AP News Digest 3:30 am
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.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.
————————
ONLY ON AP
————————
UKRAINE WAR-THE BOY WHO SURVIVED — As he listened to his father die, the 14-year-old boy lay still on the asphalt. He closed his eyes, and a final shot was fired. Yura Nechyporenko’s extraordinary account of an attempted killing by Russian soldiers in Bucha reflects how children have also become the victims of possible war crimes. In Bucha alone, 31 children were killed, and Russian soldiers deliberately shot at cars with the signs “CHILDREN”, the chief prosecutor told The Associated Press. The United Nations says at least 202 children have been killed across Ukraine, and believes the real number is considerably higher. By Cara Anna. SENT: 1,560 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,050 words is also available.
————————
TOP STORIES
————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian forces were continuing their airstrikes on the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol and pressing their advance on towns in eastern Ukraine, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said. The bombardment came as Ukraine offered to release Russian prisoners of war in exchange for the safe evacuation of the badly injured fighters that remained trapped inside the mill in the ruined city. By Oleksandr Stashevskyi. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, videos. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST.
FINLAND-SWEDEN-NATO — Finland’s president and prime minister said they’re in favor of applying for NATO membership, paving the way for the alliance to expand amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. By Jari Tanner. SENT: 460 words, photos. For full coverage of Russia-Ukraine War.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA — North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown to control its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak after holding for more than two years to a widely doubted claim of a perfect record keeping out the virus that has spread to nearly every place in the world. The size of the outbreak wasn’t immediately known, but it could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated. Some experts say the North, by its rare admission of an outbreak, may be seeking outside aid. By Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin Kim. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With UNITED NATIONS-NORTH KOREA — U.S. clashes with China and Russia over North Korea sanctions.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL SUMMIT — Officials from around the world convene virtually for the second annual global COVID-19 summit to discuss ways to overcome hurdles to vaccination, protect the vulnerable and prevent the next catastrophe. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 600 words, photo. UPCOMING: 900 words after summit begins at 9 a.m.
ARMY-ARCTIC TRAINING — The U.S. Army is poised to revamp its forces in Alaska to better prepare for future cold-weather conflicts, and it is expected to replace the larger, heavily equipped Stryker Brigade in the state with a more mobile, infantry unit better suited for the frigid fight. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,050 words, photo.
CONGRESS-CRYPTO LOBBYING — Cryptocurrency tycoons are emerging as the new power players in American politics. They are pouring millions of dollars into primary elections as they try to gain influence over lawmakers and other government officials who will write laws or craft regulations overseeing the cryptocurrency industry. By Brian Slodysko and Fatima Hussein. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. An abridged version of 970 words is also available.
————————
MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-CONGRESS — Final congressional approval of a $40 billion Ukraine aid bill seems certain within days as top Senate Republicans say they expect strong GOP backing for the House-passed measure. SENT: 810 words, photos, video.
UKRAINE-WAR-ITALY CIRCUS — A Ukrainian circus troupe is performing a never-ending “Alice in Wonderland” tour of Italy. SENT: 420 words, photos, video.
————————
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-ECONOMY — China’s leaders are struggling to reverse an economic slump without giving up anti-virus tactics that shut down Shanghai and other cities, adding to challenges for President Xi Jinping as he tries to extend his time in power. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — U.S. COVID-19 cases are up, leading a smattering of school districts, particularly in the Northeast, to bring back mask mandates and recommendations for the first time since the omicron winter surge ended and as the country approaches 1 million deaths in the pandemic. SENT: 720 words, photos, video.
————————
TRENDING NEWS
————————
CHINA-AIRPLANE-ACCIDENT — Passengers injured as plane leaves runway in western China. SENT: 170 words, photo.
PASSENGER LANDS PLANE — Pilot down, passenger takes over with “no idea how to fly.” SENT: 370 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-INTERNET PERSONALITY — Internet troll faces trial after Capitol riot plea fizzles. SENT: 630 words, photo.
PSAKI’S EXIT — “Fiery” Psaki ending tenure as a top White House messenger. SENT: 1,210 words, photos, video.
