AP News Digest 3:15 a.m.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan.
——————————
ONLY ON AP
—————————-
ELECTRIC-VEHICLES-COLD-WEATHER — Many electric vehicle batteries lose power when it’s very cold. It’s something that’s long been known by engineers but thousands of people are confronting the issue now if they own an electric car and have to make a longer trip on a very cold day. Testing carried out by companies, agencies and governments show popular EV models can lose roughly 10% to 36% of their advertised range in temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. By Tom Krisher and Mark Thiessen. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
——————————-
TOP STORIES
——————————-
MURDAUGH-KILLINGS-WALTERBORO — Walterboro native Danny Murdaugh is ready for his small South Carolina town to return to normal following the double murder trial of a distant relative that drew global attention and sullied his family’s surname. By James Pollard. SENT: 750 words, photos, video. With MURDAUGH-KILLINGS-EVIDENCE — Murdaugh’s fast conviction sealed by his testimony:
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Friday with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and top European legal officials, and called for Russia to face international prosecution for war crimes. SENT: 260 words, photos. experts (sent).
ELECTION 2024-SENATE-OHIO — Republicans say the federal response to a train derailment in an eastern Ohio village shows Democrats are not focused on policy at home. But Sen. Sherrod Brown is trying to prove them wrong as he gears up for a reelection race in the state. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
INFRASTRUCTURE-TOLL-LANES — Southern states are more frequently turning to pay-to-use express lanes as a way to address highway congestion without raising taxes. Republican Gov. Bill Lee wants to consider them in Tennessee, one of 14 states without any toll roads. Opponents call them “Lexus lanes,” but Lee prefers another name: “choice lanes.” SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
OBIT-TOM-SIZEMORE — Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, has died at age 61. SENT: 910 words, photos.
OLY-PARIS-2024-TICKETING-TROUBLES — Organizers of next year’s Paris Olympics promised relatively modest prices and “egalitarian” access to events, thanks to an online system meant to revolutionize ticket sales and bring the masses to stadiums and arenas for as little as $26. By Nicholas Garriga and Barbara Surk. SENT: 890 words, photos.
—————————————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
——————————————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-METAL-SHELTERS — The pops of welding torches and the piecing whine of angle grinders fill the spacious production floor at a steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, the city in central Ukraine that is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. SENT: 430 words, photos.
ESTONIA-ELECTION — Estonia, which is providing Ukraine with more weapons than any other country relative to its economic might, is holding a general election Sunday that will determine whether it can sustain that high level of support. SENT: 620 words, photos.
————————-
MORE NEWS
————————-
INDIANAPOLIS-SHOOTING — Three Indianapolis men have been convicted of murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of three young men and a young woman found slain in a ransacked Indianapolis apartment, a prosecutor says. SENT: 360 words.
CHILDREN-FATAL-ATTACK TEXAS — News reports say three children have been killed and two other children wounded in an attack at at a home in Texas Friday. SENT: 140 words.
BIDEN-CANCER — A skin lesion removed from President Biden’s chest last month was a basal cell carcinoma — a common form of skin cancer — his doctor says, adding that no further treatment was required. SENT: 300 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA SNOW-THE STRANDED — Some residents stranded in Southern California mountain communities by a huge snowfall could be stuck for another week, an official said. SENT: 440 words, photos.
—————————————————-
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
——————————————————-
TEXAS-REPUBLICAN CENSURE — Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas is facing a rare potential censure back home over votes that included supporting new gun safety laws after the Uvalde school shooting that was in his district. By Paul J. Weber. SENT: 420 words, photos. UPCOMING: 700 words after debate, expected to begin after 10 a.m.
DC-HOME RULE — The expected move next week in Congress to overturn District of Columbia laws dealing with crime and voting reflects a larger political dynamic playing out across the country. Predominantly white legislatures in some states are seeking to curb or usurp the authority of local governments in largely Black cities, particularly on issues related to public safety and elections. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-CPAC — Leading Republicans Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley take subtle jabs at Donald Trump at an annual gathering of conservatives, signaling their interest in moving the party past the former president as they gear up for the 2024 presidential election. SENT: 880 words, photos.
