National News - The Morning Sun

A Vermont State trooper plunged into a frigid pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. The child survived and fully recovered after a brief hospital stay. (Jan 12) (AP video produced by Javier Arciga)

State trooper plunges into icy Vermont pond to save 8-year-old girl

A Vermont state trooper is being praised for plunging into a frigid pond and saving the life of an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. Police say the girl and … more

1/12/24

Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The Australian Open and what to know: Earlier start. Netflix curse? Osaka's back. Nadal's not

Iga Swiatek and other tennis players are shrugging off the Australian Open's decision to begin on a Sunday instead of a Monday, creating a 15-day event. The top-seeded Swiatek said it doesn't really … more

By HOWARD FENDRICH | 1/12/24

President Joe Biden walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn in Washington, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, for a short trip to Joint Base Andrews, Md., and then on to Allentown, Pa. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Biden says Austin still has his confidence, but not revealing hospitalization was lapse in judgment

President Joe Biden says it was a lapse in judgment for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not to tell him about his hospitalization last week, but he still has confidence in the Pentagon chief. Austin, … more

By SEUNG MIN KIM | 1/12/24

Honor guards take part in a flag lowering ceremony at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 ahead of the presidential election on Saturday. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

What's at stake in Taiwan's elections? China says it could be a choice between peace and war

Taiwan is holding a weekend presidential election that neighboring China has warned could mean the difference between peace and war. China claims Taiwan as its territory even though the island off … more

By DIDI TANG and IAN MADER | 1/12/24

FILE - Ted Henifin, interim third-party manager for JXN Water, the water system for the city of Jackson, Miss., explains his proposal for a slight rate increase Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, during a news conference in Jackson. The day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, a new round of test results did not find E. coli in the city's supply, Henifin, the city's water manager said Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

New test of water in Mississippi capital negative for E. coli bacteria, city water manager says

Jackson’s water manager says a new round of test results did not find E. coli in the city's supply. The announcement comes one day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s … more

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG | 1/12/24

Kentucky state Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong works at her desk in the Senate chamber on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, in Frankfort, Ky. She is the lead sponsor of a bipartisan bill that would exempt diapers from the state sales tax. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)

Parents facing diaper duty could see relief from bipartisan tax legislation introduced in Kentucky

For weary parents rolling up their sleeves for diaper duty, a bill in Kentucky would deliver tax relief when purchasing a necessity that adds up to a big expense. The measure would exempt diapers … more

By BRUCE SCHREINER | 1/12/24

FILE - Texas troopers stand near a "No Trespassing" sign and concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park, Aug. 1, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. The mayor of Eagle Pass, a Texas border city that's at the center of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's aggressive measures to curb migrant crossings, accused the state Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, of a new escalation, saying state troopers closed Shelby Park without asking permission. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texas is blocking US border agents from patrols, Biden administration tells Supreme Court

The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent … more

By VALERIE GONZALEZ | 1/12/24

FILE - A man cools off in a shower at Ipanema beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 24, 2023. The latest calculations from several science agencies Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, all say that global average temperatures for 2023 shattered existing heat records. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)

Scientists explain why the record-shattering 2023 heat has them on edge. Warming may be worsening

The latest calculations from several science agencies showing Earth obliterated global heat records last year may seem scary. But scientists worry that what’s behind those numbers could be even … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 1/12/24

Cloaked in red, Julio Rivero holds a figure of Saint Gauchito Gil while visiting his sanctuary, in Mercedes, Argentina, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Worshiped by many faithful Argentines, the folk saint depicts a traditional cowboy known as the gaucho, a long-haired man with a mustache, red handkerchief around his neck and belt. He is revered as a sort of Robin Hood figure, joining the army and deserting in favor of stealing and distributing wealth amongst the country's poor. He was later captured and hung from a tree on Jan. 8, 1878. (AP Photo/Mario De Fina)

AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean

Jan. 5-11, 2024 Armed men storm an Ecuador TV studio during a live broadcast. As attacks in the country escalated, the president issued a decree declaring a state of emergency, suspending … more

By The Associated Press | 1/12/24

Devotees raise their hands during the annual Black Nazarene procession which was resumed after a three-year suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 in Manila, Philippines. A mammoth crowd of mostly barefoot Catholic devotees joined a chaotic procession through downtown Manila Tuesday to venerate a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ with many praying for peace in the Middle East where Filipino relatives work. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

AP Week in Pictures: Asia

Jan. 4-11, 2024 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in the Asia-Pacific region made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. Devotees crowd during … more

By The Associated Press | 1/11/24

FILE - A hearse and van sit outside the Return to Nature Funeral Home, Oct. 6, 2023, in Penrose, Colo. Investigators who entered the funeral home encountered stacks of partially covered human remains, bodily fluids several inches deep on the floor and flies, an FBI agent testified Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Investigators found stacked bodies and maggots at a neglected Colorado funeral home, FBI agent says

