AP News Digest 3 am

Monday 07 February 2022 01:05 EST

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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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TOP STORIES

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UKRAINE TENSIONS — French President Emmanuel Macron is set to hold talks in Moscow in a bid to to help de-escalate the tense situation around Ukraine. The concentration of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western worries that it heralds a possible offensive. Russia has denied any plans to attack its neighbor, but is urging the U.S. and its allies to bar Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations from joining NATO, halt weapons deployments there and roll back NATO forces from Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands. By Sylvie Corbet and Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 530 words, photos, video. For full coverage of Ukraine.

CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION-IVANKA TRUMP — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol wants to know what White House adviser and presidential daughter Ivanka Trump heard and saw that day as they try to stitch together the narrative of the riots and Donald Trump’s role in instigating them. By Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

ISRAEL PALESTINIANS CONFEDERATION PLAN — Israeli and Palestinian public figures have drawn up a new proposal for a two-state confederation that they hope will offer a way forward after a decade-long stalemate in Mideast peace efforts. The plan includes several controversial proposals, and it’s unclear if it has any support among leaders on either side. But it could help shape the debate over the conflict and will be presented to a senior U.S. official and the U.N. secretary general this week. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 990 words, photos.

INSIDE THE BUBBLE — Officially, the Beijing Olympics are taking place inside what organizers are calling “the enclosed compound activity area.” That’s the fancy way of saying “the bubble.” With hotels surrounded by chain-link fences, entrances and exits blocked off and no way of mingling with non-Olympic personnel, these games are taking place inside their own little world. By Sports Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 a.m. With BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE LATEST.

MUSIC-SPOTIFY — Spotify’s CEO says in a note to employees that while he condemned podcaster Joe Rogan’s use of racist language, he does not believe that cutting ties with the popular personality was the answer. Daniel Ek writes in the letter that he does not “believe that silencing Joe is the answer.” Ek's message comes a day after Rogan apologized for using racist slurs on his podcast and removing some older episodes. By Tom Krisher and Lindsey Bahr. SENT: 940 words, photos.

PENG SHUAI-SPEAKS — Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has given a controlled interview to French newspaper about the social media posting that sparked a storm of international concern over her well-being. Peng told L’Equipe she never accused a Chinese official of sexual assault. Peng also said that her post in November had been taken out of context and led to “an enormous misunderstanding.” By John Leicester. SENT: 720 words, photo.

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AP News Digest 3 am

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