National News - The Morning Sun

A Ukrainian policeman of special police unit fires a D-30 cannon towards Russian positions at the front line, near Kreminna, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

Russia reports intercepting a missile over annexed Crimea and briefly halts traffic on key bridge

Russian-installed authorities in the Crimean peninsula have reported shooting down a cruise missile near the city of Kerch and briefly suspending traffic on the Kerch bridge that links the annexed … more

By The Associated Press | 7/9/23

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including prelates based in Hong Kong and Jerusalem.

Pope Francis has announced he has chosen 21 new cardinals, including prelates from Jerusalem and Hong Kong, places where Catholics are a small minority. The pope announced his picks during his … more

By FRANCES D'EMILIO | 7/9/23

FILE - Kayak and canoe outfitter Jessie Fuentes walks along the Rio Grande under a warm sun Thursday, July 6, 2023. As the heat breaks records, weakening and sickening people, it’s worth remembering that dire heat waves have inspired effective efforts to prevent heat illness. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Cities have long made plans for extreme heat. Are they enough in a warming world?

With Earth breaking average heat records, cities are sure to be giving a fresh look at their readiness plans for temperatures that can kill. Dire heat waves in the past have prompted effective … more

By MELINA WALLING and ISABELLA O'MALLEY | 7/9/23

Blackhawk Sewer & Water contractor Khaild Waarith holds a lead pipe that was extracted in Chicago on April 10, 2023. Lead pipes that carry drinking water are a major source of exposure to the metal and the damage is usually permanent. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Here’s why there is still so much lead pipe in Chicago

While Detroit, a city that went through bankruptcy, made the decision to remove all of its lead water pipes to prevent lead poisoning, the city of Chicago opted to leave many lead pipes in the … more

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and CAMILLE FASSETT | 7/9/23

FILE - San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers answers a question after a news conference, Sunday, April 30, 2023, in Cleveland, Texas. Capers’ turn in the national spotlight after an April mass shooting belied years of complaints about corruption and dysfunction that were previously unknown outside the piney woods of San Jacinto County. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Deputies accused a Texas sheriff of corruption and dysfunction. Then came the mass shooting

Sheriff Greg Capers was the picture of a Texas lawman as he announced the capture of a suspected mass shooter. But his turn in the national spotlight belied years of complaints about corruption and … more

By JAKE BLEIBERG | 7/9/23

This photo provided by the New York City Police Department, Saturday, July 8, 2023, shows a motor scooter recovered at the scene of a shooting, in the Queens borough of New York. An 86-year-old New York City man was fatally shot and at least two others were seriously wounded by a man on a scooter who police say was shooting randomly at cars and pedestrians in Queens on Saturday. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Gunman on scooter shoots randomly in NYC, police say, killing an 87-year-old and wounding 3 others

New York City police say a man on a scooter fired a handgun in a string of random shootings that killed an 87-year-old and wounded three others. Police say the gunman fired at pedestrians in Brooklyn … more

7/8/23

Georgian opponents of gay rights shout anti-LGBT festival slogans as they try to interfere with a pride party in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, July 8, 2023.Hundreds of opponents of gay rights on Saturday swarmed the site of an LGBT festival in the capital of the country of Georgia, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the event's bar. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

A mob storms Tbilisi Pride Fest site forcing the event's cancellation

Hundreds of opponents of gay rights have swarmed the site of an LGBT festival in the capital of the country of Georgia, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the event’s bar. Deputy … more

7/8/23

KCCI-TV chief meteorologist Chris Gloninger stands outside his home, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in West Des Moines, Iowa. Gloninger has announced that he is leaving the Des Moines station due in part to threats he received for his coverage of climate change on air. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Harassment of TV meteorologists reflects broader anti-science, anti-media trends

TV meteorologist Chris Gloninger faced intensifying harassment as he did more reporting on climate change during local newscasts. A man who sent him a series of threatening emails was charged with … more

By HANNAH FINGERHUT, HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and SUMMER BALLENTINE | 7/8/23

Today in History: July 8, The 'Great Grain Robbery'

Today in History Today is Saturday, July 8, the 189th day of 2023. There are 176 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 8, 1972, the Nixon administration … more

By The Associated Press | 7/8/23

An intersection near the scene of a fatal shooting spree is seen, Thursday, July 6, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia community tries to heal from trauma as shooter's mental health comes into focus

Prosecutors and others say in the weeks before Kimbrady Carriker opened fire at random with an AR-15 in Philadelphia killing five people, the few people close to him saw him grow increasingly … more

