AP News Digest 3:15 a.m.

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-WAGNER — Russia’s rebellious mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin walked free from prosecution for his June 24 armed mutiny, and it’s still unclear if anyone will face any charges in the aborted uprising against military leaders or for the deaths of the soldiers killed in it. By Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 1,380 words, photos, video.

MUNITIONS-EXPLAINER — The United States has decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to help its military push back Russian forces entrenched along the front lines. The Biden administration is expected to announce on Friday that it will send thousands of them as part of a new military aid package worth $800 million, according to people familiar with the decision who were not authorized to discuss it publicly before official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. With BIDEN-UKRAINE-CLUSTER MUNITIONS — The US will provide cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package: AP sources (sent).

HOTTEST-WEEK-GLOBALLY — Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record. By Seth Borenstein and Isabella O’Malley. SENT: 300 words, photos, video, audio.

EL PASO SHOOTING — The white Texas gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack at a Walmart in 2019 is expected to learn his punishment Friday, after victims’ relatives berated him for days over the shooting that targeted Hispanic shoppers on the U.S.-Mexico border. By Morgan Lee and Paul J. Weber. SENT: 790 words, photos, video, audio.

FRANCE-POLICE-SHOOTING-THE-SPREAD — Tranquil French villages and towns escaped previous cycles of urban violence. But they were whacked in the latest spasm of unrest that engulfed the country after police shot and killed a teenager of north African descent in the Paris suburbs. It has left rural mayors scratching their heads and concerned that the tensions of France’s cities are trickling outward. By the government’s count, more than 500 cities, towns and villages were impacted, adding to a staggering nationwide tally of destruction. It’s more proof that in the 21st century, geography isn’t the insulating force it once was. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

EL SALVADOR-BUKELE-SPORTSWASHING — The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games have offered El Salvador President Bukele an opportunity. Hosting the games with athletes from 35 countries is a chance to showcase a safer El Salvador. It’s the largest international event there since Bukele’s government entered an all-out war with gangs. It also comes as Bukele is accused of crimes against humanity for that same crackdown. By Megan Janetsky. SENT: 1, 330 words, photos, video.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-500-DAYS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Russia’s war in Ukraine is set to reach the 500-day mark this weekend, a grim milestone for a conflict that rages with no end in sight. SENT: 270 words, photos.

UNITED NATIONS-IRAN-NUKES AND DRONES — The United States and its Western allies have clashed with Russia and Iran at the U.N. Security Council over Tehran’s advancing uranium enrichment and its reported supply of combat drones to Moscow being used to attack Ukraine. SENT: 770 words, photo.

EUROPE-UKRAINE — The European Union took a major step early Friday in approving plans to boost its anemic production of ammunition and missiles within the 27-nation bloc, to both defend itself and quickly help Ukraine in trying to push back the invasion by Russia. SENT: 460 words, photos.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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WILDLAND FIREFIGHTERS-DIVERSITY — A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and historically Black colleges or universities is opening the eyes of students of color who never pictured themselves fighting forest fires. An on-site fire academy in Alabama is part of the 1890 Land Grant Institution Wildland Fire Consortium. The consortium is comprised of Florida A&M University, Southern University in Louisiana, Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M University. By Terry Tang and George Walker IV. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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BKN-SPURS-WEMBANYAMA-SPEARS — San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama says he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino, and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away. SENT: 650 words, photos.

THREADS-USER-EXPLAINER — Threads, Meta’s text-based app seemingly built to rival Twitter, is live. The app, billed as the text version of Meta’s photo-sharing platform Instagram, became available Wednesday night to users in more than 100 countries and millions signed up within its first hours. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, video.

NYC-APP-DELIVERY-WAGE — Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub has sued New York City to block its new minimum pay rules for food delivery workers. SENT: 290 words, photo, audio.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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MAIL BALLOTS-PENALTIES — Several new voting laws in mostly Republican-led states impose criminal penalties or fines for helping people register to vote. They particularly affect Asian American and Asian immigrant communities. The rules and their consequences — including the potential for jail time — have sowed fear and confusion. By Ayanna Alexander. SENT: 1,060 words, photo.

ELECTION 2024-REPUBLICANS-DEBATE — Seven weeks before the premiere debate of the 2024 GOP primary, anxiety is building that the event could prove messy and divisive for the party. Some candidates are struggling to meet fundraising and polling requirements, and some are pushing back on a loyalty pledge the Republican Party is insisting they sign. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-IOWA — Donald Trump headlines his largest Iowa campaign event in nearly four months with a speech to thousands at an arena in Council Bluffs. Trump will attack his top GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for opposing the federal mandate for ethanol, a renewable fuel additive that Iowa leads the nation in producing. By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 400 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words after 2 p.m. event.

BIDEN — President Joe Biden discusses plans to help reduce health care costs as he gears up for his 2024 reelection campaign in which inflation remains a dominant concern for voters. By Josh Boak. UPCOMING: 440 words, photos by 5:30 a.m. Speech at 3:30 p.m.

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NATIONAL

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CHEMICAL-WEAPONS — At a sprawling military installation in the middle of the rolling green hills of eastern Kentucky, a milestone is about to be reached in the history of warfare dating back to World War I. Workers at the Blue Grass Army Depot are close to destroying rockets filled with GB nerve agent that are the last of the United States’ declared chemical weapons and completing a decadeslong campaign to eliminate a stockpile that by the end of the Cold War totaled more than 30,000 tons. SENT: 1.070 words, photos, video.

CARTER-ANNIVERSARY — 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 nonagenarians face significant health challenges. SENT: 930 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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UNITED NATIONS-ISRAEL-CONDEMNATION — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is condemning Israel’s excessive use of force in its largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades, citing its airstrikes and ground operations in a refugee camp crowded with civilians. SENT: 510 words, audio.

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares slipped Friday after another decline on Wall Street, where hopes for an end to interest rate hikes were again shaken by strong jobs data. SENT: 650 words, photos.

ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT — Another solid month of hiring in the United States is expected to be reported, an outcome that would suggest no recession is near but could make it harder for the Federal Reserve to succeed in its drive to cool the economy and curb high inflation. SENT: 840 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-ALZHEIMER'S DRUG — U.S. officials have granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. SENT: 670 words, photos, audio.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MUSIC-TAYLOR-SWIFT-SPEAK-NOW-TAYLOR’S-VERSION — Taylor Swift’s re-recording of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” is the third album in Swift’s plans to re-record her first six, after her catalog was purchased by music manager Scooter Braun. It’s an effort to own her masters – or the songs’ original recordings – which allows her to choose how they are used. In preparation for “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” The Associated Press reached out to a few Taylor Swift scholars to discuss all of the ways listeners should think about the release: as an exercise in artistic autonomy, in conversation with her critics and her celebrity, and beyond. SENT: 1,380 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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TEN--WIMBLEDON — The first round of Wimbledon finishes two days later than planned, but the match between Andy Murray against Stefanos Tsitsipas is halted after Murray took a two-sets-to-one lead. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 750 words, photos.

GLF--WOMEN’S OPEN — Xiyu Janet Lin and Hyo Joo Kim are tied for the lead in the first U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Masayo Yoshida, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.