AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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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TOP STORIES
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TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-INVESTIGATION – Investigators are trying to determine why an exterior door at Robb Elementary School did not lock when it was closed before a gunman used it to get inside and kill 19 students and two teachers. By Jim Vertuno. SENT: 700 words, photos, video. With TEXAS SHOOTING-POLICE-TIMELINE – Texas elementary school shooting, minute by minute. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, videos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-ARMS PACKAGE — The Biden administration says it will send Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems. They are part of a new $700 million tranche of security assistance for Ukraine from the U.S. that will include helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, spare parts and more. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-THE LATEST
JOHN HINCKLEY — A federal judge is preparing what is expected to be the final hearing for John Hinckley before he is released from restrictive conditions he has lived under since he shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 560 words, photo. UPCOMING: 700 words after 10 a.m. hearing.
TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING — A week after a gunman ran into a Texas grade school and started shooting, the first of 21 funerals is held. Hundreds of mourners turn out for an afternoon Mass to remember Amerie Jo Garza, with six pallbearers carrying her small casket into Sacred Heart Catholic Church. By Nathan Ellgren, Adriana Gomez Licon and Jim Salter. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.
GUN VIOLENCE-MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND – Even as the United States reeled over the massacre of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas, multiple mass shootings happened elsewhere over the Memorial Day weekend. Single-death shootings accounted for most gun fatalities. SENT: 960 words, photos.
EMIRATES-OLIGARCH’S YACHT — In the dusty, northern-most sheikhdom of the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s largest yachts sits in a quiet port. So far, it has avoided the fate of other luxury vessels linked to sanctioned Russian oligarchs. The 118-meter (387-foot) Motor Yacht A also shows the UAE’s neutrality amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. SENT: 990 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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JAPAN-FOOD-WASTE-CEMENT — In the near future, edible houses may no longer be a fairy tale. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a technology that can turn scraps into “food cement” for construction and other uses. SENT: 490 words, photos.
BIDEN-BTS — K-Pop sensation BTS visits the White House to discuss combating the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans with President Biden — bringing superstar sizzle to an otherwise sad and scary topic. SENT: 640 words, photos.
VEGAS-CHAPELS-NO ELVIS – Las Vegas chapels of love that use Elvis Presley’s likeness could find themselves becoming Heartbreak Hotels. The licensing company that controls the name and image of Elvis is ordering some Sin City chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed wedding ceremonies. SENT: 440 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-PALESTINIAN-JOURNALIST-HONORED –The United Nations says it is naming the annual training program for Palestinian broadcasters and journalists after Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead May 11 during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. SENT: 320 words, photos.
SUBWAY-SHOOTING-LAWSUIT – A woman wounded in last month’s New York City subway shooting has filed a lawsuit against gun manufacturer Glock. Ilene Steur in her lawsuit said Glock “endangered the public health and safety” with the marketing, distribution and sales of its guns. SENT: 330 words.
DISC GOLF-GATOR ATTACK — Police in Florida say a man died searching for Frisbees in a lake at a suburban disc golf course where people are warned by signs to beware of alligators. SENT: 370 words, photos.
SPELLING BEE — The Scripps National Spelling Bee’s preliminary rounds are much tougher and packed with drama this year. The bee is back in person for the first time since 2019, but without the written test that was used for years to determine the best 50 or so spellers. SENT: 820 words, photos.
BOAT-CAPSIZED-COLORO – Rescuers have recovered the body of a second victim after a boat carrying 13 people capsized on a Colorado lake over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. SENT: 190 words, photo.
PALIN-NY TIMES – The judge who presided over Sarah Palin’s libel case against The New York Times says she failed to introduce “even a speck” of evidence necessary to prove actual malice. SENT: 390 words, photo.
BIKER-GANGS-SHOOTING-VEGAS – A police report describes a Memorial Day weekend shooting on a Las Vegas-area freeway as an apparent ambush by Hells Angels members on rival Vagos biker gang members returning from a veterans cemetery ride. SENT: 420 words, photo.
YELLOWSTONE-BISON-WOMAN-GORED – A bison has gored a 25-year-old woman in Yellowstone National Park. A park statement says the woman sustained a puncture wound and other injuries. SENT: 160 words, photo.
FOOD-EITAN-BERNATH – Rising food star Eitan Bernath leans into world comfort food. SENT: 740 words, photo.
