AP News Digest 3 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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.

———————————-

TOP STORIES

————————————

BRITAIN-POLITICS — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending intense speculation about a comeback. Johnson, who was ousted in July amid ethics scandals, was widely expected to run to replace Liz Truss, who quit last week. He has spent the weekend trying to gain support from fellow lawmakers, and said he’d amassed more than 100 votes, the threshold to run. But he was far behind former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak in support. SENT: 820 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Russia’s defense chief has alleged that Ukraine was preparing a “provocation” involving a radioactive device, a stark claim that reflected soaring tensions as Moscow struggles to stem Ukrainian advances in the south and is building defensive positions in anticipation of Ukrainian offensives elsewhere. By Andrew Meldrum. SENT: 790 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-FLORIDA — Democrats are increasingly concerned that Florida may be slipping away this fall — and perhaps beyond — as emboldened Republicans seize on divisive cultural issues and demographic shifts in crucial contests for governor and the U.S. Senate. Republicans are predicting outright victory in south Florida’s diverse Miami-Dade County, which would have been unthinkable just four years ago. Republicans and Democrats privately agree that Hurricane Ian may have helped Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis broaden his appeal. By Steve Peoples, Adriana Gomez Licon and Brendan Farrington. SENT: 1,410 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS – The rival Koreas have exchanged warning shots along their disputed western sea boundary as animosities rise over North Korea’s recent weapons tests. South Korea said its navy broadcast warnings and fired warning shots to repel a North Korean merchant ship that violated the sea boundary. North Korea’s military said its coastal defense units fired artillery warning shots toward its territorial waters where a South Korean naval ship had intruded. No clashes have been reported in the area where past naval skirmishes and violence have occurred. By Hyung-jin Kim. SENT: 850 words, photos.

CHINA PARTY CONGRESS-WHAT NEXT – The world faces the prospect of more tension with China over trade, security and human rights after Xi Jinping awarded himself another five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party and called for self-reliance in technology, a stronger military and protection of “core interests” abroad. At a party congress, Xi gave no sign of plans to change the severe “Zero COVID” strategy that has frustrated China’s public and disrupted business and trade. He called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that strain relations with Washington and Asian neighbors. Xi is tightening control at home and trying to use China’s economic heft to increase its influence abroad. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 1,180 words, photos. With: CHINA-PARTY CONGRESS-HU’S DEPARTURE

WORLD SERIES-LOOK AHEAD — Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies are set to play the Houston Astros in the World Series. Both teams stamped their ticket to the Fall Classic on Sunday. Harper’s home run in the eighth inning sent the Phillies over the San Diego Padres 4-3 in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series. Alex Bregman and the Astros finished off a four-game sweep of the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 win. The World Series starts Friday night in Houston. SENT: 1,070 words, photos. With: ALCS-ASTROS-YANKEES; ALCS-YANKEES-ELIMINATED; NLCS-PADRES-PHILLIES

————————

TRENDING

————————

PHLIPPINES-PLANE-ACCIDENT – A damaged Korean Air plane remains stuck in the grass at a Philippine airport after it overshot a runway in rainy weather the night before. No injuries were reported among the 11 crewmembers and 162 passengers who had to use the emergency slides to escape. SENT: 320 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER – Former Hurricane Roslyn slammed into a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast between the resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. Roslyn then declined to tropical storm force and quickly moved inland. SENT: 450 words, photo.

COSTA-RICA-PLANE-CRASH — Authorities in Costa Rica have found two bodies in the search for six people, apparently including the German businessman behind Gold’s Gym, who went missing when their small plane disappeared from radar just off the country’s Caribbean coast. SENT: 390 words, photo.

SAME-SEX-WEDDING-CAKE – A California judge has ruled in favor of a bakery owner who refused to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple because it violated her Christian beliefs. SENT: 290 words, photos.

MISSOURI-WILDFIRE – Roughly half of a small Missouri town burned after a wildfire spread quickly from a farm field and destroyed or heavily damaged 23 buildings. No one died and only one person was injured, but the less than 100 people living in the town of Wooldridge had to be evacuated. SENT: 390 words, photos.

SKYDIVER-DEATH-TENNESSEE-FOOTBALL-GAME – Officials say a skydiver has died after his hard landing from a pregame jump at a Tennessee high school football stadium. In a statement, Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd said the diver jumped at the David Crockett High School football stadium in Jonesborough. SENT: 260 words.

———————————————————

MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

———————————————————

UKRAINE-IZIUM-HOSPITAL — Medical staff at the Izium hospital in eastern Ukraine are fighting the memories of six deadly months under Russian occupation. They also are looking darkly ahead at the coming months without electricity. Surgeries moved down to the hospital basement in the war’s early days to avoid airstrikes and artillery shells. A trauma doctor stayed day and night after a bomb destroyed his own house. Now he’s planning to move operations back downstairs as cold weather sets in. In the back of the hospital compound, staff members are preparing to shut down the morgue indefinitely. They witnessed the killing of a pathologist who was their colleague at the hands of a Russian soldier. SENT: 1,098 words, photos.

