AP News Digest 7 a.m.
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 EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
——————————
LOCALIZE IT
—————————-
BANNED BOOKS-LOCALIZE-IT — Books are being banned from institutions and challenged at levels not seen since the 1980s and the rise of the Moral Majority.
In Tennessee, a local school district pulled Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize winning graphic work about the Holocaust, “Maus,” while in Texas hundreds of books are being scrutinized for possible removal from libraries. Many challenged books have LGBTQ or racial themes, ranging from Toni Morrison’s novel “The Bluest Eye” to nonfiction releases focused on sex education. A parent in Texas questioned a biography of former first lady Michelle Obama because it was “leftist indoctrination.”
—————————
TOP STORIES
—————————
UKRAINE TENSIONS — Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden are to hold a high-stakes telephone call as tensions over a possibility imminent invasion of Ukraine escalated sharply and the U.S. announced plans to evacuate its embassy in the Ukrainian capital. SENT: 890 words, photos, video. With UNITED STATES-UKRAINE — US to evacuate Ukraine embassy amid Russian invasion fears; UKRAINE-TENSIONS-THINGS-TO-KNOW — What to know about the fears of war (both sent).
For full coverage of Ukraine.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PANDEMIC POLITICS — Democratic leaders struggling to address voter frustrations with the pandemic are easing COVID-19 restrictions in moves that President Biden says are “probably premature.” Biden, with his more measured approach, risks being seen as out of sync with the country. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-VACANCY — President Joe Biden zeroed in on a pair of finalists for his first U.S. Supreme Court pick when there were rumors last year that Justice Stephen Breyer would retire. But the actual retirement announcement has come with the surprising rise of a third candidate, one with ready-made bipartisan support. By Colleen Long. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VALIEVA'S-COACH — The coach behind Russia’s figure skating dynasty rarely speaks to the media, enhancing her mystique as a guru who produces a line of teenage stars who can land jumps no other women even attempt. A doping furor around her star pupil has forced Eteri Tutberidze into the spotlight at the Beijing Olympics. She broke her silence on the case against Kamila Valieva , telling Russian TV: “We are absolutely sure that Kamila is innocent and clean.” By Sports Writer James Ellingworth. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
RUSSIAN DOPING — With her doping case still to be decided, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva broke down in tears after an emotional practice session at the Olympics. The 15-year-old Russian’s status at the Olympics is unclear after testing positive for a banned substance. She won a gold medal in the team event five days ago and is next scheduled to compete in the women’s competition on Tuesday. By Sports Writer Graham Dunbar. SENT: 450 words, photo.
——————————————————-
——————————————————-
OLY-MAINSTREAMING-MENTAL-HEALTH — At the Tokyo Olympics, mental health was the breakout star. Amplified by some of the world’s top athletes, it shook up those Games and made everyone take notice. Six months later, in Beijing, the conversation has evolved: The subject pops up regularly, but no one is shocked when it does. SENT: 970 words, photos.
OLY--SPD-SPEEDSKATING — Gao Tingyu has become the first Chinese man to claim an Olympic gold medal in speedskating by winning the 500 meters. Gao added to the bronze medal he took in the 500 at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. By National Writer Paul Newberry. SENT: 312 words, photos. Will be updated to 700 words by 7 a.m., photos. WITH: OLY--CHINA-SOUTH KOREA-SKATING ROW — Chinese and South Korean short track ice skating fans are duking it out online over allegations of foul play, tapping into the historical rivalry between their countries. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 960 words, photos.
OLY-BEIJING-TIBET-HOTEL — People attending the Beijing Winter Olympics can’t visit Tibet because they’re in China’s “closed loop” system for foreign visitors. But some visitors, including part of the Associated Press’ Olympics team, are getting a taste of the region because they’ve been assigned to the Tibet Hotel. The hotel has been built and outfitted to evoke the remote region on China’s western edge. Rights groups accuse China of political and religious repression in the region, which Beijing denies. SENT: 950 words, photos.
OLY-CUR-FAMILY-AFFAIR — A handful of athletes at the Ice Cube curling venue have found a clever way to get around the ban on bringing families to Beijing for the Olympics. They are competing with their spouses or siblings. SENT: 860 words, photos.
