National News - The Morning Sun

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens as Bob Vander Plaats speaks to media following a Fox News Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Court sends case of prosecutor suspended by DeSantis back to trial judge over First Amendment issues

A Democratic Florida prosecutor suspended by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis will get another chance to show his political advocacy was protected by the First Amendment and could not be the basis for … more

By CURT ANDERSON | 1/10/24

This combination of photos shows, from top left, former Rankin County sheriff's deputies Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield appearing at the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., Aug. 14, 2023. A federal judge has, for the second time, postponed sentencing for six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Sentencing postponed again for Mississippi police officers who tortured two Black men

A federal judge has postponed sentencing for six former Mississippi law enforcement officers who pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for torturing two Black men. Sentencing had … more

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG | 1/10/24

FILE - New York Rangers' Blake Wheeler (17) plays during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in New York. Whenever Blake Wheeler was going through mental health challenges throughout his hockey career, he felt better when he talked about them and sought help. So, when the NHL Players' Association introduced a pilot program to teach the basics of mental health, Wheeler was on board to give it a try. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, the union unveiled its full “First Line” program, an initiative with Mental Health Commission of Canada that's now available to players who want to be educated on the topic. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

NHLPA unveils mental health initiative to help hockey players learn more, watch for warning signs

The NHL players union has launched a mental health program aimed at educating and helping players learn more about their own well-being and that of their teammates and families. Players like … more

By STEPHEN WHYNO | 1/10/24

FILE - The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at SEC headquarters, June 19, 2015, in Washington. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, that a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing that the securities regulator had approved the trading of exchange-traded funds holding bitcoin was fake, and that the agency’s account had been “compromised.” (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Regulators are set to decide whether to OK a new bitcoin fund. Here's what investors need to know

U.S. regulators are soon expected to decide whether to approve the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund, a development that could thrust the once niche and nerdy corner of the internet even further … more

By KEN SWEET | 1/10/24

FILE - Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a shot in her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, on Jan. 3, 2024. The first 15-day Australian Open sets to start Sunday morning, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard, File)

Now a mom, Naomi Osaka gets ready to make her Grand Slam return at the Australian Open

Naomi Osaka is one of three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for the first time as moms. The trio of Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki … more

By JOHN PYE | 1/10/24

FILE - Actor Adan Canto attends the Disney/ABC Winter 2014 TCA All Star Reception in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2014. Canto, the Mexican singer and actor best known for his roles in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Agent Game” as well as the TV series “The Cleaning Lady,” “Narcos,” and “Designated Survivor,” died on Monday after a private battle with appendiceal cancer. He was 42. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File)

Adan Canto, known for his versatility in roles in 'X-Men' and 'Designated Survivor,' dies at 42

Adan Canto, the Mexican singer and actor best known for his roles in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Agent Game” as well as the TV series “The Cleaning Lady,” has died. His publicist … more

By MARIA SHERMAN | 1/9/24

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at a Washington hotel, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, after attending a hearing before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals at the federal courthouse in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Trump warns of 'Pandora's box' of perpetual presidential prosecutions if charges against him stand

Donald Trump is warning that other ex-presidents could be prosecuted if criminal charges against him aren't dropped. Trump has for months promised to prosecute President Joe Biden if Trump wins the … more

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI | 1/9/24

Pa Cheng Vang speaks to the media with photos of his children in front of him in St. Paul, Minn., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. Three of his children died as a result of a fire in their St. Paul home. A 1-year-old and their 28-year-old mother remained hospitalized in critical condition, they said. Two other children also remain hospitalized, but their conditions have improved. (Kyeland Jackson/Star Tribune via AP)

4th child dies of injuries from fire at home in St. Paul, Minnesota, authorities say

Authorities say a fourth child has died of injuries suffered in a fire at a home in St. Paul, Minnesta. The Star Tribune reports that police Sgt. Mike Ernster said 1-year-old Mauj CagTxuj Vaj died at … more

1/9/24

FILE - Ronnie Long stands in a hallway at the Albemarle Correctional Institution in Albemarle, east of Charlotte, N.C., in 2007. Lawyers for Long, wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 44 years, say he's reached a $25 million combined settlement announced Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, with a central North Carolina city and the state of North Carolina. (Peter Weinberger/The Charlotte Observer via AP, File)

In $25M settlement, North Carolina city `deeply remorseful' for man's wrongful conviction, prison

Lawyers for a man wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 44 years say he's reached a $25 million combined settlement with a central North Carolina city and the state of North Carolina. The … more

1/9/24

Police and the BCA at the scene where two people were shot and killed Monday night at a Super 8 hotel in Cloquet, Minn., on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)

Small-town Minnesota hotel shooting kills clerk and 2 possible guests, including suspect, police say

Authorities say a shooting at a small-town Minnesota hotel has killed an employee and two possible guests. Cloquet police Chief Derek Randall spoke about the shooting at a news conference Tuesday. He … more

