AP News Digest 4 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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THE AP INTERVIEW MISTSOTAKIS — Greece’s prime minister says he will extend “a hand of friendship” to the winner of upcoming elections in its neighbor and longtime regional rival Turkey — but adds that he hopes the next government will “reconsider its approach toward the West.” Kyriakos Mitsotakis, himself facing an election in just over a week, said he is willing to speak to whoever emerges victorious from Sunday’s polls in Turkey. By Elena Becatoros. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video. With: THE AP INTERVIEW MISTSOTAKIS PARTHENON MARBLES: Greek PM seeks ‘innovative’ solution to decades-old Parthenon Sculpture dispute with British Museum. (sent).
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TOP STORIES
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TITLE 42-IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM — Pandemic-related asylum restrictions that expelled migrants millions of times have ended in a shift that threatens to put a historic strain on the nation’s beleaguered immigration system. The change came early Friday after migrants raced to enter the United States before the new restrictions set in. By Valerie Gonzalez, Elliot Spagat and Giovanna Dell'Orto. SENT: 1,300 words, photos, videos. WITH: TITLE 42 EXPLAINER — Title 42 restrictions are ending. Here’s what it has done, and how US immigration policy is changing. (sent); WITH: COLOMBIA-DARIEN MIGRANTS — Migrants who have hiked into the dense Darien jungle covering the Colombia-Panama border while the U.S. government moved to lift pandemic-related asylum restrictions have found an increasingly organized migration route (sent); WITH: TITLE 42-IMMIGRATION-VIGNETTES — Scenes playing out along the border. (sent); CONGRESS-IMMIGRATIONS — House Republicans pass new asylum restrictions as Title 42 ends; Biden promises veto (sent).
SUBWAY-CHOKEHOLD DEATH — A man who kept a chokehold around the neck of an agitated fellow passenger on a New York City subway, leading to the other rider’s death, is expected to turn himself in to authorities on a manslaughter charge. Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday they would be bringing the criminal charge against Daniel Penny, 24, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, in the May 1 death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely. By Jake Offenhartz and Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 300 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-IMRAN KHAN — Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan returned to a top court to hear whether he will be shielded from renewed arrest or will be taken back into custody. The decision, expected to be issued on Friday, had Pakistan’s government and legions of Khan supporters on edge after days of violent confrontations. By Munir Ahmed. WITH-PAKISTAN-IMRAN-KHAN-ARREST-EXPLAINER -- Why the arrest of Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan could push the country into chaos. SENT: 505 words, photos.
TRUMP VERDICT-WOMEN — A civil jury’s finding that former President Donald Trump sexually assaulted a writer in the 1990s comes at what one scholar calls an “ambiguous moment” for American women. Columnist E. Jean Carroll is savoring the civil court judgment that orders Trump to pay her $5 million in damages. Yet few call the verdict a death knell for his political career. UCLA gender studies professor Juliet Williams believes millions of women would support Trump in 2024 to promote their personal interests. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian militant targets in the Gaza Strip have continued for a third day. The Palestinian death toll has risen to 30 as foreign mediators press ahead with efforts to reach a cease-fire. After the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group fired longer-range rockets toward Israel, Israeli warplanes struck Islamic Jihad rocket launchers. Islamic Jihad held its rocket fire overnight, raising hopes that Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations would be able to broker a cease-fire. By Fares Akram and Isabel Debre. SENT: 1,025 words, photos. WITH: PALESTINIANS-ISLAMIC JIHAD-EXPLAINER -- What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Gaza militant group now fighting Israel? SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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US BUFFALO SUPERMARKET SHOOTING-MOTHERS — Tirzah Patterson will dedicate this Mother’s Day to the hardest part of a mother’s job, trying to help her child make sense of tragedy. Patterson and her husband had divorced, but remained close for the sake of their son. Then Heyward Patterson was gunned down along with nine people in a racist attack at a Buffalo supermarket a year ago Sunday. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is delaying its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces because Ukraine lacks enough Western weapons to succeed without suffering too many casualties. His remarks were aired shortly before Britain said it sent Ukraine air-launched cruise missiles that would allow pilots to extend their reach farther than possibly any other weapon in their arsenal. SENT: 1,145 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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US TEEN SEX EVOLVING MORES — High school students are having less sexual intercourse. That’s what the studies say. But that doesn’t mean they’re having less sex. The language of young love and lust, and the actions behind it, are evolving. And experts say the shift is not being adequately captured in national studies. SENT: 1,500 words, photos.
TWITTER-NEW CEO — Elon Musk says he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it’s now called. Musk did not name the person but said she will start in about six weeks. SENT: 460 words, photo.
IMPERILLED BATS — Tiny bats provide ‘glimmer of hope’ against a fungus that threatened entire species. SENT 1,100 words, photos.
US CALIFORNIA CONDORS — California condors confront bird flu in flight from extinction. SENT: 900 words, photos.
