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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NEW & DEVELOPING
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— HOSTAGES-BEHEADINGS-QATAR LAWSUIT stands for — BEHEADINGS-QATAR LAWSUIT from previous digest.
— BORDER-ASYLUM RULE stands for — BORDER-ASYLUM-LIMITS from previous digest.
Adds: RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-DEFENSE CHIEFS, RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-FINANCE LOOPHOLES, PGA-MICKELSON, OBIT-MCFARLANE, NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFOWARS, CRYPTO-WILD-WEEK, SUBWAY-SHOOTING, DROUGHT-CONVERTING-SALT-WATER, BEACH-HUMAN-REMAINS, UNITED STATES-JORDAN, FOOD-NETWORK-STAR-CHILD-DEATH, OBIT-FRED WARD.
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ONLY ON AP
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CJ’S LAST HOURS -- When police were called to deal with a teenager in the throes of a mental health crisis, everything went wrong. Cedric “C.J.” Lofton had had a troubled life, and his final hours were horrendous — he was dragged from the porch of his foster home, taken to a juvenile facility instead of a mental hospital, and shackled face down until he lost consciousness. No one has been charged in C.J.’s death; the prosecutor in the case raised questions about nearly everyone involved in C.J.’s care, from the juvenile workers to the foster care system, and said this death never should have happened. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 2,695 words, photos.
HOSTAGES-BEHEADINGS-QATAR LAWSUIT — Qatar, a key Persian Gulf ally of the Biden administration, is facing renewed scrutiny for its alleged financial ties to terrorist groups after a new lawsuit from the family of an American journalist beheaded by the Islamic State and a separate federal investigation into a member of the country’s royalty. By Alan Suderman. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russia suffered heavy losses when Ukrainian forces destroyed the pontoon bridge enemy troops were using to try to cross a river in the east, Ukrainian and British officials said in another sign of Moscow’s struggle to salvage a war gone awry. Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, opened the first war crimes trial of the conflict. The defendant, a captured Russian soldier, stands accused of shooting to death a 62-year-old civilian in the early days of the war. By Oleksandr Stashevskyi and David Keyton. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, videos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE LATEST.
REL--SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-CATHOLICS — Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are calling on the faithful to pray and fast in hopes that the Supreme Court will soon overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Yet even among Catholics who oppose abortion, there is some unease about this prospect. Some say Catholic leaders should distance themselves from the politically partisan wing of the anti-abortion movement. They favor broadening the concept of “pro-life” by boosting support for unwed mothers. By David Crary. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
MUSK-TWITTER — Elon Musk said that his plan to buy Twitter is “temporarily on hold,” raising fresh doubts about whether he’ll proceed with the $44 billion acquisition. Musk tweeted that he wanted to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the social media platform. But the issue isn't new, leading some analysts to believe that Musk could be raising the issue as a reason to back out of the purchase. By Kelvin Chan and Tom Krisher. SENT: 950 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — The Jan. 6 committee’s decision to subpoena GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and four sitting members of Congress over the insurrection at the Capitol is as unprecedented as the deadly riot itself. It opens a new era of acrimony and distrust among lawmakers. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
ISRAEL-JOURNALIST-KILLED — Israeli police moved in on a crowd of mourners at the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, beating demonstrators with batons and causing pallbearers to briefly drop the casket. The crackdown came during a rare show of Palestinian nationalism in east Jerusalem — the part of the holy city that Israel captured in 1967 and that the Palestinians claim as their capital. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 955 words, photos,
SCI-LUNAR-ECLIPSE — A total lunar eclipse will grace the night skies this weekend, providing longer than usual thrills for stargazers across North and South America. The celestial action unfolds Sunday night into early Monday morning, with the moon bathed in the reflected red and orange hues of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises for about 1 1/2 hours, the longest totality of the decade. It will be the first so-called blood moon in a year. By Marcia Dunn. SENT: 360 words, photos.
PGA-MICKELSON — Phil Mickelson withdrew Friday from the PGA Championship, electing to extend his hiatus from golf following his incendiary comments about a Saudi-funded rival league he supports and the PGA Tour he accused of greed. By AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. SENT: 350 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIAN-UKRAINE-WAR-GAS — European gas prices have risen after Russian state-owned exporter Gazprom said it would no longer send supplies to Europe via a pipeline in Poland, citing new sanctions that Moscow imposed on European energy companies. The move doesn’t immediately block large amounts of natural gas to Europe but intensifies fears that the war in Ukraine will lead to wide-ranging cutoffs. SENT: 490 words, photos.
