National News - The Morning Sun

Heavy equipment operators remove old dune fencing and other debris from a badly eroded section of beach in North Wildwood, N.J., Monday, May 22, 2023. The Jersey Shore town, which has been locked in a high-stakes, long-running legal battle with the state of New Jersey over how to protect its beaches while waiting for a federal and state beach replenishment project that is at least two years away, got emergency permission last week from state environmental officials to repair damaged dunes before the start of summer tourism season this weekend. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

Emergency beach repairs start in New Jersey shore town amid $33M legal fight

Heavy equipment crews are moving sand along a stretch of badly eroded beach in North Wildwood where a bitter fight over how to protect its rapidly shrinking beaches has led to $33 million worth of … more

By WAYNE PARRY | 5/22/23

This photo provided by Young Min Kim shows the wedding of Kyu and Cindy Cho. Among the eight people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Texas shopping mall on May 6, 2023, were Kyu and Cindy Cho and their 3-year-old son James. Their family's only survivor that day was their 6-year-old son, who was wounded. (Young Min Kim via AP)

Couple killed at Texas mall shooting along with 3-year-old son had 'perfect synergy'

Among the eight people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Texas shopping mall earlier this month were Kyu and Cindy Cho and their 3-year-old son, James. Their family's only survivor that day was … more

By JAMIE STENGLE | 5/22/23

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stands outside the State Capitol in St. Paul, on Thursday, May 18, 2023, for an interview with The Associated Press on his new book, "Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence," will be released Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Minnesota prosecutors were so worried a judge would move the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin out of the city where he killed George Floyd that they conducted a mock trial in a deep red rural county to test their strategy, Ellison reveals in the new book. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

Top prosecutor in trial of officer who killed George Floyd writes book recounting case

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reveals in a new book how worried prosecutors were that a judge would move the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin out of the city where he killed George … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 5/22/23

File - Andrew Addison holds up a sign advertising that he takes Venmo for payment at his corner drink stand, Monday, May 30, 2022, in Nolensville, Tenn. Venmo will officially allow teenagers to open an account with their parents' permission, the company said Monday, expanding the popular social payments app to a demographic that is likely to embrace it almost immediately. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Venmo to be officially available for teenagers, although many use it already

Venmo will officially allow teenagers to open an account with their parents' permission, the company said Monday, expanding the popular social payments app to a demographic that is likely to embrace … more

By KEN SWEET | 5/22/23

'Hermanos' Fidel Trujillo, left, and Leo Paul Pacheco, look at the kitchen recently built with adobe next to the 1860s 'morada' de San Isidro, which is the main chapel and meeting point of their Catholic brotherhood, outside Holman, New Mexico, Saturday, April 15, 2023. New Mexican Spanish is as central to these communities' identity as their iconic adobe churches, and its best chance of survival might be through faith, too. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

New Mexican Spanish, a unique American dialect, survives mostly in prayers

New Mexican Spanish is a unique dialect, a mixture of centuries-old Spanish with Indigenous words that evolved through historical isolation. Traditional prayers are the dialect’s best chance of … more

By GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO | 5/22/23

Brooks Koepka celebrates with the Wanamaker trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Pittsford, N.Y.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Koepka gets another major win at PGA, LIV gets a major champion

Brooks Koepka now has five major championships with his two-shot win at the PGA Championship. That's one major for LIV Golf. No one is keeping score that way, least of all Koepka. He says it should … more

By DOUG FERGUSON | 5/22/23

Stella Assange, wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, takes questions after speaking at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra, Monday, May 22, 2023. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was working in the "most effective way possible" to secure the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange but declined on Monday an invitation to meet the Australian citizen’s wife. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Australian prime minister says he is working effectively to free WikiLeaks founder

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is working in the “most effective way possible” to secure the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie … more

5/22/23

President Joe Biden, third from left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and other G7 leaders pose for a photo before a working session on Ukraine during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Sunday, May 21, 2023. Other leaders from right to left, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Zelenskyy, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and European Council President Charles Michel. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

World summits' 'family photos' show Putin's isolation

They're known as “family photos,” the images of world leaders posed in faux relaxation during global summits. And like portraits of a family that has isolated a dysfunctional member, recent … more

5/21/23

Brooks Koepka delivers another major performance to win PGA

Brooks Koepka is a major champion again. Gone are those injuries that led to doubt whether he was still part of golf's elite. Koepka won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill by closing with a 67 and … more

By DOUG FERGUSON | 5/21/23

FILE - Migrants cross a barbed-wire barrier at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Thursday, May 11, 2023. Migrants rushed across the Mexico border in hopes of entering the U.S. in the final hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions are lifted. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez, File)

8-year-old girl sought medical help 3 times on day she died, US immigration officials say

U.S. immigration officials say an 8-year-old girl who died last week in Border Patrol custody was seen at least three separate times by medical personnel on the day of her death. U.S. Customs and … more

