AP News Digest 3:40 am
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.
—————————
TOP STORIES
—————————
RUSSIAN DOPING — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s right to compete in the women’s event at the Beijing Olympics will be decided at an urgent hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The International Testing Agency says it will lead an appeal on behalf of the IOC against a decision by Russia’s anti-doping agency to lift a provisional ban imposed on the 15-year-old Valieva for failing a doping test in December. Valieva is the heavy favorite in her event which begins Tuesday. By Graham Dunbar and James Ellingworth. SENT: 870 words, photos.
RUSSIA-GETTING-AWAY-WITH-IT — Be it sports, politics, hacking or war, the recent history of Russia’s relationship with the world can be summed up in one phrase: They get away with it. Vladimir Putin’s Russia has perfected the art of flouting the rules. It doesn’t matter whether the venue is the Olympic arena, international diplomacy or meddling in other countries’ elections from the comfort of home. And it has suffered little consequence for its actions. By Brian Carovillano and Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Bringing in more than 15,000 people for the Winter Olympics poses risks for a country determined to keep COVID-19 out. One week into the 17-day event, China appears to be meeting the challenge with a bubble that restricts the movement of participants so they don’t come in contact with the general population. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video. With BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE-LATEST; DAY 6-PHOTO GALLERY.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA PROTESTS — The Biden administration urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to use its federal powers to end the truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, as the bumper-to-bumper demonstration forced auto plants on both sides of the border to shut down or scale back production. By Rob Gillies and Tom Krisher. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, video. Also see VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA TRUCKERS-MEDIA below.
RUSSIA-BRINKMANSHIP GAME-EXPLAINER — With Russia carrying out a massive military buildup near Ukraine and the West roundly rejecting Moscow’s security demands, a window for diplomacy in the crisis appears to be closing. But even as Moscow continues to bolster its forces and holds sweeping war games, Putin is keeping the window open for more negotiations in a calculated game of brinkmanship intended to persuade Washington and its allies to accept Russia’s demands. By Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. With UKRAINE TENSIONS — U.K. leader Johnson cites “a dangerous moment" in crisis. For full coverage of Ukraine.
INFLATION-IMPACT — High inflation and tangled supply chains have seeped into nearly every nook of the economy, forcing consumers and businesses to make painful decisions that many of them have never had to contemplate before. The key trends that have sent prices soaring — higher wages, parts shortages, rising rents, robust consumer spending, clogged ports and warehouses — won’t likely fade anytime soon. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 930 words, photo.
—————————
—————————
WOMEN’S-SUPER-G — Mikaela Shiffrin completed the super-G at the Beijing Olympics in a time way out of medal contention. But for the first time in three races at the 2022 Games, she made it across the finish. By National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 880 words, photos.
MEN’S HALFPIPE — In Shaun White’s farewell performance, Ayumu Hirano of Japan won an elusive Olympic gold in the halfpipe with a boundary-pushing final run. By Sports Writer Pat Graham. SENT: 740 words, photos.
FIGURE SKATING-DIVERSITY — In figure skating’s century-old history that has been largely European until just a few decades ago, some still wonder how more Black athletes can make a lasting imprint on the sport. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
EXPLAINER-OLYMPICS SUSTAINABILITY — To stage the Winter Games in the Chinese capital, organizers embarked on a massive public works campaign, constructing new venues and piping millions of gallons of water up into the arid surrounding mountains to create fake snow for ski competitions. And then they proclaimed these to be the most sustainable Olympics in history. How can both these things be true? By Business Writers Candice Choi and Kelvin Chan. SENT: 730 words, photos.
SKATING’S NEW SOUNDTRACK — As Nathan Chen flaunted through the last minute of his gold-winning program at the Beijing Olympics, it was clear that his diverse musical selections – a medley of classic rock, pop, hip-hop and rap – marked a new, edgier dawn for winning performances. SENT: 950 words, photos.
—————————
TRENDING NEWS
—————————
NFL AWARDS — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wins fourth MVP award. SENT: 870 words, photos.
HALL OF FAME — Tony Boselli leads class of eight Pro Football Hall of Famers. SENT: 1,060 words, photo.
