AP News Digest 3:30 am

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-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian President Vladimir Putin visited headquarters of the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, his second trip to the Russian-held territories there since March. A video released by the Kremlin and broadcast by Russian state television showed Putin visiting the command post for Russian forces in the southern Kherson region. The Russian leader then moved by helicopter to the headquarters of the Russian National Guard of the eastern Luhansk region. SENT: 410 words, photos.

RUSSIA-US-DETAINED REPORTER — A Russian court is scheduled to hear a defense appeal of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s arrest on espionage charges, which he and the U.S. government strenuously deny. SENT: 390 words, photos.

FOX-DOMINION LAWSUIT — Jurors are set to get their first look at a voting machine company’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News in a trial that will test First Amendment protections and expose the network’s role in spreading the lie of a stolen 2020 presidential election. By David Bauder, Randall Chase and Geoff Mulvihill. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 6 a.m.; trial begins at 9 a.m. With FOX-DOMINION LAWSUIT-WHAT TO KNOW — What does Dominion’s case involve?

SUDAN — Washington’s top diplomat said that a U.S. Embassy convoy came under fire in Sudan and denounced “indiscriminate military operations” as the country’s armed forces and a powerful rival unleashed heavy weapons in urban areas for a fourth day. By Jack Jeffery and Samy Magdy. SENT: 800 words, photos.

KANSAS CITY-TEEN SHOT — An 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with first-degree assault for shooting a Black teen who mistakenly went to the man’s home to pick up his younger brothers. By Margaret Stafford and Jim Salter. SENT: 890 words, photos. With SHOOTING-WRONG DRIVEWAY — Upstate New York woman driven to wrong address fatally shot by homeowner.

ALABAMA SHOOTING — Alexis Dowdell’s Sweet 16 birthday party ended with her kneeling beside her fatally wounded brother on the blood-slicked floor of a dance studio in small-town Alabama, the bodies of other wounded teens scattered around them. Dowdell told the story of Saturday’s terror in Dadeville to The Associated Press surrounded by family. By Kim Chandler and Jeff Amy. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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JAPAN-G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies vowed a unified front against Chinese threats to Taiwan and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, saying at the close of their meetings that they were committed to boosting and enforcing tough sanctions against Moscow. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.

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MORE NEWS

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ALASKA-SKY SPIRAL — Odd spiral appears amid northern lights in Alaska night sky. SENT: 350 words, photo.

CHRIS CORNELL-SOUNDGARDEN LAWSUIT — Soundgarden, Chris Cornell’s widow settle recordings lawsuit. SENT: 360 words, photos.

MUSK-TUCKER CARLSON — Elon Musk says he’ll create “TruthGPT” to counter AI “bias.” SENT: 650 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-TRANSGENDER-PLAYER — Trans woman blocked from Australian basketball league. SENT: 390 words.

MEXICO-MISSING AMERICANS — Mexico searches for three missing U.S. sailors with plane, ships. SENT: 140 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION 2024-FUNDRAISING — Long before ballots are tallied and reliable polls are conducted, one of the earliest ways to gauge the popularity of presidential candidates is with dollars. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-POST OFFICE — The Supreme Court is being asked to decide under what circumstances businesses must accommodate the needs of religious employees. SENT: 500 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 800 words after 10 a.m. arguments.

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NATIONAL

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POLICE SHOOTING-JAYLAND WALKER — An Ohio grand jury declined to indict eight police officers who fired 94 shots in the death of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man who fired at least one round at officers during a car and foot chase last summer, the state’s attorney general announced. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With JAYLAND WALKER-THINGS TO KNOW.

LOS ANGELES MAYOR — Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, who was elected in November after promising to take on the city’s out-of-control homeless crisis, announced she would recommend spending what she called a record $1.3 billion next year to get unhoused people into shelter and treatment programs. By Political Writer Michael R. Blood. SENT: 620 words, photos.

VOLUNTEERING-STATES — Florida’s volunteer rate slumped to the lowest in the nation mainly because of the health worries due to the pandemic, causing nonprofits to struggle to meet rising demands. In Wyoming, volunteerism thrived, bucking the national trend of declines. UPCOMING: 1,140 words, photos by 6 a.m. With VOLUNTEERING-WHAT TO EXPECT.

PASTRY PAINTING-FREE SPEECH — A well-intentioned school art project — a large painting of pastries displayed over a roadside bakery — has turned up the heat in a New Hampshire town with a legal battle pitting a zoning ordinance against freedom of speech rights. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video.

RAT AMBASSADORS — As an ambassador for rats, it’s never easy to win over the public. But Runa at the San Diego Zoo has been charged with teaching people the virtues of rats. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-RAMADAN — For many Palestinians, the road to the third-holiest site in Islam on the holiest night of Ramadan begins at an Israeli military checkpoint. Most men under 55 are turned away and often resort to perilous means to get to Al-Aqsa Mosque. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

GERMANY-HOLOCAUST-SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN — More than 100 Holocaust survivors and their descendants are participating in a new social media campaign that illustrates the importance of passing on the Holocaust survivors’ testimonies as their numbers dwindle. SENT: 720 words, photos. With ISRAEL-HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE — Israel remembers 6 million Jews killed in Holocaust.

UN-AFGHANISTAN — The United Nations is negotiating the possibility of staying in Afghanistan but is ready to take the "heartbreaking" decision to leave in May if Taliban authorities continue to bar Afghan women from working for the organization, the head of the U.N. Development Program says. By Michael Weissenstein. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 5 a.m.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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CLIMATE-INDIA-MANGROVE MAN — Known locally as “Mangrove Man,” T. P. Murukesan has turned to planting mangroves along the shores of areas around Kochi, a city in the southern India state of Kerala, to counter the impacts of rising waters on his home. SENT: 940 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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CHINA-ECONOMY — China’s economic growth accelerated in the latest quarter as consumers flocked back to shops and restaurants following the abrupt end of coronavirus controls. SENT: 590 words, photos.

INDIA-APPLE-STORE — Apple Inc. opened its first flagship store in India in a much-anticipated launch that highlights the company’s growing aspirations to expand in the country it also hopes to turn into a potential manufacturing hub. SENT: 700 words, photos.

CHINA-AUTO SHOW — Volkswagen unveiled an electric luxury sedan that promises a 435-mile battery range as global and Chinese automakers showed their latest SUVs, sedans and muscle cars at the world’s biggest auto show. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 490 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are trading mixed as pessimism about global uncertainties remained even as China reported a better-than-expected economic growth data. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 630 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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ALEC BALDWIN-SET SHOOTING — The judge hearing the wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and an array of producers and crew linked to a fatal film set shooting agreed to seal from public view the terms of a proposed settlement agreement in the case that benefits the son of slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. SENT: 380 words, photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (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.