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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds OBIT-IVANA TRUMP; MUSK-TWITTER-CHANCERY COURT-EXPLAINER; CONGRESS-COMPUTER CHIPS; ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR; PAKISTAN-IMF; FEDERAL RESERVE-TRADING .
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ONLY ON AP
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VENEZUELA-VACCINE-CRISIS — Measles, rubella and polio shots are going in children’s arms in Venezuela in recent weeks as part of a countrywide vaccination campaign. But those shots won’t fill the gaps in vaccine records. Public health officials have long warned that Venezuela has alarmingly low vaccination rates. Specific data on rates have been elusive in Venezuela. But an Associated Press analysis of rare government figures and estimates from public health agencies shows the country’s vaccination crisis is growing. Many children lack several of the 10 vaccines recommended by 12 months of age to protect against 14 diseases. By Regina Garcia Cano. SENT: 2,025 words, photos, 1,040-word abridged version.
THE-AP-INTERVIEW-KHASHOGGI-FIANCEE — Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, is describing Joe Biden’s decision to visit Saudi Arabia as “heartbreaking,” accusing the U.S. president of backing down from his pledge of prioritizing human rights. In an interview with The Associated Press in Istanbul a day before Biden travels to Saudi Arabia Friday to meet with the crown prince, Cengiz says Biden should press Saudi Arabia to embrace a human rights agenda. She also wants Biden to seek more answers from Saudi authorities over what happened to Khashoggi’s remains. By Ayse Wieting and Suzan Fraser. SENT: 755 words, photos.
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TOP STORIES
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BIDEN-MIDEAST — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stand side-by-side and declare they would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. They part ways, though, on how to get there. Biden, in a joint news conference after a one-on-one meeting with the Israeli leader, says he still wants to give diplomacy a chance. Lapid insists that words alone won’t thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. By Josef Federman, Aamer Madhani and Chris Megerian. SENT: 1,080 words, photos, video.
SRI LANKA — Protesters retreated from government buildings in Sri Lanka, restoring a tenuous calm to the economically crippled country, and the embattled president at last emailed the resignation that demonstrators have sought for months. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled a day earlier under pressure from protesters enraged by the island nation’s economic collapse. He emailed his resignation a day later than promised, according to an official. By Krutika Pathi and Krishan Francis. SENT: 950 words, photos, videos.
OBIT-IVANA TRUMP — The Trump family says the former president’s first wife, Ivana Trump, has died in New York City. Trump posted on social media Thursday that “I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away.” The skier-turned-businesswoman formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as Trump’s wife and mother of his oldest children. They had an equally public, and messy, divorce after Donald Trump met his next wife, Marla Maples. But in recent years, Ivana Trump had been on good terms with her former husband. By Jill Colvin and Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 900 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Ukrainian officials say Russian missiles that struck a city in central Ukraine killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others, including children. Ukraine’s national police said three missiles hit an office building and damaged residential buildings in Vinnytsia on Thursday. By Maria Grazia Murru and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,135 words, photos.
HUNGER-IN-AMERICA-INFLATION-WOES — Long lines are back at outside food banks around the U.S. as working Americans overwhelmed by inflation increasingly seek handouts to feed their families. Many people are coming for the first time amid the skyrocketing grocery and gas prices. The food banks struggle to help even as federal programs provide less food, grocery store donations wane and cash gifts don’t go nearly as far while U.S. inflation hits a 40-year high. By Anita Snow and Eugene Garcia. SENT: 1,295 words, photos.
MOTHER-AND-SON-KILLED — Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was charged with murder in the deaths of his wife and younger son, who were fatally shot outside their home more than a year ago. By Jeffrey Collins. SENT: 820 words, photos. WITH: MOTHER AND SON KILLED-PEOPLE — Personal connections show lawyer Alex Murdaugh’s downfall. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. WITH: MOTHER AND SON KILLED-TIMELINE — SENT: 605 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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BRITAIN-VAN GOGH — A previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered behind another of the artist’s paintings. The National Galleries of Scotland said Thursday it was discovered on the back of Van Gogh’s “Head of a Peasant Woman” when experts took an X-ray of the canvas ahead of an upcoming exhibition. SENT: 240 words, photos, video.
DENMARK-AMUSEMENT PARK — Police in Denmark say a 14-year-old girl has died in an accident at a popular northern Denmark amusement park, reportedly when the rear part of a roller-coaster came off the rails. SENT: 175 words, photos.
ODD–ARIZONA TOURIST TOWN-PARKING — Arizona town residents warned to stop yelling at tourists. SENT: 195 words.
