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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AP POLL-ABORTION — A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or women’s rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access. By Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Russian missile attacks on residential buildings in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early Friday killed at least 18 people, including two children, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island. SENT: 290 words, photos.
SUPREME-COURT-CLIMATE CHANGE — More than 500 days into his presidency, Joe Biden’s hope for saving the Earth from the devastating effects of climate change may not be dead. But it’s not far from it. A Supreme Court ruling Thursday has not only limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate climate pollution by power plants. It also suggests the court is poised to block other efforts. By Ellen Knickmeyer. Sent, with AP Photos. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. With SUPREME COURT-CLIMATE CHANGE-EXPLAINER — Why the Supreme Court’s ruling matters; SUPREME COURT-CLIMATE CHANGE-POWER IMPACTS — How the Supreme Court’s ruling could have far-reaching consequences for the energy sector (both sent).
ELECTION 2022-TRUMP — Stunning new revelations about former President Donald Trump’s fight to overturn the 2020 election have exposed growing political vulnerabilities just as he eyes another presidential bid. By Steve Peoples and Tom Beaumont. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-REBOUND — Summer travel is underway across the globe, but a full recovery from two years of coronavirus could last as long as the pandemic itself. Interviews by The Associated Press in 11 countries this month show that the most passionate travelers are thronging to locales like the French Riviera, Amsterdam and the American Midwest. But even as safety restrictions fall, places like Israel, India and Rome are reporting only fractions of the record-setting tourism of 2019. For them, a full recovery isn’t forecast until at least 2024. By Laurie Kellman. SENT: 1,420 words.
HONG-KONG — Chinese President Xi Jinping has defended his vision of the “one country, two systems” framework against accusations by the U.S., U.K. and others that Beijing has undermined the freedoms and autonomy promised to Hong Kong for 50 years. By Zen Soo. SENT: 530 words, photos. With HONG-KONG-TIMELINE — Hong Kong under 25 years of Chinese rule; HONG KONG-FISHING-VILLAGES — Hong Kong fishermen keep old ways, 25 years after handover (both sent).
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TRENDING NEWS
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ATLANTIC-CITY-CASINOS — The main union for Atlantic City casino workers reached agreements on new contracts with four casinos, providing for what one its president called “the best contract we’ve ever had” and labor peace that will avoid a strike on Fourth of July weekend, one of the casinos’ busiest of the year. SENT: 560 words, photos.
OBIT-HELLS ANGELS FOUNDER — Sonny Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died. He was 83. SENT: 650 words, photos.
YELLOWSTONE-BISON GORING — For the second time in three days, a visitor to Yellowstone National Park was gored by a bison, park officials said. SENT: 175 words, photos.
HOLIDAY TRAVEL — Airlines that have stumbled badly over the last two holidays face their biggest test yet of whether they can handle big crowds when July Fourth travelers mob the nation’s airports this weekend. SENT: 910 words, photos.
ADVENTURELAND-PARK ACCIDENT — The family of an 11-year old boy who died on a water ride at an Iowa amusement park a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit in state court Thursday, alleging the park failed to properly maintain and repair its rides. SENT: 310 words, photo.
TROPICAL WEATHER — A storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America was expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific, forecasters say. SENT: 260 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — As the war grinds on in Ukraine, communities that were badly damaged early in the invasion are starting to rebuild. Volunteers from all over Ukraine, and from other countries, are coming to help because there is so much to do before another winter approaches. By Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE SUPREME COURT
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SUPREME COURT-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE — The Supreme Court’s decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion is causing anxiety for people in same-sex marriages, particularly those with children. The decision last week overturning Roe v. Wade didn’t directly affect the 2015 ruling that paved the way for gay marriage. But lawyers say now they’re getting questions from same-sex couples worried about the legal status of their marriages and keeping their children. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-SEMICONDUCTORS — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has threatened to derail a bill designed to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States if Democrats revive their stalled package of energy and economic initiatives. SENT: 850 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-WYOMING-CONGRESS — The U.S. Capitol insurrection dominated Thursday’s debate in Wyoming among U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and her four Republican primary challengers, with Cheney pressing her Donald Trump-backed opponent on whether she agreed with the former president’s claim that widespread fraud cost him reelection. SENT: 560 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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INDIA-PLASTIC-BAN — India banned some single-use or disposable plastic products as part of a federal plan to phase out the ubiquitous material in the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people. SENT: 730 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban’s supreme leader offered prayers for Afghanistan’s earthquake victims during a speech to Islamic clerics in Kabul. The tremor in June killed more than 1,000 people in the eastern part of the country. State radio aired Haibatullah Akhundzada’s speech live Friday from the gathering in Kabul, where thousands of Islamic clerics and tribal elders are gathering for the first time since seizing power in Afghanistan in August. Women were not allowed to attend. SENT: 570 words, photos.
