National News - The Morning Sun

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears via a video link from the Arctic penal colony where he is serving a 19-year sentence, provided by the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service during a hearing of Russia's Supreme Court, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Kremlin foe Navalny urges election day protests in Russia next month by voting at a specific hour

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny is urging Russians to show their protest of President Vladimir Putin during next month’s presidential balloting by voting at a specific time on election … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 2/1/24

FILE - Icicles hang from a street sign at the University of Idaho, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Moscow, Idaho. A judge in Idaho has rejected an open meetings lawsuit late Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, against the State Board of Education, a ruling that could mean a major breakthrough for the University of Idaho's controversial bid to purchase the University of Phoenix, a private online school, for nearly $700 million. (Geoff Crimmins/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP)

Ruling moves University of Idaho closer toward controversial bid to acquire University of Phoenix

The University of Idaho says a judge's ruling helps it move closer to acquiring the for-profit University of Phoenix for nearly $700 million. The state attorney general characterizes it as a secret … more

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 1/31/24

A sign warns of potential flooding in Capitola Village Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Capitola, Calif. An atmospheric river is set to make its way into Northern California, bringing warnings of heavy rain, possible flooding and high winds.(AP Photo/Nic Coury)

First of back-to-back atmospheric rivers pushes into California. Officials urge storm preparations

The first of two back-to-back atmospheric rivers is pushing into California, triggering statewide storm preparations and calls for people to get ready for potential flooding, heavy snow and damaging … more

By JOHN ANTCZAK | 1/31/24

FILE - Mississippi state Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, speaks, Feb. 28, 2023, at the state Capitol in Jackson. McGee is supporting a proposal that would allow Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in an effort to improve health outcomes in one of the poorest states in the U.S. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Mississippi eyes quicker Medicaid coverage in pregnancy to try to reduce deaths of moms and babies

Mississippi could start providing Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in a bid to improve health outcomes for moms and babies. The state is poor and has the worst rate of infant mortality in the … more

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 1/31/24

FILE - Tamala Payne, center, with attorney Sean Walton, participate in a protest march for the shooting of her son, Casey Goodson Jr., by Jason Meade, a Franklin County deputy sheriff in Columbus, Ohio, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. In his opening statement Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in the murder case against Jason Meade, special prosecutor Gary Shroyer shared publicly for the first time where 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr.’s handgun was discovered. Goodson, who fell when he was shot six times in the back by Meade, also had a gun holster with no strap around his waist, Shroyer said. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, File)

Opening arguments start in murder trial of former Ohio deputy charged in fatal shooting

Prosecutors say a gun that a former Ohio sheriff's deputy said a man was waving at him when he fatally shot him in the back in 2020 was found in the man’s kitchen with the safety on. In his opening … more

1/31/24

Defendant Jennifer Crumbley exits the courtroom during her jury trial at the Oakland County Courthouse, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley, 45, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say she and her husband were grossly negligent and could have prevented the four deaths if they had tended to their son’s mental health. They’re also accused of making a gun accessible at home. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP, Pool)

Investigator describes Michigan school shooter's mom as cold after her son killed four students

A sheriff's investigator says that hours after a Michigan teen killed four students at his high school in 2021, the teen's mother said her son was “going to have to suffer.” Detective Lt. Sam … more

By ED WHITE | 1/31/24

FILE - The Biogen Inc., headquarters is pictured on March 11, 2020, in Cambridge, Mass. Biogen will stop developing its Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, a drug once seen as a potential blockbuster before stumbling soon after its launch a couple of years ago. The drugmaker said Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 that it will end a study of the drug needed for full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, and it will stop sales of the drug.(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Biogen plans to shut down its controversial Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm

Biogen will stop developing its Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, a drug once seen as a potential blockbuster before stumbling soon after its launch a couple of years ago. The drugmaker said Wednesday … more

By TOM MURPHY | 1/31/24

FILE - A juvenile black bear roams through Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday morning, May 26, 2020. Floridians could soon be able to kill bears threatening them on their property with no consequences — if they don't bait or provoke them first or turn it into a meal or a living room rug later. A measure approved in it's final House committee stop Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, would allow people to use fatal force against a bear that's threatening a human, a pet or a home without a hunting permit. It's a bill introduced because of a growing number of encounters people have with the large mammals, but one that has bear lovers upset. (Andrew West/The News-Press via AP, File)

Floridians could kill black bears when threatened at home under a bill ready for House vote

Floridians could soon be able to kill bears threatening them on their property with no consequences — if they don’t bait or provoke them first or turn them into a meal or a living room rug later. … more

1/30/24

FILE - Washington Gov. Jay Inslee reads notes in his office before his State of the State address on the second day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. Inslee on Tuesday, Jan. 30, called for the state to develop best practices on how agencies should use generative artificial intelligence as it continues to incorporate the technology into government operations. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

Washington state to develop guidelines for agencies using generative AI

Washington state's governor has called for the state to develop best practices on how agencies use generative artificial intelligence as it continues to incorporate the technology into government … more

By HALLIE GOLDEN | 1/30/24

Madison Chock and Evan Bates compete in championship ice dance at the U.S. figure skating championships Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

US figure skaters celebrate gold medal from Beijing Olympics with a touch of bittersweetness

The U.S. figure skating team from the Beijing Olympics will receive a gold medal now that Russian skater Kamila Valieva has been disqualified for doping. That followed a two-year investigation and a … more

By DAVE SKRETTA | 1/30/24

An Israeli tank drives to a position on the border with the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Where do the parties stand on efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages?

