AP News Digest 3 am

Wednesday 05 October 2022 01:15 EDT

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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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ONLY ON AP

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BRAZIL-TARNISHED GOLD — One of Brazil’s biggest gold refiners, which processes gold suspected of being mined illegally in the Amazon rainforest, has been stripped of an important industry seal of approval that global manufacturers from Apple to Tesla rely on to root out abuses in their supply chains. An investigation by The Associated Press in January revealed how Sao Paulo-based Marsam shares ownership links and processes gold on behalf of an intermediary accused by Brazilian prosecutors of buying tarnished gold from Indigenous territories and other protected areas. By Joshua Goodman and David Biller. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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KOREAS-TENSIONS — A malfunctioning South Korean ballistic missile blew up as it plowed into the ground during a live-fire drill with the United States that was a reprisal for North Korea’s successful launch a day earlier of a weapon that flew over Japan and has the range to strike the U.S. territory of Guam. The explosion and subsequent fire panicked and confused residents of the coastal city of Gangneung, who were already uneasy over the increasingly provocative weapons tests by rival North Korea. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed laws absorbing four Ukrainian regions into Russia, a move that finalizes the annexation carried out in defiance of international law. Earlier this week, both houses of the Russian parliament ratified treaties making the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions part of Russia. The formalities followed Kremlin-orchestrated “referendums” in the four regions that Ukraine and the West have rejected as a sham. SENT: 70 words. UPCOMING: Developing, will be updated, photos. With RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR NUCLEAR WORKERS — Ukraine nuclear workers recount abuse, threats from Russians.

MUSK-TWITTER — Elon Musk wants Twitter again — and Twitter is game. The billionaire Tesla CEO has proposed to buy the company at the originally agreed-on price of $44 billion, bringing the tumultuous, monthslong saga another step closer to a conclusion. By Tom Krisher, Matt O’Brien, Randall Chase and Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 720 words, photos. With MUSK-TWITTER-EXPLAINER — Musk's Twitter turnaround reflects legal challenges.

ELECTION 2022-SENATE — Leading Republicans are entering the final month of the midterm campaign increasingly optimistic that a Senate majority is within reach even as a dramatic family fight clouds one of the party’s biggest pickup opportunities in Georgia. Democrats have virtually no margin for error. By National Politics Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER-BIDEN — President Joe Biden heads to hurricane-ravaged Florida with a pledge that the federal, state and local governments will work as one to help rebuild homes, businesses and lives — putting politics on mute for now to focus on those in need. By Josh Boak. SENT: 850 words, photos. UPCOMING: 990 words after 12:45 p.m. arrival. Also see MORE ON TROPICAL WEATHER below.

LABELS-FOOD WASTE — As awareness grows around the world about the problem of food waste, one culprit in particular is drawing scrutiny: “best before” labels. Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike “use by” labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, “best before” labels have nothing to do with safety and may encourage consumers to throw away food that’s perfectly fine to eat. By Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video.

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AP News Digest 3 am