AP News Digest 1 am

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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PENCE — Former Vice President Mike Pence says he didn’t take any classified information with him when he left office. The disclosure is notable given that FBI agents seized classified and top secret information from former President Donald Trump’s estate on Aug. 8. Pence also tells The Associated Press that he didn’t want to “prejudge” the contents seized by the government “until we know all the facts.” By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 720 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine’s health care system already was struggling due to corruption, mismanagement and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the war with Russia has only made things worse, with facilities damaged or destroyed, medical staff relocating to safer places and many drugs unavailable or in short supply. Care is being provided in the hardest-hit areas by doctors who have refused to evacuate or have rushed in as volunteers, putting themselves at great risk. By Mstyslav Chernov and Derek Gatopoulos. SENT: 690 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS — Republicans have found success in Democratic strongholds when they have fielded moderate candidates. But Republican voters this year have nominated loyalists of former President Donald Trump in several Democratic states, including Maryland and Connecticut, making the GOP’s odds of winning those general election races even longer. By Susan Haigh. SENT: 990 words, photos.

HOSTAGES-BEHEADINGS — A British man nicknamed one of the Beatles by his captives because of his English accent has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the deaths of four U.S. hostages captured by the Islamic State. Prosecutors say El Shafee Elsheikh is the most notorious member of the Islamic State ever to be convicted at trial in a U.S. court. By Matthew Barakat. SENT: 630 words, photos.

TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — The Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr improperly withheld portions of an internal memorandum Barr cited in publicly announcing that then-President Donald Trump had not committed obstruction of justice in the Russia investigation, a federal appeals panel rules. By Meg Kinnard. SENT: 530 words, photo.

UNITED STATES-IRAN — Last week’s attack on author Salman Rushdie and the indictment of an Iranian national for plotting to murder former national security adviser John Bolton have given the Biden administration new headaches as it attempts to negotiate a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,130 words, photo.

SACRED-RIVERS-NIGERIA-OSUN — The Osun River flows through a forest designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is revered by the Yoruba-speaking people of southwestern Nigeria. But it’s under constant threat of pollution from waste disposal and other human activity. That includes dozens of illegal gold mines whose runoff fills the river with toxic metals. The servants of Osun are women mostly between the ages of 30 and 60. They leave behind everything from their secular lives to serve both the goddess and the king. By Chinedu Asadu. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video.

CLIMATE-ROYAL-FOUNDATION — The conservation charity founded by Prince William, second in line to the British throne and who launched the Earthshot Prize, keeps its investments in a bank that is one of the world’s biggest backers of fossil fuels, The Associated Press has learned. By Ed Davey. SENT: 1,720 words, photos.

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LOCALIZE IT

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MASS KILLINGS DATABASE-LOCALIZE IT — Horrific shootings in schools and public spaces such as movie theaters, grocery stores and shopping malls capture the nation’s attention, and most Americans believe this seemingly indiscriminate violence poses the greatest threat when it comes to mass carnage. An analysis by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, however, shows these types of crimes, while terrifying, actually represent a small fraction of the mass killings in the U.S. The database allows you to explore national trends and search for details on mass killings in your area.

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TRENDING

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APPLE-SECURITY UPDATE-EXPLAINER — Apple’s latest security update was easy to miss. But security experts are warning that everyone should update any Apple device they have immediately. Here’s how to update yours. SENT: 670 words, photo.

APPLE-COMPUTER-PROTOTYPE — An authenticated Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s has sold at auction for nearly $700,000. SENT: 200 words, photo.

STOMP SPOTTED LANTERNFLIES — The word is out in New York City and beyond. If you see a spotted lanternfly, stomp it. Kill-on-sight requests in New York City and elsewhere are a part of public campaigns to fight an invasive insect now massing and feeding on plants around much of the eastern United States. SENT: 790 words, photos.

SALMAN-RUSHDIE-ASSAULT — Friends and fellow authors have spoken out on Salman Rushdie’s behalf during a rally on the steps of the main branch of the New York Public Library. SENT: 520 words, photos.

FINLAND-PRIME MINISTER-PARTY — Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin has taken a drug test “for her own legal protection” after a video was leaked of her at her private party dancing and lip-syncing. SENT: 440 words, photos.

SHARK BITES — Two swimmers have survived shark attacks this week at South Carolina’s most popular beach. Police say both were bitten in Myrtle Beach on the same day and a half-mile apart. SENT: 290 words.

NOT REAL NEWS — Social media users shared a range of false claims this week. Here are the facts. SENT: 1,920 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR

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UKRAINE-IMF LOANS — The International Monetary Fund is facing pressure to eliminate, or at least, reevaluate how it imposes fees on loans it disperses to needy countries like war-torn Ukraine — which is one of the fund’s biggest borrowers. SENT: 1,380 words, photo.

