National News - The Morning Sun

In this photo provided by UM News, United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, foreground, attends her church trial on Sept. 19, 2023, in Glenview, Ill. Beside her are her two counsel, the Rev. Scott Campbell and Judge Jon Gray. A United Methodist Church court acquitted Carcaño, Friday, Sept. 22, of all charges in the first trial of one of church’s bishops in nearly a century. Carcaño, the first Latina bishop in the denomination and a prominent voice on behalf of immigrants, faced four charges of violating church law. (Paul Jeffrey/UM News via AP)

California bishop acquitted in first United Methodist court trial of its kind in nearly a century

A United Methodist Church court has acquitted a California bishop of all charges in the first trial of one of the church’s bishops in nearly a century. Bishop Minerva Carcaño faced four charges of … more

By PETER SMITH | 9/22/23

Lahaina residents brace for what they'll find as they return to devastated properties in burn zone

Lahaina residents are bracing for what they'll find when they return to the ruins of their homes after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century killed at least 97 people and destroyed … more

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 9/22/23

AP Week in Pictures: Global | Sept-15-21, 2023

A street dog walks in front of the presidential escort regiment during a military parade in Chile. Migrants rush to the U.S.-Mexico border and overwhelm border services. Formula One driver Sergio … more

9/21/23

FILE - A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II takes part in an aerial display during the Singapore Airshow 2022 at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, on Feb. 15, 2022. The crash of an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in South Carolina over the weekend has raised numerous questions about what prompted the pilot to eject after experiencing a malfunction and how the $100 million warplane was able to keep flying pilotless for 60 miles before crashing. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah, File)

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: 'Not sure where the airplane is,' pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had … more

By JAMES POLLARD and TARA COPP | 9/21/23

FILE - Connor Thonen-Fleck addresses reporters while his parents stand by his side, Monday March 11, 2019, in Durham, N.C., at the announcement of a lawsuit against North Carolina officials over how the state health plan is run. A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have broad-ranging implications on whether individual states are constitutionally required to cover healthcare for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance. (AP Photo/ Jonathan Drew, FIle)

Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court

A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have significant implications on whether individual states are required to cover health care for … more

By LEAH WILLINGHAM | 9/21/23

A sign advertising jobs for bus drivers is posted in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. On Thursday, 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 fall to lowest level in nearly 8 months

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in eight months last week as the labor market continues to show strength in the face of elevated interest rates. Applications … more

By MATT OTT | 9/21/23

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, Russian peacekeepers guard a gate into a camp near Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh. Thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh residents flocked to a camp operated by Russian peacekeepers to avoid the fighting, while many others gathered at the airport of the regional capital, Stepanakert, hoping to flee the region. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Talks have opened on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan claims full control of the region

Talks have opened between representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan government after Azerbaijan claimed full control of the breakaway region. The Azerbaijan State News agency says a … more

9/21/23

Volunteers hold country signs during team welcoming ceremony at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The Asian Games are an attention grabber. For starters, they involve more participants than the Summer Olympics. Organizers say more than 12,000 will be entered as the opening ceremony takes place Saturday, Sept. 23 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The Asian Games: larger than the Olympics and with an array of regional and global sports

The Asian Games are an attention grabber. They involve more participants than the Summer Olympics. Organizers say about 12,500 competitors will be entered as the opening ceremony takes place Saturday … more

By STEPHEN WADE | 9/21/23

Darryl George, left, a 17-year-old junior, and his mother Darresha George, right, talks with reporters before walking across the street to go into Barbers Hill High School after Darryl served a 5-day in-school suspension for not cutting his hair Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Mont Belvieu. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Debate over a Black student's suspension over his hairstyle in Texas ramps up with probe and lawsuit

The debate over whether a Black high school student in Texas should be serving in-school suspension for wearing twisted dreadlocks to class has intensified as the student’s family and his school … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 9/20/23

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters after a weekly caucus meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Schumer criticized House Republicans, especially hard-right conservatives, for failing to pass appropriations bills due to GOP infighting. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate is set to confirm 3 military nominees but GOP senator still blocking hundreds of others

The Senate is poised to confirm a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Democrats try to maneuver around holds placed on nominations by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville over Pentagon abortion … more

