AP News Digest 3:25 a.m.

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.

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TOP STORIES

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AERIAL OBJECTS-EXPLAINER — A giant Chinese balloon has changed our awareness of all the stuff floating up in the air over our heads. Why there are so many balloons up there? Why are we only now grasping how much is up there? How the U.S. will watch for and respond to slow-moving security threats going forward? By Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. With UNITED-STATES-AERIAL-OBJECTS — US ends search for objects shot down over Alaska, Lake Huron; UNITED-STATES-AERIAL-OBJECTS-HOBBY — Decision to shoot down balloons puts spotlight on hobbyists (both sent).

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-GLOBAL-DIPLOMACY — Nearly a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the battlefield has narrowed and stiff resistance has forced Moscow to scale back its military goals. But the diplomatic consequences of the war still reverberate worldwide. By David-Rising. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-GUNS — A landmark Supreme Court decision on the Second Amendment is dismantling gun laws across the country, dividing judges and sowing confusion over what firearm restrictions can remain on the books. Experts say the ruling left open many questions, resulting in conflicting decisions from lower court judges. By Alanna Durkin Richer and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

WRONGFUL-CONVICTION-MISSOURI — As he languished in a Missouri prison for nearly three decades, Lamar Johnson never stopped fighting to prove his innocence, even when it meant doing much of the legal work himself. This week a St. Louis judge overturned Johnson’s murder conviction and ordered him freed. By Jim Salter. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

ELECTION CLAIMS — Two years after former President Donald Trump’s false claims about widespread election fraud sparked an attack on the U.S. Capitol, more evidence is piling up that those who spread the misinformation knew it was false. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 860 words, photos.

VOTING-MACHINES-FOX — A court filing in a lawsuit against Fox News lays bare a panic at the network that it had alienated its viewers and damaged its brand by not lining up with President Donald Trump’s false claims that he had won the 2020 presidential election. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 840 words, photo.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-GRASSROOTS AID — In a dusty workshop in northern Lithuania, a dozen men are transforming hundreds of wheel rims into potbelly stoves to warm Ukrainians huddled in trenches and bomb shelters. As the sparks subside, one welder marks the countertop: 36 made that day. Hours later, they’ve reached 60. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-UNITED-NATIONS — A week before the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin’s U.N. ambassador claimed that the West is driven by its determination to destroy Russia and declared: “We had no choice other than to defend our country — defend it from you, to defend our identity and our future.” SENT: 850 words, photo.

BRITAIN-UKRAINE-GRIEVING-MOTHER — Viktoria Kovalenko saw the death of her husband Petro and 12-year-old daughter Veronika last March when the car they were in was hit by a shell in northern Ukraine. Kovalenko survived, along with her then 1-year-old baby, Varvara. But they were soon picked up by Russian soldiers and held captive in a school basement for three weeks. Almost a year on from that ordeal, Kovalenko has found a temporary new home in a quiet English village with the kindness of volunteers, who helped her cross borders and apply for a U.K. visa. SENT: 720 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-US TRAINING — The Pentagon says the first class of 635 Ukrainian fighters has finished a five-week advanced U.S. training course in Germany on sophisticated combat skills and armored vehicles that will be critical in the coming spring offensive against the Russians. SENT: 400 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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ESPN-YEAR-2 — Since ESPN won back the NHL rights two years ago, it has carried the All-Star Game and Stanley Cup finals on ABC. The only thing it hasn’t had is an outdoor game. SENT: 700 words, photos.

INDIA-CHEETAHS — India welcomed 12 cheetahs from South Africa on Saturday that will join eight others it received from Namibia last year as part of an ambitious drive to reintroduce the big cats in the country after 70 years. SENT: 230 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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MICHIGAN-REPUBLICANS-LEADERSHIP — The Michigan Republican Party is set to elect its next chair from a field led by far-right candidates after sweeping losses to Democrats in last year’s midterms left Republicans powerless in the state government and the party in disarray. SENT: 760 words, photos.

PENCE-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — The Justice Department searches the office of former Vice President Mike Pence’s Washington advocacy group as part of its investigation into the discovery of sensitive documents at the homes and offices of current and former top U.S. officials. A Pence adviser says no additional documents with classified markings were discovered. SENT: 400 words, photo.

CONGRESS-SOCIAL SECURITY-SCOTT — Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida amends a plan to overhaul how the federal government works after Democrats repeatedly seized on it to accuse Republicans of looking to cut Medicare and Social Security. SENT: 470 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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MISSISSIPPI SHOOTINGS — A lone gunman killed six people including his ex-wife and stepfather at multiple locations in a tiny rural community in northern Mississippi, the sheriff says, leaving investigators searching for clues to what motivated the rampage. SENT: 850 words, photos, audio.

THERANOS-FRAUD-BALWANI-SENTENCING — Former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani has returned to federal court in a last-ditch attempt to stay out of prison while appealing a jury’s verdict convicting him of orchestrating a blood-testing hoax with his former boss and lover, Elizabeth Holmes. SENT: 530 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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SOUTH-CHINA-SEA — The Philippine president says the Chinese coast guard’s aiming of a military-grade laser that briefly blinded some crew aboard a Philippine patrol vessel in the disputed South China Sea was not enough for him to invoke a mutual defense treaty with the United States but added he told China that such aggression should stop. SENT: 600 words, photos.

NORHT-KOREA-KIM'S-DAUGHTER — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought his young daughter to a soccer game celebrating the birthday of his late father, state media says, her latest in a series of public appearances that have triggered debate on whether she’s being prepped for a future leadership role. SENT: 590 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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GLF--GENESIS INVITATIONAL-WOODS — Tiger Woods had some explaining to do in the Genesis Invitational. Not only did a bad day putting give him a 74 and place him on the verge of missing the cut, some chauvinistic humor went viral as well. Social media zoomed on video of Woods handing Justin Thomas a tampon during the opening round after Woods hit it farther than Thomas off the tee. Woods apologized if anyone was offended. SENT: 735 words, photos.

GLF--GENESIS INVITATIONAL — Max Homa in the lead at his hometown PGA Tour event used to give him chills. Now he’s playing so well it almost feels normal. SENT: 795 words, photos.

BKN--ALL-STAR-HALL OF FAME — Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich are all one step closer to basketball immortality. SENT: 580 words, photos

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.