AP News Digest 3:10 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.

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TOP STORIES

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — The Israeli military withdrew its troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank, ending an intense two-day operation that killed at least 13 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes and left a wide swath of damage in its wake. One Israeli soldier was also killed. By Majdi Mohammed and Imad Isseid. SENT: 870 words, photos, audio. With ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-EXPLAINER — A year of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians just escalated. Is this an uprising?

AMERICA DIVIDED-POLITICAL POLARIZATION — Colorado and Idaho are fast-growing Rocky Mountain states that have been transformed by the influx of new, like-minded residents. But politically, they increasingly occupy two separate worlds and exemplify the country’s increasing polarization on core issues. Americans are segregating themselves by their politics at a rapid clip. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 2,100 words, photos. An abridged version of 990 words is also available.

PHILADELPHIA-SHOOTING — A 40-year-old killed one man in a house before fatally shooting four others on the streets of a Philadelphia neighborhood, then surrendering to police officers after being cornered in an alley with an assault rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a police scanner and a bulletproof vest, police said. A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the violence that made it the site of the nation’s worst violence around the July Fourth holiday. By Tassanee Vejpongsa and Ron Todt. SENT: 990 words, photos, videos, audio.

EL PASO-SHOOTING-WHAT TO KNOW — A white Texas gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in 2019 returns to court for sentencing in a mass shooting that targeted Hispanic shoppers in the border city of El Paso. Patrick Crusius, 24, is set to receive multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Although the federal government did not seek the death penalty, Texas prosecutors have not taken lethal injection off the table under a separate case in state court. By Morgan Lee and Paul J. Weber. SENT: 790 words, photos.

INDIA-UNSEEN WAR — India’s remote northeastern state of Manipur is caught in a deadly conflict between two ethnic communities that have armed themselves and launched brutal attacks against one another. At least 120 people have been killed since May. Witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press described how angry mobs and armed gangs swept into villages and towns, burning down houses, massacring civilians, and driving tens of thousands from their homes. The clashes persist despite the army’s presence. By Sheikh Saaliq. SENT: 1,900 words. An abridged version of 1,000 words is also available.

JAPAN-NUCLEAR-FUKUSHIMA — The United Nations nuclear chief was to visit Japan’s tsunami-wrecked nuclear power plant after the agency affirmed the safety of a contentious plan to release treated radioactive water into the sea. On his way to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi joined a meeting of government and utility officials, as well as local mayors and fishing association leaders, and stressed the continuous presence of this agency throughout the water discharge to ensure safety and address the residents’ concerns. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 950 words, photos.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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CITIZENSHIP TEST-CHANGES — The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship — a monthslong process that requires legal permanent residency for years before applying. Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trump’s administration changed the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult to pass. By Trisha Ahmed. SENT: 1,460 words, photos. An abridged version of 950 words is also available.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Russian air defenses foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow that prompted authorities to briefly close one of the city’s international airports, officials said, as a Western analysis said that Russia has managed to slow Kyiv’s recently launched counteroffensive. SENT: 960 words, photos, audio.

RUSSIA UKRAINE AFGHANISTAN — One of the architects of the covert U.S. strategy against the Soviets in Afghanistan has published a new memoir. In “By All Means Available,” Michael Vickers calls on President Joe Biden’s administration to increase its support for Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. SENT: 1150 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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HOTTEST DAY-GLOBALLY — World swelters to unofficial hottest day on record. SENT: 650 words, photos.

FOURTH OF JULY — Revelers across the US brave heat and rain to celebrate the Fourth of July. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

SHARK-ATTACKS-NEW YORK — Possible shark attacks prompt heightened patrols at New York’s Long Island beaches. SENT: 620 words, photo, audio.

FOURTH OF JULY- HOT DOG CONTEST — Joey Chestnut shakes off rain delay and defends title at Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog contest. SENT: 330 words, photos, video, audio.

FIREWORKS EXPLOSION-MICHIGAN — A fireworks explosion in western Michigan killed 1 woman and injured 9 other people. SENT: 250 words, audio.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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ADMINISTRATION-SOCIAL MEDIA — A judge prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about “protected speech,” a decision called “a blow to censorship” by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling. SENT: 660 words, photos.

BIDEN-SWEDEN — President Joe Biden hosts Sweden’s prime minister at the White House in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO. SENT: 370 words, photos. UPCOMING: 750 words after 2 p.m. meeting.

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NATIONAL

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SHOOTING-JULY FOURTH — One year after a shooter terrorized July Fourth paradegoers in Highland Park, community members gathered to honor the seven people who were killed, commemorate the day and reclaim the space to move forward. SENT: 520 words, photos, video.

RANKED CHOICE VOTING-NEW YORK-EXPLAINER — New York City elections officials will begin releasing preliminary results from ranked choice voting in last week’s City Council primaries. SENT: 980 words, photo.

FOUR KILLED-UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO — Objections have been raised to demolishing the house where four University of Idaho students were killed last year, with members of three of the victims’ families signaling it should be preserved until after the trial of the man charged in the deaths. SENT: 410 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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CHINA-US-TAIWAN — China’s Defense Ministry accused the United States of turning Taiwan into a powder keg Wednesday with its latest sales of military equipment to the self-governing island democracy worth a total of $440.2 million. SENT: 550 words, photo.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — The satellite North Korea failed to put into orbit wasn’t advanced enough to conduct military reconnaissance from space as it claimed, South Korea’s military said after retrieving and studying the wreckage. SENT: 410 words, photos.

JORDAN-CHINESE-POWER PLANT — Jordan’s Attarat power plant was envisioned as a landmark project promising to provide the desert kingdom with a major source of energy while solidifying its relations with China. But weeks after its official opening, the site, a sea of black, crumbly rock in the barren desert south of Jordan’s capital, is instead a source of heated controversy. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

FRANCE-POLICE SHOOTING — A French far-right figure behind a divisive, and hugely successful, crowdfunding campaign for the family of a police officer jailed in the killing of a 17-year-old that triggered riots around France announced that he’s closing the account which topped more than 1.5 million euros ($1.63 million). SENT: 510 words, photos.

BRITAIN-SCOTLAND-CORONATION — Two months after the lavish coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London, Scotland is set to host its own event to mark the new monarch’s accession to the throne. SENT: 800 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets sank after a measure of Chinese service industry activity fell to its lowest level this year. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 350 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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WWCUP-ALEX MORGAN — Her night’s work on the pitch finished, Alex Morgan walks into the post-match news conference in her San Diego Wave uniform, barefoot and with her left ankle still taped up, with 3-year-old daughter Charlie in tow. Morgan veers from soccer superstar to mom and back to soccer superstar. By Sports Writer Bernie Wilson. SENT: 880 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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