National News - The Morning Sun

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives at the Black Conservative Federation's Annual BCF Honors Gala at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C., Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

At conservative gala, Trump remarks show challenges in GOP Black voter outreach

A gala thrown by the Black Conservative Federation over the weekend drew condemnation from Democrats after its guest of honor, Donald Trump, addressed the largely Black audience with remarks that … more

By MATT BROWN | 2/27/24

FILE - Job seekers line up for a career fair in Oak Brook, Ill., July 2, 2009. While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers. But owners say they're optimistic as 2024 gets underway, according to a new survey from American Express. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

Small business owners are optimistic for growth in 2024

While it seems increasingly unlikely the U.S. economy is headed for recession, small businesses still face headwinds like higher costs and difficulty retaining qualified workers. But owners say … more

By MAE ANDERSON | 2/27/24

This image provided by Intuitive Machines on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the south pole region of the Moon. The toppled lunar lander is still beaming back pictures of the moon, as its nears the final hours of its life. The photos were taken shortly before last Thursday's touchdown. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Toppled moon lander sends back more images, with only hours left until it dies

A toppled moon lander is still beaming back pictures, as its nears the final hours of its life. Intuitive Machines posted the latest photos of the moon's unexplored south polar region Tuesday. The … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 2/27/24

A shooting at a home has left multiple people dead and others injured in a small Inupiat whaling village on Alaska's remote northwest coast. (AP Graphic)

Teenager in custody after 2 killed, 2 injured during shooting in remote Alaska whaling village

Two people have been killed and two more seriously wounded during a shooting at a home in a remote Inupiat whaling village on Alaska’s northwest coast and a 16-year-old boy is in custody. That's … more

By MARK THIESSEN and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | 2/27/24

FILE - A customer removes her purchases at a Kroger grocery store in Flowood, Miss., Wednesday, June 26, 2019. The Federal Trade Commission on Monday, Feb. 16, 2024, sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal would eliminate competition and lead to higher prices for millions of Americans.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Why does the US government think a Kroger-Albertsons merger would be bad for grocery shoppers?

Two of the biggest grocery chains in the United States had hoped to complete the largest supermarket merger in the country’s history this year. But their plan to compete with big-box retailers by … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 2/27/24

Travelers move through the B terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Atlanta. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, the Conference Board reports on U.S. consumer confidence for February. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Consumer confidence slips in February as anxiety over potential recession surprisingly reappears

American consumers are feeling less confident this month as concerns over a possible recession grew. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index … more

By MATT OTT | 2/27/24

FILE- This undated photograph released by the U.S. military's Central Command shows what is described as Iranian-made missile components bound for Yemen's Houthi seized off a vessel in the Arabian Sea. Four foreign nationals were charged Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, with transporting suspected Iranian-made weapons on a vessel intercepted by U.S. naval forces in the Arabian Sea last month. Two Navy SEALs died during the mission. (U.S. Central Command via AP, File)

4 charged with transporting Iranian-made weapons face detention hearings in US court

Four crew members of an unflagged vessel that U.S. officials say was carrying Iranian-made missile components are scheduled to appear in federal court in Virginia. Prosecutors are expected to argue … more

2/27/24

The co-chair of Nobel Peace Prize winning Memorial Human Rights Centre Oleg Orlov stands surrounded by journalists prior to a court session for a new trial on charges of repeated discrediting Russian military, in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A Russian court sentences the co-chair of a Nobel-winning rights group to 30 months in prison

A Moscow court has sentenced a veteran human rights advocate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine to two years and six months in prison. Oleg Orlov, 70, was taken directly into custody from the … more

By The Associated Press | 2/27/24

Hundreds of students and faculty members gathered Monday afternoon two students who died last week on the University of Georgia campus (February 26)

Court documents shed new details in killing of nursing student at University of Georgia

The suspect in the killing of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus used an object as a weapon in the crime, and he’s also accused of “disfiguring her skull." That's according to … more

By JEFF MARTIN | 2/27/24

Palestinian Abdul Rahman Sharif holds the body of his four-year-old son Abdul Rahman Muamm, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, during his funeral in Khan Younis, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

The Latest | Biden says Israel is willing to halt war during Ramadan if a hostage deal is reached

President Joe Biden says Israel would be willing to halt its war on Hamas in Gaza during the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if a deal is reached to release some of the hostages held by the … more

By The Associated Press | 2/27/24

The city of Rafah, along the border with Egypt, is now home to about 1.4 million people, many of whom fled the Israel-Hamas war when the ground offensive was concentrated on northern and central Gaza. Babies in an overcrowded hospital in Rafah are forced to share incubators, leading to the spread of disease. (Feb. 25 - AP video by Mohammad Jahjouh, Production by Wafaa Shurafa)

