National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - The toes of a baby peek out of a blanket at a hospital in McAllen, Texas. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the increase of U.S. infant mortality rate to 3% in 2022 — a rare increase in a death statistic that has been generally been falling for decades. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

The US infant mortality rate rose last year. The CDC says it's the largest increase in two decades

The U.S. infant mortality rate rose 3% last year, which is the largest increase in two decades. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows significant death rate increases … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 11/1/23

This image from a video animation provided by NASA depicts the Lucy spacecraft approaching an asteroid. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, Lucy encountered the first of 10 asteroids on its long journey to Jupiter. (NASA via AP)

NASA's Lucy spacecraft swoops past first of 10 asteroids on long journey to Jupiter

NASA's Lucy spacecraft has encountered the first of 10 asteroids on its long journey out to Jupiter. The spacecraft on Wednesday zoomed past the pint-sized Dinkinesh in the main asteroid belt beyond … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 11/1/23

FILE - In this image from video from Louisiana state police state trooper Dakota DeMoss' body-worn camera, trooper Kory York bends over with his foot on Ronald Greene's shoulder after he was taken into custody on May 10, 2019, outside of Monroe, La. On Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, a judge delivered a victory to the state prosecution of white Louisiana lawmen in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, allowing the most serious charge of negligent homicide to go forward against York, captured on video dragging the Black motorist by his ankle shackles and forcing him to lie facedown in the dirt. (Louisiana State Police via AP, File)

Trooper accused of withholding body-camera video agrees to testify in deadly arrest of Black driver

Prosecutors have dropped charges against a Louisiana state trooper accused of withholding graphic body-camera footage that shows another officer dragging Black motorist Ronald Greene by his ankle … more

By JIM MUSTIAN | 11/1/23

In this image made from video, Michelle Fiscus speaks to the Associated Press, from Franklin, Tenn., on July 13, 2021. The state of Tennessee has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by the former vaccine leader over her firing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement in the case brought by Fiscus includes provisions that limit what each of the parties can say about each other, according to a copy provided by the Tennessee Department of Health in response to a public records request. (AP Photo)

State is paying fired Tennessee vaccine chief $150K in lawsuit settlement

The state of Tennessee has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by its former vaccine leader over her firing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Agreement details obtained in a public records … more

By JONATHAN MATTISE | 11/1/23

In this NASA false-color image, the blue and purple shows the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer over Antarctica on Oct. 30, 2023. This year’s ozone hole was about average size for the last 20 years. (NASA via AP)

Ozone hole is about average size, despite undersea volcano eruption that was expected to worsen it

With last year’s undersea volcano injecting massive amounts of water high into the atmosphere, scientists were bracing for a big Antarctica ozone hole this fall. But it didn’t happen. Instead … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 11/1/23

This Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 image shows part of the HealthCare.gov website. The time to shop for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s coverage marketplaces starts Wednesday. Experts and insurance agents say people should think about more than price before picking next year’s coverage. (AP Photo)

It's time to buy health insurance through the marketplace. Experts suggest doing your research first

The time to shop for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s coverage marketplaces is back. Experts and insurance agents say people should think about more than price before picking next … more

By TOM MURPHY | 11/1/23

FILE - Myrtle Felton, from left, Sharon Lavigne, Gail LeBoeuf and Rita Cooper conduct a live stream video on property owned by Formosa Plastics on March 11, 2020, in St. James Parish, La. The Environmental Protection Agency spent more than a year investigating whether Louisiana's oversight of industrial air emissions discriminated against Black residents. The EPA’s investigation ended, however, before it secured commitments from the state to strengthen its oversight. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Louisiana was open to Cancer Alley concessions. Then EPA dropped its investigation

The Environmental Protection Agency spent more than a year investigating whether Louisiana's oversight of industrial air emissions discriminated against Black residents. That ended in June without … more

By MICHAEL PHILLIS | 11/1/23

Crime scene tape still surrounds Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Maine gunman may have targeted businesses over delusions they were disparaging him online

Maine State Police documents shed light on why a delusional U.S. Army reservist who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston may have targeted those locations. According to documents … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 10/31/23

Signage marks the exterior of the New Castle County Courthouse, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in Wilmington, Del. The courthouse is the scene of a trial that began Monday, Oct. 30, for Keith Gibson, an alleged serial killer suspected in the deaths of several people in Delaware and Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Randall Chase)

Jurors in serial killings trial views video footage of shootings

Jurors in the trial of a man accused in six killings have been shown video surveillance footage of two fatal shootings. Keith Gibson is accused in the deaths of six people in Delaware and … more

By RANDALL CHASE | 10/31/23

High School students return to school for the first time since the shootings that claimed 18 lives in their community, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Maine mass shooter's troubling behavior raised concerns for months, documents show

Documents released by a Maine sheriff's office give the most detailed timeline yet of the warning signs and failed efforts to stop the gunman who killed 18 people and wounded 13 others at a bowling … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 10/31/23

