National News - The Morning Sun

The Texas Supreme Court hears oral arguments for Zurawski v. State of Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pregnant Texas woman asked a court for permission to get an abortion, despite a ban. What's next?

The Texas Supreme Court has put on hold a judge’s ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis. The order Friday throws into limbo an unprecedented … more

By PAUL J. WEBER | 12/9/23

FILE - Snow accumulates outside a restaurant at a makeshift memorial for the victims of last month's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. The four members of Maine's congressional delegation are calling for an Army investigation into the events leading up to a mass shooting in the state in the wake of meeting with families affected by the killings. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine's congressional delegation calls for Army investigation into Lewiston shooting

The four members of Maine’s congressional delegation are calling for an Army investigation into the events leading up to a mass shooting in the state. Their call follows a meeting with families … more

By PATRICK WHITTLE | 12/9/23

FILE - A liquid carbon dioxide containment unit stands outside the fabrication building of Glenwood Mason Supply Company, April 18, 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

What is carbon capture and why does it keep coming up at COP28?

The future of fossil fuels that are warming the planet are at the core of negotiations at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai. There’s a push to phase them out, but in the background of … more

By MICHAEL PHILLIS | 12/9/23

Scientific diver Morgan Murphy-Cannella holds bull kelp with a dark patch of reproductive spores as she surveys a reforestation project, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, near Caspar, Calif. Kelp forests play an integral role in the health of the world’s oceans, one of the issues being discussed at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

From urchin crushing to lab-grown kelp, efforts to save California's kelp forests show promise

After purple urchins helped nearly wipe out 96% of California's iconic underwater bull kelp forests over a six-year span, biologists say they are seeing promising signs that efforts to save them may … more

By JULIE WATSON | 12/9/23

FILE - Abortion rights demonstrators attend a rally at the Texas state Capitol in Austin, Texas, May 14, 2022. A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, to let her terminate the pregnancy, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texas Supreme Court pauses lower court's order allowing pregnant woman to have an abortion

The Texas Supreme Court has put on hold a judge’s ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis. The order Friday throws into limbo an unprecedented … more

By PAUL J. WEBER | 12/8/23

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, right, speaks about a fatal shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters, Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. Listening is Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, left, and Adam Garcia, vice president of public services and director of UNLV Police. (Christopher DeVargas/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Police still investigating motive of UNLV shooting; school officials cancel classes, finals

Three University of Nevada, Las Vegas, faculty members died this week and another was critically injured when a lone gunman walked onto campus and opened fire in a building housing the business … more

The Associated Press | 12/8/23

FILE - An entrance to The Covenant School is seen, May 24, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Nashville Police have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator, the department announced in an email sent to media late on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Nashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter's writings is inconclusive

Nashville Police say they have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator. The … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER | 12/8/23

In this photo provided by the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, Peter Park, right, is sworn in by District Attorney Tim Ward in Visalia, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. A county prosecutor's office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney's Office said that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam. (Tulare County District Attorney's Office via AP)

Californian passes state bar exam at age 17 and is sworn in as an attorney

A county prosecutor’s office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office says that, according to research, Peter … more

12/8/23

This image released by Peacock shows Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk in a scene from "Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie." (Peacock via AP)

Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in 'Mr. Monk's Last Case'

Fourteen years ago, Tony Shalhoub said goodbye to one of his most beloved creations — the obsessive-compulsive private detective Adrian Monk. But the pandemic suddenly made us all catch up with … more

By MARK KENNEDY | 12/8/23

FILE - A radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles, May 6, 2010. Annual mammograms are now recommended indefinitely for breast cancer survivors in many countries including the United States. Now a large British study finds that less frequent screening is just as good. The findings were being discussed Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Breast cancer survivors may not need so many mammograms after surgery, UK study suggests

A large British study finds that less frequent screening is just as good as annual mammograms for certain breast cancer survivors. The findings are being discussed at the San Antonio Breast Cancer … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 12/8/23

FILE - Former President Boris Yeltsin, left, smiles as he talks to the then Russian acting President and Premier Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin, Russia, on Dec. 31, 1999. In a surprise address to the nation, President Boris Yeltsin announces his resignation and makes Putin, the prime minister he appointed four months earlier, the acting president. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Key events in Vladimir Putin's more than two decades in power in Russia

