National News - The Morning Sun

The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan.20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool photo via AP)

Photo Gallery: Trump returns to the White House

Dignitaries from across Washington and around the world crammed into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday to watch power transfer peacefully from Democratic former President Joe Biden to his Republican … more

The Associated Press | 1/20/25

FILE - Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president, addresses an audience during an event in Hooksett, N.H. Jan. 10, 2016, during which Planned Parenthood endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Former Planned Parenthood president, women's rights activist Cecile Richards has died at 67

Cecile Richards, a national leader for women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years, has died. She was 67. According to a family statement, Richards died Monday at home … more

By HOLLY RAMER | 1/20/25

Fighters from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, control the crowd as Red Cross vehicles manoeuvre to collect Israeli hostages to be released under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar)

After 15 months of war, Hamas still rules over what remains of Gaza

As a ceasefire brought calm to Gaza’s ruined cities, Hamas was quick to emerge from the rubble. The militant group has not only survived Israel’s 15-month military campaign — among the … more

By SAMY MAGDY and JOSEPH KRAUSS | 1/20/25

President-elect Donald Trump watches fireworks at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Trump orders reflect his promises to roll back transgender protections and end DEI programs

President-elect Donald Trump's first tasks as he takes office include signing executive orders to roll back protections for transgender people and end federal government diversity, equity and … more

By GEOFF MULVIHILL, AYANNA ALEXANDER and KIMBERLEE KRUESI | 1/20/25

Garland High School senior Saron Lias carries a poster of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while marching in the 36th annual MLK Day Parade in Garland, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

MLK Day kicks off at King's Atlanta congregation with daughter's warning about anti-woke rhetoric

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations have kicked off at King's former congregation in Atlanta with a 70-member choir's rendition of Hallelujah and stern words from his youngest daughter warning … more

By JEFF MARTIN | 1/20/25

FILE - President Barack Obama, right, listens as Beyonce sings the National Anthem at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Jan. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

From Beyoncé to Lady Gaga, who else sang the national anthem at presidential inaugurations?

President-elect Donald Trump has selected opera tenor Christopher Macchio to perform the national anthem at his second inauguration. Carrie Underwood will also perform “America the Beautiful” on … more

By The Associated Press | 1/20/25

Police officers inspect a home for the elderly where eight people died in a fire, in Barajevo, a municipality of Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

8 people die in a fire at a home for the elderly in Serbia, officials say

Serbian officials say eight people have died in a fire at a home for older people on the outskirts of the capital that is suspected of being set by a resident. Seven others were injured in the blaze … more

1/20/25

Displaced Palestinians leave parts of Khan Younis as they go back to their homes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians trek across rubble to return to their homes as Gaza ceasefire takes hold

Even before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was fully in place, Palestinians in the war-battered Gaza Strip began to return to the remains of the homes they had evacuated during the … more

By SAMY MAGDY and WAFAA SHURAFA | 1/19/25

FILE - Han Kuo-yu of the Nationalist Party speaks during a media event in Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

Trump's inauguration will be first attended by foreign leaders

For the first time in U.S. history, a president-elect is welcoming foreign leaders for one of the most American political traditions — the peaceful transfer of power. President-elect Donald Trump … more

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 1/19/25

FILE - A home stands among residences destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Why are lone homes left standing after the fires? It's not entirely luck

Emails and videos of burned buildings in Los Angeles versus those still standing have been flying back and forth among architects, builders and fire safety specialists around the world. Many experts … more

By ED DAVEY and INGRID LOBET | 1/19/25

Technicians set up the presidential lectern as organizers work to move the Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda due to expected frigid weather in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

What to watch at Trump's inauguration: Big Tech CEOs, Carrie Underwood and foreign leaders

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president was expected to be an extravagant break from tradition — before it got moved indoors due to cold weather. There will still be well-known … more

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON | 1/19/25

President-elect Donald Trump smiles after a fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Then and now: What has changed as Trump returns to the White House

When Donald Trump arrived in Washington in 2017 on the eve of his first inauguration, he was a stranger to most in town. He’d made a long list of promises, but it was unclear how he’d govern and … more

By JILL COLVIN | 1/19/25

FILE - Girls attend school on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

Taliban deputy tells leader there is no excuse for education bans on Afghan women and girls

A senior Taliban figure says the group's leader should scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls. The government has barred females from education after sixth grade, including university. In … more

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | 1/19/25

Malik Grant poses for a portrait, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

How Baltimore is saving lives by offering young men resources when they put down the guns

Baltimore is seeing a sustained reduction in gun violence and city leaders believe investments in robust anti-violence efforts are finally paying off. Those efforts include the Group Violence … more

By LEA SKENE | 1/19/25

The Eaton Fire leaves devastation in a neighborhood Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Families of wildfire victims mired in grief, questioning what more could have been done

Many families in California are full of grief and questions about what more they could have done to save their loved ones from the deadly wildfires. Experts say these survivors are victims … more

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and MARK THIESSEN | 1/19/25

FILE - Stephen Miller attends the Conservative Political Action Conference or CPAC, at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md., Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Trump-allied group's warnings may signal legal blueprint to attack 'sanctuary' jurisdictions

Two days before Christmas, a group led by President-elect Donald Trump's chief architect of immigration policy wrote to state, county and city officials in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions to … more

By TIM SULLIVAN | 1/19/25

FILE - A California Department of Corrections hand crew works containment lines ahead of the Palisades Fire, Jan. 14, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

On LA fire lines, inmates shoulder heavy packs and tackle dangerous work for less than $30 a day

Over 1,100 California inmates have worked around the clock to help fight Los Angeles-area fires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes. One 42-year-old man serving a … more

By TAMMY WEBBER and DORANY PINEDA | 1/18/25

In this Jan. 3, 2025 photo, Rogers Lopez, sits with his wife Karina Canizarez, right, and son Jesus David outside their apartment in New Milford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Resettlement agencies race to help refugees ahead of Trump's second term

Resettlement agencies have raced to welcome refugees before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The Republican vowed to “suspend refugee resettlement” again to end what he calls "the … more

By SUSAN HAIGH | 1/18/25

FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of a news conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine quickly but Moscow and Kyiv are digging in before any talks

President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to broker a peace deal in Ukraine, but as he prepares to take office, peace seems as elusive as ever. Moscow and Kyiv are seeking battlefield gains to … more

By The Associated Press | 1/17/25

FILE - Alice Paul, background holding rolled-up banner, takes part with suffragettes marching from the Women's Party Headquarters to the White House in the spring of 1917, to further their cause for voting rights. (AP Photo, File)

Timeline: Key dates in the century-long battle over the Equal Rights Amendment

The struggle over the Equal Rights Amendment started more than a century ago when suffragist Alice Paul first proposed it shortly after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the … more

1/17/25