National News - The Morning Sun

A window display advertises low-cost "Brazilian butt lift" cosmetic surgery procedures outside a clinic in Miami on Friday, March 22, 2019. On Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 93 Americans have died after cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic since 2009, with many of the recent deaths involving a procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift. (AP Photo/Ellis Rua, File)

Report finds 93 US deaths after cosmetic surgery in Dominican Republic since 2009

U.S. health officials say 93 Americans have died after cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic since 2009. Many of the recent deaths involved a procedure known as a Brazilian butt lift. The … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 1/25/24

This combination of self portraits, provided Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, shows Natalie Kastner, a 39-year-old disabled veteran from Texas. The Transgender American Veterans Association filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force the Department of Veteran Affairs to begin providing and paying for gender-affirming surgeries. (Courtesy of Natalie Kastner via AP)

Transgender veterans sue to have gender-affirming surgery covered by Department of Veteran Affairs

A group of transgender veterans filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force the Department of Veteran Affairs to pay for and provide them gender-affirming surgeries. The lawsuit from the Transgender … more

By PAT EATON-ROBB | 1/25/24

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2022, photo, Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Ethan Crumbley, appear in court in Rochester Hills, Mich. The mother of the Michigan school shooter is headed to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. Prosecutors are trying to pin criminal responsibility on Ethan Crumbley's parents in the deaths of four students at Oxford High School in 2021. Jennifer and James Crumbley are not accused of knowing their son planned to kill fellow students. But prosecutors say they were grossly negligent by making a gun accessible to Ethan Crumbley and ignoring his mental health needs. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)

Prosecutor tells jury that mother of Michigan school shooter is at fault for 4 student deaths

Jurors in Michigan have heard opening statements in the trial of the mother of a school shooter. Jennifer Crumbley is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say she was grossly negligent … more

By ED WHITE | 1/25/24

FILE - Former tennis players Martina Navratilova, left, and Chris Evert are introduced before the start of the women's championship match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010. Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are calling on the women's tennis tour to stay out of Saudi Arabia, saying that holding the WTA Finals there “would represent not progress, but significant regression.” (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova urge women's tennis to stay out of Saudi Arabia

Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are calling on the women’s tennis tour to stay out of Saudi Arabia. The two former on-court rivals wrote in an op-ed piece printed in The … more

By HOWARD FENDRICH | 1/25/24

A hiring sign is displayed at a restaurant in Glenview, Ill., Tuesday, Dec.12, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

US applications for jobless benefits rise, but layoffs remain at historically low levels

More Americans filed jobless benefits last week but layoffs remain at historically low levels despite elevated interest rates and a flurry of job cuts in the media and technology sectors. … more

By MATT OTT | 1/25/24

This aerial still image from video provided by KTLA shows law enforcement vehicles where several people were found shot to death in El Mirage, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. Deputies found the bodies of six people at a remote dirt crossroads in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, a scene described as so grisly that TV stations blurred some of the images captured by their helicopter overhead. (KTLA via AP)

Deputies find six bodies at remote Mojave Desert crossroads

Authorities in Southern California say six people have been found dead in a remote area of the Mojave Desert. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s spokesperson Mara Rodriguez says deputies responding to … more

1/25/24

Mayor Patrick Rosenello points to a destroyed section of sand dune in North Wildwood N.J. on Jan. 22, 2024. A recent winter storm punched a hole through what is left of the city's eroded dune system, leaving it more vulnerable than ever to destructive flooding as the city and state fight in court over how best to protect the popular beach resort. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Jersey Shore town trying not to lose the man vs. nature fight on its eroded beaches

In the age-old battle of man versus nature, nature usually wins. It sure seems to be winning in North Wildwood, a Jersey Shore town grappling with severe erosion that has wiped out part of the dunes … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 1/25/24

CAPTION CORRECTS MONTH In this handout photo taken from validated UGC video show flames rising from the scene of a warplane crashed at a residential area near Yablonovo, Belgorod region, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2024. Russia says a military transport plane that was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war has crashed in a Russian region near Ukraine. (Validated UGC video via AP)

Flight recorders from Russian plane crash that killed all 74 aboard are reportedly found

Investigators searching the site where a Russian military transport plane crashed in a border region near Ukraine have reportedly found the flight recorders. The report Thursday by a state-run … more

By The Associated Press | 1/25/24

Nearly one hundred protestors gather at the state capitol building in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, to ask Gov. Kay Ivey to stop the planned execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Alabama set to execute inmate with nitrogen gas, a never before used method

Alabama will attempt to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas, a never before used execution method that the state claims will be humane but critics call cruel and experimental. Kenneth Eugene … more

By KIM CHANDLER | 1/25/24

FILE - People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. A commission investigating the shooting that killed 18 people is scheduled to hear from a police agency that had contact with the shooter before he committed the killings. Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey assembled the commission to review the events that led up to the shootings at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston on Oct. 25. The commission, which is holding its second meeting Thursday, Jan/ 25, 2024 is also tasked with reviewing the police response to the shootings. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, file)

Commission probing response to Maine mass shooting will hear from sheriff's office

A commission investigating a mass shooting that killed 18 people in Maine last year is scheduled to hear from a police agency that had contact with the shooter before he committed the killings. … more

