National News - The Morning Sun

A currency trader passes by the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. Shares fell in Asia on Thursday after a decline on Wall Street, where strong economic data revived worries that the Federal Reserve might keep interest rates high for longer than hoped. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Stock market today: Asian shares fall as China reports weaker global demand hit its trade in August

Shares have fallen in Asia as China reported weaker global demand hit its trade in August, adding to pressures on its economy. Oil prices and U.S. futures also fell. Hong Kong's benchmark gave up … more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH | 9/7/23

Deja Taylor arrives at federal court, Monday, June 12, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Va. Prosecutors have asked a federal judge to revoke the bond for Taylor, the mother of a Virginia boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher, after she allegedly failed multiple drug tests while awaiting sentencing on two felony charges. Taylor pleaded guilty in June to having a gun while possessing marijuana and to lying on a federal background check form when she purchased the 9mm handgun her son used to shoot teacher Abigail Zwerner at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

Prosecutors ask a judge to revoke bond of mother of Virginia boy who shot his first-grade teacher

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke the bond for the mother of a Virginia boy who shot and wounded his first-grade teacher after she allegedly failed multiple drug tests while awaiting … more

By DENISE LAVOIE | 9/6/23

FILE - West Virginia University students lead a protest against cuts to programs in world languages, creative writing and more amid a $45 million budget deficit outside Stewart Hall in Morgantown, W.Va., on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. West Virginia University is recommending slashing its language department and dozens of other programs amid a $45 million budget shortfall. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham, File)

West Virginia University faculty express symbolic no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee

Faculty at West Virginia University have approved a symbolic motion expressing no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee as the university addresses a $45 million budget shortfall. The university’s … more

By JOHN RABY | 9/6/23

This image provided by Gianluca Masi shows the comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura and its tail seen from Manciano, Italy on Sept. 5, 2023. Stargazers across the Northern Hemisphere should catch a glimpse as soon as possible because it will be another 400 years before the wandering ice ball returns. (Gianluca Masi via AP)

Across the Northern Hemisphere, now's the time to catch a new comet before it vanishes for 400 years

A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years. Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere will want to catch a glimpse as soon as possible … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 9/6/23

This image provided by Michigan State Police shows a vehicle driven by a person suspected of setting fire and shooting at multiple Michigan State Police patrol vehicles in the sate's Upper Peninsula. The vehicles at the Sault Ste. Marie Post were lit on fire and struck by rifle rounds early Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, state police said. No troopers were in the vehicles at the time of the attack. (Michigan State Police via AP)

Suspect sought after 4 Michigan State Police cruisers set on fire and shot at in Upper Peninsula

Authorities are searching for a male suspected of shooting at and setting fire to four unoccupied Michigan State Police cruisers at one of the agency’s posts in the Upper Peninsula. The agency says … more

9/6/23

This photo provided by the Chester County Prison shows Danelo Cavalcante. Cavalcante, convicted this month of fatally stabbing his girlfriend escaped Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 from the suburban Philadelphia prison and prosecutors say he is also wanted in his native Brazil in a separate slaying. (Chester County Prison via AP)

Authorities try to flush out escaped murderer in suburban Philadelphia manhunt

Two suburban Philadelphia school districts are shuttered and one of the nation’s premier botanical gardens is closed as authorities hunt for a convicted murderer who escaped from prison. Danelo … more

9/6/23

The Webb Ellis Cup is on display during a press conference in Paris, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, ahead of the France 2023 Rugby World Cup. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

France boosts security at Rugby World Cup. The hosts don't want another failure before Olympics

French authorities have pledged to mobilize a record number of police officers to guarantee a smooth Rugby World Cup in the wake of the chaos outside the stadium that marred the 2022 Champions League … more

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN | 9/6/23

FILE - A man views the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Nearly a month after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century killed scores of people, authorities on Maui are working their way through a list of the missing that has grown almost as quickly as names have been removed. Lawsuits are piling up in court over liability for the inferno, and businesses across the island are fretting about what the loss of tourism will mean for their futures. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Things to know about aid, lawsuits and tourism nearly a month after fire leveled a Hawaii community

It's been nearly a month since the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century killed at least 115 people in Hawaii. Lawsuits are piling up in court. Businesses across the island of Maui are … more

By GENE JOHNSON, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY | 9/6/23

FILE - Electric crews work on power lines in the aftermath of a devastating wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Lawyers for Lahaina residents and business owners told a court Tuesday, Sept. 5, that cable TV and telephone companies share in responsibility for the wildfires that devastated the island. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Lawyers claim cable TV and phone companies also responsible in Maui fires

Lawyers for residents and business owners of the Hawaiian town devastated by last month’s fires on Maui told a court that cable TV and telephone companies share in responsibility for the disaster. … more

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY | 9/6/23

FILE - Former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr listens as Judge Nicholas Ayoub binds the case for trial at the Kent County Courthouse, Oct. 31, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Mich. Lawyers for the former Michigan police officer are asking the state appeals court to throw out a murder charge in the killing of a Black motorist in 2022. The court is scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, in the case against Schurr, who shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head after a morning traffic stop in Grand Rapids turned into a short foot chase and vigorous struggle. (Cory Morse/MLive.com/The Grand Rapids Press via AP, Pool, File)

Michigan court to hear dispute over murder charge against ex-police officer who shot Black motorist

Lawyers for a former Michigan police officer are asking the state appeals court to throw out a murder charge in the killing a Black motorist in 2022. The court is scheduled to hear arguments … more

