National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Law enforcement officers work at the scene of a deadly crash in Holtville, Calif. A federal judge on Thursday, July 13, 2023, sentenced the man who coordinated stashing nearly two dozen migrants into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer killing 13 people. Jose Cruz Noguez was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges stemming from the March 2, 2021, crash near the California desert town of Holtville. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Man convicted of setting up smuggling trip that killed 13 in California gets 15 years in prison

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the man who coordinated stashing nearly two dozen migrants into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer, killing 13 people. Jose Cruz Noguez was … more

By JULIE WATSON | 7/13/23

FILE - Protesters hold signs as they march during a protest over the death of George Floyd in Chicago, May 30, 2020. Minneapolis must enact police reforms in the wake of George Floyd's murder under a settlement agreement with the state Human Rights Department approved by a local judge Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Judge approves Minneapolis police reform deal forged after George Floyd's killing

Minneapolis must make policing changes under a newly approved settlement reached in the wake of George Floyd's killing. The Star Tribune reported that a state judge on Thursday approved the … more

7/13/23

FILE - A Capitol Police SUV is parked across the street from the Hinds County Courthouse, left, and the main offices of the Jackson Police Department, right, in downtown Jackson, Miss., Feb. 13, 2023. On Wednesday, July 12, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Latasha Smith, a Mississippi woman who says she was hit by a stray police bullet while lying in bed. Smith was in bed when an officer from the state-run Capitol Police fired several bullets at a suspect running through her Jackson apartment complex, according to her federal complaint. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

A stray bullet hit a woman lying in bed. A federal judge dismissed her lawsuit against police

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi woman who says she was hit by a stray police bullet while lying in bed. Latasha Smith says she was in bed on Dec. 11 when an officer … more

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG | 7/13/23

A prop skeleton dressed iin a "Creosote Killed Me" T-shirt sits in the middle of the seating during a community meeting put on by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, held at the Deluxe Theater Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in Houston. Houston plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases, the city’s mayor announced Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Michael Wyke/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Houston to spend millions to relocate residents living near polluted Union Pacific rail yard

Houston's mayor says the city plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 7/13/23

PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price attends a Senate Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on the proposed PGA Tour-LIV Golf partnership, Tuesday, July 11, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

PGA Tour and Saudi wealth fund drop poaching clause from agreement at Justice Department's request

The PGA Tour deal with Saudi Arabia's wealth fund is dropping a clause in their agreement over poaching. That's after the Justice Department raised antitrust concerns. The agreement is for the PGA … more

By DOUG FERGUSON | 7/13/23

This image from video provided by TMX shows an encounter between a female otter and a surfer off the coast of Santa Cruz, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2023. California wildlife officials are trying to capture and rehome the otter. (Hefti Brunhold/Amazing Animals+/TMX via AP)

Wildlife officials search for a wayward sea otter harassing surfers, kayakers off California coast

Wildlife officials are trying to capture a wayward sea otter that has been wrestling surfboards away from surfers and aggressively approaching kayakers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California. The … more

7/13/23

FILE - Children cool themselves with electric fans as they take a rest near the Forbidden City on a hot day in Beijing, June 25, 2023. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday, July 13, an already warming Earth steamed to its hottest June on record. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Meteorologists say Earth sizzled to a global heat record in June and July has been getting hotter

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says an already warming Earth steamed to its hottest June on record, smashing the old global mark by nearly a quarter of a degree, with global … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 7/13/23

FILE - FBI agents gather at the scene of a deadly shooting, July 17, 2022, at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Ind. The cellphone of a 20-year-old man who fatally shot three people at the Indianapolis-area mall in 2022 contained photos of Adolf Hitler, Nazi propaganda and firearms and also “extremely graphic" videos of previous mass killings, police said Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Kelly Wilkinson/The Indianapolis Star via AP, File)

Phone of man who killed 3 at Indiana mall had Hitler photos, `extremely graphic' videos of killings

Police say the cellphone of a 20-year-old man who fatally shot three people last year at an Indianapolis-area mall contained photos of Adolf Hitler, Nazi propaganda and firearms and also “extremely … more

By RICK CALLAHAN | 7/13/23

FILE - Demonstrators gather on the steps to the Texas Capitol to speak against transgender-related legislation bills being considered in the Texas Senate and Texas House, May 20, 2021, in Austin, Texas. On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, a group of Texas families and doctors filed suit in federal court seeking to block the state’s new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, arguing it violates parental rights and discriminates against transgender teens. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Families and doctors sue Texas over its new ban on transgender care for minors

A group of Texas families and doctors have sued in state court seeking to block the state’s new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors. They argue the law violates parental rights and … more

By ACACIA CORONADO and JIM VERTUNO | 7/13/23

File - A for sale sign stands outside a home on Nevada Avenue Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Colorado Springs, Colo. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Average long-term US mortgage rate surged to nearly 7% this week to highest level since November

