AP News Digest 3:45 am
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSING STUDENTS — Hundreds of thousands of students who have dropped off public school rolls since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic are unaccounted for. An analysis by The Associated Press, Stanford University’s Big Local News project and Stanford education professor Thomas Dee found 240,000 students in 21 states who have gone missing from schools. By Bianca Vázquez Toness and Sharon Lurye. SENT: 1,970 words, photos, video, graphic.
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TOP STORIES
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TURKEY-SYRIA-EARTHQUAKE — Rescuers pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, but hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after a catastrophic earthquake and series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 16,000. Emergency crews working through the night in the city of Antakya were able to pull a young girl, Hazal Guner, from the ruins of a building, news agency IHA reported. Tens of thousands are thought to have lost their homes. By Mehmet Guzel, Ghaith Alsayed, Suzan Fraser and Zeynep Bilginsoy. SENT: 760 words, photos, videos. With SYRIA-TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE-ALEPPO’S PAIN — Earthquake stuns Syria’s Aleppo even after war’s horrors.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is wrapping up a whirlwind tour of his major European backers, already heading home with heaps of goodwill, promises of more military aid and, as hardware goes, France’s highest medal of honor. The European Union’s 27 leaders were awaiting the man in khaki in Brussels, hoping to impress on him that the powerful bloc is steadfast in its support of embattled Ukraine as Russia is feared to be making moves for a new offensive around the Feb. 24 one-year anniversary of the war. By Raf Casert and Sam Petrequin. SENT: 630 words, photos.
BIDEN — President Joe Biden ventures to Florida, where he sees a chance to use Social Security and Medicare to drive a wedge between GOP lawmakers and their base of older voters who rely on these government programs. By Josh Boak and Steve Peoples. SENT: 640 words, photos. UPCOMING: 800 words after 1:30 p.m. event. Also see BIDEN-OIL below.
SUPREME COURT-OFFRAMPS — The Supreme Court soon could find itself with easy ways out of two high-profile cases involving immigration and elections, if indeed the justices are looking to avoid potentially messy, divisive decisions. By Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko. UPCOMING: 710 words, photo by 5:30 a.m.
TRAIN DERAILMENT-OHIO-RAILROAD SAFETY — The fiery derailment in Ohio that generated a huge plume of smoke and prompted evacuations because of concerns about the toxic chemicals the train was carrying prompted questions about railroad safety. By Josh Funk. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, videos. With TRAIN DERAILMENT OHIO — Residents can return after air deemed safe from derailment; TRAIN-DERAILMENT-OHIO-REPORTER ARRESTED — Reporter arrested during news event on train derailment.
KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his young daughter took center stage at a huge military parade, fueling speculation that she’s being primed as a future leader of the isolated country as her father showed off his latest, largest nuclear missiles. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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GUINNESS RECORD-WINNING MOUSE — Tiny California mouse wins Guinness award for longevity. SENT: 340 words, photos.
HINDU VALENTINE'S DAY — Indian government asks people to hug cows on Valentine’s Day. SENT: 310 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON
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BIDEN-OIL — Biden sparked a firestorm by saying the United States will need oil “for at least another decade.″ Republicans accuse the president of refusing to accept reality and “living in a green hallucination.″ SENT: 770 words, photos.
FETTERMAN — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who suffered a stroke during his campaign last year, was hospitalized after feeling lightheaded while attending a Senate Democratic retreat, his office said. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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TEXAS EXECUTION — A man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas Panhandle home more than 25 years ago was executed, the sixth inmate to be put to death in the U.S. this year and the second in as many days. SENT: 940 words, photos.
NYPD OFFICER-CHINESE SPYING — A New York City police officer wants his badge back after federal prosecutors dropped charges alleging he worked as a foreign agent for China. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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CHINA-US — China said U.S. accusations that a downed Chinese balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program amount to “information warfare against China.” SENT: 350 words, photos. With UNITED STATES-CHINA-BALLOON — Pentagon: China’s conducted spy balloon program for years.
PHILIPPINES-US-MILITARY — American forces and their allies in Asia are ready for battle after years of joint combat exercises, a United States general said, adding that Russia’s setbacks in Ukraine should serve as a warning to potential Asian aggressors like China and North Korea. SENT: 910 words, photos. With JAPAN-PHILIPPINES — Japan, Philippines to sign plans to boost defense ties.
HAITI-US-STALLED ADOPTIONS — Dozens of children are stuck in orphanages across Haiti, unable to leave the increasingly volatile country and start new lives with adoptive parents because a U.S. policy change has unleashed a rush for passports at Haiti’s main immigration office. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
FOOD-ALTERNATIVE GRAINS — With concerns about war, drought and the environment raising new worries about food supplies, the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization has christened 2023 as the “Year of Millets” — grains that have been cultivated in all corners of the globe for millennia but have been largely pushed aside. SENT: 980 words, photos.
CANADA-DAYCARE CRASH — Police have charged a bus driver with first-degree murder after he drove his vehicle at a high speed into a day care center north of Montreal, killing two children, injuring six and leaving authorities searching for a motive. SENT: 560 words, photos, video.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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SUDAN-DENGUE FEVER — A surge in mosquito-borne diseases in recent months has shown the fragility of Sudan’s health system and bodes ill for coming challenges, especially after the African country’s 2021 military coup. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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DISNEY-RESULTS — The Walt Disney Co. will cut about 7,000 jobs as part of an ambitious companywide cost-savings plan and “strategic reorganization” announced by CEO Bob Iger. By Business Writer Alex Veiga. SENT: 670 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mixed in Asia after Wall Street gave back some of its recent gains on persisting uncertainty over interest rates and inflation. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 600 words, photos.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Business Writer Matt Ott. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 8:30 a.m., photo.
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SPORTS
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SUNS-NETS-TRADE — The Phoenix Suns pulled a midnight blockbuster, acquiring 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets, according to multiple reports. SENT: 410 words, photos. With THREE-TEAM TRADE — AP source: Lakers trading Westbrook to Utah in three-team swap.
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