National News - The Morning Sun

This image released by Studio Ghibli shows poster art for "The Boy and the Heron" by director Hayao Miyazaki. The film will be the opening night presentation for the 48th Toronto International Film Festival. (Studio Ghibli via AP)

Hayao Miyazaki's 'The Boy and the Heron' to open Toronto Film Festival

“The Boy and the Heron,” the first film in a decade by Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki, will open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, organizers announced Thursday. The … more

By JAKE COYLE | 7/27/23

A hiring sign is displayed at a retail store in Vernon Hills, Ill., Monday, June 12, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Weekly US applications for jobless benefits slide to lowest level in 5 months

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits slid last week to its lowest level in five months, further evidence that the U.S. labor market continues to defy the Federal Reserve’s attempts … more

By MATT OTT | 7/27/23

Supporters of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum demonstrate in his support in Niamey, Niger, Wednesday July 26 2023. Governing bodies in Africa condemned what they characterized as a coup attempt Wednesday against Niger's president, whose official Twitter account reported that elements of the presidential guard engaged in an "anti-Republican demonstration" and tried to obtain the support of other security forces. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

How the attempted coup in Niger could expand the reach of extremism, and Wagner, in West Africa

Until Wednesday’s coup attempt in Niger, the United States' security ally had avoided the military takeovers that destabilized West African neighbors in recent years. It was seen as the last major … more

By The Associated Press | 7/27/23

FILE - An aircraft passes a sign at a shell petrol station in London, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Shell has reported that it earned nearly $5.1 billion in the second quarter. That's nearly half what the oil and natural gas giant pulled in during the first three months of the year as energy prices have plunged. The British energy company said Thursday, July 27, 2023 that its adjusted earnings followed lower oil and gas prices, production and trading. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Shell earnings top $5 billion. But that's nearly half what it pulled in months ago

Shell has reported that it earned nearly $5.1 billion in the second quarter. That's nearly half what the oil and natural gas giant pulled in during the first three months of the year as energy prices … more

7/27/23

FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk prior to the Supreme State Council of the Union State Russia-Belarus meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 6, 2023. Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto the doorstep of NATO’s members in Central and Eastern Europe. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling

Sometime this summer, if President Vladimir Putin can be believed, Russia moved some of its short-range nuclear weapons into Belarus, closer to Ukraine and onto the doorstep of NATO’s members in … more

By The Associated Press | 7/27/23

A person drinks a bottle of water in the shade as temperatures are expected to hit 119-degrees (48.3 Celsius) Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Explaining the latest heat-associated deaths confirmed amid record highs in Arizona's largest county

Health officials in America’s hottest big metro are reporting that another seven heat-associated deaths were confirmed over the last week amid a blistering heat wave. It has people struggling with … more

By ANITA SNOW | 7/26/23

FILE - A notification for sesame is printed under the ingredient list on a bag of hot dog buns in New York, on Dec. 21, 2022. Food manufacturers who deliberately add sesame to their products and include it on the labels are not violating a new federal law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Sesame is being newly added to some foods. The FDA says it doesn't violate a allergy law

Food manufacturers who deliberately add sesame to their products and include it on their labels are not violating a new federal allergy law. That's according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 7/26/23

FILE - The sun rises over fishing boats in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 8, 2022, off of Kennebunkport, Maine. A system of ocean currents that carries heat northward across the North Atlantic could collapse during this century, according to a new study, and scientists have said before such a collapse could cause catastrophic sea-level rise and extreme weather across the globe. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Ocean currents vital for distributing heat could collapse by mid-century, study says

A system of ocean currents that transports heat northward across the North Atlantic could collapse this century, according to a new study. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has been … more

BY DREW COSTLEY | 7/26/23

FILE - Workers load grain at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023. NATO said Wednesday July 26, 2023, it was stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia’s exit from a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko, File)

NATO will step up security in Black Sea region after Russia declares parts are unsafe for shipping

NATO says it's stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia’s exit from a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea. The announcement came … more

By The Associated Press | 7/26/23

An investigation has been launched into why an Ohio officer allowed his police dog to attack a truck driver who was surrendering with his hands raised, despite State Highway Patrol troopers urging the officer to hold the dog back. (July 24)

Ohio officer fired after letting his police dog attack a surrendering truck driver

An Ohio police department has fired an officer who released his police dog on a surrendering truck driver even after state troopers told him to hold the dog back. A statement issued Wednesday by … more

By PATRICK ORSAGOS, BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI and SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON | 7/26/23

FILE - This rendering provided by Clark County, Nev., on June 2, 2023, shows one of five potential designs for a permanent memorial to be built on the Las Vegas Strip in honor of the victims, survivors and first responders of the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting that left 60 dead and hundreds more injured at a country music festival in Las Vegas. The rampage was the deadliest mass shooting in modern America. On Wednesday, July 26, the Clark County 1 October Memorial Committee announced a final design for the permanent memorial. It's depicted in this rendering, which features 58 towering beams designed to look like candles. (Courtesy of Clark County via AP, File)

