AP News Digest 3:40 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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HOSTAGE FAMILIES-JUSTICE DEPARTMENT — Families of American hostages and detainees say they’re frustrated with the Justice Department over what they see as the agency’s refusal to consider trades that could get their loved ones home. Several countries or groups holding Americans, including Russia and the Taliban, have sought or publicly floated the names of prisoners in the U.S. they want released. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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UKRAINE-TENSIONS — The U.S. issued some of its starkest, most detailed warnings yet about how a Russian invasion of Ukraine might unfold, and its Western allies went on high alert for any attempts by the Kremlin to create a false pretext for a new war in Europe. By Vladimir Isachenkov, Yuras Karmanau, Darlene Superville and Lorne Cook. SENT: 940 words, photos, video.
CANADA-PROTEST-RACE — Former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called Black Lives Matter protesters “thugs” and “anarchists,” said there’s “a lot of respect” for the overwhelmingly white truckers who blocked streets in the Canadian capital and shut down border crossings with the U.S. to oppose COVID-19 restrictions. SENT: 880 words, photos.
OLY-FIG-RUSSIA-WHAT'S-NEXT? — Russia’s trio of teenage figure skating stars each enter an uncertain future after what may be the most dramatic night in their sport’s history. World record holder Kamila Valieva faces a possible doping ban and a coach whose first response to her disastrous skate Thursday was more criticism. By James Ellingworth. SENT: 850 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-VACANCY-LOBBYING — The whispers and chatter about top contenders for the Supreme Court are growing as President Joe Biden zeroes in on a nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. But while the president is eager for input, the White House insists he’s not going to be swayed by any sniping. By Colleen Long and Meg Kinnard. SENT: 890 words, photos.
DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL — The former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she killed Daunte Wright will be sentenced Friday for manslaughter. By Amy Forliti. SENT: 640 words, photos. With DAUNTE-WRIGHT-TIMELINE — Key moments in the police shooting of Daunte Wright (sent).
BORDER-AGENCY-NEW-LEADER — Chris Magnus has many challenges to overcome in his new role as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Among them are agent discontent, allegations of migrant mistreatment, a failure to recruit more women and an asylum system that many view as broken. In an interview with The Associated Press, Magnus acknowledged morale problems within the nation’s largest law enforcement agency but offered no quick answers to the heavy migration flow to the U.S., which attracts more asylum seekers than any other country. By Ben Fox, Anita Snow and Elliot Spagat. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS
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OLY-CURLING-TECH — The sport of curling is steeped in centuries of tradition. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing curling is moving further into the digital age as some teams deploy the latest digital technology to crunch game stats and performance data to maximize their chances at a medal. SENT: 900 words, photos.
OLY-AGE-OF-THE-QUAD — One by one the Russian teen figure skaters took the ice for the free skate at the Beijing Games, and one by one they attempted the four-revolution jumps that are common in the men’s competition. Beijing may be the last Olympics any woman attempts a quad. SENT: 920 words, photos.
OLY-RAISING-THE-AGE — The doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has led to many more questions than answers. Some skaters think it’s time to ask another: Should a 15-year-old be in the Olympics at all? SENT: 880 words, photos.
OLY-ON-SKING-US-WOES — A United States team led by Mikaela Shiffrin is leaving the Beijing Olympics with just one of the 30 individual medals in Alpine skiing. And it’s a silver (from Ryan Cochran-Siegle in the men’s super-G). The country responsible for Winter Games success stories such as Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso over the past two decades alone last earned just one ski racing medal at an Olympics in 1998 — and at least that was a gold. So really, you have to go all the way back to 1988, when Americans earned zero Alpine medals, to find a worse showing than 2022. SENT: 740 words, photos.
OLY-WOMEN'S-HALFPIPE — Eileen Gu captured Olympic gold in the women’s ski halfpipe final on a breezy and cold to become the first action-sports athlete to pick up three medals at the same Winter Games. SENT: 660 words, photos.
OLY-RUSSIAN-SKATER-CAS-RULING — The judges who let Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva continue to compete at the Beijing Olympics blamed anti-doping officials in a legal document published Friday for a “failure to function effectively.” SENT: 490 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SOUTH-KOREA — South Korea will extend restaurant dining hours but maintain a six-person limit on private social gatherings as it wrestles with a massive coronavirus wave driven by the highly infectious omicron variant. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FAKE-VACCINATION-CARDS — A Marine Corps reservist who was charged in last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol also schemed with a nurse to steal, forge and sell hundreds of fake coronavirus vaccination cards and destroy vaccine doses to fake inoculations, federal authorities say. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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CALIFORNIA-FAMILY-MYSTERIOUS-DEATH — A family that died of heat exhaustion during a grueling summer hike in Northern California sent a last, desperate text pleading for help, authorities say. SENT: 350 words, photos.
