AP News Digest 7 a.m.

—————————-

TOP STORIES

—————————-

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian forces are pressing their assault Ukrainian cities, striking on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, as world leaders push for an investigation of the Kremlin’s repeat attacks on civilian targets. Rescue workers are still searching for survivors in the ruins of a theater that was serving as a shelter in the besieged southern city of Mariupol. And in Merefa, near the northeast city of Kharkiv, at least 21 people were killed when Russian artillery destroyed a school and a community center Thursday. By Cara Anna. SENT; developing: 1,300 words, photos, videos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THINGS TO KNOW.

UNITED STATES-CHINA — President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping are set to speak on Friday as the White House warns Beijing that providing military or economic assistance for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will trigger severe consequences from Washington and beyond. Differences between Washington and Beijing over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prosecution of his three-week-old war against Ukraine are expected to be at the center of the call. White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden will question Xi about Beijing’s “rhetorical support” of Putin and its failure to denounce Russia’s brutal invasion. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 800 words, photos.

RUSSIA-PUTIN CRACKDOWN — Facing stiff resistance in Ukraine and with crippling economic sanctions at home, Russian President Vladimir Putin is using language that recalls the rhetoric from Josef Stalin’s show trials of the 1930s. Putin’s ominous speech Wednesday likened opponents to “gnats” who try to weaken the country at the behest of the West. His angry rant set the stage for sweeping repressions against those who dare to speak out against the war in Ukraine. SENT: 950 words, photos.

TEXAS CRASH-GOLF TEAMS-VICTIMS — The investigation into this week’s fiery head-on crash in West Texas now focuses on the revelation that a 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van, killing nine people, including six members of a college golf team and their coach. The unidentified young teen and a man traveling in the truck also died. By Cedar Attansio, Jill Bleed and Anita Snow. SENT: 900 words, photos. WITH: TEXAS CRASH-GOLF-TEAMS; TEXAS CRASH-GOLF TEAMS-EXPLAINER-YOUNG DRIVER (sent)

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — Even as authorities lock down cities in China’s worst outbreak in two years, they are looking for an exit from what has been a successful but onerous COVID-19 prevention strategy. Public health experts caution that any plans to ease zero COVID measures are still sporadic and preliminary, and no timeline has been set. However, public messaging, a new study and officials indicate China is exploring a possible relaxation of some of its restrictions. By Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

———————————————————————-

MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

———————————————————————-

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-MEDIA — Britain’s communications regulator has revoked the license of the state-funded Russian broadcaster RT amid concern that its coverage of the war in Ukraine was biased. It said RT’s funding from the Russian state, as well as the fact that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor, were also part of the decision. SENT: 300 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-NEUTRALITY EXPLAINER — In talks between Russia and Ukrainian towards a possible cease-fire after three weeks of intense fighting, negotiators are exploring prospects of a future “neutrality” for Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that had been moving closer to NATO in hopes of membership — infuriating Moscow. SENT:1,200 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-US-CITIZEN-KILLED — An American man was killed in a Russian attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, where he was seeking medical treatment for his partner. The death of Jim Hill was reported Thursday by his sister. SENT: 350 words, photos.

———————————————————————-

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

———————————————————————-

THE AP INTERVIEW-HEALTH SECRETARY — With COVID-19 cases rebounding abroad, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra tells the AP that unless Congress provides more money, tests and treatments will be “stuck on the ground” as the nation nears a “pivot point” in its long struggle with the coronavirus. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MODERNA-BOOSTER — Drugmaker Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults. SENT: 240 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH KOREA — Officials in South Korea tried to calm public fears amid concerns about a faltering pandemic response as daily cases and deaths reached record highs. SENT: 710 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SAMOA — Samoa will go into lockdown from Saturday as it faces its first outbreak of COVID-19 after a woman who was about to leave the country tested positive during a routine test. SENT: 500 words, photos.

————————————-

TRENDING NEWS

————————————-

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-SCHWARZENEGGER — Film icon Arnold Schwarzenegger told Russians in a video posted on social media Thursday they’re being lied to about the war in Ukraine and accused President Vladimir Putin of sacrificing Russian soldiers’ lives for his own ambitions. SENT: 460 words, photos.

PEOPLE-PETE DAVIDSON — Pete Davidson has bowed out of a short ride to space on a Jeff Bezos rocket. The “Saturday Night Live” star is no longer able to make the flight, which has been delayed for nearly a week, Bezos’ space travel company said. No other details were provided. SENT: 200 words, photo.

VIDEO-GAME-HALL-OF-FAME — The World Video Game Hall of Fame announced the finalists being considered for induction later this year. Twelve games are being considered. They include: Assassin’s Creed, Candy Crush Saga, Dance Dance Revolution, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Minesweeper. SENT: 275 words.

—————————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

—————————————————

ELECTION 2022-OHIO REPUBLICANS — Ohio’s crowded Republican Senate race has been all about one man: Donald Trump. But with less than two months until the state’s May 3 primary, some of the leading candidates have accepted that the former president’s coveted endorsement may never come. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-IRELAND — President Joe Biden’s plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day were scrambled Thursday after Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin tested positive for COVID-19. SENT: 750 words, photos.