9/6/23

FILE - A man wearing a mask to help protect from the coronavirus stands near a stretch of the Badaling Great Wall of China on the outskirts of Beijing on Oct. 6, 2020. Authorities in China arrested the two men for smashing a path through a section of the ancient wall, a cultural icon and United Nations protected heritage site. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

China authorities arrest 2 for smashing shortcut through Great Wall with excavator

China’s Great Wall has been pierced by Genghis Khan, the Manchus, and now, allegedly, a couple of construction workers named Zheng and Wang who wanted a shortcut. Authorities in China arrested two … more

By The Associated Press | 9/6/23

FILE – California Democratic state Sen. Aisha Wahab is seen in Sacramento, Calif.,, on March 22, 2023. The California Legislature on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, passed a bill that would make California the first state to outlaw discrimination based on caste. The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File)

California lawmakers vote to become first state to ban caste-based discrimination

California lawmakers have voted to outlaw discrimination based on caste. California would be the first state to do this if Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signs it into law. Caste is an ancient system … more

By ADAM BEAM | 9/5/23

Furniture is piled high inside a canal-front second home of Victor Cassano in Suwannee, Fla., as he prepares for the expected arrival of Hurricane Idalia, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. Cassano, a flooring contractor, has meticulously constructed and outfitted the small two-bedroom home which he is hoping to move into full-time as soon as he can sell his house in Ormond Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Idalia strengthens over Gulf of Mexico and is now predicted to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane

Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas have been ordered to pack up and leave as Hurricane Idalia gained steam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and threatened to unleash … more

By DANIEL KOZIN | 9/5/23

FILE - Jennifer Bowie, center left, and Aaron Baker, center right, become emotional while watching discussion of SB 140 on a video monitor in the Capitol before it gets final approval at the state Senate in Atlanta, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. A federal judge on Tuesday, Sept. 5, allowed Georgia to resume enforcing a ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18. Judge Sarah Geraghty put her previous order blocking the ban on hold after a federal appeals court allowed Alabama to enforce a similar restriction. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Georgia can resume enforcing ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender youth, judge says

A federal judge in Atlanta has allowed Georgia to resume enforcing a ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18. Judge Sarah Geraghty on Tuesday put her previous order … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA | 9/5/23

FILE - A line of people wait outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. to watch a redistricting hearing. Federal judges said Tuesday, Sept. 5, that they will draft new congressional lines for Alabama after lawmakers refused to create a second district where Black voters at least came close to comprising a majority, as suggested by the court. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler)

Judges reject Alabama’s congressional lines, will draw new districts to increase Black voting power

A three-judge panel has blocked Alabama’s new congressional map after lawmakers failed to create a second district where Black voters at least came close to comprising a majority, as suggested by … more

By KIM CHANDLER | 9/5/23

FILE - Michael Gunn, principle at Forge Consulting, gives the witness oath by Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, right, during Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse, Feb. 8, 2023, in Walterboro, S.C. On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Murdaugh's lawyers filed a request for a new trial, saying Hill influenced jurors by telling them not to be fooled by the defense's evidence during the trial and had private conversations with the jury foreperson. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool, File)

Alex Murdaugh's lawyers want a new trial. They say the court clerk told jurors not to trust him

Attorneys for convicted murder Alex Murdaugh want to call jurors and others back into the courtroom in an effort to get a new trial. They want to find out if the trial court clerk told jurors not to … more

By JEFFREY COLLINS | 9/5/23

This cover image released by Gallery Books shows "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult" by Maria Bamford. (Gallery Books via AP)

Book Review: Comedian Maria Bamford details her mental health issues with compassion and humor

Comedian Maria Bamford details her decades-long journey to address her various mental health issues with compassion and humor in her new memoir, “Sure I'll Join Your Cult.” Bamford was diagnosed … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 9/5/23

FILE - A group of volunteers who sailed from Maalaea Bay, Maui, form an assembly line on Kaanapali Beach, Saturday Aug. 12, 2023, to unload donations from a boat, after a deadly wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes and left scores of people homeless. It’s a transaction that would be commonplace for a corporation or a sports team, but it’s the kind of deal that is practically unheard of in the nonprofit sector. The philanthropy research organization Candid will send control of its CF Insights website and the staff that gathered information about community foundations to the Council on Foundations, the association of nearly 900 nonprofit members. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Nonprofits Candid and Council on Foundations make a rare deal the way corporations do

It’s a transaction that would be commonplace for a corporation or a sports team, but it’s the kind of deal that is practically unheard of in the nonprofit sector. The philanthropy research … more

By GLENN GAMBOA | 9/5/23

FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, arrives at the Collin County Courthouse with his wife, Angela Paxtion, Feb. 16, 2017, in McKinney, Texas. The Texas Senate is set to gavel in Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, for the impeachment trial of state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a formal airing of corruption allegations that could lead Republican lawmakers to oust one of their own as lead lawyer for America's largest red state. Among the senators is Paxton's wife, Angela. Trial rules don't allow her to participate or to vote. But her presence, which is mandated by the state Constitution, means she counts toward the total needed to convict her husband. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File)

What to know about the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is preparing to face his impeachment trial in the state Senate. The proceedings will provide the first formal airing of corruption allegations that could lead … more

By JAKE BLEIBERG and JIM VERTUNO | 9/5/23

A person rides a bicycle in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Stock market today: Asian shares fall back amid selling of China property shares

Shares have slipped in Asia after U.S. markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday. U.S. futures also were lower and oil prices were mixed. Hong Kong fell more than 1% as Chinese property stocks … more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH | 9/5/23