U.S. and Mideast mediators appeared optimistic in recent days that they are closing in on a deal for a two-month cease-fire in Gaza and the release of over 100 hostages held by Hamas. But on Tuesday, … more

By JOSEPH KRAUSS | 1/30/24

A crowd gathers to remember Tyre Nichols during a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of his death, Jan. 7, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. The city of Memphis has released hours of more video in the case of five former police officers charged with the violent beating and death of Nichols. The recordings were released Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 based on a judge’s order on the same day last November that former officer Desmond Mills Jr. pleaded guilty to federal charges. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht)

Memphis officials release hours of more video in fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols

The city of Memphis Tennessee has released hours of more video in the case of five former police officers charged with the violent beating and death of Tyre Nichols. The recordings were released … more

1/30/24

FILE - Customers shop for produce in the Chinatown neighborhood of Philadelphia, July 22, 2022. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States are somewhat more optimistic than the overall adult population about their personal finances, but recent polling shows the outlook isn't quite as sunny when it comes to keeping up with household expenses or unexpected medical costs. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

US Asians and Pacific Islanders worry over economy, health care costs, AP-NORC/AAPI data poll shows

A majority of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States call their personal financial situation good. But, recent polling shows the outlook isn’t quite as sunny when it comes to … more

By TERRY TANG and LINLEY SANDERS | 1/30/24

Nick Ejak, who was in charge of discipline at Oxford High School, testifies during Jennifer Crumbley's trial at Oakland County Courthouse, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Pontiac, Mich. Crumbley, 45, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say she and her husband were grossly negligent and could have prevented the four deaths if they had tended to their son’s mental health. They’re also accused of making a gun accessible at home. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP)

Official found it 'strange' that Michigan school shooter's mom didn't take him home over drawing

A Michigan school official told jurors that he had no grounds to search the backpack of a teenager before the boy killed four fellow students in 2021. Nick Ejak testified Tuesday that he was pulled … more

By ED WHITE | 1/30/24

FILE - This 1966 microscope photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a tissue sample with the presence of numerous, corkscrew-shaped, darkly-stained, Treponema pallidum spirochetes, the bacterium responsible for causing syphilis. The U.S. syphilis epidemic continues to worsen, according to a new government report released Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, that also contains some unexpected good news — the rate of new gonorrhea cases has fallen for the first time in a decade. (Skip Van Orden/CDC via AP, File)

The US hasn't seen syphilis numbers this high since 1950. Other STD rates are down or flat

Infectious syphilis cases in the U.S. rose by 9% in 2022. That's according to a new federal government report on sexually transmitted diseases in adults. The rate of new gonorrhea cases fell for the … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 1/30/24

FILE - A police officer watches demonstrators march during a protest, Jan. 28, 2023, in New York. In New York, a proposed bill that would require officers to document basic information when they question someone has divided city government and been thrust into the national spotlight after police pulled over a black lawmaker without giving him a reason. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

With police stops in the spotlight, NYC council is expected to override mayor on transparency bill

The New York City Council is expected to override a mayoral veto of a bill to require police officers to document basic information whenever they question someone. The issue was thrust into the … more

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE | 1/30/24

American consumers feeling more confident than they have in two years

American consumers, fresh off strong holiday spending, are feeling more confident than they have in two years. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer … more

By MATT OTT | 1/30/24

FILE - likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on U.S. $100 bills, Thursday, July 14, 2022, in Marple Township, Pa. Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Small business payroll growth is moderating, but that could mean more sustainable growth ahead

Payroll payments per small business moderated as 2023 came to a close, according to new data from Bank of America. The BofA report found payroll payments rose 1.7% in December at small businesses. … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 1/30/24

FILE - Isil Mico takes a photo of her sister-in-law Oznur Mico in front of Snowzilla, a snowman measuring more than 20 feet tall, in Anchorage, Alaska on Jan. 10, 2024. A recent storm dropped nearly 16 inches of snow on Anchorage, bringing the seasonal total to over 103 inches. It’s the earliest Alaska’s largest city has reached the 100-inch mark. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

'Pandemic of snow' in Anchorage sets a record for the earliest arrival of 100 inches of snow

Even by Alaska standards, there's a lot of snow this winter. A new storm has dropped nearly 16 more inches of snow on Anchorage, bringing the seasonal total past 100 inches. It’s the earliest … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 1/30/24

FILE - In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry Telegram channel on Dec. 30, 2023, firefighters extinguish burning cars after shelling in Belgorod, Russia. The attack in the city near the border with Ukraine killed 25 people and injured 109, dealing a heavy blow to President Vladimir Putin's attempts to reassure his countrymen that their lives have been largely unchanged by the nearly two-year military operation. (Russia Emergency Situations Ministry Telegram channel via AP, File)

Ukraine's strikes on targets inside Russia hurt Putin's efforts to show the war isn't hitting home

Ukrainian strikes on a Russian border city, as well as attacks elsewhere on fuel facilities and arms producers, have damaged President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to reassure his countrymen that … more

By The Associated Press | 1/30/24