National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - A man walks down the steps of the Boeing 777X airplane during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Monday, June 19, 2023. Airlines are facing increasing pressure to cut their climate-changing emissions. That made sustainable aviation fuel a hot topic this week at the Paris Air Show, a major industry event. Sustainable fuel made from food waste or plant material is aviation's best hope for reducing emissions in the next couple of decades. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

Want a climate-friendly flight? It's going to take a while and cost you more

Airlines are facing increasing pressure to cut their climate-changing emissions. That made sustainable aviation fuel a hot topic this week at the Paris Air Show, a major industry event. Sustainable … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 6/24/23

FILE - Thousands of protesters march around the Arizona Capitol after the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision Friday, June 24, 2022, in Phoenix. Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday, June 23, 2023 signed a sweeping executive order to protect anyone involved with a legally obtained abortion from prosecution. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Arizona executive order safeguards abortion seekers and providers from prosecution

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a sweeping executive order to protect anyone involved with a legally obtained abortion from prosecution. The Democratic governor said Friday she will continue to … more

6/24/23

A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. (June 22)

Follow the timeline of the Titan submersible's journey from departure to discovery

The wrecks of the Titanic and the Titan sit on the ocean floor, separated by 1,600 feet and 111 years of history. How they came together unfolded over an intense week that raised temporary hopes and … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 6/24/23

FILE - Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on April 8, 2023. On Friday, June 23, Prigozhin made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for his arrest. (AP Photo/File)

Prigozhin, the mercenary chief urging an uprising against Russia's generals, has long ties to Putin

Long a low-profile Russian businessman, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has taken the spotlight in Russia. That’s by posing a direct challenge to Russia’s generals over the war in Ukraine. … more

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER | 6/23/23

In a image from video provided by The Ocean Race, an orca moves along a rudder of the Team JAJO entry in The Ocean Race on Thursday, June 22, 2023, as the boat approached the Strait of Gibraltar. A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race, the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of sometimes-aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas. No one was injured. (The Ocean Race via AP)

Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior

A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race as it approached the Strait of Gibraltar. It's the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of … more

By JIMMY GOLEN | 6/23/23

Saleh: Mohammed Saleh, the father of 18-year-old Yahia Saleh, holds a phone with a photo of his son at home in Ibrash, Egypt, Sunday, June 18, 2023. Yahia is one of dozens from the village feared to have drowned after a packed fishing vessel sank off Greece on June 14. There were as many as 750 migrants, including women and children, on board the trawler, which capsized and sank off Greece in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea instead of docking in Italy. (AP Photo)

What the submersible saga and the Greek migrant shipwreck say about our reactions to tragedy

The saga of a lost submersible that had gone into the depths of the ocean to see the Titanic wreckage rippled across the national and global conversation. But a far bigger disaster days earlier, the … more

By The Associated Press | 6/23/23

What role will liability waivers play in the aftermath of the Titan sub tragedy?

The five passengers on the fatal submersible trip to the Titanic wreckage site were likely asked to sign liability waivers. These documents have been relatively commonplace for anyone who has taken … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 6/23/23

FILE - Lead plaintiff Kayla Gore speaks at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2019. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit, Thursday, June 22, 2023, from a group of Tennessee-born transgender individuals who want the state to change the sex designations on their birth certificates. (AP Photo/Travis Loller, File)

Judge rejects transgender plaintiffs' bid to change their birth certificates in Tennessee

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Tennessee-born transgender plaintiffs who want to change the sex designations on their birth certificates. The plaintiffs say not … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER | 6/23/23

FILE - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks about airline flight delays and cancellations in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Washington. Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday, June 23, 2023, that planes won't be allowed to land in poor visibility if they lack equipment to avoid radio interference from 5G. On July 1, AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Buttigieg warns airlines to finish retrofitting planes to avoid interference from 5G signals

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday that planes won't be … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 6/23/23

FILE - An Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2015. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

The Oscars best picture rules are changing. Here’s how it’ll affect contenders and movie theaters

