AP News Digest 3:30 am

APTOPIX California Oil Spill (© Orange County Register/SCNG)

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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NEW/DEVELOPING

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SWEDEN NOBEL CHEMISTRY — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry UPCOMING: Announcement at 5:45 a.m.

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TOP STORIES

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CONGRESS-BUDGET — The push by President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for a $3.5 trillion package of social and environmental initiatives has reached a turning point, with the president repeatedly conceding that the measure will be considerably smaller and pivotal lawmakers flashing potential signs of flexibility. By Alan Fram. SENT: 930 words, photos, video. Also see CONGRESS-DEBT-THE COIN below.

CALIFORNIA OIL SPILL — A ship’s anchor may have hooked, dragged and torn an underwater pipeline that spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean off Southern California according to federal investigators who also found the pipeline owner didn’t quickly shut down operations after a safety system alerted to a possible spill. By Stefanie Dazio, Matthew Brown and Brian Melley. SENT: 830 words, photos, videos. With CALIFORNIA-OIL-SPILL-ANCHORED-SHIPS — Ship anchor suspected in pipeline break that fouled beaches. Also see CALIFORNIA OIL SPILL-DELAYED RESPONSE below.

SUPREME COURT-GUANTANAMO-STATE SECRETS — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about the government’s ability to keep what it says are state secrets from a man tortured by the CIA following 9/11 and now held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 510 words, photo. UPCOMING: 750 words after 10 a.m. arguments.

LEBANON PANDORA PAPERS — A trove of leaked documents have confirmed what many in crisis-hit Lebanon had known for a long time. As the Lebanese people battled poverty, lack of services and lost access to their savings in local banks, politicians and bankers were transferring money abroad to buy expensive properties. By Bassem Mroue. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

IRAQ-ELECTION BLUES — Candidates running in Iraq’s parliament election Sunday try to persuade the country’s disillusioned youth, the largest demographic, to trust an electoral process tainted by past tampering and fraud. But apathy is widespread, and some of the pro-reform activists whose street protests in 2019 led to the upcoming vote now call for a boycott. Others pin their hopes on a redrawn map of electoral districts and argue that voting is the only path to change. By Samya Kullab. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

MAKING-WATER-OUT-OF-AIR — Some residents in the drought-parched U.S. West are turning to pricey machines that developers say can produce hundreds of gallons of water a day, literally out of thin air. The air-to-water systems work like an air conditioner by using coils to chill air, then collecting drops in a basin to purify it. The developers say the technology works especially well in foggy areas and other places with high humidity. Companies are making the units for use at homes, offices, ranches and elsewhere. But they’re not cheap. Prices for the machines can range from $30,000 to $200,000. By Haven Daley. SENT: 420 words, photos, video.

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TRENDING NEWS

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YANKEES-RED-SOX — Bogaerts, Red Sox dent Cole, beat Yankees 6-2 in AL wild card. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.

JAGUARS-MEYER — Jaguars owner reprimands coach Urban Meyer for “inexcusable" behavior. SENT: 800 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — Los Angeles leaders were poised to enact one of the nation’s strictest vaccine mandates — a sweeping measure that would require the shots for everyone entering a bar, restaurant, nail salon, gym or even a Lakers game. SENT: 580 words, photo. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

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WASHINGTON

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CONGRESS-DEBT-THE COIN — It would be the token of all tokens: a $1 trillion coin, minted by the U.S. government, then cashed in to flood the treasury with cash and solve a political impasse over suspending the debt limit. SENT: 900 words, photo. With CONGRESS-DEBT — Biden: Senate filibuster change on debt a “real possibility."

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NATIONAL

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CALIFORNIA OIL SPILL-DELAYED RESPONSE — Amplify Energy’s emergency response plan for a major oil spill like the one unfolding in coastal Southern California depended heavily on a quick shut down of its pipeline if sensors pick up a sudden loss of pressure. Federal investigators say that’s not what happened. SENT: 790 words, photos. With CALIFORNIA-OIL-DRILLING — California oil spill renews calls to ban offshore drilling.

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-PARENT ACTIVISM — Glenn Youngkin, the Republican in the Virginia governor’s race, is trying to capitalize on the surge of outraged parents organizing against school curriculums they view as “anti-American,” COVID-19 safety measures and school board members whom they consider too liberal. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BRITAIN CONSERVATIVES — Britain is experiencing empty gas pumps, worker shortages and gaps on store shelves, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson has played to an adoring crowd during the Conservative Party’s annual conference. SENT: 950 words, photos.

TAIWAN-FRANCE-VISIT — A group of French senators arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit following a large Chinese show of force with fighter jets amid the highest tensions in decades between China and Taiwan. SENT: 290 words, photos.

CZECH ELECTIONS PREVIEW — Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is heading into a parliamentary election this week hit by yet another scandal that links him and hundreds of other wealthy people to offshore accounts. SENT: 970 words, photos.

EUROPE-SUMMIT-BALKANS — European Union leaders are gathering to reassure six countries in the Balkans region that they could join the trading bloc one day if they meet its standards, but the presidents and prime ministers are unlikely to give any signal about when the nations might advance in their quests. SENT: 380 words, photos.

GERMANY-HOLOCAUST-JEWISH-CLAIMS — The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis says that Germany has agreed to extend compensation to Jewish survivors who endured the World War II siege of Leningrad and two other groups who had not received any monthly pensions from Germany. SENT: 820 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares slipped in cautious trading, shrugging off a rally on Wall Street led by technology companies and banks that erased most of the losses from the previous day’s sell-off. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 650 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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WHITE SOX-BUILDING BASE — The Chicago White Sox have a rare opportunity to capture the spotlight and expand their fan base in a city in which they’re often overshadowed by their neighbors a few miles north. By Sports Writer Andrew Seligman. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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PEN GALA — PEN America held one of New York’s first major indoor literary gatherings since the pandemic began last year, as hundreds met for the organization’s annual gala to honor writers, community servants, political dissidents and prominent public figures. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 570 words, photos.

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