National News - The Morning Sun

Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Vatican says it's permissible for transgender Catholics to be baptized

In the United States, the national conference of Catholic bishops rejects the concept of gender transition, leaving many transgender Catholics feeling excluded. Now the Vatican has released a sharply … more

By DAVID CRARY | 11/8/23

FILE- In this June 24, 2015, file photo, Nashville district attorney Glenn Funk watches the proceedings during the Vanderbilt Rape Trial in Nashville, Tenn. The Nashville district attorney on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 called for the Tennessee legislature to make it easier to commit someone to a mental institution after a man who was previously released for incompetence to stand trial was accused of shooting an 18-year-old college student in the head. (George Walker IV/The Tennessean via AP, File)

Nashville DA seeks change after suspect released from jail is accused of shooting college student

The Nashville district attorney is calling on the Tennessee legislature to make it easier to commit someone to a mental institution. The move follows the Tuesday arrest of 29-year-old Shaquille … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER | 11/8/23

FILE - A soldier stands guard next to a wall of a prison in Olenivka, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, eastern Ukraine, July 29, 2022. A Russian news agency is reporting that the country is preparing to send a battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines in their homeland to fight on Moscow's side in the war. The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the report or if the POWs were coerced. (AP Photo, File)

Russia reportedly is using Ukrainian POWs to fight in their homeland on Moscow's side

A Russian news agency is reporting that the country is preparing to send a battalion of Ukrainian prisoners of war to the front lines in their homeland to fight on Moscow’s side in the war. RIA … more

By EMMA BURROWS | 11/8/23

In this photo provided by the Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, troops march past Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during a parade dedicated to the third anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War in Khankendi, also known by Armenians as Stepanakert, in Khankendi, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Azerbaijanis celebrate the third anniversary of their victory in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war after Azerbaijan gained the full control over the separatist region in fighting earlier this year. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)

Azerbaijan's president addresses a military parade in Karabakh and says 'we showed the whole world'

Hundreds of Azerbaijani soldiers have paraded through the capital city of the Karabakh region that came under full control of Azerbaijan in September after a lightning rout of ethnic Armenian forces. … more

By The Associated Press | 11/8/23

FIEL - A fisherman walks across a dry patch of land in the marshes in Dhi Qar province, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2022. The three-year drought that has left millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran with little water wouldn’t have happened without human-caused climate change, according to a new study on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil, File)

Nasty drought in Syria, Iraq and Iran wouldn't have happened without climate change, study finds

A new study says the three-year drought that has left millions of people in Syria, Iraq and Iran with little water wouldn’t have happened without human-caused climate change. Wednesday's study says … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 11/8/23

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2019, file photo, Cruise AV, General Motor's autonomous electric Bolt EV is displayed in Detroit. General Motors’ Cruise says it's suspending its driverless operations nationwide as the robotaxi service works to rebuild public trust. The announcement, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, arrives just days after California regulators revoked Cruise’s license — after determining that its driverless cars, which recently began transporting passengers throughout San Francisco, posed dangers to public safety. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit recalls cars for software update after dragging a pedestrian

GM's Cruise autonomous vehicle unit is recalling all 950 of its cars to update its software after one dragged a pedestrian to the side of a San Francisco street last month. The company says in … more

By TOM KRISHER | 11/8/23

FILE - Uvalde mayoral candidate Kimberly Mata-Rubio, right, speaks with Uvalde resident Antonia Rios, left, alongside campaign manager Dr. Laura Barberena, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Uvalde, Texas. Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting, lost her run for mayor, Tuesday, Nov. 7. (AP Photo/Darren Abate, File)

Uvalde mother whose daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary shooting loses bid for mayor

A mother in Uvalde, Texas, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting has lost her run for mayor. Kimberly Mata-Rubio has pushed for stricter gun laws and police … more

By ACACIA CORONADO | 11/7/23

FILE - A surfer rides a wave in the Atlantic Ocean in Biarritz, southwestern France, Oct. 7, 2023. October was the fifth straight month that Earth set a record for the hottest month in recorded history. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)

October obliterated temperature records, virtually guaranteeing 2023 will be hottest year on record

October was the fifth straight month that Earth set a record for the hottest month in recorded history. And it did so by a big margin compared to the Octobers of pre-industrial times — 1.7 degrees … more

By MELINA WALLING | 11/7/23

In this photo provided by Briana Abrahms, a female cheetah and her cub sit watchfully in front of a herd of zebra in northern Botswana on Aug. 23, 2011. The female wears a GPS collar as part of a study. Cheetahs are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, according to a study published Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Unfortunately for endangered cheetahs, that sets them up for more potential conflicts with mostly nocturnal competing predators like lions and leopards, say the authors of the paper. (Briana Abrahms via AP)

Cheetahs become more nocturnal on hot days. Climate change may up conflicts among Africa's big cats.

