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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TRUMP-FBI — The Justice Department is set to release a heavily blacked-out document explaining the justification for an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, when agents removed top secret government records and other classified documents. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 810 words, photo. UPCOMING: 1,000 words after release, expected around noon.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a major buildup of his country’s military forces in an apparent effort to replenish troops that have suffered heavy losses in six months of bloody warfare and prepare for a long, grinding fight ahead in Ukraine. The move to increase the number of troops by 137,000, or 13%, to 1.15 million by the end of the year came amid chilling developments on the ground in Ukraine: By Derek Gatopoulos and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ENERGY-PRICES — British residents will see an additional 80% increase in their annual household energy bills. The U.K.’s energy regulator announced Friday that costs will go from $2,332 a year to $4,185 in October. It follows a record 54% annual spike in April. The costs are roiling the British economy, which has the highest inflation rate among the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies and seen disruptive strikes for months as workers push for pay to keep pace with the increasingly expensive cost of living. By Sylvia Hui. SENT: 850 words, photos.
STUDENT-LOANS-RACIAL-GAP — On average Black borrowers carry a heavier burden of student loan debt than white borrowers. The disparity reflects a racial wealth gap in the U.S. — one that some advocates say the debt relief plan does not do enough to narrow. One in four Black borrowers would see their debt cleared entirely under the administration’s plan, which cancels $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those with incomes below $125,000 a year, or households that earn less than $250,000. By Annie Ma. SENT: 840 words, photos. With STUDENT-LOANS-COST-OF-COLLEGE — Student loan crisis awaits new generation despite Biden plan (sent).
ISRAEL-GAZA-WORKERS — Israel has issued over 15,000 permits since last year, allowing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to work in Israel. They work mostly menial jobs but earn far higher wages than those available inside the blockaded coastal territory. Gaza’s economy is in freefall and these permits are highly coveted, providing an important economic boost to thousands of families. Israel acknowledges the system is a powerful tool to preserve calm or — as critics say — control. By Fares Akram and Sam McNeil. SENT: 910 words, photos.
JAPAN-ABE-SUSPECT — The brazen assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun shocked a nation unused to high-profile political violence. But there has been another surprise in the weeks since the murder as details have emerged about an alleged assassin who was well-off until his mother’s huge donations to the controversial Unification Church left him poor, neglected and filled with rage. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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PEOPLE-MUSIC-ELTON JOHN-BRITNEY-SPEARS — Elton John and Britney Spears have collaborated for the first time, creating the slinky, club-ready single “Hold Me Closer” that sees the pop icons take old sounds and fashion something new. SENT: 340 words, photo.
JAPAN-TIKTOK-SALARYMEN — They’re your run-of-the-mill Japanese “salarymen,” hard-working, pot-bellied, friendly and, well, rather regular. But the chief executive and general manager at a tiny Japanese security company are among the nation’s biggest TikTok stars, drawing 2.7 million followers and 54 million likes, and honored with awards as a trend-setter on the video-sharing app. SENT: 630 words, photos.
PEOPLE-SYLVESTER STALLONE — Sylvester Stallone’s wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone has filed for divorce after 25 years of marriage. SENT: 190 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS-CHAUVIN — Derek Chauvin has been moved from a Minnesota state prison where he was often held in solitary confinement to a medium-security federal prison in Arizona, where the former police officer convicted in George Floyd’s killing may be held under less restrictive conditions. SENT: 580 words, photos.
VACCINE MANDATES-NYC — A New York City police detective has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the city from firing him and other workers for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. SENT: 350 words.
MISSING WATER MYSTERY — Authorities in Nebraska are trying to determine who released 16 million gallons of water by opening a dam on an irrigation channel one night this month — and why. SENT: 390 words.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-IRAN — Russia has obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite U.S. warnings to Tehran not to ship them, according to Western intelligence officials. By Nomaan Merchant and Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA SENATE — While Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker has plenty to say about how his Democratic rival, Sen. Raphael Warnock, does his job in Washington, he is considerably less revealing about what he’d do with the role himself. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
BIDEN-MIDTERMS — President Joe Biden has called on Democrats “to vote to literally save democracy once again” — and compared Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” — as he led a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland 75 days out from the midterm elections. By Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
TAIWAN-US — Taiwan’s leader on Friday said China and Russia are “disrupting and threatening the world order” through Beijing’s recent large-scale military exercises near the island and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. SENT: 970 words, photos.
ARIZONA INITIATIVE — A judge has ruled that an Arizona initiative expanding voting access and rolling back a host of restrictions enacted by the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature and GOP Gov. Doug Ducey will be on the November ballot, barring a successful appeal to the state Supreme Court, which ordered the judge to explain his ruling. SENT: 910 words, photos.
ELECTION SECURITY-MACHINE TAMPERING — An apparent attempt by a voter in Colorado to tamper with a voting machine heightens concerns that conspiracy theories could inspire some voters to meddle with — or even attempt to sabotage — election equipment. By Christina A. Cassidy and Colleen Slevin. SENT: 1,155 words, photos. With GEORGIA ELECTION INVESTIGATION — Former chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Sidney Powell’s testimony sought in Georgia election probe; ELECTION SECURITY-COLORADO CLERK — Deputy elections clerk in Colorado to testify against boss (both sent).