US SNAKE RELEASE — Memphis ‘snake factory’ transplants slither into their new home in Louisiana. SENT: 350 words, photos, videos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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US ELECTIONS 2024-BIDEN TRAVEL — When Joe Biden was running for president three years ago, he flew on a white private jet with his campaign logo painted on the side. Now he has a larger, more recognizable ride as he seeks a second term. Decisions on how to divvy up the costs of a president’s travels between taxpayers and the campaign can be opaque. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
US BIDEN SPAIN — President Joe Biden and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez are set to hold talks as their countries are collaborating along with Canada to establish migration hubs in Latin America where asylum seekers fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries can go to apply for protection. SENT: 750 words, photos.
HEALTH WORKERS-SHORTAGE — Thousands of doctors and nurses signed on to work in the country’s most desperate regions during the COVID-19 pandemic in exchange for forgiveness of medical school debt. But now, with the public health emergency over, expansion of the program that brought them onboard is in jeopardy, even as people struggle to get timely and quality care because of an industry-wide dearth of workers. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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KIDS KILLED-DOOMSDAY PLOT-TRIAL — An Idaho jury is weighing two theories in the strange triple murder trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. Prosecutors say she a power-hungry manipulator who would kill her two youngest children for money, and defense attorneys describe her as a normally protective mother who fell under the romantic sway of a wannabe cult leader. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. WITH: KIDS KILLED-DOOMSDAY PLOT-WHO'S WHO (sent).
CALIFORNIA BUDGET — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is likely to announce that the state’s budget deficit is a lot bigger. Newsom will update his budget proposal on Friday. The governor said in January that California would have a $22.5 billion deficit, but since then, California’s revenue has continued to decline. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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SUDAN DUELING GENERALS — The explosion of violence in Sudan comes after years of building tensions between the country’s two most powerful armed forces. Senior officers from both the military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have described how each side accumulated power and shifted alliances, leading to the eruption of all fighting between them last month — two top generals fighting against each other. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
ASIA CYCLONE — Authorities in Bangladesh and Myanmar are preparing to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people as they brace for a severe cyclonic storm churning in the Bay of Bengal. SENT. 450 words, photos.
THAILAND ELECTIONS — Voters disaffected by nine years of plodding rule by a coup-making army general are expected to deliver a strong mandate for change in Thailand’s general election Sunday. But a predicted victory by the allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, whose ouster by coup 17 years ago plunged the country into prolonged instability, has caused concern for an unhindered democratic transition. SENT: 920 words, photos. WITH: THAILAND ELECTIONS GLANCE: A look at the parties and issues in Thailand’s election on Sunday. SENT.
PHILIPPINES-EX SENATOR-DRUGS — A former Philippine opposition senator and justice secretary has been acquitted of drug charges after key witnesses recanted and said they lied about her involvement in trafficking. Leila de Lima has been detained since 2017 on drug charges she says were fabricated by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials in an attempt to muzzle her criticism of his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. SENT: 380 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MED-BLOOD-DONATIONS-GAY-MEN -- Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can give blood in the U.S. without abstaining from sex under updated federal health guidelines that focus on donors’ behavior, not their sexual orientation. SENT: 445 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are trading mostly lower on looming worries over U.S. banks and lagging demand from China, the region’s major driver of growth. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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THE STREAM — This week’s new entertainment releases include an album from Jonas Brothers, Nintendo releasing a fresh Legend of Zelda video game and PBS’ “Great Performances” celebrating 50 years of Broadway with a starry concert. You can enjoy both sides of the Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez marriage by watching his “Air” on Prime Video and her thriller “The Mother” on Netflix. Plus, the use of artificial intelligence has become a hot topic and is the focus of a new limited FBI-focused series called “Class of ’09” coming to FX on Hulu starring Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
US-FILM REVIEW-THE MOTHER — Jennifer Lopez plays an assassin and a mother in the new Netflix film “The Mother,” directed by Niki Caro off a story idea by Misha Green. The film posits a scenario where she gave up her daughter at birth, for her protection, but 12 years later the girl is in danger and she’s the only one who can save her. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKN—NUGGETS ADVANCE — Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone said it was around December when he thought this could be a championship-caliber team. Jamal Murray was a believer even sooner. Like in 2019. After watching the Nuggets steamroll the Suns in Game 6 to clinch the Western Conference semifinals, it’s hard to argue with him. UPCOMING: 510 words, photos by 6 a.m.
BKN--CELTICS-76ERS — Jayson Tatum missed his first six 3-pointers before he drilled two straight clutch ones late in the game that pushed the Celtics past the Philadelphia 76ers 95-86 to send the Eastern Conference semifinals back to Boston for Game 7. SENT: 885 words, photos.
BKN--LAKERS-DAVIS-HURT — Lakers coach Darvin Ham said he expects Anthony Davis to play Friday night in Los Angeles, adding that the eight-time All-Star big man is “not showing any signs of anything” and is not in the NBA’s concussion protocol after being hit in the head late in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals. SENT: 390 words, photos.
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