National News - The Morning Sun

Ukraine's Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov arrives for a social dinner for defense ministers attending the NATO summit hosted by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at Fort McNair on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Ukraine defense chief says his nation will find battlefield solutions no matter who wins US election

Ukraine's defense minister said his country will find a way to battle Russia’s invading forces even if Donald Trump wins a second term, jeopardizings vital U.S. support for its defense. Defense … more

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER | 7/17/24

This photo provided by NASA, taken from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, shows the International Space Station on Nov. 8, 2021. NASA and SpaceX discussed plans on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, to shove the International Space Station out of orbit and steer it toward a watery grave in the next decade. (NASA via AP)

How NASA and SpaceX will bring down the space station when it's retired

SpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab. NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday outlined the plan to burn the … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 7/17/24

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents on stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Multiple failures, multiple investigations: Unraveling the attempted assassination of Donald Trump

Multiple investigations have been launched into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. They include probes into the crime itself and how law enforcement allowed it to happen at all. But it’s … more

By COLLEEN LONG, MIKE BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK | 7/17/24

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy after his team defeated Colombia in the Copa America final soccer match in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, July 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Lionel Messi asked to apologize for Argentina players' racist chant

Lionel Messi is facing calls to apologize for racist chants made by Argentina players after they won the Copa America on Sunday. An Argentinean government official said Messi, who is the team … more

By JAMES ROBSON | 7/17/24

Remains of World War II POW who died in the Philippines returned home to California

The remains of a World War II service member who died in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines in 1942 have been brought home to California. The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Pvt. 1st … more

7/17/24

This image provided by California Closets shows a room with a bed built into a cabinet. A horizontal tilt wall bed with built-in cabinets for TV and more helps organize a studio apartment and keeps the sleeping area in its own space. (California Closets via AP)

Don't work in bed, and other tips for creating a peaceful sleep zone in a studio apartment

There’s a lot to be said for the work/play energy of a nice studio or other small apartment during the day. But how do you bring that energy down to get a good night’s sleep? When electronics, … more

By KIM COOK | 7/17/24

FILE - Activists with Black Lives Matter protest in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in the wake of a decision by federal prosecutors who declined to bring civil rights charges against New York City police Officer Daniel Pantaleo, in the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner. Wednesday, July 17, 2024 marks 10 years since the chokehold death of Eric Garner at the hands of New York City police officers who were trying to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

'I can't breathe': Eric Garner remembered on the 10th anniversary of his chokehold death

It has been 10 years since the chokehold death of Eric Garner at the hands of New York City police officers made “I can’t breathe” a rallying cry. On Wednesday, Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, … more

By KAREN MATTHEWS | 7/17/24

Museum curator Nikki Walsh holds up two Revolutionary War musket balls, which are believed to be fired at the British by colonial militia men, at Minute Man National Historical Park, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Concord, Mass. Archeologists say the musket balls date back nearly 250 years and were fired during one of the first battles in the Revolutionary War. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Archeologists find musket balls fired during 1 of the first battles in the Revolutionary War

Archeologists with the National Park Service say they have found musket balls that date back nearly 250 years and were fired during one of the first battles in the Revolutionary War. The five musket … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 7/17/24

Scientists are monitoring wild rattlesnakes through a webcam in remote northern Colorado, observing rattlesnake activity around the clock. The livestream is part of a community science initiative called Project RattleCam.

Webcam monitors hundreds of rattlesnakes at a Colorado 'mega den' for citizen science

A “mega den” of rattlesnakes at a remote location in northern Colorado is now available for live, round-the-clock viewing online. California Polytechnic State University scientists recently put … more

By MEAD GRUVER and KENDRIA LaFLEUR | 7/16/24

FILE - Utility crews work to restore electricity in Houston, Thursday, July 11, 2024. Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi, File)

Anger over Houston power outages after Beryl has repair crews facing threats from some residents

Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city. Authorities … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 7/16/24

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump appears during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

FACT FOCUS: Trump falsely claims babies can be seen to change 'radically' after vaccination

In an excerpt of a recent conversation between former President Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted online, Trump suggested vaccines given to children to … more

