AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire. But he will face the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites. By: Joseph Krauss. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BELARUS-FLIGHT DIVERTED — Western outrage grows and the European Union threatens more sanctions over the forced diversion of a plane to Belarus in order to arrest an opposition journalist in a dramatic gambit that some say amounted to state terrorism or sheer piracy. By Raf Casert and Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,330 words, photos. With BELARUS-DIVERTED FLIGHT-EXPLAINER — What was behind a jet’s diversion to Belarus? SENT: 800 words, photos; BELARUS-MEDIA — Belarus president signs tough law on media restrictions. SENT: 220 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-AUDITS — Six months after Donald Trump’s loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of the ballots and finding limited successes. Their efforts and sometimes misleading conclusions are being gleefully amplified by the former president. By Kate Brumback and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD — The intersection where George Floyd took his final breaths was to be transformed Tuesday into an outdoor festival on the one-year anniversary of his death, with food, children’s activities and a long list of musical performers. Rapper Nur-D, one of the performers, tweeted that the event would be about “turning mourning into dancing.” By Doug Glass. SENT: 500 words, photos.
IMMIGRANT FAMILY REUNITED — Keldy Mabel Gonzales Brebe and her sons are trying to rebuild their lives together after they journeyed from Honduras to the U.S. to seek asylum, only to be separated at the border. The family is one of the first to be reunited under President Joe Biden’s Family Reunification Task Force. By Claudia Torrens. SENT: 1,800 words. WITH IMMIGRANT-FAMILY-REUNITED-ABRIDGED — Families separated at Mexico border build new American life. SENT: 830 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NYC-MOST HESITANT — If there’s a place where people should fear the coronavirus more than a vaccination needle, it is the Far Rockaway section of Queens. Nearly 460 residents of the seaside neighborhood have died of COVID-19, among the city’s top death rates. And yet, no place in New York City has a lower percentage of vaccinated people. By Arijeta Lajka. SENT: 1,175 words, photos, video.
CHINA-XINJIANG-FORCED LABOR — A backlash against reports of forced labor and other abuses toward a largely Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang is taking a toll on China’s cotton industry. But it’s unclear if the pressure will compel the government or companies to change their ways. By Ken Moritsugu and Dake Kang. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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ELECTION 2021-NYC MAYOR-YANG — Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang has drawn social media scorn after saying his favorite subway station was in tourist-heavy Times Square. But some of the response raised concerns from his campaign and his wife that it was actually about his racial identity. SENT: 400 words, photo.
MIGRANT-CHASE-FATAL-CRASH — A 23-year-old man has pleaded guilty to federal charges from a migrant smuggling run that ended with a deadly chase and crash that killed five of his passengers. SENT: 180 words, photo.
SOCIAL MEDIA-FLORIDA — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a measure that seeks to punish social media platforms that remove conservative ideas from their sites. SENT: 570 words, photos.
ITALY-EUROVISION — Eurovision Song Contest organizers say that the lead singer of Italian glam rock band Maneskin tested negative for drug use, putting to an end speculation that had tarnished the band’s victory. SENT: 230 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-CONTINUING TO GIVE — AP reporters return to “One Good Thing” subjects to update their donations received, their volunteer efforts and the lives they’ve impacted. UPCOMING: 800 words by 10 a.m., photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION 2020-BALLOT REVIEWS — Six months after Donald Trump’s loss, conspiracy theorists and Trump backers are continuing their push for repeated examinations of the ballots and finding limited successes. Their efforts and sometimes misleading conclusions are being gleefully amplified by the former president. By Kate Brumback and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
BIDEN-AGENDA — It’s a pivotal time for many aspects of President Joe Biden’s ambitious agenda. The White House and Congress have been unable to meet key Memorial Day deadlines on crucial priorities. On infrastructure in particular, the administration is assessing next steps as Biden decides whether to push past Republican opposition with a Democrats-only bill. By Lisa Mascaro and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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YEMEN-MYSTERIOUS AIR BASE — A mysterious air base is being built on a volcanic island off Yemen that sits in one of the world’s crucial maritime chokepoints for both energy shipments and commercial cargo. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 980 words, photos.
INDIA-CYCLONE — Tens of thousands of people are evacuating low-lying areas of two Indian states to escape a strong cyclone barreling toward the eastern coast. Cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall Wednesday in West Bengal and Odisha states. It comes amid a coronavirus surge, complicating India’s efforts to deal with both. A cyclone that hit India’s west coast last week killed more than 140 people. SENT: 340 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-PEACEKEEPING — The Security Council condemns killings and attacks against U.N. peacekeepers in the strongest terms and calls for prompt prosecution of those responsible. SENT: 400 words, photos.
MALAYSIA-TRAIN COLLISION — A collision of light rail trains in a tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, injures more than 200 people. SENT: 250 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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A STREET OF BLACK HISTORY — A New Orleans multimedia project aims to document and publicize the history of Claiborne Avenue, which has become notorious as an example of how highway projects often sliced through Black neighborhoods. UPCOMING: 920 words by 9 a.m., photos.
MILITARY AIRCRAFT-CRASH-VEGAS — An aircraft operated by a military contractor out of Nellis Air Force Base crashes in a nearby residential area, authorities say. There was no immediate word on any injuries. SENT: 380 words.
GRAND JURY-RAPE — A Kansas woman who alleges consensual sex with a friend in his college dorm room turned into a terrifying sexual assault took matters into her own hands when prosecutors declined to file a rape charge. She called a citizen grand jury, relying on a 134-year-old state law. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 900 words, photos.
IMMIGRATION-CITIZENSHIP-AGENCY — Less than a year after being on the verge of furloughing about 70% of its employees to plug a funding shortfall, the U.S. agency that grants citizenship, green cards and temporary visas wants to improve service without a detailed plan to pay for it. By Elliot Spagat and Sophia Tareen. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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WHO'S AN ASTRONAUT? — As more companies start selling tickets to space, a question looms: Who gets to call themselves an astronaut? It’s already a complicated issue and about to get more so as the wealthy snap up spacecraft seats. Some suggest a military-style pecking order like astronaut first class, second class but warn it could get complicated fast. By Marcia Clark. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-COLBERT — In one more step toward a reopened entertainment world, CBS says Stephen Colbert’s late-night show will return on June 14 to episodes with a full studio audience. Audience members at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York will be required to show proof of vaccination before being admitted, and face masks will be optional for them. By David Bauder. SENT: 440 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN-US — Tokyo was quick to deny a U.S. warning for Americans to avoid traveling to Japan would have an impact on Olympians. Japan is determined to hold the Tokyo Games that start July 23. The U.S. cited a surge in coronavirus cases in Japan caused by virus variants that may even pose a risk to vaccinated people. The U.S. isn’t banning Americans from visiting Japan, but the warnings could affect insurance rates and whether people decide to join the Games. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 355 words, photos.
EURO 2020-VIRUS — A tournament intended to be a celebration of Europe will instead reflect many of the uncertainties that have beset soccer during the pandemic. Just completing Euro 2020 in 11 cities around Europe will be a triumph, and with fully healthy squads. By Rob Harris. UPCOMING: 700 words by 9 a.m., photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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