National News - The Morning Sun

FILE - Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Montana state Capitol protesting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Helena, Mont., March 15, 2021. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP, File)

Montana judge blocks rule that prevented transgender people from changing their sex on documents

A state judge in Montana has temporarily blocked policies that prevented transgender people from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates and driver's licenses. District Judge Mike … more

By AMY BETH HANSON | 12/17/24

FILE- Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) works to the basket against Dallas Wings guard Sevgi Uzun (1) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

From Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles to a new hockey league, women's sports had a pivotal year

Record numbers of basketball fans filled arenas to watch the rookie seasons of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese unfold. Simone Biles captivated the world at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Coco Gauff made … more

By ALANIS THAMES | 12/17/24

A worker inspects the permanent foundations being constructed on the coral reef for a judging tower to be used during the Olympic Games surf competition in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia, Jan. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

From water destruction to deadly heat, Associated Press photographers capture climate change in 2024

After heat records were smashed and a torrent of extreme weather events rocked countless countries in 2023, some climate scientists believed that the waning of the El Nino weather pattern could mean … more

By PETER PRENGAMAN | 12/17/24

FILE - Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney speaks to reporters during a news conference in Riverhead, N.Y., Thursday, June 6, 2024. Rex Heuermann, the New York architect accused of killing four women and leaving their bodies near Long Island's Gilgo Beach, has been accused in the deaths of two more women. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Prosecutors to announce 'significant development' in Gilgo Beach killings investigation

The New York architect charged in a string of deaths known as the Gilgo Beach killings is set to appear in court, with prosecutors announcing a “significant development” in the investigation. Rex … more

12/17/24

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins poses for a portrait to promote the film "Mufasa" on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

Barry Jenkins on why he made 'Mufasa' and how it changed him as a filmmaker

Over the four years he’s spent working on “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Barry Jenkins estimates that he’s been asked why he wanted to make it at least 400 times. The question of why Jenkins, the … more

By JAKE COYLE | 12/17/24

U.S. Attorney District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy, right, faces reporters as Special Agent in Charge FBI, Boston Division Jodi Cohen, left, looks on during a news conference, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, at the federal courthouse, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Two charged in connection with Iran-backed drone strike that killed 3 US troops in the Middle East

Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American … more

By STEVE LEBLANC, ERIC TUCKER and TARA COPP | 12/16/24

FILE - Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)

Negotiators say Israel and Hamas are inching toward a ceasefire deal. This is what it may look like

After months of deadlock, Israel and Hamas appear to be moving closer toward a ceasefire to end their 14-month war. Top officials from the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts … more

By SAMY MAGDY | 12/16/24

FILE - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

North Carolina's Medicaid expansion hits enrollment goal about a year ahead of projections

North Carolina reached its Medicaid expansion enrollment goal of 600,000 people just over a year since the program rolled out. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper called the enrollment numbers a “monumental … more

12/16/24

FILE - A pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico in Yuma, Ariz., June 10, 2021, to seek asylum. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)

The US Census Bureau is adding refugees to its immigrant count

The U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it counts international migration in its annual population estimates. Officials said Monday that the bureau will add a large share of humanitarian immigrants to … more

By MIKE SCHNEIDER | 12/16/24

An officer from the Palestinian Authority clutches his gun as Palestinian security forces mount a major raid against militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinian security forces launch a rare crackdown on militants in the West Bank

Palestinian security forces have launched a rare crackdown against local militant groups in the northern West Bank. They have sent in armored cars and are engaging in fierce gunbattles that have … more

By MAJDI MOHAMMED and AREF TUFAHA | 12/16/24

Federal agents raided about 20 locations, related to a birth tourism scheme, in three Southern California counties, including this apartment complex in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2015. (Stan Lim/The Press-Enterprise via AP)

Man sentenced for helping pregnant Chinese women travel to give birth in the US

A California man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for running a business to help pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who would automatically have … more

By AMY TAXIN | 12/16/24

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Takeaways from Trump's first post-election news conference

President-elect Donald Trump has held a wide-ranging news conference in which he took questions from reporters for the first time since winning the election. He said Monday that he would preserve … more

By MICHELLE L. PRICE | 12/16/24

FILE - Joseph Amrine, who was exonerated two decades ago after spending years on death row, speaks at a rally to support Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams in Clayton, Mo., on Aug. 21, 2024.(AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)

Missouri's death row had nearly 100 inmates in the 1990s. Now, it has eight

Missouri’s status as one of the most active death penalty states is about to change for one simple reason: The state is running out of inmates to execute. The lethal injection of Christopher … more

By JIM SALTER | 12/16/24

FILE - An employee uses an automated packaging machine to create a made-to-measure bag for a book at Amazon OXR1 fulfillment center in Oxnard, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Senate report alleges Amazon rejected warehouse safety recommendations due to productivity concerns

A U.S. Senate committee says at least two internal Amazon studies have found a relationship between worker speed and injuries in the online retailer's warehouses. A 160-page report issued Sunday … more

By HALELUYA HADERO | 12/16/24

FILE — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief advisor to New York Mayor Eric Adams, speaks during a press conference at City Hall in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie, File)

Top aide to NYC mayor resigns months after prosecutors search her home and seize her phones

A top aide to New York City Eric Adams has abruptly resigned months after the Manhattan district attorney’s office took her phones and searched her house as part of one of several investigations … more

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and JAKE OFFENHARTZ | 12/16/24

This Jan. 2, 2010 image made available by NASA shows the planet Saturn, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute via AP)

How old are Saturn's rings? Study suggests they could be as old as the planet

New research suggests that Saturn's rings may be older than they look — possibly as old as the planet. Instead of being a youthful 400 million years old as commonly thought, the icy, shimmering … more

By MARCIA DUNN | 12/16/24

A person views lights in front of the New York skyline at The Shops at Columbus Circle, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Are you catching holiday blues instead of cheer? Here are some ways to find peace

Experts say that the holidays can put a strain on your mental health. Sometimes it's a a complicated relationship with family, or stress from an expensive holiday season. It's important to remember … more

By DEVNA BOSE | 12/16/24

FILE - In this photo released Nov. 9, 2019, by the official news agency SANA, then-President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. (SANA FILE via AP, File)

Syria's ousted leader Bashar Assad says he wanted to keep fighting but Russians evacuated him

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came … more

By SARAH EL DEEB and BASSEM MROUE | 12/16/24

In the past few months United Nations-sponsored negotiations to tackle climate change and environmental issues have either failed or come out with limited outcomes, leading to questions about the process.

Can U.N. summits save the planet? A faltering year of talks brings up questions about the process

In the past few months United Nations-sponsored negotiations to tackle climate change, plastic pollution, loss of global species and a growing number of deserts have either outright failed or come … more

By SETH BORENSTEIN and SIBI ARASU | 12/16/24

FILE - U.S. Ryder Cup golf team captain Keegan Bradley speaks at a press conference in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, file)

Americans now paid to play in Ryder Cup with $200K stipend and $300K to donate to charity

Americans will be getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time. The PGA of America is announcing a new plan that gives each of the 12 players a $200,000 stipend. They also are awarded … more

By DOUG FERGUSON | 12/16/24