AP News Digest 3 am

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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NEW/DEVELOPING

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TAIWAN-EARTHQUAKE — Earthquake shakes area between Taiwan, Japan; no tsunami. SENT: 150 words.

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ONLY ON AP

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THE AP INTERVIEW-PATRISSE CULLORS — Patrisse Cullors, the former leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, tells The Associated Press that neither she nor anyone else in leadership has misused millions of dollars in donations. Cullors is offering insights into the growing pains of an organization that went from an idea to a global brand. The interview happened on the heels of renewed controversy over her leadership of the BLM foundation, following a report that the foundation had paid $6 million for a Los Angeles compound in 2020. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,510 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,040 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian forces pushed forward in their assault on Ukraine, seeking to capture the crucial southern port city of Mariupol as Moscow prepared to celebrate its national Victory Day holiday. Determined to show a success in a war now in its 11th week, Russian troops have targeted a sprawling seaside steel mill where an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters were making what appeared to be their last stand to save Mariupol from falling. The mill is the only part of the city not overtaken by the invaders, and its defeat would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014. By Elena Becatoros and Jon Gambrell. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, videos. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST.

RUSSIA-VICTORY DAY — Impeccably straight columns of soldiers will march through Red Square as they do every year on Victory Day. Tanks, armored personnel carriers and transports carrying huge intercontinental ballistic missiles will rattle across the paving stones. But this year’s observance of Russia’s most important patriotic holiday carries exceptional weight. This year, as Russian troops fight grueling battles in Ukraine, few Russians are likely to be dulled by the parade’s rituals. Instead, they will watch it for signs of what could come next in the conflict. SENT: 380 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing, will be updated, photos, video; parade begins at 3 a.m.

PHILIPPINES-ELECTIONS — Filipinos stood in long lines to choose a new president, with the son of an ousted dictator and a champion of human rights the top contenders in a tenuous moment in a deeply divided Asian democracy. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held a seemingly insurmountable lead in pre-election surveys. But his closest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, has tapped into shock and outrage over the prospect of a Marcos recapturing the seat of power and harnessed a network of campaign volunteers to underpin her candidacy. By Jim Gomez. SENT: 830 words, photos. With PHILIPPINES-ELECTIONS-KEY FACTS.

RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR WARTIME BIRTHS — It’s easy to tell the delivery room from the rest of the main maternity hospital in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, even from the outside. Its exterior wall is piled high with sandbags. In the dim basement, where heavily pregnant women must bend low to avoid the water pipes, there is a delivery table in case the baby comes amid the air raid sirens. Stress is part of childbirth, but it’s not meant to be like this. About 200 pregnant women displaced by Russia’s invasion have come to the hospital in Lviv since the war began. More than 100 have given birth. By Renata Brito and Cara Anna. SENT: 680 words, photos. For full coverage.

CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION-WITNESSES — As the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection plans a series of hearings in June, its members are debating whether to interview the two men whose conflict over whether to certify President Joe Biden’s election win was at the center of the attack: former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-QUESTIONS — The top race in Tuesday’s primary elections in Nebraska and West Virginia is a heavily contested Republican primary for Nebraska governor, featuring a Trump-endorsed candidate who has been accused of groping multiple women. By Grant Schulte. SENT: 770 words, photos. Also see MORE ON ELECTION 2022 below.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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UKRAINE-MARIUPOL STEEL MILL EVACUATION — Pale and drawn, the last civilians sheltering in the bunkers beneath the sprawling steel mill in the decimated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol arrived in Zaporizhzhia, the first major Ukrainian city beyond the frontline. SENT: 660 words, photos.

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MORE ON ELECTION 2022

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ELECTION 2022-TRUMP — Fresh off a victory in the first real test of his power as GOP kingmaker, Trump enters the next stretch of the midterm campaign emboldened — and facing new risks. SENT 1,310 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-MARIO BATALI — Celebrity chef Mario Batali’s pandemic-delayed trial for sexual misconduct opens in Boston. SENT: 430 words, photos.

SPRING WILDFIRES — Dangerous, gusty winds are expected to continue across northeast New Mexico, complicating the fight against wildfires that threaten thousands of homes in mountainous rural communities. SENT: 710 words, photos.

TIMES-SQUARE-CRASH-TRIAL — The man behind the wheel of the car that barreled through crowds of pedestrians in New York City’s Times Square, killing a woman and injuring 22 other people, is finally headed to trial after various delays over five years, including pandemic-induced court shutdowns. SENT: 540 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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HONG KONG-ELECTION EXPLAINER — With former security chief John Lee poised to become Hong Kong’s next leader, his choice signals that China is looking for someone reliable to ensure its authority in the city is never questioned again. SENT: 660 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — South Korea’s departing liberal president defended his policy of engaging North Korea, saying in his farewell speech that he hopes efforts to restore peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula will continue. SENT: 560 words, photo.

AFGHANISTAN-BURQA BLUES — A new Taliban decree that demands women cover up from head to toe in public, showing at most their eyes, has left many Afghans angry or fearful. SENT: 960 words, photos.

SRI LANKA-ECONOMIC-CRISIS — Trade unions are starting their “Week of Protests,” demanding Sri Lanka’s government change and its president step down over the country’s worst economic crisis in memory. SENT: 520 words, photo.

AUSTRALIA-ELECTIONS — Early voting began in Australia’s federal election with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls. SENT: 540 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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CLIMATE-CORAL REEF AWARENESS — Just below the massive cruise ships in Miami, an underwater camera is sending a livestream showing marine life that’s trying its best to resist global warming. SENT: 810 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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CHINA-TRADE — China’s export growth tumbled in April as global demand weakened, adding to pressure on the world’s second-largest economy after Shanghai and other industrial cities were shut down to fight virus outbreaks. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 600 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares fell in most Asian markets as interest rate hikes and a slowing Chinese economy weighed on investor sentiment. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 560 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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HIGH SCHOOL ENDORSEMENT DEALS — The ability of college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness has begun to trickle down to high schools. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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TONY AWARDS-NOMINATIONS — After a frantic end to the Broadway season and some nervous moments as shows struggled to reach the eligibility deadline amid fresh COVID-19 outbreaks, nominations for the Tony Awards are finally at hand. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 890 words, photos. UPCOMING: Announcement at 9 a.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Wally Santana (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.