AP News Digest 3:30 am
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TOP STORIES
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ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — During a contentious CNN town hall, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,310 words, photos, videos. With ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-TAKEAWAYS.
PERU-VAN-DER-SLOOT — Peru’s government will allow the extradition to the United States of the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba, bringing her family hope there will be justice in the case. Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot will face trial for alleged extortion and wire fraud, charges stemming from the Holloway case. By Regina Garcia Cano and Franklin Briceno. SENT: 710 words, photos.
TITLE 42-IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM — Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told to begin releasing some migrants with instructions to appear at an immigration office in the United States within 60 days, according to a U.S. official. By Valerie Gonzalez. SENT: 1,110 words, photos, videos. Also see CONGRESS-IMMIGRATION below.
CONGRESS-SANTOS — Protecting a narrow, four-vote majority, Republican leaders in the House are making clear the legal process will need to play out with New York Rep. George Santos before they take steps to force his resignation or expel him. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 970 words, photos. With GEORGE SANTOS-CRIMINAL CHARGES — Santos pleads not guilty to federal indictment, won’t resign.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR AIR DEFENSES — By the time Kyiv’s residents hear the air raid sirens signaling an imminent Russian attack, Ukraine’s air defense units have already been on the move. From locations camouflaged from Russian eyes-in-the-sky, teams dart out by truck to positions in the farm fields around the capital, ready to take down enemy drones or missiles. By David Rising and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
THE TEXAS QUESTION — Anger and guns, immigration turmoil, deep political divisions about what democracy means — are playing out in places across America. But in Texas, they have a bigger stage. And some of what’s happening here is not only getting noticed by the rest of the country. It’s getting noticed by Texans, too. By Juan A. Lozano and Tim Sullivan. SENT: 1,650 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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OBIT-HEATHER ARMSTRONG-DOOCE — Mommy blogger “Dooce” dead at 47. SENT: 930 words, photos.
OBIT-JACKLYN ZEMAN-GENERAL HOSPITAL — Jacklyn Zeman, veteran “General Hospital” cast member, dead at 70. SENT: 700 words, photos.
SWEDEN-BEYONCÉ — Beyoncé dazzles fans in “Renaissance” world tour opening concert. SENT: 270 words, photo.
HUGGINS-HOMOPHOBIC SLUR — West Virginia coach Huggins agrees to $1 million pay cut. SENT: 800 words, photo.
GEORGIA-WHITE-HOUSE-INVITE — Georgia coach explains declining White House invitation. SENT: 400 words, photo.
RAIDERS-RUGGS-FATAL CRASH — Ex-Raider Ruggs pleads guilty to causing fatal crash. SENT: 950 words, photos, video.
USC-DJ RODMAN — Rodman’s son transferring to USC, joining Bronny James. SENT: 300 words, photos.
SENATORS-SALE — Why celebrities want to buy the Ottawa Senators. SENT: 600 words, photos.
HONG KONG-POLITICAL CARTOONIST — Hong Kong newspaper to stop publishing political cartoon Zunzi. SENT: 500 words, photos.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY — Appeals court tosses convictions of two parents in “Varsity Blues” scandal. SENT: 720 words, photos.
CHEERLEADING COACH-MOLEST — Ex-California cheerleading coach charged with molesting girls. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-IMMIGRATION — House Republicans aim to pass a sweeping bill to build more of the border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers, creating a hardline counter to President Joe Biden’s policies just as migrants are amassing along the border with the end of pandemic restrictions. SENT: 500 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words after vote, timing uncertain.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EXPIRING BENEFITS — With the formal end of the national Public Health Emergency, several core aspects of the pandemic-era emergency safety net are coming to a close, from extra food assistance to automatic enrollment in Medicaid. SENT: 1,050 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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TEXAS PROTEST-SHOOTING — A U.S. Army sergeant who fatally shot an armed protester at a Black Lives Matter march in Texas was sentenced to 25 years in prison, after prosecutors used his social media history and text messages to portray him as a racist who may commit violence again. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
KIDS KILLED-DOOMSDAY PLOT-TRIAL — Idaho prosecutors have spent the last four weeks painstakingly detailing their case against a woman accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a bizarre doomsday-focused plot. SENT: 580 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-SENTENCINGS — An Idaho man who traveled to Washington, D.C., in a car loaded with weapons and was photographed dangling from the Senate balcony during the Capitol riot was sentenced to 15 months in prison. SENT: 680 words, photo.
TRUMP-COLUMNIST LAWSUIT — Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll tried unsuccessfully to get a man booted off the jury that found Trump liable for sexual abuse because he occasionally listens to the provocative podcaster Tim Pool, newly unsealed court records revealed. SENT: 670 words, photos.
GRAND CANYON-TRIBAL HOMECOMING — Members of a small tribe in Arizona are marking the renaming of a popular campground in Grand Canyon National Park as Havasupai Gardens. SENT: 1,360 words, photos, video.
DIVERSITY BANS-WISCONSIN — The fight over racial equity and free speech on Wisconsin college campuses is intensifying, mirroring a national battle as Republicans work to close campus diversity offices and demand students and faculty treat conservative speakers with respect. SENT: 740 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip killed a fourth militant commander on Thursday, raising the death toll from the latest burst of fighting to 25. Israel braced for more rocket fire amid reports of faltering Egyptian attempts to broker a cease-fire. SENT: 930 words, photos, video.
SOUTHEAST ASIA-SUMMIT — Indonesian President Joko Widodo somberly acknowledged to fellow Southeast Asian leaders that no progress has been made to end the civil strife gripping Myanmar and renewed a call for an end to the violence, including a recent airstrike a rights group called an “apparent war crime.” SENT: 950 words, photos.
TURKEY-ELECTIONS-ISSUES — A look at the main domestic issues shaping Turkey’s election, and where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his challenger stand. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
DISPLACED PEOPLE-GLOBAL REPORT — The war in Ukraine helped push the global total of people left internally displaced by conflict or natural disasters to a record high of 71.1 million last year, according to a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. SENT: 310 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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PEANUT ALLERGY PATCH — An experimental skin patch is showing promise to treat toddlers who are highly allergic to peanuts — training their bodies to handle an accidental bite. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 640 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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JAPAN G7 FINANCE — The financial leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations meet in Japan as a standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling and potential default looms as one of the biggest potential threats to the global economy. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 750 words, photos.
PRODUCER PRICES — The Labor Department releases the producer price index for March, an indicator of inflation at the wholesale level that’s closely monitored by the Federal Reserve. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. UPCOMING: 130 words, photo, after 8:30 a.m. release, then expanded.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were mixed in choppy trading after a report showed evidence that inflation in the United States was cooling, even if it remains too high. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 660 words, photos. With BRITAIN-ECONOMY — Bank of England set to raise U.K. interest rates.
EUROPE-AI RULES — Authorities around the world are racing to draw up rules for artificial intelligence, including in the European Union where draft legislation faces a pivotal moment. By Business Writer Kelvin Chan. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-ACM AWARDS — The Academy of Country Music is going bigger in Texas with two superstar hosts Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks and a big slate of performers. By Entertainment Writers Brooke Lefferts and Kristin M. Hall. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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