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AP News Digest 3:25 a.m.

Via AP news wire
Monday 12 September 2022 08:24 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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ONLY ON AP

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AP POLL-HEALTH CARE -- A majority of adults in the U.S. say health care is not handled well in the country. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll reveals public satisfaction with the U.S. health care system is remarkably low, with fewer than half of Americans saying it’s handled well in general. By Amanda Seitz. SENT: 870 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Russia attacked power stations and other infrastructure Sunday, causing widespread outages across Ukraine as Kyiv’s forces pressed a swift counteroffensive that has driven Moscow’s troops out of swaths of territory it had occupied in the northeast. The bombardment ignited a massive fire at a power station on Kharkiv’s western outskirts and killed at least one person. By Karl Ritter and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

BRITAIN-ROYALS — Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside on a journey from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners in Scotland packed city streets and lined rural roads, and some tossing flowers to honor the monarch who died Thursday at Balmoral after 70 years on the throne. By David Keyton and Michael Corder. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, video. With BRITAIN-ROYAL-THE-LATEST; Find all our coverage in the AP Newsroom hub.

ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA GOP HEARTLAND — Georgia’s Republican Party, which once relied on votes in Atlanta’s close-in suburbs, increasingly relies on the mountains of north Georgia for its votes. A 41-county region of north Georgia now has as many GOP voters as the core of metro Atlanta, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Reliance on those voters shapes the party. By Jeff Amy. SENT: 1,450 words, photos, video. An abridged version is also available.

MIDEAST-RUNNING-ON-GENERATORS — They literally run the country. In parking lots, on flatbed trucks, street corners and hospital courtyards, private generators are ubiquitous in parts of the Middle East, spewing hazardous fumes into homes and businesses 24 hours a day. As the world looks for renewable energy to tackle climate change, Lebanon, Iraq, Gaza and elsewhere rely on diesel-powered private generators just to keep the lights on. Experts call it national suicide from an environmental and health perspective. By Zeina Karam. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.

EMMYS — Emmy Awards host Kenan Thompson and the ceremony’s producers are promising a feel-good event. That description doesn’t apply to several of the top nominated shows. Among the best drama contenders at Monday night’s ceremony are the violently dystopian “Squid Game” and “Succession,” about a powerful and cutthroat family. Even comedy nominee “Ted Lasso,” the defending champ, took a dark turn last season. But after several pandemic-affected awards seasons, Emmy producers say the night will be big and festive. By Television Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 500 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE DEATH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II

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AUSTRALIA-BRITAIN-ROYALS — Australia’s prime minister has defended an obscure and longstanding protocol that bars the nation’s parliament from sitting for 15 days following a British monarch’s death. SENT: 980 words, photos.

BRITAIN-ROYALS-BELOVED BALMORAL — When the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s body pulled out of the gates of Balmoral Castle on Sunday morning, it marked the monarch’s final departure form a personal sanctuary where she could shed the straitjacket of protocol and ceremony for a few weeks every year. SENT: 800 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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OBIT-ANTHONY VARVARO — Anthony Varvaro, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who retired in 2016 to become a police officer in the New York City area, was killed in a car accident on his way to work at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Manhattan. SENT: 250 words, photo.

DENMARK-QUEEN-CELEBRATIONS — Scaled-down celebrations are taking place in Denmark marking 50 years on the throne by Queen Margrethe, whose reign is now Europe’s longest following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. SENT: 230 words, photos.

BORDER PATROL-UNAUTHORIZED TWEETS — U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deactivated the agency’s Twitter account for the West Texas region after it retweeted posts criticizing President Joe Biden’s border policies and liked posts that made gay slurs against U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. SENT: 230 words.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — As the war in Ukraine marks 200 days, the country has reclaimed broad swaths of the south and east in a long-anticipated counteroffensive, dealing a heavy blow to Russia. SENT: 990 words, photos.

GREECE-PUTIN-GAS — Greece’s prime minister says the European Union should have a coordinated response to the challenge posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “blackmail” with the supply of natural gas. SENT: 470 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION 2022-WHAT TO WATCH — New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware will host the final multistate primary elections of the 2022 midterm season Tuesday, with contests to select candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House. As in earlier contests in other states, former President Donald Trump’s shadow looms large over some key races to be decided Tuesday, particularly in New Hampshire. By Holly Ramer and Jennifer McDermott. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

BIDEN — President Joe Biden is set to channel John F. Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of the former president’s moonshot speech, as the incumbent tries to set the nation’s sights on “ending cancer as we know it.” Biden was traveling to Boston on Monday to highlight a new federally backed study that seeks to validate using blood tests to screen against multiple cancers, which could dramatically improve early detection of cancers. By Zeke Miller and Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,210 words, photos. Biden to speak at 4 p.m. at the JFK Library in Boston.

