National Business - The Morning Sun

File--- File photo shows German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, right, welcoming Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Berlin, Germany, Thursday Sept. 8, 2005. (AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski,file)

German ex-leader Schroeder loses privileges over Russia ties

Germany’s three governing parties plan to strip former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of his office and staff after he maintained and defended his long-standing ties with Russia despite the war in … more

5/18/22

Jason Aguilar, left, a senior pastor at Arise Church, comforts Billy Chang, a 67-year-old Taiwanese pastor who survived Sunday's shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church, during a prayer vigil in Irvine, Calif., Monday, May 16, 2022. Authorities say a Chinese-born gunman was motivated by hatred against Taiwan when he chained shut the doors of the church and hid firebombs before opening fire on a gathering of mainly of elderly Taiwanese parishioners. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

EXPLAINER: What's behind difficult Taiwan-China relations?

U.S. authorities say the gunman behind an attack on a church in southern California in which one person was killed and five injured was motivated by a hatred for Taiwan. Although born in Taiwan, … more

5/18/22

FILE - Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint near the U..S embassy that was previously manned by American troops, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. A new report says decisions by Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan were the key factors in the collapse of that nation's military, leading to the Taliban takeover last year. (AP Photo, File)

Watchdog: US troop pullout was key factor in Afghan collapse

A new report says decisions by Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan were the key factors in the collapse of that nation’s military, leading to the … more

By LOLITA C. BALDOR | 5/17/22

FILE - Kentucky state Sen. Morgan McGarvey holds a state map showing infection rate of COVID-19 among Kentucky counties during the opening day of the Kentucky State Legislature special session in Frankfort, Ky., Sept. 7, 2021. McGarvey won the May 17, 2022, Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat in Kentucky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Establishment pick wins primary for only blue Kentucky seat

An establishment-backed state lawmaker has won the Democratic primary for Kentucky’s only Democrat-held U.S. House seat. Morgan McGarvey defeated an activist who drew national attention during … more

By BRIAN SLODYSKO | 5/17/22

This image released by ABC shows Nathan Fillion, left, and Niecy Nash-Betts in a scene from "The Rookie." Nash-Betts will star in the series spinoff “The Rookie: Feds,” as the oldest newcomer in the FBI academy. (Raymond Liu/ABC via AP)

Nielsen list illustrates power of franchises for networks

Broadcast television networks, inundated with competition from cable and streaming services, have learned the power of franchises. Last week's Nielsen company list is a stark reminder: 12 of the 20 … more

By DAVID BAUDER | 5/17/22

FILE - Former Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn gestures at a news conference in Medford, Mass., March 15, 2016. An effort by Nevada casino regulators to impose a $500,000 fine and discipline former Las Vegas casino mogul Wynn over allegations of workplace sexual misconduct had new life Friday, April 1, 2022, after a state Supreme Court decision in a jurisdictional question. Wynn denies all allegations against him. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

US sues casino mogul Steve Wynn over relationship with China

The Justice Department is suing longtime Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn to compel him to register as a foreign agent because of lobbying work he performed at the behest of the Chinese government … more

By ERIC TUCKER | 5/17/22

An employee walks near empty shelves where baby formula would normally be located at a CVS in New Orleans on Monday, May 16, 2022. President Joe Biden's administration has announced new steps to ease the national shortage of baby formula, including allowing more imports from overseas. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

House Dems propose $28 million to address formula shortage

House Democrats have unveiled a $28 million emergency spending bill to address the shortage of infant formula in the United States. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, … more

By KEVIN FREKING | 5/17/22

FILE - This Nov. 3, 2008 file photo shows one of Pacific Gas and Electric's Diablo Canyon Power Plant's nuclear reactors in Avila Beach, Calif. Facing possible electricity shortages, California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised the possibility that the state's sole remaining nuclear power plant might continue operating beyond a planned closing by 2025, an idea that could revive a decades-old fight over earthquake safety at the site. Dozens of environmental and anti-nuclear groups are opposing an extension of the plant's life. (AP Photo/Michael A. Mariant, File)

Environmental groups oppose longer life for CA nuclear plant

Dozens of environmental and anti-nuclear organizations are opposing any attempt to extend the operating life of California's last running nuclear power plant. A coalition that includes San Luis … more

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD | 5/17/22

Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve, Wednesday, May 4, 2022 in Washington. The Federal Reserve intensified its drive to curb the worst inflation in 40 years by raising its benchmark short-term interest rate by an sizable half-percentage point. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Powell: Fed to keep hiking rates until it controls inflation

Chair Jerome Powell underscored the Federal Reserve’s determination to keep raising interest rates until it has brought inflation under control — a high-stakes effort that carries the risk of … more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER | 5/17/22

FILE - An experimental autonomous vehicle arrives for a drop-off, Dec. 8, 2020, in Miami Beach, Fla. The autonomous vehicle technology company that partners with Ford and Volkswagen says it has started driverless operations in two of eight cities where it is developing its technology. Pittsburgh-based Argo AI has pulled drivers from its autonomous cars in Miami and Austin, though it is still in the testing phase. Its commercial partnerships with Walmart and Lyft still have backup drivers in both cities. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald via AP)

