National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Spectators watch the lava flow down the mountain from the Mauna Loa eruption, Nov. 29, 2022, near Hilo, Hawaii. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the lava from Mauna Loa, was 1.8 miles from Saddle Road, also known as Route 200 or Daniel K. Inouye Highway, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey said. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)

Scientists lower alert for Mauna Loa, say eruption could end

Scientists have lowered the alert level for the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island and say its first eruption in nearly 40 years may soon end. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano … more

12/10/22

A sign at Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Twitter relaunching subscriber service after debacle

Twitter is once again attempting to launch its premium service a month after a previous attempt failed. The social media company said it would let users buy subscriptions to Twitter Blue to get a … more

12/10/22

Mauritanian indicted in 3 deadly 2015 terror attacks in Mali

A Mauritanian national suspected of planning and coordinating three lethal attacks in 2015 on Westerners in Mali has been arraigned in a New York federal court. Fawaz Ould Ahmed Ould Ahemeid appeared … more

12/10/22

FILE - Retired Air Force Col. Joseph W. Kittinger Jr., smiles during his induction into the Aviation Hall of Fame, Saturday, July 19, 1997, in Dayton, Ohio. Kittinger, the U.S. Air Force pilot who held the record for the highest parachute jump for more than 50 years, died Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Florida at age 94. (AP Photo/Michael Heinz, File)

Joseph Kittinger, who set longtime parachute record, dies

The U.S. Air Force pilot who held the record for the highest parachute jump for more than 50 years has died. Retired Col. Joseph Kittinger died Friday in Florida at age 94. Kittinger gained worldwide … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 12/9/22

FILE - A city worker measures the statue of Christopher Columbus at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia, June 16, 2020. A judge ruled Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, that Philadelphia must remove the plywood box it placed over the statue after 2020 protests over racial injustice. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Philadelphia ordered to remove box covering Columbus statue

Philadelphia is being ordered to remove the plywood box it placed over a statue of Christopher Columbus after 2020 protests over racial injustice. That's according to a judge's ruling on Friday. … more

12/9/22

Griner case latest in string of high-profile prisoner swaps

Delicate negotiations between the United States and Russia led to basketball star Brittney Griner’s return in exchange for notorious arms dealer once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.” It is … more

12/9/22

This image released by A24 shows Frankie Corio, left, and Paul Mescal in a scene from "Aftersun." (A24 via AP)

'Aftersun,' 'Banshees' lead AP's best films of 2022

Associated Press Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr have made their picks for the best films of the year. Charlotte Wells shattering debut “Aftersun” tops Coyle's top 10. Martin McDonagh's … more

By JAKE COYLE and LINDSEY BAHR | 12/9/22

FILE - Damarra Atkins pays respect to George Floyd at a mural at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, April 23, 2021. Minneapolis will buy the boarded-up Speedway gas station at George Floyd Square, the City Council decided unanimously on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. The area has become a protest site since Floyd, a Black man, was killed there by a white police officer in May 2020, sparking a national reckoning on racial injustice. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Minneapolis to buy gas station at site of Floyd's killing

The city of Minneapolis says it will buy the boarded-up Speedway gas station at the intersection where George Floyd was killed in an encounter with police. The intersection, known as George Floyd … more

12/9/22

FILE - A technician displays images of a mammogram scan on a computer screen at a hospital in Odessa, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. A study discussed Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium finds many women with two or three breast tumors can get by with lumpectomy surgery instead of having their whole breast removed. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American via AP, File)

More breast cancer patients can choose smaller surgery

A new breast cancer study finds many women with two or three breast tumors can get by with lumpectomy surgery instead of having their whole breast removed. The research is being discussed Friday at … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 12/9/22

A resident wounded after a Russian attack lies inside an ambulance before being taken to a hospital in Kherson, southern Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

Dec. 2 – Dec. 8 A week in which fans celebrated and commiserated as their teams competed in soccer's World Cup in Qatar, Russian shelling continued in the Donetsk region of Ukraine and the … more

By The Associated Press | 12/9/22

These images released by the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and posted via Instagram, shows a created a unicorn license tag, right, and a plush toy unicorn, after a young girl requested permission to have a unicorn in her backyard, if she could find one. Animal Care and Control Department officials said this week that they granted the unusual permit to Madeline, whose last name was redacted. (Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control via AP)

California girl licensed to own unicorn — if she finds one

Los Angeles authorities have given a little girl a license to own a unicorn — if she can find one. Animal Care and Control Department officials said this week that they granted the unusual permit … more

