National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - A No Labels banner at the National Press Club, in Washington, Jan. 18, 2024. The No Labels group says it won't field a presidential candidate in November after strategists for the bipartisan organization were unable to attract a candidate willing to seize on the widespread dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. No Labels CEO Nancy Jacobson said in a statement Thursday that "the responsible course of action is for us to stand down." ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

No Labels won’t run a third-party campaign after trying to recruit a centrist presidential candidate

The No Labels group says it won't field a presidential candidate in November after strategists for the bipartisan organization failed to attract a high-profile centrist willing to seize on the … more

By STEVE PEOPLES and JONATHAN J. COOPER | 4/4/24

Armored trucks are parked outside the offices of GardaWorld in the Sylmar section of Los Angeles on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Thieves stole as much $30 million in an Easter Sunday burglary at a Los Angeles money storage facility in one of the largest cash heists in city history. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

This Los Angeles heist sounds like it came from a thriller novel. Thieves stole $30 million in cash

Thieves got away with $30 million in cash from a money storage facility in Los Angeles by breaking into the building on Easter Sunday and cracking the safe. Now detectives are seeking to unravel the … more

4/4/24

FILE - A Powerball lottery ticket is seen inside a convenience store, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Kennesaw, Ga. Powerball will match a record for lottery losing Saturday night, April 6, with a stretch of more than three months without a jackpot winner. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, FIle)

Powerball jackpot reaches $1.23B as long odds mean lots of losing, just as designed

Powerball is about to match a record for lottery drawings with a stretch of more than three months without a jackpot winner. It’s that string of futility that has enabled Powerball’s top prize to … more

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE | 4/4/24

An alcoholic beverage bottle sits on the sand in Brick N.J. on Thursday, April 4, 2024, the day that the Clean Ocean Action Environmental Group released a report showing that volunteers picked up and disposed of 176,206 items of trash along New Jersey's 127-mile coastline last year. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Voodoo doll, whoopie cushion, denture powder among bizarre trash plucked from New Jersey beaches

Pretty soon it will be beach season again at the Jersey Shore. If last year was any indication, it'll be time to pack the voodoo dolls, whoopie cushions, zip ties and denture powder. Those were just … more

BY WAYNE PARRY | 4/4/24

Judge Scott McAfee addresses the lawyers during a hearing on charges against former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case on Thursday, March 28, 2024 in Atlanta. Lawyers for Trump argued in a court filing that the charges against him in the Georgia election interference case seek to criminalize political speech and advocacy conduct that is protected by the First Amendment. (Dennis Byron/Hip Hop Enquirer via AP)

Judge rejects Trump's First Amendment challenge to indictment in Georgia election case

The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others has rejected arguments by the former president that the indictment was seeking to criminalize political … more

By KATE BRUMBACK | 4/4/24

A sign announcing that a home is under contract is displayed in Wilmette, Ill., Thursday, March 28, 2024. On Thursday, April 4, 2024, Freddie Mac reports on this week’s average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Average long-term US mortgage rate rises modestly this week, holding just below 7%

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose modestly this week, holding below 7% as it has for much of this year. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 6.82% from 6.79% last week, mortgage … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 4/4/24

Free blue checks are back for some accounts on Elon Musk's X. Not everyone is happy about it

Elon Musk’s X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has started restoring complimentary blue checks to some of its users. That’s caused confusion online. Last year, X began removing the … more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS | 4/4/24

FILE - This Feb. 5, 2021, file photo provided by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections shows Michael Dewayne Smith, who is scheduled to be executed on April 4, 2024. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Oklahoma prepares to execute man convicted of 2002 double slaying

Oklahoma is preparing to execute a death row inmate convicted of shooting and killing two people in Oklahoma City more than two decades ago. Michael Dewayne Smith is scheduled to receive a lethal … more

By SEAN MURPHY | 4/4/24

Should you itemize or take a standard deduction on your tax return? Here's what to know

When you're doing your taxes, it can sometimes be hard to know whether to itemize or take the standard deduction. Tax pros say itemizing generally only makes sense if your itemized deductions … more

By KATHERINE ROTH | 4/4/24

A sign seeking truck drivers is displayed at a business in Gary, Ind., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. On Thursday, April 4, 2024, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

US applications for jobless benefits rise to highest level in two months, but layoffs remain low

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits rose to their highest level in two months last week, but layoffs remain at historically low levels as the labor market continues to chug along … more

By MATT OTT | 4/4/24

FILE - WTA CEO Steve Simon sits for an interview during the WTA Finals tennis tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals as part of a three-year deal announced Thursday, April 4, 2024, by the women’s professional tennis tour that will increase the prize money for this November’s season-ending championship to a record $15.25 million, a 70% increase from 2023. (AP Photo/Tim Heitman, File)