RUSSIA-EUROPE-GAS — Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom says a key pipeline conveying natural gas to Europe will shut down for three days at the end of this month to undergo maintenance. SENT: 390 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region says a fire at a munitions depot near the Russian village of Timonovo has led to the evacuation of two villages in Russia’s Belgorod region on Ukraine’s northeastern border. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-MACRON — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday accused the Russian leader of launching a “brutal attack” on Ukraine in an imperialist, revanchist violation of national borders. Macron spoke hours after a phone call with Vladimir Putin. SENT: 250 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-UKRAINE AID — The U.S. says it will give Ukraine 15 Scan Eagle surveillance drones, 40 mine-resistant vehicles, 2,000 anti-armor rounds and howitzer weapons to help Ukrainian forces regain territory and mount a counter-offensive against Russian invaders. SENT: 650 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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CHINA-TAIWAN-LESSONS — China’s response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was anything but subtle — dispatching warships and military aircraft to all sides of the self-governing island democracy, and firing ballistic missiles into the waters nearby. SENT: 1,370 words, photos.

GEORGIA ELECTION INVESTIGATION — A federal judge says Sen. Lindsey Graham can’t put off his appearance before a special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia. SENT: 840 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-CONGRESS-NEW YORK — Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat who became New York’s first openly gay congressman when elected a decade ago, has been tasked by his party with getting as many Democrats elected to the U.S. House this year as possible. But that quest has become personal as he faces a tough political fight of his own. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

HEALTH CARE SUBSIDIES — Millions of people in the United States will be spared from big increases in health care costs next year after President Joe Biden signed legislation extending generous subsidies for those who buy plans through federal and state marketplaces. SENT: 620 words, photo.

BIDEN-UNITY-SUMMIT — President Joe Biden will host a White House summit next month aimed at combating a spate of hate-fueled violence in the U.S., as he works to deliver on his campaign pledge to “heal the soul of the nation.” SENT: 520 words, photo.

VOTING RIGHTS-GEORGIA — A judge has declined to block a section of a Georgia election law that bans handing out food and water to voters waiting in line. The provision is part of a sweeping elections overhaul passed by Georgia lawmakers last year. SENT: 440 words.

UNITED STATES-INDIA — A top Treasury Department official is set next week to make his first official trip to India since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. SENT: 300 words, photo.

FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS-ACCREDITOR — The Education Department cancels its recognition of an accrediting agency that oversees mostly for-profit colleges, placing in jeopardy the survival of schools that serve about 5,000 students. SENT: 590 words.

ELECTION 2022-SENATE-ARIZONA — Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters says he hopes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — whom he has fiercely criticized — will back his close campaign in Arizona. SENT: 460 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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WESTERN-DROUGHT-COLORADO-RIVER — Dire consequences could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River. Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth. Farmers may have to stop planting some crops. Yet for years, seven states that depend on the river have allowed more water to be taken from it than nature can replenish. Despite widespread recognition of the crisis, the states missed a deadline this week to propose cuts. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

TRANSGENDER SPORTS BAN-UTAH — Transgender kids in Utah will be not be subjected to sports participation limits at the start of the upcoming school year after a judge delayed the implementation of a statewide ban passed earlier this year. SENT: 750 words, photo.

ABORTION-MICHIGAN — A Michigan judge has blocked county prosecutors from enforcing the state’s 1931 ban on abortion for the foreseeable future after two days of witness testimony from abortion experts, providers and the state’s chief medical officer. SENT: 580 words, photo.

ABORTION-NORTH DAKOTA — Lawyers for North Dakota’s lone abortion clinic that two weeks ago closed its doors are asking a judge to delay the start of the state’s trigger law banning the procedure. SENT: 410 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-KANSAS-ABORTION — Abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates together spent more than $22 million on a ballot question this month in Kansas, and famed film director and producer Steven Spielberg contributed to the successful effort to affirm abortion rights. SENT: 670 words, photos.

MOSQUITO MISERIES — It’s an increasingly familiar sight in U.S. cities and suburbs: workers in gloves and masks, spraying yards for mosquitoes. As climate change widens the insect’s range and lengthens its prime season, more Americans are resorting to the booming industry of professional extermination. But the chemical bombardment worries scientists who fear over-use of pesticides is harming pollinators and worsening a growing threat to birds that eat insects. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.

SCHOOL-SHOOTING-FLORIDA-SCHOOL-BOARD — A Florida grand jury empaneled after a 2018 school massacre has recommended that Gov. Ron DeSantis remove from office four members of the Broward County school board, saying they and district administrators displayed “deceit, malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty and incompetence” in their handling of a campus safety program. SENT: 770 words, photos.

WASHINGTON-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — A man who shot a classmate to death and wounded three others five years ago in a Washington state high school has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Caleb Sharpe brought several weapons to school on Sept. 13, 2017, and opened fire in a hallway. SENT: 750 words, photos.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT — Defense lawyers have rested their case in the trial of two men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s governor. Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday. SENT: 320 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA'S-LAST-NUCLEAR-PLANT — California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to extend the life of the state’s last operating nuclear power plant by up to 10 years is being rebuffed by Democratic legislators. They want more investment in renewable energy, new transmission lines and storage. SENT: 690 words, photos.

