National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry shows Frank Atwood, who was convicted of murder in the 1984 killing of an 8-year-old girl. Atwood was put to death Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in the state’s second execution since officials resumed carrying out the death penalty in May following a nearly eight-year hiatus. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP, File)

Arizona prisoner asks Supreme Court to delay his execution

An Arizona prisoner has made a last-minute request to the U.S. Supreme Court to delay his execution scheduled Wednesday for his murder conviction in the 1984 killing of an 8-year-old girl. Frank … more

By JACQUES BILLEAUD | 6/7/22

This undated photo provided by the family via Houston Northwest Church shows Mark Collins. Collins was one of the people authorities believe was killed by Gonzalo Lopez, 46, a convicted murderer who escaped from prison. (Family Photo/Courtesy of Houston Northwest Church via AP)

Texas suspends inmate transports after escape left 5 dead

The Texas prison system says it's temporarily stopped transporting inmates as it investigates how a convicted murderer escaped from a transport bus last month, later killing a man and his four … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 6/7/22

FILE - Bishop Megan Rohrer speaks to the press before their installation ceremony at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Rohrer, an openly transgender bishop who made history in 2021 with an appointment as a bishop by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has resigned amid allegations of racism after firing the pastor of a predominantly Latino congregation. (AP Photo/John Hefti, File)

Transgender Lutheran bishop resigns over racism allegations

Megan Rohrer, an openly transgender cleric from San Francisco, made history last year with an appointment as a bishop by the Evangelical Lutheran church in America. On Saturday, Roher resigned amid … more

By DEEPA BHARATH | 6/7/22

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, Jr., speaks during a special emergency city council meeting, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, to reissue the mayor's declaration of a local state of disaster due to the recent school shooting at Robb Elementary School. Two teachers and 19 students were killed. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

School police chief a no-show at Uvalde City Council meeting

The school district police chief criticized for waiting too long before ordering law enforcement to confront and kill the gunman during a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school did not appear at … more

By JAKE BLEIBERG and JAMIE STENGLE | 6/7/22

FILE - Author Margaret Atwood attends the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York on Nov. 11, 2019. On Monday night, during PEN America’s annual gala, Atwood and Penguin Random House announced that a one-off, unburnable edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” would be auctioned through Sotheby’s New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

'Unburnable' copy of Handmaid's Tale auctioned for $130,000

A specially commissioned, unburnable edition of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been auctioned for $130,000, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday. Proceeds will be donated to PEN … more

By HILLEL ITALIE | 6/7/22

ADDS CONTEXT AND DETAIL THAT THESE BULLET HOLES ARE FROM A PRIOR SHOOTING - Bullet holes from a prior shooting are still present in a storefront window at the scene of a fatal overnight shooting on South Street in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

2nd person in custody in deadly weekend Philadelphia gunfire

Authorities say a second person is in custody in connection with shootings that killed three people and wounded 11 in a Philadelphia entertainment district over the weekend. But no charges have yet … more

6/7/22

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2019 photo, people visit Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert. The popular trail to the Fortynine Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park has been temporarily closed so that bighorn sheep can have undisturbed access to the water. The National Park Service says the park is under extreme drought conditions and herds in the area are increasingly reliant on the oasis spring to survive the hot summer months. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)

Joshua Tree park closes trail so bighorn sheep can get water

A popular hiking trail in Joshua Tree National Park in California that leads to an oasis has been temporarily closed so bighorn sheep get undisturbed access to water. The National Park Service says … more

6/7/22

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Tom Cruise portraying Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in a scene from "Top Gun: Maverick." The widow and son of the man who wrote the 1983 article that inspired the original “Top Gun” are suing Paramount Pictures over its sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” (Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP)

Paramount sued over ‘Top Gun’ copyright claim

The widow and son of the man who wrote the 1983 article that inspired the original “Top Gun” are suing Paramount Pictures over its sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” In a complaint filed in … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 6/7/22

FILE - This undated fluorescence-colored microscope image made available by the National Institutes of Health in September 2016 shows a culture of human breast cancer cells. A study discussed at the 2022 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests some low-risk breast cancer patients can omit radiation after lumpectomy. (Ewa Krawczyk/National Cancer Institute via AP)

Some cancer patients can skip treatments, 2 studies show

Some cancer patients can safely skip radiation or chemotherapy after surgery. That's according to two new studies exploring shorter, gentler cancer care. Researchers are looking for ways to precisely … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 6/7/22

Cruise liners try to rewrite climate rules despite vows

The trade group representing the cruise ship industry unsuccessfully pushed international authorities to water down new environmental regulations despite members’ commitments to addressing climate … more

By ED DAVEY | 6/7/22

FILE - Actor Kevin Spacey leaves court after testifying in a civil lawsuit, Thursday, May 26, 2022, in New York. A sex-assault civil lawsuit against Spacey can proceed in federal court in New York City, a federal judge ruled Monday, June 6. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Judge lets sex assault suit go on against actor Kevin Spacey

