AP News Digest 3:20 a.m.

APTOPIX Rail Yard Shooting California (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY-ERITREANS IN CHARGE — Despite claims by both Ethiopia and Eritrea that they were leaving, Eritrean soldiers are in fact more firmly entrenched than ever in neighboring Tigray, where they are brutally gang-raping women, killing civilians, looting hospitals and blocking food and medical aid, The Associated Press has found. Rather than leaving, witnesses say, the Eritrean soldiers now control key roads and access to some communities. By Rodney Muhumuza. SENT: 2,180 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 990 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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CAPITOL BREACH-COMMISSION — Senate Republicans are poised to block the creation of a special commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. A vote on the procedural motion is expected Friday, after delays on an unrelated bill pushed back the schedule. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 1,250 words after vote, timing uncertain. With CONGRESS-FILIBUSTER-EXPLAINER — How the filibuster works.

RAIL-YARDS-CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING — Taptejdeep Singh died trying to save others from a gunman. Kirk Bertolet saw some of his coworkers take their last breaths. And friends, family and survivors were left to mourn after nine men died this week when a disgruntled coworker hauling a duffle bag full of guns and ammunition opened fire at a Northern California rail yard complex, apparently choosing his targets and sparing others. By Terence Chea and Janie Har. SENT: 970 words, photos, videos. With RAIL-YARDS-CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING-WITNESS — Survivor: California shooter was ‘outsider’ in workplace; RAIL-YARDS-CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING-VICTIM-VIGNETTES — Victims of shooting recalled as loving, kind-hearted, heroic.

BIDEN-BUDGET — President Joe Biden’s $6 trillion budget proposal for next year would run a $1.8 trillion federal government deficit despite a raft of new tax increases on corporations and high-income people designed to pay for his ambitious spending plans. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, video.

CONGRESS-TECHNOLOGY BILL — What started as a pragmatic effort to boost scientific research and development has morphed into sweeping Senate bill aimed at making the U.S. more competitive with China and other countries, including $50 billion in emergency funds to shore up domestic computer chip manufacturing. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 860 words, photos. UPCOMING: 990 words after vote, timing uncertain.

IRAQ-MARSHES — An Iraqi environmentalist is on a quixotic mission spanning two decades. Omar al-Sheikhly is searching for signs of Maxwell’s smooth-coated otter, an endangered species that lives only in the marshes of southern Iraq. Its precarious existence is vital to the iconic wetlands, but it’s threatened by a combination of unpredictable water levels, illegal fishing and neglect. The otter has only been photographed twice. Sightings of the quick-witted otter are rare, and at most 900 are believed to remain in the marshlands. By Samya Kullab. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

INDY 500-DIVERSITY DRIVE — IndyCar is making a push to diversify its fan base and its driving field. Willy Ribbs and George Mack are the only Black drivers to ever start an Indianapolis 500. IndyCar last year started a wide-ranging initiative supporting diversity and inclusivity across the industry. By Sports Writer Dan Gelston. SENT: 1,600 words, photos. An abridged version of 950 words is also available.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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SOUTHWEST-FLIGHT-ATTENDANT-ASSAULT — Southwest bans woman accused of assaulting flight attendant. SENT: 250 words, photo.

NAVAL-ACADEMY-HARRIS — Vice President Harris to speak at Naval Academy graduation. SENT: 90 words, photo.

ALASKA-SWASTIKA-STICKERS Alaska Jewish museum, gay bar tagged with swastika stickers. SENT: 550 words.

ITALY-OBIT-FRACCI — Italy’s Carla Fracci, La Scala prima ballerina, dies at 84. SENT: 650 words, photos.

BOAT-DEATHS-FLORIDA — Coast Guard: Two dead, 10 missing after boat overturns in Keys. SENT: 190 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Japan is set to extend a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas with infections not yet slowing to levels it can safely host the Olympics opening in just over 50 days. SENT: 330 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — Biden warns naysayers in Congress not to “get in the way” of his big infrastructure plans as the White House pans a counteroffer from GOP senators to tap unused COVID-19 relief for a more modest investment in roads, highways and other traditional public works projects. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.

PAUL RYAN-REPUBLICANS — Former House Speaker Paul Ryan joins the fight against Donald Trump, urging fellow conservatives to reject the former president’s divisive politics and those Republican leaders who emulate him. By National Political Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 670 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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POLICE-RESTRAINT-DEATH — Five weeks after ex-Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, three Washington state officers have been charged in the death of Manuel Ellis: another Black man who pleaded for breath under an officer’s knee. SENT: 990 words, photos.

SANCTIONS-EVASION TECHNOLOGY Maritime experts say a Cyprus-flagged oil tanker’s impossible journey could represent the next frontier of how rogue states and their enablers manipulate GPS-like tracking systems to hide their movements while circumventing sanctions. SENT: 960 words, photo.

STUDENT-KILLED-IOWA — Jurors deliberated for three hours without reaching a verdict in the trial of a farm laborer accused of fatally stabbing a University of Iowa student who disappeared in 2018 while out for a run. SENT: 700 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BELARUS-DISSIDENT JOURNALIST — Raman Pratasevich has been part of the Belarus political opposition for over a decade and has long feared the authorities would try to abduct him, even though he was living abroad. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

HONG KONG-JIMMY LAI — Hong Kong media tycoon and outspoken pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to more jail time over his role in an anti-government protest in 2019, as authorities step up a crackdown on dissent in the city. SENT: 490 words, photos.

MEXICO-ELECTORAL-VIOLENCE — Candidates for next month’s midterm elections in Mexico are taking extreme precautions on the campaign trail. SENT: 800 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-MICE-PLAGUE — Vast tracts of land in Australia’s New South Wales state are being threatened by a mouse plague that the state government describes as “absolutely unprecedented.” SENT: 780 words, photos.

GERMANY-NAMIBIA — Germany has reached an agreement with Namibia that will see it officially recognize as genocide the colonial-era killings of tens of thousands of people and commit to spending $1.3 billion, largely on development projects. SENT: 420 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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WHO-SEX-ABUSE The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged the U.N. health agency’s response to sexual abuse allegations involving employees who worked in Congo during an Ebola outbreak was “slow,” following an Associated Press investigation that found senior WHO management knew of multiple cases of misconduct. By Medical Writer Maria Cheng. SENT: 900 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares rose, powered by encouraging signs that the U.S. economic recovery from the pandemic is gaining momentum. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 650 words, photos.

CYBERSECURITY-USAID PHISHING — The state-backed Russian cyber spies behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign launched a targeted spear-phishing assault on U.S. and foreign government agencies and think tanks this week using an email marketing account of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Microsoft says. By Technology Writer Frank Bajak. SENT: 350 words, photo.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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REVIEW-FRIENDS-THE-REUNION — Bring your tissues: HBO Max’s “Friends: The Reunion” special brings the six actors from NBC’s sitcom together on the stage they made famous. By Entertainment Writer David Bauder. SENT: 690 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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