AP News Digest 3:15 am
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 EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan.
———————-
TOP STORIES
———————-
AFGHANISTAN-ISLAMIC STATE-LEADER KILLED — A ground assault by the Taliban killed the Islamic State militant who spearheaded the August 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that left 13 U.S. troops and about 170 Afghans dead during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. By Farnoush Amiri, Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani and Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-FOUR YEARS AGO — As President Joe Biden seeks a second term, he won’t have to endure glitchy Zoom connections, or stage rallies where the few attendees sit in chairs placed inside circular floor markings to ensure enough social distancing. A return to normal campaign life presents potential positives and negatives for Biden. By Will Weissert and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,440 words, photos.
BELARUS-RUSSIA'S MILITARY HUB — For Ruslan Bryl, an engineer from the Belarusian capital of Minsk, the Russian war in neighboring Ukraine appeared closer than ever when a local military conscription office recently set him summons to a check-up. The call was part of preparations for snap drills that will see thousands of Belarusian men attend military training amid fears that Belarus, a staunch ally of Moscow, could be drawn into the fighting in Ukraine. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
SILENCED TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER — Montana Republican leaders will vote on censuring or expelling lawmaker Zooey Zephyr, a transgender state representative who has been silenced in the House since last week after telling colleagues that if they voted for a bill to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children they would “have blood on their hands.” By Amy Beth Hanson and Sam Metz. SENT: 770 words, photos, video.
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS-HEALTH CARE — Christina Wood, a transgender woman, first moved to Oregon to access gender-affirming health care she couldn't find in her home state. Now, she's joining LGBTQ+ advocates in urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would further expand the medical procedures for gender dysphoria that are covered by insurance in the state. By Claire Rush. SENT: 1,240 words, photos, video.
INDIA-POPULATION-CITIZENSHIP — Nearly 2 million people in India could be stripped of their citizenship unless they have documents dating to 1971 that show their ancestors entered the country legally from Bangladesh. Critics view it as an attempt to deport millions of minority Muslims. By Sheikh Saaliq and Shonal Ganguly. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.
—————————
KING CHARLES CORONATION
—————————
BRITAIN-CORONATION-HILL HOUSE SCHOOL — King Charles III hasn’t even been crowned yet, but his name is already etched on the walls of Hill House School in London. UPCOMING: 830 words, photos by 5 a.m.
NEW ZEALAND-CORONATION-TREE PLANTING — New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins planted a native totara tree in Parliament’s grounds to mark the upcoming coronation of Britain’s King Charles III. SENT: 240 words, photo.
———————————-
MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
———————————-
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR TECH-CLUSTER — The Ukrainian government is launching an initiative to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine. SENT: 690 words, photos.
———————-
MORE NEWS
———————-
BARBIE-DOWN SYNDROME — Mattel introduces first Barbie with Down syndrome. SENT: 310 words, photos.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DANNY MASTERSON — Danny Masterson’s ex says rape came years into relationship. SENT: 830 words, photos.
ED SHEERAN-COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT — Ed Sheeran testifies in “Let’s Get It On” copyright suit. SENT: 420 words, photos.
HAWKS-JANET JACKSON CONCERT — Atlanta Hawks playoff win pushes Janet Jackson concert back a day. SENT: 140 words, photo.
JAPAN-KISHIDA-EEL — After learning of Kishida attack, safety chief kept eating. SENT: 510 words, photo.
OKLAHOMA HOUSE FIRE-8 DEAD — Autopsy: Parents, kids in burning Oklahoma home were shot. SENT: 240 words, photos.
NEW-ZEALAND-ARDERN-HARVARD — Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to join Harvard. SENT: 520 words, photo.
MEXICO-RESORT VIOLENCE — Authorities find eight bodies in Mexican resort of Cancun. SENT: 410 words.
———————-
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
———————-
SUPREME COURT-TAX SALES — The Supreme Court hears the case of a 94-year-old woman who lost her one-bedroom condo over unpaid taxes. SENT: 540 words, photo. UPCOMING: 700 words after 10 a.m. arguments.
ELECTION 2024-HUTCHINSON — Asa Hutchinson formally launches his Republican campaign for president with a kickoff in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. SENT: 900 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after 12:05 p.m. speech.