Design for Las Vegas Strip mass shooting memorial features a garden path and 58 beams of light

A design for a permanent memorial to the 2017 Las Vegas Strip mass shooting has been chosen after more than three years of planning. The Clark County 1 October Memorial Committee announced the top … more

By RIO YAMAT | 7/26/23

FILE - Forensic scientist Henry Lee testifies during a murder trial on Sept. 15, 2003, in Durham, N.C. A federal judge on Friday, July 21, 2023, has found famed forensic scientist Henry Lee liable for fabricating evidence in a murder case that sent two men to prison, one for more than three decades, for a crime they did not commit. (Bill Willcox/The Herald-Sun via AP, Pool)

Forensic scientist Henry Lee defends work after being found liable for falsifying evidence

Forensic scientist Henry Lee is defending his work after a court ruling found him liable for fabricating evidence in a Connecticut murder trial that sent two innocent men to prison for decades. … more

By PAT EATON-ROBB | 7/26/23

People stand by cases of bottled water as the City of Germantown gives them out to residents on Monday, July 24, 2023 at Forest Hill Elementary School in Germantown, Tenn. Residents of the Tennessee city were told that diesel fuel spilled into a local reservoir, and to avoid drinking tap water. People remain under an order Wednesday, July 26 to avoid using water for everything except flushing toilets. They can’t drink or boil tap water, or use it showering or bathing. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP)

6 days after fuel spill reported, most in Tennessee city still can't drink the tap water

It’s been six days since residents of a Tennessee city were told that diesel fuel spilled into a local reservoir, and most of them still can’t drink their tap water. Many of the 40,000 people who … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 7/26/23

Natural gas burns on a kitchen stove in Atlantic City N.J., Thursday, July 26, 2023. Government pushes to move buildings and vehicles away from burning fossil fuels to help address climate change are generating pushback in New Jersey and around the nation, with opponents worried about the cost of switching. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Clean energy push in New Jersey, elsewhere met with warnings the government is coming for your stove

New Jersey is pushing an ambitious agenda to move its 9 million residents away from natural gas and gasoline to heat their homes and power their cars, in favor of electricity to do the job of both. … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 7/26/23

Emergency responders battle flames as a large construction crane caught fire in Manhattan on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in New York. The crane caught fire and its arm hit a building as it crashed to the street below. (WABC via AP)

New York construction crane catches fire, and its arm hits skyscraper as it crashes to street

A fire on a tall construction crane in Manhattan has caused its arm to hit a building as it crashed to the street below. Photos and videos posted on social media show flames bursting from the car of … more

7/26/23

FILE - A Mega Millions wagering slip is held in Cranberry Township, Pa., Jan. 12, 2023. The huge $820 million Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs Tuesday, July 25, 2023, is the eighth-largest U.S. lottery prize.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Mega Millions jackpot rises to $910 million after no one wins top prize

The Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $910 million after a drawing without a winner extended a stretch of bad luck dating back to April. The numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 3, 5, 6, 44, … more

7/26/23

A boat that washed ashore on Oahu sits on a beach in Punaluu, Hawaii on Monday, July 24, 2023. The boat that washed ashore in Hawaii last week has been identified as belonging to a California mariner who ran into trouble while sailing from San Diego to Guadalupe, Mexico, seven months ago. (Nikki Schenfeld/KHON-TV via AP)

A man tried to sail from California to Mexico. He was rescued, but abandoned boat drifted to Hawaii

A boat that washed ashore in Hawaii has been identified as belonging to a California mariner who ran into trouble while sailing from San Diego to Mexico. KHON-TV reports the U.S. Coast Guard … more

7/25/23

In this image provide by NOAA, the sun shines on coral showing sign of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023. Scientists have seen devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida — coral bleaching and some death. (Andrew Ibarra/NOAA via AP)

Water at tip of Florida hits hot tub level, may have set world record for warmest seawater

The water temperature on the tip of Florida hit hot tub levels, exceeding 100 degrees (37.8 degrees Celsius) two days in a row, which meteorologists say could potentially be the hottest seawater ever … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 7/25/23

FILE - A Chase bank branch is seen through glass on Jan. 11, 2016, in New York. An unexplained outage at Chase Bank Tuesday, July 25, 2023, has led to interruptions for users of the Zelle payment network, who took to social media to complain. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Unexplained outage at Chase Bank leads to interruptions at Zelle payment network

An unexplained outage at Chase Bank led to interruptions for users of the Zelle payment network, who took to social media to complain. Zelle said on Twitter that its network is functioning normally … more

By The Associated Press | 7/25/23

A person tries to cool off in the shade Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Phoenix could get a mild break from the extreme heat, as record spell nears the 30-day mark

Longtime Phoenix residents know that sweltering Julys are to be expected, but no one could have predicted the brutal heat wave that has enveloped the country’s fifth largest city this summer. … more

By WALTER BERRY and TERRY TANG | 7/25/23