National News - The Morning Sun

This undated image provided by Raman and Puja Kalra shows their Dairy Queen franchise restaurant in Phoenix with 15-foot-tall red spoon. The owners remain perplexed — and slightly amused — as to why someone would steal the giant red spoon that adorned their restaurant. (Raman and Puja Kalra via The AP)

Arizona Dairy Queen on the hunt for missing red spoon statue

The owners of a Dairy Queen in Phoenix remain perplexed — and slightly amused — as to why someone would steal the giant red spoon that adorned their restaurant. Raman and Puja Kalra say the … more

By TERRY TANG | 3/30/23

FILE - This Oct. 2017 file photo released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Force Investigation Team Report shows a number of guns in the interior of mass shooter Stephen Paddock's 32nd floor room of the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Paddock a high-roller gambler who opened fire in 2017 on concertgoers in Las Vegas had lost tens of thousands of dollars while gambling weeks before the mass shooting and was upset with the way the casinos had been treating him, according to FBI documents made public this week. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File)

New FBI docs: Las Vegas mass shooter was angry at casinos

FBI documents made public this week reveal the high-roller gambler who opened fire on concertgoers on the Las Vegas Strip had lost tens of thousands of dollars while gambling weeks earlier. One … more

By RIO YAMAT | 3/30/23

A young girl places an item at a growing memorial,Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, at an entry to Covenant School for the victims of Monday' shooting. (AP Photo/John Amis)

FACT FOCUS: No 'incredible rise' in transgender shooters

Moments after the assailant who killed six people at a Nashville private school was identified as transgender, a baseless narrative emerged that there has been an incredible rise in transgender or … more

By SOPHIA TULP | 3/30/23

This illustration provided by Mark P. Witton in March 2023 depicts a juvenile Edmontosaurus being eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex with a lipped mouth. The teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by scaly lips, concludes a study published Thursday, March 30, 2023, in the journal Science. The dinosaur's teeth didn't stick out when its mouth was closed, and even in a wide open bite, you might just see the tips, the scientists found. (Mark P. Witton via AP)

Has T. rex lost its bite? Menacing snarl may be wrong

The classic image of Tyrannosaurus rex flashing giant teeth might be wrong. According to a new study published Thursday, the dinosaur's teeth were probably mostly covered by scaly lips and didn't … more

By MADDIE BURAKOFF | 3/30/23

FILE - Rohit Chopra, right, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, speaks while Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, listens as President Joe Biden, not pictured, meets with his Competition Council on the economy and prices in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 1, 2023, in Washington. Banks will need to start reporting the demographics and income of small business loan applicants under new rules published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Gov't to start looking for bias in small business lending

Banks will need to start reporting the demographics and income of small business loan applicants under new rules published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday.It’s a move that … more

By KEN SWEET | 3/30/23

FILE - Jeremiah King, who is transitioning out of homelessness, grimaces in pain as he shows the bandage on a gunshot wound as he sits on the street after his hospital release in Portland, Ore., on July 27, 2022. A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, March 30, 2023, found U.S. gunshot injuries rose nearly 40% higher at the beginning of the pandemic, and in 2022 were still 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File)

Gunshot injuries surged in US during pandemic, CDC says

For every American killed by gunfire, an estimated two or more more survive, often with terrible injuries. Public health experts say that fact is crucial to understanding the full impact of guns on … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 3/30/23

A real estate sign is posted outside of a recently sold home, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Valrico, Fla. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Average long-term mortgage rate at lowest level in six weeks

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate inched down this week to its lowest level in six weeks, just as the spring buying season gets underway. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the … more

By MATT OTT | 3/30/23

File - A hiring sign is seen in Downers Grove, Ill., Thursday, May 5, 2022. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

More Americans file for jobless claims; layoffs remain low

U.S. applications for jobless benefits rose last week but remain at historically low levels despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the economy and job market in its fight against inflation. … more

By MATT OTT | 3/30/23

FILE - Andy Roddick returns a shot to Italy's Fabio Fognini in the third round of play at the 2012 US Open tennis tournament, Sept. 2, 2012, in New York. The latest in a series of attempts to help pickleball find a footing on television is coming Sunday, April 2, 2023, when Roddick, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang take part in a made-for-TV exhibition in Hollywood, Florida. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)

Pickleball Slam: Roddick, Agassi, McEnroe, Chang take swings

The latest in a series of attempts to help pickleball find a footing on television is coming this weekend when Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang take part in a made-for-TV … more

By HOWARD FENDRICH | 3/30/23

FILE - Kimberle Crenshaw speaks during the 'Reconstruction: America After Civil War' panel during the PBS presentation at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington on Feb. 2, 2019, in Pasadena, Calif. Crenshaw, 63, helped develop the academic concept of critical race theory, the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions. The academic framework dates back to the 1970s, but the phrase has taken on new political life in recent years as parents and politicians debate how race and American history should be taught in public schools. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

Social issues dominate in Women's Hall of Fame's new class

The National Women’s Hall of Fame has announced a new group of inductees. Among the honorees are social justice pioneers, groundbreaking physicians and women who have championed Jewish feminist … more