FINLAND-SWEDEN-NATO — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is “not favorable” toward Finland and Sweden joining NATO. His statement on Friday indicates that Turkey could use its own membership in the Western military alliance to veto moves to admit the two Nordic countries. SENT: 600 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-DEFENSE CHIEFS — Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu speaks with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, but officials say the call doesn’t appear to signal any change in Moscow’s war in Ukraine. SENT: 500 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-FINANCE LOOPHOLES — The Treasury Department cites the conduct of Russian in laying out recommendations for guarding against money laundering and other threats to the U.S. financial system. SENT: 330 words, photos.
UKRAINE WAR-DISABLED EVACUATION – The staff of the institution for mentally and physically disabled people in the village of Tavriiske, near the front line in Ukraine’s war, face a daunting dilemma: Do they evacuate the facility, and how can it be done with a minimum of disruption to residents, for whom any evacuation procedure change of environment will be extremely stressful. SENT: 950 words, photos.
UKRAINE-WAR-REFUGEES — Since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, more than 6 million people have fled war-torn Ukraine. While some are settling into their new lives, many dream of returning home when the war is over. SENT; 660 words, photos.
GERMANY-G7 — Ukraine’s foreign minister says his country is willing to engage in diplomatic talks with Russia to unblock grain supplies and achieve a political solution to the war in Ukraine but won’t accept ultimatums. SENT: 720 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-A-WEEK-PHOTO-GALLERY — Amid Ukraine war, seeking moments of normalcy. SENT: 330 words.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA-EXPLAINER -- North Korea’s recent admission of its first domestic COVID-19 cases has surprised many outsiders and prompted speculation about how bad the outbreak is, and whether it could cause a major humanitarian crisis in a country where public medical infrastructure is terrible. SENT: 1,085 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA — North Korea says six people have died and 350,000 have been treated for a fever that has spread explosively across the country. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — An official says Shanghai will try again to reopen in a few days after it has eliminated COVID-19 transmission among the population at large. An outbreak is waning in the city that is now in the seventh week of a strict lockdown that has been moved, lifted and reinforced at times to the frustration of residents. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFOWARS — The Sandy Hook families’ lawsuits against Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for calling the 2012 Newtown school shooting a hoax appear poised to resume soon, based on agreements revealed Friday in the bankruptcy cases of some of Jones’ companies. SENT: 300 words.
PEE-CYCLING — Two University of Michigan researchers are putting the “pee” in peony. Rather, they’re putting pee on peonies. SENT: 560 words, photos.
CZECH-SUSPENSION BRIDGE -- A pedestrian suspension bridge that is the longest such construction in the world has opened at a mountain resort in the Czech Republic. SENT: 265 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-POLITICS — A man impersonating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un disrupted the Australian election campaign when he burst into an event that Prime Minister Scott Morrison was attending. SENT: 395 words, photos.
BRITAIN-QUEEN — Queen Elizabeth II has attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show and watched her beloved equines from the comfort of a Range Rover before walking to her box in her first public appearance in weeks. SENT: 240 words, photos.
BRITAIN-PLATINUM PUDDING — A 31-year-old copywriter’s seven-layer lemon Swiss roll and amaretti trifle has won a U.K.-wide competition to become the official pudding, or dessert, of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. SENT: 275 words, photo.
PREGNANT-WOMAN SLAIN — Police in Baltimore say a pregnant woman and a man were fatally shot and a baby was delivered before the woman died. That baby is now in critical condition. SENT: 305 words.
NOT-REAL-NEWS — A look at what didn't happen this week. SENT: 1,950 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON /POLITICS
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OBIT-MCFARLANE — Former White House national security adviser Robert C. McFarlane, a top aide to President Ronald Reagan who pleaded guilty to charges for his role in an illegal arms-for-hostages deal known as the Iran-Contra affair, has died. He was 84. McFarlane, who lived in Washington, died from complications of a previous lung condition at a hospital in Michigan, where he was visiting family, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times. SENT: 500 words, photos.
TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES — A lawyer for the New York attorney general’s office says evidence found in a three-year probe into Donald Trump’s business practices could support legal action against the former president, his company, or both. That comes as a federal judge weighs Trump’s lawsuit seeking to halt the civil investigation. SENT: 840 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-GOVERNOR — Former Vice President Mike Pence will campaign with Georgia’s incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp the day before this month’s GOP primary in his most significant political break with Donald Trump to date. SENT: 840 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-NORTH CAROLINA-CAWTHORN — A series of unforced political and personal errors by GOP congressman Madison Cawthorn has brought the forces of big-name Republicans and traditional enemies to bear on his reelection bid in North Carolina. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-OREGON-HOUSE — Growing discontent over homelessness and crime in Portland, Oregon, is driving interest in a pair of congressional primaries. One features a vulnerable incumbent endorsed by President Joe Biden and the other involves a candidate bankrolled by cryptocurrency. SENT: 920 words, photos.
BORDER-ASYLUM RULE — An attorney arguing for 21 states urged a federal judge Friday to block Biden administration plans to lift pandemic-related restrictions on migrants requesting asylum, saying the decision was made without sufficient consideration on the effects the move could have on public health and law enforcement. SENT: 700 words, photo.
BIDEN-POLICE FUNDING — Flanked by law enforcement officials and local leaders in the Rose Garden, President Biden says his administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package is boosting public safety by investing in police departments. SENT: 420 words, photos.
BIDEN-BROADBAND-INTERNET — The Biden administration is taking the first steps to release $45 billion to ensure every U.S. resident has access to high-speed internet by roughly 2028. The administration is inviting governors and other leaders Friday to start the application process. SENT: 605 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-SOUTHEAST ASIA — President Joe Biden announces he’s nominating one of his top national security aides to serve as his ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a move meant to underscore his administration’s commitment to the Pacific. SENT: 890 words, photos.
BIDEN FUNDRAISING — President Biden raised $7.8 million during a string of recent fundraisers held in and around Washington, Chicago and the West Coast. SENT: 900 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-JORDAN — President Biden reaffirms his administration’s support for Jordan’s long-running role as the custodian of Muslim holy sites at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. SENT: 310 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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SPORTS BETTING — Americans have bet more than $125 billion on sports with legal gambling outlets in the four years since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for all 50 states to offer it. On Saturday’s anniversary of the decision in a case brought by New Jersey, two-thirds of the states in the country have legalized sports betting. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
SCHOOL SHOOTING-FLORIDA JUDGE — The judge presiding over Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s death penalty trial was assigned the case despite never having overseen a major trial. Judge Elizabeth Scherer was assigned randomly by computer. That’s the system used in Broward County and throughout much of Florida. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
DEATH PENALTY-ARIZONA-VICTIM — Shortly after the man who killed her sister 44 years ago was executed, Leslie James strode to a podium at the Arizona state prison complex in Florence and tearfully told the world all that Clarence Dixon had taken when he killed Deana Bowdoin in 1978. SENT: 540 words, photos.
TRANSGENDER-YOUTH-TEXAS — The Texas Supreme Court is allowing the state to investigate parents of transgender youth for child abuse. But in a mixed ruling Friday, the court also handed a victory to one family that was among the first contacted by child welfare officials following an order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. SENT: 460 words.
PUERTO RICO-CAPSIZED BOAT — At least 38 people have been rescued and 11 bodies found as the U.S. Coast Guard scours the open waters northwest of Puerto Rico via boat, plane and helicopter in a bid to find more survivors after a boat carrying suspected migrants capsized. SENT: 675 words.
PARENTS ARRESTED-STARVATION DEATH — The parents of a 2-year-old Florida girl who died weighing less than 10 pounds are accused of negligent child abuse. SENT: 320 words, photo.
BEACH-HUMAN-REMAINS — A woman who disappeared in a beach community on New York’s Long Island more than a decade ago, sparking an investigation into a possible serial killer, said “there’s somebody after me” in a newly released 911 tape. SENT: 560 words, photos.
DROUGHT-CONVERTING-SALT-WATER — California officials have nixed a proposal for a $1.4 billion desalination plant but say they’re open to growing the state’s capacity to turn Pacific Ocean seawater into drinking water to buffer against persistent drought. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
NURSE'S ERROR-TENNESSEE — Hundreds of health care workers gathered outside a Nashville courthouse on Friday to protest the sentencing of a former Tennessee nurse facing up to eight years in prison for mistakenly causing the death of a patient. SENT: 680 words, photos.
