National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Masha Gessen attends the 68th National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 15, 2017, in New York. The U.S. journalist and author was convicted in absentia Monday, July 15, 2024 by a Moscow court on charges of spreading false information about the military and was sentenced to eight years in prison. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

US journalist Masha Gessen is convicted in absentia in Russia for criticizing the military

U.S. journalist and author Masha Gessen was convicted in absentia by a Russian court of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to eight years in prison. The Moscow-born Gessen, … more

By The Associated Press | 7/15/24

Retired pipe fitter Charles Long, 68, uses a borrowed mini excavator to put metal grating over a new septic field, as he converts his property in a pole barn for parking an RV, Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla. Before Hurricane Idalia smashed into the small fishing village in northwestern Florida last summer, Long was fixing up the family's two-bedroom, one-bathroom vacation house to retire in with his wife. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Rebuilding coastal communities after hurricanes is complex, and can change the character of a place

For hurricane survivors, rebuilding after weather disasters can be a long and expensive process. The hundreds of thousands of dollars it can cost to build new homes on stilts, as some regulations … more

By DORANY PINEDA and REBECCA BLACKWELL | 7/15/24

Lisa Bregenzer poses for a picture on the canal-side lot where her home stood until the passage of last year's Hurricane Idalia, Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla. In July, nearly a year after the storm that upended her and her husband's lives, Bregenzer has finally found hope. Her family was approved for a program that will help them build a new home, and if all goes as planned, they'll move into a stilted two-bedroom house on their lot by year's end. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Battered by Hurricane Idalia last year, Florida village ponders future as hurricane season begins

Almost a year after Hurricane Idalia tore through Florida, many residents of Horseshoe Beach in the north are still recovering. Those who lost homes ask themselves: Do I stay or go? Rebuild or live … more

By DORANY PINEDA and REBECCA BLACKWELL | 7/15/24

Work continues on the roof of Gaido's restaurant in preparation for opening for diners for the first time since Hurricane Beryl landed on Galveston Island six days prior on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

In beachy Galveston, locals buckle down without power after Beryl's blow during peak tourist season

Electricity will likely be out another week for hundreds of thousands of people in the Houston after Hurricane Beryl tore down trees and power lines. In nearby Galveston, the enduring outages are … more

By JAMES POLLARD | 7/15/24

Members of the Coalition to March on the RNC speak during a news conference ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

GOP convention protests are on despite shooting at Trump rally

Activists in Milwaukee for the first day of the Republican National Convention say they'll stick with protest plans for marches and rallies in the wake of an apparent assassination attempt on former … more

By SOPHIA TAREEN | 7/15/24

FILE - Chickens stand in their cages at a farm, in Iowa, Nov. 16, 2009. Four more people, all Colorado poultry workers, have been diagnosed with bird flu infections, health officials said late Sunday, June 14, 2024. The new cases are the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth in the United States diagnosed with the bird flu, which so far has caused mild illness in humans. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

US health officials confirm four new bird flu cases, in Colorado poultry workers

Four poultry workers in Colorado have been diagnosed with bird flu. The new cases, confirmed Sunday, bring the U.S. total to nine since the first human case of the current outbreak was detected in … more

By MIKE STOBBE | 7/14/24

The tail section of former President Trump's airplane is seen on arrival to the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport where former President Trump will arrive ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention, Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Donald Trump arrives in Milwaukee for RNC after assassination attempt heightens security fears

Former President Donald Trump has arrived in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention a day after he was targeted in an attempted assassination at a campaign event. Trump’s airplane touched … more

7/14/24

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures while surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he is helped off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A timeline of the assassination attempt on former President Trump

Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt as a barrage of gunfire at a Pennsylvania rally set off panic as a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was … more

By JAMIE STENGLE | 7/14/24

Gnatalie is the only green-boned dinosaur found on the planet. She will be on display in LA

The latest dinosaur being mounted at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is a 75-foot-long sauropod named Gnatalie (pronounced Natalie). Gnatalie is a new species and the only green dinosaur … more

By JAIMIE DING | 7/14/24

An Israeli soldier moves on the top of a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike

Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health … more

By WAFAA SHURAFA | 7/14/24

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with the leadership of military-industrial complex enterprises in Tula, Russia, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. Treason cases were rare in Russia 30 years ago, with only a handful brought annually. In the last decade and especially since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, however, the number has soared, along with espionage prosecutions. Putin in 2022 urged security services to "harshly suppress the actions of foreign intelligence services (and) promptly identify traitors, spies and saboteurs." (Russian Presidential Press Office, Sputnik Pool Photo via AP, File)