By TRISHA AHMED | 1/9/24

FILE - Cars enter Naval Base Ventura County, Aug. 25, 2005, in Ventura County, Calif. On Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, a U.S. Navy sailor based at California's Naval Base Ventura County was sentenced to just over two years in federal prison for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese intelligence officer. (Dave Getzschman/The Ventura County Star via AP, File)

U.S. Navy sailor sentenced to over 2 years in prison for accepting bribes from Chinese officer

A U.S. Navy sailor has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese government’s intelligence officer. Wenheng Zhao, who is also … more

By JULIE WATSON | 1/9/24

Workers install solar panels at the under-construction Adani Green Energy Limited's Renewable Energy Park in the salt desert of Karim Shahi village, near Khavda, Bhuj district near the India-Pakistan border in the western state of Gujarat, India, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Nations have signed on to triple renewable energy by 2030. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Hottest year ever, what can be done? Plenty: more renewables and nuclear, less methane and meat

The shattering of global annual heat records last year is prompting people to ask: what can be done? There is a way forward. Nations have signed on to triple renewable energy by 2030. Proponents of … more

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT | 1/9/24

FILE - This image provided by the U.S. Department of Justice shows a reward poster for Cliver Alcala-Cordones that was released on March 26, 2020, as part of a federal indictment charging him and others in a conspiracy stretching back two decades to convert Venezuela into a launch pad for flooding the U.S. with cocaine. The retired Venezuelan army general is set to be sentenced Jan. 18, 2024 on two counts of providing support for a Colombian rebel army designated terrorist group by the U.S., charges the carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. (Department of Justice via AP, File)

Ex-Green Beret stands with Venezuelan coup plotter ahead of U.S. sentencing on terror charges

A U.S. veteran who plotted to overthrow Venezuela’s president is proudly standing with a former Venezuelan army general who pleaded guilty in New York on terrorism charges. Former Green Beret … more

By JOSHUA GOODMAN | 1/9/24

FILE - Tou Thao speaks during his sentencing hearing in Hennepin County District Court, Aug. 7, 2023, in Minneapolis, Minn. On Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the federal civil rights conviction of Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer who held back a concerned crowd while fellow officers pinned down a dying George Floyd. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP, File)

Supreme Court rejects appeal by ex-officer Tou Thao, who held back crowd as George Floyd lay dying

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the federal civil rights conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who held back a concerned crowd while fellow officers pinned down a dying … more

1/9/24

Andrew Scott poses for a portrait to promote the film "All of Us Strangers" on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP)

Even Andrew Scott was startled by his vulnerability in 'All of Us Strangers'

Andrew Scott, known to many as the “Hot Priest” of “Fleabag,” has found even greater acclaim for his latest performance. Scott stars in Andrew Haigh’s metaphysical drama “All of Us … more

By JAKE COYLE | 1/9/24

FILE - The cracked earth of the Sau reservoir is visible north of Barcelona, Spain, March 20, 2023. Earth last year shattered global annual heat records, the European climate agency said Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

Earth shattered global heat record in '23 and it's flirting with warming limit, European agency says

Earth shattered global annual heat records last year and it's flirting with the warming threshold that nations wanted to stay within to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. That's … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN | 1/9/24

A statue of William Penn stands at Welcome Park in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Park Service retracts decision to take down William Penn statue at Philadelphia historical site

The National Park Service is retracting a proposal to take down a statue of William Penn at a Philadelphia historical site as part of a renovation that touched off a torrent of criticism over the … more

By MARC LEVY | 1/8/24

Rudolph Williams stands for a portrait in his apartment Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Harvey, Ill. Williams was home in the Chicago south suburb when he realized that the doors and windows to his courtyard-style apartment had been boarded up with plywood, locking him inside.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Video of 73-year-old boarded up inside his apartment sparks investigation

The viral video of a 73-year-old man who got boarded up inside his low-income apartment is sparking an investigation. Rudolph Williams was home in Harvey, Illinois, about 30 miles south of Chicago … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 1/8/24

Tape blocks all entrances at the Perry Middle School and High School building on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. A day after a shooting sent bullets flying inside the small-town Iowa high school, leaving a sixth grader dead and others wounded, the community of Perry is somber. (AP Photo/Bryon Houlgrave)

Parents of Iowa teen who killed 1 and wounded 7 in shooting say they had 'no inkling' of his plan

The parents of the 17-year-old who killed a sixth grader and wounded seven others in a shooting at his small-town Iowa high school last week said in a statement Monday that they “had no inkling he … more

By JOSH FUNK and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | 1/8/24

Joel Bowman, center-left, seated with mask, listens to witness testimony during a bond hearing on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. Also pictured are his lawyer, Lauren Massey Fuchs, left, prosecutor Forrest Edwards, center-right, and prosecutor John Scott, right. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

Memphis judge maintains $1 million bond for man charged with firing shots at Jewish school

A judge has declined to reduce a $1 million bond for a man charged with shooting at a contractor at a Jewish school in Memphis after his attorney requested a lower amount to allow him to secure his … more

By ADRIAN SAINZ | 1/8/24