AP News Digest 3:40 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine’s president pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians mark the somber first anniversary of the Russian invasion that he called “the longest day of our lives.” By John Leicester and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 620 words, photos, video.
CHINA-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — China called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks in a 12-point proposal to end the fighting that started one year ago. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. With CHINA-UKRAINE-EXPLAINER — What is China’s peace proposal for Ukraine War? (sent)
WINTER WEATHER — A coast-to-coast storm that paralyzed roads and blacked out nearly 1 million homes and businesses was set to pound California on Friday, sparking warnings about floods and blizzards. By Robert Jablon. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
TRAIN-DERAILMENT-OHIO — The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, didn’t get much warning before dozens of cars went off the tracks, and there is no indication that crew members did anything wrong, federal investigators had said as they released a preliminary report into the fiery wreck that prompted a toxic chemical release and an evacuation. By John Seewer, Michael Rubinkam and Geoff Mulvihill. SENT: 1,120 words, photos, video, audio. TRAIN-DERAILMENT-BIDEN — White House urging higher fines for train safety violations (sent).
JAPANESE-AMERICANS-BLACK-REPARATIONS — Japanese American activists in their 70s and 80s are fighting for Black reparations as more U.S. cities take up atonement for slavery and discrimination. They say they know it can be achieved because in 1988, they won redress for the incarceration of their parents and grandparents during World War II. The advocates have been shaped by the civil rights and ethnic pride movements of the 1960s and say that Black lawmakers have been key to winning redress from the U.S. government. By Janie Har. Sent: 1,140 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-NO TEXANS — Next year’s presidential race may feature something the political world hasn’t seen in the last 50 years: no elected officials from Texas. It’s early yet, though, and Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz and former Rep. Will Hurd are still considering bids. By Will Weissert and Paul J. Weber. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. With ELECTION 2024-NO TEXANS-GLANCE — Texans who have run for president over the last seven decades. SENT: 210 words, photo.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-BABIES — The anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is particularly poignant for women who gave birth and men who became fathers a year ago, on Feb. 24, 2022, as bombs began to fall. Bringing forth new life just as the Russian onslaught snatched other lives away entwined joy and terror into a sour-sweet mix for people who became parents that day. SENT: 960 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE NUMBERS — Quantifying the toll of Russia’s war in Ukraine remains an elusive goal a year into the conflict. Estimates of the casualties, refugees and economic fallout from the war produce an incomplete picture of the deaths and suffering. Precise figures may never emerge for some of the categories international organizations are attempting to track. U.N. human rights experts count civilians killed and wounded, but know their tally falls significantly short. SENT: 900 words, photos.
MUSIC-BRAD-PAISLEY-ZELENSKYY — Country star Brad Paisley is releasing a new song that features Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The song is called “Same Here.” Paisley says it aims to show that despite language and distance, there are universal similarities and values. SENT: 660 words, photo, video.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-INTERCEPTS — Audio intercepts obtained by The Associated Press of conversations between Russian soldiers in Ukraine and their loved ones give an intimate glimpse of how ordinary men found themselves condoning atrocities and turning into killers. By Erika Kinetz. SENT: 3,920 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,210 words is also available.
PHILANTHROPY-UKRAINE-DONATIONS — Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, U.S. companies, nonprofits and individuals have responded with donations, including of equipment like bulletproof vests and drones. Those items might not usually be considered military equipment but sometimes they end up in the hands of people fighting. SENT: 1,525 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-HARVEY WEINSTEIN — A Los Angeles judge sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 more years in prison after a jury convicted him of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model, furthering the fall of the onetime movie magnate who became a #MeToo magnet. SENT: 910 words, photo.
GUANTANAMO-DETAINEES-RELEASED — U.S. officials returned two Pakistani brothers to their home country after holding them two decades without charges at the Guantanamo Bay military prison. SENT: 320 words, photo.
