AP News Digest 3 am

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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ONLY ON AP

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PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT — An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has disbursed in COVID relief aid. All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history. By Richard Lardner, Jennifer McDermott and Aaron Kessler. SENT: 2,200 words, photos. With PANDEMIC AID-GREAT GRIFT-TAKEAWAYS.

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Donald Trump and his allies are escalating efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and drum up protests as the former president braces for a history-making federal court appearance this week on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified information. Trump’s Tuesday afternoon appearance in Miami will mark his second time in as many months facing a judge on criminal charges. By Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 960 words, photos, videos. With TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — Big differences between Trump charges and Clinton email probe.

RUSSIA-AMENDING TACTICS — Analysts say Moscow has learned from earlier blunders in its war with Ukraine and improved its weapons and skills. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the 600-mile front line, honed its electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk. SENT: 1,310 words, photos.

EUROPE-HIGH FOOD PRICES — High food prices are pinching households across Europe, where food inflation is outpacing other major economies like the U.S., Japan and Canada. Some governments have responded with price controls or loose agreements with supermarkets to keep costs down. In Italy, a consumer group is taking matters into its own hands, calling for a pasta strike to force down prices by bottoming out demand. By Business Writer Colleen Barry. SENT: 960 words, photos. This is the Tuesday Spotlight.

TED-KACZYNSKI-SUICIDE — Ted Kaczynski, known as the “Unabomber,” who carried out a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died by suicide, four people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Kaczynski, who was 81 and suffering from late-stage cancer, was found unresponsive in his North Carolina cell. By Michael R. Sisak, Mike Balsamo and Jake Offenhartz. SENT: 640 words, photos.

I-95-COLLAPSE — An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed in Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, closing a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway indefinitely, authorities said. Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area in the city’s northeast corner. By Ron Todt. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.

TONY AWARDS — The intimate, funny-sad musical “Kimberly Akimbo” nudged aside splashier rivals to win the musical crown at the Tony Awards on a night when Broadway flexed its creative muscle amid the Hollywood writers’ strike and made history with laurels for nonbinary actors J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, videos. With TONY AWARDS-LIST.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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ARGENTINA-TRANSGENDER — A bill under discussion in Argentina’s congressional committee would provide a lifetime pension for transgender people over 40 as a form of “historic reparations.” SENT: 930 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine’s military on Sunday reported recapturing a southeastern village as Russian forces claimed to repel multiple attacks in the area, while a regional official said three people were killed when Moscow’s troops opened fire at a boat evacuating people from Russian-occupied areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.

EUROPE-AIR DEFENSE EXERCISE — An air deployment exercise billed as the biggest in NATO’s history and hosted by Germany is getting underway. SENT: 350 words.

NEW ZEALAND-UKRAINE REPORTING — The head of New Zealand’s public radio station apologized for publishing “pro-Kremlin garbage” on its website after more than a dozen wire stories on the Ukraine war were found to have been altered. SENT: 430 words, photo.

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MORE NEWS

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HEAT MASCOT-MCGREGOR — Conor McGregor knocks out Heat mascot in bizarre promotion at NBA Finals. SENT: 200 words, photos.

GEORGE SOROS SUCCESSOR — Report: Billionaire investor, philanthropist George Soros cedes control of empire. SENT: 410 words, photo.

HUNGARY-POLICE-DOG — German shepherd wounded in Ukraine gets new start as police dog. SENT: 520 words, photos.

MARYLAND-FATAL SHOOTING — Police: Three dead, three wounded in shooting at Maryland home. SENT: 210 words, photos.

FIREFIGHTER DROWNS — Firefighter drowns while trying to rescue daughter at Jersey Shore beach. SENT: 150 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION 2024-MOMS FOR LIBERTY — At least four Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to travel to Philadelphia later this month to speak at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a Florida-based nonprofit that didn’t exist in 2020 but that has become a power player in conservative politics ahead of the 2024 elections. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-JILL BIDEN — Though the 2024 election in which President Joe Biden is seeking reelection is more than a year away, helping him win a second term is a top priority for first lady Jill Biden now that school’s out for the summer. SENT: 980 words, photos.

BIDEN-NATO — President Joe Biden is welcoming outgoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for talks as the competition to find his successor to lead the military alliance heats up. SENT: 470 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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WIFE CHARGED-CHILDREN’S GRIEF BOOK — A Utah woman who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death, and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, is scheduled to appear in court to determine whether she should remain detained or have an opportunity to post bail. SENT: 680 words, photo.

CIVIL RIGHTS-MEDGAR EVERS — At 90, Myrlie Evers-Williams still speaks in a clear, strong voice as she says she terribly misses her first love, civil rights icon Medgar Evers, as she reflects on his work to push the U.S. toward a promise of equality and justice for all. SENT: 930 words, photos.

OREGON-EDUCATION-GOP WALKOUT — Funding for schools, literacy programs and special education teachers in Oregon — a state where 60% of third graders can’t read at grade level — could be jeopardized by a Republican walkout that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks. SENT: 800 words, photos.

YOUTH CLIMATE LAWSUIT-MONTANA — A group of Montana youth who say their lives are already being affected by climate change and that state government is failing to protect them are the first of dozens of such efforts to get their lawsuit to trial. SENT: 450 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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COLOMBIA-PLANE-CRASH-CHILDREN — The four Indigenous children who survived 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed have shared limited but harrowing details of their ordeal with their family, including that their mother survived the crash for days before she died. SENT: 980 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-BUS CRASH — A bus carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia’s wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said. By Rod McGuirk and Nick Perry. SENT: 550 words, photos.

PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — The Philippines’ most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion. SENT: 620 words, photos.

IRAQ-BUDGET — Iraq’s parliament belatedly approved a record $152 billion budget for 2023, after months of wrangling over the sharing of oil revenue between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish region in the north. SENT: 760 words, photo.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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CLIMATE-UGANDA CHARCOAL — The burning of charcoal, an age-old practice in many African societies, is now restricted business across northern Uganda amid a wave of resentment by locals who have warned of the threat of climate change stemming from the uncontrolled felling of trees by outsiders. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

CLIMATE-NET ZERO CLAIMS — A growing number of companies are pledging to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” as part of global efforts to tackle climate change, but that goal is rarely supported by a credible plan, according to a report. SENT: 640 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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CHINA-FEEBLE RECOVERY — China’s manufacturing and consumer spending are weakening after a strong start to 2023 after anti-virus controls ended. SENT: 550 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mixed in Asia after the S&P 500 logged its fourth winning week in a row, while investors await another decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 500 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FRENCH OPEN — Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,510 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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CYNTHIA WEIL-MEMORIAL SONGWRITER — Cynthia Weil was honored during a music-filled memorial service in Beverly Hills. SENT: 780 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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