What to know about the growing number of treason and espionage cases in today's Russia under Putin

Treason cases were once rare in Russia, a handful each year. But they — along with espionage prosecutions — have skyrocketed since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The crackdown is ensnaring … more

By DASHA LITVINOVA | 7/14/24

FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, right, sign healthcare waivers at the state Capitol in Atlanta, Oct. 15, 2020. Pathways to Coverage launched last July and is the only Medicaid plan in the country that requires beneficiaries to work or engage in other activities to get coverage. As of June, it had about 4,300 members. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Can a Medicaid plan that requires work succeed? First year of Georgia experiment is not promising

By now, Georgia officials expected their new Medicaid plan to provide health insurance to 25,000 low income residents. Pathways to Coverage launched last July and is the only Medicaid plan in the … more

By SUDHIN THANAWALA | 7/14/24

President Joe Biden speaks, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Rehoboth Beach, Del., addressing news that gunshots rang out at Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump's Pennsylvania campaign rally. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Biden says 'everybody must condemn' attack on Trump, hopes to speak with ex-president soon

President Joe Biden says “everybody must condemn” the suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The president on Saturday added that he hopes to speak with his 2024 … more

By WILL WEISSERT | 7/13/24

FILE - This image taken from video and released by the militant group Hamas on Aug. 26, 2005, shows a man identified as Mohammed Deif. An Israeli attack on the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday July 13, 2024, killed 71 people and injured scores, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, while an Israeli official said it targeted the head of Hamas' military wing. The Israeli official identified the target of the strike in Khan Younis as Mohammed Deif, believed by many to be the chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/File)

Israel targets Hamas' military leader in Gaza. Who is he and what does it mean for the war?

Israel says it tried to assassinate Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of the Hamas group’s military wing who has long topped the country’s most-wanted list. The strike took place in an … more

By JACK JEFFERY | 7/13/24

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference May 31, 2024, in New York. Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It has now placed Trump on an equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden just days before the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

The Latest: Republicans gear up for their convention as Dems struggle over Biden as nominee

Republicans are gearing up for their convention next week while Democrats are still struggling with whether President Joe Biden should stay on as their candidate in the November election. In a sign … more

The Associated Press | 7/13/24

Meals on Wheels employees take advantage of an assembly line to prepare bags of food for clients, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Houston. Staff deliver hot meals as well as shelf stable items to clients daily, many of whom are still without power after Hurricane Beryl. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)

Houston community groups strain to keep feeding and cooling a city battered by repeat storms

In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, fresh food and cool air are coming from Houston community groups that have honed their disaster services in a city frequently battered by extreme weather. Nonprofits … more

By JAMES POLLARD | 7/13/24

FILE - Crews work at Oaklawn Cemetery during an excavation while searching for bodies from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oct. 27, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and officials with Intermountain Forensics said Friday, July 12, 2024, that remains exhumed from the cemetery in the search for victim of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre have been identified. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP, File)

A World War I veteran is first Tulsa Race Massacre victim identified from mass graves

The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, says a World War I veteran is the first person identified from graves filled with victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre that devastated the city’s Black community. … more

By KEN MILLER | 7/12/24

President Joe Biden exits Air Force One, on arrival to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Friday July 12, 2024, for a campaign event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Democratic Party crisis after Biden's debate spirals with no clear ending

For more than two weeks now, the Democratic Party has been mired in crisis. And yet there is no sign that the threat to Joe Biden’s reelection is nearing a conclusion. The president has dug in even … more

By STEVE PEOPLES | 7/12/24

FILE - Brian Steven Smith watches proceedings during the opening day of his double murder trial, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska. On Friday, July 12, 2024, Smith, who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the 2019 torture death of one say that in his movies “everybody always dies,” was sentenced to 226 years in prison. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Man gets 226 years in deaths of 2 Alaska Native women. He filmed the torture of one

A man who killed two Alaska Native women and was heard while videotaping the torture death of one say that in his movies “everybody always dies” was sentenced in Anchorage Friday to 226 years … more

By MARK THIESSEN | 7/12/24

Lindsay Nelson kisses her husband, Robert "Fat Goose" Nelson, after he returned to NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., on Friday, July 12, 2024. The pilots returned after a nearly nine-month deployment with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

US Navy pilots come home after months of shooting down Houthi missiles and drones

U.S. Navy fighter pilots have come home in Virginia after months of shooting down Houthi-launched missiles and drones. The fighting in the Middle East had become the most intense running sea battle … more

By BEN FINLEY | 7/12/24