National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Officers escort Richard Allen out of the Carroll County courthouse following a hearing, Nov. 22, 2022, in Delphi, Ind. Allen, charged with killing two teenage girls, will remain held at a northern Indiana prison after a judge concluded Wednesday, July 19, 2023, he's being treated better there than other inmates, after his attorneys requested to relocate him from the Indiana Department of Correction’s Westville Correctional Facility. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Attorneys for man charged with killing 2 teenage Indiana girls argue they died in ritual sacrifice

Attorneys for a northern Indiana man charged with killing two teenage girls contend in new court documents that their client had nothing to do with the crimes and that the girls actually died as part … more

9/18/23

Debris from two planes that crashed during an airshow at Dallas Executive Airport are shown in Dallas on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A look at recent vintage aircraft crashes following a deadly collision at the Reno Air Races

Two pilots died when their vintage planes collided in front of tens of thousands of spectators Sunday at the final day of the Reno Air Races. Both men competed in a race Sunday using World War II-era … more

By The Associated Press | 9/18/23

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi places his hands on his heart as a gesture of respect as he leaves after a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran's president denies sending drones and other weapons to Russia and decries US meddling

Iran’s president is denying his country sent drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. It comes even as the United States accuses Iran of not only providing the weapons but helping Russia … more

By PAUL HAVEN | 9/18/23

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng shake hands while posing for photos, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, Pool)

Blinken meets Chinese VP as US-China contacts increase ahead of possible summit

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with China's Vice President Han Zheng on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly as the Biden administration and Beijing step up high-level contacts ahead … more

By MATTHEW LEE | 9/18/23

FILE - Maine's House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, right, attends the State of the Budget address, Feb. 14, 2023, at the Statehouse in Augusta, Maine. Maine's top elected Republican official got a big scare during the remnants of Hurricane Lee when a giant wave overturned his lobster fishing boat at sea. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Coast Guard warned mariners at noon on Friday, Sept. 15, that they needed to immediately begin making plans to avoid the storm. That’s around the same time the wave appeared, as Faulkingham was headed back home to Winter Harbor. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine's top elected Republican, a lobsterman, survives boat capsize from giant wave ahead of Lee

Maine's top elected Republican says he's glad to be alive after a giant wave overturned his lobster boat ahead of the remnants of Hurricane Lee. The Coast Guard had warned mariners at midday Friday … more

By DAVID SHARP and PATRICK WHITTLE | 9/18/23

This photo posted on the Gatorland Facebook page on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023 shows Savannah Boan, Crocodilian Enrichment Coordinator at the Gatorland theme park in Orlando, Fla., holding an alligator with a missing upper jaw that was that was rescued and brought to the park to be cared for. (Gatorland Facebook.com via AP)

Gator with missing nose and upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park

A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller. Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in … more

9/18/23

FILE - A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II performs a demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show, in Le Bourget, east of Paris, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. On Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, a Marine Corps pilot safely ejected from an F-35 Lightning II over North Charleston, S.C. The search for his missing aircraft was focused on two lakes north of North Charleston, military officials said. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Military searches near South Carolina lakes for fighter jet whose pilot safely ejected

Authorities are searching near two South Carolina lakes for a military jet that apparently crashed after a Marine Corps pilot ejected over the weekend. The search for the missing F-35B Lightning II … more

9/18/23

A look at the prisoners Iran and US have identified previously in an exchange

Iran and the United States have previously identified eight of 10 prisoners in an exchange. Energy executive Siamak Namazi is the longest-held Iranian-American held in Tehran. He was sentenced to 10 … more

By The Associated Press | 9/18/23

FILE - President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden leaves after a court appearance, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del. Hunter Biden has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, arguing that two agents violated his right to privacy when they publicly aired his tax information as they pressed claims that a federal investigation into him had been improperly handled. The lawsuit filed Monday says that his personal tax details shared during congressional hearings and interviews was not allowed by whistleblower protections. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Hunter Biden sues the IRS over tax disclosures after agent testimony

Hunter Biden has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, arguing that two agents violated his right to privacy when they publicly aired his tax information as they pressed claims that a … more

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST | 9/18/23

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Shares fell Monday in Asia, with Hong Kong's benchmark pulled lower by property stocks after reports police have detained staff at the wealth management business of troubled real estate developer China Evergrande. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Stock market today:

Shares are mostly lower in Asia, with Tokyo's markets closed for a national holiday. U.S. futures edged higher and oil prices advanced. Chinese property developers were steady after dropping sharply … more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH | 9/18/23

Search on for a missing Marine Corps fighter jet in South Carolina after pilot safely ejects