Argo touts driverless operations in Miami and Austin, Texas

An autonomous vehicle technology company that partners with Ford and Volkswagen says it has started driverless operations in two of eight cities where it is developing its technology. … more

5/17/22

Republican Senate candidates promote 'replacement' theory

A half-dozen mainstream Republican Senate candidates are drawing on the white “replacement" conspiracy theory to court voters this campaign season. Those Republicans promote the baseless notion … more

By STEVE PEOPLES | 5/17/22

FILE - An Abbott Laboratories manufacturing plant is shown in Sturgis, Mich., on Sept. 23, 2010. In mid-February 2022, Abbott announced it was recalling various lots of three powdered infant formulas from the plant, after federal officials began investigating rare bacterial infections in four babies who got the product. Two of the infants died. But it's not certain the bacteria came from the plant; strains found at the plant didn't match the two available samples from the babies. (Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal via AP, File)

EXPLAINER: What we know about shuttered baby formula plant

Many questions remain about the shuttered Abbott baby formula plant at the center of a nationwide shortage. Although U.S. officials have a deal with Abbott to restart production, it’s not yet clear … more

By MATTHEW PERRONE | 5/17/22

This photo provided by Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, shows Mykhailo Fedorov, vice prime minister of Ukraine and minister of digital transformation. The Ukrainian government is marrying some digital marketing tools with crowdfunding and other incentives for giving to keep global attention trained on its war efforts against the Russian invasion. “There is a wave and there is this kind of euphoria, but then it abates," Fedorov, told The Associated Press, Wednesday, May 11, 2022 during an interview. (Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine via AP)

Ukraine's crowdfunding aims to keep donors' interest in war

Ukraine is marrying some digital marketing tools with crowdfunding and other incentives for giving to keep global attention trained on its war efforts against the Russian invasion. Ukrainian … more

By THALIA BEATY | 5/17/22

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, is interviewed, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. Sturgeon spoke to the Associated Press Tuesday on her first US visit since the COVID lockdown. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The AP Interview: Scottish leader pushes independence, NATO

Scotland's leader says the Russian war in Ukraine only makes Scotland’s drive for independence from U.K. more important. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on her … more

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and ANNA JOHNSON | 5/17/22

FILE - The scene of a fatality car crash, June 2, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. (Tanner Laws/Tulsa World via AP, File)

Nearly 43,000 people died on US roads last year, agency says

Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the highways after the pandemic forced many to stay at home. Traffic deaths rose … more

By TOM KRISHER | 5/17/22

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, and Vice President Kamala Harris, left, listen as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis delivers remarks to a joint session of Congress, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Greek's leader tells Congress democracy is tested by Russia

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says democracy is being tested with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Greek leader spoke to a joint meeting of the Congress. Mitsotakis is in Washington to … more

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER | 5/17/22

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson with a Mark 3 shoulder launch LML (Lightweight Multiple Launcher) missile system, at Thales weapons manufacturer in Belfast, Monday May 16, 2022, during a visit to Northern Ireland. Johnson said there would be “a necessity to act” if the EU doesn't agree to overhaul post-Brexit trade rules that he says are destabilizing Northern Ireland's delicate political balance. Johnson held private talks with the leaders of Northern Ireland's main political parties, urging them to get back to work. (Liam McBurney/Pool via AP)

UK raises stakes in EU feud with threat to break Brexit deal

The British government says it will pass a law to scrap parts of the trade treaty it signed with the European Union less than two years ago. The move dramatically escalates a fight with the EU over … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 5/17/22

FILE - A shopper pushes a child in a cart while browsing big-screen televisions on display in the electronics section of a Costco warehouse, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Lone Tree, Colo. U.S. retail sales rose 0.9% in April, a solid increase that underscores Americans’ ability to keep ramping up spending even as inflation persists at nearly a 40-year high. The Commerce Department said Tuesday, May 17, that the increase was driven by greater sales of cars, electronics, and at restaurants. Even adjusting for inflation, which was 0.3% on a monthly basis in April, sales increased. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Retail sales rise 0.9% in April as consumers show resilience

U.S. retail sales rose 0.9% in April, a solid increase that underscores Americans’ ability to keep ramping up spending even as inflation persists at nearly a 40-year high. The Commerce Department … more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER | 5/17/22

U.S Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, right, talks to Holocaust survivor, Marian Turski, while attending a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the Ghetto Heroes Monument in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk)

Yellen warns Europeans about working with China, urges unity

Even as Western allies grapple with how to counter Russia’s assault on Ukraine, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning that they also must take a wary and united approach to checking China … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 5/17/22

Police officers man a barricade at the entrance to the Sri Lankan parliament in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Censure vote vs Sri Lankan leader fails as crisis simmers

Sri Lanka’s ruling party has defeated a move in Parliament to urgently debate a motion censuring President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the nation’s worst economic crisis. The prime minister said Sri … more

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI | 5/17/22