5/21/23

Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio founder Joyce Tsay, left, and her grandson and co-owner, Brandon Tsay, co-host a Community Dance to highlight the pride, strength, and resilience of the Asian American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, community at their ballroom in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Celebration at California dance ballroom a sign of healing following Lunar New Year shooting

A weekend celebration at a Southern California dance ballroom was hailed by organizers as the latest sign of healing within the Asian American community following the Lunar New Year shooting that … more

5/21/23

In this grab taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on Saturday, May 20, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group military company members wave a Russian national and Wagner flag atop a damaged building in Bakhmut, Ukraine. The head of the Russian private army Wagner claims his forces have taken control of the city of Bakhmut after the longest and most grinding battle of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Ukrainian defense officials have denied it. In a video posted on Telegram, Prigozhin said the city came under complete Russian control at about midday Saturday. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP)

African leaders to broach thorny issue of paying Russia for fertilizers in Kyiv and Moscow talks

A delegation of six African leaders set to hold talks with Kyiv and Moscow aim to “initiate a peace process” but also broach the thorny issue of how a heavily-sanctioned Russia can be paid for … more

By GERALD IMRAY | 5/21/23

FILE- From left to right, European Council President Charles Michel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen lay flower wreaths at the cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims in the Peace Memorial Park as part of the G7 Hiroshima Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 19, 2023. (Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Analysis: Japanese PM faces dilemma at G7 as he balances anti-nuke goals with reality of threats

The 1945 bombing of Hiroshima is a big reason leaders from the world’s most powerful democracies descended on the city for this weekend’s Group of Seven summit. It's part commemoration, part … more

By FOSTER KLUG | 5/21/23

FILE - Former U.S. Rep. Marion Berry entertains the crowd during his remarks at the opening of the Marion Berry Renewable Energy Center at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, Ark., Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Berry, who was known for blunt rhetoric and his advocacy work for farmers and elderly residents in eastern Arkansas, has died. Berry's son, Mitch, in a statement Saturday, May 20, 2023 announced his father's death. (Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appeal via AP)

Former Arkansas U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, who served 7 terms, dies at 80

Former Rep. Marion Berry, who was known for his blunt rhetoric and his advocacy work for farmers and older residents in eastern Arkansas, has died. He was 80. Berry's son, Mitch, in a statement … more

By ANDREW DeMILLO | 5/20/23

Motorists wait for a red light on westbound 18th Avenue at Park Avenue as smoke shrouds the skyline Friday, May 19, 2023, in downtown Denver. Smoke from numerous fires in the Canadian province of Alberta has rolled into Colorado Friday, giving Denver a ranking of third worst air quality of all major cities globally. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Education has issued an air quality health advisory alert as a result of the inflow of smoke across the Centennial State. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Smoke from Canada wildfires prompts air quality alerts in Colorado, Montana

Officials in Colorado and Montana have issued air quality alerts due to smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada that has drifted south into the United States. Colorado's Department of Public Health … more

5/20/23

Trans girl misses Mississippi graduation after being told to dress like boy

A transgender girl in Mississippi is not participating in her high school graduation because school officials told her to dress like a boy and a federal judge did not block the officials’ decision. … more

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS | 5/20/23

Seven people were killed and others hurt in a crash involving multiple vehicles Thursday on Interstate 5 near Albany, Oregon, police said. (May 19)

Victims of deadly Oregon highway crash were farmworkers, union says

An Oregon union says the victims of one of the state's deadliest highway crashes were farmworkers traveling in a van at an hour when agricultural laborers typically commute home after toiling in the … more

5/20/23

FILE - Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence under the watch of the Texas National Guard to enter into El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. U.S. authorities say an 8-year-old girl died Wednesday, May 17, in Border Patrol custody, a rare occurrence that comes as the agency struggles with overcrowding. The Border Patrol had 28,717 people in custody on May 10, the day before pandemic-related asylum restrictions expired, which was double from two weeks earlier, according to a court filing. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)

Mother of 8-year-old girl who died in Border Patrol custody says pleas for hospital care were denied

The mother of an 8-year-old girl who died in Border Patrol custody says agents repeatedly ignored pleas to hospitalize her medically fragile daughter as she felt pain in her bones, struggled to … more

By VALERIE GONZALEZ | 5/20/23

Truck driver arrested in multi-vehicle freeway crash that killed 7 in Oregon

Police say the driver of a semitruck that slammed into a passenger van on Interstate 5 in western Oregon has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, DUI and other charges. Oregon State Police say … more

5/19/23

Marine First Sgt. Timothy La Sage, left, salutes as the remains of retired Marine Capt. Grady Kurpasi are transferred from a Turkish airlines plane at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Friday, May 19, 2023, in New York. The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who had been missing in Ukraine for more than a year will be returned to his family in eastern North Carolina later Friday, according to the group bringing the remains back to the U.S. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Remains of Marine veteran killed in Ukraine flown home to US

The remains of a U.S. Marine veteran who was missing in Ukraine for more than a year have returned to the United States and are headed to his hometown in eastern North Carolina. A Turkish Airlines … more

5/19/23