OLY-SBD-WHITE-NEXT-LEAP — Shaun White’s next big contest — the Super Bowl. Less than 24 hours after snowboarding’s global icon took his final competitive halfpipe ride at the Olympics, he was bound for the airport. The destination: Los Angeles to watch his first Super Bowl in person. SENT: 780 words, photos. With OLY-THEY-SAID-SHAUN-WHITE — THEY SAID IT: Snowboarding legend Shaun White, on the future (sent).
OLY-OLYMPICS-WHY-BEIJING?-EXPLAINER — Nobody views Beijing as a winter sports capital. So why is the sprawling city holding the Winter Olympics? These Games come just 13 1/2 years after the extravagant 2008 Summer Games in the Chinese capital. There’s a simple answer. Potential hosts in Europe — as many as six including favorites like Norway and Sweden — dropped out of the bidding in the wake of the doping-scandal-ridden 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. SENT: 580 words, photo.
OLY—HKO-US-CANADA — Brendan Brisson scored his second goal of the tournament and Strauss Mann made 35 saves to help the United States beat Canada 4-2 in men’s hockey at the Olympics. The victory puts the U.S. in the driver’s seat to win the group and earn a spot in the quarterfinals. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. SENT: 580 words, photos.
OLY-SBD-MISCONDUCT-ALLEGATIONS — U.S. Ski & Snowboard is investigating allegations that longtime Olympic coach Peter Foley took naked pictures of female athletes and that Olympic snowboard racer Hagen Kearney used racist language to provoke a teammate. SENT: 340 words, photo.
OLY-BEJING-TESTING-PHOTO-GALLERY — It’s not just people inside Beijing’s Olympic bubble who are getting tested for COVID-19. Workers in hazmat suits are also swabbing door handles, elevator buttons, couches and ATM machines, though health experts say surfaces pose little risk for spreading the virus. SENT: 250 words, photos.
OLY-GLIMPSES-OLYMPIC-TOWER-AT-NIGHT — They are an imposing fixture at Beijing’s Olympic Park, towering over the landscape and glowing at night in all the saturated colors of the spectrum. At some moments they burn bright orange and red like the Olympic cauldron. At others, they emanate cold blue and purple evocative of a 1980s shopping mall. The Jetsonian styling of the Beijing Olympic Tower, captured by anyone who passes with an iPhone, lives its best life in an image taken night by Associated Press photographer Jae C. Hong. SENT: 180 words, photo.
OLY-DAY 7-PHOTO GALLERY — Whether it’s on the ice, in the air or on the slopes at the Winter Olympics, Associated Press photographers are there to capture every moment, from the thrilling to the heartbreaking to the whimsical. SENT: 50 words, photos.
——————————————————————-
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
——————————————————————-
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-ZEALAND-PROTESTS — Some countries might send in a riot squad to disperse trespassing protesters. In New Zealand, authorities turned on the sprinklers and Barry Manilow. Initial moves to try and flush out several hundred protesters who have been camped on Parliament’s grassy grounds since Tuesday had little effect. SENT: 760 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SURGEON GENERAL — Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says he can imagine a future where Americans don’t have to contend with mask requirements. But pulling back safeguards too quickly, Murthy warns, risks more avoidable suffering, especially for people with weakened immune systems or other vulnerabilities. SENT: 670 words, photo, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Japan is considering easing its stringent border controls amid growing criticism that the measures, which have banned most foreign entrants including students and business travelers, are hurting the country’s economy and international profile. SENT: 480 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-EUROPE PROTESTS — Paris police intercepted at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the French capital Saturday, in defiance of a police order, to take part in protests against virus restrictions inspired by Canada’s horn-honking “Freedom Convoy.”
————————————
TRENDING NEWS
————————————-
VOTING-TEXAS — Judge deals Texas narrow defeat over mail-in ballot limits. SENT: 270 words, photos.
NAVY-ENGINEER-NUCLEAR-SECRETS — Plea hearing scheduled for Navy nuclear engineer in spy case. SENT: 170 words, photo.
RICHMOND-ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL-FIRE —Officials to assess fire at elementary school in Richmond. SENT: 150 words photo.
