National News - The Morning Sun

Saleh: Mohammed Saleh, the father of 18-year-old Yahia Saleh, holds a phone with a photo of his son at home in Ibrash, Egypt, Sunday, June 18, 2023. Yahia is one of dozens from the village feared to have drowned after a packed fishing vessel sank off Greece on June 14. There were as many as 750 migrants, including women and children, on board the trawler, which capsized and sank off Greece in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea instead of docking in Italy. (AP Photo)

What the submersible saga and the Greek migrant shipwreck say about our reactions to tragedy

The saga of a lost submersible that had gone into the depths of the ocean to see the Titanic wreckage rippled across the national and global conversation. But a far bigger disaster days earlier, the … more

By The Associated Press | 6/23/23

What role will liability waivers play in the aftermath of the Titan sub tragedy?

The five passengers on the fatal submersible trip to the Titanic wreckage site were likely asked to sign liability waivers. These documents have been relatively commonplace for anyone who has taken … more

By MICHAEL CASEY | 6/23/23

FILE - Lead plaintiff Kayla Gore speaks at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, April 23, 2019. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit, Thursday, June 22, 2023, from a group of Tennessee-born transgender individuals who want the state to change the sex designations on their birth certificates. (AP Photo/Travis Loller, File)

Judge rejects transgender plaintiffs' bid to change their birth certificates in Tennessee

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Tennessee-born transgender plaintiffs who want to change the sex designations on their birth certificates. The plaintiffs say not … more

By TRAVIS LOLLER | 6/23/23

FILE - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks about airline flight delays and cancellations in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Washington. Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday, June 23, 2023, that planes won't be allowed to land in poor visibility if they lack equipment to avoid radio interference from 5G. On July 1, AT&T, Verizon and other wireless carriers will be free to boost the power of their 5G signals. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Buttigieg warns airlines to finish retrofitting planes to avoid interference from 5G signals

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is warning airlines to be ready when wireless companies power up their 5G service next month. Buttigieg told an airline trade group Friday that planes won't be … more

By DAVID KOENIG | 6/23/23

FILE - An Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 21, 2015. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

The Oscars best picture rules are changing. Here’s how it’ll affect contenders and movie theaters

The theatrical requirements for movies vying for the Oscars top prize just got a little tougher. After three years of adjusted standards due to the pandemic, starting next year best picture hopefuls … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 6/23/23

Broward Sheriff's Office communications operator Samantha Oakley testifies during the trial of former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Friday, June 23, 2023. Broward County prosecutors charged Peterson, a former Broward Sheriff's Office deputy, with criminal charges for failing to enter the 1200 Building at the school and confront the shooter as he perpetuated the Valentine's Day 2018 Massacre that left 17 dead and 17 injured. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Dispatcher testifies that failing radios hampered deputies' response to Parkland school massacre

A Florida sheriff's deputy's response to the 2018 Parkland school massacre was hampered by a radio system that collapsed. That was the testimony Friday from a Broward County sheriff's office … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/23/23

A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel. (June 22)

How much did Titan search cost? US Coast Guard's bill alone will be in the millions, experts say

The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars. That's according to maritime law and search and rescue experts. The massive … more

By DAVID SHARP | 6/23/23

FILE - The bed of Mother Mary Lange, the leader of the country's first community of Black nuns, is displayed at the St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005. Under a decree signed by Pope Francis on Thursday, June 22, 2023, Lange was recognized for her heroic virtue, and advanced in the cause of her beatification from being considered servant of God to venerable - another step toward sainthood. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner, File)

Black nun who founded first African American religious congregation advances closer to sainthood

The Black Catholic nun who founded the United States’ first African American religious congregation has advanced another step toward sainthood. The Vatican said this week that Mother Mary Lange was … more

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO | 6/23/23

Scrutiny rises on Titan sub's unconventional design after deep water disaster

The deadly implosion of the Titan submersible raises questions about whether the vessel exploring the Titanic wreckage was destined for its own disaster because of its unconventional design and its … more

By MARK PRATT | 6/23/23

A girl cools off in a public fountain in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The heat wave continues in Lithuania as temperatures have been raising to as high as 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