CORRECTS NAME OF FACILITY TO GREENWASTE RENEWABLE ENERGY DIGESTION FACILITY FROM GREENWASTE ZANKER RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY - Shredded organic materials are piled up before being taken to an anaerobic digester at a GreenWaste Renewable Energy Digestion Facility in San Jose, Calif., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. For the first time since the 1990s, the EPA updated its ranking of preferred strategies for waste reduction, ranging from preventing wasted food altogether (by not producing or buying it in the first place) to composting or anaerobic digestion, a process by which food waste can be turned into energy in the form of biogas. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Americans are still putting way too much food into landfills. Local officials seek EPA's help

A pair of recent reports from the Environmental Protection Agency put striking numbers on America's problem with food waste. One-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten, and 58% of … more

By MELINA WALLING | 10/31/23

Smoke rises from the Gaza Strip during the ongoing bombardment by the Israeli military on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023. Over the past five days, Israeli ground troops have pushed deeper and deeper into Gaza in their war against Hamas, launched in response to a bloody Oct. 7 cross-border raid by the Islamic militant group. Yet even as the operation expands each day, the army refuses to call it an invasion. Its vague choice of words appears to be a deliberate strategy aimed at keeping its enemy off balance and preserving its options as a lengthy war unfolds. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Has Israel invaded Gaza? The military has been vague, even if its objectives are clear

Over the past five days, Israeli ground troops have pushed deeper and deeper into Gaza in their war against Hamas, launched in response to a bloody Oct. 7 cross-border raid by the Islamic militant … more

By JOSEF FEDERMAN | 10/31/23

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on threats to the homeland, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The FBI director warns about threats to Americans by those inspired by the Hamas attack on Israel

FBI Director Christopher Wray is warning that Hamas’ rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the U.S. He told lawmakers on Tuesday that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for … more

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST | 10/31/23

Four Palestinians were killed early Monday in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, as Israeli forces continued operations. The ministry said five other Palestinians were wounded, including two with critical injuries. (Oct 30/AP Video: Aref Tufaha)

Live updates | Israeli ground forces attack Hamas targets in north as warplanes strike across Gaza

A deluge of Israeli airstrikes Tuesday on a refugee camp near Gaza City has demolished apartment buildings, leaving craters where they once stood, while ground troops battle Hamas militants across … more

By The Associated Press | 10/31/23

Rev. Jimmie Hardaway Jr. shows the gun he carries on him during services at Trinity Baptist Church Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. One time, when he wasn’t carrying a gun, “I had a guy beat his wife in my office and I couldn’t do anything. He was too big for me. All I could do was say: ‘Stop! Stop!,” he recalls. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Freedom Under Fire: 5 takeaways from AP’s series on rising tension between guns and American liberty

In a country shadowed by the threat of mass shootings and neighborhood violence, courts have embraced an increasingly absolute reading of the right to guns. That raises difficult questions about how … more

By ADAM GELLER | 10/31/23

Rev. Jimmie Hardaway Jr. sits for a portrait next to the gun he carries on him during services at Trinity Baptist Church Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. “I’m really not free if I have to sit here and worry about threats to a congregation,” says Hardaway, one of several religious leaders who sued New York officials last fall after lawmakers restricted guns in houses of worship. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Two pastors worry for their congregants’ safety. Are more guns the answer or the problem?

Two pastors are each worried for their congregants safety. One believes the right to bear arms undermines the freedom to worship in peace. The other believes that the right to carry a gun is an … more

By ADAM GELLER | 10/31/23

FILE-Cans of Bud Light chill in a refrigerator in Oakland, Calif., Friday, April 28, 2023. AB InBev reports earnings on Tuesday, Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

AB InBev earnings climb but Bud Light backlash still weighs on North American sales

Anheuser-Busch Inbev says that revenue growth in most of its global regions was offset by a drop in North American sales. It's a sign of continuing fallout from a promotion with a transgender … more

By The Associated Press | 10/31/23

In this undated photo provided by Elizabeth Seal, American Sign Language interpreter Josh Seal poses with his wife, Elizabeth. Josh Seal was one of four deaf people killed in last week's mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. (Elizabeth Seal via AP)

Deaf family grieves father of 4 and beloved community leader who was killed in Maine shootings

Communities that were sheltering in place in the aftermath of Maine's shootings are beginning to move forward, with kids returning to school and residents celebrating Halloween. But dozens of family … more

By DAVID SHARP | 10/31/23

FILE - People ride the Giant Canyon Swing at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, Colo., June 10, 2011. A heavily armed man killed himself rather than carry out an apparent plan to shoot up the mountaintop amusement park in Colorado, authorities said Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (Christopher Tomlinson/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel via AP, File)

Police say heavily armed man killed himself rather than carry out attack at Colorado amusement park

Police say a heavily armed man killed himself rather than carry out an attack at a Colorado amusement park. Authorities in Colorado say the 20-year-old man was found dead at Glenwood Caverns … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN | 10/30/23

FILE - Attorney Ben Crump speaks during rally at Tennessee State University, Oct. 3, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Crump said Monday, Oct. 30, in Jackson, Miss., that he is calling on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate why authorities in Jackson waited several months to tell a woman that her son had been struck and killed by a police SUV driven by an off-duty officer. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Lawyer wants federal probe of why Mississippi police waited months to tell a mom her son was killed

A civil rights attorney says he will ask the U.S. Justice Department to investigate why authorities in Jackson, Mississippi, waited months to tell a woman that her son had been struck and killed by a … more

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 10/30/23