AP News Digest 3 a.m.

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 07 September 2022 08:01 BST

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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TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-BACK-TO-SCHOOL — Students in Uvalde went back to school for the first time since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in a classroom attack that shocked the country and helped fuel passage of a landmark national law on gun violence. Children began arriving at Uvalde Elementary before dawn. By Paul J. Weber. SENT: 925 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — The U.N. atomic watchdog agency is urging Russia and Ukraine to establish a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the Zaporizhzhia power plant amid mounting fears the fighting could trigger a catastrophe in a country still haunted by the Chernobyl disaster. The report was issued Tuesday following a visit to the plant experts from the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency last week. It said shelling should stop immediately. By Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,300 words, photos, video.

BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, said Tuesday that he expects to be charged soon in a state criminal case in New York. Bannon, 68, plans to turn himself in on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter. By Eric Tucker and Michael R. Sisal. SENT: 500 words, photos.

US ELECTIONS 2022-MASSACHUSETTS — A former state representative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Geoff Diehl, has won the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor over a businessman, Chris Doughty, who was considered the more moderate candidate in the race. Diehl will face Democrat Maura Healey, now the state’s attorney general. She would be the first openly gay person and the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts if she wins. By Steve LeBlanc. SENT: 950 words, photos.

OATH KEEPERS-EXTREMIST GROUP — A new report says that the names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that’s accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. By Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 960 words, photos.

CANADA STABBINGS — As a Canadian Indigenous community comes to grips with a deadly stabbing rampage by two of its own, many blamed rampant drug and alcohol use on the reserve. One of the suspects, Myles Sanderson, has 59 criminal convictions, according to parole documents, and he acknowledged that drug and alcohol use made him out of his mind. Many of his past crimes happened when he was in a state of intoxication. By Rob Gilles and Robert Bumsted. SENT: 950 words, photos, video.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-GAS-EXPLAINER — Europe is struggling to contain an energy crisis as Russia throttles back supplies of natural gas. European officials say it’s a pressure game over their support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. The job now is to conserve energy, line up new supplies, and cushion the impact on the poor who can’t afford to pay increasingly higher utility bills. Europe has made some progress in finding new gas supplies by ship and in filling underground gas storage to get through the winter heating season. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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FLOATPLANE CRASH — A civil rights activist, a business owner, a lawyer, an engineer and the founder of a winery and his family were among the 10 people killed when a floatplane crashed in the waters of Puget Sound. SENT: 950 words, photos.

NAVY-FAT LEONARD — The escape of the Malaysian defense contractor at the center of one of the Navy’s biggest corruption scandals is as stunning and brazen as the case itself. SENT: 850 words, photos.

JOGGER ABDUCTED — Police in Memphis, Tennessee, said Tuesday that a body found during a search the day before is a woman who was abducted and forced into an SUV during an early morning jog. SENT: 824 words, photos.

BAHAMAS-FATAL SHARK ATTACK — Authorities say a shark has attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas. SENT: 380 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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TRUMP-FBI-JUDGE — A little-known federal judge appointed to the bench by Donald Trump is in the spotlight after she granted a request by Trump’s legal team for an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of his Florida property. By Meg Kinnard, Curt Anderson and Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

ELECTIONS 2022-PENNSYLVANIA SENATE — Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is teaming up with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey to publicly call on his Democratic rival in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, to participate in a debate. SENT: 900 words, photos.

TRUMP COWBOY-BARRED FROM OFFICE — A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin from holding public office. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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WATER WOES-MISSISSIPPI — While its water crisis continued, students in Mississippi’s capital were able to return to class for the first time in a week Tuesday with assurances that the toilets and sinks in their buildings would finally work. By Michael Goldberg. SENT: 680 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-HEAT WAVE — A brutal Western heat wave brought California to the verge of ordering rolling blackouts but the state’s electrical grid has managed to handle record-breaking demand. The state’s 39 million people were warned Tuesday that demand — some of it from people cranking up air conditioners — might outstrip supply as temperatures in many areas soared past 100 degrees. SENT: 820 words, photos.

