Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan.
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TOP STORIES
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MEMPHIS-POLICE-REFORM — Police video of the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by officers in Memphis, Tennessee, is hard to watch. The images are a glaring reminder of repeated failures of efforts to prevent police brutality. Nearly 32 years ago, the savage beating of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles sparked calls for reform. Such brutal scenes have repeated themselves, with police killing roughly three people per day since 2020. The Memphis officers were fired and face murder charges, and their so-called Scorpion unit has been disbanded by the police chief. But advocates say nothing less than a cultural change in law enforcement will provide the safety and liberty Black people demand. By Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sanz. SENT: 1,380 words, photos, video. Find the latest coverage here. WITH: MEMPHIS-POLICE FORCE INVESTIGATION (sent).
AMERICA-GUN-VIOLENCE-GIVING UP? — Increasingly it feels like America is at war with itself. From a triple homicide in New Orleans just days into the new year to the shooting of a Virginia teacher by a six-year-old to a series of mass shootings in California. Simply keeping track of the shootings has become difficult, with locations and details and explanations running together into a blur of bloodshed and heartbreak. But if it might make you think America has gone numb to gun violence, Zeneta Everhart would like a word. By Tim Sullivan and Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — It has been over 11 weeks since Ukrainian forces wrested back part of Kherson province from Russian occupation. But liberation hasn’t diminished the hardship for residents, both those returning home and the ones who never left. In the peak of winter, the rural village not far from an active front line has no power or water. The sounds of war are never far. By Samya Kullab. SENT: 1,070 words, photos. WIth: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Friends mourn volunteer killed helping civilians in Ukraine (sent).
US-MIDEAST — An alarming spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and sharp responses by both sides are testing the Biden administration as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plunges into a cauldron of deepening mistrust and anger on visits to Israel and the West Bank this week. What had already been expected to be a trip fraught with tension over differences between the administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government has grown significantly more complicated over the past few days with a spate of deadly incidents. Blinken’s high-wire diplomatic act begins Monday after he completes a brief visit to Egypt that has been almost entirely overshadowed by the deteriorating security situation in Israel and the West Bank. By Matt Lee. SENT: 950 words, photos. With ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS: Palestinians say Israeli troops kill man in West Bank. (sent).
OPIOID CRISIS-NALOXONE: Access across the U.S. has improved to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, but it’s still frustratingly unavailable at many of the times when it’s needed. Community groups are part of an effort to bring it to far-flung places. By Geoff Mulvihill and Sharon Johnson. SENT: 1260 words, photos. This is Monday spotlight.
SUPER BOWL GUIDE — Patrick Mahomes finally got the best of Joe Burrow. All he needed was a little shove. Harrison Butker made a 45-yard field goal with 3 seconds left — after Cincinnati’s Joseph Ossai was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for shoving Mahomes after he was out of bounds — and the Chiefs beat the Bengals 23-20 in the AFC championship game to make it back to the Super Bowl. Kansas City will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona. The Eagles clobbered the Niners 31-7 in the NFC title game earlier Sunday. They’ve looked dominant in the playoffs so far, beating the New York Giants 38-7 in the divisional round. By David Brandt. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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OBIT-BARRETT STRONG —- Barrett Strong, one of Motown’s founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company’s breakthrough single “Money (That’s What I Want)” and later collaborated on such classics as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “War,” has died. He was 81. SENT: 750 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-RADIOACTIVE CAPSULE — A mining corporation has apologized for losing a highly radioactive capsule over a 870-mile stretch of Western Australia. Authorities are combing parts of the road looking for the tiny but dangerous substance. It’s believed to have fallen off a truck while being transported between a desert mine site and the city of Perth on Jan. 10. SENT: 350 words, photos.
