National News - The Morning Sun

Makoto Shinkai poses for a portrait to promote the film "Suzume" on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in New York. Shinkai was never the same filmmaker after the 2011 earthquake stuck Japan. His top three films since – "Your Name," "Weathering With You" and the new release "Suzume" -- have each tethered hugely emotional tales to ecological disaster. And they account for some of the biggest anime hits of all time. "Suzume" has already grossed more than $200 million. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

The anime hit 'Suzume' and Shinkai's cinema of cataclysm

Makoto Shinkai was never the same filmmaker after the 2011 earthquake stuck Japan. When the tsunami and quake ravaged the Tōhoku region of northern Japan and prompted a nuclear meltdown, Shinkai, a … more

By JAKE COYLE | 4/10/23

FILE - A sign reading "My body, my choice," is taped to a hanger taped to a streetlight in front of the Idaho state Capitol Building in Boise, Idaho, May 3, 2022. Abortion is banned in Idaho at all stages of pregnancy, but the governor on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 signed another law making it illegal to provide help within the state’s boundaries to minors seeking abortion without parental consent. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)

Next abortion battles may be among states with clashing laws

Since Roe v. Wade fell, states with strict abortion bans are trying to reach outside their borders to keep their residents from getting abortions in other states. But legal observers say there’s no … more

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and JOHN HANNA | 4/10/23

FILE - Mike Brennan, then-branch chief at the National Hurricane Center, gives an update on Hurricane Harvey as it moves toward the Texas coast, Aug. 25, 2017, in Miami. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration named Brennan as the new director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Brennan named new director for National Hurricane Center

The new director of the National Hurricane Center is a man with plenty of experience calling big storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday announced Mike Brennan will take … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 4/10/23

FILE - Hindu devotees listen to a religious leader at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela festival, in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Jan. 31, 2023. Demographers are unsure exactly when India will take the title as the most populous nation in the world because they're relying on estimates to make their best guess. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

When exactly will India surpass China as most populous?

India is surpassing China’s population this month. Or it may happen in July. Or, maybe it's happened already? Demographers are unsure when exactly India will take the title away from China as the … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and SIBI ARASU | 4/10/23

Thousands of Rutgers faculty go on unprecedented strike

Thousands of professors, part-time lecturers and graduate student workers at New Jersey’s flagship university have gone on strike — the first such job action in the school’s 257-year history. … more

4/10/23

Success Coach Latasha Wiley, left, helps first-year student Amare Porter, right, with her class schedule at Chattahoochee Valley Community College's advising center on Feb. 23, 2023, in Phenix City, Ala. At the school, the Strategies to Enhance New Student Engagement program, or SENSE, has counselors reach out to students. (Rebecca Griesbach/Press-Register via AP)

Academic coaches help students finish community college

Two-year community colleges, which serve many of the students who need the most support, have the lowest completion rates of any kind of university or college. The availability of advisers, students … more

By REBECCA GRIESBACH, AL.com | 4/10/23

FILE - Lynnette Williams holds a sign during a gathering at Second Baptist Church in Akron, Ohio, calling for justice for Jayland Walker, July 2, 2022. A grand jury in Ohio will hear evidence this week to decide whether police officers should face criminal charges in the shooting of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man whose death sparked protests in Akron last summer. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal via AP, File)

Grand jury weighs charges for police in Jayland Walker death

A grand jury in Ohio will hear evidence this week to decide whether police officers should face criminal charges in the shooting of Jayland Walker. The 25-year-old Black man’s death last summer … more

By JOHN SEEWER | 4/10/23

FILE - Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks before President Joe Biden about his infrastructure agenda while announcing funding to upgrade Philadelphia's water facilities and replace lead pipes, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at Belmont Water Treatment Center in Philadelphia. Casey said he’ll seek a fourth term, bringing unmatched name recognition in Pennsylvania politics to his party's defense of a seat in a presidential battleground state. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania to seek 4th term

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey says he’ll seek a fourth term, bringing unmatched name recognition in Pennsylvania politics to his party’s defense of a seat in a presidential battleground state. … more

