National News - The Morning Sun

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, seated at right, signs a package of gun bills Thursday, April 13, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Whitmer signs stricter background check, safe storage bills

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation that will enact safe storage requirements for firearms and universal background checks for gun sales. Whitmer signed the legislation Thursday at … more

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI | 4/13/23

FILE - Law enforcement officers stand outside a school housing an educational program called Starts Right Here that is affiliated with the Des Moines, Iowa, School District, following a shooting, Jan. 23, 2023, in Des Moines. Bravon Michael Tukes and Preston Walls, the two Iowa teenagers charged in a shooting at the Des Moines alternative school, will be tried separately so one of the teens can testify on behalf of the other, a judge ruled Monday, April 10, 2023. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register via AP, File)

Teens charged in fatal school shooting get separate trials

Two Iowa teenagers charged in a fatal shooting at a Des Moines school will be tried separately so one of the teens can testify in defense of the other. A judge ruled this week that the trials of … more

4/13/23

FILE - Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA, the AP has learned. The helmet, manufactured by Vicis, reduces severity of helmet-to-ground impacts, which league data says account for approximately half of quarterback concussions, including the one suffered by Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa last season when his head slammed violently against the turf during a Thursday night game against Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jim Rassol, File)

First QB helmet designed to help reduce concussions approved

The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA, the AP has learned. The helmet, manufactured by Vicis, reduces severity of … more

By ROB MAADDI | 4/13/23

EPA awards $177 million to environmental justice groups

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce Thursday that it’s investing $177 million to create 17 technical assistance centers around the country to help environmental justice … more

BY DREW COSTLEY | 4/13/23

FILE - Parishioners attend Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in the Queens borough of New York on Sunday, May 8, 2022. According to a report released Thursday, April 13, 2023, by the Pew Research Center, Catholics remain the largest religious group among Latinos in the United States, but the number of Latinos who identify as religiously unaffiliated continues to grow. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

Poll: Among U.S. Latinos, Catholicism still largest faith

Catholics remain the largest religious group among Latinos in the United States, but the number of Latinos who identify as religiously unaffiliated continues to grow. Those are among the key findings … more

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO | 4/13/23

In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, from left: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Pakistani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar pose for a group photo during a ministerial meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, April 13, 2023. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia, China FM attend high-level conference on Afghanistan

The top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan have attended a conference that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan. Russia's Foreign Ministry said … more

4/13/23

Cemetery workers carry a portrait of slain Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 8, 2023. Tatarsky, known by his pen name of Maxim Fomin, was killed on Sunday, April 2, as he led a discussion at a riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city. (Anton Velikzhanin, M24/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Russia identifies Ukrainian suspect in war blogger's killing

Russia’s top security agency has accused a Ukrainian man of involvement in a bombing that killed a well-known Russian military blogger at a St. Petersburg cafe. Vladlen Tatarsky, an ardent … more

By The Asscoiated Press | 4/13/23

FILE - A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Pittsburgh, Oct. 29, 2018. The man charged in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history has for years been trying unsuccessfully to avoid having a federal jury decide whether to convict him of shooting to death 11 people during services in a Pittsburgh synagogue, a trial scheduled to get underway with jury selection in less than two weeks. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Death penalty looms over Pittsburgh synagogue massacre trial

The Pennsylvania man charged with killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue tried for years to avoid a federal jury trial. Ultimately those efforts failed, and jury selection is less than two weeks … more

By MARK SCOLFORO | 4/13/23

In this photo provided by Mandy Iworrigan is Nanuq, in the middle with Brooklyn Faith, after the 1-year-old Australian shepherd was returned to Gambell, Alaska, on April 6, 2023, after it disappeared for a month and walked on the Bering Sea ice 150 miles to Wales, Alaska. On the left is Zoey with Starlight and on the right is Ty with Kujo. (Mandy Iworrigan via AP)

Pet arrives home, dog-tired, after Alaskan sea-ice odyssey

A 1-year-old Australian shepherd took an epic trek across 150 miles of frozen Bering Sea ice before being safely returned to his home in Alaska. Nanuq wandered off from an Alaska island in the Bering … more

4/12/23

FILE - Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the north steps of the State Capitol to supporters at a Texas Public Policy Foundation Parent Empowerment rally on March 21, 2023, in Austin. Abbott is moving fast to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant convicted in the 2020 killing of an armed protester. Sgt. Daniel Perry faces up to life in prison after being convicted of murder Friday, April 7, in the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Garrett Foster. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)

Juror: Texas governor's rush to pardon shooter a 'travesty'

An juror in the trial of a Texas man convicted of murder for killing a protester says Gov. Greg Abbott’s rush to issue a pardon in the case is an “egregious overreach.” Jere Dowell says the … more

By ACACIA CORONADO | 4/12/23

FILE - In this aerial photo, a mass grave is re-filled with dirt after a small ceremony at Oaklawn Cemetery, July 30, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. The mass grave was discovered while searching for victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. A forensic anthropologist believes investigators are a step closer to identifying victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with the discovery of 19 surnames possibly connected to remains excavated from the Tulsa cemetery. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP, File)/Tulsa World via AP)