9/20/23

FILE - Caroline Ouko, mother of Irvo Otieno, holds a portrait of her son at the Dinwiddie Courthouse in Dinwiddie, Va., March 16, 2023. The family of Otieno, a man who died while handcuffed and pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes as he was being admitted to a Virginia psychiatric hospital, has reached an $8.5 million settlement, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, with the state, county and the sheriff whose deputies were involved in restraining the man. (Daniel Sangjib Min/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)

Family of man who died while being admitted to psychiatric hospital agrees to $8.5M settlement

The family of a man who died while handcuffed and pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes as he was being admitted to a Virginia pscyhiatric hospital has reached an $8.5 million settlement with the … more

By SARAH RANKIN | 9/20/23

FILE - Abortion-rights activists protest outside of the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 23, 2022. The influential abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America announced Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, that it has changed its name to Reproductive Freedom for All to better reflect how people think about abortion access ever since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Abortion-rights group rebrands to Reproductive Freedom for All in post-Roe world

The influential abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America has changed its name to Reproductive Freedom for All. The group says the rebrand better reflects how people think about abortion access … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 9/20/23

A supporter takes photos of a shrine to Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer outside of the Palmdale Sheriff's Station Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Palmdale, Calif. Deputy Clinkunbroomer was shot and killed while sitting in his patrol car Saturday evening in Palmdale. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The suspect in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy is set to appear in court

Los Angeles County prosecutors expect to file charges against a man who allegedly shot and killed a sheriff’s deputy as he sat in a patrol car. Officials say Kevin Cataneo Salazar ambushed … more

9/20/23

In this photo provided by researchers, an excavation team uncovers a wooden structure found on a riverbed near a waterfall in Zambia in 2019. The pair of crossed logs may be the oldest evidence of early humans building with wood, nearly half a million years old, according to a study published Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2023 in the journal Nature. (Larry Barham/University of Liverpool via AP)

This simple log structure may be the oldest example of early humans building with wood

A pair of crossed logs in Zambia may be the oldest evidence of early humans building with wood. That's according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The simple construction is … more

By MADDIE BURAKOFF | 9/20/23

A puppy sits on an airplane during a training exercise held at Detroit Metropolitan Airport Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, in Romulus, Mich. Five dogs and their trainers visited the airport as part of an effort to acclimate the pups to one of the many settings they may experience later in life when they become assistance dogs for people with disabilities. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

Puppies training to be future assistance dogs earn their wings at Detroit-area airport

Five puppies learning to serve as assistance dogs had a howling good time during a training exercise at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The pooches and their trainers walked Tuesday through a TSA … more

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER | 9/20/23

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, Feb. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Biden and Brazil's Lula meeting in New York to discuss labor, climate

President Joe Biden will meet his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday in New York. The two leaders of the Western Hemisphere’s largest democracies are seeking areas of … more

By DAVID BILLER and JOSH BOAK | 9/20/23

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to have his long-coveted meeting with Biden on Wednesday – bringing together the two men for the first time since the Israeli leader took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Israel's Netanyahu to meet with Biden in New York. The location is seen as a sign of US displeasure

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to have his long-coveted meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday — bringing together the two men for the first time since the Israeli leader took … more

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and AAMER MADHANI | 9/20/23

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman Jacob Deas, 23, left, and Airman 1st Class Jonathan Marrs, 21, right, secure the titanium shroud at the top of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on Aug. 24, 2023, at the Bravo 9 silo at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. After the shroud is secured, it is lifted off, revealing the black cone-shaped nuclear warhead inside. (John Turner/U.S. Air Force via AP)

This is what it's like to maintain the US nuclear arsenal

The U.S. will spend more than $750 billion over the next decade to revamp nearly every part of its aging nuclear defenses. Officials say they simply can’t wait any longer — some systems and parts … more

By TARA COPP | 9/20/23

People listen during a rally in support of reparations for African Americans outside City Hall in San Francisco, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Supporters of reparations for Black residents urge San Francisco to push forward

More than 200 people rallied outside San Francisco's City Hall to urge supervisors to act on reparations for Black residents. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors was expected to vote Tuesday to … more

By JANIE HAR | 9/19/23

In an image made from video released by the Birmingham Police Dept., a high school band director is being tasered and arrested after refusing to stop his band from playing after a football game, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham Police Dept. via AP)

Video shows high school band director shocked with stun gun, arrested after refusing to stop music

Police body camera video shows an Alabama high school band director being shocked with a stun gun and arrested by officers in front of screaming students, in a chaotic scuffle that broke out after he … more

9/19/23