National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - British singer-songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens performs at the 2016 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park in New York on Sept. 24, 2016. Stevens will release a new album of original songs this summer. The 12-song collection is called “King of a Land” and comes out in June on George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Cat Stevens to return this summer with a new album

Legendary British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens will release a new album of original songs this summer. The 12-song collection is called “King of a Land” and comes out in June on George … more

By MARK KENNEDY | 3/15/23

Remains of 160 people found in Bay Area cremation warehouse

San Francisco Bay Area officials are working to identify the families of 160 people whose remains were found in a warehouse used by a cremation business whose license was suspended. Alameda County … more

3/14/23

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh prepares to speak before the Nebraska Legislature Monday, March 13, 2023, at the Nebraska State Capital in Lincoln, Neb. Cavanaugh is in her third week of an effort to filibuster every bill that comes before the Legislature this session — even the ones she supports. The effort is a protest against conservatives' advancement of a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming therapies for those 18 and younger. Cavanaugh has declared she will "burn the session to the ground" in an effort to stymie the bill. (AP Photo/Margery Beck)

Nebraska lawmaker 3 weeks into filibuster over trans bill

Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh is three weeks into a pledge to filibuster every bill that comes before the Legislature — even the ones she supports. The Omaha lawmaker is pontificating on … more

By MARGERY A. BECK | 3/14/23

This image provided by NASA shows the star Wolf-Rayet 124, center, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in June 2022. A surrounding nebula is made of material cast off from the aging star in random ejections, and from dust produced in the ensuing turbulence. The telescope captured the rare and fleeting phase of the star on the cusp of death. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team via AP)

NASA Webb telescope captures star on cusp of death

The Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death. NASA released the picture Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 3/14/23

FILE - Sarah Bentley, second from left, leads songs at an International Women's Day Sit-In for Abortion Rights in the Texas state Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Austin, Texas. A federal judge in Texas overseeing a high-stakes case that could threaten access to medication abortion told lawyers not to publicize upcoming arguments in the lawsuit and that “less advertisement of this hearing is better,” according to a transcript of the meeting released Tuesday, March 14. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman via AP, File)

Abortion pill access case: Judge wants 'less advertisement'

A transcript reveals that a federal judge overseeing a high-stakes case that could threaten access to medication abortion told lawyers not to publicize upcoming arguments in the lawsuit. U.S. … more

By SEAN MURPHY and JAKE BLEIBERG | 3/14/23

FILE - A memorial with a photo of Dru Sjodin and handwritten notes from fellow sorority members hangs in the entry of the Gamma Phi Beta house on the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks, N.D., Nov. 18, 2004. U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday, March 14, 2023, that they will no longer seek the death penalty for the man convicted in the kidnapping and killing of college student Sjodin in 2003 in a case that led to changes in sex offender registration laws. (AP Photo/Kory Wallen, File)

US no longer seeking death for man convicted in Sjodin case

The U.S. attorney in North Dakota says he will no longer seek the death penalty for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., convicted in the kidnapping and killing of a college student nearly two decades ago in a … more

By JIM SALTER and MICHAEL TARM | 3/14/23

FILE - Protesters rally at the Ohio Statehouse in support of abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, June 24, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday, March 14, 2023, to review a county judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of the state's near-ban on abortions, and to consider whether the clinics challenging the law have legal standing to do so. In its split decision, the court, however, denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yost's request to launch its own review of the right to an abortion under the Ohio Constitution, leaving those arguments to play out in lower court. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, File0

Ohio Supreme Court to review block of near-ban on abortion

The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to review a judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of Ohio's so-called heartbeat abortion ban, and to consider whether the clinics that have sued have standing … more

By JULIE CARR SMYTH | 3/14/23

FIFA president Gianni Infantino poses on the green carpet before the ceremony of the Best FIFA Football Awards in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program

The expanded World Cup in North America has gotten even more supersized. The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for a second time. FIFA has created a bigger opening … more

By GRAHAM DUNBAR | 3/14/23

FILE - Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill speaks at candidate forum in Rex, Ga, Aug. 16, 2012. The former Georgia sheriff convicted of violating the civil rights of people in his custody by unnecessarily strapping them into restraint chairs is set to be sentenced Tuesday, March 14, 2023, with prosecutors seeking several years in prison. (Kent D. Johnson/Atlanta Journal Constitution via AP, File)

Ex-sheriff convicted of civil rights abuses gets prison time

A former Georgia sheriff convicted of violating the civil rights of people in his custody by unnecessarily strapping them into restraint chairs was sentenced to serve a year and a half in prison. … more

By KATE BRUMBACK | 3/14/23

FILE - A sign for Ohio State University stands in Columbus, Ohio, May 8, 2019. Ohio State University on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider questions about the law known as Title IX and hear a case that affects whether more than 230 men can proceed with unsettled lawsuits against the school over decades-old sexual abuse by a team doctor, the late Richard Strauss. (AP Photo/Angie Wang, File)

Ohio State asks court to hear Title IX issues in abuse suits

Ohio State University is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider questions about the law known as Title IX in a case stemming from lawsuits over decades-old sexual abuse by the late team doctor … more

