AP News Digest 3 am
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TOP STORIES
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NEW ZEALAND-POLITICS — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was praised around the world for her handling of the nation’s worst mass shooting and the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, said she was leaving office. Ardern was facing mounting political pressures at home and a level of vitriol from some that hadn’t been experienced by previous New Zealand leaders. Still, her announcement came as a shock to people throughout the nation of 5 million people. By Nick Perry. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.
DEBT LIMIT — The countdown toward a possible U.S. government default is in the offing. And frictions between President Joe Biden and House Republicans are raising alarms about whether the U.S. can sidestep a potential economic crisis. The Treasury Department projects that the federal government on Thursday will reach its legal borrowing capacity. By Josh Boak. SENT: 880 words, photo.
BIDEN — Biden travels to California to see areas of the central coast impacted by extreme weather. By White House Correspondent Zeke Miller. SENT: 500 words, photo. UPCOMING: 880 words after 3:10 p.m. arrival.
CLIMATE CHANGE-MISINFORMATION — New research shows climate misinformation has been flourishing on Twitter since Elon Musk purchased the platform last year. But it isn’t the only site promoting content that scientists and environmental advocates say undercuts public support for policies intended to respond to a changing climate. By David Klepper. UPCOMING: 610 words, photo by 5:30 a.m.
PERU-UNREST — People poured into Peru’s coastal capital, many from remote Andean regions, for a protest Thursday against President Dina Boluarte and in support of her predecessor, whose ouster last month launched deadly unrest and cast the nation into political chaos. By Daniel Politi and Franklin Briceño. SENT: 880 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-TRANS MEN — Transgender people are considered outcasts by many in Pakistan, despite some progress with a law protecting their rights and court rulings that allow them to choose a gender that is neither male nor female. By Riazat Butt. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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CAMBODIA-UKRAINE-DEMINING — Cambodian experts, whose country has the dubious distinction of being one of the world’s most contaminated by landmines, walked a group of Ukrainian soldiers through a minefield being actively cleared, hoping their decades of experience would help the Europeans in their own efforts to remove Russian mines at home. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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COVID-19
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — China accused “some Western media” of bias, smears and political manipulation in their coverage of China’s abrupt ending of its strict “zero-COVID” policy, as it issued a vigorous defense of actions taken to prepare for the change of strategy. SENT: 610 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HONG KONG — Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases.
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TRENDING
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ALEC BALDWIN-SET SHOOTING — Prosecutors weigh options in fatal shooting on set by Alec Baldwin. SENT: 720 words, photos.
PEOPLE-JULIAN SANDS — Actor Julian Sands missing in Southern California mountains. SENT: 230 words, photo.
OBIT-CHRIS FORD — Chris Ford, champ as player, coach with Celtics, dies at 74. SENT: 520 words, photos.
FOOD-LUNAR NEW YEAR-DESSERTS — At Lunar New Year, desserts can be customary or “cute-ified.” SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
JILL BIDEN — Lesion removed from first lady Jill Biden’s eyelid was non-cancerous. SENT: 160 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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CAPTURING RAINWATER — As Californians tally the damage from recent storms, some are taking stock of the rainwater captured by cisterns, catches, wells and underground basins — many built in recent years to provide relief to a state locked in decades of drought. SENT: 900 words, photos.
FLAVORED MARIJUANA — As New York opens more legal outlets for recreational marijuana, some public health advocates want more scrutiny on how marijuana products are being marketed to teens and young adults. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT — Everyday Americans will be able to help refugees adjust to life in the U.S. in a program being launched by the State Department. SENT: 440 words, photo.
ALASKA-POLAR BEAR FATAL ATTACK — A polar bear chased several residents around a tiny, isolated Alaska Native whaling village, killing a mother and her 1-year-old son in an extremely rare attack before another community member shot and killed the bear, authorities said. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
GUN ATTACKS-ELECTED OFFICIALS — Prosecutors say a failed GOP candidate accused of orchestrating a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of Democratic elected officials in New Mexico’s largest city is a danger to the community and should be detained pending trial. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.
TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES — Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, said he met for 2½ hours with Manhattan prosecutors who have revived a years-old investigation into payments made to a porn star to keep her quiet about an alleged extramarital tryst. SENT: 730 words, photo. With TRUMP-COLUMNIST-LAWSUIT — Trump says he never read book accusing him of rape.
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INTERNATIONAL
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FRANCE-PENSION PROTESTS — French unions stage nationwide strikes and protests in their first major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron's plan to raise the retirement age and redesign the pension system. SENT: 310 words, photos.
NORTH KOREA-BUDGET — North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament has passed a budget that sustains a high level of defense spending despite economic troubles as leader Kim Jong Un pushes for an aggressive expansion of his nuclear arsenal amid stalled diplomacy. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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WARMING GREENLAND — A sharp spike in Greenland temperatures since 1995 showed the giant northern island 2.7 degrees hotter than its 20th-century average, the warmest in more than 1,000 years, according to new ice core data. By Science Writer Seth Borenstein. SENT: 690 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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MICROSOFT-JOB CUTS — Microsoft is cutting 10,000 workers, almost 5% of its workforce, joining other tech companies that have scaled back their pandemic-era expansions. By Technology Writer Matt O’Brien. SENT: 760 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were trading mixed, as investors grew cautious after Wall Street’s biggest pullback of the year. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 700 words, photos.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Business Writer Matt Ott. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 8:30 a.m., photo.
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SPORTS
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ON TENNIS-NADAL’S LATEST INJURY — This is hardly the first time Rafael Nadal’s body has betrayed him. What no one — not even the 22-time Grand Slam champion himself — can possibly pinpoint accurately is what comes next. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 690 words, photos.
COWBOYS-49ERS RIVALRY — For Kyle Shanahan, the chance to coach the San Francisco 49ers against the Dallas Cowboys in a playoff game is a throwback to when that rivalry was the biggest in football. By Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow. UPCOMING: 1,100 words, photos by 6 a.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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