AP News Digest 4:10 am
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TOP STORIES
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TEXAS SCHOOL-SHOOTING — An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 19 children as he went from classroom to classroom, officials said, in the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade and the latest gruesome moment for a country scarred by a string of massacres. The attacker was killed by law enforcement. The death toll also included two adults, authorities said, including a teacher. The assault at Robb Elementary School in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. By Acacia Coronado and Jim Vertuno. SENT: 1,340 words, photos, video. With TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-LIST; TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-THE LATEST. Also see MORE ON TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING below. For full coverage.
ELECTION 2022 — Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia easily dispatched with Donald Trump’s hand-picked challenger in a Republican primary that demonstrated the limits of the former president and his conspiracy-fueled politics in a critical swing state. Kemp will face Democrat Stacey Abrams this fall in what will be one of the nation’s most consequential governor’s races. By Steve Peoples and Jeff Amy. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video. With ELECTION 2022-TAKEAWAYS — Highlights from voting in five states. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-HOUSE — One of the last remaining anti-abortion Democrats in Congress was facing his toughest primary challenge yet in a runoff, while a staunch gun safety advocate ousted her House colleague in a fierce member-on-member congressional primary in suburban Atlanta. For both Republicans and Democrats, primary elections in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota and Texas pitted members of the party’s activist base against more moderate candidates. The races offer a glimpse of what the next Congress could look like. By Brian Slodysko. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. Also see MORE ON ELECTION 2022 below.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — No matter where Ukrainians live, the 3-month-old war never seems to be far away. Those in towns and villages near the front lines hide in basements from constant shelling, struggling to survive with no electricity or gas — and often no running water. But even in regions out of the range of the big guns, frequent air raid sirens wail in a constant reminder that a Russian missile can strike at any time, even for those walking their dogs, riding bicycles or taking their children to parks in cities like Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv. By Elena Becatoros and Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-THE LATEST. Also see MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR below. For full coverage.
KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea test-launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile and two shorter-range weapons into the sea, South Korea said, hours after Biden ended a trip to Asia where he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend its allies in the face of the North’s nuclear threat. By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 970 words, photos.
SOMALIA-AL SHABAB'S THREAT — The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab is projecting authority and asserting a wider role in public life in Somalia, underlining the extent of the challenge Africa’s deadliest Islamic extremist group presents to the newly elected government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. By Rodney Muhumuza. UPCOMING: 970 words, photos by 5 a.m.
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MORE ON TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING
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TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-VICTIMS — Distraught families gathered at a local civic center and turned to social media to mourn and to make desperate pleas for help finding missing children as the death toll in a school shooting at a Texas elementary school rose to at least 19 students. SENT: 690 words, photos.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-BIDEN — An anguished and angry President Joe Biden calls for new restrictions on firearms after a gunman massacred 19 children at a Texas elementary school. SENT: 420 words, photos, video.
TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-GUNS — The gunman who killed 19 elementary school children and two adults in Texas added to the state’s grim recent history of mass shootings. SENT: 760 words, photos.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-SANDY HOOK — A U.S. senator who came to Congress representing the Connecticut community where 26 elementary school students and educators were killed nearly a decade ago begged his colleagues, as the latest school shooting unfolded, to pass legislation addressing the nation’s gun violence problem. SENT: 900 words, photos. With TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-SPORTS-REAX — Sports world reacts to the school shooting in Texas.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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TURKEY-SWEDEN-FINLAND-NATO — Delegations from Sweden and Finland were scheduled to hold talks in Ankara with senior Turkish officials in an effort to overcome Turkey’s objections to their historic bids to join the NATO alliance. SENT: 530 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-TOWN UNDER FIRE — The eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut has been coming under increasing artillery strikes, particularly over the last week, as Russian forces try to press forward in an effort to encircle and capture the key city of Sieverodonetsk to the northeast. SENT: 550 words, photos, video.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — A regional governor in eastern Ukraine says that at least six civilians have been killed by the latest Russian shelling in a town at the epicenter of fighting three months into the war. SENT: 290 words.
FRANCE-CANNES-UKRAINE WAR — The war in Ukraine took a starring role on the opening night of the 75th Cannes Film Festival and it has rarely been far out of frame since. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
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MORE ON ELECTION 2022
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ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-GOVERNOR — Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams will face each other again in a rematch of the 2018 race that is likely to be one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched. SENT: 840 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-TEXAS-HOUSE — Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, one of the only anti-abortion Democrats remaining in Congress, faced the toughest reelection fight of his career in a primary runoff against progressive Jessica Cisneros that could offer clues over how much abortion rights could animate voters in the 2022 midterms. SENT: 630 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-SECRETARY OF STATE — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was a top target of former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican primary as he seeks reelection. SENT: 620 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-ARKANSAS-GOVERNOR — Sarah Sanders won the Republican nomination for governor in Arkansas, putting her on a clear path to lead a solidly red state where Trump’s popularity has overshadowed questions about his administration’s credibility that she faced during her time as White House press secretary. SENT: 1,120 words, photos. With ELECTION 2022-ARKANSAS-SENATE — Sen. John Boozman clinches Republican nomination in Arkansas.
ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-SENATE — Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican football legend Herschel Walker wasted little time exchanging attacks after both handily defeated primary challengers to set up a historic, high-stakes showdown for a coveted Senate seat in Georgia. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-HOUSE-GREENE — A defiant U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene easily defeated five fellow Republicans in a primary race that showed her conservative Georgia constituents standing steadfastly beside her after a turbulent freshman term. SENT: 650 words, photo.
ELECTION-2022-ALABAMA-SENATE — Alabama’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate is going to a June runoff between Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who overcame losing former Trump’s endorsement to remain a contender for the GOP nomination. SENT: 610 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-ALABAMA-GOVERNOR — Gov. Kay Ivey turned back eight primary challengers to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination without a runoff after an unexpectedly tough race that pushed a candidate known for folksiness far to the right. SENT: 490 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-VOTING — In the first statewide test of new voting restrictions, Georgia’s high-stakes primary election appeared to be running smoothly with no reports of major problems in one of the nation’s most important battleground states. SENT: 900 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-TEXAS-ATTORNEY GENERAL — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won his Republican runoff election against Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush despite facing a slew of legal problems, including an FBI investigation and a trial on securities fraud charges. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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JOSH DUGGAR-CHILD PORNOGRAPHY — Ex-reality star Josh Duggar to be sentenced for child porn. SENT: 470 words, photo.
GOOGLE-ABORTION-PRIVACY — Democrats: Google must protect privacy of abortion patients. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON
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BIDEN-POLICING — Biden plans to sign an executive order on policing on the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death. SENT: 530 words, photo. UPCOMING: 700 words after 4 p.m. signing. Also see GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS below.
BABY FORMULA-CONGRESS — The head of the Food and Drug Administration is preparing to tell lawmakers about events that led to a months-long gap before inspecting the plant at the center of a nationwide baby formula shortage. By Health Writer Matthew Perrone. SENT: 630 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words after 11 a.m. hearing.
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NATIONAL
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GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS — A candlelight vigil to honor George Floyd’s memory at the intersection where he died was among the remembrances scheduled for the second anniversary of the Black man’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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AFGHANISTAN-MALNUTRITION — In Afghanistan, 1.1 million children under the age of 5 will likely face the most severe form of malnutrition this year, according to the U.N., as increasing numbers of hungry, wasting-away children flow into hospital wards. SENT: 990 words, photos.
SRI LANKA — Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as finance minister as this Indian ocean island nation confronts its worst economic crisis in memory. SENT: 460 words, photo.
CHINA-UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS — Chinese leader Xi Jinping defended China’s record to the top U.N. human rights official, saying each nation should be allowed to find its own path based on its particular circumstances and criticizing those countries that lecture others on human rights and politicize the issue. SENT: 490 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-POLITICS — Australia’s new government has urged China to lift trade sanctions if it wants to reset a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the previous administration. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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PFIZER-HEALTH EQUITY — Pfizer said that it will provide nearly two dozen products, including its top-selling COVID-19 vaccine and treatment, at not-for-profit prices in some of the world’s poorest countries. By Health Writer Tom Murphy. SENT: 230 words, photo.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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JAPAN-DECLINING YEN — The Japanese yen has dropped to 20-year lows, trading at about 130 yen to the U.S. dollar, just when the price of oil and other goods is surging because of the war in Ukraine. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
DAVOS FORUM — The global economy is being squeezed by soaring inflation and slowing growth just as it was bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic. By Business Writer Kelvin Chan. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 4 a.m.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets gained after Wall Street sank on weak U.S. housing sales and a profit warning by a prominent social media brand. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 420 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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CHELSEA-SALE— Roman Abramovich’s 19 years as Chelsea owner is closer to ending after the British government approved the sale of the Premier League club by the sanctioned Russian oligarch to a consortium fronted by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly. By Global Soccer Writer Rob Harris. SENT: 630 words, photos.
MENTAL HEALTH-ONE YEAR AFTER OSAKA — One year after Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open because of mental health issues, changes for players at Roland Garros include new “quiet rooms” and three on-call psychiatrists. By National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,490 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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