National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - This combination of photos shows, from left, Travis McMichael, William "Roddie" Bryan, and Gregory McMichael during their trial at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga. On Friday, March 3, 2023, the three white men serving prison sentences in the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery asked an appeals court to throw out their federal hate crime convictions, with two of them arguing their histories of making racist comments do not prove they targeted Arbery because he was Black. (AP Photo/Pool, File)

Ahmaud Arbery's killers deny racist motives in appeals

Three white men sentenced to prison in the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery are asking an appeals court to throw out their federal hate crime convictions. Attorneys for Greg McMichael and William … more

By RUSS BYNUM | 3/10/23

An Afghan bride holds a bouquet of roses at a mass wedding ceremony, during the International Women's Day in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

AP Week in Pictures: Global

March 4 - 10, 2023 War continues in Ukraine, where the battle for the city the Ukrainians have dubbed “fortress Bakhmut” has become emblematic of the way each side has tried to wear down the … more

3/10/23

FILE - A person is taken on a stretcher into the United Memorial Medical Center after going through testing for COVID-19 Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Houston. On the third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023, the virus is still spreading and the death toll is nearing 7 million worldwide. Yet most people have resumed their normal lives, thanks to a wall of immunity built from infections and vaccines. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Pandemic 3 years later: Has the COVID-19 virus won?

It’s been three years since the World Health Organization's first called COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The anniversary on Saturday has health experts taking stock of successes and … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 3/10/23

FILE - Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden walks by a flag which says all about him - Legend in our time - after the Swedish ace skier finished fourth in the World Cup Men's Giant Slalom Thursday, March 9, 1989, at Shiga Heights, Japan. Ingemar Stenmark's unbreakable skiing record just got matched by Mikaela Shiffrin. The American won a giant slalom on Friday, March 10, 2023, to equal the Swedish great's record of 86 World Cup victories, which he set more than three decades ago. (AP Photo/Shizua Kambayashi, File)

Shiffrin and Stenmark took different paths to skiing record

Ingemar Stenmark’s unbreakable skiing record just got matched by Mikaela Shiffrin. The American won a giant slalom to equal the Swedish great’s record of 86 World Cup victories set more than … more

By ERIC WILLEMSEN | 3/10/23

Protesters listen to a speaker during a rally against a draft law aimed at curbing the influence of "foreign agents" near the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, March 9, 2023. Following days of massive protests, Georgia's governing party said Thursday it would withdraw draft legislation that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms, ushering in Russian-style repression. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Georgia drops foreign agents law after massive protests

Georgian lawmakers have voted to drop a controversial bill that opponents — and thousands of protesters gathered in the capital — warned could stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms. The bill, … more

3/10/23

People kneel as servicemen carry a coffin of a Ukrainian serviceman Oleksiy Sokolovskyi during the funeral ceremony in St. Michael Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

MARCH 3-9, 2023 From the battle for the destroyed city the Ukrainians call “Fortress Bakhmut” to International Women’s Day events, the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul … more

By The Associated Press | 3/10/23

In this handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, Russian soldiers take part in drills at an unspecified location in Belarus. After Russia invaded Ukraine, guerrillas from Belarus began carrying out acts of sabotage on their country's railways, including blowing up track equipment to paralyse the rails that Russian forces used to get troops and weapons into Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Anti-Russia guerrillas in Belarus take on 'two-headed enemy'

After Russia invaded Ukraine, guerillas from Belarus began carrying out acts of sabotage on their country’s railways. The attacks were designed to paralyze the rails that Russian forces used to get … more

By The Associated Press | 3/10/23

Activists shout slogans during a rally celebrating International Women's Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

AP Week in Pictures: Asia

March 3-9, 2023 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in Asia and the Pacific. The gallery was curated by AP … more

By The Associated Press | 3/10/23

FILE - This general view shows Jehovah's Witnesses gathered for their annual convention at West Berlin's Sportpalast Hall, Germany, on Aug. 5, 1954. Several people were killed and injured late Thursday, March 9, 2023, after shots were fired inside a building where Jehovah’s Witnesses met in the northern German city of Hamburg, officials said. The international Christian denomination founded in the United States has a more than 100-year history in Germany. (AP Photo/Heinrich Sanden Jr., File)

At a glance: Jehovah's Witness beliefs, history in Germany

Several people were killed and injured Thursday night after shots were fired inside a building where Jehovah’s Witnesses met in the northern German city of Hamburg, officials said. The … more

By DEEPA BHARATH | 3/9/23

This January 2023 photo provided by Cincinnati Animal CARE shows a serval being treated after it was found to have cocaine in its system in Cincinnati. The cat was later transported to the Cincinnati Zoo. (Ray Anderson/Cincinnati Animal CARE via AP)

'Cocaine cat' escaped owner, will now live at Cincinnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo has taken in an African serval cat after the animal was recovered from a wild adventure. The cat named Amiry was found with cocaine in its system after local animal control … more