By CLAUDIA LAUER | 7/7/23

This undated mugshot provided by the Scotts Bluff County, Neb., Detention Center, shows murder suspect Tommy Molina. Molina was arrested June 21, 2023, and faces extradition to Germany. DNA testing finally led to the arrest of Molina, who was repeatedly questioned over decades in the 1978 stabbing death of a woman while he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany. (Scotts Bluff County Detention Center via AP)

DNA testing leads to former US Army soldier in 1978 killing of woman in Germany

Authorities say DNA testing has led to the arrest of a Nebraska man who was repeatedly questioned over decades in the 1978 stabbing death of a woman while he was stationed with the U.S. Army in … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI and FRANK JORDANS | 7/7/23

FILE - Protesters of Kentucky Senate Bill SB150, known as the Transgender Health Bill, cheer on speakers during a rally on the lawn of the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., March 29, 2023. A federal judge temporarily blocked Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths on Wednesday, June 28, taking the action shortly before the measure was set to take effect. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Kentucky AG challenges federal judge's blocking of state law banning transgender youth treatment

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is challenging a federal judge's injunction that blocks portions of a new state law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Cameron filed an … more

7/7/23

Omaha firefighters look for one of two men swept into manhole during a rainstorm in downtown Omaha, Neb., Friday, July 7, 2023. One of the men was tethered to a safety system and firefighters helped to pull him out. The other was carried through the sewer about a mile away and was found trapped behind a metal grate covering a culvert, fire officials said. An Omaha Fire Department crew cut the grate to free him. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

Man swept into Omaha manhole during heavy rain was washed down pipes for a mile before rescue

Firefighters rescued two men who fell into a manhole during heavy rain in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, including one who was washed about a mile through sewer pipes before getting trapped behind a … more

7/7/23

Hillsborough County cold case murder suspect Donald Santini weeps moments before he is denied bond by Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Catherine Catlin during his hearing on Thursday, July 6, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. Santini is accused of strangling Cynthia Wood in 1984. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Florida judge to murder suspect on run for 40 years: "You knew you were running from something."

A Florida judge has denied a 65-year-old California fugitive bail in connection with the death of a woman nearly 40 years ago. Donald Santini was arrested by U.S. marshals in California last month … more

7/7/23

A man rides a bike on a small road on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises on Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

AP PHOTOS: Record-breaking heat scorches communities around the world

Daily global temperatures reached an unofficial record high multiple times this week, according to at least one metric, and caused communities around the planet to take drastic measures to help … more

By The Associated Press | 7/7/23

FILE - Cargo ships are seen lined up outside the Port of Los Angeles, on Feb. 23, 2021, in Los Angeles. Maritime nations agreed Friday, July 7, 2023, to slash emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by about 2050 in a deal that many experts and some nations say falls well short of what's needed to curb warming to agreed temperature limits. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Countries agree to slash shipping emissions but not enough to stay within warming limits

Maritime nations agreed Friday to slash emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by about 2050 in a deal that many experts and some nations say falls well short of what’s needed to curb … more

By SIBI ARASU | 7/7/23

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 10th Assault Brigade Edelweiss fires a D-30 cannon towards Russian positions at the front line, near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa

June 30 – July 6 Protests and riots spread across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver, war continued in Ukraine with fighting around Bakhmut and the Donetsk region, … more

By The Associated Press | 7/7/23

FILE - El Paso Walmart shooting suspect Patrick Crusius pleads not guilty during his arraignment in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 10, 2019. Patrick Crusius, the Texas gunman who killed 23 people in the racist attack is returning to federal court for sentencing on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Crusius is facing multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Briana Sanchez/The El Paso Times via AP, Pool, File)

White gunman to be sentenced for killing 23 people in a racist Walmart attack in a Texas border city

The white Texas gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at a Walmart in 2019 is awaiting punishment for one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Patrick Crusius is expected to be … more

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER | 7/7/23

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2017, photo, former President Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife Rosalynn arrive for a ribbon cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in their hometown of Plains, Ga. Jimmy and Rosalynn are celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter mark 77th wedding anniversary at home in Plains, Georgia

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are marking their 77th wedding anniversary with a quiet Friday at their south Georgia home, extending their record as the longest-married first couple ever as both face … more

By BILL BARROW | 7/7/23

Today in History: July 7, first female cadets at West Point

Today in History Today is Friday, July 7, the 188th day of 2023. There are 177 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 7, 1976, the United States Military … more

By The Associated Press | 7/7/23