AP News Digest 3:30 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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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ONLY ON AP
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SACRED RIVERS-NEPAL-BAGMATI — Nepal’s most sacred river is also its most polluted. In the capital, Kathmandu, raw sewage is dumped directly into the Bagmati, and heaps of garbage are tossed in from the banks. Once sparkling and clear, the river’s waters are black and sludgy, undrinkable and unsuitable for even cleaning. By Binaj Gurubacharya. SENT: 1,170 words, photos, video.
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TOP STORIES
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ELECTION 2022 — Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, Donald Trump’s fiercest Republican adversary in Congress, is defeated in a GOP primary, falling to a rival backed by the former president in a contest that reinforced his grip on the party’s base. By Steve Peoples and Mead Gruver. SENT: 950 words, photos, video. Also see MORE ON ELECTION 2022 below.
GEORGIA ELECTION INVESTIGATION — Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to appear in an Atlanta courthouse to testify before a special grand jury in an investigation into possible illegal attempts to influence the 2020 election in Georgia. By Kate Brumback. SENT: 680 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words after court appearance, timing uncertain.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Residents who have fled the Russian-occupied city of Kherson say conditions in the Black Sea port just north of the Crimean Peninsula have become increasingly grim. The southern city was the first to fall to Russia’s invasion. But Kherson remains at the heart of the conflict and Ukraine’s efforts to save its vital access to the sea. Residents describe a heavy-handed effort by Moscow to establish permanent control in the city and region by pressuring residents to take Russian citizenship, effectively banning use of the Ukrainian currency and installing pro-Kremlin authorities. By Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 790 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN-EXPLAINER — A year after America’s tumultuous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, assessments of its impact are divided — and largely along partisan lines. Critics slam the August 2021 evacuation as poorly planned and badly executed. Supporters counter that it was time to end America’s longest war. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
MIDEAST-FAT SHAMING FUROR — An article in The Economist about the prevalence of obesity among Arab women has triggered torrid criticism on social media, as well as a defamation lawsuit from an Iraqi actress whose photo was used to illustrate how Arab women are more prone to putting on weight. The uproar has thrown a light on the issue of body shaming that is deeply rooted yet rarely discussed in the region. By Isabel Debre and Maggie Hyde. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
DEAD EAGLES — The rush to build wind farms to combat climate change is colliding with preservation of one of the U.S. West’s most spectacular predators, the golden eagle. Scientists say the species is teetering on the edge of decline and worry that proliferating wind turbines could push them over the brink. By Matthew Brown. SENT: 1,510 words, photos, video.
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MORE ON ELECTION 2022
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ELECTION 2022-ALASKA — Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka have advanced from a primary, while Republican Sarah Palin, seeking a political comeback, was among the candidates advancing to the November general election in the race for Alaska’s only House seat. SENT: 520 words, photos.
MIDTERMS-SOCIAL MEDIA — Social media companies are sharing their plans for safeguarding the U.S. midterm elections, although they have offered scant details. UPCOMING: 680 words, photos by 6 a.m.
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TRENDING
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MONKEYPOX-PETS — Monkeypox can spread to pet dogs, doctors report. SENT: 210 words, photo.
HEARING AIDS — Over-the-counter hearing aids expected this fall in U.S. SENT: 550 words, photo.
AIRBNB-PARTIES — Airbnb is rolling out new screening tools to stop parties. SENT: 230 words, photo.
AMAZON-UNION-ELECTION — Amazon workers in upstate New York file for union election. SENT: 890 words, photos.
FALL FROM PLANE — NTSB: Copilot who jumped from plane upset about hard landing. SENT: 290 words.
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NATIONAL
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WESTERN DROUGHT-COLORADO RIVER-EXPLAINER — People in Arizona and Nevada won’t face bans on watering their lawns or washing their cars despite water shortages on the Colorado River. SENT: 960 words, photos.
TEXAS EXECUTION — A man who fatally stabbed a real estate agent inside a model home in suburban Dallas faces execution, more than 16 years after the slaying. SENT: 700 words, photos. UPCOMING: Execution scheduled for after 7 p.m.
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INTERNATIONAL
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KOREAS-TENSIONS — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his government has no plans to pursue its own nuclear deterrent in the face of growing North Korean nuclear weapons capabilities, even as the North fired two suspected cruise missiles toward the sea in the latest display of an expanding arsenal. SENT: 930 words, photos.
THAILAND-SOUTHERN VIOLENCE — A wave of arson and bombing attacks overnight hit Thailand’s southernmost provinces, which for almost two decades have been the scene of an active Muslim separatist insurgency, officials said. SENT: 480 words.
AUSTRALIA-SECRET POWERS — Scott Morrison said that giving himself extra powers when he was Australia’s prime minister was necessary during the coronavirus crisis, as criticism rose the moves were deceptive and undemocratic. SENT: 650 words, photo.
GREECE-DORMITION-HOLIDAY-PHOTO GALLERY — The religious and the pagan combined in one big holiday is considered the high point of Greece’s summer season. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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MEDITERRANEAN-SEA-HEAT-WAVE — While vacationers might enjoy the Mediterranean Sea’s summer warmth, climate scientists are warning of dire consequences for its marine life as it burns up in a series of severe heat waves. SENT: 930 words, photos.
LAKE STURGEON-GEORGIA — Scientists and students embarking on a census of Georgia lake sturgeon have found three females with mature eggs — an indication the armored “living fossils” may be reproducing in that state for the first time in a half-century. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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CHINA-DROUGHT — Factories in China’s southwest have shut down after reservoirs used to generate hydropower ran low in a worsening drought, adding to economic strains at a time when President Xi Jinping is trying to extend his position in power. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 500 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were mostly higher as regional markets looked to strong economic signs out of the U.S. and China as drivers of growth. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 770 words, photos.
RETAIL SALES — The Commerce Department releases U.S. retail sales data for July. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman. UPCOMING: 130 words after 8:30 a.m. release, then updated.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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R KELLY — Opening statements give prosecutors and R. Kelly’s attorneys their first chance to address jurors directly about charges that accuse the R&B singer of enticing of minors for sex, producing child pornography and rigging his 2008 pornography trial. SENT: 770 words, photos. UPCOMING: Trial scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Hiro Komae (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.
