National News - The Morning Sun

A passer-by walks through a gate to the Harvard University campus, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school's conduct policy. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Harvard seeks to move past firestorm brought on by school President Claudine Gay's resignation

Harvard University is trying to move past the firestorm brought on by the plagiarism allegations, congressional testimony and resignation of Claudine Gay, the school’s first Black president. The … more

By STEVE LeBLANC | 1/3/24

FILE - Migrants wait to be processed by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after they crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico, Oct. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. The Justice Department on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, sued Texas over a new law that would allow police to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally, taking Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to court again over his escalating response to border crossers arriving from Mexico. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Justice Department sues Texas over law that would let police arrest migrants who enter US illegally

The Justice Department is suing Texas over a new law that would allow police in the state to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally. The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Texas of violating the … more

By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO | 1/3/24

Kierre Williams, right, sits with his attorneys in court Wednesday morning, Jan. 3, 2024, in Blair, Neb. Williams is charged with fatally stabbing a small-town priest during a Dec. 10, 2023, break in at the home where the priest lived next to his church in Fort Calhoun, Neb. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)

Nebraska judge allows murder case to proceed against suspect in killing of small-town priest

A Nebraska judge has agreed that the fact that the suspect was found lying on top of a badly wounded priest covered in blood stains last month inside the home where the priest lived next door to his … more

By JOSH FUNK | 1/3/24

A Japan Airlines plane is on fire on the runway of Haneda airport on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. The passenger plane collided with a Japanese coast guard aircraft and burst into flames on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday, officials said. (Kyodo News via AP)

A jet's carbon-composite fiber fuselage burned on a Tokyo runway. Is the material safe?

The runway fire in Tokyo is providing a key test of the safety of carbon-composite material on planes. Composite materials reinforced with carbon fibers make planes lighter, which helps them save … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 1/3/24

Loved ones and community members gathered for a vigil for Wadee Alfayoumi, an Illinois boy killed in an alleged hate crime last year. Joseph Czuba is facing hate crime and murder charges. The vigil was held at the courthouse where Czuba was appearing Wednesday. (Jan. 3) (AP Video: Melissa Winder)

Vigil held to honor slain Muslim boy as accused attacker appears in court in Illinois

An Illinois landlord charged with murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an October attack on a Palestinian American mother and her young son has appeared for a pretrial hearing. The court … more

By CLAIRE SAVAGE | 1/3/24

A group of volunteer divers from Sunshine State Sonar said they believe they found the remains of Sandra Lemire on Saturday, Dec 30, 2023, while diving in a small retention pond near Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., apparently solving a 12-year-old mystery about what happened to her. ( Sunshine State Sonar via AP)

12 years after she vanished, divers believe they have found body of woman in submerged vehicle

The body of a woman who went missing 12 years ago appears to have been found last week in a minivan submerged in a central Florida retention pond near Walt Disney World. The family of Sandra Lemire … more

1/3/24

FILE - Jeffrey Epstein appears in court, July 30, 2008, in West Palm Beach, Fla. On Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, a federal judge ordered the public disclosure of the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in a mountain of court documents related to the late-financier, saying that most of the names were already public and that many had not objected to the release. (Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post via AP, File)

Court records related to Jeffrey Epstein are set to be released, but they aren't a client list

Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating that a judge is about to release a list of clients or co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed … more

By DAVID B. CARUSO | 1/3/24

People stay next to destroyed cars after an explosion in Kerman, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Iran says bomb blasts at an event honoring a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike in 2020 have killed at least 103 people and wounded 188 others. (Tasnim News Agency via AP)

What’s known, and what remains unclear, about the deadly explosions in Iran

Here’s what’s known — and what remains unclear — about Wednesday’s deadly explosions in Iran. more

By The Associated Press | 1/3/24

The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames on Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP)

New PGA Tour season starts with renewed emphasis on charity with Lahaina in mind

The PGA Tour season starts at Kapalua and there's a different feeling this year. Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele are among several players contributing to relief efforts toward the … more

By DOUG FERGUSON | 1/3/24

ADDS LOCATION OF BOMBING - A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters receives treatment at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Live updates | Fighting rages in southern Gaza and fears grow the war may spread in the region

Heavy fighting is raging in central and southern Gaza as fears mount of a regional escalation following a strike in Beirut that killed one of the top Hamas leaders. The strike was widely blamed on … more

By The Associated Press | 1/3/24

In this photo taken from video released by Russia Emergency Situations Ministry telegram channel on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, firefighters extinguish burning cars after shelling in Belgorod, Russia. Russian officials have accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the Russian border city of Belgorod. Two children were killed in Saturday's attack, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on social media. He also said that an unspecified number of people had been injured. (Russia Emergency Situations Ministry telegram channel via AP)