TRUMP-WASHINGTON HOTEL-SALE — Trump sells Washington hotel to Miami-based investor group. SENT: 340 words, photos.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT-ASSAULT — Jury clears American Airlines in alleged assault of flight attendant. SENT: 260 words, photo.
VEGAS CASINO-WORKERS APPRECIATION — Vegas Strip resort surprises 5,400 workers with $5,000 bonuses. SENT: 270 words, photos.
NEPAL-EVEREST — Sherpa woman climbs Everest for 10th time, breaks own record. SENT: 230 words, photo.
————————
ELECTION 2022
————————
ELECTION 2022-COLORADO-SECRETARY OF STATE — Colorado’s Republican primary for its top elections official may embody the past and future approaches the party has to administering elections. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
————————
WASHINGTON
————————
UNITED STATES-SOUTHEAST ASIA — President Joe Biden hosts leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as his administration makes an extended effort to demonstrate that the United States hasn’t lost focus on the Pacific even while dealing with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. SENT: 640 words, photos. UPCOMING: 800 words after 6 p.m. dinner.
SUPREME COURT-ABORTION LEAK — The Supreme Court’s nine justices will gather in private for their first scheduled meeting since the leak of a draft opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade and sharply curtail abortion rights in roughly half the states. SENT: 850 words, photo.
————————
NATIONAL
————————
CONDOMINIUM COLLAPSE-FLORIDA — A nearly $1 billion tentative settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit brought by families of victims and survivors of last June’s condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, an attorney said. SENT: 560 words, photos.
SPRING WILDFIRES — The largest wildfire in the U.S. was spreading toward mountain resort towns in northern New Mexico, prompting officials to issue another set of warnings for more people to evacuate. SENT: 890 words, photos, video.
DEATH-PENALTY-ARIZONA — Arizona’s nearly eight-year hiatus in using the death penalty ended with the execution of Clarence Davis for killing a college student 44 years ago, making him the sixth person to be put to death in the U.S. so far this year. SENT: 880 words, photos.
————————
INTERNATIONAL
————————
OBIT-SHIREEN ABU AKLEH — An Al Jazeera correspondent who was shot dead during an Israeli raid in the West Bank was a highly respected journalist in the Middle East whose unflinching coverage was known to millions of viewers. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
PHILIPPINES ELECTIONS — Biden has called Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to congratulate him on his apparent landslide victory in the Philippine presidential election. SENT: 520 words, photos.
IRAN-SWEDEN-EXECUTION-EXPLAINER — Iran is scheduled to put to death a 50-year-old Swedish-Iranian physician within nine days. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
———————————-
HEALTH/SCIENCE
———————————-
DROUGHT-CONVERTING SALT WATER — For more than two decades, California’s Orange County has debated whether to build a seaside plant to convert the Pacific Ocean’s salt water into drinking water in hopes of buffering against droughts like the one now gripping the nation’s most populous state. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
————————
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
————————
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares fell in Asia after the release of worse inflation data than expected sparked heavy selling of technology stocks on Wall Street. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 630 words, photos.
PRODUCER PRICES — The Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for April. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. UPCOMING: 130 words after 8:30 a.m. release, then updated, photo.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Business Writer Matt Ott. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 8:30 a.m., photo.
MORTGAGE RATES — Freddie Mac reports on this week’s average U.S. mortgage rates. By Business Writer Matt Ott. UPCOMING: 250 words after 10 a.m. release, photo.
————————
SPORTS
————————
TRANSFER PORTAL IMPACT — The transfer portal is the new, popular outlet for college basketball coaches to plug holes and add veterans to their rosters. By Sports Writer John Zenor. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
WOMEN-COACHING GENDER BARRIER — The growing number of women getting hired for management and development roles across the NHL suggests it won’t be long before the league sees its first female coach. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
————————————
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
————————————
TV-CANDY-JESSICA BIEL-TIMBERLAKE — Viewers tuning into Thursday’s episode of “Candy,” starring Jessica Biel, may recognize a familiar face: Biel’s husband Justin Timberlake. SENT: 500 words, photos.
————————
HOW TO REACH US
————————
At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Wally Santana (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.