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AP News Digest 7 a.m.

Via AP news wire
Saturday 17 September 2022 08:30 BST

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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.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Investigators searching through what appears to be one of the largest mass burial sites discovered in Ukraine have found evidence of atrocities, including torture, on land recently recaptured from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy says. In a video he apparently rushed out to underscore the gravity of the discoveries just hours after exhumations began, Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found “tortured, shot, killed by shelling” near Izium’s Pishchanske cemetery. By Vasilisa Stepanenko. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video.

BRITAIN-ROYALS — A surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt to more people joining the miles-long queue. By late afternoon, a live tracker of the queue to get into historic Westminster Hall said it had reopened, but the British government warned that the waiting time to cover the 5 miles from the start of the line in Southwark Park to Parliament had climbed to more than 24 hours. By Mike Corder, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, videos. WITH: BRITAIN-ROYALS-THE LATEST.

BRITAIN-ROYALS-ECONOMIC-BOOST — Hotels, restaurants and shops are packed as royal fans pour into the heart of London to experience the flag-lined roads, pomp-filled processions and brave a mileslong line for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bid adieu to Queen Elizabeth II. Visitors crowding into central London from as far away as the U.S. and India for the historic moment are giving a boost to businesses at a time when the British economy is facing a cost-of-living crisis fueled by the highest inflation in four decades and predictions of a looming recession. By Kelvin Chan. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-ELECTION OFFICES — Election conspiracy theorists are flooding local election offices with voter challenges and public records requests. The wave of inquiries is adding to the already heavy workload those offices face as they scramble to prepare for November’s elections. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA GOVERNOR — Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is launching an intensive effort to get out the vote by urging potential supporters to cast in-person ballots the first week of early voting as she tries to navigate the state’s new election laws. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,150 words, photo.

INDIA-CHEETAH — Seven decades after cheetahs died out in India, they’re back. Eight big cats from Namibia made the long trek in a chartered cargo flight to the northern Indian city of Gwalior, part of an ambitious and hotly contested plan to reintroduce cheetahs to the South Asian country. By Aniruddha Ghosal and Sibi Arasu. SENT: 820 words, photos

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MORE ON BRITAIN-ROYALS

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BRITAIN-ROYALS-YEMEN — There are few remaining reminders that the Yemeni port city of Aden was once a British colony. But the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted some Yemenis to remember a colonial rule that oppressed many and deepened divisions inside the country. Elizabeth passed by the city, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, in 1954 in a visit current generations remember their grandfathers talking about. Some credit the British era with bringing order and organization to Aden. But many say that the chaos of Yemen’s civil war today is no reason to feel nostalgia for a colonial occupation. SENT: 890 words, photos.

HONG-KONG-UK — Hundreds of Hong Kong residents are lining up in front of the British Consulate General for hours each day to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, leaving piles of flowers and handwritten notes. The collective outpouring of grief is perhaps the most ardent among the former British colonies, where most mourning has been somewhat muted. The public display of emotion is seen by some experts as a form of dissent against increasingly intrusive controls by communist-ruled Beijing, which took over the territory in 1997. SENT: 880 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-UNITED STATES — The Pentagon’s top intelligence chief says Russian forces have shown themselves incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putin’s initial objectives in Ukraine. SENT: 490 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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SARAH-SANDERS-CANCER-SURGERY — Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who is running for governor in Arkansas, underwent surgery Friday for thyroid cancer. SENT: 480 words, photo.

SEAPLANE-CRASH — Crews later this month will begin trying to recover the wreckage of a seaplane that crashed in Puget Sound off Whidbey Island in Washington state, killing 10. SENT: 200 words, photo.

HAWAII-COLD-CASE-NEVEDA-ARREST — A Nevada judge has ordered a former deputy state attorney general accused of killing a 19-year-old woman in Hawaii 50 years ago to remain jailed without bail until he is arraigned next week on a fugitive charge. SENT: 280 words.

CHILDREN DROWNED — A mother charged with drowning her three children at New York’s Coney Island beach was arraigned on murder charges, authorities say. SENT: 170 words.

SUPREME COURT-GINSBURG AUCTION — A gold judicial collar made of glass beads that belonged to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has sold at auction for $176,775. SENT: 240 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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TRUMP-FBI — The Justice Department asks a federal appeals court to lift a judge’s order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 710 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-MINNESOTA-GOVERNOR — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has rolled out a framework for fighting climate change that shows his proposed direction on the environment if he wins a second term, a sweeping plan that would slash carbon emissions and speed the switchover to electric vehicles. SENT: 630 words, photo.