SEVERE WEATHER — Strong winds and a tornado caused widespread damage in parts of the Midwest, where officials said another round of severe weather during a stormy week left three more people dead. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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OBIT-EMIRATES-LEADER — The United Arab Emirates’ long-ailing ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, died Friday, the government announced in a brief statement. He was 73. Khalifa, the president of the UAE, oversaw much of the country’s blistering economic growth and his name was immortalized on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. SENT: 1,520 words, photo.
SRI LANKA-POLITICAL DYNASTY — With one brother president, another prime minister and three more family members cabinet ministers, it appeared that the Rajapaksa clan had consolidated its grip on power in Sri Lanka after decades in and out of government. With a national debt crisis spiraling out of control, it looks like the dynasty is nearing its end, but the family is not going down without a fight. SENT: 850 words, photos. With SRI LANKA — Protesters attacked earlier this week by supporters of Sri Lanka’s government are demanding that the newly appointed prime minister arrest his predecessor for allegedly instigating the attack against them as they called for his resignation. SENT: 460 words, photos.
LEBANON-FAILING STATE — Amid Lebanon’s devastating economic meltdown, this week’s parliament elections are seen as a last chance to reverse course and punish the current crop of politicians who have driven the Mediterranean nation into the ground. Instead, a widespread sense of apathy and pessimism prevails, with most observers agreeing the vote is unlikely to make much difference. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES MARCOS — Allies of the presumptive Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, are set to strongly dominate Congress. Marcos Jr. had more than 31 million votes in the unofficial count from Monday’s elections in what’s projected to be one of the strongest majority mandates for a Philippine president in decades. SENT: 855 words, photos.
GERMANY-TRAIN-ATTACK — German authorities say three passengers on a regional train overpowered an Iraq-born man who wounded five people with a knife. SENT: 300 words, photos.
NIGERIA HUNGER — Aid agencies are warning that child malnutrition is on the rise amid conflict in northeast Nigeria. A drop in food production this year in the country and global humanitarian funds being diverted due to the war in Ukraine are putting families at risk. SENT: 700 words, photos.
KENYA-DROUGHT — A top United Nations humanitarian official has raised concern about people going hungry in a remote part of northern Kenya. Martin Griffiths, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said he saw families in Kenya’s Turkana region that have nothing left after their animals starved to death. SENT: 345 words, photos.
NORTHERN IRELAND-BREXIT — Northern Ireland’s second-biggest political party has blocked the formation of a working Belfast legislature, deepening political deadlock over post-Brexit trade rules. SENT: 790 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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TAHOE-TRASH-DIVERS — Scuba divers at Lake Tahoe are sorting through their haul after an unprecedented, yearlong effort to remove litter from the alpine lake’s entire 72 miles of shoreline atop the Sierra Nevada. They found no trace of a mythical sea monster and no sign of mobsters in cement shoes or long-lost treasure chests. But their hope is the 25,000 pounds of junk they gathered will prove much more valuable. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks ended another bumpy week with a gain Friday, but not enough to keep the market from lodging its sixth weekly drop in a row, the longest such streak since 2011. The S&P 500 climbed 2.4%, led by more gains in the highly volatile technology sector. SENT: 590 words, photo.
CRYPTO-WILD-WEEK — It’s been a wild week in crypto, even by crypto standards. Bitcoin tumbled, stablecoins were anything but stable and one of the crypto industry’s highest-profile companies lost a third of its market value. SENT: 780 words, photos.
STARBUCKS-RELIGIOUS PROTEST — A group of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish leaders is asking Starbucks to stop charging extra for vegan milk alternatives. The interfaith coalition says the practice amounts to a tax on people who’ve embraced plant-based lifestyles. SENT: 250 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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OBIT-FRED WARD — Fred Ward, a veteran actor who brought a gruff tenderness to tough-guy roles in “The Right Stuff,” “The Player” and “Tremors,” has died. He was 79. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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HKN-RANGERS-PENGUINS — The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without captain Sidney Crosby when they host the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their first-round series. Crosby exited a Game 5 loss with an upper-body injury. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game begins at 7 p.m.
BKN-CELTICS-BUCKS — The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks own a 3-2 lead and look to close out their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup with the Boston Celtics. A Celtics victory would send the series back to Boston for Game 7 on Sunday. UPCOMING: 700 words, with photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.
RUSSIA-BRITTNEY-GRINER — The lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner says her pre-trial detention in Russia has been extended by one month. Alexander Boykov told The Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. SENT: 535 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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