National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - AIDS activist Gao Yaojie checks in to a ticket counter at the Beijing Capital airport as she prepares to leave China for the U.S. in Beijing, China, Monday, Feb. 26, 2007. Gao, a Chinese doctor who embarrassed the government by exposing the AIDS epidemic in rural China in the 1990s and spent her last decade in exile in the United States, died Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, at her home in Manhattan. She was 95. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, File)

Doctor and self-exiled activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China dies at 95

Renowned Chinese doctor and activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS virus epidemic in rural China in the 1990s, has died at the age of 95 at her home in the United States. Gao’s outspokenness … more

By SIMINA MISTREANU | 12/11/23

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Live updates | Israel says it's prepared to fight for months to defeat Hamas

Israel says it is prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, as its ground offense intensifies with more airstrikes and artillery fire. Qatar, which has played a key … more

By The Associated Press | 12/11/23

Yekaterina Duntsova, a Russian journalist speaks during her interview with the Associated Press in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Duntsova, a little-known journalist and mom-of-three from a small town in western Russia, hopes to force President Vladimir Putin into a run-off in Russia's next presidential vote scheduled for March, despite her political inexperience and analysts' assessments that the Kremlin leader's reelection is all but assured. (AP Photo)

Russian presidential hopeful vows to champion peace, women and a 'humane' country

Yekaterina Duntsova is a little-known journalist and mom-of-three from a small town in western Russia. She hopes to force President Vladimir Putin into a run-off in Russia's next presidential vote … more

By JOANNA KOZLOWSKA | 12/11/23

A currency trader watches monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. Asian shares were mixed on Monday after Wall Street touched a 20-month high, at the start of a week that includes essential U.S. inflation data and the Federal Reserve’s final rate decision of the year. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after Wall Street hits 2023 high

Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street reached a 20-month high ahead of a week that includes essential U.S. inflation data and a final rate decision of the year by the Federal Reserve. Benchmarks … more

12/10/23

Catholic priest in Nebraska dies after attack in church

Authorities say a Catholic priest in a small Nebraska community has died after being attacked in the church rectory. The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted “during an invasion” of St. John the … more

12/10/23

Six people, including a child, have been killed as severe storms tore through central Tennessee on Saturday. (Dec. 9)

Tennessee residents clean up after severe weekend storms killed 6 people and damaged neighborhoods

Central Tennessee residents and emergency workers are continuing the cleanup from severe storms and tornadoes that killed six people and sent more to the hospital. Government officials confirmed that … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JOHN RABY | 12/10/23

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his address to the nation in Moscow, Russia, June 26, 2023. President Vladimir Putin is likely to win another six-year term easily in an election expected in March, using his sweeping grip on Russia’s political scene to extend his tenure of over two decades in power. But he faces daunting challenges. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

For Putin, winning reelection could be easier than resolving the many challenges facing Russia

President Vladimir Putin is likely to win another six-year term easily in an election expected in March, using his sweeping grip on Russia’s political scene to extend his tenure of over two decades … more

By The Associated Press | 12/10/23

FILE - The assembly hall during the opening of the Human Rights Council's Commemorative session marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2008. Seventy-five years ago on Sunday Dec. 10, 2023, the U.N. General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at a meeting in Paris. It laid one of the foundation stones of the international order that emerged following the horrors of World War II. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP, File)

What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is marking its 75th anniversary?

Seventy-five years ago on Sunday, the U.N. General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at a meeting in Paris. It laid one of the foundation stones of of the international … more

By GEIR MOULSON | 12/10/23

The Texas Supreme Court hears oral arguments for Zurawski v. State of Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

A pregnant Texas woman asked a court for permission to get an abortion, despite a ban. What's next?

The Texas Supreme Court has put on hold a judge’s ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis. The order Friday throws into limbo an unprecedented … more

By PAUL J. WEBER | 12/9/23

FILE - Snow accumulates outside a restaurant at a makeshift memorial for the victims of last month's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. The four members of Maine's congressional delegation are calling for an Army investigation into the events leading up to a mass shooting in the state in the wake of meeting with families affected by the killings. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine's congressional delegation calls for Army investigation into Lewiston shooting

The four members of Maine’s congressional delegation are calling for an Army investigation into the events leading up to a mass shooting in the state. Their call follows a meeting with families … more

By PATRICK WHITTLE | 12/9/23

FILE - A liquid carbon dioxide containment unit stands outside the fabrication building of Glenwood Mason Supply Company, April 18, 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

What is carbon capture and why does it keep coming up at COP28?