By The Associated Press | 7/16/24

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks during a campaign event, in West Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Kennedy apologizes after a video of him speaking to Trump leaks

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has apologized after a video was posted online showing part of a private phone call between the independent presidential candidate and Donald Trump. The video shows Kennedy … more

By JONATHAN J. COOPER | 7/16/24

FILE — In this photo provided by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC officers secure an 11-foot (3.4-meter) alligator for transport after it was seized from a home where it was being kept illegally in Hamburg, N.Y., March 13, 2024. Tony Cavallaro, whose alligator Albert was seized, is suing the state Department of Environmental Conservation in an effort to get him back, saying the agency was wrong not to renew a license for the pet he'd raised for more than 30 years. (New York DEC via AP, File)

Albert the alligator's owner sues New York state agency in effort to be reunited with seized pet

An upstate New York man whose 750-pound alligator was seized is suing the state Department of Environmental Conservation in an effort to get him back, saying the agency was wrong not to renew a … more

By CAROLYN THOMPSON | 7/16/24

This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows death row inmate Ruben Gutierrez. Gutierrez is set to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)

Texas man facing execution for 1998 killing of elderly woman for her money

A Texas man is set to be executed for the killing of an elderly woman decades ago in what prosecutors said was an attempt to steal money the woman had hidden in her Brownsville home. Ruben Gutierrez … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO | 7/16/24

FILE - A demonstrator holds a sign protesting the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade outside the Arkansas Capitol, June 24, 2022, in Little Rock, Ark. Supporters of a proposal to ask voters scale back Arkansas’ abortion ban sued the state on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, for rejecting their petitions to get the measure on the November ballot. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo, File)

Supporters of scaling back Arkansas abortion ban sue state for rejecting ballot measure petitions

Supporters of a proposal to scale back Arkansas’ abortion ban are suing the state for rejecting the petitions they submitted to get the measure on the November ballot. The lawsuit filed Tuesday … more

By ANDREW DeMILLO | 7/16/24

FILE - A shop holds a sidewalk sale on Feb. 10, 2023, in Providence, R.I. Small business sales growth slowed in June, 2024, as consumers took a pause on spending. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Summer pause: Small business sales growth tapers in June as consumers take a breather on spending

Small business sales growth slowed in June as consumers took a pause on spending. That’s according to new data from financial services and payments provider Fiserv. Consumers have been reining in … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 7/16/24

FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, right, sign healthcare waivers at the state Capitol in Atlanta, Oct. 15, 2020. Pathways to Coverage launched last July and is the only Medicaid plan in the country that requires beneficiaries to work or engage in other activities to get coverage. As of June, it had about 4,300 members. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Judge refuses to extend timeframe for Georgia's new Medicaid plan, only one with work requirement

A federal judge has ruled that the Biden administration complied with the law when it declined to grant an extension to Georgia’s year-old Medicaid plan, which is the only one in the country that … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA | 7/16/24

FILE - The sign is seen above the headquarters of Kaspersky Lab in Moscow, Jan. 30, 2017. Beginning July 25, 2024, the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said it will begin to "gradually wind down" all of its operations in the United States, just weeks after the Commerce Department banned the use of the company's software in the country. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

Kaspersky to shutter US operations after its software is banned by Commerce Department, citing risk

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says it’s shutting down all of its operations in the United States, just weeks after the Commerce Department banned the use of the company’s software in the country. … more

7/16/24

FILE - A holiday sale sign is displayed at a retail store in Rosemont, Ill., June 25, 2024. On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, the Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for June. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Retail sales unchanged in June from May as inflation moderates

Shoppers paused their spending June from May as they deal with moderating inflation but still high interest rates that have made buying anything on credit more expensive. Retail sales were unchanged … more

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO | 7/16/24

A number of Palestinians were killed, including a baby boy and his grandmother, in separate Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The Latest | Israeli police shoot and kill a Palestinian who stabbed an officer in the West Bank

Israeli police say officers have shot and killed a Palestinian after he stabbed a police officer in the occupied West Bank. Police said the officer was lightly wounded in the attack Tuesday and … more

By The Associated Press | 7/16/24