National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Customers shop for produce in the Chinatown neighborhood of Philadelphia, July 22, 2022. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States are somewhat more optimistic than the overall adult population about their personal finances, but recent polling shows the outlook isn't quite as sunny when it comes to keeping up with household expenses or unexpected medical costs. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

US Asians and Pacific Islanders worry over economy, health care costs, AP-NORC/AAPI data poll shows

A majority of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States call their personal financial situation good. But, recent polling shows the outlook isn’t quite as sunny when it comes to … more

By TERRY TANG and LINLEY SANDERS | 1/30/24

Nick Ejak, who was in charge of discipline at Oxford High School, testifies during Jennifer Crumbley's trial at Oakland County Courthouse, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley, 45, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say she and her husband were grossly negligent and could have prevented the four deaths if they had tended to their son’s mental health. They’re also accused of making a gun accessible at home. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP)

Official found it 'strange' that Michigan school shooter's mom didn't take him home over drawing

A Michigan school official told jurors that he had no grounds to search the backpack of a teenager before the boy killed four fellow students in 2021. Nick Ejak testified Tuesday that he was pulled … more

By ED WHITE | 1/30/24

FILE - This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of numerous, corkscrew-shaped, darkly-stained, Treponema pallidum spirochetes, the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. The U.S. syphilis epidemic continues to worsen, according to a new government report released Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, that also contains some unexpected good news — the rate of new gonorrhea cases has fallen for the first time in a decade. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP, File)

The US hasn't seen syphilis numbers this high since 1950. Other STD rates are down or flat

Infectious syphilis cases in the U.S. rose by 9% in 2022. That's according to a new federal government report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults. The rate of new gonorrhea cases fell for the … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 1/30/24

FILE - A police officer watches demonstrators march during a protest, Jan. 28, 2023, in New York. In New York, a proposed bill that would require officers to document basic information when they question someone has divided city government and been thrust into the national spotlight after police pulled over a black lawmaker without giving him a reason. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

With police stops in the spotlight, NYC council is expected to override mayor on transparency bill

The New York City Council is expected to override a mayoral veto of a bill to require police officers to document basic information whenever they question someone. The issue was thrust into the … more

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE | 1/30/24

American consumers feeling more confident than they have in two years

American consumers, fresh off strong holiday spending, are feeling more confident than they have in two years. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer … more

By MATT OTT | 1/30/24

FILE - likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on U.S. $100 bills, Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Marple Township, Pa. Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Small business payroll growth is moderating, but that could mean more sustainable growth ahead

Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses. … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 1/30/24

FILE - Isil Mico takes a photo of her sister-in-law Oznur Mico in front of Snowzilla, a snowman measuring more than 20 feet tall, in Anchorage, Alaska on Jan. 10, 2024. A recent storm dropped nearly 16 inches of snow on Anchorage, bringing the seasonal total to over 103 inches. It’s the earliest Alaska’s largest city has reached the 100-inch mark. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

'Pandemic of snow' in Anchorage sets a record for the earliest arrival of 100 inches of snow

Even by Alaska standards, there's a lot of snow this winter. A new storm has dropped nearly 16 more inches of snow on Anchorage, bringing the seasonal total past 100 inches. It’s the earliest … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 1/30/24

FILE - In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry Telegram channel on Dec. 30, 2023, firefighters extinguish burning cars after shelling in Belgorod, Russia. The attack in the city near the border with Ukraine killed 25 people and injured 109, dealing a heavy blow to President Vladimir Putin's attempts to reassure his countrymen that their lives have been largely unchanged by the nearly two-year military operation. (Russia Emergency Situations Ministry Telegram channel via AP, File)

Ukraine's strikes on targets inside Russia hurt Putin's efforts to show the war isn't hitting home

Ukrainian strikes on a Russian border city, as well as attacks elsewhere on fuel facilities and arms producers, have damaged President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reassure his countrymen that … more

By The Associated Press | 1/30/24

FILE - This aerial still image from video provided by KTLA shows law enforcement vehicles where several people were found shot to death in El Mirage, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Monday, Jan. 29, that arrests have been made in the investigation into six bodies found dead at a dirt crossroads in the Southern California desert last week. (KTLA via AP, File)

5 suspects arrested in California desert killings in dispute over marijuana, sheriff’s officials say

Sherriff's officials say five suspects have been arrested in the investigation surrounding six bodies found last week at a remote dirt crossroads in the Southern California desert in a dispute over … more

1/29/24

This photo released by the Anoka County, Minn., Jail shows inmate Alonzo Pierre Mingo. Mingo was charged with murder Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, after authorities say he posed as a package delivery driver, entered a home and demanded money before he shot three people in the head, including at least one at point-blank range. (Anoka County Jail via AP)

Police say Minnesota man dressed as delivery driver in home invasion turned triple homicide

A Minnesota man has been charged in a triple homicide after allegedly dressing as a package delivery driver to break into a home. Alonzo Pierre Mingo is charged with three counts of second-degree … more

By SUMMER BALLENTINE | 1/29/24

FILE - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office, May 15, 2023, in Chicago. The city will again extend its 60-day limit on shelter stays for asylum seekers, Johnson announced Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, days ahead of a deadline that could have evicted nearly 2,000 migrants. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Chicago to extend migrant shelter stay limits over concerns about long-term housing, employment

