National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - A sign for flu and covid vaccinations is displayed at a pharmacy store in Palatine, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse but it's too soon to tell how much holiday gatherings contributed to a likely spike in illnesses. New government data posted Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 for the previous week _ the holiday week between Christmas and New Year's _ show 38 states with high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms. That's up from 31 states the week before. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Flu and COVID infections got worse over the holidays, with more misery expected, CDC says

The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse with 38 states reporting high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses. That’s up from 31 states the week before. But it’s too soon to tell how … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 1/5/24

FILE - Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan ecology and natural resources minister, attends a plenary stocktaking session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Babayev has been named to lead the United Nations' annual climate talks later this year, prompting concern from some climate activists over his former ties to the state oil company in a major oil-producing nation.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

Azerbaijan names a former oil exec to lead climate talks. Activists have concerns

Azerbaijan’s ecology minister has been named to lead the United Nations’ annual climate talks later this year. That's prompting concern from some climate activists over his former ties to the … more

By SIBI ARASU | 1/5/24

A removal work is underway at the site of a planes collision at Haneda airport in Tokyo Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Cranes were dismantling the Japan Airlines Flight 516 Airbus A350 that caught fire after hitting a Coast Guard aircraft while it was landing Tuesday at the airport. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japanese air safety experts search for voice data from plane debris after runway collision

Transport safety officials are searching for the voice recorder from a Japan Airlines airliner that caught fire after a collision with a coast guard plane. They hope the recorder will containe … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 1/5/24

FILE- This photo provided by the California Department of Transportation shows an early morning fire along Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Since an arson fire damaged a key Los Angeles freeway, the state has hired security guards to watch out for smoke and other trouble at three other sites deemed equally risky under Interstate 10. (Caltrans District 7 via AP, File)

California hires guards to monitor businessman's other sites under I-10 after freeway fire

Since an arson fire damaged a key Los Angeles freeway, the state has hired security guards to watch out for smoke and other trouble at three other sites deemed equally risky under Interstate 10. All … more

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER, JULIE WATSON and KAVISH HARJAI | 1/5/24

A woman bikes amid damaged houses in Noto town in the Noto peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, following Monday's deadly earthquake. A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan have damaged thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials warned that more quakes could lie ahead. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

AP Week in Pictures: Asia

Dec. 29, 2023-Jan. 4, 2024 This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in the Asia-Pacific region made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. A series of … more

By The Associated Press | 1/4/24

Nevada judge attacked by defendant during sentencing in Vegas courtroom scene captured on video

Nevada judge is back to work a day after being attacked by defendant who jumped atop her

A Nevada judge was back to work Thursday after being injured in an attack by a defendant in a felony battery case who charged forward and launched himself over the judge’s bench when it became … more

By KEN RITTER and RIO YAMAT | 1/4/24

Bernice King daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., speaks during a news conference at the King Jr Center Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

King's daughter says wars, gun violence, racism have pushed humanity to the brink

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter says the world urgently needs to study and adopt her father’s philosophy of nonviolence to avoid self-destruction. The Rev. Bernice King used an address … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA | 1/4/24

This photo shows Vanessa Joy. Despite receiving enough signatures to appear on the ballot, Vanessa Joy, a transgender woman has been disqualified from an Ohio House race because she omitted her previous name, raising concern that other transgender candidates nationwide may face similar barriers. Joy found out Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (Vanessa Joy via AP)

A transgender candidate in Ohio was disqualified from the state ballot for omitting her former name

A transgender woman has been disqualified from running for the Ohio House after omitting her former name from circulating petitions to get on the ballot. Vanessa Joy's disqualification raises concern … more

By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON and GEOFF MULVIHILL | 1/4/24

FILE - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reacts to a question during an interview in the State Reception Room of the state Capitol, Nov. 8, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. Access to medical marijuana in Kentucky should expand to include a longer list of severe health conditions, Gov. Beshear said Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in advocating a change that would make hundreds of thousands more people eligible for treatment when the program begins next year. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Kentucky governor backs longer list of conditions eligible for treatment under medical marijuana law

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says access to medical marijuana in the state should expand to include more health conditions. He says the change would make 437,000 more Kentuckians eligible for treatment … more

By BRUCE SCHREINER | 1/4/24

FILE - U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, introduces state Sen. Royce West at a rally where West announced his bid to run for the U.S. Senate, in Dallas, Monday, July 22, 2019. Johnson, a nurse from Texas who helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region's most powerful Democrat, died Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. She was 88. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

Influential former Texas US Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson dies at 89

Trailblazing former U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson has died at 89. The nurse from Texas helped bring hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the Dallas area as the region's most powerful … more

1/4/24

FILE - Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) celebrates making the game-winning basket against UCLA during overtime in a men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game, Saturday, April 3, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Gonzaga won 93-90. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