ELECTIONS-POLICE — Republicans promoting claims of widespread voter fraud in at least two politically important states are turning to a new tactic to appease voters who falsely believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen: election police. The efforts in Florida and Georgia to establish law enforcement units dedicated to investigating voting or election crimes come as Republican lawmakers and governors move to satisfy the millions of voters in their party who believe former President Donald Trump’s false claims that widespread voter fraud cost him reelection. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

———————-

NATIONAL

———————-

ARKANSAS-DEPUTY SHOOTS TEEN — An Arkansas jury is deliberating in the manslaughter trial of a former deputy who fatally shot an unarmed 17-year-old during a traffic stop. Jurors deliberated for two hours Thursday after a day of testimony that included former Lonoke County sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Davis recounting the June 23 shooting of Hunter Brittain. SENT: 600 words, photos.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT — A key figure in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told an undercover FBI agent that he wanted to restrain the “tyrant” on a table then pose for a photo “like we just made the biggest drug bust,” according to a secret recording played for jurors. SENT: 430 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT — Drought-stricken California is facing another year of parched conditions and pleas for conservation as the winter comes to a close with little of the hoped-for rain and snow. SENT: 770 words, photo.

————————————

INTERNATIONAL

————————————

PERU FUIMORI — Peru’s Constitutional Court has approved the release from prison of former President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year sentence for murder and corruption charges. SENT: 500 words, photos.

JAPAN-NUCLEAR-TOWN-REOPENING — Until recently, Futaba, home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has been entirely empty of residents since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. A tiny section of the town has reopened for the first time since all 7,000 residents had to flee. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-JOURNALISTS ARRESTED — An Afghan journalist says that Taliban intelligence men came in the night to arrest three staff of TOLO TV, one of Afghanistan’s largest television stations. The country’s new rulers apparently didn’t like a story the broadcaster aired on their decision to ban foreign drama series from local television, said Khpalwak Sapai, head of TOLONews, who was among the three arrested. SENT: 500 words, photos.

BRITAIN-FERRIES — Unions are set to protest at British ports after major ferry operator P&O Ferries fired 800 U.K. crew members to replace them with cheaper contract staff. TThe British government expressed outrage at the mass firings — conducted by Zoom message — but said it could do little to reverse them. SENT: 300 words, photos.

SUDAN — A doctor’s union says that nearly 200 people have been wounded in the latest protests to erupt in the Sudanese capital over deteriorating economic conditions following a military take-over. SENT: 200 words, photos.

ARGENTINA IMF — Argentina’s Senate has given final legislative approval for President Alberto Fernández’s administration to refinance the government’s $45 billion debt with the International Monetary Fund and avoid a default. SENT: 500 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-BARRIER REEF — An Australian government agency says the Great Barrier Reef is suffering widespread and severe coral bleaching due to high ocean temperatures two years after a mass bleaching event. SENT: 300 words, photo.

ISREAEL-KOSHER WARS — Israel’s new government has taken aim at the country’s powerful rabbinical authorities with a pair of religious reforms that would chip away at the tight grip of the country’s chief rabbinate on many aspects of daily life. SENT: 950 words, photos.

——————————————

HEALTH & SCIENCE

——————————————

MED-GENETIC-STUDY — Scientists are getting their first peek at the genes of nearly 100,000 Americans in what’s considered a uniquely diverse genomic database. The National Institutes of Health released the data to help researchers study how people’s genes, environments and lifestyles interact to drive their health. Half the participants are from racial and ethnic groups historically left out of medical research. By Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 520 words, photos.

CLIMATE CHANGE-KANSAS SKEPTICISM — Efforts to propel Kansas’ renewable energy future are at a standstill, mired in legislative stalemate. At its center is a former TV weather personality who is using his chairmanship of a key committee to promote questionable claims about green energy and to spotlight complaints from opponents of wind and solar energy projects. SENT: 955 words, photos.

———————————————

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

———————————————

VOLKSWAGEN-MYSTERY BRAKING — Volkswagen is recalling more than 246,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because faulty wiring harnesses can make them brake unexpectedly, sometimes while in traffic. The recall comes three days after The Associated Press reported that 47 people had complained to U.S. safety regulators about the problem, some reporting nearly being rear-ended by other vehicles. SENT: 500 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Friday after Wall Street extended a rally into a third day and oil prices pushed higher, surpassing $105 per barrel. Tokyo and Sydney advanced while Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul declined. SENT: 710 words, photos.

MYANMAR-TELENOR — Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor says regulators in Myanmar have approved its plan to sell its business there. After the military ousted Myanmar’s elected government last year, Telenor Group announced it would sell its business there to the M1 Group, a Lebanese-based investment firm. SENT: 360 words, photo

AMAZON-FIRED EMPLOYEES — A federal labor board wants to reinstate an Amazon employee who was fired from his New York City warehouse job after leading a protest in the early days of the pandemic calling for better COVID-19 protections. SENT: 450 words, photos.

INDIA-RUSSIAN OIL — An Indian official says state-run Indian Oil Corp. bought 3 million barrels of crude oil from Russia earlier this week to secure its energy needs, resisting Western pressure to avoid such purchases. SENT: 300 words, photos.

————————————-

ENTERTAINMENT

————————————-

MUSIC-DOLLY PARTON — Dolly Parton is still on the list of this year’s nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite the country icon asking to be removed because she hasn’t “earned that right.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement Thursday that, in effect, it is up to the voters to decide if Parton is elected. SENT: 330 words, photo.

——————

SPORTS

——————

FIFA-RUSSIA BAN — Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been dismissed. FIFA says the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the Russian soccer federation’s bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban pending a full appeal. The CAS decision means Russia will not be able to play Poland in World Cup qualifying on Thursday. SENT: 300 words, photos.

SOC-CHELSEA FOR SALE — Deadline day is Friday for bids to be submitted to buy Chelsea and end the 19-year ownership of Roman Abramovich. This is a sale enforced on the Russian billionaire after being sanctioned by the British government for his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine. SENT: 510 words, photo.

SAINT-PETER'S-KENTUCKY — Tiny Saint Peter’s took down basketball royalty, getting 27 points from Daryl Banks III in an 85-79 overtime victory over second-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. SENT: 970 words, photos.

——————————————

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.