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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STILL TRADING WITH RUSSIA — Six months into the war in Ukraine, American companies — including federal contractors — continue to buy everything from birch wood flooring to weapons-grade titanium from major Russian corporations. This despite President Joe Biden’s insistence that the U.S. would crack down on Russia in response to its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor. The Associated Press found more than 3,600 shipments of wood, metals, rubber and more have arrived at U.S. ports from Russia since it began launching missiles and airstrikes into its neighbor in February. By Juliet Linderman and Martha Mendoza. SENT: 2,110 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.
FEDERAL-RESERVES-REALITY-INTRUDES — A half-hour drive or so from the resort where the high priests of international finance — leading economists and central bank officials — have convened in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to discuss the world’s economic challenges, Ash Hermanowski oversees the distribution of about 1,200 free meals a day. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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BIDEN-STUDENT LOANS — President Joe Biden announces detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt. By Seung Min Kim, Michael Balsamo, Collin Binkley and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,240 words, photos, video. With STUDENT LOANS-WINNERS AND LOSERS — Who gets student loan forgiveness? Relief prompts joy, angst; STUDENT LOANS-LEGALITY — Legal challenges are expected to the Biden plan to cancel student debt. (both sent).
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian forces launch a rocket attack on a train station in central Ukraine on the embattled country’s Independence Day, killing at least 15 people and wounding about 50. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned for days that Moscow might attempt “something particularly cruel” this week. By Derek Gatopoulous and Inna Varenytsia. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-POLICE CHIEF — The Uvalde school district fired police chief Pete Arredondo on Wednesday under mounting pressure in the grieving Texas town to punish officers over letting a gunman at Robb Elementary School remain in a fourth-grade classroom for more than an hour with an AR-15 style rifle as 19 children and two teachers were killed. SENT: 900 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-BLACK AUGUST HISTORY — First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate Black Panther Party member George Jackson’s fight for Black liberation from prison. Fifty-one years since Jackson’s death, Black August is now a monthlong awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased. By Almaz Abedje. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
JAPAN-ABE-SHOOTING — Japan’s national police chief has said he will resign to take responsibility over the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a campaign speech last month. SENT: 150 words, photos.
BANGLADESH-ROHINGYA — Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees on Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh, while the United States, European Union and other Western nations pledged to continue supporting the refugees’ pursuit of justice in international courts. By Julhas Alam. SENT: 630 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-HARVEY-WEINSTEIN — New York’s highest court has agreed to hear an appeal from Harvey Weinstein over his 2020 rape conviction. SENT: 150 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-OBIT-TIM-PAGE — Legendary Vietnam War photographer, writer and counter-culture documenter Tim Page died Wednesday at his Australian home. He was 78 years old. SENT: 430 words, photos.
EPSTEIN-MAXWELL-LEGAL FEES — A law firm that helped defend Ghislaine Maxwell is suing her, her brother and husband, saying it was never paid for more than $878,000 for its work. 360 words, photo.
AMAZON-HEALTH-CARE — Amazon is shutting down the hybrid virtual, in-home care service it’s spent years developing, a surprising move that underscores the challenges it faces as it moves into health care. SENT: 440 words, photo.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-NUCLEAR PLANT FEARS — Ukrainians are once again anxious and alarmed about the fate of a nuclear power plant in a land that was home to the world’s worst atomic accident in 1986 at Chernobyl. SENT: 900 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR VATICAN — The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has canceled his planned attendance at an interfaith meeting in Kazakhstan next month where he was expected to meet with Pope Francis, a top Orthodox official said, in a sign of further deterioration in relations over Russia’s war in Ukraine. SENT: 350 words, photo.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-IMPACT-SECURITY COUNCIL — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that “the world’s future” is being decided in its war against Russia’s “insane aggression” and that maintaining his country’s independence is “the security of the entire world.” SENT: 770 words, photo.
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ELECTION 2022
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GEORGIA ELECTION INVESTIGATION — The judge presiding over a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal attempts to influence the 2020 election in Georgia is wading into a fight over whether Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has to testify before the panel. SENT: 590 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words after 10:30 a.m. hearing.
