National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald watches his team during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers in Evanston, Ill., Oct. 16, 2021. Northwestern has fired Fitzgerald Monday, July 10, 2023, amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership of the program and damaged the university's reputation after it mishandled its response to the allegations. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Northwestern joins long list of American universities with a scandal in athletics

Northwestern has been added to a long list of American universities to face a scandal in athletics and may eventually join the trend of making large payouts following allegations of sexual abuse. A … more

By The Associated Press | 7/18/23

FILE - This Aug. 27, 2014 file photo shows a statue outside of the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 upheld the constitutionality of a state law ending cash bail, ordering implementation in mid-September. The ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, file)

Illinois is first state to eliminate cash bail, a penalty affecting low-income communities most

Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail on Tuesday. The state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of the law abolishing … more

By JOHN O'CONNOR | 7/18/23

This web camera image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a low-level ash plume from the Shishaldin Volcano captured on Tuesday, July 18, 2023. An ongoing eruption of a remote volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands produced an ash cloud so large Tuesday warnings were sent to pilots about potentially dangerous conditions.(Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey via AP)

Alaska volcano's week-long eruption spews another massive ash cloud

An ongoing eruption of a remote volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands produced an ash cloud so large Tuesday warnings were sent to pilots about potentially dangerous conditions. The ash cloud with … more

7/18/23

A hiker photographs the sun rising over the Valley atop South Mountain, Monday, July 17, 2023 Phoenix. Phoenix is set to break its own record for consecutive days of highs of at least 110 degrees. Around one-third of Americans are under some type of heat advisory, with the most blistering temperatures in the South and West, where even the regular simmer has turned up a notch. (AP Photo/Matt York)

A look at how the desert city of Phoenix copes with summer heat

This summer’s punishing heat wave has baked much of the U.S. in sweat-soaked misery. The country’s preeminent desert city has long sweltered through such brutal heat. And there are lessons to be … more

By ALINA HARTOUNIAN | 7/18/23

This image provided by the Canadian Museum of Nature shows entangled dinosaur and mammal skeletons. The scale bar equals 10 cm. The unusual fossil from China suggests some early mammals may have hunted down dinosaur meat for dinner. The fossil shows a badger-like creature chomping down on a beaky dinosaur three times its size. The research published on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, adds to growing evidence that even when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, some mammals were biting back. (Gang Han/Canadian Museum of Nature via AP)

Mammals may have hunted down dinosaurs for dinner, rare fossil suggests

An unusual find in China suggests some early mammals may have hunted dinosaur for dinner. The fossil shows a badgerlike creature chomping down on a small, beaked dinosaur, their skeletons … more

By MADDIE BURAKOFF | 7/18/23

FILE - Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet speaks during a press conference ahead of the Google DeepMind Challenge Match in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Patrick Collison, the now 34-year-old billionaire CEO of online payment company Stripe, and his brother, John — a Stripe co-founder — and economist Tyler Cowen raised more than $50 million from some of the biggest names in tech: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and Peter Thiel. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, also gave through their philanthropies. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Quick grants from tech billionaires aim to speed up science research. But not all scientists approve

Patrick Collison, the now 34-year-old billionaire CEO of the online payments company Stripe, and economist Tyler Cowen worried scientific progress seemed to be slowing down. They wanted to chage … more

By EDEN STIFFMAN of The Chronicle of Philanthropy | 7/18/23

A sign for SLB, formerly Schlumberger, is displayed at the building on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Houston. Major American providers, the largest being SLB, of oilfield services supplied Russia with millions of dollars in equipment for months after its invasion of Ukraine, helping to sustain a critical part of its economy even as Western nations launched sanctions aimed at starving the Russian war effort. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Top US firms supplied equipment to keep Russian oil flowing after Ukraine invasion

America's top oilfield services companies sold millions of dollars in vital oil equipment to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. The largest, SLB, maintained and even grew its business after others … more

By ED DAVEY | 7/18/23

Shoppers glide past a display of big-screen televisions in a Costco warehouse on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Sheridan, Colo. On Tuesday, July 18, the Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for June. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Americans increase spending modestly in June as inflation eases and the job market remains strong

Americans increased their spending modestly last month as inflation eased in many areas and the job market remains remarkably strong. Retail sales rose 0.2% from May to June, following a revised 0.5% … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, PAUL WISEMAN and DEE-ANN DURBIN | 7/18/23

Gray Tarry, bottom left, an archeological field technician for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, digs on an archeological excavation site in Kisatchie National Forest, La., Wednesday, June 7, 2023. This summer, archaeologists have been gingerly digging up the ground at the site in Vernon Parish to unearth and preserve the evidence of prehistoric occupation. The site was found by surveyors in 2003, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Hurricanes Laura and Delta uprooted trees and exposed some of the artifacts. Further damage has been done by looters making unauthorized digs. Forest officials say the site shows evidence of generations of people living in the area going back 12,000 years. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Archaeologists in Louisiana save artifacts dating back 12,000 years from natural disasters, looters

Archaeologists have been gingerly digging up the ground at a site in central Louisiana this summer to unearth and preserve evidence of prehistoric occupation. The U.S. Forest Service.says the site in … more

By STEPHEN SMITH and KEVIN McGILL | 7/18/23

No injuries as jetliner's evacuation slide falls in Chicago neighborhood near O'Hare, officials say