PLEDGE 0F ALLEGIANCE-NORTH DAKOTA — The school board in North Dakota’s most populous city reversed course on its decision to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at its monthly meetings, following complaints from conservative lawmakers along with widespread bashing from citizens around the country. SENT: 570 words, photo.

DRUG FLIGHTS-FLORIDA — Investigators say 85 people have been arrested and millions of dollars in illicit drugs were seized in a smuggling operation that used commercial flights from California to Florida. SENT: 170 words.

BOATYARD FIRE — A large fire at a Massachusetts marina has destroyed several boats, buildings and vehicles. Aerial video taken by WCVB-TV on Friday showed much of the boatyard in Mattapoisett engulfed in flames. SENT: 440 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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SOMALIA-EXTREMIST-ATTACK — At least 10 people have been killed in an attack by Islamic militants who stormed a hotel in Somalia’s capital, police and eyewitnesses said. SENT: 210 words.

VACCINE MISINFORMATION-ITALY — An anti-vaccine group that has harassed doctors and public officials in Italy and France is still active on platforms like Facebook despite efforts to rein in their abuse and misinformation. SENT: 860 words, photos.

CHINA-DROUGHT — Ships crept down the middle of the Yangtze on Friday after China’s driest summer in six decades left one of the mightiest rivers barely half its normal width and set off a scramble to contain the damage to a weak economy in a politically sensitive year. SENT: 710 words, photos.

SYRIA — A Syrian opposition war monitor and a paramedic group say a rocket attack on a crowded market in a town held by Turkey-backed opposition fighters killed 15 people and wounded dozens. SENT: 290 words, photos.

BRAZIL-QUILOMBO FESTIVAL — For three long years, Vandeli Matos was an emperor in waiting. The symbolic coronation of the 33-year-old finally occurred this week when the Kalunga quilombo — as Brazilian communities descended from runaway slaves are known — gathered for the first time since the pandemic began. SENT: 450 words, photos.

SOUTH AFRICA-ZULU KING CORONATION — South Africa’s ethnic Zulu nation will on Saturday host a coronation event for its new traditional king amid internal divisions that have threatened to tear the royal family apart. SENT: 440 words, photos.

GERMANY-SCHOLZ-TAX-EVASION — German leader Olaf Scholz has denied intervening on behalf of a private bank embroiled in a tax evasion scam when he was mayor of the northern city of Hamburg. SENT: 220 words, photos.

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HEALTH AND SCIENCE

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MED-EUROPE-MONKEYPOX VACCINE — The European Medicines Agency said a smaller dose of the monkeypox vaccine appears to still be effective and can be used to stretch the current supply by five times, echoing a recommendation made earlier this month by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. SENT: 560 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Wall Street capped a choppy week of trading with a broad slide for stocks that left the major indexes in the red for the week. The S&P 500 closed 1.3% lower, breaking a four-week winning streak. SENT: 410 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA-JOBS — California’s unemployment rate has hit a record low. The California Employment Development Department says the state’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in July. SENT: 600 words, photos.

ZIMBABWE-INFLATION-GOLD-COINS — Rising prices and a fast depreciating currency have pushed many in Zimbabwe to the brink, reminding people of when the southern African country faced world-record inflation of 5 billion % in 2008. To prevent a return of such economic disaster, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government last month introduced gold coins as legal tender. SENT: 730 words, photos.

CHINA-CANADA-TYCOON-JAILED — A Chinese-born Canadian tycoon who disappeared from Hong Kong in 2017 has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for a multibillion-dollar string of financial offenses and his company was fined $8.1 billion, a court announced. SENT: 420 words.

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SPORTS

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GYM-USA GYMNASTICS-FRESH START? — The logo is new. So is the leadership in the women’s program and the scoring system for the men. USA Gymnastics is trying to move forward now that the legal aftermath of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal has settled. Only time will tell, however, if the changes will be lasting. SENT: 800 words, photos.

KOBE-BRYANT-CRASH-PHOTOS — Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa testified she was only beginning to grieve the loss of her husband and their 13-year-old daughter in a helicopter crash when she was faced with the fresh horror of learning that deputies and firefighters had shared photos of their remains. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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R. KELLY — R. Kelly’s legal team is getting its chance Friday to question the government’s star witness at the R&B singer’s federal trial in Chicago. The witness, who goes by the pseudonym Jane at the trial, testified Thursday that Kelly sexually abused her hundreds of times before she turned 18. By Michael Tarm. SENT: 910 words, photos. Developing.

FILM-Q&A-JAVIER BARDEM — Javier Bardem is confident that audiences in America will enjoy “The Good Boss” as much as those in Spain when the film arrives in the U.S. later this month. The satire on corporate corruption opens Aug. 26 in New York and Los Angeles before a nationwide rollout, after winning six Goya Awards — Spain’s equivalent to the Oscars — and shortlisted to the Academy Award for best international feature film. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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