By BEATRICE DUPUY | 3/9/23

FILE - Damaged trees and power lines lie on a road in Coweta, Ga., after a severe storm rolled through North Georgia on March 26, 2021. Experts caution that attributing any single event to La Nina or its better-known cousin, El Nino, is difficult as they pronounced Thursday, March 9, 2023, that the La Nina weather phenomenon has come to an end. But they can say generally that tornadoes in the Southeast and hurricanes are more frequent during La Nina. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

La Nina is gone. Here are the deadly storms during its run

The natural temporary weather phenomenon La Nina is gone and that's good news for a disaster-weary Southeast. Weather disasters generally but not specifically connected to La Nina repeatedly smacked … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 3/9/23

FILE - This image provided by the Mississippi Department of Corrections shows Axel Cox, 24, of Gulfport, Miss. Cox, who burned a cross in his front yard to intimidate his Black neighbors in December 2020, was sentenced Thursday, March 9, 2023, to 42 years in prison. (Mississippi Department of Corrections via AP, File)

Mississippi man gets 42 years in prison for cross burning

A Mississippi man who burned a cross in his front yard to intimidate his Black neighbors has been sentenced to 42 years in prison. U.S. Southern District of Mississippi Judge Sul Ozerden handed down … more

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG | 3/9/23

FILE - This photo provided by the Las Vegas Fire Department, firefighters work the scene of a fire at a three-story apartment complex in Las Vegas, on Dec. 21, 2019. A confidential settlement has been reached in civil negligence lawsuits stemming from a December 2019 fire that killed six people at a downtown Las Vegas apartment building. Attorneys declined Thursday, March 9, 2023, to comment about the global resolution of cases against former Alpine Motel Apartments owner Adolfo Orozco and a corporate entity. (Las Vegas Fire Department via AP, File)

Pact to settle lawsuits in deadliest Vegas apartment fire

A confidential settlement has been reached in civil negligence lawsuits stemming from a December 2019 fire that killed six people at a downtown Las Vegas apartment building. Attorneys declined to … more

By KEN RITTER | 3/9/23

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, at podium, addresses community members and other local, state law enforcement officials in a town hall on antisemitic violence at YULA Boys High School in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. The event is hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles following recent shootings targeting Jewish community members in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Suspect in shooting of 2 Jewish men in LA pleads not guilty

A man who allegedly shot and wounded two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Los Angeles last month has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crimes. The shootings Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 brought fear … more

3/9/23

Police officers stand guard near a crime scene where three Los Angeles police officers were shot, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Los Angeles. Police said the officers were hospitalized and in stable condition. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Los Angeles police ID gunman in shooting of 3 officers

Los Angeles police have identified the suspect who allegedly shot and wounded three officers as a 32-year-old wanted parolee who was found dead hours after the standoff. The officers, all senior … more

3/9/23

FILE - This aerial photo shows the pier and shoreline in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 11, 2021. On Thursday, March 9, 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would sue the city of Huntington Beach, Calif., for not following state housing laws. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)

California sues Huntington Beach over affordable housing

California is suing the city of Huntington Beach for not following state housing laws. Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday he was suing the city because it is not allowing new duplexes or … more

By AMY TAXIN and ADAM BEAM | 3/9/23

A judge at the Fairfax County, Va., Courthouse, seen here on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, has ruled that frozen embryos can legally be considered property or "chattel," basing his opinion in part on how state law treated slaves before the Civil War. The ruling by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner is being criticized by some lawyers for wrongly and unnecessarily delving into precedents from a time in Virginia history when it was legally permissible to own human beings. (AP Photo/Matthew Barakat)

Virginia slave laws inform judge's ruling on frozen embryos

A Virginia judge has ruled that frozen embryos can legally be considered property, based partly on a 19th century law governing the treatment of slaves. The ruling last month by Fairfax County … more

By MATTHEW BARAKAT | 3/9/23

A "For Sale" sign is posted outside a home converted into condominium units, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Exeter, N.H. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Average US mortgage rate up for fifth straight week to 6.73%

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose for the fifth straight week to its highest level since breaching 7% in November, just as the spring buying season gets ready to kick off. Mortgage buyer … more

By MATT OTT | 3/9/23

FILE - A hiring sign is displayed at a retail store in Mount Prospect, Ill., Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Applications for US jobless aid rise by most in 5 months

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week jumped by the most in five months, but layoffs remain historically low as the labor market continues to be largely unaffected by … more

By MATT OTT | 3/9/23

Mourners carry the bodies of three Palestinian militants, draped in the flag of the Islamic Jihad militant group, during their funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, March 9, 2023. Palestinian officials say at least three Palestinian militants were killed after Israeli security forces entered a village in the northern occupied West Bank. The Israeli Police said Thursday that troops carried out a raid in Jaba to apprehend suspects wanted for attacks on Israeli soldiers in the vicinity. The three militants killed included the head of a local Palestinian militant group. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

3 Palestinian militants killed in Israeli military raid

Palestinian officials say at least three Palestinian militants were killed after Israeli security forces entered a village in the northern occupied West Bank. The Israeli police said Thursday that … more

By NASSER NASSER | 3/9/23