AP News Digest 3:20 am

Thursday 30 September 2021 03:21 EDT

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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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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ONLY ON AP

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AWOL WEAPONS-RISKY SOLUTION — Determined to keep track of their guns, some U.S. military units have turned to a technology that could let enemies detect troops on the battlefield, The Associated Press has found. The rollout on Army and Air Force bases continues even though the Department of Defense itself describes putting the technology in firearms as a “significant” security risk. video. SENT: 2,080 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,100 words is also available. With AWOL-WEAPONS-RISKY-SOLUTION-TAKEAWAYS.

MIGRATION-THE ALBANIAN ROUTE — Migrants and refugees seeking to get out of Greece are increasingly turning to a little-used migration route into Albania as other routes through Bulgaria and Macedonia have become too dangerous or well-guarded. About 50 people were camped near the Greek border with Albania during a visit by the AP, waiting to make their crossing attempt alone or with the paid help of smugglers. By Costas Kantouris. UPCOMING: 820 words, photos by 4 a.m.

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TOP STORIES

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CONGRESS-GOVERNMENT FUNDING — Congress is poised to approve legislation that would keep the federal government running into early December, preventing a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins Friday. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 740 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words after votes, timing uncertain.

CONGRESS-DIVIDED DEMOCRATS — Congressional Democrats are fighting over trillions of dollars, and it’s not helping that the party’s progressives and centrists are saying they don’t trust each other. They’re also tossing around words like “stupid” and “insanity” and they’re drawing lines in the sand. By Alan Fram. SENT: 940 words, photos. Also see CONGRESS-BUDGET-HEALTH CARE PIE below.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DOUBLE PANDEMIC — Primetta Giacopini was born in 1916, two years before the Spanish flu outbreak, the deadliest pandemic in history, that took her mother’s life. She went on to live a life of adventure that spanned two continents. She fell in love with a World War II fighter pilot, barely escaped Europe ahead of Benito Mussolini’s fascists, ground steel for the U.S. war effort and advocated for her disabled daughter in a less-enlightened time. But at 105, just like her mother, the COVID-19 pandemic took her life. By Todd Richmond. SENT: 950 words, photos.

ECUADOR-PRISON VIOLENCE — Ecuador’s president declares a state of emergency in the prison system following a battle among gang members in a coastal lockup that killed at least 116 people and injured 80 in what authorities say was the worst prison bloodbath ever in the country. Officials said at least five of the dead were found to have been beheaded. By Gabriela Molina. SENT: 590 words, photos.

IRAN-SUPERMARKET SQUEEZE — As U.S. sanctions strangle Iran’s economy, record inflation is causing stunned shoppers in the country to cut meat and dairy from their diets and to purchase less each month. Those who previously hauled sacks of staples from grocery stores now struggle to scrape together meals. By Mohammad Nasiri. SENT: 690 words, photos.

LEAF-PEEPING-CLIMATE-CHANGE — Droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. Extreme weather events like hurricanes that strip trees of their leaves altogether. For a cheery autumnal activity, leaf peeping is facing some serious threats from the era of climate change. By Patrick Whittle. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.

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AP News Digest 3:20 am

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