National News - The Morning Sun

Russia President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech as he meets his authorised representatives for the presidential election campaign in the Andreyevsky Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

After preordained election, Putin claims vote proves public support for his policies

President Vladimir Putin has thanked Russians for casting ballots in a presidential vote in which he cemented his grip on the country for another six years after the harshest crackdown on dissent … more

By The Associated Press | 3/21/24

FILE - A Mega Millions ticket is seen as a person makes a purchase inside a convenience store, Aug. 7, 2023, in Kennesaw, Ga. The winning numbers for a nearly $1 billion Mega Millions lottery prize will be drawn Friday night, March 22, 2024, offering the hope of sudden riches for a lucky player and almost certain disappoint for everyone else. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Mega Millions jackpot soars to nearly $1 billion. Here's what to know

The winning numbers for a nearly $1 billion Mega Millions lottery prize will be drawn Friday night, offering sudden riches for any lucky player who matches them and almost certain disappoint for … more

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE | 3/21/24

FILE - In this March 26, 2019, file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks during a news conference in Chicago. A federal judge Wednesday, March 20, 2024, dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Chicago police officer that alleged sexual assault by former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was out drinking with her the night he was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)

Judge dismisses sexual assault suit brought by Chicago police officer against superintendent

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Chicago police officer that alleged sexual assault by former police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was out drinking with her the night he was … more

3/20/24

A police vehicle is parked outside Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Three Idaho corrections officers were shot as a suspect staged a brazen attack to break Skylar Meade, a prison inmate out of the Boise hospital overnight. Two of the officers were shot by the suspect early Wednesday. The third was shot and wounded by a police officer when police mistook the correctional officer for the suspect. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP)

Idaho police search for escaped inmate and accomplice after ambush at Boise hospital

Three Idaho corrections officers were shot as a suspect staged a brazen attack to break a prison inmate out of a Boise hospital overnight. Two of the officers were shot by the suspect early … more

By GENE JOHNSON and MARK THIESSEN | 3/20/24

In this photo provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, an alligator was caught by an angler in Norris Lake in Union County, Tenn., on Monday, March 18, 2024. TWRA communications coordinator Matthew Cameron said the origin of the alligator was unclear, but it appeared that the alligator had been illegally held in captivity and possibly released into the lake. (Rick Roberts/Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency via AP)

A Tennessee fisherman reeled in a big one. It turned out to be an alligator

An angler in northeast Tennessee caught a surprise when he was fishing at a lake. Stuck on his bait was a 3- to 4-foot long alligator, which are not native to that part of Tennessee. A Tennessee … more

3/20/24

FILE - Michael Cohen leaves a lower Manhattan building after meeting with prosecutors, March 10, 2023, in New York. A federal judge has suggested Michael Cohen has committed perjury under oath, giving fresh support to former President Donald Trump's claims that his onetime personal lawyer and star witness at his upcoming criminal trial in New York is an untrustworthy liar. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Judge says Michael Cohen may have committed perjury, refuses to end his probation early

A federal judge has suggested Michael Cohen has committed perjury under oath, giving fresh support to former President Donald Trump's claims that his onetime personal lawyer and star witness at his … more

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and MICHAEL R. SISAK | 3/20/24

Fresh off his awards season high after attending the Oscars with his fellow “Poor Things” co-stars — and presenting — Ramy Youssef is heading back into more familiar territory. The actor and comedian will premiere his latest stand-up special March 23 on HBO and Max. In keeping with much of his previous work, “Ramy Youssef: More Feelings” doesn’t shy away from fraught topics, including religion, the upcoming presidential election and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Although Youssef says he is “constantly interrogating” whether tackling these subjects through comedy is a good use of his time, he thinks there is enough reason to keep doing it — for now. (March 19)

Ramy Youssef constantly asks if jokes are harmful or helpful. He keeps telling them anyway

Fresh off his awards season high after going to the Oscars with his fellow “Poor Things” stars, Ramy Youssef is heading back into more familiar territory. The actor and comedian, known for the … more

By KRYSTA FAURIA | 3/20/24

This image provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows inmate Willie James Pye. A judge on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, signed the order for the execution of Pye, who was convicted of murder and other crimes in the November 1993 killing of Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. The execution is set for March 20 at 7 p.m., after the judge set an execution window between noon that day and noon on March 27. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

Georgia plans its first execution in years. Lawyers say the inmate is intellectually disabled

A Georgia man is scheduled to be put to death in what would be the state’s first execution in more than four years. Willie James Pye was convicted of killing his former girlfriend Alicia Lynn … more

3/20/24

A Russian border region reels from sustained Ukrainian artillery and drone strikes

A Russian border region being pounded by Ukrainian shelling and drones is expanding its closure of schools and colleges amid a major evacuation plan. Kyiv’s forces are extending their campaign of … more

By EMMA BURROWS | 3/20/24

FILE - Dot Skoko, owner of Dot's Dollar More or Less shop in Mt. Lebanon, Pa., hands a customer a Mega Millions lottery ticket, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2022. The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an astounding $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Mega Millions jackpot reaches an astounding $977M after no one wins Tuesday's drawing

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached an astounding $977 million for Friday night’s drawing after no tickets matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday night. The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday … more

