National News - The Morning Sun

Palestinians morn by the bodies of their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip in front of the morgue of the Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Brazil's president accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, doubling down after earlier uproar

Brazil’s president has alleged that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians. He is doubling down on the strong rhetoric after stirring controversy a week ago by comparing Israel’s … more

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY | 2/24/24

Liam Lazo boards a diesel school bus near his home, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Virginia Beach, Va. Diesel exhaust from school buses affects one-third of U.S. students, their parents and educators each day. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Tired of diesel fumes, these moms are pushing for electric school buses

Each day, around 20 million students in the United States ride to school in diesel-fueled school buses, exposed to clouds of exhaust linked to asthma and lung cancer. The buses also contribute to … more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN | 2/24/24

Steven Dettelbach, the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, talks with community members that were personally effected by the October 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine at Central Maine Community College, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Auburn, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Chief enforcer of US gun laws fears Americans may become numb to violence with each mass shooting

The head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says he fears that a drumbeat of mass shootings and other gun violence across the United States could make Americans numb … more

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER | 2/24/24

Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, reacts as she speaks during the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin's fiercest foe, died Friday in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, Russia's prison agency said. He was 47. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Pool Photo via AP)

Widow of Navalny accuses Putin of mocking Christianity for refusing to return her husband's body

The widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused President Vladimir Putin of mocking Christianity by trying to force his mother to agree to a secret funeral after his death in a … more

By The Associated Press | 2/24/24

Palestinians crowd a market in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the war took refuge in Rafahor, which is likely Israel's next focus in its war against Hamas. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Palestinians cling to life in Rafah, a town likely to be Israel's next focus in the war on Hamas

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — In the narrow crevices between the tents that crowd nearly every inch of the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Palestinians cling to life amid the grinding war with Israel. … more

By The Associated Press | 2/24/24

FILE - This undated image released by the U.S. military's Central Command shows what it is described as the vessel that carried Iranian-made missile components bound for Yemen's Houthi 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)

Two Navy SEALs drowned in the Arabian Sea. How the US charged foreign crew with smuggling weapons

Two Navy SEALs drowned last month while trying to board a vessel that was intercepted by U.S. naval forces in the Arabian Sea. On Thursday, federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint against … more

By DENISE LAVOIE and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN | 2/23/24

FILE - Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo gestures as speaks to supporters and members of the media before a bill signing by Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Brandon, Fla. Florida's controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary school's measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their student attends class — a direct contravention of federal guidelines. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

Florida refuses to bar unvaccinated students from school suffering a measles outbreak

Florida’s controversial surgeon general is drawing criticism for his handling of an elementary school’s measles outbreak, telling parents of unvaccinated children it is their choice whether their … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 2/23/24

FILE - Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, Dec. 13, 2023. A federal judge in California will consider whether former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who was charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden's family, must remain behind bars while he awaits trial. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II has set a hearing for Monday, Feb. 26, in Los Angeles on prosecutors' request to keep Smirnov in jail. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Judge to hold hearing Monday considering detention of ex-FBI source accused of lying about Bidens

A federal judge in California will consider whether a former FBI informant charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family must remain behind … more

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER | 2/23/24

The Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. This is raising concerns about how the decision could affect in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF. (February 21)

Facing backlash over IVF ruling, Alabama lawmakers look for a fix

Alabama lawmakers have begun scrambling for ways to protect in vitro fertilization services after a state Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos could be considered children under state law. Three … more

2/23/24

Nicholas Jordan, 25, speaks with his legal counsel during his first appearance in El Paso County 4th Judicial Court, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Jordan was arrested Monday, Feb. 19, in the deaths of his roommate, Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. (Parker Seibold/The Gazette via AP, Pool)

Student charged with killing 2 at Colorado campus had previously threatened one of the victims

A court document shows a college student accused of killing his roommate and another person in a Colorado dorm room this month told his roommate a month earlier he would “kill him” if he was … more

By COLLEEN SLEVIN | 2/23/24

FILE - The residence where a former funeral home owner kept a deceased women's body in a hearse for two years as well as the remains of 30 cremated people is shown Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in southwest Denver. Miles Harford, a former funeral home owner accused of hiding a woman's corpse in the back of a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of at least 30 people, was arrested Thursday night, Feb. 22, 2024, authorities said. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File(

A former funeral home owner has been arrested after a corpse lay in a hearse for 2 years

