AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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CHILE-HAITI-CHARTER FLIGHTS — With jokes, upbeat Caribbean music and vacation scenes of sun-kissed beaches and palm trees, Haitian influencers on YouTube and TikTok advertise charter flights to South America. But they are not targeting tourists. Instead, they are touts for a thriving, little-known shadow industry that is profiting from the U.S. government sending people back to Haiti, a country besieged by gang violence. By Julie Watson, Gisela Perez de Acha, Katie Licari, Trenton Daniel and Patricia Luna. SENT: 3,100 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares fell across the board after Wall Street tumbled into what’s called a bear market, indicating that major U.S. benchmarks and individual stocks have fallen 20% or more from a recent high for a sustained period of time. Benchmarks fell in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China. At the center of the sell-off was the U.S. Federal Reserve, which is scrambling to get inflation under control. Its main method is to raise interest rates in order to slow the economy, a blunt tool that risks a recession. By Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 800 words, photos, video. With: BEAR MARKET-EXPLAINER (sent); BOND YIELD CURVE-EXPLAINER (sent).
CAPITOL RIOT INVESTIGATION — Donald Trump’s closest campaign advisers, top government officials and even his family were systematically dismantling his false claims of 2020 election fraud ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But the defeated president seemed “detached from reality,” clinging to outlandish theories to stay in power. That’s the assessment from former Attorney General William Barr’s testimony presented at Monday’s House hearing investigating the insurrection. The panel is delving deeper into what it calls the “big lie,” the defeated Republican president’s false claims of voter fraud. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, video.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR-LAUGHING AT WAR — The war in Ukraine isn’t remotely funny, but Ukrainians are learning to laugh about the awfulness of it all. Not because they want to, but because they have to, to stay sane. Stand-up comics Serhiy Lipko and Anastasia Zukhvala are among those using humor as a weapon, by making people laugh. By John Leicester. SENT: 900 words, photos. With. RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS (sent).
ELECTION 2022 — A Nevada Republican with a political pedigree and backing from former President Donald Trump and the GOP establishment is facing a surprisingly strong primary challenge. Primaries are also taking place in South Carolina, Maine and North Dakota. By Michelle L. Price and Ken Ritter. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates through the day. With ELECTION 2022-HOUSE — Two Republican House incumbents in South Carolina who have drawn Trump's ire face primary challenges. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates through the day. Poll closings: South Carolina 7 p.m.; Maine 8 p.m.; North Dakota, Nevada 10 p.m. Here's a link to our full coverage.
MIGRATION RWANDA BRITAIN — As Britain hopes to send a first group of migrants to Rwanda on Tuesday amid an outcry and legal challenges, some who came to the East African country under earlier arrangements tell The Associated Press the new arrivals have a difficult time ahead. A 20-year-old from Ethiopia who was relocated to Rwanda from Libya in 2019 in the first group of migrants resettled under a deal with the United Nations says that “sometimes I play football and in the evening I drink because I have nothing to do.” He says he prays daily for the chance to leave. SENT: 950 words, photos.
ABORTION-OPPONENTS — After decades of tiny steps and endless setbacks, America’s anti-abortion movement is poised for the possibility of a massive leap, with the Supreme Court expected to curtail or completely overturn the right to abortion found in the 49-year-old Roe v. Wade decision. Many abortion activists have immersed their lives in the issue. By National Writer Matt Sedensky. UPCOMING: 2,400 words by 10 a.m., photos. An abridged version will also be sent.
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TRENDING
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COCA-COLA-JACK DANIEL’S — It’s a Jack and Coke with no bartender required. Coca-Cola Co. says it’s partnering with Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, to sell premixed cocktails. SENT: 240 words, photo.
MEXICO BIG ROBBERY — The Mexican Employers Federation says thieves broke into a freight storage area at the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo and stole 20 freight containers loaded with partly refined gold and silver ore and television sets. SENT: 300 words.
AUSTRALIA-SENATOR POCOCK — International rugby star David Pocock wins election as an independent senator in Australia. SENT: 900 words, photos.