By KANTELE FRANKO | 3/14/23

FILE - Members of the Irish band U2, from left, Larry Mullen Jr., Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton appear at the screening of "U2 3D," at the 60th International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2007. The band's latest release, “Songs Of Surrender,” is a collection of 40 re-recorded and reimagined songs from across the band’s catalog. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File)

In unusual step, U2 reinterprets 40 of its best-known songs

In reimagining 40 of its best-known songs in new recordings, U2 considered how many fans experience the music: through earphones connected to a device in their pockets. Most of the songs were written … more

By DAVID BAUDER | 3/14/23

FILE - In this image released by the New Zealand Defense Force, Feb. 15, 2023, people stand on a rooftop of a home waiting to be helped to safety by helicopter in the Esk Valley, near Napier, New Zealand, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Climate change worsened flooding from the tropical cyclone that shut down much of New Zealand in one of the country's costliest disasters, scientists said, but they couldn't quite calculate how much it magnified the catastrophe. (New Zealand Defense Force via AP, File)

Scientists say climate change goosed New Zealand storm fury

Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle flooded New Zealand with gigantic amounts of rain last month and scientists say they are sure that climate change is a factor. But researchers are unable to say just how … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 3/14/23

FILE - Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, presides over the Tennessee Senate on the first day of the legislative session, Jan. 12, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. On Thursday, March 9, 2023, McNally apologized after revelations that he interacted on social media with nearly nude photos of a young gay model, in addition to more posts by the man and other LGBTQ personalities, even as the lawmaker has led a Senate that has passed bills targeting the LGBTQ community. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

GOP leader 'pausing' social media after liking LGBTQ posts

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says that he is “pausing” all social media activity after revelations that he repeatedly commented on posts of nearly nude photos of a young gay model and other … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 3/13/23

This combination of photos shows promotional art for the 95th Academy Awards, airing Sunday on ABC, left, and the HBO series "The Last of Us, airing Sunday on HBO. (ABC/HBO via AP)

HBO's 'The Last of Us' season finale draws in a series high

“The Last of Us” fans set another rating high with the season one finale of the apocalyptic, mushroom-infected zombie video game adaptation. Despite airing against the Oscars Sunday night, HBO … more

By KARENA PHAN | 3/13/23

Boat salvager Robert Butler, left, and KC Ivers, right, prepare to move one of two boats on Blacks Beach, Sunday, March 12, 2023, in San Diego. Authorities say multiple people were killed when two suspected smuggling boats overturned off the coast in San Diego, and crews were searching for additional victims. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

7 killed in capsized San Diego boats were Mexican migrants

Mexican officials say at least seven of eight people killed when two boats capsized in shallow but turbulent surf off the San Diego coast were Mexican migrants. The Mexican consulate in San Diego … more

3/13/23

FILE - A lobster rears its claws after being caught off Spruce Head, Maine, Aug. 31, 2021. A group of Maine businesses and trade groups filed a lawsuit against a California aquarium Monday, March 13, 2023, for recommending seafood customers avoid buying lobster. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Lobster ‘red list’ draws ire, lawsuit from Maine fishers

A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in … more

By PATRICK WHITTLE | 3/13/23

Shooting suspect Michael Boatwright looks at his attorney's computer at the defense table on the fourth day of jury deliberations in the XXXTentacion murder trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, March 13, 2023. Emerging rapper XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, 20, was killed during a robbery outside of Riva Motorsports in Pompano Beach in 2018, allegedly by defendants Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Jurors see cellphone data of XXXTentacion's accused killers

Jurors deliberating the fate of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion reviewed videos, photos and text messages seized from two of their cellphones. The jurors on Monday asked … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 3/13/23

Daniel Kwan, left, and Daniel Scheinert toss their awards for best picture for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" as they pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

One loser in 'Everything Everywhere' romp: Oscar bait

One surprising loser Sunday: Oscar bait. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” may be the most bonkers best picture winner ever. The night’s final award was for a bracingly new film that its … more

By JAKE COYLE | 3/13/23

A tactical unit from the Missouri Highway Patrol moves to enter a home where a man was believed to be hiding after being accused of shooting two Hermann police officers Sunday night, on Monday, March 13, 2023. The tactical officers moved debris from the front door and retreated. The shooting about 9:30 p.m. Sunday killed Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith of the Hermann Police Department. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Suspect caught in shooting that left 1 officer dead, 1 hurt

The search for the man suspected of killing one small-town Missouri police officer and badly injuring another ended Monday when the man came out of a home that had been surrounded by police. The … more

By The Associated Press | 3/13/23

FILE - Dr. Bassem Awadallah, then director of the office of King Abdullah II of Jordan, attends a celebration to mark Independence Day, on May 25, 2008, in Amman, Jordan. Awadallah, a former top Jordanian official imprisoned in an alleged plot against the Western-allied monarchy, was rushed to the hospital over the weekend after a three-week hunger strike, the man’s American lawyer said Monday, March 13, 2023. Jordanian officials deny allegations of mistreatment. (AP Photo/Nader Daoud, File)

Ex-Jordanian official hospitalized after hunger strike

Representatives of a former top Jordanian official imprisoned in an alleged plot against the Western-allied monarchy say he was rushed to the hospital over the weekend after a three-week hunger … more

By JOSEF FEDERMAN | 3/13/23