business owners who urged the same during a Tuesday, April 23, 2024, news conference at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi lawmakers haggle over possible Medicaid expansion as their legislative session nears end

Top Mississippi lawmakers have started negotiating on what could become a landmark plan to expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands of people in one of the poorest states in the U.S. But even … more

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 4/23/24

A patient receives a Botox injection at a clinic in Arlington, Va., on June 5, 2009. On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about counterfeit Botox injections after more than 20 people got sick. All of the people told health officials that they got the shots from unlicensed individuals or in settings like homes or spas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

US health officials warn of counterfeit Botox injections

U.S. health officials are warning of counterfeit Botox injections after more than 20 people got sick. All of the people told health officials that they got the shots from unlicensed individuals or in … more

By DEVI SHASTRI | 4/23/24