ABORTION-SOUTH CAROLINA — The South Carolina Senate’s debate Wednesday on an abortion ban that no longer includes exceptions for pregnancies’ caused by rape and incest is likely to leave Republicans facing off with each other. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BRAZIL-BOLSONARO-BICENTENNIAL — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is calling Wednesday’s bicentennial a chance to celebrate the nation’s proud history. But his critics say he has transformed what should be a day of unity into a campaign event that they fear he will use to undermine next month’s election. Bolsonaro has urged Brazilians to flood the streets, and tens of thousands of his supporters are expected to turn out. He will be attending military displays in the capital of Brasilia and his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. SENT: 900 words, photos.

BRITAIN-POLITICS —Liz Truss became U.K. prime minister on Tuesday and immediately faced up to the enormous tasks ahead of her: curbing soaring prices, boosting the economy, easing labor unrest and fixing a national health care system burdened by long waiting lists and staff shortages. By Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,026 words, photos, video. With BRITAIN-POLITICS-BORIS JOHNSON (sent).

ITALY-FRACTURED LEFT — Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni’s is gathering momentum in her push to become Italy’s first female premier. The country’s fractured left is offering voters a contrasting style of feminist politics to help stop her in a form of Elly Schlein, a 37-year-old U.S.-Italian national who grew up in Switzerland. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

LIBYA-KIDNAPPED MIGRANT — A video has emerged on social media of a 15-year-old Sudanese refugee boy being tormented by gunmen in Libya demanding ransom. Hours after the boy was abducted and the video surfaced last week, his father was also snatched from his home. The rare video graphically highlights how torture, abuse and extortion of migrants are rampant in Libya. SENT: 1050 words, photos.

CHINA EARTHQUAKE — The death toll in the earthquake in western China has jumped to 74 with 26 people still missing. At the same time frustration is rising with uncompromising COVID-19 lockdown measures that prevented residents from leaving their buildings after Monday’s 6.8 magnitude quake n Sichuan province. SENT: 350 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-IMRAN KHAN — Five month since he was toppled by parliament, former Prime Minister Imran Khan has demonstrated his continued popularity with mass rallies across Pakistan. He has drawn huge crowds and signaled to his political rivals that he remains a political force. SENT: 700 words, photos.

SOLOMON ISLANDS-WARSHIPS — Australia says its navy ships have been given clearance to resume visits to the Solomon Islands, which had last week announced a temporary block on all military vessels during a review of its approval processes. SENT: 550 words, photos.

SOMALIA-FAMINE — The U.N. humanitarian chief predicts at least a billion dollars will be needed urgently to avert famine in Somalia. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-ADDICTION-BRAIN REWARD — Treatment for drug addiction means a chance to earn rewards for an increasing number of patients in recovery. A successful patient can earn rewards totaling $500 in some programs. The prizes are often gift cards given out for passing drug tests or for showing up for counseling. There’s brain science behind this method, known as contingency management. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

INDIA-NASAL-COVID-VACCINE — India and China have cleared a new approach in COVID-19 vaccination — two needle-free options, one a squirt in the nose and the other inhaled through the mouth. Regulators in India authorized Bharat Biotech’s nasal version as an option for people who haven’t yet been vaccinated. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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JUUL-VAPPING SETTLEMENT — Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs has agreed to pay nearly $440 million to settle a multi-state investigation into its vaping products, which have long been blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping. SENT: 830 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are mostly lower, as pessimism prevailed about higher interest rates ahead and Wall Street shares fell for the fourth straight week. . SENT: 600 words, photos.

CHINA TRADE — China’s export growth weakened in August and imports shrank as high energy prices, inflation and anti-virus restrictions weighed on global and Chinese consumer demand. SENT: 250 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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BRITAIN-BOOKER PRIZE — American authors Elizabeth Strout and Percival Everett are up against writers from Britain, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka as finalists for the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction. SENT: 250 words, photos.

R KELLY — A music writer who spent decades raising awareness about sexual misconduct allegations against singer R. Kelly is fighting a bid to force him to testify at Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago on child pornography and trial-fixing charges. SENT: 580 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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TEN—US OPEN — Caroline Garcia beat 18-year-old American Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-4 at the U.S. Open to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 28. SENT: 875 words, photos.

FBC--T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL — Georgia moved up to No. 2 in the first Associated Press college football poll of the regular season, passing Ohio State, after the defending national champions dominated their opener. SENT: 700 words.

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HOW TO REACH US

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The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Donald E. King (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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