ODD-DETROIT-RAMS-SHIRTS — ‘Detroit Rams?’ Odd Super Bowl shirts sold for Stafford fans. SENT: 300 words, photo.
SCHOOL-NAZI SALUTE — Alabama school system faulted for response to Nazi salute. SENT: 540 words.
MAUS-BAN-TENNESSEE — Tennessee parents, teachers push back against ‘Maus’ removal. SENT: 890 words, photo.
SUPER-BOWL-DEAF-MUSICIANS — Deaf musicians part of Super Bowl halftime show for 1st time. SENT: 800 words.
UKRAINE-SIGN -- Olympian flashes ‘No War in Ukraine’ sign after competing. SENT: 365 words, photos.
——————————————————-
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
——————————————————-
TRUMP RECORDS-EXPLAINER — Revelations that Donald Trump took government records with him to Mar-a-Lago are creating a political headache for the former president — and a potential legal one too. House investigators have launched a probe, and the National Archives has reportedly asked the Justice Department to look into the matter. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 900 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-INDO-PACIFIC — A new Biden administration strategy for the Indo-Pacific emphasizes not going it alone in dealing with China’s rising influence. SENT: 430 words, photo.
YOUNGKIN-CABINET-EPA — A simmering fight over Virginia Democrats’ rejection of one of GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Cabinet picks escalated after Republicans initially appeared ready to leave in limbo hundreds of gubernatorial appointees made by the previous Democratic administration. SENT: 600 words, photos.
—————————
NATIONAL
—————————
ATLANTA-BUCKHEAD-SECESSION — Top Georgia lawmakers have signaled that proposals to allow the wealthy, predominately white Buckhead neighborhood to secede from Atlanta are dead, at least for this year. SENT: 450 words, photos.
————————————-
INTERNATIONAL
————————————-
US-PACIFIC-DIPLOMACY — The U.S. says it will open an embassy in the Solomon Islands, laying out in unusually blunt terms a plan to increase its influence in the South Pacific nation before China becomes “strongly embedded.” SENT: 670 words, photos.
CANADA-PROTESTS-EXPLAINER — For five days, a blockade of pickups, cars and a handful of commercial trucks has choked off traffic at the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States. There are blockades at two other crossings as well. And for two weeks, downtown streets in Canada’s capital have been snarled by a convoy of semis and other vehicles as protesters rail against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. SENT: 970 words, photos.
MYANMAR-UNION DAY — The head of Myanmar’s military government appealed Saturday for national unity among the country’s restive ethnic minorities as he presided over a parade marking the 75th anniversary of a historic agreement that sought but failed to ensure harmony. SENT: 670 words, photos.
SOMALIA-DROUGHT — Sitting under the hot sun, hungry women and children await food aid in a camp on the outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. They have walked for days, fleeing the drought now ravaging a large part of rural Somalia. Their growing ranks are expected to swell further in the coming months as the Horn of Africa region faces its worst drought conditions in a decade. SENT: 600 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-ETHIOPIA — The highest-ranking U.N. official to visit Ethiopia since war began in the Tigray region in 2020 said Friday she thinks Tigrayan fighters are hopeful of ending the conflict and she senses that top government officials are not just more hopeful but making a greater effort to find peace. SENT: 690 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-DEADLY-FEUD — Gunmen in the southern Philippines killed a Muslim rebel and eight of his companions in a road ambush Saturday that authorities said was apparently sparked by a land dispute. SENT: 280 words.
—————————————
ENTERTAINMENT
—————————————
TCM-JACQUELINE STEWART — Film scholar Jacqueline Stewart makes a rich contribution to TCM for Black History Month. Stewart leads discussions about “Selma” with its star, David Oyelowo, and on the work of pioneering Black filmmakers. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
———————
SPORTS
———————
FBN--PRO PICKS-SUPER BOWL — The last time the Rams were in the Super Bowl, they benefited from one of the more egregious officiating errors in NFL history. Then they were flatter than the Mercedes-Benz Stadium turf in a loss to Tom Brady. The last time the Bengals were in the Super Bowl — who remembers? So let’s discard history when it comes to this game. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner. SENT: 600 words, graphic.
———————————————
HOW TO REACH US
———————————————-
At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Donald E. King (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.