POLICE-OFFICER-SHOT-PHOENIX — Phoenix police releases 26 seconds of body camera footage of last week’s ambush and barricade situation that left five patrol officers shot and four others injured by shrapnel or ricochets. SENT: 280 words, photo.
GREECE-FERRY FIRE — More than 280 people have been evacuated from a ferry in northwestern Greece that caught fire overnight while heading to southern Italy, authorities say. SENT: 170 words, photo.
MILITARY F35 CRASH — Five sailors have been charged with violating military law over leaked video showing an F-35 fighter jet crashing on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea last month, the Navy say. SENT: 190 words.
SEVERE-WEATHER-ALABAMA — A possible tornado passed through central Alabama on Thursday night as a severe storm toppled trees and left thousands of people without power.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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UKRAINE TENSIONS-SATELLITE IMAGERY — Widely available commercial satellite imagery of Russian troop positions bracketing Ukraine provides a bird’s-eye view of an international crisis as it unfolds. But the pictures, while dramatic, have limitations. By National Security Writer Robert Burns. SENT: 500 words, photos.
CONGRESS-SPENDING — The Senate sends President Biden a bill averting a weekend government shutdown and keeping agencies afloat through March 11. Leaders hope that will give bipartisan bargainers enough time to finally reach a deal financing federal agencies until fall. By Alan Fram. SENT: 420 words, photos.
ARKANSAS-REDISTRICTING — A federal judge says he’s dismissing a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new state House districts as diluting the influence of Black voters, unless the Justice Department joins the case as a plaintiff. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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RACIAL INJUSTICE PROTEST-TEXAS — A Texas grand jury indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during 2020 protests over racial injustice that spread nationwide following the killing of George Floyd, according to people familiar with the matter. SENT: 930 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA-PANDEMIC TO ENDEMIC — California became the first state to formally shift to an “endemic” approach to the coronavirus with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement Thursday of a plan that emphasizes prevention and quick reaction to outbreaks over mandated masking and business shutdowns. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.
STATEHOUSE-PRESS-ACCESS — Republican lawmakers in several states are scaling back access to government business, extending pandemic-era rules that restrict when journalists can report from the floors of state legislative chambers and, in effect, making it easier to dodge the press. SENT: 850 words, photos.
CUOMO-SEXUAL-HARASSMENT — A New York state trooper who testified that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed her has filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a federal court to declare that Cuomo, a top aide and state police violated her civil rights. SENT: 580 words, photo.
CAL STATE-CHANCELLOR RESIGNS — The chancellor of California State University, the nation’s largest public university system, has resigned after accusations that he mishandled sexual misconduct allegations. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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LIBYA-ELUSIVE-UNITY-EXPLAINER — A year ago, Libya looked to be on a fragile path toward democracy, after more than a decade of civil war. Now, it appears to be sliding back toward strife and division. After tentative steps towards unity, the country is once again being pulled apart, with two rival prime ministers claiming power. The interim prime minister installed by a U.N.-led process has refused to cede power to a prime minister recently appointed by the country’s parliament. A powerful commander in the country’s east supports one, while the other remains backed by a other armed groups. Libyans and analysts fear the power struggle could lead to a return to fighting. SENT: 1,070 words,
PUERTO-RICO-PAY-PROTESTS — Protests in Puerto Rico are multiplying as government employees demand higher pay and improved pensions. Many have taken to the streets, emboldened and inspired by thousands of public school teachers who walked out of their classrooms in early February to demand wage hikes. With union leaders calling another demonstration for Friday, social unrest is posing one of the biggest challenges for Gov. Pedro Pierluisi one year into his term. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.
PHILIPPINES-MYANMAR-TRADE-SNUB — The Philippines has followed New Zealand’s decision to reject the inclusion of Myanmar in the world’s largest free trade pact as international opposition to the military takeover that sparked violence and democratic setbacks in the Southeast Asian nation broadened into trade and diplomatic sanctions. SENT: 600 words, photo.
INDIA-BOMBING-DEATH-SENTENCES — A court in India has sentenced to death 38 people for a series of bomb blasts in 2008 that left more than 50 dead and 200 wounded in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, which has a history of violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims. SENT: 300 words, photos.
SRI LANKA-EASTER-ATTACKS — A Sri Lankan court has freed two top former officials who had been charged with negligence in connection with 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks that killed 260 people. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks fell in Asia after a retreat on Wall Street as escalating worries over the possibility Russia may invade Ukraine rattled global financial markets. Benchmarks were moderately lower in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong, but rose in Shanghai. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 630 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BBO--LOCKOUT — On what was supposed to be the second day of spring training, negotiations aimed at ending Major League Baseball’s lockout resumed at the office of the players’ association. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes. Baseball’s first stoppage since 1995 was in its 78th day. There is little chance exhibition games will start as scheduled on Feb. 26, and opening day on March 31 will soon be threatened. By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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