————————-
NATIONAL
————————-
UTAH-LEGISLATURE — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has said that he plans to sign a measure that would effectively ban abortion clinics from operating in the state, meaning hospitals will soon be the only places where they can be provided in the state. SENT: 590 words, photos.
WINTER-WEATHER – A storm system marched eastward, threatening heavy snow in the Midwest and Northeast after spawning likely tornadoes in Texas and Louisiana that damaged homes, businesses, a university campus and left thousands without power. SENT: 580 words, photos.
COLORADO RIVER-FALLOWING — With drought, climate change and overuse of the Colorado River leading to increasingly dire conditions in the West, the federal Bureau of Reclamation is looking at fallowing — the practice of idling farmland — as a way to cut water use. Many farmers are reluctant. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
————————————
INTERNATIONAL
————————————-
OLY-PARIS-2024-TICKETING-TROUBLES — Organizers of next year’s Paris Olympics promised relatively modest prices and “egalitarian” access to events, thanks to an online system meant to revolutionize ticket sales and bring the masses to stadiums and arenas for as little as $26. SENT: 890 words, photos.
CHINA-CONGRESS-DEFENSE-SPENDING — Increases in China’s defense budget have been “appropriate and reasonable” and are aimed at meeting “complex security challenges,” a spokesperson for the country’s rubber-stamp parliament says. SENT: 830 words, photos.
INDONESIA-FUEL-DEPOT-FIRE — Indonesian rescuers and firefighters searched for possible victims under the rubble of charred houses and buildings after a large fire broke out at a fuel storage depot in the capital, killing at least 15 people and leaving 16 others missing. SENT: 750 words, photos.
UNITED-NATIONS-HAITI-REPORT — Increasingly sophisticated weapons are being trafficked into Haiti mainly from the United States and especially from Florida amid worsening lawlessness in the impoverished Caribbean nation, according to a U.N. report. SENT: 690 words, photo.
HONG-KONG-ACTIVIST-VERDICT — Three Hong Kong activists from a now-defunct group that organized annual vigils commemorating China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters were convicted on Saturday for failing to provide authorities with information on the group in accordance with a national security law. SENT: 530 words, photo.
——————————————
HEALTH & SCIENCE
——————————————-
SCI--EARLIEST HORSEBACK RIDERS — Archaeologists have identified the earliest direct evidence for horseback riding – an innovation that would transform human history – in 5,000-year-old skeletons in central Europe. “When you get on a horse and ride it fast, it’s a thrill – I’m sure ancient humans felt the same way,” said David Anthony, a co-author of the study and Hartwick College archaeologist. By Christina Larson. SENT: 660 words, photos.
SCI--DOGS OF CHERNOBYL — Scientists are studying hundreds of dogs at the Chernobyl disaster site that have managed to survive in extremely harsh conditions. They hope that examining the animals’ genetics will give them insight into how humans can live in the most brutal of environments. SENT: 620 words, photos.
—————————————-
ENTERTAINMENT
——————————————
COMEDY-CHRIS-ROCK — A year after Will Smith smacked him on the Academy Awards stage, Chris Rock is poised to finally have his say. Rock will on Saturday night perform his first stand-up special since last year’s Oscars. And he’s doing it in grand style, with “Selective Outrage,” a special streaming live on Netflix at 10 p.m. EST. SENT: 520 words, photos.
————————-
SPORTS
————————-
CAR—NASCAR-ELLIOTT-SNOWBOARDING ACCIDENT — NASCAR superstar Chase Elliott has had surgery on his left leg after being injured in a snowboarding accident earlier Friday in Colorado. He will miss this weekend’s NASCAR race at Las Vegas. Rick Hendrick tells The Associated Press the surgery was successful. He gave no additional details about Elliott’s condition or the accident. SENT: 630 words, photos.
HKN—TRADE DEADLINE-WINNERS — The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins loaded up for a potential Stanley Cup run, making bold moves to add talented players in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline. Coincidentally, the contenders face off Saturday afternoon in Boston. The Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers were not as aggressive, seemingly stuck in rebuilds that have relegated them to being sellers this time of year. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
————————-
HOW TO REACH US
————————-
At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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 AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