CONGRESS-INSULIN — The recent passage of legislation that would limit the cost of insulin for Medicare patients has renewed hope for advocates pushing for Congress to do more. Advocates and lawmakers say a bipartisan proposal would expand coverage to millions more patients in need of the life-saving drug. SENT: 890 words, photo.
PENTAGON-CIVILIAN CASUALTIES — The Pentagon will set up a new center to help avoid civilian casualties in military operations around the world, through better education and training and increased vetting before strikes are launched. SENT: 730 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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BLACK-LIVES-CLIMATE INITIATIVE — The Movement for Black Lives launched a new climate change initiative Thursday, uniting more than 200 Black environmental leaders and organizations nationwide who have pledged to find equitable climate solutions centering on Black Americans and communities. SENT: 990 words, photos.
QANON-KIDNAPPING PLOT — A Colorado woman accused of plotting with QAnon supporters to kidnap her son from his foster home denied Thursday there was ever a planned raid, saying she ended up meeting members of a group that offered to help get her son back legally after reaching out for help on social media but they did not. SENT: 800 words, photo.
DEATH PENALTY ALABAMA — An Alabama inmate scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection next month says the state lost the paperwork he turned in selecting an alternate execution method. SENT: 430 words, photos.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING — Even though Uvalde’s school police chief is now gone, Mario Jimenez doesn’t feel any safer about sending his 10-year-old son back to class for the first time since his teacher was shot at Robb Elementary School. SENT: 810 words, photos.
SNAKE RIVER-REMOVING DAMS — The benefits provided by four giant hydroelectric dams on the Snake River must be replaced before the dams can be breached to save endangered salmon runs. That’s according to a report issued Thursday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, both Democrats. SENT: 850 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRAZIL-ELECTION — Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to renegotiate household debts of Brazilians if he wins October’s election, making another promise seeking to lure support from tens of millions experiencing hardship. SENT: 410 words, photos.
UNITED-NATIONS-NUCLEAR-TREATY — As 191 countries approach the end to a four-week conference to review the landmark U.N. treaty aimed at curbing the spread of nuclear weapons, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and takeover of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and rivalries between the West and China were posing key obstacles to agreement on a final document. SENT: 800 words, photo.
CLIMATE-FRANCE-VINEYARD — The landscape in the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux looks the same as ever, with healthy, ripe grapes hanging heavy off rows of green vines. But this year something is starkly different in one of France’s most celebrated wine regions and other parts of Europe. The harvest that once started in mid-September is now happening earlier than ever — in mid-August — as a result of severe drought and the wine industry’s adaptation to the unpredictable effects of climate change. SENT: 890 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-DRUG-SEIZURE — Authorities have found 2 U.S. tons of methamphetamine hidden in marble tiles shipped from the Middle East to Sydney in what police describe as the largest-ever seizure of the illicit drug in Australia. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY
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FEDERAL-RESERVE-POWELL — When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers what will be his most closely scrutinized speech of the year, investors and economists will be turning over his remarks for any clues about how fast the Fed may continue to raise its key interest rate — and for how long. SENT: 1,100 words, photo.
FINANCIAL-MARKET — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher ahead of a speech by the Federal Reserve chair that investors hoped would shed light on plans for more interest rate hikes. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Shanghai was little-changed. Oil prices rose. SENT: 420 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-ELECTRIC-VEHICLES-EXPLAINER — California will require all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035 in an ambitious move away from gasoline-powered vehicles and the pollution they emit. SENT: 800 words, photos.
FACEBOOK-PROUD BOYS — Facebook parent Meta says it has removed a network of accounts linked to the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group it banned in 2018. SENT: 320 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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ITALY-VENICE-FILM-FESTIVAL-PADRE-PIO — Abel Ferrara, whose gritty New York exploitation films of the 1980s and 1990s delved into the soulless evils of drug addiction, corruption and sexual violence, pays homage to one of Italy’s best-known and most revered saints in his newest film, “Padre Pio.” SENT: 940 words, photos.
FILM REVIEW-ME TIME — There is a montage in “Me Time,” the new Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg Netflix comedy, where Hart’s character Sonny gets a day to himself for the first time in a long time. For years, he’s devoted himself as a stay-at-home dad to his two kids (the very cute Che Tafari and Amentii Sledge). It’s a job he takes very, very seriously, making Instagram influencer-worthy lunches and managing the home while his wife Maya (Regina Hall) is working. She’s a successful architect, we’re told, but we’ll get to that later. SENT: 710 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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US--MASSAGE THERAPY-WATSON IMPACT — Michelle Krause grapples with the challenge of telling people she is a massage therapist. It’s just easier to say she works in finance or nutrition. She’s among the hundreds of massage therapists attending the American Massage Therapy Association’s three-day national convention in yes, Cleveland. It’s an opportunity to talk about a job made more difficult amid the pandemic, a 2021 attack on three Atlanta-area massage businesses that left eight dead. And then there’s the lingering stain of NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson’s ongoing case that has perpetuated the sex worker stigma around the industry. By Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker. SENT: 1170 words, photos, video.
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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, Donald E. King 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.