ITALY-FRANCE-UKRAINE – French President Emmanuel Macron says it’s up to Ukraine to decide the time and terms of peace with Russia. Speaking at a peace conference in Rome, Macron said that when that moment comes, the international community will be there. There is concern that support by Ukraine’s allies in Europe might be eroded due to soaring energy costs with the approach of winter. SENT: 730 words, photos.

————————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

————————————————

ELECTION 2022-BIDEN-ROPE LINES — President Joe Biden has never been at his best in big events, where his delivery can be stilted, his stories meandering. The end of a Biden speech is often the beginning of his favorite part of the event — the rope line, in the parlance of political operatives. He whirls around, scans the crowd and zeroes in on his first target for a one-on-one connection. It might be a small businessman who gets invited to Zoom with the president. It might be a small child that the president slips a few dollars for ice cream. It might be someone who stutters — they come in for special attention from the president. SENT: 1,380 words, photos.

————————

ELECTION 2022

————————

ELECTION 2022-CALIFORNIA-GOVERNOR DEBATE — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to serve a full four-year term if he is reelected in November. Newsom made the promise during an hourlong debate with Republican candidate Brian Dahle on KQED News. It’s the only time the two candidates will meet face to face before voting ends on Nov. 8. SENT: 850 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-WASHINGTON-SENATE-DEBATE –Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley argued over abortion, crime and inflation in their only scheduled debate before the Nov. 8 election. Smiley made numerous references to Murray’s 30 years in the Senate during the hour-long debate televised from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, saying it was time for a change. SENT: 740 words, photos.

————————

NATIONAL

————————

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEST SCORES – New national test results show that the pandemic spared no part of the country as it caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children. Every single state saw math or reading scores decline in the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. National math scores saw their largest decreases ever, and reading scores fell back to 1992 levels. This year was the first time the test was given since 2019, and it’s seen as the first nationally representative study of the pandemic’s impact on learning. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

TRUMP-LEGAL-PROBLEMS — Donald Trump’s company goes on trial Monday in a criminal tax case and the first task facing the court is a big one: Picking a neutral jury. Manhattan prosecutors say the Trump Organization helped top executives avoid income taxes on job perks like rent-free apartments and luxury cars. The former president himself isn’t on trial and isn’t expected to testify. But the judge and lawyers will likely be looking to keep people off the jury if they have unshakably strong feelings about the Republican. SENT: 390 words, photos.

IMMIGRATION-WRONG-ADDRESSES — The Associated Press interviewed about a dozen migrants who recently arrived in the U.S. and agreed to share documents they received when they were released from U.S. custody while they seek asylum after crossing the border with Mexico. The AP found that most had no idea where they were going, nor did the people at the addresses listed. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

ABORTION-GEORGIA — A trial to determine whether Georgia can continue to ban abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy is set to begin in an Atlanta courtroom. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney has scheduled two days of testimony in a lawsuit that seeks to strike down the law. SENT: 370 words, photo.

FATAL-BEANBAG-SHOOTING-KANSAS — A rural Kansas undersheriff who shot and killed an unarmed man with a homemade beanbag round faces trial in Kansas City, Kansas. The case against Vergil Brewer is likely to focus on whether his lack of knowledge and training with the munitions amounts to reckless involuntary manslaughter. SENT: 800 words, photos.

BORDER WALL-FUNDRAISER —A Colorado businessman returns to New York for a retrial on charges that he cheated thousands of donors to an online crowdfunding campaign to build a wall along the southern U.S. border. SENT: 370 words, photo.

————————————-

INTERNATIONAL

—————————————

ISRAEL-SETTLERS RISING — A West Bank settler will for the first time become the chief of staff of Israel’s military, the enforcer of the country’s 55-year-old military occupation. Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s rise caps the decades-long transformation of the settler movement from a small group of religious ideologues to a diverse and influential force at the heart of the Israeli mainstream. Their members have reached the highest ranks of government and other key institutions. Critics say the settlers’ outsized political influence imperils any hope for the creation of an independent Palestinian state and endangers the country’s future as a democracy. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

BRAZIL-ELECTION-SHOOTING — A Brazilian politician has attacked federal police officers seeking to arrest him in his home, prompting an hours-long siege that caused alarm and a scramble for a response at the highest level of government. Roberto Jefferson, a former lawmaker and an ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, fired a rifle at police and threw grenades, wounding two officers in Comendador Levy Gasparian municipality in Rio de Janeiro state. SENT: 580 words, photos.

————————

BUSINESS

————————

INFLATION-MIGRANT WORKERS-FEELING THE PINCH — In nearly every corner of the globe, people are spending more on food and fuel, rent and transportation. But inflation isn’t affecting people equally. For those with dependents relying on them to send money overseas, higher prices mean a squeeze at home and abroad. Migrant workers and others who send money to relatives are often saving less because they’re forced to spend more as prices rise. For some, the only option is hustling even harder, working weekends and nights, taking on second jobs. For others, it means cutting back on once-basic things like meat and fruit so they can send what’s left of their savings to family back home, some of whom are struggling with hunger or conflict. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

CHINA-ECONOMY – China’s economic growth accelerated in the latest quarter but still was among the weakest in decades as the country wrestled with repeated closures of cities to fight virus outbreaks. SENT: 670 words, photos. With: CHINA-TRADE

————————————————

HOW TO REACH US

————————————————

The Nerve Center 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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.