Authorities say an emergency evacuation slide fell from an airliner and landed in the backyard of a home near Chicago's O’Hare International Airport on Monday. There were no reports of injuries. … more

7/17/23

Phoenix's long simmering heat poised to break records for relentless high temperatures

A relentless, dangerous streak of temperatures hitting 110 degrees or more is poised to smash a record for Phoenix and for major U.S. cities showing that Earth’s summer swelter is as persistent as … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN and ANITA SNOW | 7/17/23

Activist Hannah Riley works on her laptop at Muchacho, a local taco restaurant, while gathering signatures from fellow voters, in Atlanta, Thursday, July 13, 2023. Organizers are trying to force a referendum that would allow voters to decide the fate of a proposed police and training center, but attorneys for the city say the petition drive is invalid. (AP Photo/R.J. Rico)

Atlanta petition drive to stop 'Cop City' is 'futile,' city's attorneys argue

Attorneys for the city of Atlanta say an ongoing petition drive to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training center is “futile” and “invalid." In a court filing Monday, city … more

By R.J. RICO | 7/17/23

Citing Trump case, Pentagon leak suspect Teixeira urges judge to release him while he awaits trial

The Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of leaking secret military papers is challenging a judge’s decision that he remain behind bars. Jack Teixeira is pointing to the pretrial release … more

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER | 7/17/23

FILE - A Portland police vehicle is parked at a crime scene in Portland, Ore., on March 12, 2014. Authorities in Oregon say the deaths of four women whose bodies were found over three months starting in February 2023, with the last one found in May, are linked and that at least one person of interest has been identified. In Portland, the Multnomah County District Attorney's office says no charges have been filed against anyone but added that the community is not currently in any danger. (Mike Zacchino/The Oregonian via AP, File)

Deaths of four Oregon women over three months are linked, authorities say

Authorities in Oregon say the deaths of four women whose bodies were found over three months are linked and that at least one person of interest has been identified. In Portland, the Multnomah County … more

By ANDREW SELSKY | 7/17/23

A Star of David hangs from a fence outside the dormant landmark Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Thursday, July 13, 2023, the day a federal jury announced they had found Robert Bowers, who in 2018 killed 11 people at the synagogue, eligible for the death penalty. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Jurors weighing fate of Pittsburgh synagogue killer hear of the devastation he left behind

A prosecutor is asking jurors to impose a death sentence on the gunman who killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, saying Robert Bowers targeted them because of their faith and has never … more

7/17/23

A youth jumps in the water to cool off on a sweltering hot day in the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, July 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

AP PHOTOS: Around the world, millions feel the heat of an unrelenting summer

Heat records are being shattered all over the world and the summer swelter keeps coming. Around one-third of Americans are under some type of heat advisory, with the most blistering temperatures … more

By The Associated Press | 7/17/23

In this handout photo taken from video released by Investigative Committee of Russia on Monday, July 17, 2023, investigators work at an automobile link of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait not far from Kerch, Crimea. Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia's mainland was halted on Monday, July 17, after reports of explosions that Crimean officials said were from a Ukrainian attack. (Investigative Committee of Russia via AP)

The bridge that links Russia to Crimea is key to supplying the Ukraine war and for asserting control

The bridge connecting Russia-annexed Crimea to Russia carries heavy significance for Moscow both logistically and psychologically, as a key artery for Russian military and civilian supplies bound for … more

The Associated Press | 7/17/23

In this photo taken from video released by Belarusian Defense Ministry via VoenTV on Friday, July 14, 2023, Belarusian soldiers attend a training by mercenary fighters from Wagner private military company near Tsel village, about 90 kilometers (about 55 miles) southeast of Minsk, Belarus. Mercenary fighters from the Wagner private military company are training Belarusian soldiers in Belarus, the country's Defense Ministry said Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he offered the Wagner private military company the option of continuing to serve as a single unit under their same commander. (Belarusian Defense Ministry via VoenTV via AP)

Flying Russian flags, more Wagner troops roll into Belarus as part of deal that ended their mutiny

More mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner military contractor have rolled into Belarus, continuing their relocation to the ex-Soviet nation following last month’s short-lived mutiny. Belaruski Hajun, … more

By The Associated Press | 7/17/23

This photo released by Ostorozhno Novosti on Monday, July 17, 2023, reportedly shows damaged parts of an automobile link of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait not far from Kerch, Crimea. Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia's mainland was halted on Monday, July 17, after reports of explosions that Crimean officials said were from a Ukrainian attack.(Ostorozhno Novosti via AP)

Traffic on key bridge from Crimea to Russia's mainland halted after attack that kills 2

Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland has been halted after one of its sections was blown up in what Russian officials say was a Ukrainian attack that also killed a … more

By The Associated Press | 7/17/23

In this image from video provided by the U.S. Senate, Aileen M. Cannon speaks remotely during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight nomination hearing to be U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on July 29, 2020, in Washington. The judge presiding over the federal prosecution of former President Donald Trump, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, takes the bench in the case for the first time this week as she and lawyers for both sides discuss the procedures for handling classified information in the case. (U.S. Senate via AP)

Judge in Trump documents case under the spotlight as arguments near

A month after former President Donald Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents, the judge presiding over the case is set to take on a more visible role as she weighs competing requests … more

By ERIC TUCKER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 7/17/23