A Marine Corps pilot safely ejected from a fighter jet over South Carolina and the search for his missing aircraft was focused on two lakes near North Charleston. Military officials say the pilot … more

9/17/23

In this photo provided by the Stow Fire Department, responders continue working the scene where a World War I-era plane crashed and flipped onto its roof as the pilot attempted to land near the American Heritage Museum, in Stow, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. The pilot was not hurt. (Stow Fire Department via AP)

World War I-era plane flips onto roof trying to land near Massachusetts museum; pilot unhurt

Massachusetts authorities say a World War I-era plane crashed and flipped over onto its roof as the pilot tried to land outside of a military history museum. The pilot was not hurt. The vintage … more

9/17/23

FILE - This screen grab from dash camera video provided by the Fort Lupton Police Department shows a freight train barreling toward a parked police car with a suspect inside, Sept. 16, 2022, in Fort Lupton, Colo. A former Fort Lupton Police officer, Jordan Steinke, was sentenced to 30 months on supervised probation on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, for placing the handcuffed suspect in the car on the tracks. The collision seriously injured 21-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez. The date/time stamp shown on the video is incorrect. (Fort Lupton Police Department via AP, File)

Former Colorado officer gets probation for putting woman in police vehicle that was hit by a train

A former Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman in a parked vehicle that was hit by a freight train last year, causing the woman to suffer a traumatic brain injury, has avoided a jail … more

9/17/23

FILE - This photo of Ismael Lopez, left, and his wife Claudia, was shown to reporters during a news conference on July 28, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn. A Mississippi jury ruled on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, that two Southaven police officers had not violated Lopez's civil rights when they shot him, rejecting a lawsuit seeking money damages (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz, File).

A Mississippi jury rules officers justified in fatal 2017 shooting after police went to wrong house

A federal jury in Mississippi has rejected a civil lawsuit seeking money damages from two police officers who fatally shot a man while serving a warrant at the wrong house. The jury ruled Thursday … more

9/17/23

FILE - Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita speaks in Schererville, Ind., Nov. 8, 2022. Indiana’s attorney general has sued the state’s largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion. The lawsuit Friday Sept. 15 2023, marks Attorney General Rokita’s latest attempt to seek disciplinary legal action against Dr. Caitlin Bernard. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Indiana attorney general sues hospital system over privacy of Ohio girl who traveled for abortion

Indiana’s attorney general has sued the state’s largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana … more

9/17/23

FILE - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. Sullivan met in Malta over the past two days with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Maltese government said Sunday, Sept. 17, in a statement. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Biden's national security adviser holds two days of talks in Malta with China's foreign minister

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser met with China’s foreign minister over the past two days on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. The White House says the effort was intended … more

By AAMER MADHANI and JOSH BOAK | 9/17/23

FILE - A view of the stage at the Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, is seen Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Missing the Emmy Awards? What’s happening with the strike-delayed celebration of television

If it were a normal year, the 75th Emmy Awards would be held Monday night. But this is no normal year. With both actors and writers on strike, the Emmys were postponed until January. Voting did take … more

By ANDREW DALTON | 9/17/23

FILE - This exhibit from video released by the House Select Committee, shows a photo of President Donald Trump with his coast on as he returns to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, after speaking on the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television, saying he would “tell people later at an appropriate time.” (House Select Committee via AP, File)

Trump refuses to say in a TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at the US Capitol

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot unfold on television. He said on NBC's “Meet the … more

By MICHELLE L. PRICE | 9/17/23

Alisha Alderson who is due to give birth in September, sits in the living room of her house in Baker City, Ore., on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. Because of the closing of Baker City's only obstetrical unit, the Anderson family is traveling to the Boise, Idaho area, a little over 100 miles away, to give birth. Alisha will be spending time with family in Kuna, Idaho for 3 weeks until she gives birth or is induced the third week of September. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)

Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards. People are seeking options to give birth closer to home

Fewer than half of rural hospitals have labor and delivery units and the number keeps dropping. It’s forcing pregnant women to travel longer distances for care or face giving birth in an emergency … more

By CLAIRE RUSH and LAURA UNGAR | 9/17/23

Workers hand off plants during operations at a vertical farm greenhouse in Cleburne, Texas, Aug. 29, 2023. Indoor farming brings growing inside in what experts sometimes call “controlled environment agriculture.” There are different methods; vertical farming involves stacking produce from floor to ceiling, often under artificial lights and with the plants growing in nutrient-enriched water. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Lots of indoor farms are shutting down as their businesses struggle. So why are more being built?

Across the country, more indoor farms are launching or expanding even as others founder. This summer marked the groundbreaking of a huge vertical farming operation in Virginia by the California-based … more

By MELINA WALLING and KENDRIA LaFLEUR | 9/17/23