A judge says a sex-assault civil lawsuit against actor Kevin Spacey can proceed in New York City. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued a written ruling Monday. In it, he rejected Spacey's attempt to force … more

By LARRY NEUMEISTER | 6/6/22

FILE - Rev. Al Sharpton speaks during the funeral for Andrew Brown Jr. on May 3, 2021, at Fountain of Life Church in Elizabeth City, N.C. On Monday, June 6, 2022, a North Carolina sheriff’s office announced a $3 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of Brown Jr., who was shot and killed while unarmed by sheriff’s deputies more than a year earlier. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

$3M settlement reached in lawsuit over Black man's death

A North Carolina sheriff’s office has announced a $3 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of an unarmed Black man shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies more than a year ago. The … more

By TOM FOREMAN Jr. | 6/6/22

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition March 9, 2020, in Washington. Elon Musk is threatening to end his $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter, accusing the company of refusing to give him information about its spam bot accounts. Lawyers for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO made the threat in a letter to Twitter dated Monday, June 6, 2022 that the social platform included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Musk threatens to walk away from Twitter deal

Elon Musk is threatening to end his $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter, accusing the company of refusing to give him information about its spam bot accounts. Lawyers for the Tesla and SpaceX CEO … more

By TOM KRISHER and MATT O'BRIEN | 6/6/22

Community members lay flowers down near gravestone markers at the 'Say Their Names' cemetery Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Minneapolis. The intersection where George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers was renamed in his honor Wednesday, among a series of events to remember a man whose killing forced America to confront racial injustice. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Judge delays trial of 2 ex-cops in Floyd killing until 2023

The judge overseeing the remaining case of two former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing has ordered that the trial be delayed until January to improve prospects for a … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 6/6/22

FILE - Elon Musk attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala on May 2, 2022, in New York. Musk threatened to walk away from his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter on Monday, June 6, 2022, the latest sign that his plan to overhaul the social media platform may be really starting to fray. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

EXPLAINER: Is Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter falling apart?

Elon Musk on Monday threatened to walk away from his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter, the latest sign that his plan to overhaul the social media platform may be really starting to fray. Lawyers for … more

By TOM KRISHER and MATT O'BRIEN | 6/6/22

FILE - A youngster, with an eye drawn on her hand to show she is watching and 1.5 for countries to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, takes part in a Fridays for Future climate protest inside a plenary corridor at the SEC (Scottish Event Campus) venue for the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, in Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 10, 2021. The idea of tinkering with the air to cool Earth's ever-warming climate seems to be gaining momentum. Two new high-powered panels have started to look at the ethics and governing rules surrounding the controversial technologies of geoengineering. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

New panels want to talk ethics, rules of climate tinkering

The idea of tinkering with the air to cool Earth's ever-warming climate seems to be gaining momentum. Two new high-powered panels have started to look at the ethics and governing rules surrounding … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 6/6/22

Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill argues for a continuance due to an ill member of the legal team during jury selection in the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, June 6, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Defense attorneys in Florida school shooting try to withdraw

The public defenders representing Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz tried to withdraw from his death penalty trial after the judge ordered them to move forward with jury selection even though one … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/6/22

This undated handout photo provided by Siria Arizmendi shows her niece, Eliahna García, 10. García is among those killed in Tuesday, May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (Siria Arizmendi via AP)

'Sweet' Uvalde 9-year-old loved 'Encanto,' sports, dancing

Eliahna Garica loved the Disney movie “Encanto,” and the studio’s costume makers sent her parents a custom-made gown and other keepsakes to help them remember the 9-year-old after her burial. … more

6/6/22

Nigerian police officers tape around the St. Francis Catholic church in Owo Nigeria, Monday, June 6, 2022 a day after an attack that targeted worshipers. The gunmen who killed 50 people at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria opened fire on worshippers both inside and outside the building in a coordinated attack before escaping the scene, authorities and witnesses said Monday. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Nigerian civilians bear brunt of attacks by armed groups

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, faces a myriad of security threats — from Islamic State-linked militants in the north to separatist movements in the south. Much of the violence is related … more

By The Associated Press | 6/6/22

This combination of photos shows scenes Broadway performances from the musical "Six," top row from left, the Lynn Nottage play "Clyde's," and the musical "Paradise Square," bottom row from left, the musical "MJ," the play ""for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf," and the musical "A Strange Loop." (Boneau/Brian Brown/Polk & Co., The Press Room, O & M Co./DKC, Polk & Co. and Polk & Co. via AP)

On Broadway, more visibility, yes, but also an unseen threat

For the first full season since the death of George Floyd reignited a conversation about race and representation in America, Broadway responded with one of its most diverse Tony slates yet. Multiple … more

By MARK KENNEDY | 6/6/22