BIDEN-GRINER MEETING — President Joe Biden has met with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, the first face-to-face encounter that the president has had with the relatives. SENT: 470 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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HOMELESS-HOTELS-SHUTTER — Cities from Anchorage to New Orleans are shuttering their pandemic-era hotels that were used to house the homeless as funding dwindles and leases run out. In Denver, one of the last hotel shelters closed its doors Friday, pushing 138 residents out of the rooms. The Quality Inn in Denver, leased from its private owner by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, provided rooms for those over 65-years-old and people at greater risk for severe COVID-19 illness. SENT: 920 words, photos.

ABORTION BAN-WEST VIRGINIA — West Virginia’s Legislature passed a sweeping abortion ban with few exceptions Tuesday, approving a bill that several members of the Republican supermajority said they hope will make it impossible for the state’s only abortion clinic to continue to offer the procedure. SENT: 790 words, photos.

NEWTOWN-SHOOTING-INFOWARS — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who is on trial in Connecticut for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre a hoax, has continued to describe the proceedings as a “kangaroo court” from his Infowars studio in Texas. SENT: 730 words, photos.

ARIZONA-FILMING POLICE — The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature won’t attempt to defend a new law limiting up-close filming of police that has been blocked by a federal judge. The decision essentially ends the fight over the contentious proposal, but the Republican sponsor says he may promote a revised measure next year. 630 words, photos.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-ELIJAH MCCLAIN — A Colorado judge has partially granted a request by news organizations to release an amended autopsy report for Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after a 2019 encounter with police. The judge ruled for the report to be made public after new information is redacted. SENT: 660 words, photo.

ALASKA-COASTAL-STORM — Residents on Alaska’s vast and sparsely populated western coast braces for a powerful storm that forecasters said could be one of the worst in recent history, threatening hurricane-force winds and high surf that could knock out power and cause flooding. SENT: 620 words, photos.

TRANGENDER-YOUTH-TEXAS — A Texas judge has expanded her order blocking the state from investigating families of transgender youth who have received gender- affirming medical care. SENT: 490 words.

CALIFORNIA MUDSLIDES-WOMEN KILLED — A woman who disappeared when a downpour in a recently burned area unleashed mudslides that tore through her Southern California mountain community was found dead under mud, rocks and other debris, authorities say. SENT: 420 words, photos.

SCHOOL-SHOOTING-FLORIDA — Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz has asked for the judge in his murder case to remove herself, two days after she scolded them when they abruptly rested their case after calling only a fraction of their expected witnesses. SENT: 410 words, photos.

SOCIAL-MEDIA-TEXAS — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter in a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of censoring conservative speech. SENT: 370 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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MEXICO-INDEPENDENCE-DAY-MILITARY — Mexico’s Independence Day parade Friday had even more of a militaristic air this year coming just days after the relatively new National Guard was passed completely to the command of the military. SENT: 420 words, photos.

TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Fiona threaded between Guadeloupe and Montserrat while entering the eastern Caribbean and dropping heavy rains over the northern Leeward Islands. SENT: 340 words.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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CALIFORNIA-CLIMATE GOALS — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of bills aimed at moving away from reliance on fossil fuel-based energy. It includes legislation protecting communities of color from exposure to oil and gas pollution, creates a framework for capturing carbon emissions and accelerates the state’s renewable energy timelines. SENT: 490 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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THEATER-THE-PHANTOM-OF-THE-OPERA — “The Phantom of the Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, the biggest victim yet of the post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York. SENT: 310 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BBA--ATHLETICS-ASTROS — Yordan Alvarez homered in his first three at-bats, Justin Verlander threw five hitless innings in his return from the injured list and the Houston Astros clinched a postseason berth with a 5-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. By Kristie Rieken. SENT: 785 words, photos.

BBN--REDS-CARDINALS — Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 on Friday night. SENT: 700 words, photos.

BKN--SUNS-SARVER INVESTIGATION — PayPal said it will no longer sponsor the Phoenix Suns if owner Robert Sarver remains part of the franchise when his suspension ends. And the National Basketball Players Association later made its stance clear, with executive director Tamika Tremaglio telling ESPN that NBA players want Sarver banned for life. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 500 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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.

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