Ukraine trains its sights on Russian border region, seeking to stir up discontent

The Russian military says it shot down 12 Ukrainian missiles over Russia’s southern Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. Kyiv’s forces are seeking to embarrass Russian President Vladimir Putin and … more

1/3/24

Today in History: January 3, Alaska becomes the 49th state

Today in History Today is Wednesday, Jan. 3, the third day of 2024. There are 363 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state … more

By The Associated Press | 1/3/24

FILE - The border crossing sits closed Dec. 15, 2023, at Lukeville, Ariz. U.S. authorities say the crossing on the most direct route from Phoenix to the nearest beaches will reopen Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, one month after it closed in response to a large migrant influx. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Arizona border crossing with Mexico to reopen a month after migrant influx forced closure

U.S. authorities say a border crossing on the most direct route from Phoenix to the nearest beaches will reopen Thursday, one month after it closed in response to a large migrant influx. While … more

1/2/24

FILE - The Salt Lake City International Airport is seen, July 18, 2014, in Salt Lake City. A man was found dead inside an airplane engine Monday night, Jan. 1, 2024, at the Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door and walked onto the tarmac. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Man found dead at Salt Lake City airport after climbing inside jet engine

A man has been found dead at Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door and climbed inside a jet engine. Officers found 30-year-old Kyler Efinger … more

1/2/24

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2015 file photo, college students and abortion rights activists hold signs during a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol, in Austin, Texas. The Biden administration cannot use a 1986 emergency care law to require hospitals in Texas hospitals to provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to pregnancy, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. It's one of numerous cases involving abortion restrictions that are playing out in state and federal courts after the U.S. Supreme Court ended abortion rights in 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

In Texas case, federal appeals panel says emergency care abortions not required by 1986 law

A federal appeals court in New Orleans says the Biden administration cannot use a 1986 emergency care law to require that Texas hospitals provide abortions for women whose lives are at risk due to … more

By KEVIN McGILL | 1/2/24

FILE - Gypsy Rose Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, Nov. 15, 2018, in Springfield, Mo. Blanchard, the Missouri woman who admitted to convincing her online boyfriend to kill her abusive mother after being forced to pretend for years she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses, said she has found a way to forgive her mother — and herself. But it has been a long journey from years of abuse and the darkest parts of her life splashed across tabloids to living in prison. (Nathan Papes/The Springfield News-Leader via AP, File)

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is free, reflects on prison term for conspiring to kill her abusive mother

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says she has found a way to forgive her mother — and herself. But it has been a long journey from abuse and tabloid coverage of being forced to pretend for years that she was … more

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | 1/2/24

FILE - A person rides a scooter by crime scene tape in the aftermath of a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dec. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. New police footage released Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, includes audio of the shootout that ended a gunman's deadly rampage a month ago at the UNLV campus. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Shootout with UNLV gunman heard in new Las Vegas police body camera video

Police have released new body camera footage that includes audio of the shootout that ended a gunman’s deadly rampage a month ago at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The video released Tuesday … more

1/2/24

A Palestinian man walks by the remains of destroyed buildings following the Israeli bombardment on the main road of Gaza City on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hajjar)

Live updates | Fighting in central and southern Gaza after Israel says it's pulling some troops out

Israel’s army says several thousand troops will be taken out of Gaza in the coming weeks. That's in line with plans that Israeli leaders have outlined for a low-intensity campaign focusing on … more

By The Associated Press | 1/2/24

FILE - Michael Skakel enters the state Supreme Court for a hearing, in Hartford, CT, Feb. 24, 2016. Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel, whose murder conviction in the 1970s killing of a teenager in Connecticut was overturned, is suing the lead police investigator in the case and the town of Greenwich, Conn., for alleged malicious prosecution, civil rights violations and other claimed wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

Kennedy cousin whose murder conviction was overturned sues former cop, Connecticut town

Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is suing a police investigator and the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, more than five years after his murder conviction was overturned. Skakel was found guilty in 2002 … more

By DAVE COLLINS | 1/2/24

This screen shot from Jan. 1, 2024 video provided by ABC7 Chicago shows Greg Zellers near the area in Gary, Indiana where a car flipped early New Year’s Day on a little-used road. Zellers told the station he was on his way to work about 6:30 a.m. Jan. 1. when a woman flagged him down and walked him to where the car had crashed about 50 yards from the roadway. (ABC7 Chicago via AP)

Indiana woman is rescued after passerby directs police to car crash site along little-used road

Police say a woman who was trapped in a car that crashed early on New Years Day was rescued after a passerby directed officers to the crash scene along a little-used northwest Indiana road. Police … more

1/2/24