Throughout his 24 years in power in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has launched wars, cracked down on the opposition, stifled most independent media and consolidated his power. He also has sought … more

By The Associated Press | 12/8/23

This image made with the Hubble Space Telescope and released by NASA on Aug. 10, 2020 shows the star Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse, a red supergiant. The star, one of the biggest and brightest in the night sky, will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it late Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, into early Tuesday. The event should be visible to millions of people along a narrow corridor stretching from central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain, all the way to Miami and the Florida Keys, and, finally, Mexico. (Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland (STScI), NASA and ESA via AP)

Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions

One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That's because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 12/8/23

Haitian migrants wade through a river as they cross the Darien Gap from Colombia to Panama in hopes of reaching the United States, May 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

AP PHOTOS: 2023 images show violence and vibrance in Latin America

A little girl perches on the shoulder of her mom, whose eyes fill with trepidation as she wades through waist-deep water in the jungle of the Darien Gap. Another woman sits beside railroad … more

By DAVID BILLER | 12/8/23

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

The UN secretary-general invoked 'Article 99' to push for a Gaza ceasefire. What exactly is it?

It’s called “Article 99.” And it hasn’t been used for decades. Until this week. An Israeli offensive is intensifying and civilian casualties are escalating, so U.N. Secretary-General Antonio … more

By The Associated Press | 12/7/23

A menorah stands outside the entrance to Temple Israel, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. A 28-year-old suspect was in police custody for allegedly firing two rounds from a shotgun outside the Jewish temple on Friday, just hours before the start of Hanukkah. Officials said no one was injured and police they did not know the man's motive.(AP Photo/Maysoon Khan)

Man fires shotgun outside Jewish temple in upstate New York as Hanukkah begins, no one injured

Officials say a man fired a shotgun twice outside a Jewish temple in upstate New York, then said “Free Palestine” as he was taken into custody. Gov. Kathy Hochul said no one was injured Thursday … more

By MAYSOON KHAN | 12/7/23

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Commit to Caucus rally, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Ankeny, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)

Trump's vow to only be a dictator on 'day one' follows growing worry over his authoritarian rhetoric

Donald Trump's assertion that he would only be a dictator on “day one” of a second term comes as he is facing growing scrutiny over his increasingly authoritarian and violent rhetoric. The … more

By JILL COLVIN and BILL BARROW | 12/7/23

Dr. Michelle Owens, a maternal fetal medicine subspecialist, speaks on Feb. 22, 2023 at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Owens is one of the leaders of a committee that published a study Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, which showed that Black women were four times more likely to die of causes directly related to pregnancy than white women in the state in 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Maternal mortality rate is much higher for Black women than white women in Mississippi, study says

Black people make up about 38% of Mississippi’s population. But a new study says Black women were four times more likely to die of causes directly related to pregnancy than white women in the state … more

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 12/7/23

Cut cantaloupe is displayed for sale at a supermarket in Philadelphia on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. On Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, U.S. and Canadian officials reported additional deaths in a salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe. (AP Photo/Jonathan Poet)

Deaths from tainted cantaloupe increase to 3 in U.S. and 5 in Canada

A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people _ three in the U.S. and five in Canada. Health officials in both countries also reported dozens of new illnesses on … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 12/7/23

Neighborhood residents speak to Austin Police officers in Austin, Texas late Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. Texas authorities say a daylong series of attacks in Austin has left four people dead and at least three injured, and a man believed to be connected to them and the deaths of two people near San Antonio was taken into custody. (Sara Diggins /Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Texas deputies confronted but didn't arrest fatal shooting suspect in August, a month before new law

A man suspected of killing six people earlier this week in a shooting rampage across central Texas was confronted by police in August. Officers encountered Shane James Jr. during a mental health … more

By JIM VERTUNO and ACACIA CORONADO | 12/7/23

This photo provided by the Ely, Minn., Police Department shows a Kevlar canoe on top of a squad car, Nov. 16, 2023, in Ely, Minn. The police department in the remote north woods Minnesota town of Ely has faced the same challenges of recruiting and keeping new officers as countless other law enforcement agencies around the country, but it's offering a unique incentive: canoes. (Chad Houde/Ely Police Department via AP)

A small police department in Minnesota's north woods offers free canoes to help recruit new officers

The police department in the small north woods Minnesota town of Ely faces the same challenges of recruiting and keeping officers as countless other law enforcement agencies across the country. So … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 12/7/23