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will again extend its 60-day limit on shelter stays for asylum seekers. The announcement Monday comes days ahead of a deadline that could have evicted nearly 2,000 … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 1/29/24

Multiple units from Palm Bay, Fla., and other police agencies gather along Emerson Drive and side streets Sunday afternoon, Jan. 28, 2024, where a shooting occurred. Four people are dead, including a Florida man accused of shooting and wounding two police officers, authorities confirmed Monday, Jan. 29. (Tim Shortt/Florida Today via AP)

4 dead, including Florida man suspected of shooting and wounding 2 police officers

Authorities say four people are dead in Florida’s Space Coast, including a retired priest and a man accused of shooting and wounding two police officers. Police say 24-year-old Brandon Kapas got … more

1/29/24

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks at NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee, Fla., Jan. 26, 2024. Less than two weeks after suspending his presidential campaign, DeSantis finally weighed on what he wants lawmakers to do this year: Change Washington. Today, Monday, Jan. 29, 2023, is the start of the fourth week of a legislative session that lasts less than nine weeks. (Joe Burbank /Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)

Back home in Florida after White House bid ends, DeSantis is still focused on Washington's problems

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants lawmakers to change Washington this year. DeSantis held a news conference Monday less than two weeks after suspending his presidential campaign. He … more

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON | 1/29/24

Trooper Ryan Londregan walks hand-in-hand with his wife to his first court appearance to answer to murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop last summer on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 at the Hennepin Public Safety Facility in Minneapolis, Minn. (Renée Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota trooper accused of fatally shooting motorist Ricky Cobb II makes first court appearance

A judge has ruled that a Minnesota state trooper accused in the fatal shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II can remain free without bail. The judge on Monday ordered Trooper Ryan Londregan to surrender … more

By MARK VANCLEAVE | 1/29/24

This undated image provided by Shawn Sanders shows Army Spc. Kennedy Sanders, right, posing for a selfie with her mother, Oneida Oliver-Sanders, at a ceremony in Columbus, Ga., on Aug. 9, 2023. The 24-year-old Army reservist's parents confirmed she was among three U.S. service members killed Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, by a drone strike at their base in Jordan near the border with Syria. Sanders of Waycross, Georgia, joined the Army Reserve five years ago, her parents said, and was taking college courses to become an X-ray technician. (Shawn Sanders via AP)

Grief and mourning for 3 US soldiers killed in Jordan drone strike who were based in Georgia

The U.S. Defense Department says three Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia were killed in a weekend drone strike in Syria. They were identified as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Spc. … more

By RUSS BYNUM | 1/29/24

Jennifer Crumbley, left, stands with her attorney, Shannon Smith, in an Oakland County courtroom, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley, 45, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter, the first time parents have been charged in a U.S. mass school shooting. She and her husband are accused of contributing to the deaths at Oxford High School by neglecting the needs of their son, Ethan Crumbley, and making a gun accessible at home. (Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press via AP, Pool)

Counselor recalls concerns about Michigan school shooter at mother's trial

A counselor says staff expressed concerns about a Michigan teenager long before he killed four students during a 2021 school shooting. Shawn Hopkins testified Monday on the third day of the … more

By ED WHITE | 1/29/24

FILE - Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, competes in the women's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been disqualified from the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport comes almost two years after Valieva's doping case caused turmoil at the Beijing Games. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

What happens to Olympic medals now that Russian skater Valieva has been sanctioned for doping?

The highest court in sports sanctioned Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for doping violations at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The ruling set the stage for U.S. skaters to receive gold medals after … more

By EDDIE PELLS | 1/29/24

St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell speaks during a news conference July 30, 2020 in Clayton, Mo. The Missouri prosecutor has filed a motion to overturn the conviction of a man who has spent more than two decades in prison for a killing that the prosecutor now believes he didn't commit. Bell filed a motion Friday, Jan. 27, 2024 to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams, 55, who has long claimed innocence in the death of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed multiple times during a robbery in 1998. (Chris Kohley/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, file)

Missouri prosecutor seeks to overturn the conviction an inmate who has spent decades on death row

A Missouri prosecutor now believes that inmate Marcellus Williams is innocent of the crime that landed him on death row and very nearly cost him his life, and is seeking to overturn his conviction. … more

By JIM SALTER | 1/29/24

FILE - Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 31, 2023. Supporters of prominent Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. say on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 he has disappeared from the Siberian prison where he was behind bars. The 42-year-old Kara-Murza is serving a 25-year sentence for treason. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, file)

Russian opposition figure Kara-Murza has disappeared from prison, colleagues say

Supporters of prominent Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr. says he has disappeared from the Siberian prison where he was behind bars. The 42-year-old Kara-Murza is serving a 25-year … more

By The Associated Press | 1/29/24

Walmart's latest perk for U.S. store managers? Stock grants

Walmart is further sweetening the perks for its U.S. store managers as the nation’s largest retailer and private employer seeks to retain and attract top workers in a still competitive job market. … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | 1/29/24