AP News Digest 12 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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.

——————————————

ONLY ON AP

—————————————-

TEST-SCORES-DISTRICT-DATA — The COVID-19 pandemic devastated poor children’s well-being, not just by closing their schools, but also by taking away their parents’ jobs, sickening their families and teachers and adding chaos and fear to their daily lives. The scale of the disruption to American kids’ education is evident in a district-by-district analysis of test scores shared exclusively with The Associated Press. By Bianca Vazquez Toness and Sharon Lurye. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

_________________

TOP STORIES

_________________

PELOSI-HUSBAND ASSAULTED — The intruder who attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their San Francisco home was searching for the Democratic leader, shouting “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” before assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer. That was a chilling echo of the chants during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, when rioters trying to stop Joe Biden’s election searched menacingly through the halls for the speaker. By Colleen Long, Olga R. Rodriguez, Lisa Mascaro and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, video. WITH: PELOSI-HUSBAND ASSAULTED-SUSPECT — The man accused of assaulting Paul Pelosi had posted online about QAnon. SENT: 720 words, photos.

CONGRESS-THREATS — The attack on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband is part of a worrying trend of increased security threats against members of Congress. The U.S. Capitol Police investigated almost 10,000 threats to members last year in an outpouring of vitriol that spurred some lawmakers to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars fortifying their homes. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 820 words, photos.

MUSK-TWITTER — Elon Musk has taken control of Twitter after a protracted legal battle and months of uncertainty. The question now is what the billionaire Tesla CEO will actually do with the social media platform. The $44 billion takeover means Twitter is becoming a private company that everyday investors will no longer be able to buy shares in. By Barbara Ortutay, Tom Krisher and Matt O’Brien. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. WITH: MUSK-TWITTER-TIMELINE – If the case has your head spinning, here’s a quick guide to the major events in the saga featuring the billionaire Tesla CEO and the social platform. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. Additional stories below.

ELECTION 2022-BIDEN-PENNSYLVANIA — An energized President Joe Biden returned to the Keystone State, his 15th visit since he took office, this time to attend a fundraiser with Vice President Kamala Harris and other leaders to boost Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman. The candidate had a shaky debate performance earlier this week that put some Democrats on edge. By Seung Min Kim and Marc Levy. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR —Russian soldiers pummeling a city in eastern Ukraine with artillery are slowly edging closer in their attempt to seize Bakhmut, which has remained in Ukrainian hands during the eight-month war despite Moscow’s goal of capturing the entire Donbas region bordering Russia. By Inna Varenytsia and Sam Mednick. SENT: 770 words, photos.

OBIT-JERRY-LEE-LEWIS — Jerry Lee Lewis, the untamable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose outrageous talent, energy and ego collided on such definitive records as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and sustained a career otherwise upended by personal scandal, died at 87. The last survivor of a generation of groundbreaking performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Lewis died at home in Memphis, Tennessee. By Hillel Italie. SENT: 1,470 words, photos.

BBO-WORLD-SERIES — World Series Game 1 is tied 5-5, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros going into extra innings. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game underway.

_________________

TRENDING

_________________

WORLD SERIES-ANTHEM — Grammy-nominated singer Eric Burton lost track of the lyrics during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the World Series opener. SENT: 150 words, photos.

TOM BRADY-GISELE BÜNDCHEN-DIVORCE —Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have announced their divorce. The superstars who respectively reached the pinnacles of football and fashion posted statements to Instagram on Friday saying they had finalized the end of their 13-year marriage. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER — A Colorado businessman has been convicted of charges that he and others siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser to build a wall along the U.S. southern border despite promising donors every cent would go to the wall. SENT: 330 words.

LOTTERY-JACKPOT — A massive lottery jackpot got a little bigger as the top Powerball prize climbed to an estimated $825 million ahead of Saturday night’s drawing. SENT: 170 words.

NOT REAL NEWS — A look at what didn’t happen this week. SENT: 2,095 words, photos.