Saudi Arabia will host the women's tennis WTA Finals for the next three years

Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals as part of a three-year deal with the women’s professional tennis tour that will increase the prize money for this November’s season-ending championship to a … more

By HOWARD FENDRICH | 4/4/24

FILE - A partial solar eclipse is seen behind a cross on the steeple of the St. George church, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Awe and dread: How religions have responded to total solar eclipses over the centuries

Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging … more

By DEEPA BHARATH, DAVID CRARY and MARIAM FAM | 4/4/24

FILE - Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Scott announced Tuesday, March 19, 2024 she would give $640 million to more than 360 organizations in response to an application process she launched last year. The award is more than double the amount that she initially promised in an “open call” for applications. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

What is next for billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's giving?

Much about billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s giving remains a mystery, but a recent round of grants to nonprofits offer some insights. The grants announced in March were largely in line … more

By THALIA BEATY | 4/4/24

FILE - Viewers use special glasses to watch from San Antonio, as the moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse, or ring of fire, Oct. 14, 2023. The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 may be weeks away but businesses are ready for the celestial event with oodles of special eclipse glasses for sale, along with T-shirts and other souvenirs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

One Tech Tip: How to use apps to track and photograph the total solar eclipse

Monday's total solar eclipse might become one of the year's most filmed and photographed events. As the moon passes in front of the sun, plunging a swath of North America into a few minutes of … more

By KELVIN CHAN | 4/4/24

FILE - Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, a suspect in the Crocus City Hall shootings, is escorted by police and FSB officers in Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, on March 24, 2024. The attack on the Moscow concert hall, the bloodiest assault on Russian soil in two decades, appears to be setting the stage for an increasingly harsh response by President Vladimir Putin. Four suspects in the attack appeared in court showing signs of brutal treatment while in custody. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

In the aftermath of the Moscow concert hall attack, is a harsher era under Putin in the works?

The attack on a Moscow concert hall, the bloodiest assault on the Russian soil in two decades, appears to be setting the stage for an increasingly harsh response by President Vladimir Putin after his … more

By The Associated Press | 4/4/24

FILE - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, right, greets Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Nov. 9, 2023, in San Francisco. Yellen is headed to China to Guangzhou and Beijing for meetings with finance leaders and state officials. Her engagements will include Vice Premier He Lifeng, Chinese Central Bank Governor Pan Gongsheng, former Vice Premier Liu He, leaders of American businesses operating in China, university students and local leaders. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Treasury secretary heads to China to talk trade, anti-money laundering and Chinese 'overproduction'

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is heading to a China that is determined to avoid open conflict with the United States. Yet the world’s two largest economies still appear to be hashing out the … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 4/4/24

FILE - One of Pacific Gas and Electric's Diablo Canyon Power Plant's nuclear reactors is seen in Avila Beach, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2008. An environmental group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Energy Department challenging its award of over $1 billion to help keep California's last nuclear power plant running beyond a planned closure by 2025. The lawsuit filed by Friends of the Earth in U.S. District Court opens the latest battlefront in the fight over the future of Diablo Canyon's twin reactors. (AP Photo/Michael A. Mariant, File)

Lawsuit challenges $1 billion in federal funding to sustain California's last nuclear power plant

An environmental group is challenging the U.S. Energy Department's decision to award over $1 billion to help keep California’s last nuclear power plant running beyond 2025. A lawsuit filed by … more

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD | 4/3/24

This image released by Universal Pictures shows a scene from the film "Monkey Man." (Universal Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man' is a political allegory bathed in blood

Like “Slumdog Millionaire,” Dev Patel's “Monkey Man” is set in Mumbai and has a touch of fable to it. But in tone and texture, it could hardly be more different. Bathed in blood and fury, … more

By JAKE COYLE | 4/3/24

Demonstrators gather outside federal court buildings in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, to protest a Texas law known as SB4. Texas officials appeared before a three-judge federal appeals panel to defend a state law that would allow police to arrest migrants for illegally entering the United States, a week after the same three judges put the law on hold. (AP Photo by Kevin McGill)

Texas asks court to decide if the state's migrant arrest law went too far

A attorney defending Texas’ plans to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally has told a panel of federal judges that the law may have “went too far” but that will be up the court to … more

By ACACIA CORONADO | 4/3/24

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power Tuesday as severe weather roared through several states, causing at least one death and spawning possible tornadoes.

New England braces for major spring snowstorm as severe weather continues to sock US

More severe weather is coming across the nation. A major spring storm is expected to drop more than a foot of snow in parts of New England on Wednesday, while heavy rains are likely to soak the East … more

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI | 4/3/24