AP News Digest 3:55 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.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — As Russian troops rained lethal fire on Ukrainian cities, Vladimir Putin appeared at a huge flag-waving rally to lavish praise on his Russian forces, while Ukrainian’s president accused the Kremlin of deliberately creating “a humanitarian catastrophe.” By Cara Anna. SENT; 1,260 words, photos, video. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THINGS TO KNOW.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-GRIND — More than three weeks into his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initial aim of an easy regime change in Ukraine is long gone. But Russia’s military still has a strong hand. Military analysts warn that with its greater might and stockpile of city-flattening munitions, Russia’s military can still fight for what the Russian president may plan next, whether that’s leveraging a negotiated settlement or brute destruction. By Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 950 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CROSSROADS-CITY — Ukraine’s cultural capital was a city that could feel distant from the war until the missiles struck within walking distance of the cathedrals and cafes downtown. The early panic had eased and the growing response to morning air raid sirens was not to head downstairs. It was to roll over in bed. Friday’s Russian airstrikes at dawn in Lviv just outside the international airport made nearby buildings vibrate and cracked any sense of comfort. But daylight soon found Lviv back at work in its role as a crossroads. It’s a role that is centuries old. By Cara Anna. SENT:

HYDROPOWER-ENVIRONMENT — As the U.S. pushes to transition to low-carbon energy, some companies see an opportunity to expand hydropower generation at existing dams while minimizing environmental harms. It reflects a surprising alliance that has emerged between the industry and conservation groups. By Suman Naishadham. SENT: 700 words, photo.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-ASYLUM-SEEKERS — About three dozen would-be asylum seekers from Russia found themselves blocked from entering the U.S. on Friday while a group of Ukrainians flashed passports and were escorted across the border. SENT: 760 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-PUTIN NARRATIVE-EXPLAINER — Vladimir Putin has again painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though the country has a Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust and who heads a Western-backed, democratically elected government. The Holocaust, World War II and Nazism have been important tools for Putin in his bid to legitimize Russia’s moves in Ukraine. But historians see his use of them as disinformation and a cynical ploy to advance Putin’s aims. SENT: 960 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-BANNED-WEAPONS — Six Western nations accused Russia of using the U.N. Security Council to launder disinformation, spread propaganda and justify an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and the United States again warned that Moscow’s claim the U.S. has biological warfare laboratories in Ukraine “is really a potential false flag effort in action.” SENT: 960 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — China’s national health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths, the first recorded rise in the death toll since January 2021, as the country battles an omicron-driven surge. SENT: 300 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — The Los Angeles Unified School District — the largest U.S. school district still requiring masks for staff and students — announced Friday that it will lift the mandate as COVID-19 infection rates continue to plunge. SENT: 360 words, photo.

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TRENDING NEWS

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CALIFORNIA-KIDNAPPING — A man who sexually assaulted a Northern California woman who was kidnapped from her home in what police initially thought was a hoax was sentenced Friday to 31 years in state prison on Friday, prosecutors said.

WWII-INTERNMENT-CAMP-HISTORIC-SITE — President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill into law designating a former World War II Japanese American internment camp in rural Colorado as a federal historic site managed by the National Park Service. SENT: 220 words, photos.

MISSING-OSPREY-NORWAY — Norwegian authorities were searching Friday for a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft that went missing during a training exercise. SENT: 170 words.

TUSCON MUSIC HALL-RONSTADT — The Tucson Music Hall will be renamed in honor of Linda Ronstadt, a southern Arizona native who went on to become a Grammy-winning superstar, Mayor Regina Romero announces. SENT: 280 words, photo.

JETS-ASSISTANT-COACH-DUI — Jets assistant coach John Benton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in New Jersey after being pulled over for a vehicle violation, police say. SENT: 190 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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SUPREME COURT-O’CONNOR CONFIRMATION — 99-0. That was the tally, unimaginable in today’s hyperpolarized environment, by which the Senate made Sandra Day O’Connor the first woman on the Supreme Court. Such a lopsided result is certainly not in the cards for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if she wins Senate confirmation. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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DON-YOUNG-OBIT — Don Young, who was the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. House, has died. He was 88. Young, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1973, was known for his brusque style. SENT: 1,380 words, photos.

BOYS-SCOUT-BANKRUPTCY — A committee representing several Catholic entities in the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy has reached a settlement with the BSA and is withdrawing its objections to its proposed reorganization plan, attorneys told a judge. SENT: 770 words.

NEBRASKA-CONGRESSMAN-CAMPAIGN-CONTRIBUTIONS — A close friend and supporter of a Nebraska congressman told a federal jury he acted as a middleman in a plot that funneled $30,000 from a Nigerian-born billionaire to the Republican lawmaker’s reelection campaign through straw donors. SENT: 720 words, photos.

TENNESSEE-SENATOR-SENTENCING — A former Tennessee state senator expelled from office after a conviction for using federal grant money on wedding expenses instead of the nursing school she operates was sentenced to a year of probation but no prison time. SENT: 680 words, photo.

SOUTH CAROLINA-EXECUTIONS — ​​South Carolina has given the greenlight to firing-squad executions, a method codified into state law last year after a decade-long pause in carrying out death sentences because of the state’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs. SENT: 620 words, photo.

TEXAS-WILDFIRES- Fire crews in West Texas hope to make progress Saturday against a massive complex of wildfires that have killed one person and burned at least 50 homes, officials said. SENT: 460 words, photos.

IDITAROD-2-RESCUES — Two back-of-the-pack mushers had to be rescued in separate incidents from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race after winds from a severe ground storm caused deteriorating conditions, race officials said. SENT: 390 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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SYRIA — The Syrian presidency says President Bashar Assad has travelled to the United Arab Emirates, marking his first visit to an Arab country since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011. SENT: 720 words photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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HOT-POLES — Earth’s poles are undergoing simultaneous freakish extreme heat with parts of Antarctica more than 70 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) warmer than average and areas of the Arctic more than 50 degrees (30 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. By Seth Borenstein. SENT: 660 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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BKC--NCAA-CAL STATE FULLERTON-DUKE — Duke began retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament with minimal stress, beating Cal State Fullerton 78-61. Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils. The West Region’s No. 2 seed jumped to an early double-digit lead and played with a comfortable margin nearly all night. Duke shot 52% from the field while getting 10 blocked shots at the other end, five coming from Mark Williams. The Blue Devils will play Tom Izzo’s Michigan State in a second-round matchup of Hall of Fame coaches. SENT: 800 words and photos.

BKC--NCAA-DAVIDSON-MICHIGAN STATE — GREENVILLE, S.C. — Joey Hauser scored a career-high 27 points and Michigan State edged Davidson 74-73 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. A.J. Hoggard added 14 points for the Spartans, the West Region’s No. 7 seed. Michigan State used a 16-3 run to go ahead for good while allowing just one field goal over a critical 6-minute stretch. SENT: 790 words, photos.

FBN--BROWNS-WATSON — Deshaun Watson changed his mind. The Browns have their franchise quarterback, one with some extra heavy baggage. Despite sexual misconduct allegations made by nearly two dozen women against Watson while he was with Houston, Cleveland will make him its starting QB, the face of its organization and the highest-paid player in the NFL. Watson made the decision to waive his no-trade clause and accept a trade after initially rebuffing the Browns. The stunning reversal rocked the league and changed the trajectory of two organizations. The Browns are sending the Texans first-round draft picks the next three years plus a 2023 third-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick. Houston is shipping Watson and a 2024 fifth-round pick to Cleveland. SENT: 960 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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.