AP News Digest 8:30 a.m.
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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THE AP INTERVIEW-WICKREMESINGHE — Sri Lanka’s prime minister says he may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia as he hunts desperately for fuel to keep the country running. In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also indicated he would be willing to accept more financial help from China, despite his country’s mounting debt. By Krutika Pathi. SENT: 1,060 words, photos, video.
CAPITOL RIOT-SENTENCES — As the number of people sentenced for crimes in the U.S. Capitol insurrection nears 200, an Associated Press analysis of sentencing data shows that some judges are divided over how to punish the rioters, particularly for the low-level misdemeanors arising from the attack. U.S. District Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender, has consistently taken the hardest line of any judge serving on Washington’s federal trial court. By Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 1,390 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says no one knows how long the war in his country will last but that Ukrainian forces are defying expectations by preventing Russian troops from overrunning eastern Ukraine. In his nightly video address late Saturday, Zelenskyy said he was proud of the Ukrainians holding back the Russian advance in the Donbas region. By David Keyton and John Leicester. SENT: 850 words, photos.
CHURCHTOO-SEX ABUSE — For years, survivors of sexual assault in church settings have been calling on churches to admit the extent of abuse in their midst and implement reforms. In recent weeks, the movement -- known as #ChurchToo -- has seen revelations across denominations, reaching vast audiences in headlines and on screen. The movement will take center stage June 14 as the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting faces calls to institute reforms following a scathing report on how its leaders mishandled abuse cases and stonewalled victims. By Peter Smith and Holly Meyer. UPCOMING: 1,190 words, photos by 10 a.m. This is the Monday Spotlight.
WOMEN'S CLINIC-MISSISSIPPI — The founder of a midwifery clinic in Mississippi’s capital is trying to open the state’s first birth center. As state Republican officials are trying to ban abortion and await a ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade, Sisters in Birth CEO Getty Israel says nothing is being done to support women who choose to give birth. By Leah Willingham. UPCOMING: 1,250 words, photos by 10 a.m.
ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-ALASKA — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leads in early results from Saturday’s special primary for the state’s only U.S. House seat, as voters whittled down the list of 48 candidates running for the position that was held for 49 years by the late U.S. Rep. Don Young. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to an August special election in which ranked choice voting will be used. By Becky Bohrer. SENT: 720 words, photos.
CLIMATE-LATINO ACTIVISM — Latinos are leading the way in U.S. activism around climate change from grassroots organizing to global advocacy, often drawing on traditions from their ancestral homelands and the experience of effects on their communities. They include a young activist who protested every Friday for weeks outside U.N. headquarters, a California scholar who argues for including grassroots efforts in global climate organizing and a Mexico-born advocate in Phoenix who teaches young Hispanics the importance of protecting Earth for future generations. By Anita Snow. UPCOMING: 920 words by 1 p.m., photos.
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TRENDING
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PATRIOT FRONT-ARRESTS — Authorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear. SENT: 440 words, photos.
CHINA-WOMEN ASSAULTED — Chinese authorities have arrested nine people on suspicion of violently assaulting several women at a restaurant after surveillance footage of the attack sparked widespread outrage. SENT: 490 words.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-AFTER McDONALD'S — Three months after McDonald’s suspended operations in Russia, its famous former outlet on Moscow’s Pushkin Square as the restaurant reopened under a Russian owner and a new name. SENT: 380 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-TEEN DRONE PILOT — A 15-year-old boy is being hailed in Ukraine for aerial reconnaissance work he did with his father when Russia invaded. The father-son team used their drone to help the military spot, locate and destroy Russian targets in the early days of the war. SENT: 410 words, photos.
SWEDEN-NATO-GOTLAND — Having to defend Gotland against a foreign invasion seemed such a far-fetched notion to Swedish decision-makers at the start of the century that they demilitarized the Baltic Sea island. Now, the Swedish Armed Forces are back, and they are practicing with U.S. troops not just how to defend the island with a population of 58,000, but how to take it back from a foreign aggressor. SENT: 730 words, photos, video.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CYPRUS-TOURISM — Ukrainian and Russian vacationers accounted for a fifth of all tourists to Cyprus in 2019, a record-setting year for tourism on the island nation south of Turkey. But officials say that thanks to seeking new markets before the war, Cyprus is projected to make up a sizable chunk of the estimated $645 million in tourism revenue it’s losing from Russians and Ukrainians. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION-2022-SOUTH DAKOTA-NOEM — Ahead of a potential presidential bid, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem handily won the Republican nomination last week for a second term. Many of the candidates she hoped to elect to the Statehouse, however, did not have such a good night. She had hoped to replace contrarians with personal allies in the Republican-controlled Legislature, but two-thirds of her favorites lost. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRAZIL-AMAZON — A main line of police investigation into the disappearance of a British journalist and an Indigenous official in the Amazon points to an international network that pays poor fishermen to fish illegally in Brazil’s second-largest Indigenous territory, authorities said. SENT: 840 words, photos.
FRANCE-PARLIAMENTARY-ELECTION — French voters are choosing lawmakers in a parliamentary election as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to secure his majority while under growing threat from a leftist coalition. SENT: 630 words, photos. UPCOMING: Polling agency projections expected at 2 p.m.
SINGAPORE-ASIA-SECURITY-MEETING — China’s defense minister says the United States is trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn them against Beijing, saying Washington is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.” SENT: 880 words, photos.
VENEZUELA-GUAIDO ATTACK — The leader of the U.S.-backed opposition in Venezuela was physically attacked Saturday during a visit to a rural community, according to members of his parallel government, who accused a group of ruling party associates of carrying out the assault. SENT: 310 words, photo.
EGYPT-PRIEST SLAIN — An Egyptian court has sentenced a man to die for the April stabbing death of a Coptic Christian priest in an attack that shocked the Arab world’s most populous nation. SENT: 230 words, photo.
SPAIN-HEAT WAVE — Spain´s weather service says a mass of hot air from North Africa has brought the country’s first major heat wave of the year. Temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern cities of Seville, Cordoba and Badajoz on Sunday. SENT: 110 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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ALASKA-TUNDRA FIRE — A large fire burning in the tundra of southwest Alaska continued to move toward an Alaska Native village on Saturday, but fire managers said its pace had slowed. SENT: 400 words, photos.
SOUTHWEST HEAT — Record high temperatures are hitting or are poised to land in California and Arizona as dangerous heat sweeps over the Southwest. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TONY AWARDS — Darren Criss’ favorite night of the year has arrived. It’s the Tony Awards. “I’ll never shut up about the Tonys. I love the Tonys,” he says. He’s co-host with Julianne Hough of a one-hour pre-Tony celebration at Radio City Music Hall. They'll pass hosting duties to Ariana DeBose for the main three-hour telecast on CBS from the same stage, live coast to coast for the first time. The season — with 34 new productions — represents a full return to theaters after nearly two years of a pandemic-mandated shutdown. SENT: 670 words, photos. UPCOMING: Show begins at 8 p.m.; updates will be filed throughout, with a final wrap-up expected by 11:30 p.m.
FILM-TAYLOR SWIFT — Taylor Swift discussed her short film “All Too Well: The Short Film” at the Tribeca Festival on Saturday, detailing her transition into the director’s chair, the nuances of visual storytelling and the possibility of future film projects with writer-director Mike Mills. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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HKN—RANGERS-LIGHTNING — Steven Stamkos scored two goals and the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year after beating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Josh Housing 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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