3/20/24

FILE - Jewish ultra-Orthodox men and children, some wearing costumes, celebrate the festival of Purim at a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, March 17, 2022. Purim celebrates the biblical story of how a plot to exterminate Jews in Persia was thwarted, and thus is embraced as an affirmation of Jewish survival throughout history. For many Jews, it will have extra significance in 2024 during a war in Gaza triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

During the Israel-Hamas war, Jews will soon celebrate Purim — one of their most joyous holidays

Purim is widely depicted as the most joyful of Jewish holidays — highlighted by celebrations that include costumes, skits and noisemakers. It celebrates the biblical story of how a plot to … more

By DAVID CRARY | 3/20/24

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter after voting in the Florida primary election in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Trump suggests he'd support a national ban on abortions around 15 weeks of pregnancy

Donald Trump is suggesting that he’d support a national ban on abortions around 15 weeks of pregnancy, voicing for the first time support for a specific limit on the procedure. The Republican … more

By MICHELLE L. PRICE | 3/19/24

Arizona state Sen. Eva Burch, D-Phoenix, pauses before answering a question as she talks about her decision to have an abortion during an interview at her Capitol office Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Phoenix. The lawmaker says she plans to have an abortion after learning that her pregnancy is not viable, making the announcement on the state Senate floor Monday, according to the Arizona Republic. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona lawmaker says she announced plans to get an abortion to underscore out-of-touch laws

A pregnant Arizona lawmaker who revealed in a speech in the state Senate that she's planning to get an abortion says she wanted to share with the public the practical effects of abortion restrictions … more

By JACQUES BILLEAUD | 3/19/24

FILE - Neb. State Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings speaks during debate, Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, in the Legislative Chamber in Lincoln, Neb. Halloran is facing calls to resign after reading a graphic account of rape from a best-selling memoir on the floor of the Legislature on Monday, March 18, 2024, in which he repeatedly invoked the name of a fellow lawmaker, making it appear as if that lawmaker was the subject of the assault.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

A Nebraska lawmaker faces backlash for invoking a colleague's name in a graphic account of rape

A Nebraska lawmaker is facing calls for his resignation after reading a graphic account of rape that included a colleague's name on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature. Republican Sen. Steve … more

By MARGERY A. BECK | 3/19/24

FILE - A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., on, Oct. 12, 2022. More than six in 10 of the abortions in the United States last year were done through medication, up from 53% in 2020, according to research released Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, said about 642,700 medication abortions took place in the first full calendar year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Medication abortion accounted for 63% of abortions in the formal health care system. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

More than six in 10 US abortions in 2023 were done by medication — a significant jump since 2020

New research shows that more than six in 10 of the abortions in the United States last year were done through medication. That's up from 53% in 2020. The Guttmacher Institute is a research group that … more

By LAURA UNGAR | 3/19/24

FILE - A large crowd marches on Cedar Avenue to downtown during a University of Minnesota student-led protest in Minneapolis, Minn., after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday, March 18, 2024, that a pharmacist who refused to provide emergency contraceptives to a customer because of his personal beliefs engaged in discrimination. (Renée Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP, File)

Minnesota court rules pharmacist discriminated against woman in denying emergency contraception

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled that a pharmacist engaged in sex-based discrimination when he refused to provide emergency contraception to a woman in 2019. This comes less than two years … more

By TRISHA AHMED | 3/19/24

FILE - Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a baseball spring training media day Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. “Clearly having a very high payroll is correlated with winning more games in the regular season,” Manfred said Tuesday, March 19, 2024. “The saving grace for us has been that our playoffs are unpredictable enough that the 110-win team doesn’t automatically march through the playoffs. That's why I reacted probably too negatively to the criticism that the playoffs were unpredictable and the best teams weren't coming through. The fact of the matter is that’s a good thing for us over the long haul.”(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

MLB 2024: Splashy Ohtani, Yamamoto signings boost Dodgers as teams try to dethrone Rangers

The Los Angeles Dodgers showcased splashy signings Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but other teams focused on the fact that pricey payrolls don’t translate into titles very often. … more

By RONALD BLUM | 3/19/24

FILE - Palestinians crowd together as they wait for food distribution in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 8, 2023. Catastrophic hunger is so dire in two world hotspots that famine is imminent in northern Gaza and approaching in Haiti, with hundreds of thousands of people in both places struggling to avoid starvation, according to international food security experts and aid groups. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali, File)

Gaza and Haiti are on the brink of famine, experts say. Here's what that means.

A new report warns that famine is imminent in Gaza as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues. Aid groups say that 1.4 million people in Haiti are on the verge of famine. Famine occurs when … more

By JONEL ALECCIA | 3/19/24

Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro speaks to reporters before he heads to prison, Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Miami, to begin serving his sentence for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photos/Adriana Gomez Licon)

Ex-Trump White House official Navarro reports to prison to serve contempt of Congress sentence

Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro has reported to prison to begin serving his sentence for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the … more

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 3/19/24

March Madness as we know it could be on the way out amid seismic changes in college sports

Tracking the changes upending college sports can be as frenetic as keeping up during the first week of March Madness. Ultimately, those changes could impact what America’s favorite basketball … more

By EDDIE PELLS | 3/19/24