The future of fossil fuels that are warming the planet are at the core of negotiations at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai. There’s a push to phase them out, but in the background of … more

By MICHAEL PHILLIS | 12/9/23

Scientific diver Morgan Murphy-Cannella holds bull kelp with a dark patch of reproductive spores as she surveys a reforestation project, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, near Caspar, Calif. Kelp forests play an integral role in the health of the world’s oceans, one of the issues being discussed at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

From urchin crushing to lab-grown kelp, efforts to save California's kelp forests show promise

After purple urchins helped nearly wipe out 96% of California's iconic underwater bull kelp forests over a six-year span, biologists say they are seeing promising signs that efforts to save them may … more

By JULIE WATSON | 12/9/23

FILE - Abortion rights demonstrators attend a rally at the Texas state Capitol in Austin, Texas, May 14, 2022. A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, to let her terminate the pregnancy, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year.(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Texas Supreme Court pauses lower court's order allowing pregnant woman to have an abortion

The Texas Supreme Court has put on hold a judge’s ruling that approved an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis. The order Friday throws into limbo an unprecedented … more

By PAUL J. WEBER | 12/8/23

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, right, speaks about a fatal shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters, Wednesday, Dec 6, 2023, in Las Vegas. Listening is Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, left, and Adam Garcia, vice president of public services and director of UNLV Police. (Christopher DeVargas/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Police still investigating motive of UNLV shooting; school officials cancel classes, finals

Three University of Nevada, Las Vegas, faculty members died this week and another was critically injured when a lone gunman walked onto campus and opened fire in a building housing the business … more

The Associated Press | 12/8/23

FILE - An entrance to The Covenant School is seen, May 24, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Nashville Police have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator, the department announced in an email sent to media late on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Nashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter's writings is inconclusive

Nashville Police say they have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator. The … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER | 12/8/23

In this photo provided by the Tulare County District Attorney's Office, Peter Park, right, is sworn in by District Attorney Tim Ward in Visalia, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. A county prosecutor's office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney's Office said that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam. (Tulare County District Attorney's Office via AP)

Californian passes state bar exam at age 17 and is sworn in as an attorney

A county prosecutor’s office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office says that, according to research, Peter … more

12/8/23

This image released by Peacock shows Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk in a scene from "Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie." (Peacock via AP)

Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in 'Mr. Monk's Last Case'

Fourteen years ago, Tony Shalhoub said goodbye to one of his most beloved creations — the obsessive-compulsive private detective Adrian Monk. But the pandemic suddenly made us all catch up with … more

By MARK KENNEDY | 12/8/23

FILE - A radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles, May 6, 2010. Annual mammograms are now recommended indefinitely for breast cancer survivors in many countries including the United States. Now a large British study finds that less frequent screening is just as good. The findings were being discussed Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Breast cancer survivors may not need so many mammograms after surgery, UK study suggests

A large British study finds that less frequent screening is just as good as annual mammograms for certain breast cancer survivors. The findings are being discussed at the San Antonio Breast Cancer … more

By CARLA K. JOHNSON | 12/8/23

FILE - Former President Boris Yeltsin, left, smiles as he talks to the then Russian acting President and Premier Vladimir Putin, at the Kremlin, Russia, on Dec. 31, 1999. In a surprise address to the nation, President Boris Yeltsin announces his resignation and makes Putin, the prime minister he appointed four months earlier, the acting president. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Key events in Vladimir Putin's more than two decades in power in Russia

Throughout his 24 years in power in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has launched wars, cracked down on the opposition, stifled most independent media and consolidated his power. He also has sought … more

By The Associated Press | 12/8/23

This image made with the Hubble Space Telescope and released by NASA on Aug. 10, 2020 shows the star Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse, a red supergiant. The star, one of the biggest and brightest in the night sky, will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it late Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, into early Tuesday. The event should be visible to millions of people along a narrow corridor stretching from central Asia’s Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain, all the way to Miami and the Florida Keys, and, finally, Mexico. (Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland (STScI), NASA and ESA via AP)

Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions

One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish. That's because an asteroid will pass in front of it in a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare event will occur late Monday … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 12/8/23