By PATRICK WHITTLE | 1/25/24

FILE - The wreckage of the Sari night club and surrounding buildings are seen in this aerial view Oct. 15, 2002 in Kuta, Bali. Relatives of some of the more than 200 people killed in 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali are testifying at a sentencing hearing at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Two Malaysian men, both longtime detainees at Guantanamo, have pleaded guilty in connection with the bombing. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)

Families of those killed in the 2002 Bali bombings testify at hearing for Guantanamo detainees

Relatives of some of the more than 200 people killed in 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali are testifying at a sentencing hearing at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Two Malaysian men, both longtime … more

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER | 1/24/24

In this photo provided by researchers in January 2024, Dr. Yilai Shu examines a young patient at the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, after a gene therapy procedure for hereditary deafness. A small study published Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2024, in the journal Lancet, documents significantly restored hearing in five of six kids treated in China. (Courtesy Dr. Yilai Shu via AP)

Experimental gene therapy allows kids with inherited deafness to hear

Gene therapy has allowed several children born with inherited deafness to hear. A small study published Wednesday documents significantly restored hearing in five of six kids treated in China. On … more

By LAURA UNGAR | 1/24/24

FILE - Concertina wire lines the path as members of Congress tour an area near the Texas-Mexico border, Jan. 3, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. A divided Supreme Court on Monday, Jan. 22, allowed Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border, while a lawsuit over the wire continues. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Biden administration renews demand for Texas to allow Border Patrol to access a key park

The Biden administration is renewing demands for Texas to give Border Patrol access to a riverfront park that is a popular corridor for migrants illegally entering the U.S. A letter sent Tuesday to … more

By VALERIE GONZALEZ | 1/24/24

A helicopter team rescued a woman Tuesday morning who was trapped for almost 15 hours atop her overturned pickup truck in rushing waters after she tried to traverse a swollen creek after recent rains in Northern California. (Jan. 24)

Harrowing helicopter rescue saves woman trapped for hours atop overturned pickup in swollen creek

A woman survived nearly 15 hours atop her overturned pickup truck in a surging creek in Northern California before being rescued by a helicopter. California Highway Patrol Air Operations airlifted … more

By BEATRICE DUPUY | 1/24/24

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a primary election night party in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. Voter fraud was one thing Trump didn't complain about after his primary win in New Hampshire. While Trump generally refrains from claiming voter fraud in elections he wins, he spends plenty of time laying the groundwork to cry fraud should he lose an upcoming vote. He's already been doing that with an eye toward November's general election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Trump leans into voter fraud playbook, preparing to cry foul if he loses expected Biden rematch

GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump generally refrains from claiming voter fraud in elections he wins, but he is spending plenty of time laying the groundwork to cry fraud should he lose an … more

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI and ALI SWENSON | 1/24/24

FILE - A sign for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health is displayed in Flourtown, Pa., Friday, April 28, 2023. The Washington state attorney general announced a $149.5 million settlement Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, more than four years after the state sued the company over its role in the opioid addiction crisis. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Washington state reaches a nearly $150 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over opioid crisis

The Washington state attorney general has announced a $149.5 million settlement agreement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, more than four years after the state sued the company over its role in the … more

By MANUEL VALDES and HALLIE GOLDEN | 1/24/24

Jury seated in trial of Michigan mom whose son killed 4 at school

A jury has been selected in the trial of a Michigan woman who faces involuntary manslaughter charges in a school shooting committed by her teenage son. Jennifer Crumbley is accused of making a gun … more

By ED WHITE | 1/24/24

FILE - Family members of Ricky Cobb II, a Black man who was shot and killed by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper, speak at a news conference outside Hennepin County Government Center, Aug. 2, 2023, in Minneapolis. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, prosecutors charged Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder and two other counts in the shooting death of Cobb during a stop in July 2023. (AP Photo/Trisha Ahmed, File)

Minnesota trooper is charged with murder in shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop

A Minnesota State Patrol trooper has been charged with murder in the shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II after he refused to get out of his car during a July traffic stop. Trooper Ryan Londregan is … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI AND TRISHA AHMED | 1/24/24

FILE - Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured in this Oct. 7, 2002 file photo. Kenneth Smith, 58, is scheduled to be executed Jan. 25, 2024, at a south Alabama prison by nitrogen gas, a method that has never been used to put a person to death. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Friday, Jan. 19, in Smith's bid to stop the execution from going forward. (AP Photo/File)

Alabama inmate waiting to hear court ruling on scheduled nitrogen gas execution

An Alabama inmate scheduled to be the first person in the United States to be put to death with nitrogen gas is waiting to see if he will receive a last-minute reprieve from federal courts in his bid … more

By KIM CHANDLER | 1/24/24

This combination of photos shows "The Glass Constellation" by Arthur Sze, left, "The Bathysphere Book" by Brad Fox, center, and "Digging Stars" by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma. (Copper Canyon Press/Astra House/W. W. Norton & Co. via AP)

Works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction receive $10,000 "Science + Literature" awards

A poetry collection, a coming-of-age novel and a history of deep sea exploration are unlikely to be found in the same section of your favorite bookstore. But they all have enough in common to be this … more

By HILLEL ITALIE | 1/24/24