AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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UNITED STATES-AERIAL OBJECTS — A U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days. Pentagon officials believe the latest military strike in an extraordinary chain of events over U.S. airspace has no peacetime precedent. The head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glen VanHerck, says part of the reason for the repeated shootdowns is a “heightened alert” following a spy balloon from China that emerged over U.S. airspace in late January. By Colleen Long, Lolita C. Baldor and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1100 words, photos.
TURKEY-SYRIA-EARTHQUAKE — Rescue crews on Monday pulled a 40-year-old woman from the wreckage of a building a week after two powerful earthquakes struck, but reports of rescues are coming less often as the time since the quake reaches the limits of the human body’s ability to survive without water, especially in sub-freezing temperatures. The magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 quakes that struck nine hours apart in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, killed at least 33,185, with the toll expected to rise. On Monday rescuers pulled a 40-year-old woman from the wreckage of a 5-story building in the town of Islahiye, in Gaziantep province. Experts said the likelihood of finding people alive is “very, very small now. By Justin Spike and Zeynep Bilginsoy. and Sarah el-Deeb. SENT: 750 words, photos.
SYRIA-TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE AID — As rescue operations have largely ceased in northwest Syria, residents struck by a devastating earthquake are grappling with their new and worsening reality. Many residents spent Sunday digging through the debris of their destroyed homes, picking up the remnants of their shattered lives and looking for ways to heal after the latest in a series of humanitarian disaster to hit the war-battered area. By Sarah el-Deeb. SENT: 1010 words, photos.
SUPER BOWL - Patrick Mahomes was magical when the Kansas City Chiefs desperately needed him to pull off another Super Bowl comeback. Playing on an injured ankle, Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and scrambled 26 yards on the go-ahead drive before Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to give the Chiefs a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. The Chiefs won their second NFL title in four years and two-time NFL MVP Mahomes earned his second Super Bowl MVP award. Mahomes and Jalen Hurts excelled in the first Super Bowl matchup featuring two Black starting QBs. But Mahomes turned it up in the second half after reaggravating a sprained right ankle. By AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi. SENT: 1190 words, photos, video. WITH SUPER-BOWL-CHIEFS MAHOMES; SUPER-BOWL-KEY-PENALTY; SUPER-BOWL-CATCH OR NOT; SUPER-BOWL-EAGLES; SUPER-BOWL-KELCES; SUPER-BOWL-BETTING; (all sent.)
SUPER-BOWL-ENTERTAINMENT - Rihanna was above it all. And pregnant to boot. She began and ended the Super Bowl 57 halftime show hovering high above the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Her representative revealed afterward that the singer is pregnant with her second child. By Andrew Dalton. SENT: 800 words, photos..WITH SUPER-BOWL-HALFTIME-REVIEW ;Review: Rihanna shines in singular Super Bowl halftime show. (sent.)
For more Super Bowl coverage, click here.
ELECTION 2024-HALEY — Few have navigated the turbulent politics of the Donald Trump era like Nikki Haley. On Wednesday, she is poised to become the first major Republican candidate to enter the race against the former president. By Meg Kinnard and Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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SUPER BOWL ADS — Advertisers bet big that viewers were turning to the Super Bowl for a comforting escape, and delivered a series of advertisements that relied on familiar celebrity faces, light humor, and plenty of cuddly dogs. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
OBIT-TRUGOY THE DOVE — David Jude Jolicoeur, known widely as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of the Long Island hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54. SENT: 890 words, photos.
MUSIC-U2-RETURN — U2 plans a return to the stage later this year in Las Vegas, minus one member of its original quartet. Drummer Larry Mullen is on the injured list. SENT: 320 words, photo.
PEOPLE-SAM SMITH-OUTFIT — Musician Sam Smith turned heads with the eye-catching black latex outfit the “Unholy” singer wore to the Brit Awards Saturday night in London. SENT: 270 words, photos.
BBO-FOX-JETER — Derek Jeter will be part of Fox Sports’ MLB studio coverage for the coming season. SENT: 250 words, photo.
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MORE ON EARTHQUAKE
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TURKEY-SYRIA-EARTHQUAKE-ANGER — Six days after earthquakes in Syria and Turkey killed tens of thousands, sorrow and disbelief are turning to anger and tension over a sense that there has been an ineffective, unfair and disproportionate response to the historic disaster. Many in Turkey express frustration that rescue operations have proceeded painfully slowly, and that valuable time has been lost during the narrow window for finding people alive beneath the rubble. By Justin Spike. SENT: 920 words, photos.
TURKEY-SYRIA-EARTHQUAKE-REFUGEES — For Syrians and Ukrainians fleeing the violence back home, the earthquake that struck in Turkey and Syria is just the latest tragedy. The U.N. says Turkey hosts about 3.6 million Syrians who fled their country’s 12-year civil war, along with close to 320,000 people escaping hardships from other countries. SENT: 910 words, photos.
GREECE-TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE — Greece’s foreign minister is visiting the earthquake-stricken areas of Turkey, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart. The visit is part of a new round of so-called “earthquake diplomacy” between the two uneasy allies, whose relations have often been frosty, if not downright hostile. SENT: 520 words, photos.
