BC-AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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THE AP INTERVIEW-WICKREMESINGHE — Sri Lanka’s prime minister says he may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as he hunts desperately for fuel to keep the country running. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also indicated he would be willing to accept more financial help from China, despite his country’s mounting debt. By Krutika Pathi. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.
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TOP STORIES
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CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is delving deeper into what it calls “the big lie,” Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. Those unsupported claims fueled Trump’s relentless effort to overturn the 2020 election and led a mob of his supporters to lay siege to the U.S. Capitol. The 1/6 panel resumes its hearings Monday morning with live witnesses, including Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien. By Hope Yen. SENT: 870 words, photos. With CAPITOL RIOT HEARINGS-THINGS TO KNOW (sent); CAPITOL RIOT-SENTENCES (sent).
CAPITOL RIOT-BENCH TRIAL — U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden will hear testimony without a jury for the trial of Kevin Seefried and his son, Hunter. A federal trial is scheduled to start on Monday for a father and son from Delaware charged with storming the U.S. Capitol together. The father was photographed carrying a Confederate battle flag. By Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 850 words, photos.
CONGRESS-GUNS — Senate bargainers announce a bipartisan framework responding to last month’s mass shootings, a modest breakthrough offering measured gun curbs and bolstered efforts to improve school safety and mental health programs. The proposal falls far short of tougher steps long sought by President Joe Biden and many Democrats. Even so, if the accord leads to the enactment of legislation, it would signal a turn from years of gun massacres that have yielded little but stalemate in Congress. By Alan Fram. SENT: 800 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress to seize the industrial heartland of its neighbor. With the conflict now in its fourth month, it’s a high-stakes campaign that could dictate the course of the entire war. If Russia prevails in the battle of Donbas, it will mean that Ukraine loses not only land but perhaps the bulk of its most capable military forces, opening the way for Moscow to grab more territory and dictate its terms to Kyiv. A Russian failure could lay the grounds for a Ukrainian counteroffensive -- and possibly lead to political upheaval for the Kremlin. UPCOMING: 1,300 words, photos.
BRAZIL-AMAZON — Divers from a local Brazilian firefighters corps have found a backpack and laptop in the remote Amazon area where Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips went missing a week ago, firefighters said. Pereira, 41, and Phillips, 57, were last seen June 5 near the entrance of the Indigenous territory, which borders Peru and Colombia. They were returning alone by boat on the Itaquai river to Atalaia do Norte but never arrived. By Fabiano Maisonnave. SENT: 890 words, photos.
TONY AWARDS — A gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” rode the fondness Broadway has for the late iconic composer by earning five statuettes, including best musical revival. “The Lehman Trilogy” was crowned best new play. “MJ,” a bio musical of Michael Jackson stuffed with the King of Pop’s biggest hits, nabbed three Tony Awards, as did a gender-switched revival of “Company,” including earning Patti LuPone the third Tony of her illustrious musical theater career. By Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
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TRENDING
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TOBY-KEITH-CANCER — Country music star Toby Keith announced that he has been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer since last fall. The multi-platinum-selling singer said on Twitter that he underwent surgery and received chemotherapy and radiation in the past six months. SENT: 200 words, photos.
PATRIOT FRONT-ARRESTS — After the arrest of more than two dozen members of a white supremacist group near a northern Idaho pride event, including one identified as its founder, LGBTQ advocates said that polarization and a fraught political climate are putting their community increasingly at risk. SENT: 440 words, photos.
CHINA-WOMEN ASSAULTED — Chinese authorities have arrested nine people on suspicion of violently assaulting several women at a restaurant after surveillance footage of the attack sparked widespread outrage. SENT: 490 words.
ODD-URINE SENSORS — Urine trouble no more, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority hopes, with a new program to tackle public urination in system elevators with technology. SENT: 200 words.
RAPPER ARRESTED — Roddy Ricch has been arrested on gun charges in New York City. The rapper was arriving to perform at the Governors Ball music festival at Citi Field on Saturday evening when police say a private security firm operating a checkpoint noticed a firearm in the vehicle he was riding in. SENT: 160 words.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-AFTER McDONALD’S — Three months after McDonald’s suspended operations in Russia, its famous former outlet on Moscow’s Pushkin Square as the restaurant reopened under a Russian owner and a new name. SENT: 380 words, photos.