Biden hopes cease-fire, hostage deal to pause Israel-Hamas war can take effect by next Monday

President Joe Biden says he hopes a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week. Asked when he … more

By WAFAA SHURAFA, TIA GOLDENBERG KAREEM CHEHAYEB and ZEKE MILLER | 2/26/24

FILE - This combo photo of undated selfie, courtesy of the Dime Doe family, shows Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman. On Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, Daqua Lameek Ritter was found guilty of shooting Doe three times on Aug. 4, 2019, because of her gender identity in the first federal trial based on a bias-motivated crime of that sort. To prove Ritter's rationale, the Department of Justice relied heavily on evidence that Ritter feared public knowledge of their clandestine relationship would lead to humiliation as a “homosexual” in his rural South Carolina community. (Dime Doe Family via AP, File)

Deleted texts helped convince jurors man killed trans woman because of gender ID, foreperson says

A member of the jury that convicted a South Carolina man of a hate crime based on gender identity has opened up about the historic case. Jurors last Friday found Daqua Ritter guilty in the fatal … more

By JAMES POLLARD | 2/26/24

A cyclist travels around Lake Michigan near the Adler Planetarium Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Chicago. A warm front is sweeping spring-like weather across a large swath of the country in what is usually one of the coldest months of the year. The rare warmup is sending people out of their homes to enjoy the winter respite but also bringing increased wildfire danger. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Why so much of the US is unseasonably hot

As a powerful winter storm dumped deep snow in parts of the West on Monday, much of the central United States was unseasonably warm. In Wisconsin, where temperatures this time of year are generally … more

By ISABELLA O'MALLEY | 2/26/24

FILE - A general view shows the courtroom at the beginning of the trial of defendant Vadim K. in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 that talks were underway shortly before his death to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany. That Russian prisoner was Krasikov. (Odd Andersen/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Who is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian jailed in Germany and linked to a possible prisoner exchange?

Vadim Krasikov’s name has come up in recent weeks in relation to prisoner swaps involving now deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. … more

By ELISE MORTON | 2/26/24

FILE - Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh speaks during a meeting with officials from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Prime Minister Shtayyeh says his government is resigning, in a move that could open the door to U.S.-backed reforms in the Palestinian Authority. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP, File)

What would a new Palestinian government in the West Bank mean for the war in Gaza?

The Palestinian Authority’s prime minister has announced his government’s resignation. It's seen as the first step in a reform process demanded by the United States as part of its latest … more

By JOSEPH KRAUSS | 2/26/24

A general view of atmosphere during the 96th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)

Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer will present at the Oscars (plus everything else you need to know)

After a winter barrage of award shows — the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Grammys — the grandaddy of them all, the Academy Awards, are around the corner. The 96th Oscars may be a coronation for … more

2/26/24

A Palestinian flag flies outside the United Nations' highest court, rear, during historic hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, into the legality of Israel's 57-year occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, plunging the 15 international judges back into the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Six days of hearings at the International Court of Justice, during which an unprecedented number of countries will participate in proceedings, are scheduled as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Majority of countries argue Israel violated international law in last historic hearing at UN court

The United Nations top court has wrapped up historic proceedings into the legality of Israel’s occupation of lands sought by Palestinians for a future state. The International Court of Justice … more

By MOLLY QUELL | 2/26/24

People watch the sunset at a park on an unseasonably warm day, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. A warm front is sweeping springlike weather across a large swath of the country in what is usually one of the coldest months of the year. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Wild weather's coming: West readies for snow as Midwest gets a taste of summer

A strong winter storm is expected to dump heavy mountain snow in parts of West while much of the Midwest will be basking in unseasonable warm conditions. The National Weather Service says the winter … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 2/26/24

Amazon joins 29 other 'blue chip' companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Amazon.com is joining the ranks of one of Wall Street’s oldest and most exclusive stock indexes: The Dow Jones Industrial Average. The e-commerce pioneer will officially take its position in the … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 2/26/24

This photo taken from video released by Russian Federal Penitentiary Service via SOTAVISION shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appears via a video link from the Arctic penal colony in Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenetsk region about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, where he is serving a 19-year sentence, in Kovrov, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2024. Shortly after Navalny's death was reported on Friday Feb. 16, 2024, the Russian SOTA social media channel shared images of the opposition politician reportedly in court yesterday. In the footage, Navalny is seen standing up and is laughing and joking with the judge via video link. (Russian Federal Penitentiary Service via SOTAVISION via AP)

A swap for Navalny was in the final stages before the opposition leader's death, an associate says

Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny say talks had been underway to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany. Close Navalny ally Maria Pevchikh said in a video statement on … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 2/26/24