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to just under 7%, the highest level since November and the latest setback for homebuyers already grappling with a tough housing market … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 7/13/23

FILE - A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh, Oct. 29, 2018. More than a week after convicting a gunman in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, jurors will begin hearing arguments in federal court Monday, June 26, 2023, about whether he should receive the death penalty for killing 11 worshippers inside the Pittsburgh synagogue. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Jury reaches verdict on Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s eligibility for federal death penalty

A jury have reached a verdict on whether the gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 is eligible for the death penalty. The government is seeking capital punishment for Robert … more

By PETER SMITH | 7/13/23

A man runs along a small road on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises early Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

AP PHOTOS: In unrelenting heat, millions plunge, drink and shelter to cool off

Millions around the world have been seeking refuge from the scorching sun as climate change, a strong El Nino and summer in the Northern Hemisphere converge, toppling temperature records. In … more

By The Associated Press | 7/13/23

File - A help wanted sign is posted in Lansdale, Pa., Friday, April 28, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

US applications for jobless benefits fall again as labor market continues to defy the Fed actions

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits fell again last week as the labor market continues defy the Federal Reserve’s attempt to cool it by raising interest rates. U.S. applications … more

By MATT OTT | 7/13/23

FILE - A display panel advertises tickets for a Powerball drawing at a convenience store, Nov. 7, 2022, in Renfrew, Pa. The Powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $875 million after no winning ticket was sold for the Wednesday, July 12, 2023, drawing. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Powerball jackpot climbs to $875 million for Saturday after no winner in latest drawing

The Powerball jackpot has soared to an estimated $875 million. No winning ticket was sold for the $750 million jackpot drawing Wednesday night. The next drawing is Saturday. If someone buys the … more

7/13/23

FILE - Protesters hold signs during a march and rally for slain teenager Trayvon Martin, March 31, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. The Black Lives Matter movement hits a milestone on Thursday, July 13, 2023, marking 10 years since its 2013 founding in response to the acquittal of the man who fatally shot Martin. Gunned down in a Florida gated community where his father lived in 2012, Martin was one of the earliest symbols of a movement that now wields influence in politics, law enforcement and broader conversations about racial progress. (AP Photo/Julie Fletcher, File)

Black Lives Matter movement to mark 10 years of activism, renews call to defund the police

The Black Lives Matter movement turns 10 years old on Thursday, marking the day in 2013 that the man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin was acquitted in his death. Gunned down in a Florida gated … more

By AARON MORRISON | 7/13/23

FILE - Emmy statues appear at the 70th Primetime Emmy Nominations Announcements at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center on July 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. HBO could dominate Wednesday morning's Emmy nominations, but the Hollywood writers' strike and the possibility that actors could join them have cast a cloud over the process. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

'A puddle of emotions': Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jessica Chastain, others discuss their Emmy nominations

Last year, she stole the Emmy show with her inspiring, largely sung acceptance speech. Now Sheryl Lee Ralph has another nomination for “Abbott Elementary.” She suggested Wednesday that this time, … more

By The Associated Preess | 7/12/23

FILE - This undated Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo shows Robert Bowers. Bowers, the gunman who massacred 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, has a “very serious mental health history" from childhood and a “markedly abnormal” brain, a defense expert testified Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in the penalty phase of the killer's trial. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation via AP, File)

The Pittsburgh synagogue gunman should be eligible for the death penalty, prosecutor argues

A prosecutor has urged jurors to find the gunman behind the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutor Soo Song said Wednesday that Robert Bowers … more

By PETER SMITH | 7/12/23

FILE - Farmer Barry Evans drops dusty soil from a cotton crop he shredded and planted over with wheat, Oct. 3, 2022, in Kress, Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday, July 12, 2023, it will invest $300 million on monitoring and reporting planet-warming emissions from climate-smart agricultural processes. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

U.S. Department of Agriculture to invest $300 million in monitoring agricultural emissions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced Wednesday it will invest $300 million on monitoring and reporting planet-warming emissions from climate-smart agricultural processes, such as no-till … more

By MELINA WALLING | 7/12/23

Damaged homes are torn apart by earth movement in the Los Angeles County city of Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., on Monday, July 10, 2023. The dozen homes torn apart were hastily evacuated by firefighters Saturday when cracks began appearing in structures and the ground. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Destructive Southern California landslide slows but more homes ordered evacuated as sewer breaks

A landslide that has destroyed homes in a Southern California community appears to have slowed but more homes have been evacuated. The city of Rolling Hills Estates says five additional homes were … more

7/12/23

Cleveland officials say a suspect was arrested in a shooting that wounded nine people early Sunday. (July 12)

Evidence seized from home of man charged in Cleveland shooting that wounded 9

Authorities have seized evidence from the home of a man charged in a downtown Cleveland mass shooting over the weekend that wounded nine people. But a motive for the early Sunday shooting remained … more

7/12/23