SWEDEN-NATO-GOTLAND — Having to defend Gotland against a foreign invasion seemed such a far-fetched notion to Swedish decision-makers at the start of the century that they demilitarized the Baltic Sea island. Now, the Swedish Armed Forces are back, and they are practicing with U.S. troops not just how to defend the island with a population of 58,000, but how to take it back from a foreign aggressor. SENT: 730 words, photos, video.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR-TEEN DRONE PILOT — A 15-year-old boy is being hailed in Ukraine for stealthy aerial reconnaissance work he did with his father when Russia invaded their country. The father-son team used their drone to help the country’s military spot, locate and destroy Russian armor and other targets in the early days of the war. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINES-KIDS — Federal health officials say that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION-2022-DEMOCRATS — Many of the nation’s most vulnerable Democrats are actively trying to distance themselves from Washington — and their party — as the midterm season enters its next phase. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-WHAT TO WATCH — Primary voters on Tuesday will decide the fate of two South Carolina Republicans who are clinging to their seats in the U.S. House after defying Donald Trump. We have a list of things what to watch for. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-SOUTH DAKOTA-NOEM — Ahead of a potential presidential bid, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem handily won the Republican nomination for a second term. Many of the candidates she hoped to elect to the Statehouse, however, did not have such a good night. And some of the incumbents who survived her efforts to defeat them are wondering why a governor they support and generally agree with went to such lengths to try to oust them. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-ALASKA — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leads in early results from Saturday’s special primary for the state’s only U.S. House seat, as voters whittled down the list of 48 candidates running for the position that was held for 49 years by the late U.S. Rep. Don Young. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to an August special election in which ranked choice voting will be used. SENT: 720 words, photos.
FOREIGN-LOBBYING-INVESTIGATION — The president of the Brookings Institution has resigned amid a federal investigation into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen’s announcement came less than a week after the Associated Press was first to report on new court filings that showed the FBI had seized his electronic data as part of the lobbying probe. By Alan Suderman and Jim Mustian. SENT: 460 words, photos.
OBIT-JOE-GRANDMAISON — J. Joseph “Joe” Grandmaison, a larger-than-life Democratic operative who ran numerous campaigns and served as an appointee under three presidents, has died. He was 79. SENT: 340 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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FRANCE-PARLIAMENTARY-ELECTION —French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance is expected to keep its parliamentary majority after a first round of voting, yet it’s expected to emerge with a much smaller number of seats than five years ago, according to projections. SENT: 700 words, photos.
INDIA-RUSSIA-OIL — India and other Asian nations are becoming an increasingly vital source of oil revenues for Moscow despite strong pressure from the U.S. not to increase their purchases, as the European Union and other allies cut off energy imports from Russia in line with sanctions over its war on Ukraine. SENT: 980 words, photos.
NORTH KOREA-KIM'S DIFFICULTIES — North Korea’s state media say leader Kim Jong Un and his top deputies are pushing for a crackdown on officials who abuse their power and commit other “unsound and non-revolutionary acts.” The comments come as Kim has been seeking greater internal unity to overcome a COVID-19 outbreak and economic difficulties. SENT: 350 words, photos. With: KOREAS-TENSIONS (sent).
IRAQ-DRY LAKE — Southern Iraq’s Lake Sawa has dried up for the first time in its centuries-long history. A combination of mismanagement by local investors, government neglect and climate change has ground down its azure shores to chunks of salt. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
IRAN - Media reports in Iran say that two members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division have died as “martyrs” in the country in separate incidents over the weekend. SENT: 500 words.
JAPAN-DEFAMATION — Japan’s parliament has approved tougher penalties for criminal defamation in a move prompted by a bullied wrestler’s suicide and that is raising free speech concerns. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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BABY FORMULA-INSPECTIONS — U.S. regulators have historically inspected baby formula plants at least once a year, but they did not inspect any of the three biggest manufacturers in 2020, according to federal records reviewed by The Associated Press. SENT: 960 words, photos. This is the Tuesday Spotlight.
PATRIOT FRONT-ARREST — After the arrest of more than two dozen members of a white supremacist group near a northern Idaho pride event, including one identified as its founder, LGBTQ advocates said Sunday that polarization and a fraught political climate have put their community increasingly at risk. SENT: 780 words, photos.
ARIZONA-WILDFIRE — Authorities say firefighters are responding to a wildfire about six miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona, that has forced evacuations. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Shares are sinking in Asia after a report that U.S. inflation worsened last month sent stocks reeling on Wall Street. Major regional markets dropped more than 2% in early trading. SENT: 690 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FILM-BOX-OFFICE — “Jurassic World: Dominion,” released globally by Universal Pictures, has already grossed $389 million. And it’s just getting started. “Top Gun: Maverick” is still coasting in rarefied skies too: It fell only 44% in its third weekend with an estimated $50 million to take second place, bringing its North American total north of $393.3 million. SENT: 810 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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HKN--STANLEY CUP PRIMER — The two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning face the best in the West Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final beginning Wednesday in Denver. The Lightning are the first team since the 1983-85 Edmonton Oilers to make the final three years in a row and are looking to become the NHL’s first three-peat champions since the New York Islanders dynasty that won four consecutive titles from 1980-83. SENT: 850 words, photos.
BKN--NBA FINALS PREVIEW — If the Boston Celtics want to stay in these NBA Finals, they must find a way to contain Stephen Curry, whose 43-point gem Friday night evened the series at 2 games apiece heading into Monday’s Game 5 at Chase Center. SENT: 770 words, photos.
SAUDI-LEAGUE-MONAHAN — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan described the Saudi-funded league that has signed up Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau as a “series of exhibition matches” that spends billions of dollars on players without getting a return on its investment. SENT: 890 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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