12/8/22

This aerial photo taken with a drone shows rescuers inspecting the damage at a village affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Sumberwuluh, Lumajang, East Java, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Improved weather conditions Monday allowed rescuers to resume evacuation efforts and a search for possible victims after the highest volcano on Indonesia's most densely populated island erupted, triggered by monsoon rains. (AP Photo/Trisnadi)

AP Week in Pictures: Asia

Dec. 2-8, 2022 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 | 12/8/22

Lauren Mathers, director of Sandhills Pride, left, comforts drag queen Naomi Dix as she tears up while recounting the threats she received leading up to a recent drag performance while speaking on a panel with LGBTQ community leaders in Durham, N.C., on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

NC power grid attack stokes fear in rural LGBTQ community

North Carolina drag performers and LGBTQ community members fear for their safety after an attack on the electrical grid in Moore County left tens of thousands without power for several days. … more

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM | 12/8/22

Maitlyn Gandy, mother of 7-year-old Athena Strand, looks at the package that was delivered by a FedEx delivery man authorities say allegedly abducted her daughter last week during a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, outside of the Wise County Courthouse in Decatur, Texas. The package, a You Can be Anything Barbie set, was supposed to be Athena's Christmas present, Gandy said. (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

FedEx driver accused in girl's slaying dropped off her gift

The mother of a 7-year-old girl who authorities say was abducted and killed in Texas by a FedEx delivery driver says she wants everyone to know about her “amazing little girl.” At a news … more

By JAMIE STENGLE | 12/8/22

FILE - People watch and record images of lava from the Mauna Loa volcano Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, near Hilo, Hawaii. Officials monitoring the Mauna Loa eruption on Hawaii's Big island said Wednesday, Dec. 7, the lava flow moving toward state Route 200 has slowed. They said they could not predict when, where or if the lava flow would cross the highway. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Mauna Loa lava no longer imminent threat to Hawaii highway

Lava from Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is no longer feeding a flow that’s been creeping toward a crucial highway, scientists said Thursday, even as the world’s largest volcano keeps on erupting. … more

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 12/8/22

Ray J. Garcia leaves the Federal Courthouse in Oakland, Calif., Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Garcia, the former warden of an abuse-plagued federal women's prison known as the "rape club," went on trial Monday, accused of molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their cells. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ex-prison warden convicted of sexually abusing inmates

The former warden of a federal women’s prison in California where inmates said they were subjected to rampant sexual abuse was convicted of molesting inmates and forcing them to pose naked in their … more

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO | 12/8/22

Perci Ami, left, of Laveen, Ariz., and Patty Talahongva show support for Brittney Griner, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, in Phoenix. Griner was released from a Russian prison in a prisoner swap earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Brittney Griner's release celebrated by basketball world

Brittney Griner’s loved ones and extended basketball family were ecstatic when news broke about her release from a Russian prison and that she was on her way back to the United States. It has been … more

By DOUG FEINBERG | 12/8/22

Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The Year of the Slap: Pop culture moments in 2022

Taylor Swift was up. Elon Musk was in, out, and in. Tom Cruise was back. BTS stepped aside, and so did Serena Williams, and Tom Brady too — oops, scratch that. But the slap? The slap was everywhere … more

By JOCELYN NOVECK | 12/8/22

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., grins as he emerges from the closed-door Senate Democratic Caucus leadership election at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. Sen. Schumer will remain as Senate Democratic leader and chair of the Democratic Conference in the new Congress beginning Jan. 3, 2023.

Schumer reelected Senate leader after Dems expand majority

Sen. Chuck Schumer was unanimously elected Thursday for another term as Senate Democratic leader, helming a bolstered 51-seat majority for a new era of divided government in Congress. more

By LISA MASCARO / Associated Press | 12/8/22

FILE - Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine who was arrested for alleged spying, listens to the verdict in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020. The family of Whelan, an American detained in Russia for nearly four years, said Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, that the Biden administration “made the right decision” to agree to a prisoner exchange that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner but they are “devastated” that Whelan remains behind. (Sofia Sandurskaya, Moscow News Agency photo via AP, File)

'Devastated' family of American prisoner backs Griner deal

The brother of an American detained in Russia for nearly four years says the Biden administration “made the right decision” to agree to a prisoner exchange that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner. … more

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER and KATHLEEN FOODY | 12/8/22