AP News Digest 3:40 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.
———————
ONLY ON AP
———————
BURKINA FASO-CHILDREN KILLINGS — A video circulating in Burkina Faso shows men in military fatigues walking among the bloodied, dead bodies of boys with their hands bound. The country's military junta has denied its security forces were involved, but a frame-by-frame analysis by The Associated Press of the 83-second video shows the killings happened inside a military base in the country's north. By Sam Mednick. SENT: 2,590 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,160 words is also available.
———————
TOP STORIES
———————
TRUMP INDICTMENT-LEGAL VULNERABILITY — As Donald Trump prepares for arraignment in New York, investigations from Atlanta to Washington are pressing ahead, underscoring the broad range of peril the former president faces as he seeks to reclaim the presidency. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Oil prices soared more than 5% after Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers said they will cut production by 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the year. Shares in Asia were mixed. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 640 words, photos. With JAPAN-ECONOMY — Bank survey shows Japan’s businesses turning pessimistic.
RUSSIA-CAFE EXPLOSION — Russian police were searching for a woman suspected of delivering a bomb that killed a well-known military blogger who fervently supported Moscow’s war in Ukraine. SENT: 590 words, photos, video.
FRANCE PROTEST VIOLENCE — After two months of largely peaceful protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s contentious retirement plan, violence has surged. For human rights advocates as well as citizens clubbed or smothered by tear gas, police have overstepped their mission as they confront radicals. That further angers the street and complicates efforts for dialogue ahead of the next mass demonstrations later this week. By Elaine Ganley. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. This is the Tuesday Spotlight.
IMMIGRATION-POLITICS — In the 10 years since the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” U.S. senators offered hopeful pronouncements about the nation’s immigration system, the political landscape shifted so dramatically that immigrant advocates and top architects of key policies fear that any hope of an immigration overhaul seems further away than ever. By Will Weissert and Adriana Gomez Licon. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
SAUDI ARABIA PIVOTING PRINCE ANALYSIS — In the years since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman catapulted to power, it’s hard to find a controversy in the Middle East that doesn’t somehow involve the 37-year-old heir to the throne. Now he’s pivoting to his next audacious plan: Giving peace a chance. The moves involve reaching a détente with Iran, reestablishing ties to Syria and ending the kingdom’s yearslong war in Yemen. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 990 words, photos.
———————
MORE NEWS
———————
TWITTER-BLUE CHECKS — Twitter pulls check mark from main New York Times account. SENT: 740 words, photo.
JAPAN-OBIT-RYUICHI SAKAMOTO — Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician and film composer, dies. SENT: 550 words, photos.
OBIT-SEYMOUR STEIN — Seymour Stein, record exec who signed up Madonna, dead at 80. SENT: 440 words, photos.
FRANCE-PARIS SCOOTER VOTE — Parisians massively vote to banish for-hire e-scooters. SENT: 280 words, photos.
TRAIN DERAILMENT-MONTANA — About 25 train cars derail in Montana, no injuries reported. SENT: 200 words, photos.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA-EARTHQUAKE — Papua New Guinea assesses damage after powerful earthquake. SENT: 270 words.
—————————
WASHINGTON
—————————
CONGRESS-TIKTOK — More than two dozen members of Congress — all Democrats — are active on TikTok. Many defend their presence on the social media platform, saying they have a responsibility as public officials to meet Americans where they are. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
———————
NATIONAL
———————
SEVERE WEATHER — Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. are assessing the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast, killing at least 32 people. SENT: 960 words, photos, video.
KIDS-KILLED-DOOMSDAY-PLOT — The triple murder trial for a mom accused of conspiring to kill her two youngest kids and her new husband's former wife is scheduled to begin with jury selection. SENT: 520 words, photos.
———————
INTERNATIONAL
————————-
FINLAND-ELECTION — Finland’s main conservative party claimed victory in parliamentary elections in a tight three-way race that saw right-wing populists take second place, leaving Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democratic Party in third, dashing her hopes for reelection. SENT: 670 words, photos.
KOSOVO-WAR CRIMES — The trial of Kosovo’s ex-president and three other former high-ranking members of the Kosovo Liberation Army charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity opens. SENT: 380 words.
FRANCE-SYNAGOGUE ATTACK-TRIAL — A Lebanese-Canadian academic who is the lone suspect in a 1980 bombing outside a Paris synagogue will go on trial, nearly 43 years after four people were killed and 46 wounded in the unclaimed attack. SENT: 410 words, photo.
KOREAS-TENSIONS — The South Korean, U.S. and Japanese navies began their first anti-submarine drills in six months to boost their coordination against increasing North Korean missile threats, South Korea’s military said. SENT: 600 words, photos.
———————
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
———————
MCDONALD’S — A report says McDonald’s has closed its U.S. offices for a few days as the company prepares to inform employees about layoffs. SENT: 300 words, photo.
———————
SPORTS
———————
MASTERS-WOMEN — Twenty years after Martha Burk protested the all-male membership at Augusta National, women have risen into golf leadership roles they weren't before. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. UPCOMING: 1,300 words, photos by 6 a.m.
NCAA-MARCH MADNESS MOMENTS — This year’s record-breaking women’s NCAA Tournament featured breakout stars, upsets and capped off with the flamboyant Kim Mulkey leading LSU to its first basketball championship. By Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon. UPCOMING: 640 words, photos by 6 a.m.
———————
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
———————-
MUSIC-CMT MUSIC AWARDS — “Son of a Sinner” singer Jelly Roll was the big winner at the CMT Music Awards, as the rapper-turned-country singer took home three awards as an outsider who won over fans with his confessional songs. By Entertainment Writer Kristin M. Hall. SENT: 760 words, photos.
———————
HOW TO REACH US
———————
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 AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