By MARC LEVY | 4/10/23

FILE - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott arrives for the state's General Assembly's annual 90-day session, on Jan. 11, 2023, in Annapolis, Md. Scott has called for a summer curfew after two teenagers were shot at the city’s Inner Harbor area while police were attempting to break up a large crowd of minors Sunday night, April 9. Following the shooting, Scott announced his intention to implement a 9 p.m. curfew for anyone 14 years and younger and 10 p.m. for those younger than 17 during the forthcoming summer months. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Baltimore mayor calls for 'youth curfew' after 2 teens shot

The mayor of Baltimore has called for a summer curfew after two teenagers were shot while police were attempting to break up a large crowd of minors Sunday night. WBAL-TV reports a 14-year-old and a … more

By The Associated Press | 4/10/23

This image provided by the Houston Police Department shows Lydell Grant, a Houston man declared innocent in 2021 after being convicted in a fatal stabbing and serving seven years in prison. Grant has been charged with murder in the shooting a fellow motorist, police said. Grant is accused of killing Edwin Arevalo, 33, following a minor traffic collision Thursday, April 6, 2023, Houston police said. Police said Grant got out of his vehicle, shot Arvelo and then fled the scene. (Houston Police Department via AP)

Texan declared innocent in slaying now arrested in another

Police say a Houston man declared innocent in 2021 after being convicted in a fatal stabbing and serving seven years in prison has been charged with murder. Houston police say 46-year-old Lydell … more

4/9/23

Traffic is stopped due to snowy weather conditions on Route 93 South, Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Home-based workers became younger, more diverse in pandemic

People working from home became younger, more diverse, better educated and more likely to move during the COVID-19 pandemic. That's according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau released last … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 4/9/23

78-year-old bank heist suspect: 'I didn't mean to scare you'

A 78-year-old woman with two past bank robbery convictions faces new charges after authorities allege she handed a teller a note that said “I didn’t mean to scare you” during a recent Missouri … more

4/9/23

This image released by Nintendo and Universal Studios shows Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, left, and Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day in Nintendo's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." (Nintendo and Universal Studios via AP)

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is a box office smash

Audiences said let’s go to the movie theater for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” this weekend. The animated offering from Universal and Illumination powered up with $204.6 million in its first … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/9/23

AMA's first gay president to take over at tumultuous time

The first openly gay person to lead the American Medical Association takes the reins at a fractious time for U.S. health care. The rights of transgender patients and those seeking abortion care are … more

By LINDSEY TANNER | 4/9/23

FILE - Union leaders address thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members during a rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. In an agreement announced Saturday, April 8, Los Angeles Unified School District workers approved a labor deal following a massive three-day strike over wages and staffing that halted education for students in one of the nation's largest school systems. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

After strike, LA school district workers approve labor deal

Los Angeles Unified School District workers have approved a contract to increase wages and provide better benefits for staffers after a three-day strike last month. The contract still needs to be … more

4/8/23

AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT

Biden sports plan angers transgender advocates, opponents A Biden administration proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes sparked outrage from conservative leaders while also angering … more

4/8/23

FILE - This combination of photos shows the path of the sun during a total eclipse by the moon Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, near Redmond, Ore. Itâs only a year until a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America. On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging millions of people into midday darkness. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

One year until total solar eclipse sweeps US

NEW YORK (AP) — Dust off your eclipse glasses: It's only a year until a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America. On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the … more

By MADDIE BURAKOFF AP Science Writer | 4/8/23

Three arrested for deadly Oklahoma City biker gang shootout

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Three men have been arrested in connection with a fatal shootout between rival motorcycle gangs at an Oklahoma City bar, according to police. Affidavits filed against the three … more

Staff Reports / [email protected] | 4/8/23

Sheriff: Man fatally shot by deputies in southwest Missouri

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A man was fatally shot Friday morning by deputies in southwest Missouri who responded to a convenience store theft near Springfield, the Greene County Sheriff's Office … more

4/8/23

Today in History: April 8, Hank Aaron hits 715th homer

Today in History Today is Saturday, April 8, the 98th day of 2023. There are 267 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta … more

By The Associated Press | 4/8/23