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MORE ON TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING
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TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-FATHER’S ANGUISH – Javier Cazares raced to his daughter’s school when he heard there was a shooting and spent 35 to 45 agonizing minutes there, waiting for word of her. He scanned the children fleeing Robb Elementary School for his 9-year-old “firecracker.” He yearned to run in himself. He and other parents grew increasingly agitated that the police weren’t doing more to stop the gunman who holed up in a classroom, killing kids. SENT: 1,680 words, photos ,video.
TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-POLICE CHIEF — The blame for an excruciating delay in killing the gunman at a Texas elementary school — even as parents outside begged police to rush in and panicked children called 911 from inside — has been placed with the school district’s homegrown police chief. SENT: 1,170 words, photos, video.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Russian forces in a “frenzied push” have seized half of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, which is key to Moscow’s efforts to quickly complete the capture of the industrial Donbas region. SENT: 600 words, photos, videos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR – Energy experts say the European Union’s decision to ban nearly all oil from Russia to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine may be blunted by rising energy prices and other countries willing to buy some of the excess petroleum. SENT: 850 words, photos.
CHINA-RUSSIA-SANCTIONS – China’s support for Russia through oil and gas purchases is irking Washington and raising the risk of U.S. retaliation. But observers say they see no sign Beijing is helping Moscow evade sanctions imposed over its war on Ukraine. SENT: 930 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CHINA-AIRLINES — A Russian news outlet says China has barred Russia’s airlines from flying foreign-owned jetliners into its airspace. That comes after President Vladimir Putin threw their ownership into doubt by allowing planes to be re-registered in Russia to avoid seizure under sanctions over Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. SENT: 190 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA – Shanghai residents visited the waterfront Bund and ate and drank as they walked streets patrolled by police as a severe two-month COVID-19 lockdown was being eased. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
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VOTING MACHINES – The top cybersecurity agency in the U.S. says electronic voting machines used in at least 16 states have software vulnerabilities that could leave them susceptible to hackers. Dominion Voting Systems defends its machines as “accurate and secure.” SENT: 1,260 words, photo.
ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVANIA-SENATE – The U.S. Supreme Court is temporarily blocking the counting of some mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. The order could affect the tight Republican Senate primary between former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. SENT: 560 words, photos.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE – A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign has been acquitted of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. SENT: 950 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-NEW YORK-CUOMO – Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appears to have opted against mounting an independent run for his old job — at least for now. SENT: 430 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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CUBA-US FAMILY REUNIFICATION – Thousands of Cubans in the United States are still waiting to be joined by their close relatives amid continuing visa delays. The Biden administration has vowed to reactivate stalled family reunions, but there’s no timeline for speeding up the process. SENT: 690 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER – Mexican authorities say Hurricane Agatha caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 11 people and left 20 missing. SENT: 470 words, photo, video.
BRITAIN-PLATINUM JUBILEE-PRINCE CHARLES — After spending much of his adult life in the shadow of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles has taken on a greater public role in recent years, increasingly standing in for his mother in her twilight years. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-NORTH KOREA – The United States says it will push for additional sanctions on North Korea if it conducts a new nuclear test explosion. SENT: 540 words, photos.
MYANMAR-BOMBINGS — Myanmar’s military government and its opponents are trading accusations over a bomb that exploded Tuesday in the middle of the country’s largest city, Yangon, killing one and wounding nine others. SENT: 680 words, photo.
PACIFIC ISLANDS-CHINA – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has arrived in Vanuatu for talks as he continues his regional island-hopping tour two days after failing to ink an ambitious deal with 10 South Pacific nations. SENT: 250 words, photos.
CANA-BRITISH COLUMBIA-DRUGS – Canada is allowing the province of British Columbia to try a three-year experiment in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs. It hopes to help stem a record number of overdose deaths by easing a fear of arrest by those who need help. SENT: 750 words, photo.
COSTA RICA-RANSOMWARE – Another attempted hacking of a Costa Rican government agency’s computer system has led the country’s public health agency to shut down its systems to protect itself, complicating the medical care of thousands. SENT: 490 words.
AUSTRALIA-POLITICS – Australia’s new government has a record 13 women, including the first female Muslim to serve in the role. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows to lead an inclusive government that’s “diverse as Australia itself.” SENT: 380 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-GULF OF GUINEA-PIRACY –The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution strongly condemning piracy, armed robbery and hostage-taking in the Gulf of Guinea, the world’s top hotspot for attacks on shipping and seafarers. SENT: 390 words.
