National News - The Morning Sun

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, right, sits with her attorney, Christian Everdell, as the prosecutor speaks at her sentencing hearing on June 28, 2022, in New York.

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years for helping Epstein

Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. more

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER / Associated Press | 6/29/22

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is shown at the defense table during jury selection in the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The jury that is seated will decide whether Cruz is sentenced to death or receives life without parole for murdering 17 people at the school on Feb. 14, 2018. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Final jury selection begins in Florida school massacre trial

The final phase in the selection of 12 jurors who will decide whether Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz should receive the death sentence is now underway. Tuesday's court hearing marks the … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/28/22

FILE - A person is silhouetted against a wall as they look down at their cell phone outside the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on July 29, 2021, in Los Angeles. With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use those data troves against people seeking ways to end unwanted pregnancies. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

EXPLAINER: Abortion, tech and surveillance

With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that vacuum up personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit … more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY | 6/28/22

Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testifies as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The story behind AP report that caused Trump to throw lunch

The news story that reportedly caused former President Donald Trump to throw his lunch against a White House wall came from an AP interview with former Attorney General William Barr. Former White … more

By DAVID BAUDER | 6/28/22

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks about actions the Biden administration plans to take in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Biden health secretary pledges medication abortion access

President Joe Biden’s top health official said Tuesday that “every option is on the table” when it comes to helping women access abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning … more

By TOM MURPHY | 6/28/22

This combination of photos shows some of the new members named to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, top row from left, Andrew Ahn, Mariano Barroso, Lori Tan Chinn, Pawo Choyning Dorji, and Robin de Jesús, second row from left, Jamie Dornan, Billie Eilish, Ryusuke Hamaguchi , Jeremy O. Harris, and Gaby Hoffmann, third row from left, Amir Jadidi, Troy Kotsur, Adele Lim, Olga Merediz, and Hidetoshi Nishijima, bottom row from left, Finneas O’Connell, Jesse Plemons, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Anya Taylor-Joy. (AP Photo)

DeBose, Kotsur, Eilish among 397 invited to film Academy

Recent Oscar winners Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur and Billie Eilish are among the 397 individuals who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The organization that … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 6/28/22

In this photo taken from surveillance video, Richard Cox slides down the back of a police van while being transported after being detained by New Haven Police, June 19, 2022, in New Haven, Conn. Officials in Connecticut said, Wednesday, June 22, 2022, that two New Haven officers have been placed on paid leave and three others were reassigned after Cox was seriously injured in the back of a police van. (New Haven Police via AP)

Crump to represent Randy Cox, Black man hurt in police van

Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump says he will lead the legal fight on behalf of a Black man in Connecticut who was seriously injured in the back of a police van when the driver braked … more

By PAT EATON-ROBB | 6/28/22

FILE - The Flint water plant tower is seen, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Flint, Mich. The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that charges related to the Flint water scandal against former Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven other people must be dismissed. The justices found Tuesday, June 28, 2022 that the judge had no authority to issue the indictments. It’s an astonishing defeat for Attorney General Dana Nessel. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Key moments in Flint, Michigan’s lead-tainted water crisis

A Michigan Supreme Court order that charges related to the Flint water scandal against former Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and seven other people must be dismissed is the latest development … more

By The Associated Press | 6/28/22

Actor Alec Baldwin attends the screening for "Framing John DeLorean" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2019, in New York, left, and filmmaker Woody Allen attends a press conference for the film "Irrational Man," at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 15, 2015. Allen told Alec Baldwin during a live interview Tuesday on Instagram that he is mulling ending his movie-making career, saying directing has lost its luster. (AP Photo)

Woody Allen mulls end of career, talks with Alec Baldwin

Woody Allen told Alec Baldwin during a live interview Tuesday on Instagram that he is mulling ending his movie-making career, saying directing has lost its luster. The two men — each facing … more

By The Associated Press | 6/28/22

In Utah, Trump ally Sen. Lee faces GOP primary challengers

Two well-funded challengers will attempt to unseat second-term Sen. Mike Lee in Utah's Republican primary in a race that will test whether loyalty to former President Donald Trump remains a litmus … more

By SAM METZ and LINDSAY WHITEHURST | 6/28/22

Festivalgoers use the free solar charging station at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Bonnaroo, a leader in green fests, faces climate change risk

Two decades old, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival strives to create a greener, more energy efficient and less wasteful music experience. But last year, record rainfall in Tennessee created … more

