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BC-AP News Digest 3 a.m.

Via AP news wire
Monday 06 June 2022 07:54 BST

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 — Russia took aim at Western military supplies for Ukraine by launching airstrikes on Kyiv that it claimed destroyed tanks donated from abroad. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin warned Sunday that any Western deliveries of long-range rocket systems would prompt Moscow to hit “objects that we haven’t yet struck.” The Russian leader’s cryptic threat of a military escalation did not specify what the new targets might be, but it came days after the United States announced plans to deliver $700 million of security assistance for Ukraine. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022 HOUSE — Republican House primaries on Tuesday will set the table for the most competitive U.S. House races this fall. A handful of districts will decide whether Democrats can hold their paper-thin margin amid bracing economic headwinds. By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 890 words, photos. With ELECTION 2022-WHAT TO WATCH — What to watch in primaries in 7 states SENT1,400 words, photos.

NIGERIA-CHURCH ATTACK — Lawmakers in southwestern Nigeria say more than 50 people are feared dead after gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives at a church. Gunmen targeted the St Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state on Sunday morning just as the worshippers gathered for the weekly Mass. Many children were among the dead. An official says the attackers also kidnapped the presiding priest. While much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, Ondo is widely known as one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states. By Chinedu Asadu. SENT: 400 words, photos.

AMERICAS-SUMMIT — When leaders gather this week in Los Angeles at the Summit of the Americas, the focus is likely to veer from policy issues like migration, climate change and inflation and instead shift to something Hollywood thrives on: the drama of the red carpet. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tops a list of leaders threatening to stay home to protest U.S. exclusion of authoritarian leaders from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. By Elliot Spigot, Joshua Goodman and Chris Megerian. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

FRANCE-D-DAY-ANNIVERSARY — Several dozen World War II veterans were expected to attend D-Day commemoration ceremonies Monday in France. For two years, D-Day ceremonies were reduced to a minimum amid COVID-19 restrictions. This year, crowds of French and international visitors were back in Normandy for the 78th anniversary. By Sylvie Corbet and Jeff Schaeffer. SENT: 570 words, photos.

ISRAEL-FLAG-FRACAS — It’s not a bomb or a gun or a rocket. The latest threat identified by Israel is the Palestinian flag. Recent weeks have seen a furore by nationalists over the waving of the red, white, green and black flag by Palestinians in Israel. Yet the fracas over the flag tells a broader story about how much hopes for peace with the Palestinians have diminished and about the stature of the fifth of Israelis who are Palestinian. They’ve long been viewed as a fifth column because of their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. By Tia Goldberg. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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OBIT-ALEC JOHN SUCH — Alec John Such, the bassist and a founding member of Bon Jovi, has died. He was 70. Jon Bon Jovi on Sunday announced the death of John Such, the New Jersey rock band’s bassist from 1983 to 1994. No details on when or how John Such died were immediately available. SENT: 280 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Alex is heading for a close pass by Bermuda after deluging parts of Florida and causing three deaths in Cuba. It became the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm early Sunday as it reached tropical storm strength when it moved out over the Altantic after passing across South Florida. SENT: 300 words, photos.

BIDEN-JIMMY KIMMEL — Here’s another sign America’s entertainment landscape is returning to normal: President Joe Biden will make his first in-person appearance on a late-night talk show since taking office. SENT: 150 words, photos.

TENNESSEE SHOOTING — Police say a shooting near a Tennessee nightclub led to three deaths and 14 people suffering gunshot wounds and other injuries. SENT: 200 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ABORTION-SUPREME COURT-WHO IS DOBBS— Dr. Thomas Dobbs has never gotten involved in political fights over reproductive health, but his name has become shorthand for a legal case that could end abortion rights in the United States. If he has feelings about the situation, he keeps those to himself. The 52-year-old physician is Mississippi’s top public health official. His name is on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case before the U.S. Supreme Court involves the state’s ban on most abortions after the 15th week. But it could result in a reversal of Roe v. Wade. A leaked draft of a court opinion shows a conservative majority ready to topple the court’s 1973 decision that established a nationwide right to abortion. By Emily Wagster Pettus and Mike Stobbe. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

ALASKA HOUSE-UNUSUAL-PRIMARY — Alaska voters are facing an election unlike any they’ve seen, with 48 candidates running to succeed the man who had held the state’s only U.S. House seat for 49 years. While some of the candidates in this week’s special primary have name recognition, including Sarah Palin and Santa Claus — yes, Santa Claus — many are relative unknowns or political novices — a fishing guide, a contractor, a gold miner who went to prison for allegedly threatening federal land managers. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-WISCONSIN-GOVERNOR — Wisconsin Democrats are challenging the paperwork Donald Trump’s preferred candidate for governor filed to get on the ballot in the GOP primary on technical grounds. SENT: 260 words.