GERMANY-TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE — The German government wants to temporarily ease visa restrictions for survivors of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria who have close family ties to Germany if they are facing homelessness or were injured. SENT: 315 words, photo.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian forces over the weekend continued to shell Ukrainian cities amid a grinding push to seize more land in the east of the country. SENT: 565 words, photos.
AUSTRIA-NEUTRALITY — Neutral Austria has come under heavy criticism for granting visas that will allow sanctioned Russian lawmakers to attend a Vienna meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The issue highlights the delicate balancing act the European country has engaged in while trying to maintain its longstanding position of military neutrality during the war in Ukraine. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ARMY-RECRUITING HURDLES — The Army is trying to recover from its worst recruiting year in decades, and officials say those recruiting woes are the result on traditional hurdles. Young people don’t want to die or get injured, they don’t want to deal with the stress of Army life and they don’t want to put their lives on hold. But the recruiting obstacles don’t seem to be rooted in concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine or about “wokeness,” as some Republicans claim. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 990 words, photos.
FBI HEADQUARTERS — Virginia lawmakers are making their final push to build a new FBI headquarters in their state, while Maryland officials try to persuade the federal government to put it in Maryland. SENT: 600 words.
GOOGLE-MISINFORMATION — Google is expanding an initiative that shows promise in fighting online misinformation. The tech company announced Monday that it will roll out a new “prebunking” campaign in Germany. SENT: 980 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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POLICE SHOOTING-MINNESOTA — A police officer in Minnesota has shot and killed a man who allegedly threatened officers with a knife. The incident happened about 5 p.m. Saturday in St. Paul. SENT: 150 words.
MASS SHOOTING-NIGHTCLUB — Police in Louisiana’s capital city have arrested two people for a mass shooting that left 12 others wounded at a nightclub in January. SENT: 290 words, photos.
HOUSTON-AMMONIA LEAK — A shelter-in-place advisory issued in suburban Houston because of a leak of ammonia gas from a refrigeration line at a warehouse was lifted early Sunday afternoon, officials said. SENT: 300 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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DUBAI-NEW BOOM-SAME WORRIES - For the first time since a 2009 financial crisis nearly brought Dubai to its knees, several major abandoned real estate projects now show signs of life. As with its other booms, war again is driving money into Dubai and buoying its economy. This time it’s Russian investors fleeing Moscow’s war on Ukraine, rather than people escaping Mideast battlefields. While there’s no sign the market could be in similar trouble as in 2009, some concerns have started to surface. Skyrocketing rental costs are worsening a cost-of-living squeeze for the foreign workforce that powers the emirate. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury is worried about the amount of Russian money that’s coming in. SENT: 1190 words, photos.
SOUTH-CHINA-SEA - The Philippines on Monday accused a Chinese coast guard ship of hitting a Philippine coast guard vessel with a military-grade laser and temporarily blinding some of its crew in the disputed South China Sea, calling it a “blatant” violation of Manila’s sovereign rights.. SENT: 580 words, photos.
NEW ZELAND CYCLONE - Auckland residents are hunkering down Monday as they brace for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle. It’s been just two weeks since a record-breaking storm swamped New Zealand’s largest city and killed four people. Much of Auckland has ground to a halt as train services were canceled, libraries and schools were closed and authorities asked people to make only essential trips. SENT: 400 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Residents of the Gaza Strip said Israeli aircraft launched a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the coastal Palestinian territory. SENT: 110 words, photo.
VATICAN-NICARAGUA — Pope Francis on Sunday expressed sadness and worry at the news that Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, an outspoken critic of the Nicaraguan government, had been sentenced to 26 years in prison in the latest move against the Catholic Church and government opponents. SENT: 210 words, photos.
MEXICO-LABOR-COMPLAINTS — It has been nearly two years since the United States began pressing Mexico over labor rights violations, by using rapid dispute resolution methods contained in the U.S.-Mexico Canada free trade agreement. Workers and union organizers are mixed on the results. SENT: 1,185 words, photos.
CYRPUS-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — Former foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides has been elected the new president of Cyprus in a runoff election. SENT: 615 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FILM-BOX-OFFICE — The third installment in the “Magic Mike” series danced its way to the top of the box office charts this weekend with a James Cameron double header, “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Titanic” (yes that “Titanic”), looming close behind. SENT: 650 words, photos.
OBIT-HOWARD BRAGMAN — Beloved Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman has died at the age of 66. Bragman specialized in crisis relations, with clients including Monica Lewinsky and Chaz Bono. SENT: 530 words.
FASHION-NYFW-HUDSON — Sergio Hudson created a nostalgic scene with shoulder pads, neon colors and graffiti prints taken right out of the early ’90s with his latest collection Saturday. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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SUPER-BOWL-HAMLIN — Damar Hamlin has made it to the Super Bowl. The Buffalo Bills safety, who went into cardiac arrest after a hit in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, made his third appearance in Phoenix during Super Bowl week, this time on the field at State Farm Stadium prior to the game. SENT: 270 words, photo.
OLY-IOC-RUSSIAN BAN — International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says the organization is not on the wrong side of history by aiming to help Russians and Belarusians qualify for the 2024 Paris Games. Bach insists sports must respect human rights of all athletes and not discriminate based just on their passport. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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