BIDEN-BIOTECHNOLOGY — President Joe Biden is launching a new initiative to encourage biotech production and research in the U.S., the latest move by the White House to boost domestic industry. Biden will issue an executive order Monday implementing the initiative and later, in Boston, address how biotech can help fight cancer in remarks at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. By Christopher Rugaber. UPCOMING at 5 a.m. EDT: 290 words, photos. Biden to speak on infrastructure at 12:45 p.m. EDT at Boston Logan International Airport.

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NATIONAL

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NEWTOWN-SHOOTING-INFOWARS — A month after losing one nearly $50 million verdict, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is set to go on trial a second time for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax and causing several of the victims’ families emotional and psychological harm. SENT: 860 words, photo.

R-KELLY — Closing arguments are scheduled Monday for R. Kelly and two co-defendants in the R&B singer’s trial on federal charges of trial-fixing, child pornography and enticing minors for sex, with jury deliberations to follow. SENT: 390 words, photos.

OHIO-FAMILY-KILLED — Opening statements were planned for the first trial in the case of eight members of a single Ohio family shot to death more than six years ago. SENT: 190 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BRAZIL-ELECTION-LAND-GRANTS — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is backing a program that aims to give ownership rights to some 340,000 people who now live on lands that are either state owned or were privately held but unused. The far-right leader is trailing in the polls and hoping the Title Brazil program will help boost his odds of reelection. SENT: 940 words, photos.

SWEDEN-ELECTION — Sweden awoke to the prospect of weeks of political uncertainty after neither of the country’s blocs secured a clear governing majority in elections that saw another boost for a far-right party that is now the country’s second largest. SENT: 390 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-ZEALAND — New Zealand removed most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions as the government signaled a return to normalcy for the first time since the pandemic began. SENT: 380 words.

CHINA-EARTHQUAKE — The death toll from a major earthquake in western China rose to 93 as the search for survivors continued, authorities say. SENT: 240 words, photos.

ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY CRISIS — The Tigray forces battling Ethiopian troops say they’re willing to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities and participate in a peace process led by the African Union, a significant shift to which the government has not yet responded. SENT: 190 words, photo.

VENEZUELA-US — The government of Venezuela is defending the detention of United States citizens, rejecting an earlier statement from the Department of State marking the two-year confinement of a Marine veteran. SENT: 310 words.

MEXICO-BUS CRASH — The death toll in a northern Mexico bus crash has risen to 20, as questions emerge about whether a double-tanker fuel truck may have caused the deadly accident. SENT: 230 words.

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Shares climbed Monday in Asia after last week’s strong close on Wall Street snapped a three-week losing streak. Many regional markets were closed for holidays, while Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Oil prices declined. SENT: 520 words, photos.

RAILROAD CONTRACT TALKS — The heads of the nation’s two largest rail unions say the freight railroads’ move to begin delaying some hazardous shipments ahead of this week’s looming strike deadline is only an attempt to get shippers to increase the pressure on Congress to block a work stoppage by imposing a contract on workers. SENT: 700 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-TORONTO-HARRY STYLES — With just as much fanfare but a tad less drama, Harry Styles took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm on Sunday, premiering the tragic gay romance “My Policeman” less than a week after the much-talked-about debut of “Don’t Worry Darling” in Venice. SENT: 450 words, photos.

FILM-TORONTO-SIDNEY POITIER DOCUMENTARY — The Oprah Winfrey-produced documentary “Sidney” has arrived eight months after the death of Sidney Poitier. Winfrey called the film “my offering” to her longtime friend and mentor. SENT: 800 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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TEN--US OPEN

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 in the U.S. Open final to earn his first Grand Slam title at age 19 and become the youngest man to move up to No. 1 in the rankings. Alcaraz is a Spaniard who was appearing in his eighth major tournament and second at Flushing Meadows. He only briefly showed any signs of fatigue Sunday after having to get through three consecutive five-setters to reach the title match. Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway, is now 0-2 in Slam finals after finishing as the runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June. By Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,120 words, photos. With TEN--US Open-Women’s Doubles (sent)

FBN--BUCCANEERS-COWBOYS — Tom Brady and Mike Evans connected on a punctuating touchdown, Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Dallas Cowboys 19-3. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered an injury to his throwing hand that owner Jerry Jones said requires surgery and will force him to miss several weeks. Brady was in control throughout the first start for a 45-year-old quarterback in NFL history. He had a big assist from the defense in Todd Bowles’ debut as Tampa Bay’s coach following three seasons as defensive coordinator. By Schuyler Dixon. SENT: 920 words, photos. With FBN- -Cowboys-Prescott Injury (sent).

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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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