MEXICO-US UNION-COMPLAINT –The Mexican government says it has agreed to review a labor complaint filed by the United States under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade pact. The complaint filed earlier this month says workers’ rights to freely join a union have been violated at a Panasonic Automotive Systems factory in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. SENT: 380 words.
NICARAGUA-CRACKDOWN – The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has ordered the closure of 83 more civic groups and non-governmental organizations. SENT: 220 words.
IRAN – Iran disrupts internet access to the outside world as angry demonstrators rally over the collapse of a tower in southwestern Iran that killed at least 36 people. SENT: 900 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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SUBWAY-SHOOTINGS-SECURITY – Technology to scan large numbers of people quickly for weapons does exist, but experts say installing such a system in the New York City subway would be challenging. Mayor Eric Adams says the technology might still be worth trying in a pop-up fashion at select locations as a deterrent. The idea has gotten a closer look after a mass shooting on the subway in April. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
BILL COSBY – Bill Cosby is again facing sex abuse allegations in court as a civil trial begins in California. Opening statements are Wednesday in the trial stemming from the lawsuit of 64-year-old Judy Huth, who alleges Cosby forced her to perform a sex act at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old. SENT: 270 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA-REPARATIONS – California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for African Americans will release a report documenting in detail the harms perpetuated by the state against them and recommending ways to address those wrongs. SENT: 530 words, photos.
CLINIC SHOOTING-MINNESOTA – A man accused in a shooting attack on a Minnesota medical clinic that killed one staff member and wounded four others last year refused to look at the survivors as they described their pain and terror. SENT: 440 words.
BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER – A prosecutor told jurors in closing arguments at a criminal trial that there is overwhelming evidence that organizers of a “We Build The Wall” campaign to raise money for a wall along the U.S. southern border defrauded investors. SENT: 380 words, photo.
CHEMICAL-FIRE-NEBRASKA – Authorities say a large fire that raged through a Nebraska chemical plant was extinguished and nearby residents who were initially evacuated were allowed to return to their homes. SENT: 270 words, photos, videos.
POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-MENSAH –Special prosecutors are expected to announce whether they’ll file charges against a Wisconsin sheriff’s deputy who killed a man in a park six years ago when he was a suburban Milwaukee police officer. SENT:320 words, photo.
OKLAHOMA-SHOOTING-FESTIVAL –A 26-year-old man suspected in a shooting that killed one person and wounded seven more at an outdoor festival in eastern Oklahoma has been denied bond. SENT: 230 words, photos.
SEATTLE-HOMELESS-PLAN – Seattle will create a database of homeless camps and provide more than $100 million to a regional group trying to tackle the region’s ongoing crisis of people without homes. SENT: 340 words, photo.
SEATTLE-APP-GIG WORKERS – The Seattle City Council has unanimously approved a measure that pushes app-based companies like food delivery services to improve wages and other working conditions for gig workers. SENT: 200 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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BIDEN-FED CHAIR – President Joe Biden and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell have met to plot a strategy to fight inflation. Biden hoped the meeting would demonstrate his concern to voters, though he insisted anew the White House will not interfere with the independent central bank’s work. SENT: 1,080 words, photos, video.
FAA-BOEING – The Federal Aviation Administration says it is going to keep Boeing on a shorter leash when it comes to performing safety-related work on aircraft. SENT: 380 words.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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DEPP-HEARD-TRIAL — A jury finishes a second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the defamation claims of Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard over their volatile and unhappy marriage. SENT: 420 words, photos. With DEPP-HEARD-TRIAL-GLANCE.
BRITAIN-PLATINUM-JUBILEE-POP CULTURE — In Britain, there are several traditional elements to a royal anniversary: pageants, street parties, the Sex Pistols. Queen Elizabeth II and the Pistols have been linked since the punk pioneers released the song “God Save the Queen” during the monarch’s 1977 Silver Jubilee. The anti-authoritarian anthem has been re-released to mark the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, her 70 years on the throne. It’s one of a raft of cultural tie-ins spurred by the royal milestone, including exhibitions, auctions and concerts. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FRENCH OPEN – Rafael Nadal has beaten Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in a monumental match in the French Open quarterfinals to move a step closer to his 14th championship at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and 22nd major trophy overall. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
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