AP News Digest 3:50 am

Monday 28 February 2022 07:39 GMT

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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. 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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MEXICO-DISAPPEARED — For the investigators, the human foot — burned, but with some fabric still attached — was the tipoff: Until recently, this squat, ruined house was a place where bodies were ripped apart and incinerated, where the remains of some of Mexico’s missing were obliterated. How many disappeared in this cartel “extermination site” on the outskirts of Nuevo Laredo, miles from the U.S. border? After six months of work, forensic technicians still don’t dare offer an estimate. At the site — to which The Associated Press was given access this month — the insufficiency of investigations into Mexico’s nearly 100,000 disappearances is painfully evident. By María Verza. SENT: 1,870 words, photos, video. With MEXICO-DISAPPEARED-FAMILIES — Families lead the search for Mexico’s missing.

PANDEMIC AFRICA-SOMALILAND-CUTTERS — Officials and health workers say cases of female genital mutilation increased during the pandemic in parts of Africa. It’s particularly true in Somaliland. There, 98% of girls ages 5 to 11 undergo the procedure to remove external genitalia. It can cause painful complications and sometimes death. There’s no medical or religious purpose, but female circumcision has deep cultural roots. By Cara Anna. SENT: 1,860 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,020 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated East-West tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces put on high alert following new crippling Western sanctions that forced his Central Bank to sharply raise its key rate to save the ruble from collapse. The explosions and gunfire around the Ukrainian capital besieged by the Russian forces appeared to subside overnight, and the Russian military offered to allow residents to leave Kyiv via a safe corridor while it has beefed up for an onslaught on the capital. Ukraine has agreed to talks with Moscow, and its delegation was heading to the border with Belarus in the north for the meeting. By Yuras Karmanau, Jim Heintz, Vladimir Isachenkov and Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 1,380 words, photos, videos. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THINGS-TO-KNOW.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-RACISM — As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians seek refuge in neighboring countries cradling children in one arm and clutching their belongings on the other, leaders in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are loudly telling them they are welcome. While their hospitality towards Ukrainians has been applauded, it has also highlighted the stark difference in treatment received by Middle Eastern and African migrants and refugees, particularly Syrians who came in 2015. By Renata Brito. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CHINA-ANALYSIS — Three weeks ago, on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the leaders of China and Russia declared that the friendship between their countries "has no limits.” But that was before Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, a gambit that will test just how far China is willing to go. By Ken Moritsugu. SENT: 930 words, photos. For full coverage of the war.

CAPITOL RIOT-FIRST TRIAL — The Justice Department launched one of the largest and most complex criminal investigations in its history after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol over a year ago. Now it’s time for a jury to hear some of the government’s evidence about the unparalleled attack on American democracy. By Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. UPCOMING: Hearing at 9 a.m.

ELECTION 2022-QUESTIONS — The 2022 midterm election season opens Tuesday in Texas, where voters will pick their nominees for governor, attorney general, congressional seats and more. With the next state primaries not coming until May, Texas will offer the first glimpse of whether embracing Trump remains a litmus test for Republicans and what messages are sticking for Democrats. By Paul J. Weber. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. Also see ELECTION 2022 below.

SUPREME COURT-CLIMATE CHANGE — The Supreme Court is set to hear a case its conservative majority could use to hobble Biden administration efforts to combat climate change. Nineteen mostly Republican-led states and coal companies are disputing the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 590 words, photos. UPCOMING: Hearing at 10 a.m.

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