The theatrical requirements for movies vying for the Oscars top prize just got a little tougher. After three years of adjusted standards due to the pandemic, starting next year best picture hopefuls … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 6/23/23

Broward Sheriff's Office communications operator Samantha Oakley testifies during the trial of former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Friday, June 23, 2023. Broward County prosecutors charged Peterson, a former Broward Sheriff's Office deputy, with criminal charges for failing to enter the 1200 Building at the school and confront the shooter as he perpetuated the Valentine's Day 2018 Massacre that left 17 dead and 17 injured. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Dispatcher testifies that failing radios hampered deputies' response to Parkland school massacre

A Florida sheriff's deputy's response to the 2018 Parkland school massacre was hampered by a radio system that collapsed. That was the testimony Friday from a Broward County sheriff's office … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/23/23

How much did Titan search cost? US Coast Guard's bill alone will be in the millions, experts say

The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars. That's according to maritime law and search and rescue experts. The massive … more

By DAVID SHARP | 6/23/23

FILE - The bed of Mother Mary Lange, the leader of the country's first community of Black nuns, is displayed at the St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005. Under a decree signed by Pope Francis on Thursday, June 22, 2023, Lange was recognized for her heroic virtue, and advanced in the cause of her beatification from being considered servant of God to venerable - another step toward sainthood. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner, File)

Black nun who founded first African American religious congregation advances closer to sainthood

The Black Catholic nun who founded the United States’ first African American religious congregation has advanced another step toward sainthood. The Vatican said this week that Mother Mary Lange was … more

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO | 6/23/23

Scrutiny rises on Titan sub's unconventional design after deep water disaster

The deadly implosion of the Titan submersible raises questions about whether the vessel exploring the Titanic wreckage was destined for its own disaster because of its unconventional design and its … more

By MARK PRATT | 6/23/23

A girl cools off in a public fountain in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The heat wave continues in Lithuania as temperatures have been raising to as high as 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

June 16-22, 2023 From the war in Ukraine, to the celebration of the summer solstice at Stonehenge, to a heat wave in Lithuania, this gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or … more

By The Associated Press | 6/23/23

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

Tourist sub's implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions

The fatal implosion of the Titan submersible has drawn attention to the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It’s a space where laws and maritime conventions can be sidestepped by … more

By BEN FINLEY | 6/23/23

FILE - The Cordell Hull State Office Building stands, Jan. 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislative office building was placed on lockdown, Thursday, June 22, 2023, after multiple Republican leaders received what House Speaker Cameron Sexton called “a white powder substance” in the mail. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Tennessee Republican lawmakers receive mail with 'white powder substance'

A lockdown on a Tennessee’s legislative office building in Nashville has been lifted. The building was shuttered after several Republican leaders received what House Speaker Cameron Sexton says was … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE | 6/22/23

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California shows an ancient Roman-era mosaic that was illegally imported. A California man has been found guilty of illegally importing the ancient mosaic from Syria. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was convicted Wednesday, June 21, 2023, of one count of entry of falsely classified goods. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California via AP)

California man convicted of illegally importing an ancient mosaic from Syria

A California man has been found guilty of illegally importing an ancient mosaic from Syria. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was convicted Wednesday … more

6/22/23

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson sits at the defense table during his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Broward County prosecutors charged Peterson, a former Broward Sheriff's Office deputy, with criminal charges for failing to enter the 1200 Building at the school and confront the shooter as he perpetuated the Valentine's Day 2018 mass shooting there. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Witnesses to Parkland massacre describe their confusion in pinpointing gunshots' location

The courtroom battle over whether a Florida deputy should have confronted the Parkland school gunman is now centering on what witnesses heard. A deputy sheriff, teachers and students all gave … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/22/23

Group promoting plant-based eating wants a new name for Macon Bacon baseball team

A doctors' group that promotes animal rights is makin' a fuss over the Macon Bacon baseball team. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine wrote to the president of the Georgia collegiate … more

6/22/23