MS-13-GANG-INDICTMENTS — Federal prosecutors have announced charges against more than a dozen alleged high-ranking leaders of the international gang MS-13, accusing them of directing criminal activities including murder in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico and other countries over the past two decades. SENT: 280 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CARTER-JIMMY WHO? — Jimmy Carter’s underdog path to the presidency is an oft-told story, especially by aspiring presidents trying to be the next politician to defy Washington expectations. But Carter’s long odds weren’t just about his 1976 campaign. His early life and political career were replete with twists could have blocked any road to the White House before he even knew he was on it. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-REPUBLICANS-DEBATE — The opening Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election season will take place in Milwaukee this August, the Republican National Committee has decided. SENT: 320 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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WRONG-WAY-CRASHES — As Connecticut state Rep. Quentin Williams was driving home from the governor’s inauguration ball last month, he was struck head-on by a driver who had entered the highway using a ramp going in the wrong direction, killing both Williams and the driver. SENT: 740 words, photos.
BORDER-SHOOTING — An Arizona rancher accused of killing a Mexican man on his land near the U.S.-Mexico border while allegedly firing an AK-47 rifle at a group of unarmed migrants is due back in court in a case that has sparked strong political feelings in the debate over border security. SENT: 610 words, photos.
SHIPWRECK-LONG-ISLAND — A chunk of weather-beaten flotsam that washed up on a New York shoreline after Tropical Storm Ian last fall has piqued the interest of experts who say it is likely part of the SS Savannah, which ran aground and broke apart in 1821, two years after it became the first vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean partly under steam power. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-LEGALIZING-OUTPOSTS — Israel’s new ultranationalist government has declared that it will legalize 10 unauthorized outposts in the occupied West Bank. The rare move has intensified the authorities’ defiance of international pressure and opened an aggressive new front in Israeli expansion into the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Most of the world regards Israeli settlements as an impediment to peace with the Palestinians. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea says it test-fired long-range cruise missiles off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
CHINA-MINE COLLAPSE — Work crews trying to find 47 people missing after a collapse at an open-pit mine in northern China have had to change their excavation methods to avoid causing more landslides, state media reports. SENT: 440 words, photos.
G20-FINANCE — Policymakers of the Group of 20 leading economies should focus on helping the world’s most vulnerable people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says as top-level financial talks kicked off in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru. SENT: 410 words, photo.
AUSTRALIA-RUSSIA — Australia has quietly expelled a large Russian spy ring whose members were posing as diplomats, a newspaper reported Friday after Australia’s main security agency revealed a major counterespionage success. SENT: 390 words, photos.
HONG-KONG-US — A Chinese diplomat met with the U.S. consul general in Hong Kong and warned him not to cross “red lines” to protest what China called his “inappropriate” interference in the territory’s affairs, the foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office says. SENT: 370 words, photo.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares in Asia were mixed after Wall Street broke its longest losing streak since December with a modest rally led by tech stocks. SENT: 700 words, photo.
ARTS-MACDOWELL-EXECUTIVE-DIRECTOR — MacDowell, one of the oldest artist residency programs in the U.S., has tapped Chiwoniso Kaitano as its new executive director, the organization announces. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TV-SUCCESSION — The creator of the hit HBO series “Succession” says the upcoming fourth season will be its last. Jesse Armstrong told The New Yorker in a piece posted online that he wanted the show’s many fans to know the end was approaching. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKC--T25-ALABAMA CASE-EXPLAINER — No. 2 Alabama is one of the top teams in the country and a favorite to win the national championship. It is also facing intense scrutiny over three players’ alleged involvement in a deadly shooting. SENT: 830 words, photos.
BBO--RULES CHANGES-BIGGER BASES — Like a violin virtuoso using a new music stand, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado noticed a difference right away. Not only are the bases bigger, but they feel different, too. SENT: 600 words, photos, graphic.
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HOW TO REACH US
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