AP News Digest 7:20 a.m.

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.

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TOP STORIES

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CHINA-US — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has kicked off two days of high-stakes diplomatic talks in Beijing aimed at trying to cool exploding U.S.-China tensions that have set many around the world on edge. Blinken was meeting Sunday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang for an extended discussion to be followed by a working dinner. Despite his presence in the Chinese capital the prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies are slim. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, audio.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — British officials say Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive. They say Russian losses are probably at their highest level since the peak of the battle for Bakhmut in March. SENT: 500 words, photos.

TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS-GARLAND — On his first day as attorney general, Merrick Garland pledged a return to normalcy at the Justice Department. But the years since have been anything but typical. The historic first court appearance of the first former president to face federal criminal charges brought a crush of protesters to the federal courthouse in Miami, a torrent of social media broadsides from defendant Donald Trump and a crush of critiques from Republicans. The meticulous former judge at the center has largely shunned the spotlight, repeating a mantra of independence and accountability. By Lindsay Whitehurst. UPCOMING: 970 words, photos by 10 a.m.

ALASKA-ARCTIC-DEEP-WATER PORT — Climate change is opening up the Arctic, and a $600 million-plus expansion will make Nome on Alaska’s western coast the nation’s first deep-water Arctic port. The expansion is expected to be operational by the end of the decade,. The port will accommodate not just larger cruise ships of up to 4,000 passengers, but cargo ships to deliver additional goods for the 60 Alaska Native villages in the region, and military vessels to counter the presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic. While Nome may be the first deep-water draft for the Arctic, Nome’s mayor says it likely won’t be the last because of global warming. By Mark Thiessen. SENT: 900 words, photos.

BELARUS-LAWYER SHORTAGE — For nearly three years, a harsh crackdown on dissent in Belarus by its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has filled the country’s penal colonies with thousands of political prisoners, with new arrests reported daily. At the same time, a government campaign has gotten rid of many independent lawyers, making it difficult for the detainees to mount any kind of legal defense. Lawyer Siarhej Zikratski was forced to leave the country under the threat of arrest. More than 500 of his colleagues have been stripped of their law licenses and quit the profession since 2020, or they have moved abroad after facing reprisals at home. Some even ended up in prison. By Yura Karmanau. SENT: 1,350 words, photos.

ISRAEL-ARABS-SPIRALING CRIME — A relentless wave of violent crime among Israel’s Palestinian minority is turning cities and towns into bloody battlefields and exasperating the community. Anger over the mounting insecurity is directed at Israel’s government and its ultranationalist minister in charge of police, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Critics say that with his history of anti-Arab rhetoric, he cannot be trusted to combat the rising scourge. By Tia Goldenberg. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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ALBANIA-AFGHAN ANXIETY — Hundreds of Afghans are languishing in Albania, waiting for the U.S. visas they were promised, almost two years after fleeing the Taliban takeover of their country. For many, it’s an emotional roller coaster. Some try to find work and live with a semblance of normalcy but the concern and fear for what is happening to families back home permeates their days — even in sunny and welcoming Albania. By Llazar Semini. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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PHILIPPINES-FERRY FIRE — All 120 passengers and crew members aboard a Philippine ferry that caught fire at sea were rescued safely and the fire was extinguished, the coast guard said. SENT: 260 words, photos.

SWITZERLAND-CLIMATE REFERENDUM — Exit polls indicate that a majority of Swiss citizens have voted in favor of a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply curb the rich Alpine nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. SENT: 290 words, photos.

BKC-WEST VIRGINIA-HUGGINS ARRESTED — West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. The arrest Friday night in Pittsburgh comes a month after the university suspended him for three games for using an anti-gay slur during a radio interview. SENT: 730 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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DISNEY-DeSANTIS-FIREFIGHTERS — After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms. But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a new administrator has reopened negotiations on an updated contract promising pay raises and manpower increases for the more than 200 unionized firefighters and other first responders. SENT: 780 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-SUAREZ — In a 2024 Republican presidential field full of longshot candidates, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez may be – on paper anyway – the longest shot of all. No sitting mayor has been elected U.S. president, a job that has historically been won by men who have served as governors or members of Congress. UPCOMING: 880 words, photos by 10 a.m.

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NATIONAL

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CALIFORNIA-POLICE DECERTIFICATION — California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing an end to public disclosure of investigations of abusive and corrupt police officers. The administration calls the new proposal a cost-cutting measure. Criminal justice and press freedom groups say the change would make it harder to hold law enforcement accountable. SENT: 820 words, photo.

ST. LOUIS SHOOTING — A news report says an overnight shooting in a downtown St. Louis building killed one juvenile and wounded nine others. SENT: 70 words.

WASHINGTON STATE SHOOTING — Police say five people were injured in a shooting near a Washington state campground area hosting a music festival. SENT: 130 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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UGANDA-REBEL ATTACK — A Ugandan border town is preparing to bury victims of a brutal attack by suspected extremist rebels on a school that left 42 dead, most of them students. Security forces have stepped up patrols along the frontier with volatile eastern Congo, where the rebels are active. SENT: 640 words, photos.

SIERRA LEONE-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS — Sierra Leoneans are heading to the polls on Saturday, June 24, to select their next president amid mounting frustration due to an ailing economy, rising unemployment and the loom of deadly protests. Experts say it’s likely to be a two-horse race between incumbent President Julius Maada Bio — who’s fighting for his second five-year term — and Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress Party. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

SUDAN — Sudan’s warring parties have begun a cease-fire, as two months of fighting pushed the African nation into further chaos. The three-day cease-fire comes ahead of a pledging conference to help fund Sudan’s humanitarian needs, exasperated by the conflict. SENT: 460 words, photo.

MALI-REFERENDUM — Malian voters are casting ballots on whether to approve a new constitution. The coup leader in charge of the West African country says that Sunday’s referendum is one of the steps toward holding new elections in 2024. SENT: 330 words, photo.

AUSTRIA-PRIDE-FOILED ATTACK — Austrian authorities say they have foiled a possible attack on Vienna’s Pride parade by three young men who had allegedly sympathized with the extremist Islamic State group. SENT: 220 words.

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SPORTS

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BKC-WEST VIRGINIA-HUGGINS RESIGNS — West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins has resigned following a drunken driving arrest. He was charged with driving under the influence on Friday night after his SUV had stopped in the middle of traffic in Pittsburgh with a shredded tire. Last month the university had suspended Huggins three games for using an anti-gay slur while also denigrating Catholics during a radio interview. SENT: 1,070 words, photo.

GLF--US OPEN-WHAT TO WATCH — At the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard there are two players each going for their first major title. That’s about all they have in common. Rickie Fowler has contended in majors, won nine tournaments across the globe and has long been one of golf’s most recognizable players. Wyndham Clark is playing in only his seventh major and Sunday will mark the first time he’s finished better than 75th. One shot behind is Rory McIlroy, trying to win his first major in nine years. Also lurking is Scottie Scheffler, who is three shots back. SENT: 720 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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