AP News Digest 3:30 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.
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ONLY ON AP
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MIGRATION-A BOAT ADRIFT — In 2021, at least seven boats appearing to be from Northwest Africa washed up in the Caribbean and in Brazil. All carried dead bodies. For nearly two years, The Associated Press assembled puzzle pieces from across three , continents to uncover the story of one of those doomed boats. In doing so, it revealed the people that the boat carried from hope to death. The AP investigation found that 43 young men from Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and possibly other West African nations boarded the boat. AP has identified 33 of them by name. The “ghost boat” was in part an unintended result of years of efforts by Europe to stop crossings on the Mediterranean Sea. By Renata Brito and Felipe Dana. SENT: 4,100 words, photos, video. With: MIGRATION-A BOAT ADRIFT-TAKEAWAYS (sent); MIGRATION-A BOAT ADRIFT-PHOTO GALLERY. An abridged version is also available.
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TOP STORIES
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LOUISVILLE SHOOTING — Body camera video shows Louisville police officers being fired upon as they arrive at the bank where five people were killed and the harrowing minutes while officers confront the shooter and work to rescue a wounded colleague. By Dylan Lovan, Rebecca Reynolds and Claire Galofaro. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video. With: LOUISVILLE-SHOOTING-VICTIMS (sent).
LEAKED DOCUMENTS-EXPLAINER — It’s been less than a week since news of highly classified military documents on the Ukraine war surfaced, sending the Pentagon into full-speed damage control to assure allies and assess the scope of the leak. A look at what the documents are, what is known about how they surfaced, and their potential impact. By Tara Copp and Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.
BIDEN — President Joe Biden is in Northern Ireland to participate in marking the 25th anniversary of an agreement that helped the country achieve peace. On Wednesday, he’s set to deliver congratulations and encourage the country’s leaders to focus on boosting trade and the economy when he speaks at a business development event at Ulster University in Belfast. After the speech, Biden will travel to the Republic of Ireland for a three-day trip that includes visiting the hometowns of his Irish ancestors. By Darlene Superville, Colleen Long and Jill Lawless. SENT: 700 words, photos, video. With: BIDEN-NORTHERN IRELAND-PEACE (sent).
MEXICO MIGRANT DEATHS — The head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute will face criminal charges for a fire that killed 40 migrants in a locked cell. The federal Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday night that the head of the immigration agency, Francisco Garduño, was criminally remiss in not preventing the fire. The office says the case showed a “pattern of irresponsibility.” Also Tuesday, Mexico’s president said two guards seen fleeing when the fire broke out did not have keys to the cell door. The blaze at the facility in the border city of Ciudad Juarez shocked the country. SENT: 550 words, photos.
BRAZIL LULA CHINA TRIP — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is heading to China to strengthen ties with his nation’s biggest trade partner and win support for his long shot push for peace in Ukraine. Lula wants Brazil, China and other nations to help mediate the war as part of his nation’s return to the world stage, but his proposal on the conflict has irked Ukraine and some in the West. Less controversial is the mutual interest in trade after a rocky period under Lula’s predecessor. China and Brazil are expected to sign at least 20 bilateral agreements during Lula’s two-day stay, according to Brazilian government. Lula plans to visit Shanghai and Beijing, and meet with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday. By Eleonore Hughes and Carla Bridi. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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PEOPLE-JEREMY RENNER — Jeremy Renner has attended the premiere for his new series, capping a remarkable recovery less than four months after the “Avengers” star was nearly killed in a snowplow accident. SENT: 300 words, photos.
POLICE ROBOTS-NYC — New York City officials have unveiled three new high-tech policing devices including a robotic dog that critics called creepy when it first joined the police pack 2 1/2 years ago. SENT: 460 words, video.
RUSSIA-VOLCANIC-ERUPTION — A volcano has erupted on far eastern Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. SENT: 200 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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UNITED STATES-SAUDI ARABIA — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke by phone with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making “remarkable progress” toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict. The call came after a Saudi diplomat met with Houthi officials in Sanaa on Sunday for talks that were aimed at accelerating negotiations to end the war. A non-governmental official familiar with the ongoing negotiations said a deal could be reached within the next seven to 10 days. The official was not authorized to comment and requested anonymity. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ELECTIONS 2024-MIDWEST — Both Democrats and Republicans are zeroing in on the critical Midwestern region ahead of next year’s presidential election, with both parties choosing to hold their national conventions there. Republicans will hold their event in Milwaukee, while Democrats announced Tuesday that they would hold theirs in Chicago. It’s a reflection of the importance of the famed electoral “blue wall,” which Donald Trump broke up on his way to victory in 2016 and which led Joe Biden to the White House just four years later. Chicago is also heavily pro-union, demonstrating Biden’s commitment to organized labor. That bloc played a key role in helping him clinch the Democratic primary and presidency in 2020. SENT: 950 words, photos.