SOUTHWEST-VIRGINIA-FLOODING — Authorities in a remote corner of southwest Virginia have located all of the 44 people who were reported unaccounted for after devastating flooding washed out roadways and damaged more than 100 homes. SENT: 215 words, photos.
SQUEEGEE WORKER SHOOTING — Police say a 15-year-old was arrested and charged as an adult in connection with the fatal shooting of a motorist during an encounter with people cleaning windshields for cash at a downtown Baltimore intersection. SENT: 240 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-CARDINAL-SUED — The father of a deceased former choirboy has filed a lawsuit against Cardinal George Pell and the Catholic Church in an Australian court claiming the parent suffered psychological injury over an accusation that the once-senior Vatican official sexually abused the son. SENT: 385 words, photos.
SUPERMOON-PHOTO GALLERY — Did you see it? Supermoon graces skies worldwide. SENT: 90 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR — Never in the history of warfare have drones been used as intensively as in Ukraine, where they often play an outsized role in who lives and dies. Russians and Ukrainians alike depend heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles to pinpoint enemy positions and guide their hellish artillery strikes. But after months of fighting, the drone fleets of both sides are depleted. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
RUSSIA ARMS DEALER — The Russian arms dealer labeled the “Merchant of Death” and the inspiration for a Hollywood movie is back in the headlines again. If Viktor Bout is indeed eventually returned to Russia in a prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, it will add to the legend of a man who is both revered and reviled. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
NETHERLANDS-UKRAINE-WAR CRIMES — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called for an international “overarching strategy” to coordinate efforts to bring perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to justice. SENT: 675 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
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PLEADING-THE-FIFTH-EXPLAINER — Former President Donald Trump, son Donald Trump Jr. and daughter Ivanka Trump are due soon to face questioning under oath in a civil investigation into their business practices. But will the Trumps answer? The ex-president’s lawyer has indicated that he’ll advise Trump to stay mum and invoke the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination. Here’s what that means. SENT: 890 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-PRESIDENTIAL GUARDRAILS — The Jan. 6 committee investigation is raising questions about former President Donald Trump’s role and whether he committed crimes. Government and legal experts are asking whether further limits on presidential authority are needed. SENT: 640 words, photos.
CONGRESS-COMPUTER CHIPS — A bill that would provide grants, tax credits and other incentives for computer chip manufacturing may soon see action in the Senate. SENT: 350 words, photo.
ELECTION 2022-MARYLAND GOVERNOR — Former President Donald Trump and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan aren’t waiting until 2024 to fight over the future of the Republican Party. The term-limited governor is encouraging GOP voters to rally behind gubernatorial candidate Kelly Schulz, who served in his administration. Trump is backing Dan Cox, a state legislator who has endorsed Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen. SENT: 960 words, photos.
ABORTION-GOP GOVERNORS — Gov. Kristi Noem had pledged to “immediately” call a special legislative session to restrict abortion rights in South Dakota if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but nearly three weeks after that ruling the first-term Republican remains unusually quiet about exactly what she wants lawmakers to pass. Noem, widely considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, isn’t the only GOP governor with national ambitions who followed up calls for swift action with hesitancy. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
GOVERNORS MEETING — Stark political divides are overshadowing a meeting this week of the nation’s governors. The National Governors Association is holding its summer meeting in person for the first time since 2019 after meeting virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. The three-day meeting in Maine follows recent high court rulings on abortion and gun rights. Both rulings have heightened divides among red and blue states. But leaders of the group say there’s still common ground to be found on other issues. SENT: 910 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-BANNON HEARING — A federal judge says the criminal contempt trial of Steve Bannon can start as scheduled next week and the extensive media coverage shouldn’t be a barrier to selecting an unbiased jury. SENT: 400 words, photos.
CONGRESS-IWO JIMA HERO — Congress gives its ultimate salute to Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, who died at age 98. Williams is lying in honor at the U.S. Capitol, a tribute reserved for the nation’s most distinguished citizens. SENT: 490 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-MICHIGAN GOVERNOR — A lawsuit has been filed in Michigan to try to disqualify a Republican candidate from the governor’s race. The lawsuit says Ryan Kelley should be declared an insurrectionist whose votes won’t count because of his role in the U.S. Capitol riot in 2021. SENT: 350 words, photo.
CYBERSECURITY-SAFETY REVIEW BOARD — A new cybersecurity panel created by President Biden says a computer vulnerability discovered last year in a ubiquitous piece of software is an “endemic” problem that will pose security risks for potentially a decade or more. SENT: 570 words, photos.