STUDENT LOANS-WINNERS AND LOSERS — For the millions whose entire student debt is being wiped out, the Biden administration’s announcement on forgiveness means new freedom to move, start a family or keep a low-paying but fulfilling job. But for many others, the plan brings bitterness and frustration. By Bianca Vázquez Toness. SENT: 1,180 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVANIA-SENATE-OZ-AND-ISLAM — If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania’s Muslim community. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-FROST — If Maxwell Alejandro Frost can follow his Florida primary victory with a win in November, he’ll become the first member of Congress from Gen Z. SENT: 390 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVANIA-SENATE — Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz is taking a sharper tone in questioning the health of his Democratic opponent, John Fetterman. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NORTH-KOREA — North Korea says it found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus infections, two weeks after leader Kim Jong Un declared a widely disputed victory over COVID-19. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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BIDEN-MIDTERMS — Aiming to turn months of legislation action into political energy, President Joe Biden will hold a kickoff rally to boost Democrats’ fortunes 75 days out from the midterm elections. By White House Correspondent Zeke Miller. SENT: 890 words, photos. UPCOMING: 990 words after 7 p.m. rally.
UNITED-STATES-SYRIA — U.S. military airstrikes in eastern Syria were a message to Iran and Tehran-backed militias that targeted American troops this month and several other times over the past year, the Pentagon said Wednesday. SENT: 730 words, photo, video, audio.
SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR — President Biden names Kim Cheatle, a veteran Secret Service official, as the agency’s next director. Her appointment comes as the agency faces controversy over missing text messages around the time thousands of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. SENT: 420 words, photo.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — Justice Department officials who evaluated then-President Trump’s actions during the Russia investigation concluded that nothing he did, including firing the FBI director, rose to the level of obstruction of justice, according to a newly released memo. SENT: 610 words, photo.
CAPITOL RIOT-MILITIA MEMBERS — Five Florida men affiliated with a militia group called “B Squad” have been arrested on charges that they joined a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, disrupting Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, federal authorities said Wednesday. SENT: 570 words.
ZINKE-INVESTIGATION — A watchdog says ex-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lied to investigators about conversations he had with lobbyists and others regarding a bid by two Indian tribes to operate a casino in Connecticut. SENT: 620 words, photo.
NOEM-DAUGHTER MEETING — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem weighs a response to ethics complaints, with her political future possibly in the balance. SENT: 950 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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ABORTION-TRIGGER-LAWS — Four more Republican-led states will ban almost all abortions this week as yet another slate of laws severely limiting the procedure takes effect following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-ELECTRIC-VEHICLES — California is poised to set a 2035 deadline for all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen, an ambitious step that will reshape the U.S. car market by speeding the transition to more climate-friendly vehicles. SENT: 910 words, photos.
COLUMBUS-TEACHERS STRIKE — A strike by teachers in Ohio’s largest school district continues for a third day on the first day of school for its 47,000 students. SENT: 600 words, photo.
SHOOTING-NATION’S CAPITAL — Two people are killed and three others injured in a shooting in front of a senior citizens center and near several schools in Washington, D.C. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRITAIN-POLITICS-JOHNSON'S LEGACY — The moving vans have already started arriving at Downing Street as Britain’s Conservative Party prepares to evict Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The debate over what mark he left on his party, his country and the world will linger long after he departs in September — if, indeed, he really is gone for good. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
EMIRATES-KARAK-COST-CRUNCH — Karak is informally the national drink of the United Arab Emirates, long priced at just 1 dirham, a bit less than 30 U.S. cents. But now, as supply chain shortages and Russia’s war on Ukraine lead to price spikes across the world, Dubai’s tea sellers are bumping up prices to 1.50 dirhams, or just over 40 cents. That’s a blow to migrant workers who depend on the drink as a daily ritual. For decades, karak was one of the rare treats that 1 dirham could buy in Dubai. But inflation fueled by the Russia-Ukraine war is taking a toll in the oil-rich country. SENT: 980 words, photos.