June 16-22, 2023 From the war in Ukraine, to the celebration of the summer solstice at Stonehenge, to a heat wave in Lithuania, this gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or … more

By The Associated Press | 6/23/23

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

Tourist sub's implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions

The fatal implosion of the Titan submersible has drawn attention to the murkily regulated waters of deep-sea exploration. It’s a space where laws and maritime conventions can be sidestepped by … more

By BEN FINLEY | 6/23/23

FILE - The Cordell Hull State Office Building stands, Jan. 8, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislative office building was placed on lockdown, Thursday, June 22, 2023, after multiple Republican leaders received what House Speaker Cameron Sexton called “a white powder substance” in the mail. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Tennessee Republican lawmakers receive mail with 'white powder substance'

A lockdown on a Tennessee’s legislative office building in Nashville has been lifted. The building was shuttered after several Republican leaders received what House Speaker Cameron Sexton says was … more

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE | 6/22/23

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California shows an ancient Roman-era mosaic that was illegally imported. A California man has been found guilty of illegally importing the ancient mosaic from Syria. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was convicted Wednesday, June 21, 2023, of one count of entry of falsely classified goods. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California via AP)

California man convicted of illegally importing an ancient mosaic from Syria

A California man has been found guilty of illegally importing an ancient mosaic from Syria. The U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles says 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was convicted Wednesday … more

6/22/23

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson sits at the defense table during his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. Broward County prosecutors charged Peterson, a former Broward Sheriff's Office deputy, with criminal charges for failing to enter the 1200 Building at the school and confront the shooter as he perpetuated the Valentine's Day 2018 mass shooting there. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Witnesses to Parkland massacre describe their confusion in pinpointing gunshots' location

The courtroom battle over whether a Florida deputy should have confronted the Parkland school gunman is now centering on what witnesses heard. A deputy sheriff, teachers and students all gave … more

By TERRY SPENCER | 6/22/23

Group promoting plant-based eating wants a new name for Macon Bacon baseball team

A doctors' group that promotes animal rights is makin' a fuss over the Macon Bacon baseball team. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine wrote to the president of the Georgia collegiate … more

6/22/23

FILE - In this image released by Action Aviation, the submersible Titan is prepared for a dive into a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition to the Titanic on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (Action Aviation via AP, File)

Did initial delays in communication hamper tourist sub search?

About an hour and a half into its voyage, a missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic lost communications. It would take another nine hours before the Canadian research … more

By HOLLY RAMER, JENNIFER McDERMOTT and BEN FINLEY | 6/22/23

FILE - In this July 9, 1960, file photo, the U.S. Navy nuclear powered attack submarine USS Thresher is launched bow-first at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. In 1963, the crew of a rescue ship listened helplessly after receiving an ominous message “exceeding test depth” before the USS Thresher disintegrated under the crushing pressure of the sea in 1963. Killed were 129 sailors and civilians on a routine test dive off Cape Cod. (AP Photo, File)

Past deep sea rescues show the challenges of saving those on board

The desperate search for a submersible that disappeared while taking five people to view the Titanic wreckage has drawn attention to other deep-sea rescues. Those rescue efforts — from a … more

By STEVE LeBLANC | 6/22/23

This is a new townhome development in Sewickley, Pa., on Saturday, June 10, 2023. On Thursday, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Average long-term US mortgage rate falls to 6.67%, third straight drop since climbing to 2023 high

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell for the third time in as many weeks, a welcome boost for homebuyers facing a housing market that’s been held back this year by a tight inventory of … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 6/22/23

A for sale sign stands outside a single-family residence on the market Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Denver. On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reports on sales of existing homes in May. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Home sales inch up in May amid record-low inventory and biggest annual drop in prices since 2011

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May and the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in more than a decade, even as the supply of available properties sank to … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 6/22/23

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

Live updates | Search for the missing Titanic submersible

Scientists, while remaining realistic about the chances of finding the Titan on the vast ocean floor, are still offering a glimmer of hope. Rob Larter is a marine geophysicist with the British … more

By The Associated Press | 6/22/23