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.

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ONLY ON AP

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RED FLAG LAWS — Chicago is one of the nation’s gun violence hotspots and a seemingly ideal place to employ Illinois’ “red flag” law that allows police to step in and take firearms away from people who threaten to kill. But amid more than 8,500 shootings resulting in 1,800 deaths since 2020, the law was used there just four times. By Bernard Condon. SENT: 2,230 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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BIDEN — President Joe Biden charges that the “extreme ideology” of Donald Trump and his adherents “threatens the very foundation of our republic,” as he summons Americans of all stripes to help counter what he sketches as dark forces within the Republican Party trying to subvert democracy. By Zeke Miller and Josh Boak. SENT: 1,120 words, photos, video.

TRUMP-FBI —A federal judge Thursday appeared to give a boost to former President Donald Trump’s hopes for appointing an outside legal expert to review government records seized by the FBI, questioning the Justice Department’s arguments that Trump couldn’t make the request and that it would needlessly delay its investigation. By Adriana Gomez Licon and Eric Tucker. SENT: 450 words, photos. With CONGRESS TRUMP — A House committee seeking financial records from former President Donald Trump has reached an agreement that ends litigation on the matter and requires an accounting firm to turn over some of the material, the panel’s leader announced Thursday. SENT: 650 words.

RUSSIA-COVERING GORBACHEV — When news hit that Mikhail Gorbachev had died at age 91, Associated Press journalists around the world began sharing their “Gorby” stories from covering the last Soviet leader or interviewing him in the three decades that followed. They remember his temper and sense of humor, , his sharp intellect even in his later years, when he was willing to talk at length about his hopes and his regrets. SENT: 1,520 words, photos.

ISRAEL-SURGING-EXTREMISTS — Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir calls his Arab colleagues “terrorists.” He wants to deport his political opponents, and in his youth, his views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service. By Tia Goldenberg. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

ARGENTINA-PLACIDO-DOMINGO-SECT — An Argentina-based yoga group sexually exploited vulnerable women it called “geishas” to get money and influence from wealthy and powerful men around the world, including opera star Placido Domingo, who knew the organization’s leaders for more than two decades, according to interviews with former members and local authorities. By Daniel Politi, Jocelyn Gecker and Almudena Calatrava. SENT: 1,540 words, photos.

TEN—SERENA WILLIAMS-AGE — Watching 40-year-old Serena Williams defeat the world’s second-ranked player and advance to the third round of a U.S. Open has inspired older tennis fans. Pioneering player Billie Jean King, now 78, said Williams gives older players hope and a pep in their step. By National Writer Jocelyn Noveck. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — It was the first day of school in Ukraine on Thursday but children weren’t sharing memories of fun vacations with their families. Their stories were of surviving war. For many, their last day of school was the day before the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of their country. SENT: 1,065 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — A U.N. inspection team entered Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Thursday on a mission to safeguard it against catastrophe, reaching the site amid fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces that prompted the shutdown of one reactor and underscored the urgency of the task. By Yesica Fisch and Derek Gatopoulos. SENT: 860 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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ANNE-HECHE — Actor Anne Heche died without a will, and her 20-year-old son has filed court papers to control her estate. SENT: 230 words, photos.

OFFICER-SHOT-INDIANA — An eastern Indiana police officer shot in the head during a traffic stop was taken off life support but she remained alive with vital signs that were stable, her department says. SENT: 210 words, photos.

THERANOS-FRAUD TRIAL — A federal judge has tentatively declined to overturn the jury conviction of disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy. That leaves the former Silicon Valley star a step closer to serving prison time. SENT: 225 words, photos.

STARBUCKS-CEO — Starbucks has named a longtime PepsiCo executive as its new CEO. The coffee giant said Thursday that Laxman Narasimhan will join Starbucks on Oct. 1 after relocating from London to Seattle, where Starbucks is based. SENT: 400 words.

OLIGARCH-SEARCH — U.S. federal agents simultaneously searched properties in Manhattan, the posh beach community of Southampton, New York, and on an exclusive Miami island that have been linked to a billionaire Russian oligarch whose $120 million yacht was seized in April. SENT: 550 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON / POLITICS

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PRESIDENTIAL PORTRAITS — President Biden and his wife, Jill, are set to revive a ritual when they host former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, on Wednesday for the big reveal of their White House portraits in front of scores of friends, family and staff. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

MILITARY-SEXUAL ASSAULT — Alarmed by a dramatic increase in reported sexual assaults in the military, defense leaders say they want to beef up prevention, but they are still developing programs they think can work after nearly two decades of trying. SENT: 990 words, photo.

UNITED STATES-SOUTH AFRICA — President Biden will host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House this month as the administration looks to draw African nations closer to the U.S. SENT: 630 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-ALASKA — Bernadette Demientieff said she cried when she learned of Democrat Mary Peltola’s win in Alaska’s U.S. House special election, making Peltola the first Alaska Native to be elected to Congress. SENT: 1,020 words, photos, video.

ELECTION 2022-REPUBLICANS-ABORTION — Anti-abortion Republicans in competitive House, Senate and governor’s races in key states are trying to distance themselves from their past statements and positions on the issue, in light of reignited enthusiasm among abortion rights supporters since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe. v. Wade. SENT: 1,246 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN-ABORTION — An abortion-rights group on Thursday asked the Michigan Supreme Court to approve a November ballot question on whether a right to abortion should be enshrined in the state constitution. SENT: 780 words, photos.

