AP News Digest 4:30 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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TOP STORIES
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ELECTION 2024-GEORGIA REPUBLICANS — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is trying to steer the Republican Party away from Donald Trump and his 2020 election lies, but his state party shows little interest in moving on. Georgia is one of a number of states where far-right Republicans aligned with Trump are joining the ranks of party leadership. By Jeff Amy. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — A massive fire erupted at an oil reservoir in Crimea after it was hit by a drone, a Russia-appointed official there report. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the Black Sea peninsula’s port city of Sevastopol, posted videos and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel. SENT: 270 words, photo.
CONGRESS-REPUBLICANS-ETHANOL — House Republicans are touting their debt limit package as a first step toward fiscal restraint. But a group of Midwestern Republicans forced House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to preserve billions of dollars in federal support for biofuels and ethanol. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
BRITAIN CORONATION-FAMILY DRAMA — King Charles III lives in a palace, travels in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and is one of Britain’s richest men, but he’s similar to many of his subjects in one very basic way: His family life is complicated — very complicated. By Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,210 words, photos. This story moved as the Sunday spotlight.
TRANSGENDER-LAWMAKER-FREEDOM-CAUCUS — The banishment of transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from Montana’s House floor has showcased the rising power of hard-line conservatives — organized under the banner of the State Freedom Caucus Network — who are currently leveraging divisive social issues to gain influence in 11 statehouses. By Mattew Brown and Sam Metz. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
JIMMY-CARTER-HUMAN-RIGHTS — As Jimmy Carter rests in hospice care at his home in Georgia, The Associated Press reached out to former political prisoners who credit him with saving their lives. Carter is known around the world for trying to put human rights at the center of America’s foreign policy. In Latin America, the Carter administration cut off military aid and pushed authoritarian regimes toward democracy. The turnabout was so shocking that dictators and dissidents alike found it hard to believe when Carter took office. By Michael Warren. SENT:
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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GATHERING OF NATIONS — Tens of thousands of people gathered in New Mexico for what organizers bill as the largest powwow in North America. The annual Gathering of Nations kicked off with a colorful procession of Native American and Indigenous dancers from around the world moving to the beat of traditional drums as they filled an arena at the New Mexico state fairgrounds. SENT: 440 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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BIDEN-AIR FORCE FALCONS — President Biden presents the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy to the Air Force Falcons for winning football games against their rival service academies. SENT: 180 words, photos.
LAKERS-JACK-NICHOLSON'S-RETURN — Jack is back. Los Angeles Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson was watching at courtside for the first time in nearly two years Friday night when his team hosted the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. SENT: 230 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA LANDSLIDE — Officials in Southern California say a coastal landslide closed a historic cultural center, shut down rail service in the area and forced the evacuation of nearby residences. SENT: 460 words, video, photos.
VOTING-RIGHTS-NORTH-CAROLINA -- In massive victories for Republicans, North Carolina’s state Supreme Court threw out previous rulings that had declared illegal redistricting maps for excessive partisanship and a photo voter identification law for being infected with racial bias. SENT: 970 words, photos.
BOY SAVES BUS — A seventh-grader in suburban Detroit is being hailed as a hero. Dillon Reeves grabbed the steering wheel on his school bus and hit the brakes after the driver passed out. SENT: 230 words, video.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION-FUNDING-STATES — Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, officials in several battleground states have proposed boosting funding to add staff, enhance security and expand training within election offices that are facing heavier workloads and heightened public scrutiny. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
KANSAS-LEGISLATURE — Republican lawmakers in Kansas who say parents need alternatives to public schools couldn’t pass even a scaled-back version of the “school choice” plans enacted in other states with GOP-controlled Legislatures. SENT: 750 words, photos.
CONGRESS-SOLAR TARIFFS — The House votes to reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries. President Joe Biden had paused them in a bid to boost solar panel installations in the U.S., a key part of his climate agenda. The House vote sends the measure to the Senate, where lawmakers from both parties have expressed similar concerns about what many call unfair competition from China. SENT: 760 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN — President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses will fete about 150 of the Democratic Party’s top donors in Washington Friday evening as they lay the groundwork for their reelection campaign, which is expected to need to raise well over $1 billion. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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OKLAHOMA-EDUCATION-BOSS-CULTURE-WARS — When Oklahoma’s newly elected Republican head of public schools campaigned for the job last fall, he ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology” in public schools, banning certain books from school libraries, empowering parents with school choice and getting rid of “radical leftists” he claims were indoctrinating children in classrooms across the state. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
OPIOID-CRISIS-PURDUE-BANKRUPTCY — More than a year after OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reached a tentative settlement over the toll of opioids that was accepted nearly universally by the groups suing the company — including thousands of people injured by the drug — money is still not rolling out. SENT: 670 words, photos.
OREGON-MARIJUNA — Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is in hot water, with Republican lawmakers calling for her resignation and the Democratic governor seeking investigations because Fagan took a consulting job with a marijuana firm. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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KOREAS-TENSION — The powerful sister of North Korea’s leader says her country would stage more provocative displays of its military might in response to a new U.S.-South Korean agreement to intensify nuclear deterrence to counter the North’s nuclear threat, which she insists shows their “extreme” hostility toward Pyongyang. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SCI--MARS-CHINA ROVER -- A new study suggests water on Mars may be more widespread and recent than previously thought. Scientists reported the finding from China’s Mars rover in Science Advances on Friday. SENT: 550 words, photos.
SCI-LAUNCH TO JUPITER — A critical antenna is jammed on a Jupiter-bound spacecraft launched two weeks ago. The European Space Agency said Friday that the 52-foot radar antenna on its Juice spacecraft unfolded only one-third of the way following liftoff. SENT: 220 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-SMOKEY ROBINSON — Smokey Robinson’s new album “Gasms” finds the 83-year-old in a frisky mood, with the Motown icon writing a collection for the bedroom. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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AUDIO HEADLINES
The latest in sports: https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Thelatestinsports/47de6e322ddb408a9b01ed9fbe735ebb
Lightning send series back to Tampa, beat Maple Leafs 4-2: https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/LightningsendseriesbacktoTampabeatMapleLeafs4-2/6998f9fd262048cdb80deda267ce10a3
Celtics pull away, beat Hawks 128-120 for 4-2 series win: https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/CelticspullawaybeatHawks128-120for4-2serieswin/071824fb82b9457e8bd25499a7a3f0a8
Pirates star Dick Groat, who also played in NBA, dies at 92: https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/PiratesstarDickGroatwhoalsoplayedinNBAdiesat92/2e37e6b56d474f67b4ee39880e82de9a
All times EDT
TOP STORIES
FBN--NFL DRAFT—BEST AVAILABLE — Heading into Saturday’s final four rounds of the NFL draft, two of the best players on the board regardless of position are cornerbacks. One is a national championship game hero and the other an All-American. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 6 a.m.
FBN--NFL DRAFT — Will Levis quickly got the call he waited on for 24 hours. Hendon Hooker had to sit around a few more hours to hear his name announced on Day 2 of the NFL draft. SENT: 850 words, photos.
BKN--KINGS-WARRIORS — Malik Monk scored 28 points, De’Aaron Fox added 26 points and 11 assists, and the Sacramento Kings staved off elimination in their first-round playoff series by beating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors 118-99 in Game 6. SENT: 850 words, photos.
BKN--GRIZZLIES-LAKERS — The Los Angeles Lakers completed their first-round upset of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 125-85 victory in Game 6. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots in a spectacular defensive performance, and D’Angelo Russell scored a career playoff-high 31 points. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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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.