YOSEMITE VANDALIZED — Vandals used spray paint to draw on more than 30 sites at California’s Yosemite National Park, officials say. SENT: 180 words, photo.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-BRITTNEY GRINER — State Department officials have met with representatives of Brittney Griner’s WNBA team about the Phoenix Mercury star’s monthslong detention in Russia and the Biden administration’s efforts to secure her release. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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MORE ON ELECTION 2022
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ELECTION-2022-NEVADA-SECRETARY OF STATE — Nevada’s primary will determine whether a former state lawmaker who has repeated the false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen will become the GOP’s nominee for the office that oversees elections in the state. SENT: 660 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing. Polls close 10 p.m.
ELECTION 2022-MAINE-GOVERNOR — Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage is seeking a political comeback. With no opposition, he'll coast to the Republican nomination for governor on Tuesday. SENT: 830 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-NEW YORK-GOVERNOR — In a televised debate, four Republican candidates for New York governor pledge to undo years of one-party rule by Democrats and focus on battling crime. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUBTREAK-CHINA — The mayor of a northeastern Chinese city on the North Korean border that had been under lockdown for more than 50 days has apologized for unspecified failures in his administration’s work. Dandong’s mayor gave no specifics, but said government work and basic services had been “unsatisfactory,” for which he offered his apologies. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES-MODERNA — FDA’s outside experts review Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. schoolchildren and teens. By Medical Writer Mike Stobbe. UPCOMING: 450 words by noon, photos. Developing from vote expected around 5 p.m.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS GUNS — The outline of a bipartisan Senate agreement on reining in gun violence has no game-changing steps banning the deadliest firearms. But it does propose measured provisions that could make it harder for some young gun buyers, or people considered threatening, to have weapons. SENT: 950 words, photos.
BIDEN — President Biden delivers remarks at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia on how he’s trying to make the economy work for working-class Americans. UPCOMING: 300 words by noon, photos. Developing from speech scheduled for 2:50 p.m.
MICHELLE OBAMA — Former first lady Michelle Obama urges Americans not to tune out a gridlocked political system but realize that voting and enlisting millions of new voters is a pathway to change. SENT: 380 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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UNITED STATES-KOREAS — South Korea’s top diplomat says North Korea has completed preparations for a new nuclear test and only a political decision by the country’s top leadership can prevent it from going forward. SENT: 450 words, photos.
PALESTINIANS-ABBAS HEIR? — Hussein al-Sheikh is a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison with Israel. He is increasingly seen as a successor to the 86-year-old Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
IRAN — An explosion at a chemical factory in southern Iran has injured scores of people, most of them lightly. The country’s state TV reported on Tuesday that a leak from an ammonium tank caused the blast on Monday evening. SENT: 300 words.
RUSSIA-BALLET COMPETITION-PHOTO GALLERY — In a city where global tensions weigh heavily, rising talents of ballet soared gracefully at the Moscow International Ballet Competition. SENT: 120 words, photos.
CAMBODIA-OPPOSITION — A Cambodian court has convicted a Cambodian American lawyer and dozens of members of a now-dissolved opposition party on charges of treason. SENT: 650 words, photos.
KUWAIT VENEZUELA — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has visited Kuwait and spoken to the small, oil-rich nation’s crown prince. Maduro said in televised remarks the tour aimed to reactivate ties and cooperation. SENT: 150 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK-FLOODING — Yellowstone officials assess the damage caused by a deluge of floodwaters that forced the evacuation of parts of the iconic national park just as the summer tourism season is ramping up. SENT: 810 words, video, photos.
PATRIOT FRONT-ARRESTS — As hate speech targeting LGBTQ people increases among some far-right influencers and others online, experts warn that extremist groups may see the rhetoric as a call to action. SENT: 990 words, photos.
WETERN WILDFIRES — The northern Arizona city of Flagstaff is synonymous with mountains — lush with ponderosa pines, meadows, and hiking trails. Now, parts of them are burning yet again this year. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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COLORADO RIVER-IMPERILED FISH — The Colorado River’s decline poses a new risk for an ancient fish — the humpback chub, which has lived in the western U.S. river for millions of years. UPCOMING: 1,100 words by noon, photos.
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SPORTS
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NBA FINALS — Andrew Wiggins delivers the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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PEOPLE-BRITNEY SPEARS — A man once briefly married to Britney Spears pleads not guilty to felony stalking after showing up at the pop star’s wedding to her longtime boyfriend. Jason Alexander, 40, also pleads innocent to trespassing, vandalism and battery. SENT: 430 words, photo.
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HOW TO REACH US
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