An FBI agent says investigators who entered a Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 abandoned bodies were found encountered stacks of partially covered human remains, bodily fluids several inches … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and MATTHEW BROWN | 1/11/24

FILE - Pigeons fly above rabbis gathering for a group photo at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, in New York. The synagogue in New York's Brooklyn borough is closely tied with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's enduring influence in global Judaism and beyond in the three decades since his death, but it received unwanted attention in January 2024 with a brawl between some worshippers and police, part of a sequence of events that began with the discovery of a secretly dug tunnel. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Who was the revered rabbi cited as inspiration for a tunnel to a basement synagogue in New York?

The basement synagogue that was the scene of a brawl this week between some worshippers and New York City police has a long and storied connection with a Brooklyn rabbi. Rabbi Menachem Mendel … more

By PETER SMITH | 1/11/24

FILE - Nathalie Stutzmann conducts a recent orchestra rehearsal, Friday, April 28, 2023, in New York. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director Nathalie Stutzmann conducts "Tannhäuser" after leading the new production last summer. (Metropolitan Opera via AP, File)

Bayreuth Festival to have three women conductors, three years after gender barrier broken

The Bayreuth Festival will have three female conductors this summer, three years after the podium gender barrier was broken at the annual showcase of Richard Wagner’s operas. The festival said … more

By The Associated Press | 1/11/24

FILE - A sold sign hangs in front of a Brighton, New York house on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 6.66% from 6.62% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Average long-term mortgage rates rise again, reaching their highest level in 4 weeks

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for the second time in as many weeks, climbing to its highest level in four weeks. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 6.66% from 6.62% last … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 1/11/24

FILE - Michelle Troconis, center, is arraigned on conspiracy to commit murder charges in Stamford Superior Court Wednesday, January 8, 2020, in Stamford, Conn. The first criminal trial related to the 2019 killing of Connecticut mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos is set to begin this week. Michelle Troconis is scheduled to go on trial Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, evidence tampering and hindering prosecution.(Erik Trautmann/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool, File)

Trial of woman charged in alleged coverup of Jennifer Dulos killing begins in Connecticut

The trial of a woman charged in the 2019 killing of mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos has begun in a Connecticut courtroom. A six-person jury began hearing the case against Michelle Troconis in Stamford … more

By DAVE COLLINS | 1/11/24

FILE - An advertisement for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin displayed on a tram, May 12, 2021, in Hong Kong. U.S. regulators are soon expected to decide whether to approve the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a development that could thrust the once niche and nerdy corner of the internet even further into the financial mainstream. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

New funds will make investing in bitcoin easier. Here’s what you need to know

The U.S. for the first time has given the greenlight to almost a dozen exchange traded funds for bitcoins. ETFs give every day investors a way to get in on trading in oil, gold, corporate bonds and … more

By KEN SWEET | 1/11/24

FILE - In this June 5, 2014 file photo, Michael Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund, poses for a portrait by a painted mural in Washington. The United Negro College Fund announced a gift of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment, as part of its larger capital campaign to bolster the endowments of the 37 historically Black colleges and university that form its membership. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

$100 million gift from Lilly Endowment aims to shore up HBCU endowments

The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment, the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift … more

By ANNIE MA | 1/11/24

FILE - A Google sign hangs over an entrance to the company's new building, Sept. 6, 2023, in New York. Google has laid off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Google lays off hundreds in hardware, voice assistant teams amid cost-cutting drive

Google says it has laid off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures. The company said the moves were made as Google aims … more

By ZEN SOO | 1/11/24

Starbucks sign hangs outside a casino along Main Street Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Deadwood, S.D. A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, saying the company’s claim that its coffee is ethically sourced is false and misleading.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Starbucks sued by consumer group that calls its claim of ethical sourcing false and misleading

A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks Wednesday, saying the company’s claim that its coffee is ethically sourced is false and misleading. The National Consumers League cited … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 1/11/24

FILE - Native Hawaiian heiress Abigail Kawānanakoa poses outside a Honolulu courthouse on Oct. 25, 2019. There will be at least $100 million leftover to fund Native Hawaiian causes from the estate of the so-called last Hawaiian princess who died last year at age 96. According to court documents filed last week in the probate case for the estate of Abigail Kawānanakoa, $40 million will go to her wife. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, File)

$100M will be left for Native Hawaiian causes from the estate of an heiress considered last princess

There will be at least $100 million left in the estate of the so-called last Hawaiian princess to support Native Hawaiian culture. Abigail Kawānanakoa died last year at age 96. She was a descendant … more

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 1/11/24