STING-MUSIC CATALOG — Every song he made: Sting sells music catalog to Universal. SENT: 290 words, photo.
JILL BIDEN-COMMANDER — Biden dog Commander to make TV debut during “Puppy Bowl.” SENT: 220 words, photos.
BEAR-SHOOTING: Police: Oregon man confronting bear accidentally kills brother. SENT: 130 words.
MANSON FOLLOWER-PAROLE — California high court won’t hear Manson follower parole case. SENT: 260 words, photo.
BLUES MUSIC AWARDS — Tommy Castro leads with five Blues Music Awards nominations. SENT: 150 words, photo.
—————————
WASHINGTON
—————————
ELECTION 2022-TRUMP ENDORSEMENTS — Former President Donald Trump is flexing the power of his endorsement in several high-profile midterm contests. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — White House call logs obtained so far by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol do not list calls made by then-President Trump as he watched the violence unfold on television. SENT: 830 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-VACANCY — President Joe Biden appears to be narrowing his list of candidates for the Supreme Court, saying he’s looking at “about four people.” SENT: 670 words, photos.
CIA-DATA COLLECTION — Two Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee say the CIA has a secret, undisclosed data repository that includes information collected about Americans. SENT: 720 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-SYRIA-RAID — U.S. military officials say there could have been more civilian casualties than initially thought in the U.S. raid that killed the top Islamic State leader in Syria last week, but they believe any such deaths did not come at the hands of American forces. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
—————————
NATIONAL
—————————
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — Three former Minneapolis police officers on trial for violating George Floyd’s civil rights should have intervened to stop fellow Officer Derek Chauvin when he had his knee on the Black man’s neck, the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide unit testified. SENT: 750 words, photo. UPCOMING: Trial resumes at 10:30 a.m.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PIG — A New York man is in a legal fight to keep a pig he says is his emotional support animal. SENT: 930 words, photos, video.
—————————
INTERNATIONAL
—————————
SUDAN DETAINEES — Scores of activists and pro-democracy protests are in prison in Sudan for opposing a military takeover in October. Their families and rights workers say it reminds of repressive tactics used by autocratic former President Omar al-Bashir. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
VENEZUELA-OPPOSITION LEADER — The Venezuelan opposition was re-energized recently by an unexpected gubernatorial victory in the home state of the late President Hugo Chavez. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.
AUSTRALIA-US-QUAD — Confrontation with China is not inevitable, but the United States must stand up with its allies for a rules-based system threatened by Chinese aggression, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says. SENT: 530 words, photos.
—————————
HEALTH/SCIENCE
—————————
SPACEX-STARSHIP — SpaceX’s Elon Musk says that the first orbital flight of his towering Starship — the world’s most powerful rocket ever built — could come in another month or two. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 560 words, photos.
—————————
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
—————————
SUPER BOWL ADS-PREVIEW — This year's Super Bowl ads are bringing back favorite icons from the past, like the Budweiser Clydesdales and the rumored return of the E-Trade baby, as well as a glimpse into the future, with new advertisers including Crypto.com and FTX. By Business Writer Mae Anderson. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos, video by 9 a.m. With SUPER BOWL ADS- PREVIEW-GLANCE.
CHICKEN CHANGES — The nation’s egg producers are in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains. SENT: 830 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS— Share fell in Asia after Wall Street retreated on news that U.S. inflation jumped 7.5% in January, raising expectations the Federal Reserve will need to move forcefully to cool the economy by raising interest rates. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 610 words, photos.
—————————
SPORTS
—————————
HEAD COACH-DIVERSITY — The racial discrimination lawsuit filed this month against the NFL and several teams by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has magnified attention on the league’s hiring practices and stirred up long-simmering frustrations with the Rooney Rule. By Sports Writer Will Graves. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 4 a.m.
—————————————————
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
—————————————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA TRUCKERS-MEDIA — Several conservative media figures in the U.S. have lined up in support of Canadian truckers who are protesting COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates in their country. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 660 words, photo.
—————————
HOW TO REACH US
—————————
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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.