THAILAND-MYANMAR — Thailand says that neighboring Myanmar has apologized after one of its fighter jets crossed into Thai airspace on a bombing run along the border, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of schoolchildren and scramble air force jets to the area. SENT: 350 words, photos.
INDIA-FLOODS — Rescuers found two more bodies as they resumed clearing operations after an overnight halt looking for nearly 70 missing people after a mudslide triggered by weeks of heavy downpours killed at least 16 people at a railroad construction site in India’s northeast, officials say. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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HAWAII-TAINTED-WATER — A Navy investigation has revealed that shoddy management and human error caused fuel to leak into Pearl Harbor’s tap water last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing military families to evacuate their homes for hotels. SENT: 910 words, photos.
R-KELLY-EXPLAINER — R. Kelly could be in his 80s before the singer is free again, based on a 30-year prison term imposed this week by a New York federal judge for parlaying his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were children. fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were children. And if the 55-year-old loses at three related trials in coming months, he could be staring at decades more behind bars. That prospect, said one of his lawyers not involved in the New York trial, could lead Kelly to pursue a plea deal. SENT: 850 words, photos.
NIPSEY-HUSSLE-TRIAL — Nipsey Hussle was a hip-hop star who sought to raise up his neighborhood with him until a friend from the same streets gunned him down, a prosecutor has said in his closing argument. SENT: 750 words, photos, audio.
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT-REPUBLICANS — Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court handed Republicans their newest weapon to weaken any Democratic governors in the battleground state, ruling this week that political appointees don’t have to leave their posts until the Senate confirms their successor. SENT: 720 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-ENERGY — Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it’s otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels. A sweeping energy proposal Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Thursday puts the state in the business of buying power to ensure there’s enough to go around during heat waves that strain the grid. But some critics say the method of getting there is at odds with the state’s broader climate goals, because it paves the way for the state to tap aging gas-fired power plants and add backup generators fueled by diesel. SENT: 810 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA-IMMIGRANT-HEALTH CARE — California will become the first state to guarantee free health care for all low-income immigrants living in the country illegally, a move that will provide coverage for an additional 764,000 people at an eventual cost of about $2.7 billion a year. SENT: 980 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-SCHOOL START TIME — Middle and high school students in California will be able to sleep a little bit later when the new school year starts. A first-in-the-nation law that goes into effect for the 2022-23 school year says high schools can’t start before 8:30 a.m. and middle schools can’t start before 8 a.m. Similar proposals are before lawmakers in New Jersey and Massachusetts. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA — North Korea has suggested its COVID-19 outbreak began in people who had contact with balloons flown from South Korea — a highly questionable claim that appeared to be an attempt to hold its rival responsible amid increasing tensions over its nuclear program. SENT: 830 words, photos.
LISTERIA-OUTBREAK — One death and nearly two dozen hospitalizations are tied to a new listeria outbreak of unknown origin, health officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not identified a food that might be spreading the deadly bacteria, but officials said the public should be alert to symptoms and the possibility of infection. SENT: 220 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian benchmarks were mostly lower, echoing a decline on Wall Street, after a quarterly report by Japan’s central bank rekindled worries about the world’s third largest economy. Recent data suggest global growth is slowing as countries grapple with renewed waves of coronavirus outbreaks, soaring prices and the war in Ukraine. SENT: 830 words, photos.
EL SALVADOR-BITCOIN — El Salvador’s Bitcoin-boosting president was back at it again Thursday, doubling down on his country’s losing investment in the cryptocurrency by buying over $1.5 million more. SENT: 430 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TV-Q&A-STAR TREK — After light years in space, actors Sonequa Martin-Green and Kate Mulgrew are meeting up on Earth to compare “Star Trek” stories. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BIG TEN EXPANSION — In a surprising and seismic shift in college athletics, the Big Ten voted to add Southern California and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024. The expansion to 16 teams will happen after the Pac-12’s current media rights contracts with Fox and ESPN expire and make the Big Ten the first conference to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. By College Sports Writers Ralph D. Russo and Eric Olson. SENT: 870 words, photos.
NBA-FREE AGENCY — Nikola Jokic and Bradley Beal both quickly agreed to deals that will be worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars, but even the biggest moves as NBA free agency opened were overshadowed by a piece of non-free-agent news that came earlier Thursday when Kevin Durant, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, told the Brooklyn Nets that he wanted a trade. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 950 words, photos. With: BKN—NBA—Durant’s Future (Sent).
TEN--WIMBLEDON — There will be eight American men in the third round of Wimbledon for the first time since 1995. That’s also the largest group for the country at that stage of any Grand Slam tournament since the U.S. Open a year later. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 900 words, photos. With TEN--Wimbledon-Virus Outbreak (Sent).
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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.