AFGHANS-HUMANITARIAN-PAROLE — The Biden administration said Thursday that it is phasing out a program that aimed to give at-risk Afghans a quicker pathway to the U.S. through humanitarian relief but was criticized for its bureaucratic barriers and for ultimately leaving people’s lives in legal limbo. SENT: 475 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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WATER WOES-NEGLECTED CITY — For at least the third time in a dozen years, portable toilets are parked outside the ornate Mississippi Capitol because Jackson’s water system is in crisis. Even before the pressure dropped, Jackson’s system was fragile, and officials had warned for years that widespread loss of service was possible. By Emily Wagster Pettus. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. With WATER WOES MISSISSIPPI — Some improvement seen as Jackson water woes continue (sent).

BORDER-ENFORCEMENT-TEXAS — A Texas pecan farm nearly the size of Disneyland has become entangled in a turf war between the Biden administration and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over immigration enforcement on the southern border. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

VIOLENT-CITIES — Four high-profile shootings in U.S. cities this week drew headlines but masked the daily toll of gun violence in some of the same communities. As shooting rampages unfolded in Oregon, Phoenix, Detroit and Houston, a rash of smaller-scale gun violence went unnoticed except by victims. SENT: 900 words, photos.

COAST GUARD ACADEMY DEPARTURES — Coast Guard Academy officials and a lawyer for several cadets are disputing each other’s accounts of what happened to seven students before and after they were forced to leave the Connecticut campus last month after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ARGENTINA-VICE-PRESIDENT — A man was detained after he aimed a handgun at point-blank range toward Argentina’s politically powerful Vice President Cristina Fernández, and President Alberto Fernández said the assassination attempt failed because the gun did not fire. SENT: 700 words, photos.

CHILE-NEW-CONSTITUTION — Two years ago, the vast majority of Chileans reached a conclusion: The constitution needs to change. Now, as voters prepare for a referendum Sunday, many Chileans think the proposed new charter will be rejected amid frustration over the process, questions about its content and what supporters say is a surge in fake news that has confused citizens about what is actually in the document. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

UNITED NATIONS-NORTH KOREA-HUMAN RIGHTS — North Korea has increased its repression of the rights and freedoms of its people and the U.N. Security Council should consider referring the country to the International Criminal Court for possible crimes against humanity, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says in a new report. SENT: 700 words, photo. With KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea calls UN monitor on its rights issue ‘puppet’ of US (sent).

MYANMAR-SUU-KYI — A court in Myanmar on Friday sentenced the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years’ imprisonment after finding her guilty of involvement in election fraud. SENT: 860 words, photo.

IRAN-NUCLEAR — Iran has sent a written response in negotiations over a final draft of a roadmap for parties to return to its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, though the U.S. cast doubt on Tehran’s offer. SENT: 400 words, photos.

PERU-TRANSGENDER-ACTIVIST — Prosecutors said Thursday they have opened an investigation into the death of a Peruvian transgender man who died this month after being detained on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali. SENT: 380 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-IMMIGRATION — The Australian government announced on Friday it will increase its permanent immigration intake by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current fiscal year as the nation grapples with skills and labor shortages. SENT: 290 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-UK — The British international trade secretary has promised wide-ranging support to Australia in developing and maintaining a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. SENT: 290 words.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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SPACE-COAST-COMEBACK — A decade ago, Florida’s Space Coast was in the doldrums. The space shuttle program had ended, and with it the steady stream of space enthusiasts who filled the area’s restaurants and hotel and motel rooms during regular astronaut launches. The Kennedy Space Center’s 7,400 laid-off shuttle workers struggled to find jobs in their fields, and many left for other states. Nowadays, the county’s unemployment rate is under 3%, and the Space Coast is humming with jobs and space launches. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT — Raging inflation has so scrambled the economy that it’s come to this: If Friday’s jobs report for August were to show a significant hiring slowdown, the Federal Reserve — and even the White House — would likely welcome it. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets were mixed ahead of U.S. jobs data that might influence Federal Reserve plans for more interest rate hikes to cool surging inflation. Shanghai and Seoul advanced while Tokyo and Hong Kong retreated. Oil prices rose more than $1.50 per barrel. SENT: 520 words, photos.

JAPAN-NISSAN — Nissan will more aggressively push electric vehicles to take advantage of a new U.S. law that gives up to $7,500 in tax credits, the Japanese automaker says. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-FALL PREVIEW-THE WOMAN KING — When “The Woman King” rises up in theaters on Sept. 16, it will emerge as a potent force on a movie landscape that has seldom seen something like it. Drawing from the real 19th century history of the Agojie, women warriors who defended the West African kingdom of Dahomey, present-day Benin, “The Woman King” is muscular action-drama that puts female power front and center at a time when women’s rights are seen as imperiled. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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TEN—US OPEN-FACING SERENA — The next woman who must deal with the daunting task of playing Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, Ajla Tomljanovic, considers herself an admirer of the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Tomljanovic says she’s been a fan of Williams since she was a kid. They meet for the first time on Friday night in the third round. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 720 words, photos. With TEN—US Open-Williams Sisters Doubles (sent).

TEN—US OPEN — Iga Swiatek is winning easily — and quietly. At this U.S. Open, even the world’s No. 1 player is a distant No. 2 as long as Serena Williams is still around. The two-time French Open champion easily beat 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday in the second round for her WTA Tour-leading 50th victory this season. By Brian Mahoney. SENT: 720 words, photos. With TEN--US Open-Ukraine-No Handshake; TEN—US Open-Nadal. TEN--US Open Glance (sent).

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HOW TO REACH US

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