AP News Digest 4:15 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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UN-THE-AP-INTERVIEW-FERDINAND-MARCOS-JR — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to “reintroduce the Philippines” to the world. He has ambitious plans for his nation on the international stage and at home. That is, if the twin specters of pandemic and climate change can be overcome or at least managed. And if he can get past the legacies of two people: his predecessor, and his father. He also wants to strengthen ties with both the United States and China. That’s a delicate balancing act for the Southeast Asian nation. Marcos spoke in an AP interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. By Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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UN-GENRAL-ASSEMBLY-BEYOND-UKRAINE — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities Saturday as Kremlin-orchestrated votes continued in occupied regions of Ukraine to pave the way for their annexation by Moscow. By Karl Ritter. SENT: 610 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-THE WEST’S RESPONSE — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? They have made clear they will try to double down with more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. By Ellen Knickmeyer and Lorne Cook. SENT: 1,320 words, photos.

GEORGIA ELECTIONS-SECURITY BREACH — The tale of breached voting equipment in Georgia, one of the country’s most important political battleground states, involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and a cast of characters from a rural county that rarely draws notice from outsiders. By Kate Brumback. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.

PUERTO-RICO-FIONA-AFTERMATH — Half of Puerto Rico is without power more than five days after Hurricane Fiona struck — including an entire town where not a single work crew has arrived. Many on the U.S. territory are angry and incredulous, and calls are growing for the ouster of the island’s private electricity transmission and distribution company. By Danica Coto. SENT: 920 words, photos.

CHINA-MERCHANT-MILITIA — A Chinese scientific ship bristling with surveillance equipment docked in a Sri Lankan port. Hundreds of fishing boats anchored for months at a time among disputed islands in the South China Sea. And ocean-going ferries, built to be capable of carrying heavy vehicles and large loads of people. All are ostensibly civilian ships, but experts and uneasy regional governments say they are part of a Chinese civil-military fusion strategy, little concealed by Beijing, that enhances its maritime capabilities. SENT: 1,410 words, photos.

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MORE ON U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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UN-GENERAL-ASSEMBLY-BELARUS-OPPOSITION-LEADER-INTERVIEW — The fate of Belarus and Ukraine are “interconnected,” and both countries must fight together to safeguard their very existence because Russia doesn’t view them as independent sovereign states, Belarus’ opposition leader say. SENT: 890 words, photos.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY-PAKISTAN — Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appealed for a peaceful end to the dispute over Kashmir and deplored regional instability, invoking the perennial themes of Pakistan’s U.N. addresses after dedicating the first half of his speech Friday to the ravages of recent floods. SENT: 620 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-MISSING-AMERICANS — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces arrived Friday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after their release by Russian-backed separatists as part of a prisoner exchange. SENT: 210 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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TROPICAL-WEATHER — Strong rains and winds lashed the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona closed in as a big, powerful post-tropical cyclone, and Canadian forecasters warned it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. SENT: 860 words, photos.

NASA-MOON ROCKET — An approaching storm threatens to delay NASA’s next launch attempt for its new moon rocket, already grounded for weeks by fuel leaks. SENT: 250 words, photo.

JILL BIDEN-JACQUELINE KENNEDY — First lady Jill Biden pays tribute to predecessor Jacqueline Kennedy for her pivotal role in preventing the teardown of historic buildings near the White House decades ago. SENT: 510 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVANIA-GOVERNOR — Pennsylvania Democrat Josh Shapiro is waging a drama-free campaign for governor in a high-drama year. His style will test whether he can energize Democrats against Republican Doug Mastriano, who many in the party view as a threat to abortion rights and democratic elections. By Marc Levy. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.

US-CHINA — The Biden administration has ramped up its diplomatic efforts to press China to end provocative actions against Taiwan and warned it about any active support for Russia in its war against Ukraine. SENT: 510 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-VOTING BEGINS — In-person voting for the midterm elections has started in Minnesota, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming, amid a landscape that has changed much since the pandemic drove a shift to absentee balloting in the 2020 presidential contest. Twenty people voted in the first hour after Minneapolis’ early voting center opened. By Steve Karnowski and Christina A. Cassidy. SENT: 750 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-OHIO-HOUSE-MAJEWSKI — Republican J.R. Majewski has insisted that he would stay in the race for a competitive northwest Ohio congressional seat after The Associated Press reported earlier this week that he misrepresented key elements of his Air Force service. SENT: 960 words, photos.