The AP Top 25 remains a college basketball mainstay after 75 years of evolution

The AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll has been a mainstay for 75 years, but much like the game itself, it has evolved with the times. What was once a top 20, and contracted to a top 10, reached … more

By DAVE SKRETTA | 1/4/24

A sale pending sign is displayed in front of a home in Sudbury, Mass., on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

Average long-term mortgage rates edge higher, snapping 9-week slide

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged higher this week, ending a nine-week slide that gave prospective homebuyers some breathing room after home loan borrowing soared to the highest level in … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 1/4/24

A Newark Police vehicle is parked outside the Masjid-Muhammad-Newark Mosque in Newark, N.J. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. A imam was shot and critically wounded early Wednesday morning outside the mosque as officers worked to identify and arrest the shooter. The victim was taken to nearby University Hospital and is in critical condition, authorities said. (WABC via AP)

New Jersey police seek killer of a Muslim leader outside Newark mosque

Police in New Jersey are hunting for the killer of a Muslim leader who was shot outside his mosque. They're offering a cash reward and reiterating they don't think bias played a role in the violence. … more

By MIKE CATALINI | 1/4/24

Funeral workers down a coffin into a grave during a funeral ceremony of Sviatoslav Romanchuk, Ukrainian serviceman, at the cemetery in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. Romanchuk joined territorial defence since the beginning of or Russian invasion and was killed on Dec. 28, 2023 in Lyman direction, Donetsk region. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Russia and Ukraine exchange long-range attacks as their front-line forces remain bogged down

Russia’s Defense Ministry says air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian air-launched missiles over the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. The report Thursday comes as both sides in the war continue … more

By The Associated Press | 1/4/24

Burnt Japan Airlines plane is seen at Haneda airport on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. A transcript of communication between traffic control and two aircraft that collided and burst into flames at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport showed that only the larger Japan Airlines passenger flight was given permission to use the runway where a coast guard plane was preparing for takeoff. (Kyodo News via AP)

The key question about fiery crash at Tokyo airport: Did one or both planes have OK to use runway?

Passengers on Japan Airlines Flight 516 were buckled up as their pilot made a final approach to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. About two minutes later, the Airbus A350 was on the ground but engulfed in an … more

By MARI YAMAGUCHI | 1/4/24

FILE - A man crosses himself while bathing in the water during a traditional Epiphany celebration as the temperature dropped to about -24 degrees (-11,2 degrees Fahrenheit) near the Achairsky monastery outside Siberian city of Omsk, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. The Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar.. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Sofiychuk, File)

What is the Epiphany? Why is it also called Three Kings Day? And when do Christians celebrate it?

Christians around the world will mark Epiphany on Jan. 6 with a series of celebrations. Catholics and some Western Christian churches know the feast day as Three Kings Day. The Orthodox know it as … more

Associated Press | 1/4/24

A hiring sign is displayed at a restaurant in Glenview, Ill., Tuesday, Dec.12, 2023. On Thursday, the Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

US applications for unemployment benefits fall again as job market continues to show strength

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week as the labor market continues to show resilience despite elevated interest rates. Jobless claims fell to 202,000 for the week … more

By MATT OTT | 1/4/24

This photo provided by Scholastic Inc. shows the cover of “When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary,” written by best-selling author Alice Hoffman. (Scholastic Inc. via AP)

Alice Hoffman's novel about Anne Frank will be published in September

With the cooperation of the Anne Frank House, a novel based on Frank’s life immediately before she began keeping a diary will be released in September by the children’s publisher Scholastic. … more

By HILLEL ITALIE | 1/4/24

FILE - Serbian Army soldiers perform during a military parade at the military airport Batajnica, near Belgrade, Serbia, on Oct. 19, 2019. Serbia looks set to reintroduce the obligatory military service for its young citizens, the army command said Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 in a move that comes amid rising tensions in the Balkans. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

Serbia's army proposes bringing back the draft as tensions continue to rise in the Balkans

Serbia's military wants to reintroduce obligatory military service as tensions continue to rise in the Balkans. The army command said in a statement Thursday that the proposal for compulsory service … more

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC | 1/4/24

In this image from video provided by the Clark County District Court, a defendant identified by court officials and records as Deobra Redden is seen launching over the desk of Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing in a felony battery case on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 in Las Vegas. Authorities say the judge suffered minor injuries while a courtroom marshal suffered a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder. (Clark County District Court via AP)

Nevada judge attacked by defendant during sentencing in Vegas courtroom scene captured on video

A Nevada judge was attacked in court by a defendant who vaulted the bench and sparked a bloody brawl with court officials and attorneys as he was about to sentenced to prison in a felony battery … more

By KEN RITTER and RIO YAMAT | 1/3/24