SOUTH KOREA-US-DESANTIS — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held trade talks with South Korean officials in Seoul, on the second leg of his four-nation trip, as the possible rival to Donald Trump seeks to build his diplomatic profile ahead of a widely anticipated presidential campaign launch. SENT: 240 words, photos.
———————-
NATIONAL
———————-
OKLAHOMA EXECUTION-GLOSSIP — An Oklahoma state board will decide whether to recommend clemency for a death row inmate who is scheduled to die next month and who even the state’s top prosecutor says deserves a new trial. SENT: 630 words, photos.
TRUMP-INDICTMENT — New York prosecutors have asked a judge to bar Donald Trump from using evidence from his criminal case to attack witnesses, citing what they say is the former president’s history of making “harassing, embarrassing, and threatening statements” about people he’s tangled with in legal disputes. SENT: 360 words, photos.
———————-
INTERNATIONAL
———————-
BRITAIN-SUDAN-WORRIES ABROAD — About 50,000 Sudanese living in the United Kingdom are worrying about loved ones still trapped by the fighting back home and are trying to do what they can to help. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
SYRIA NORMALIZATION — With the restoration of ties between Damascus and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia and momentum moving toward a likely readmission of Syria to the Arab League, Syrians in government-held areas are hoping that political normalization will ease an economic crisis and lead to foreign investment and better living conditions. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
SINGAPORE-EXECUTION — Singapore hanged a man accused of coordinating a cannabis delivery, despite pleas for clemency from his family and protests from activists that he was convicted on weak evidence. SENT: 530 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-US MILITARY — Thousands of American and Filipino forces pummeled a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery fire in their largest war drills in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea that would likely antagonize China. SENT: 740 words, photos. With CHINA-TAIWAN-US — China opposes Taiwan-U.S. defense and military exchanges.
HAITI-VIOLENCE — Armed with machetes, bottles, and rocks, residents in the hilly suburbs of Haiti’s capital fought back against encroaching gangs, a day after a crowd burned 13 suspected gangsters to death in a gruesome outburst of vigilante violence. SENT: 820 words, photos.
—————————
HEALTH/SCIENCE
—————————
MOON-JAPAN-UAE — A Japanese company’s spacecraft apparently crashed while attempting to land on the moon, losing contact moments before touchdown and sending flight controllers scrambling to figure out what happened. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.
ROSALIND FRANKLIN DNA — Rosalind Franklin’s role in discovering DNA’s double helix shape was larger than previously believed, two historians argue in a twist to the decades-old controversy. By Science Writer Maddie Burakoff. SENT: 780 words, photos.
CLIMATE-INDIA-POKKALI RICE — On a tiny sliver land in southern India, the future of an ancient grain that helps combat climate change is in doubt. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
———————-
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
———————-
BUD LIGHT-BACKLASH — Bud Light may have fumbled its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with a transgender influencer. But experts say inclusive marketing is simply good business, and it’s here to stay. By Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
JAPAN-HONDA — Honda is gearing up for an electrification shift in North America with two models developed with General Motors going on sale next year and a bigger EV with a new platform in 2025, a year earlier than initially announced. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 710 words, photo.
SELF-DRIVING CARS-SURREAL RIDE — An Associated Press reporter recalls the first time he took a ride in a car without sitting in the driver’s seat. By Technology Writer Michael Liedtke. SENT: 920 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were mostly lower as worries about the health of global economies grew after a tumble on Wall Street, despite some better-than-expected earnings reports. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 670 words, photos.
———————-
SPORTS
———————-
SPORTS BETTING-LEAGUES-EXPLAINER — After the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that legalized sports betting in the U.S., major sports leagues prohibited its employees and players from betting on their own games. But there are variations in how they operate in this new world. By Sports Writer Kyle Hightower. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 6 a.m.
DRAFT-FASHION — Deion Sanders' track suit and Brett Favre's jean shorts would be scoffed at today's NFL draft, which has become as much runway show as sporting event. By Sports Writer Kristie Rieken. UPCOMING: 710 words, photos by 6 a.m.
———————————————
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
———————————————
OBIT-HARRY BELAFONTE — Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 2,470 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 990 words is also available. With OBIT-HARRY BELAFONTE-REAX.
———————-
HOW TO REACH US
———————-
At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.