AP News Digest 3 am

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

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TOP STORIES

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JIMMY CARTER-HOSPICE CARE — Dozens of well-wishers made the pilgrimage to The Carter Center in Atlanta, as prayers and memories of former President Jimmy Carter’s legacy were offered up at his small Baptist church in Plains, Georgia, a day after he entered hospice care. By Jeff Martin and Maysoon Khan. SENT: 940 words, photos, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-PUTIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin's gamble to invade Ukraine a year ago seems to have backfired spectacularly. The war against his neighbor has exposed some of his own weaknesses and those of Russia's military, intelligence services and economy, unified NATO against Moscow, and isolated his country. Experts say he is still determined, at any cost, to achieve victory in Europe’s bloodiest armed conflict since World War II. By Andrew Katell. SENT: 1,460 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters in a widely condemned weapons test — its second in three days — that prompted Tokyo to request an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 980 words, photos.

GUNS-AIRPORT CHECKPOINTS — Last year saw a record number of guns, 6,542, intercepted at airport checkpoints across the country. The head of the Transportation Safety Administration, David Pekoske, says the steady rise reflects the increase in gun ownership in the U.S. By Rebecca Santana. SENT: 1,220 words, photos, video.

ELECTION 2024-IOWA — After a slow start, Republican presidential prospects are streaming into Iowa, the leadoff presidential caucus state. Notably absent from the lineup, at least for now, is former President Donald Trump. By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 820 words, photos.

NASCAR-DAYTONA 500 — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 in double overtime and under caution in the longest running of “The Great American Race.” By Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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CHINA-RUSSIA-EXPLAINER — Nearly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine, new questions are rising over China’s potential willingness to offer military aid to Moscow in the increasingly drawn-out conflict. UPCOMING: 820 words, photos by 3:30 a.m.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-UNSEEN PHOTOS — Photographers covering the war in Ukraine have shown the world its calamitous toll over and over. There are thousands of heartbreaking images, however, the public has never seen. This is a selection of photos that The Associated Press didn’t publish when they were taken. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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BRITAIN-BAFTA FILM AWARDS — “All Quiet on the Western Front” leads race for BAFTA awards. SENT: 690 words, photos.

BRITAIN-MISSING WOMAN — U.K. police find body in case that led to social media circus. SENT: 280 words, photo.

MARDI GRAS SHOOTING — Police: Five shot, including young girl, during Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. SENT: 180 words.

OAKLAND-POWER OUTAGE — Oakland airport, 50,000 in Bay Area lose power due to fire. SENT: 180 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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BISHOP SHOT — A Catholic bishop in Southern California was shot and killed Saturday just blocks from a church, a slaying of a longtime priest hailed as a “peacemaker” that’s stunned the Los Angeles religious community, authorities said. SENT: 770 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BRAZIL-RAIN — Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides that have killed 36 people in Brazil’s north Sao Paulo state, officials said, and the fatalities could rise. SENT: 310 words, photos, video.

TAIWAN-US — A delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with the head of Taiwan’s legislature as part of a five-day visit to the self-ruled island that comes as U.S.-China relations remain tense after weeks of trading accusations over a spy balloon. SENT: 450 words, photo.

ISRAEL-POLITICS — Israel’s government was pressing ahead with a contentious plan to overhaul the country’s legal system, despite an unprecedented uproar that has included mass protests, warnings from military and business leaders and calls for restraint by the United States. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mostly higher in Asia on Monday after Wall Street closed out another bumpy week marked by uneasiness over the outlook for inflation and interest rates. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 510 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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ALL-STAR GAME — Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics put on a record-setting performance at the All-Star Game with 55 points and Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175 in the NBA’s annual showcase exhibition. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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OBIT-RICHARD BELZER — Richard Belzer, the longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU,” has died. He was 78. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

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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, Wally Santana (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.