IDAHO-GOP-CONVENTION — The Idaho Republican Party will consider 31 resolutions at its three-day convention starting Wednesday, including one already adopted by Texas Republicans that President Biden isn’t the legitimate leader of the country. SENT: 620 words.
GULF WAR MEMORIAL — Over 30 years after a U.S.-led international military coalition expelled occupying Iraqi troops from Kuwait, planners have broken ground on the long-simmering plans for a Gulf War memorial. SENT: 340 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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WILDFIRE-SPELLS-PUSHBACK-AGAINST-BUILDERS — Environmental groups have been arguing in California courts that developers are not fully considering the risks of wildfire and choked evacuation routes when they plan their housing developments near fire-prone areas. And they’ve been winning. SENT: 1,095 words, photos.
TEXAS-CRASH-GOLF-TEAMS — A Texas man, not his 13-year-old son, was driving the pickup truck that crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a van carrying New Mexico college golfers, killing nine people, and he had methamphetamine in his system, investigators said. SENT: 175 words, photos, developing.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-OFFICER — A Texas lawmaker says a Uvalde police officer criticized over video of him checking his phone during the massacre at Robb Elementary School was the husband of a teacher killed in the classroom. SENT: 360 words, photo.
NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFOWARS — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was defiant and cited free speech rights during a deposition in April, as part of a lawsuit by relatives of some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims suing Jones for calling the massacre a hoax. That’s according to partial transcripts of the deposition released Thursday. SENT: 750 words, photos.
BUFFALO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING — The Buffalo supermarket where 10 Black people were killed by a white gunman is set to reopen its doors to the public Friday, two months after the racist attack. A moment of silence and prayer will be held at Tops Friendly Market to honor the victims, employees and community impacted by the May 14 mass shooting. SENT: 600 words, photos.
CHOKEHOLD DEATH-NEW MEXICO — A New Mexico judge has cleared a former police officer of criminal charges after he was accused of killing a suspect with a chokehold more than two years ago. SENT: 290 words.
ELECTION SECURITY-COLORADO CLERK — An arrest warrant has been issued for a Colorado clerk indicted on charges of tampering with voting equipment after she allegedly traveled out of state despite a court order not to do so. SENT: 350 words, photo.
OIL PIPELINE-SPILLS-LAWSUITS — U.S. prosecutors suspect a Wyoming company of potentially concealing problems with a pipeline that broke in 2015 and spilled tens of thousands of gallons of crude into the Yellowstone River. SENT: 470 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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JAPAN-ABE-SHOOTING — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida blamed inadequate police security for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe, who was shot while giving an outdoor campaign speech. SENT: 405 words, photos.
BRITAIN-POLITICS — Former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak worked to stave off momentum from challenger Penny Mordaunt in the race to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with Conservative Party lawmakers set to knock one of the six remaining contenders out of the contest. SENT: 610 words, photos.
ITALY-POLITICS — Italy’s president has rebuffed Premier Mario Draghi’s offer to resign after a key ally refused to back the government in a Senate vote. Draghi, who was snubbed earlier in the day by his populist 5-Star movement allies, had told his Cabinet he was resigning because the majority that backed his government since its creation last year no longer exists. SENT: 690 words, photos.
MEXICO-MIGRANT VICTIMS — Bodies of migrants who died in Texas trailer come to Mexico. SENT: 540 words, photos.
POLAND-WWII-MASS GRAVE — Special investigators in Poland say they have found mass graves containing the ashes of at least 8,000 Poles slain by Nazi Germans during World War II in forest executions. SENT: 310 words, photos.
EUROPE-WILDFIRES — More than 3,000 firefighters battled alongside ordinary Portuguese citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires that raged across the European country, fanned by extreme temperatures and drought conditions linked to climate change. SENT: 730 words, photos, video.
SWEDEN-IRAN-TRIAL — A Swedish court has sentenced an Iranian citizen to life imprisonment after being convicted of murder and other war crimes during the final phase of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. SENT: 630 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-IMF — The International Monetary Fund says it has reached a preliminary agreement on a $6 billion bailout package for Pakistan. SENT: 380 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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ABORTION-EXPLAINER-GESTATIONAL AGE — The abortion bans taking effect after the nation’s highest court overturned Roe v. Wade vary greatly in how they define when a pregnancy can be ended. Here’s a look at how gestational age is determined and how states use that metric to ban abortion. SENT: 480 Wwords, photo.
