AP News Digest 3 am

Monday 08 August 2022 06:53 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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CONGRESS-BUDGET — Democrats pushed their election-year economic package to Senate passage, a hard-fought compromise less ambitious than President Joe Biden’s original domestic vision but one that still meets deep-rooted party goals of slowing global warming, moderating pharmaceutical costs and taxing immense corporations. By Alan Fram and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — A fragile cease-fire deal to end nearly three days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza held throughout the night and into Monday morning — a sign the latest round of violence may have abated. The flare-up was the worst fighting between Israel and Gaza militant groups since Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers fought an 11-day war last year, adding to the destruction and misery that have plagued blockaded Gaza for years. By Fares Akram and Tia Goldenberg. SENT: 810 words, photos, video.

CHINA-US-TAIWAN — China said it was extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade. SENT: 620 words, photos. With AUSTRALIA-CHINA — Australia calls for cooling of Taiwan Strait tensions.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — The eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk has been without water for months as damage to infrastructure from Russian attacks has caused a breakdown in basic services. The city's remaining residents must manually pump water for drinking and washing from two public wells, creating gathering places in the mostly deserted city. The problem of water will only get worse with the onset of winter as the lack of gas heating will cause cold temperatures to freeze aboveground pipes that serve many of the city's residents. By Justin Spike. SENT: 870 words, photos.

SHRINKING POLICE — In major American cities, police departments are losing officers and can’t find enough recruits to replace them. Pandemic burnout, budget cuts and anti-police protests after George Floyd’s murder have combined to reduce police ranks and many departments are downsizing. By Gillian Flaccus, Claudia Lauer and Stefanie Dazio. SENT: 1,760 words, photos, video, graphic. This is the Tuesday Spotlight.

SEVERE WEATHER-APPALACHIA-COAL TOWN — Widespread flooding is just the latest test for the town of Fleming-Neon, Kentucky. It was once a thriving coal town, but has seen its population plummet as the industry collapsed. The people who remain — only about 500 —are determined to prove their community is about more than coal. By National Writer Allen G. Breed. SENT: 790 words, photos, video.

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AP News Digest 3 am