——————————————————————————-

MORE ON ELON MUSK AND TWITTER

——————————————————————————-

MUSK-TWITTER-PLATFORM REACTS — In the hours after Elon Musk’s takeover, conservative personalities on the site began recirculating long-debunked conspiracy theories, including about COVID-19 and the 2020 election, in a tongue-in-cheek attempt to “test” whether Twitter’s policies on misinformation were still being enforced. SENT: 920 words, photos.

MUSK-TWITTER-COUNTING BOTS — Twitter’s unending fight to delete spam accounts is now Elon Musk’s problem as the billionaire has completed his $44 billion takeover of the social platform. But how bad is the “spambot” scourge that Musk in April pledged to defeat or “die trying!” and then later gave as a reason to back out of the deal? SENT: 700 words, photos.

MUSK-TWITTER-Q&A — Why did Elon Musk just spend billions to take over Twitter? SENT: 400 words, photo.

————————————————————————

MORE 0N RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

———————————————————————-

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Ukrainian authorities have announced further rolling blackouts in and around the country’s largest cities amid ongoing Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure. The capital region’s governor says residents can expect to see “tougher and longer” power outages compared to earlier in the war. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-UN-BIOLOGICAL LABS — The U.S. and its Western allies on Thursday dismissed Russia’s claims that banned biological weapons activities are taking place in Ukraine with American support, calling the allegation disinformation and fabrications. SENT: 860 words.

————————————-

2022 ELECTIONS

————————————-

ELECTION 2022-WISCONSIN-SENATE — In Wisconsin’s tight U.S. Senate race, Democrat Mandela Barnes’ chances to unseat two-term Sen. Ron Johnson may rest with how well he turns out Black voters who don’t always show up in big numbers. Barnes, who would be Wisconsin’s first Black senator, is doubling down on breaking through with younger members of that bloc. By Harm Venhuizen. SENT: 910 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-OBAMA — Barack Obama is trying to do something he couldn’t during two terms as president: help Democrats succeed in national midterm elections when they already hold the White House. SENT: 1,130 words, photos. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-BIDEN-EARLY-VOTING — President Joe Biden will cast his midterm election ballot this weekend in his home state of Delaware, where in-person early voting begins. SENT: 290 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-OHIO — A surprising dynamic is taking shape in Ohio, where Republicans are hoping to ride a wave of national discontent with Democrats to take control of the Senate. Less than two weeks before Election Day, the race between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Ryan is more competitive than expected. SENT: 1,450 words, photos, video.

ELECTION-2022-CAPITOL-RIOT — Democrats running for office this year in Republican-leaning areas or swing states are grappling with how much they should talk about the Jan. 6 insurrection, if at all. The Democrats’ cautiousness is a reflection of the political divide that remains nearly two years after the violent Capitol insurrection spurred by then-President Donald Trump’s lies of a stolen 2020 election. SENT: 1,175 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — The Uvalde school massacre has cast a long shadow in the midterm elections in Texas, intensifying Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign against Democrat Beto O’Rourke and driving a blitz of television ads. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.

Follow this link for our complete Election 2022 coverage.

————————————————-—-

WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

———————————————-——-

CAPITOL RIOT-OFFICER INDICTED — A former U.S. Capitol Police officer is convicted of obstruction of justice for deleting Facebook messages he exchanged with a man who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. SENT: 550 words, photo.

TAX GAP — The IRS says the amount of income tax money owed but not paid to the government is projected to grow. SENT: 260 words, photo.

RUSHDIE-SANCTIONS — The U.S. is imposing financial penalties on an Iranian-based organization that raised money to target British-American author Salman Rushdie, who was violently attacked in August at a literary event. SENT: 405 words, photos.

GROPING-ALLEGATIONS-LAWSUITS — Dueling lawsuits have been dropped by a former Nebraska candidate for governor and a fellow Republican state lawmaker who accused him of groping her at a political function several years ago. SENT: 400 words, photos.

TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES — Donald Trump is lashing out at the judge handling the New York attorney general’s fraud lawsuit against him and his company, calling him “vicious, biased, and mean” in a social media post just days before the case’s first court hearing. SENT: 300 words, photos.