MED–WHO PANDEMIC REPORT — The World Health Organization says the number of new coronavirus cases reported worldwide rose for the fifth week in a row. In the U.N. health agency’s weekly review of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO said there were 5.7 million new infections confirmed last week, marking a 6% increase. The number of reported deaths remained relatively stable, at 9.800. SENT: 330 words, photos.
MED–ANIMAL OUTBREAKS — The World Health Organization says that the number of outbreaks of diseases that jumped from animals to humans in Africa has jumped by more than 60% in the last decade, a worrying sign the planet could face increased animal-borne diseases like monkeypox, Ebola and coronavirus in the future. SENT: 410 words.
MED-MONKEYPOX-VACCINE — U.S. officials say thousands more doses of the monkeypox vaccine could soon begin shipping from Denmark. The Food and Drug Administration says it has completed a required inspection of the overseas plant where the two-dose shots are manufactured. SENT: 835 words, photos.
MALAWI-ELEPHANT-RELOCATIONS — One by one, 250 elephants are being moved from Malawi’s overcrowded Liwonde National Park to the much larger Kasungu park in the country’s north. The elephants are tracked in the park and darts are fired to sedate them. SENT: 505 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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MUSK-TWITTER-CHANCERY COURT-EXPLAINER — Twitter Inc.’s lawsuit to force billionaire Elon Musk to make good on his promise to buy the social media giant will be resolved in a small but powerful Delaware court that specializes in high-stakes business disputes. Twitter is seeking an order of “specific performance” directing Musk to follow through with the $44 billion acquisition. Specific performance is among the unique remedies available in Delaware’s 230-year-old Court of Chancery. UPCOMING: 920 words, photo by 6:30 p.m.
PRODUCER PRICES — Inflation at the wholesale level climbed 11.3% in June compared with a year earlier, the latest painful reminder that inflation is running hot through the American economy. The Labor Department reported that the U.S. producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — rose at the fastest pace since hitting a record 11.6% in March. SENT: 540 words, photos.
FEDERAL RESERVE-TRADING — The Federal Reserve’s inspector general concluded that financial trades made several years ago by Chair Jerome Powell and Richard Clarida, then the vice chair, did not violate any laws or ethics rules. SENT: 700 words, photo.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week hit its highest level in nearly 8 months, but the total number of those collecting benefits fell. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 9 rose by 9,000 to 244,000, up from the previous week’s 235,000, the Labor Department reported. SENT: 460 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Thursday and banks were among the biggest weights on the market following weak earnings and a warning from JPMorgan Chase. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.5%. The Nasdaq ended little changed. SENT: 685 words, photos.
FEDERAL RESERVE-WALLER — Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, said Thursday that he would be open to supporting a huge 1 percentage point increase in the Fed’s key short-term interest rate later this month if upcoming economic data points to robust consumer spending. SENT: 560 words, photo.
MORTGAGE RATES — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates were back up this week, just as the latest government data shows inflation has not slowed, meaning the Federal Reserve is almost certain to raise its benchmark borrowing rate again. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate rose to 5.51% from 5.30% last week. SENT: 455 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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BRITAIN-KEVIN SPACEY — Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting three men a decade or more ago and was told he would face trial next year. SENT: 330 words, photos.
PEOPLE-KARDASHIAN BABY — A representative for Khloe Kardashian confirms she and ex Tristan Thompson have conceived a sibling for daughter True via surrogate. SENT: 160 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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GLF–BRITISH OPEN — The Old Course at St. Andrews was fast as ever. The same couldn’t be said for the pace of play at the British Open. The heralded start of the 150th Open featured Cameron Young making his debut with a 64. He had a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy. And the long day could make for a short week for Tiger Woods. The two-time winner at St. Andrews had two double bogeys on his way to a 78. SENT: 1,090 words, photos by 5 p.m. With BRITISH OPEN-WOODS; BRITISH OPEN-YOUNG; BRITISH OPEN-MICKELSON (all sent).
RUSSIA-GRINER-TRIAL — American basketball star Brittney Griner didn’t testify on the third day of her drugs possession trial in Russia, but the director of the Russian team she plays for in the offseason said he told the court about her merits. SENT: 680 words, photos.
OREGON FOOTBALL PLAYER-DEATH — Oregon Ducks tight end Spencer Webb has died after falling and striking his head on rock slides at a popular swimming lake near Eugene, Oregon. SENT: 360 words, photos.
ATH-BRITAIN-FARAH — London’s Metropolitan Police Service has opened an investigation into four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah’s allegations that he was trafficked to the U.K. as a child. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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