TRUMP INDICTMENT-CONGRESS — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg files a federal lawsuit against Rep. Jim Jordan, accusing the Republican of a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” him over his prosecution of former President Donald Trump. By Michael R. Sisak and Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 770 words, photos.
VOTING MACHINES-DEFAMATION LAWSUIT — The judge presiding over a voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News indicates he will allow jurors to hear some testimony about threats directed at the voting machine company, but only to a point. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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TENNESSEE LAWMAKERS EXPULSION — Commissioners in Memphis are scheduled to decide whether to return a Black Democrat to the Republican-led Tennessee House. He and a colleague were kicked out of the Legislature last Thursday following their support of gun control protesters. The Shelby County Board of Commissioners set a vote Wednesday. The vote will determine whether Justin Pearson is sent back to the Legislature in Nashville. SENT: 480 words, photos.
FLORIDA-EXUCTION-GASKIN — Florida is ramping up executions under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, with a man known as the “ninja killer” set to die. Louis Bernard Gaskin is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the 1989 slayings of New Jersey couple Robert Sturmfels and Georgette Sturmfels, in their Flagler County winter home on Florida’s northeast coast. Gaskin was dubbed the “ninja killer” because he wore all-black ninja clothing during the crimes. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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CHINA TAIWAN — China says recent air and sea drills simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters. Spokesperson for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office Zhu Fenglian told reporters at a biweekly briefing Wednesday that the three days of air and sea exercises were a response to recent “provocations” and were necessary to “safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. The large-scale drills that ended Monday were retaliation for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week during a transit visit to the U.S. SENT: 650 words, photos.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR MENDING MINDS: Huddled in the back of a café near the train station where a missile killed dozens of people nearly a year ago, Nastya takes slow, deliberate breaths to calm herself. Overnight, her neighborhood was bombed again, and she realized she just couldn’t take any more. Heeding her parents’ advice, the 20-year-old student headed to a nearby psychiatric hospital to seek help. There are hundreds of thousands like Nastya in Ukraine, experts say, and the number of people needing mental health support is only expected to rise as the war drags on. In December, the World Health Organization estimated that about 9.6 million people in Ukraine could have a mental health condition. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
INDIA-POPULATION-SENIORS — In the past 60 years, the percentage of people age 60 and over in India’s Kerala state has shot up from 5.1% to 16.5% — the highest proportion in any state. This makes Kerala an outlier in a country with a rapidly growing population, soon to be the world’s most populous at 1.4 billion. Kerala’s unique demographics are due to declining fertility and increasing life expectancies as a result of statewide policies that prioritized social welfare and invested heavily in public health and education. India has a booming workforce and young population. But language barriers, climate threats, minimal federal provisions and an increasing desire among younger people to live elsewhere put Kerala’s older people, particularly those who need care, in a precarious situationBy Sibi Arasu. SENT: 1,110 words, photos, video.
EGYPT PRIVATIZATION — Egypt is embarking on a privatization push to help its cash-strapped government after pressure from the International Monetary Fund. The new policy is supposed to be a serious departure for the Egyptian state, which has long maintained a tight grip over sectors of the economy. But local business owners and analysts have told The Associated Press that they fear the state will remain anti-competitive and enmeshed in key industries. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-COVID-TESTING — Big changes could be coming for how Americans pay for COVID-19 tests. When the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency ends next month, many people will need to start paying for all or some of their testing costs. How much they will spend depends on their insurance coverage and what type of test. SENT: 830 words, photos.
MED--STD PREVENTION-PILLS — New data details the nation’s worsening tide of sexually transmitted infections, but health officials are hoping an old drug will help the fight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data about some of the most common infectious diseases in the U.S. The numbers show how chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections have been accelerating across the country. SENT: 765 words, photo.
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BUSINESS/TECH ——————————————-
CONSUMER PRICES — The persistence of high inflation will likely be on display — again — in Wednesday’s latest government report on consumer price increases. Yet there may also be some signs of improvement in the inflation data for March, with the prices of some key items, such as gasoline, furniture and new cars, possibly rising more slowly or falling outright. Compared with 12 months earlier, economists have predicted that inflation slowed sharply, from 6% in February to 5.2% in March. SENT/DEVELOPING: 800 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, as investors watched for key inflation data likely to influence the Federal Reserve’s stance on interest rates. SENT: 550 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TV-SO-MANY-SHOWS — Most shows used to kick off in the fall, air big episodes in November and February, and go out with a bang in May for sweeps. Network television still largely follows that model, but the streamers and premium cable competitors of the new guard tend to operate with different goals. Everyone wants to be fresh in the minds of Emmy voters. SENT: 860 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKN--TIMBERWOLVES-LAKERS — LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a grueling 108-102 overtime victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s play-in tournament. SENT: 7003 words, photos.
BKN--HAWKS-HEAT — Trae Young scored 25 points and the Atlanta Hawks grabbed the No. 7 in the Eastern Conference playoffs, beating the Miami Heat 116-105 in a play-in tournament game. . SENT: 775 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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