MIGRATION-AFGHANISTAN-EVACUATIONS — More than a year after the Taliban takeover that saw thousands of Afghans rushing to Kabul’s international airport amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, Afghans at risk who failed to get on evacuation flights say they are still struggling to find safe and legal ways out of the country. SENT: 960 words, photos.
THAILAND-POLITICS — Thailand’s government has convened its first Cabinet meeting without its prime minister, who was suspended from his duties while the Constitutional Court decides whether the man who led a military coup in 2014 has violated the country’s term limits, potentially opening a new chapter of turmoil in the nation’s troubled politics. SENT: 880 words, photos.
FRANCE-ALGERIA — French President Emmanuel Macron is heading to Algeria for a three-day official visit aimed at addressing two major challenges: boosting future economic relations while seeking to heal wounds inherited from the colonial era, 60 years after the North African country won its independence from France. SENT: 810 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-JAIL-PROTEST — About 100 inmates in an overcrowded jail climbed atop the roof of a prison building in the central Philippines and noisily protested with raised fists and placards, saying they were not being fed well and demanding the removal of the jail warden, who was immediately suspended, jail officials say. SENT: 490 words.
PAKISTAN-POLITICS — Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in court in Islamabad to extend his protection from arrest on charges of making verbal threats to police officers and a judge, security officials and his party says. SENT: 400 words.
CHINA-DROUGHT-WWII SHELTERS — The city of Chongqing is known for both soaring temperatures and spicy cuisine, notably its hotpot: a peppery bubbling tabletop broth into which diners dunk bite-size pieces of food to cook and eat. The inland metropolis on the Yangtze River has the perfect escape to enjoy hotpot, even in what has been a summer of unusually stifling heat: World War II-era air raid shelters, converted into restaurants, where the temperature is naturally cooler. SENT: 510 words, photos.
ASIA-STORM — Tropical Storm Ma-on made landfall in southern China’s Guangdong province after bringing rain and stiff winds to Hong Kong, where the stock market was closed for the morning session due to the storm. SENT: 360 words, photos.
MEXICO-MISSING-STUDENTS — The former attorney general who oversaw Mexico’s original investigation into the 2014 disappearances of 43 students from a radical teachers college will go to trial on charges of forced disappearance, not reporting torture and official misconduct, a judge has ruled. SENT: 610 words, photos.
MALAYSIA-NAJIB — Jailed Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak has returned to court for a second corruption trial over the pilfering of the 1MDB state fund, two days after he began a 12-year prison term for graft. SENT: 560 words, photos.
ISRAEL-GAZA-MILITANTS — Dozens of Islamic Jihad militants displayed life-sized replicas of their rockets during a parade in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, in a show of defiance after three days of heavy fighting with Israel earlier this month. SENT: 180 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares gained Thursday as Wall Street and global markets wait for a highly anticipated speech from the U.S. Federal Reserve chair about interest rates at the end of the week. SENT: 870 words, photos.
TWITTER-WHISTLEBLOWER-CONGRESS — U.S. lawmakers are anxious to hear from Twitter’s former security chief, who has alarmed Washington with allegations that the influential social network misled regulators about its cyber defenses and efforts to control fake accounts. SENT: 810 words, photo.
MISINFORMATION-PREBUNKING VIDEOS — Google and university researchers find that watching short online video about misinformation helps people better recognize falsehoods. SENT: 810 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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NASA-MOON ROCKET-EXPLAINER — NASA’s new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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OBIT-CREED TAYLOR — Creed Taylor, a prolific and innovative force in the evolution of jazz and a popularizer of Brazilian music who oversaw the recording of such classics as “The Girl from Ipanema,” has died at 93.
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SPORTS
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LITTLE LEAGUE-LOSING — Following an 8-1 loss at the Little League World Series, Ubaldo Ramos IV gathered his Panama team for a final time. He had a chance to tell his boys about something important — how to handle losing. UPCOMING: 400 words by 8 p.m., photos.
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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.