Police in Colorado have arrested a former funeral home owner accused of hiding a woman’s corpse in a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of at least 30 people. The arrest of … more

By JESSE BEDAYN | 2/23/24

FILE - Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson stands on the field before an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. Mike Tyson will present three winners a custom championship belt Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the PFL vs. Bellator: Champs card in Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Mike Tyson, Francis Ngannou set for Professional Fighters League debut in Saudi Arabia

The Professional Fighters League is set to become the first major MMA promotion to hold a card in Saudi Arabia. Mike Tyson will be on hand to present the winner of three title fights in the inaugural … more

By DAN GELSTON | 2/23/24

A woman was found dead Thursday on the campus of the University of Georgia after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run. She was found in a forested area behind a lake. (Feb. 22)

A woman was found dead on the University of Georgia campus after she failed to return from a run

Authorities say a woman found dead on the University of Georgia campus was a student at a nearby nursing school. Police say they have no suspect as of Friday morning. Investigators were checking … more

2/23/24

FILE - Eclipse watchers squint through protective filters as they view an eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932. Full solar eclipses occur every year or two or three, often in the middle of nowhere like the South Pacific or Antarctic. (AP Photo/File, File)

AP PHOTOS: Total solar eclipses through the decades

The complete shrouding of our sun by the moon has mesmerized humanity for millennia — a moment in time when skies darken and stillness creeps in. It's spellbinding not only for the lucky ones … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 2/23/24

FILE - Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker speaks on the steps of the state judicial building on April 5, 2006, in Montgomery, Ala. When the court ruled that frozen embryos are children, its Chief Justice Parker made explicit use of Christian theology to justify the court's decision in his concurrence, where his language echoed the broader anti-abortion movement. (AP Photo/Jamie Martin, File)

Bible-quoting Alabama chief justice sparks church-state debate in embryo ruling

When the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are considered children under state law, its chief justice had a higher authority in mind. By citing verses from the Bible and Christian … more

By PETER SMITH and TIFFANY STANLEY | 2/23/24

Rain drops cover a portrait of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, placing between flowers in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. German parliament Bundestag is discussing about consequences of Navalny's dead at a prison on Friday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Return Navalny's body to his family, famous Russians urge the authorities

Russians including Nobel laureate Dmitry Muratov and ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov have released videos calling on the Russian authorities to return the body of opposition leader Alexei Navalny to … more

By The Associated Press | 2/23/24

A Ukrainian police officer takes cover in front of a burning building in Avdiivka, Ukraine, Friday, March 17, 2023. The second year of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion brought no respite for Ukrainian soldiers or civilians. Associated Press photographers documented the past 12 months of death and destruction, agony and grief — as well as the glimpses of joy — that are staples of life during war. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

AP PHOTOS: Ukraine endures a second year of war with scenes of grief, suffering and also joy

The second year of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion brought no respite for Ukrainian soldiers or civilians. Associated Press photographers documented the past 12 months of … more

By The Associated Press | 2/23/24

FILE - Four of five cars and a Pittsburgh Transit Authority bus lies in the rubble on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh that collapsed Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Federal regulators are about to determine what they believe caused a bridge to collapse in Pittsburgh more than two years ago, sending vehicles plummeting into a ravine and injuring several people. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Investigators fault Pittsburgh for poor inspection, maintenance of bridge that collapsed

Federal investigators say the city of Pittsburgh did not adequately maintain or repair a bridge, leading to the corrosion of the structure’s steel legs and its collapse into a ravine more than two … more

By MARK SCOLFORO | 2/22/24

FILE - Brian Steven Smith arrives in a courtroom after a break, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska. Smith, who recorded the violent death of an Alaska Native woman on his cellphone, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in her death and that of another Alaska Native woman. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Alaska man found guilty of first-degree murder in violent killing captured on stolen memory card

A man who recorded the violent death of an Alaska Native woman on his cellphone was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in her death and that of another Alaska Native woman. Brian … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 2/22/24

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 photo, containers holding frozen embryos and sperm are stored in liquid nitrogen at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, a ruling critics said could have sweeping implications for fertility treatments. The decision was issued in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

What's next after the Alabama ruling that counts IVF embryos as children?

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled last week that couples who were trying in vitro fertilization and lost frozen embryos in an accident at a south Alabama storage facility can sue under the state’s … more

By KIM CHANDLER and GEOFF MULVIHILL | 2/22/24