CAPITOL RIOT-TRIAL — A federal jury is deliberating in the trial of an Iowa man who became one of the most recognizable members of the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol. Douglas Jensen was captured on video chasing a police officer up a staircase inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. SENT: 810 words, photos.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-SUGAR MERGER — A federal judge rejects the Justice Department’s bid to block a major U.S. sugar manufacturer from acquiring its rival, clearing the way for the acquisition to proceed. SENT: 340 words.

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NATIONAL

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NAVY-FAT LEONARD — A fugitive defense contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard” who claims to have incriminating sex photos of U.S. Navy brass could become the latest bargaining chip in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to win official recognition from the Biden administration, according to experts. SENT: 920 words, photos.

KIDS-KILLED-MOM-CHARGED — An Idaho judge has banned cameras from the courtroom in the high-profile triple murder case against a mother and her new husband, saying he fears the images could prevent a fair trial. SENT: 850 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-GOVERNOR-TEXAS — California Gov. Gavin Newsom will travel to Texas on Saturday, venturing into the territory of one of his chief political foils while seeking to boost his own profile amid a noncompetitive reelection campaign back home. SENT: 630 words, photos.

SCHOOL-VOUCHERS-ARIZONA — Public school advocates who oppose a massive expansion of Arizona’s private school voucher system enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in July filed enough signatures to block it from taking effect. SENT: 760 words, photos.

ABORTION-ARIZONA — Arizona can enforce a near-total ban on abortions that has been blocked for nearly 50 years, a judge has ruled, meaning clinics statewide will have to stop providing the procedures to avoid the filing of criminal charges against doctors and other medical workers. SENT: 960 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ITALY-ELECTION-EXPLAINER — Sunday’s parliamentary election will determine who governs next in Italy. But it might take weeks before a coalition government is actually in place to run the major industrial economy and key NATO member. Opinion polls indicate that voters might elect the first far-right premier of the post-World War II era — and the first woman to lead an Italian government — in the person of Giorgia Meloni. SENT: 860 words, photos.

INDIA-RAINS — Hazardous weather killed at least 36 people in northern India over the past 24 hours, including 12 who died after being struck by lightning, officials said as they warned of more heavy downpours in the coming days. SENT: 270 words.

JAPAN-STORM — Tropical Depression Talas unleashed fierce rainfall in parts of Japan, setting off landslides, halting trains and killing a man after he crashed his car into a pond. SENT: 200 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OBIT-LOUISE FLETCHER — Louise Fletcher, a late-blooming star whose riveting performance as the cruel and calculating Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” set a new standard for screen villains and won her an Academy Award, has died at age 88. SENT: 900 words, photos.

WHITE HOUSE-ELTON JOHN — Elton John brings his farewell tour to the White House for a show he’s calling “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme.” SENT: 850 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BBN--CARDINALS-DODGERS — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run, becoming the fourth player to reach the milestone in major league history. The 42-year-old Pujols connected for his second home run of the game, a three-run drive against Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford in the fourth inning. The ball landed in the first few rows of the left-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium. It was same location where homer No. 699 landed in the third inning off left-hander Andrew Heaney. With the drive in the final days of his last big league season, Pujols joined Barry Bonds, who had 762 homers, Hank Aaron with 755 and Babe Ruth at 714 in one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 11-0. By Beth Harris. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

TEN--FEDERERS LAST MATCH — Roger Federer ended his superlative professional tennis career at age 41 with a loss in doubles alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup. Federer and Nadal paired up for Team Europe and were beaten by Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9. Federer is a 20-time Grand Slam champion who announced last week that this team event founded by his management company would be his final event before retirement. Then he made clear that Friday’s doubles outing would be his last match. He had not competed anywhere since a quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon in July 2021. Shortly after that, the Swiss star had a third operation on his right knee. By Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,650 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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