3/29/23

FILE - Damaged and missing homes are seen in the wake of Hurricane Ian, Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Weather officials announced Wednesday, March 29, 2023, that they are retiring the names Fiona and Ian from the rotating list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names because of the death and destruction caused by the most recent storms with those names. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Fiona, Ian retired from list of tropical cyclone names

Weather officials say they’re retiring the names Fiona and Ian from the rotating list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names because of the death and destruction caused by the most recent storms with … more

3/29/23

FILE - Paul Rusesabagina, who inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda" and is credited with saving more than 1,000 people by sheltering them at the hotel he managed during the genocide, attends a court hearing in Kigali, Rwanda, Friday Feb. 26, 2021. Rwanda's government has commuted the sentence of Paul Rusesabagina was convicted of terrorism offenses years later in a widely criticized trial. Government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told The Associated Press on Friday, March 24, 2023, that the 25-year sentence was commuted by presidential order after a request for clemency. (AP Photo/Muhizi Olivier, File)

Freed ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero Paul Rusesabagina arrives in US

The man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda” and was freed by Rwanda last week from a terrorism sentence returned Wednesday to the United States, where he will be reunited with his family. A … more

By JUAN A. LOZANO and ERIC TUCKER | 3/29/23

FILE - In this image taken from a nearly 18-minute video taken by a California Highway Patrol sergeant, Edward Bronstein, 38, is taken into custody by CHP officers on March 31, 2020, following a traffic stop in Los Angeles. Prosecutors on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, charged seven California Highway Patrol officers and a nurse with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2020 in-custody death of Edward Bronstein, who screamed "I can't breathe" while multiple officers restrained him as they tried to take a blood sample. (California Highway Patrol via AP, File)

7 California officers charged in death of man in custody

Prosecutors have charged seven California Highway Patrol officers and a nurse with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2020 death of a man who screamed “I can’t breathe” while … more

By STEFANIE DAZIO | 3/29/23

FILE - A Transportation Security Administration officer works at Dallas Love Field Airport on June 24, 2020, in Dallas. U.S. Senate and House members proposed Wednesday, March 29, 2023, to create a new no-fly list for unruly passengers, an idea that was pushed by airline unions but failed to gain traction last year. The legislation would let the Transportation Security Administration ban people convicted or fined for assaulting or interfering with airline crew members. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

Congress to consider new no-fly list for unruly passengers

Congress is taking another look at creating a new no-fly list for unruly passengers. It's an idea that was floated last year but never got off the ground. On Wednesday, several members of the U.S. … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 3/29/23

An an entry to Covenant School has become a memorial for shooting victims, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Children lost in shooting were 'feisty,' a 'shining light'

Details from the rich, full lives of the three adults killed Monday at a Nashville elementary school have quickly emerged. But information on the three 9-year-old children who died has been slower to … more

By BEN FINLEY, ADRIAN SAINZ and HOLLY MEYER | 3/29/23

FILE - A group of manatees are pictured in a canal where discharge from a nearby Florida Power & Light plant warms the water in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 28, 2010. The unprecedented effort to feed starving Florida manatees thousands of pounds of lettuce officially ended for the year Wednesday, March 29, 2023, as reported deaths of the marine mammals appeared to be slowing, despite the long-term threat of water pollution that chokes off their main seagrass food source. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Florida sees fewer manatee starvation deaths as feeding ends

The effort to feed thousands of pounds of lettuce to starving manatees in Florida manatees has officially ended for the winter season, as deaths of the marine mammals appear to be slowing despite the … more

By CURT ANDERSON | 3/29/23

FILE - A man, top center, salvages a jacket as he looks over a tornado damaged home, March 26, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Miss. An unusual weather pattern has set in, triggering the devastating tornado that hit Rolling Fork, and meteorologists fear this Friday, March 31, will be one of the worst days, with much more to come. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Watch out: Series of dangerous storms target Midwest, South

Meteorologists are warning of a series of severe storms that could rip across America's Midwest and South over the next couple of weeks, with the first and perhaps most dangerous outbreak forecast to … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 3/29/23

People pray during a community vigil held for the people killed during the Covenant School shooting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP)

Nashville looks to vigil for solace after school shooting

Nashville is awaiting a candlelight vigil to mourn the three children and three adults killed in a shooting at a Christian school. Mayor John Cooper says the vigil Wednesday evening will honor the … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER and KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 3/29/23

FILE - Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's climate change minister, attends a session at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 18, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The countries of the United Nations led by the island nation of Vanuatu adopted what they called a historic resolution Wednesday, March 29, 2023, calling for the U.N.'s highest court to strengthen countries' legal obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File)

'Urgent action to save the planet' - countries' call at UN

United Nations states, led by the small island of Vanuatu that has already weathered the damaging effects of climate change, have agreed to adopt a historic resolution Wednesday to request an opinion … more

By ISABELLA O'MALLEY | 3/29/23

Alabama police officer killed, another wounded in shooting

Officials in Alabama say a Huntsville police officer has died after being shot and another officer was critically wounded. The two Huntsville officers were shot Tuesday evening at an apartment … more

3/29/23