———————-

NATIONAL

————————

OPIOID-CRISIS -- Fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids ingrained in the nation’s illicit drug supply are killing more people in the U.S. than any other drug has. But mistaken beliefs persist about fentanyl, how it is trafficked and why so many people are dying. Heading into key elections, there have been assertions that the drug might be handed out like Halloween candy. That’s something the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s head has said isn’t true. By Geoff Mulvihill. SENT: 1,335 words, photos.

WATER-WOES-MISSISSIPPI — Nearly the entire stretch of the Mississippi River has experienced below average rainfall over the past two months, reducing water levels on the river to near record lows. The drought has disrupted ship and barge traffic at a critical time for farmers harvesting soybeans and corn for export. By Michael Phillis, Jim Salter and Jeff Roberson. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

LAST-SLAVE-SHIP — Descendants of the Alabama steamship owner responsible for illegally bringing 110 African captives to America aboard the last U.S. slave ship have ended generations of public silence, calling his actions more than 160 years ago “evil and unforgivable.” SENT: 650 words, photos.

STEINBECK-DEMOCRACY — Debates over the future of democracy aren’t new. Decades ago, communists and suspected communists were blacklisted. As a resident in Paris at the time, John Steinbeck found himself asked often about the headlines from his native country and whether its form of government was endangered. His response was a column for a French publication that has rarely been seen since, but now appears in the current issue of the literary quarterly The Strand Magazine. SENT: 610 words, photos.

TILL-IMPACT OF IMAGES — As the first-ever feature-length retelling of the lynching of Emmett Till goes into wide release, so does an art campaign meant to honor the power of images like those of his open casket that were printed by the Black press. SENT: 1,320 words, photos.

—————————————

INTERNATIONAL

—————————————

ASIA-STORM — Flash floods and landslides set off by torrential rains left at least 47 people dead, including in a hard-hit southern Philippine province, where as many as 60 villagers are feared missing and buried in a deluge of rainwater, mud, rocks and trees, officials said. SENT: 660 words, photos.

BRAZIL-ELECTION-AGRIBUSINESS — President Jair Bolsonaro’s former agriculture minister has become the face of his campaign in Brazil’s agribusiness heartland — a part of the country where the conservative incumbent appears to be leading his leftist rival, ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Newly elected Senator Tereza Cristina has been promoting the president’s pro-farm policies and boosting his uphill battle for reelection. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.

IRAN-PROTESTS-CAMPUS-UPRISING — As demonstrations erupt across Iran, the country’s elite technical university has emerged as an unexpected hub for protest. SENT: 1,180 words, photos. WITH: IRAN-PROTESTS — Protesters in Iran confronted security forces in a southeastern city that has seen weeks of unrest amid nationwide demonstrations following the September death of a woman detained by the country’s morality police. SENT: 545 words.

—————————————————

HEALTH & SCIENCE

—————————————————-

REL-CLIMATE-MIGRATION-ALASKA-DISAPPEARING-ISLAND -- The Alaska Native village of Shishmaref is located on a sinking barrier island in the Chukchi Sea near the Bering Strait that separates the U.S. and Russia, where it is constantly threatened by the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels, flooding, increased erosion and loss of protective sea ice and land have led residents of this island community to vote twice to relocate. But more than six years after the last vote, Shishmaref remains in the same place because the relocation is too costly. SENT: 1,585 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,130 words is also available.

——————————————————-

BUSINESS/ TECHNOLOGY

———————————————————-

CONSUMER-SPENDING — A measure of inflation closely monitored by the Federal Reserve remained painfully high last month, the latest sign that prices for most goods and services in the United States are still rising steadily. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street closed sharply higher, capping another strong week with gains led by Apple and other companies that made even bigger profits during the summer than expected. The S&P 500 ended up 2.5% and marked its first back-to-back weekly gain since August. SENT: 900 words, photos.

————————

SPORTS

————————

FBN--ON FOOTBALL-MAKING TRADES — Christian McCaffrey already played his first game with the San Francisco 49ers. Robert Quinn and James Robinson joined their new teams this week. More players will be on the move by Tuesday. The NFL trade deadline is far more exciting than it used to be. SENT: 610 words, photos.

——————————————-

HOW TO REACH US

——————————————-

The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.