Scientist: Progress in identifying Tulsa massacre victims

A forensic anthropologist believes investigators are a step closer to identifying victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with the discovery of 19 surnames possibly connected to remains excavated … more

By KEN MILLER | 4/12/23

FILE - An sign stands near an entrance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, in Bethesda, Md. The management of the medical center has drawn criticism from a prominent archbishop - and some members of Congress - by choosing not to renew a contract for Franciscan priests to provide pastoral care, and by hiring a hiring a secular defense contractor, Mack Global LLC, to oversee provision of those services going forward. Walter Reed said it notified the Franciscans in March 2023 that their contract would not be renewed. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Military hospital chided for shift in Catholic pastoral care

The management of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has drawn criticism from a prominent archbishop -- and some members of Congress. The reason: Its decision not to renew a contract for … more

By DAVID CRARY | 4/12/23

Alexei Moskalyov, right, is escorted from a courtroom in Yefremov, Tula region, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 27, 2023. A court in Russia on Tuesday convicted a single father over social media posts criticizing the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to two years in prison — a case brought to the attention of authorities by his daughter's drawings against the invasion at school, according to the man's lawyer and local activists. The 54-year-old Moskalyov, a single father of a 13-year-old daughter, was accused of repeatedly discrediting the Russian army, a criminal offense in accordance to a law Russian authorities adopted shortly after sending troops into Ukraine. (AP Photo)

Father of girl who drew anti-war art extradited to Russia

A human rights group says the father of a a Russian girl sent to an orphanage after drawing an antiwar sketch at school has been extradited from Belarus back to Russia. He faces two years in prison … more

4/12/23

The likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on a U.S. $100 bill, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. In a time of high inflation and high interest rates, refunds for taxpayers are on average 10% smaller this year compared with last year, in part due to expired pandemic relief programs. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Your tax refund could be smaller than last year. Here's why

If you're expecting a tax refund, it could be smaller than last year. And with inflation still high, that money won’t go as far as it did a year ago. The 90 million taxpayers who have filed as of … more

By CORA LEWIS | 4/12/23

In this photo provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, a massive 2,500-acre forest fire burns in Ocean County, N.J., early Wednesday, April 12, 2023, as firefighters battle the blaze. The fire started late Tuesday, April 11, and is burning across some 2,500 acres (about 1,000 hectares). (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Big flames, raining embers in New Jersey pine barrens fire

A massive 3,800-acre forest fire in Ocean County, New Jersey is about half contained as officials continue to battle flames. Authorities said Wednesday the fire started Tuesday and led to the … more

4/12/23

Smoke rises from an industrial fire, Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 358 NW F Street, in Richmond, Ind. (Zach Piatt/The Palladium-Item via AP)

Residents forced from Indiana homes as plastics fire burns

Authorities say an evacuation order is expected to remain in place through Wednesday around a large industrial fire in an Indiana city near the Ohio border where crews worked through the night to … more

4/12/23

This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows John Wayne as Sheriff John T. Chance, left, and Angie Dickinson as Feathers in a scene from "Rio Bravo." Dickinson is helping to kick off this year's TCM Classic Film Festival this week in Hollywood with a screening and a discussion of the 1959 classic. (Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP)

Angie Dickinson is (almost) ready for TCM’s Film Festival

Angie Dickinson has quite a few stories about her star-making role in Howard Hawks’ “Rio Bravo,” that she is ready to regale audiences with at the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday in … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/12/23

FILE - Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett smiles during an interview in Omaha, Neb., May 7, 2018. Buffett's company has increased its investments in five major Japanese trading houses to give Berkshire Hathaway control of 7.4% of each of those conglomerates. Buffett disclosed the new investments Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in interviews with Nikkei and CNBC while he is visiting Tokyo this week to meet with executives at the Japanese companies. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Buffett says people shouldn't worry about Berkshire, banks

Billionaire Warren Buffett assured investors Wednesday that Berkshire Hathaway will be fine when he's no longer around to lead the conglomerate because Vice Chairman Greg Abel will do a great job and … more

By JOSH FUNK | 4/12/23

FILE - Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, walks outside of the White House, Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington. The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it is mixed with the opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine and develop an antidote. The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

US names veterinary drug, fentanyl mixture 'emerging threat'

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy is designating the tranquilizer xylazine when mixed with fentanyl as an emerging threat. The drug was approved for veterinary uses more than 50 years … more

By GEOFF MULVIHILL | 4/12/23

Expelled State Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, delivers remarks outside the state Capitol Monday, April 10, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Pearson was expelled the previous week over his role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

2nd Black lawmaker could be returned to Tennessee House

Commissioners in Memphis are scheduled to decide whether to return a Black Democrat to the Republican-led Tennessee House. He and a colleague were kicked out of the Legislature last Thursday … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 4/12/23