By KRISTIN M. HALL | 6/28/22

Fisherman Guni Mazeras, 62, casts a net near mangrove trees in Vanga, Kwale County, Kenya on Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

AP PHOTOS: In Kenya, nearly a decade of mangrove restoration

The village of Gazi Bay on Kenya's coast, just 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of bustling Mombasa and tucked away from the country's well-trodden tourism circuit, has gained traction in recent years … more

By BRIAN INGANGA | 6/28/22

FILE - Mesa County, Colo., clerk Tina Peters, talks on the west steps of the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in downtown Denver. Peters announced plans earlier this year to run for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State on the podcast of former President Donald Trump's adviser, Steve Bannon. In recent months, she has been issuing various reports -- discredited by officials and experts -- claiming vulnerabilities in voting equipment used widely in Colorado and across the country. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

GOP race for Colorado elections head features indicted clerk

Republicans in Colorado will decide whether to nominate -- as their candidate for the state’s top election official -- a county elections clerk who is under indictment for a security breach spurred … more

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY and COLLEEN SLEVIN | 6/28/22

FILE - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks during a news conference June 7, 2022, in New York. A heckler who clapped Giuliani on the back at a campaign event, Sunday, June 26, 2022, was arrested, jailed for more than 24 hours and now faces an assault charge. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Heckler charged with assault after confronting Rudy Giuliani

A heckler who clapped former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the back at a campaign event has been arrested on an assault charge. The arrest stemmed from an altercation Sunday while Rudy … more

By KAREN MATTHEWS | 6/27/22

From left, Jennifer Crumbley, attorney Shannon Smith, attorney Mariell Lehman, and James Crumbley sit during a hearing in the courtroom of Judge Cheryl Matthews, Monday, June 27, 2022 at Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac Mich. Lawyers representing the parents of a Michigan teenager charged in a shooting at Oxford High School that left four of his fellow students dead say they plan to call him to testify at the couple’s trial. (Jose Juarez/Detroit News via AP)

Oxford shooting suspect could be witness in parents' trial

Lawyers representing the parents of a Michigan teenager charged in a shooting at Oxford High School that left four of his fellow students dead say they plan to call him to testify at the couple’s … more

By COREY WILLIAMS | 6/27/22

FILE - A health worker administers a dose of a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Norristown, Pa. on Dec. 7, 2021. In a reversal for President Joe Biden, a federal appeals court in New Orleans on Monday, June 27, 2022, agreed to reconsider its own April ruling that allowed the administration to require federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Court revives block of vaccine mandate for federal workers

A court ruling is back in effect that blocks President Joe Biden from requiring federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A Texas-based federal judge had blocked the federal employee … more

By KEVIN McGILL | 6/27/22

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Austin Butler in a scene from "Elvis." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

'Elvis' is king, alone, of box office after final tallies

“Elvis” has won its box-office dance-off with “Top Gun: Maverick.” After the two films reported the same ticket sales Sunday, Monday’s final numbers has “Elvis,” alone, as king of the … more

By JAKE COYLE | 6/27/22

FILE - A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is displayed on a counter at a pharmacy in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 27, 2021. U.S. health authorities are facing a critical decision: whether to offer COVID-19 booster shots this fall that better match the omicron variant even though the coronavirus already has spawned still more mutants. Moderna and Pfizer are testing updated booster candidates, and advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will debate Tuesday, June 28, 2022, if it’s time for a switch, setting the stage for similar moves by other countries. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

US grapples with whether to modify COVID vaccine for fall

U.S. health authorities are facing a critical decision: whether to offer new COVID-19 booster shots this fall that are modified to better match the latest changes of the shape-shifting coronavirus. … more

By LAURAN NEERGAARD | 6/27/22

Chelle Wyatt uses her cell phone with the Otter app Friday, April 15, 2022, in Salt Lake City. People with hearing loss have adopted technology to navigate the world, especially as hearing aids are expensive and inaccessible to many. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Why captions are suddenly everywhere and how they got there

People with hearing loss have long adopted technology to navigate the world, especially since hearing aids are expensive and inaccessible to many. Over the past several years, new options have … more

By TALI ARBEL | 6/27/22

The National Labor Relations Board's top prosecutor, Jennifer Abruzzo, poses for a portrait at National Labor Relations Board headquarters in Washington on Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

NLRB's top prosecutor seeks big changes, faces uphill battle

As workers at major companies increasingly move to unionize, the political environment for labor couldn’t be more ripe. Perhaps nowhere is that more accurate than at the National Labor Relations … more

By HALELUYA HADERO | 6/26/22