A new study finds that endangered cheetahs are more likely to hunt at dawn and dusk on hot days, which increases their odds of conflict with other nocturnal predators. The researchers placed GPS … more

By CHRISTINA LARSON | 11/7/23

FILE - People wait in line to enter the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Jan. 9, 2019. Members of a three-judge panel at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, heard an appeal by the Biden administration to a lower court ruling in Texas last year that blocked the use of the government's abortion guidance. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Biden administration guidance on abortion to save mother's life argued at appeals court

The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to uphold health care guidance issued last year that says hospitals must provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to … more

By KEVIN McGILL | 11/7/23

Chile shuts down a popular glacier, sparking debate over climate change and adventure sports

Chile’s National Forestry Corporation has permanently closed a popular glacier, sparking outrage from adventurers and local guides. The decision came after an enormous calving earlier last month … more

By DANIEL SHAILER | 11/7/23

Traffic is at a standstill as a mixture of smoke and fog, known as "super fog" closed Interstate 10 in Louisiana on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. New Orleans police say a stretch of the interstate is closed Tuesday due to the smoke, fog and vehicle crashes. The closure is reminiscent of a super fog event on October 23, when seven people died and about two dozen were injured in pileups involving about 160 vehicles on Interstate 55. (WVUE via AP)

Super fog blankets New Orleans again, as damp fires and smoke close interstate after deadly crash

A mixture of smoke and fog, known as “super fog,” has led to accidents involving multiple vehicles and at least one death on Interstate 10 in Louisiana. New Orleans police say a stretch of the … more

11/7/23

FILE - Two women hug near a memorial at the entrance to The Covenant School, March 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The Tennessee Court of Appeals heard arguments Monday, Oct. 16, on whether Tennessee law gives the parents of school shooting victims the right to have a say over which police records are released to the public. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)

Nashville police chief confirms authenticity of leaked Covenant school shooter's writings

Nashville Police Chief John Drake says he’s “disturbed” over the unauthorized release of writings from the shooter who killed six people, including three children, at The Covenant School in … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 11/7/23

FILE - Tablets of ibuprofen are arranged for a photograph in New York on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017. In 2023, more than 40% of American adults are considered obese, but the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. Even a drug as common as ibuprofen, sold as Advil, may not relieve pain in people at higher weights when taken as directed, research shows. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Drugs aren't required to be tested in people who are obese. Here's why that's a problem

More than 40% of American adults are considered obese, yet the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. And … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 11/7/23

This image provided by the European Space Agency shows Euclid’s panoramic view of the Horsehead Nebula. The European Space Agency released Euclid’s first photos Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 four months after the spacecraft was launched from Florida to study the dark universe, invisible yet everywhere. Euclid will observe billions of galaxies, creating the largest 3D map ever made of the cosmos, in order to better understand the dark energy and matter that make up 95 percent of the universe. (European Space Agency via AP)

Shimmering galaxies revealed in new photos by European space telescope

Scientists have unveiled the first pictures taken by the European space telescope Euclid. The photos were revealed by the European Space Agency on Tuesday, four months after the telescope launched … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 11/7/23

Palestinian walk away after Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)

Live updates | Israel open to 'little pauses' as it bombards Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza “for an indefinite period" after its war with Hamas and expressed openness to “little … more

By The Associated Press | 11/7/23

The sun sets over Valley Ridge Drive, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Paradise, Calif. Empty lots, homes under construction and residences built after the Camp Fire line the street. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Five years after California's deadliest wildfire, survivors forge different paths toward recovery

Paradise is still recovering five years after a wildfire destroyed most of the northern California town. The Camp Fire leveled about 11,000 homes in the town, displacing most of the 26,000 people who … more

By ADAM BEAM and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ | 11/7/23

Palestinians celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo)

AP PHOTOS: Death, destruction and despair reigns a month into latest Israel-Gaza conflict

Death, destruction and despair. For the past month it has reigned on both sides of the border separating Israel and the Gaza Strip. Grief is in the tears of Israelis burying the 1,400 people … more

By The Associated Press | 11/6/23

FILE - Judge Terry Rickers holds up a photo of Sabrina Ray prior to handing down a sentence to her parents, Misty Jo Bousman Ray and Marc Ray, Jan. 18, 2019, at the Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa. Iowa will pay $10 million to the siblings of the adopted 16-year-old girl who weighed just 56 pounds when she died of starvation in 2017, according to a state board that approved the settlement on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)

Iowa to pay $10 million to siblings of adopted teen girl who died of starvation in 2017

Iowa is set to pay $10 million to the siblings of an adopted 16-year-old girl who starved to death in 2017. A state board approved payments on Monday of $5 million each to two of Sabrina Ray’s … more

By SUMMER BALLENTINE | 11/6/23

FILE - A photo collage of the 34 victims of the Sept. 2, 2019 fire aboard the dive boat, Conception, at Santa Cruz Island, is held by a family member arriving at federal court in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. A federal jury on Monday, Nov. 6, found scuba dive boat captain Jerry Boylan was criminally negligent in the deaths of 34 people killed in a fire aboard the vessel in 2019, the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)

Captain found guilty of 'seaman's manslaughter' in boat fire that killed 34 off California coast

A federal jury has found a scuba dive boat captain was criminally negligent in the deaths of 34 people killed in a fire aboard the vessel in 2019, the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. … more

By STEFANIE DAZIO | 11/6/23