STOLEN KIDS FROSTBITE — Three young children were being treated for frostbite in Nebraska Sunday after police said two suspects stole an SUV while they were inside. SENT: 150 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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BIDEN — President Joe Biden is heading to Baltimore to visit an aging rail tunnel that’s slated to be replaced with help from bipartisan infrastructure legislation that he signed in 2021. The Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel project is estimated to cost $4 billion and take a decade to finish. It would eliminate a troublesome bottleneck that delays commuters and travelers up and down the East Coast. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BIDEN-DEBT LIMIT — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he’s looking forward to discussing with President Joe Biden a “reasonable and responsible way that we can lift the debt ceiling” when the two meet Wednesday for their first sit-down at the White House since McCarthy was elected to the post. McCarthy wants to address spending cuts along with raising the debt limit, even though the White House has ruled out linking those two issues together. By Hope Yen. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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COLORADO RIVER-BROKEN NEGOTIATIONS — Competing priorities, outsized demands and the federal government’s retreat from a threatened deadline all combined to thwart a voluntary deal last summer on how to drastically cut water use from the parched Colorado River. That’s according to emails obtained by The Associated Press that largely cover communication among water officials in Arizona and California. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
LOS ANGELES-HOME SHOOTING — Three women killed in a weekend shooting at a short-term rental home in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood have been identified, while police continued to search for suspects. Four other people were wounded, two critically, when gunfire erupted around 2:30 a.m. Saturday at the property in the Beverly Crest area. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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TURKEY-EUROPE — Turkey’s president has suggested his country might approve Finland’s application for NATO membership before taking any action on Sweden’s, while the Turkish government issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia. SENT: 660 words, photo.
ISRAEL-PLASTICS WAR — Israel’s new government is moving quickly to repeal a tax on single-use plastic goods like cups, plates and cutlery. These items have become the latest weapons in a culture war between the country’s secular majority and the smaller but politically powerful religious minority. SENT: 900 words, photos.
CONGO-POPE-INSECURITY — Pope Francis’ long-awaited visit to Congo and South Sudan next week comes amid soaring insecurity in both war-torn countries, as desperate populations say they want his visit to quell the endless violence and bring stability and attention to two of the world’s most neglected crises. SENT: 850 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA — Russia’s embassy in North Korea says the country has eased stringent epidemic controls in capital Pyongyang that were placed during the past five days to slow the spread of respiratory illnesses. SENT: 750 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-BUS-ACCIDENT — A passenger bus has crashed into a pillar and fell off a bridge, catching fire and killing 40 people in southern Pakistan on Sunday, a government official says. SENT: 410 words, photos.
CHINA EARTHQUAKE — Residents and travelers have sought shelter after a strong earthquake rocked a remote part of northwestern China. No injuries or major damage have been reported following the temblor that struck the Xinjiang region on Monday morning. SENT: 170 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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INDIA-ADANI — India’s Adani Group, run by Asia’s richest man, has hit back at a report from U.S.-based short-seller Hindenburg Research, calling it “malicious”, “baseless” and full of “selective misinformation.” Shares in the conglomerate have suffered massive losses since Hindenburg issued its report alleging fraud and other malfeasance. SENT: 700 words, photos.
JAPAN-NISSAN-RENAULT — Nissan and Renault have agreed to make their mutual cross-shareholdings equal at 15%, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance. SENT: 350 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares are trading mixed in Asia after Wall Street benchmarks closed higher on Friday, capping a third week of gains out of the last four. SENT: 620 words, photos.
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CLIMATE
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CLIMATE-INDIA-SOLAR TAX — Solar developers in India fear that a tax meant to encourage Indian manufacture of solar components will slow down the installation of solar power this year. The tax imposes a 40% customs duty on all imported solar modules and 25% duty on all solar cells bought after April 2022. Developers say that has driven up projects’ costs, making them unviable. SENT: 850 words, photos.
KENYA-RIVER AT RISK — As clean water runs short, one of Africa’s fastest growing cities is struggling to balance the needs of creating jobs and protecting the environment, and the population of over 4 million feels the strain. The Nairobi River which traverses informal settlements and industrial hubs morphs from its clear waters at its origin to black waters within the city and later dark brown downstream where it is used to irrigate vegetables that are sold in the capital. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN-NFC-CHAMPIONSHIP — Jalen Hurts and the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles plays Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. By Dan Gelston. UPCOMING. 700 words, photos. Game underway.
FBN-AFC-CHAMPIONSHIP — Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on his badly sprained right ankle and then was shoved late out of bounds by Joseph Ossai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with 3 seconds left that gave the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game. The Chiefs finally beat the Bengals after three straight losses, including a three-point overtime defeat in last year’s conference championship game. They advanced to play the Philadelphia Eagles in their third Super Bowl in four years. By Dave Skretta. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts 6:30 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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