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NATIONAL

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TEXAS-SCHOOL SHOOTING-PASTOR — One of the first targets of the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, is now trying to comfort the community. Gilbert Limones and a coworker at a funeral home both came under fire as they were across the street from Robb Elementary School last month. Neither was injured, and Limones preached about the horror on Sunday at the small church where he serves as pastor. By Jay Reeves. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-DROUGHT-WATER-RIGHTS — Some California lawmakers want to use taxpayer money to purchase water rights from farmers. The proposal by Senate Democrats aims to keep more water in California’s rivers and streams to benefit endangered species of fish. SENT: 950 words, photos.

PHILADELPHIA-SHOOTING — Authorities say gunfire killed three people and wounded at least 11 others in one of downtown Philadelphia’s most popular entertainment districts late Saturday night. SENT: 425 words, photos.

ABORTION-RIGHTS-MEN’S ROLE — In the decadeslong struggle for abortion rights, some men have played an active supporting role, through organizations and as legislators and abortion providers. But advocates say more are needed, especially in the face of a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision. SENT: 915 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BANGLADESH FIRE — Authorities in Bangladesh are struggling to determine the initial cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 49 people and injured more than 100 others at a container depot. Experts are raising concern over the safety standard in the country’s industrial sector. SENT: 430 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — The U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in a show of force matching a North Korean missile display a day earlier that extended a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations. SENT: 760 words, photos.

BRITAIN-FUTURE OF THE MONARCHY — As the tributes to Queen Elizabeth II’s lifetime of service begin to fade, Britain is left with the reality that the second Elizabethan age is coming to an end. The 96-year-old monarch, limited in recent months by what the palace calls “episodic mobility issues,” made only three brief public appearances during the Jubilee. Her son and heir, 73-year-old Prince Charles, stood in for her at other events. By Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

SRI LANKA — Barely three weeks have passed since Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed duties as Prime Minister in Sri Lanka, an island nation that has been engulfed in an unprecedented economic and political crisis. While long queues of people waiting to buy fuel and cooking gas are still visible amid soaring prices of essentials, analysts say Wickremesinghe has managed to ensure “a modest improvement” in the policy process aimed at resolving the crisis. . SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

BRAZIL-BOLSONARO’S MEDALS — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has been bountiful in decorating ideological allies, ministers, loyalists and family members with medals and honors. He’s even received six himself from his own administration. The nation’s three most prestigious medals have been given to more than three-quarters of Bolsonaro’s current and former cabinet ministers. By Mauricio Savarese and Débora Alvares. SENT: 975 words, photos. This is the Monday Spotlight.

KAZAKHSTAN-REFERENDUM — Voters in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan have cast ballots on proposed changes to the constitution. The measures in Sunday’s referendum were widely seen as an attempt to repudiate the legacy of former strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led the ex-Soviet republic for three decades. SENT: 200 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-BREAST-CANCER-DRUG — Doctors are reporting a new gain in breast cancer treatment. Some HER2 negative breast cancers are actually “HER2 low” and can benefit from a drug targeting the HER2 protein. Doctors reported the advance Sunday at a meeting in Chicago. SENT: 530 words, photos.

CHINA-SPACE — China has launched a new three-person mission to complete assembly work on its permanent orbiting space station. The Shenzhou 14 crew will spend six months on the Tiangong station, during which they will oversee the addition of two laboratory modules to join the main Tianhe living space that was launched in April 2021. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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CONSUMER-SPENDING-DIVIDED — Americans at the low end of the income rung are once again struggling to make ends meet. A confluence of factors — the expiration of federal stimulus checks and surging inflation on staples like gas and food — are driving an even bigger wedge between the haves and have-nots. While wealthier shoppers continue to splurge, low-income shoppers have pulled back faster than expected in the past two months. SENT: 985 words, photos.

STARBUCK UNION-LOUISIANA — Employees at a Starbucks store in New Orleans voted to form a union, becoming the first of the coffee giant’s locations in Louisiana to unionize. The New Orleans vote is the latest in a series of wins for labor at Starbucks stores across the nation. SENT: 300 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MTV-MOVIE-&-TV-AWARDS — Olivia Rodrigo was one of the first winners at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on a night that could see “Spider-Man: No Way Home” snag some trophies, while also honoring the careers of Jennifer Lopez and Jack Black. SENT: 500 words, photos.

FILM-BOX OFFICE — “Top Gun: Maverick” continues to soar, dropping just 32% from its opening with $86 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s the smallest second-week drop ever for a movie that opened over $100 million in week one. SENT: 520 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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BKN-NBA FINALS — Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Poole connected from just inside of midcourt to cap a huge third-quarter run and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 107-88 on Sunday night in Game 2 to even the NBA Finals. SENT: 400 words, photos.

HKN-RANGERS-LIGHTNING — Ondrej Palat scored with 42 seconds left and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Sunday to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to 2-1. SENT: 900 words, photos.

TEN--FRENCH OPEN — Rafael Nadal beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open final for his 14th championship at Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title overall. Those add to two records Nadal already owned. His victory Sunday came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament. SENT: 980 words, photos. With: TEN--French Open Glance.

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HOW TO REACH US

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