AP News Digest 3:50 am
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TOP STORIES
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UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-MINOR INCURSION? — Short of an all-out invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin could take less dramatic action in Ukraine that would vastly complicate a U.S. and allied response. He might carry out what President Joe Biden called a “minor incursion” — perhaps a cyberattack — leaving the U.S. and Europe divided on the type and severity of economic sanctions to impose on Moscow and ways to increase support for Kyiv. By Robert Burns, Ellen Knickmeyer and Angela Charlton. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-UKRAINE — Top U.S., Russia diplomats to meet as Ukraine future teeters on brink. For full coverage on Ukraine.
UNITED STATES-JAPAN — Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their first formal talks as the two leaders face fresh concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s growing military assertiveness. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 470 words, photos. UPCOMING: 700 words after 8 a.m. virtual meeting.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — A jury of 18 people who appeared mostly white was picked for the federal trial of three Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing, a case that the judge told potential jurors has “absolutely nothing” to do with race. By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski. SENT: 920 words, photos. With GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-JURORS — The 18 jurors picked for federal trial over Floyd’s killing.
BRITAIN-JOHNSON THE RULEBREAKER — For Boris Johnson, facts have always been flexible. The British prime minister’s career is littered with doctored quotes, tall tales, exaggerations and mistruths. When called out, he has generally offered an apologetic shrug or a guilty grin, and moved on. At least until now. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 880 words, photos.
NORWAY JUSTICE TOO SOFT? — Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik's request for early release from prison highlights Norway's soft approach to criminal justice, with relatively short sentences and an emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment. Norwegian authorities insist every prisoner has the same rights, but Breivik's extreme case is testing the country's commitment to tolerance and rehabilitation to the limit. SENT: 600 words, photos.
OBIT-MEAT LOAF — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died. He was 74. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 410 words. UPCOMING: Will be expanded, photos, video.
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TRENDING NEWS
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JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR-KIDS BOOK — In kids’ book, Justice Sotomayor asks: Whom have you helped today? SENT: 710 words, photo.
NCAA-TRANSGENDER-ATHLETES — Penn pledges to work with NCAA, support transgender swimmer. SENT: 320 words, photos.
ENTANGLED WHALE — Search on for humpback whale entangled in debris off Hawaii. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA-VACCINES — California would allow children age 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents' consent, the youngest age of any state, under a proposal by a state senator. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Restaurants and bars will close early in Tokyo and a dozen other areas across Japan as the country widens COVID-19 restrictions due to the omicron variant, which has caused cases to surge to new highs in metropolitan areas. SENT: 880 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON
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BIDEN — Biden launches his second year in office with a new focus on making “fatigued” Americans believe they’re better off under his leadership as he embraces a pared-back agenda. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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ABORTION-MARCH FOR LIFE — The largest anti-abortion rally in the U.S. Friday with thousands of expected protesters in Washington who feel within reach of their goal for the last 49 years: a sweeping rollback of abortion rights. SENT: 730 words, photos.
WINTER WEATHER — Several schools have canceled classes in coastal areas of the Carolinas and Virginia and authorities are urging drivers to stay off potentially icy roads amid the latest round of winter storms. SENT: 580 words, photos.
MICHAEL AVENATTI-STORMY DANIELS — Michael Avenatti the once high-profile California attorney who regularly taunted then-President Donald Trump during frequent television appearances, was introduced to prospective jurors who will decide whether he cheated porn star Stormy Daniels out of book-deal proceeds. SENT: 410 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-STOLEN RAILROAD PACKAGES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom is promising statewide coordination as law enforcement and prosecutors go after thieves who have been raiding cargo containers aboard trains near downtown Los Angeles for months, leaving the tracks blanketed with discarded boxes. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ITALY-BERLUSCONI-FOR-PRESIDENT — Italy is poised to elect a new president, a figure who is supposed to serve as the nation’s moral compass and foster unity by being above the political fray. Silvio Berlusconi thinks he fits the bill. SENT: 860 words, photos.
TONGA-VOLCANO-ERUPTION — Dozens of former guests from New Zealand, Australia, the U.S. and elsewhere are raising money to help the owners of the Ha’atafu Beach Resort in Tonga after it was destroyed by a tsunami. SENT: 970 words, photos. With PERU-TONGA-OIL SPILL — Peru: 21 beaches polluted by spill linked to Tonga eruption.
ISRAEL-MAVERICK LAWMAKER — Retired Israeli Gen. Yair Golan spent a significant part of his military career serving in the occupied West Bank, protecting Jewish settlements. Today, he is one of their most vocal critics. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-SECRETARY-GENERAL-INTERVIEW — As he starts his second term as U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres says the world is worse in many ways than it was five years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions that have sparked conflicts everywhere — but unlike Biden he thinks Russia will not invade Ukraine. By Edith M. Lederer. SENT: 950 words, photos. With UNITED NATIONS-MALI U.N. chief: Mali military should hold elections in short time.
YEMEN — Yemen lost its connection to the internet nationwide after Saudi-led airstrikes targeted a site in the contested city of Hodeida, an advocacy group says, plunging the war-torn nation offline. SENT: 390 words.
CANADA-US-BORDER DEATHS — A Florida man was charged with human smuggling after the bodies of four people, including a baby and a teen, were found in Canada near the U.S. border in what authorities believe was a failed crossing attempt during a freezing blizzard. SENT: 690 words, photos.
IRAQ-ATTACK — Gunmen from the Islamic State extremist group attacked an army barracks in a mountainous area north of Baghdad, killing 11 soldiers as they slept, Iraqi security officials say. SENT: 470 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were lower in Asia after a late afternoon sell-off wiped out gains for stocks on Wall Street. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 690 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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JIM LITKE-OLYMPICS — If you thought last summer’s Tokyo Olympics were hollowed-out Games, just wait. With two weeks to go, Beijing’s hosts seem determined to drain every last drop of joy from the event. By Sports Columnist Jim Litke. SENT: 800 words, photo.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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BOOKS CRITICS CIRCLE — Colson Whitehead’s “Harlem Shuffle,” Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’ “The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois” and a debut story collection by Anthony Veasna So, a promising writer who died before his book was published, are among this year’s nominees for National Book Critics Circle awards. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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HOW TO REACH US
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