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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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TOP STORIES
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CONGRESS-VOTING-RIGHTS — The Supreme Court has temporarily dashed efforts to create a second Black congressional district in Alabama for the 2022 election, sparking fresh warnings that the court is becoming overly politicized, eroding the Voting Rights Act and reviving the need for Congress to intervene. By Lisa Mascaro, Kimberly Chandler and Farnoush Amiri. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 5 p.m.
CRYPTOCURRENCY-LAUNDERING — The Justice Department has announced its largest-ever financial seizure — more than $3.5 billion — and the arrests of a New York couple accused of conspiring to launder billions of dollars in cryptocurrency. It says the cryptocurrency was stolen from the 2016 hack of a virtual currency exchange. Law enforcement officials revealed the Justice Department has seized roughly $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency linked to the hack of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange whose systems were breached nearly six years ago. Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, were arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 365 words, photo.
UKRAINE TENSIONS — French President Emmanuel Macron said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would not further escalate the Ukraine crisis. Macron also said it would take time to find a diplomatic solution to the rising tensions, which represent the biggest security crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. By Sylvie Corbet and Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 1,215 words, photos.
For full coverage of Ukraine.
VATICAN-BENEDICT XVI-ABUSE — Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness for any “grievous faults” in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but admitted to no personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany. Benedict’s lack of a personal apology or admission of guilt immediately riled sex abuse survivors. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 960 words, photo.
UCLA THREATS-MISSED SIGNS — A trail of red flags about his behavior toward women followed Matthew Harris on an academic journey that took him to three of the nation’s most prestigious universities — Duke, Cornell and then the University of California, Los Angeles. By Stefanie Dazio. SENT: 1,360 words, photos. An abridged version of 795 words is available.
OSCARS NOMINATIONS — After a pandemic year that hobbled movie theaters and saw streaming services make new inroads into Hollywood, the Academy Awards put its strongest support behind two films made with big-screen grandeur that were also streamed into homes: Jane Campion’s gothic western “The Power of the Dog” and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic “Dune.” Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog” led nominations to the 94th Academy Awards with 12 nods, including best picture, best director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 1,355 words, photos. WITH: OSCARS NOMINATIONS-LIST. WITH: OSCARS NOMINATIONS-SNUBS AND SURPRISES — The 94th Oscar nominations were full of surprises in both satisfying and disappointing ways. SENT: 935 words, photos. WITH: OSCARS-NOMINATION-REACTION — Kirsten Durst, others react to their Oscar nominations. SENT: 565 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS
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PENG SHUAI SPEAKS — A French journalist says his exclusive interview with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai this week did not prove that she is OK. Marc Ventouillac, one of two journalists who spoke to her in a restrictive interview arranged by Chinese Olympic officials for the French sports daily L’Equipe, says he is still unsure if Peng is free to say and do what she wants. The sit-down in Beijing was the first time Peng has spoken with Western media about allegations she made of forced sex with a former top-ranked Communist Party official. SENT: 780 words, photos.
WOMEN’S BIG AIR — American-born Eileen Gu earned the first of what she and her many fans in Beijing hope could be three gold medals for China by cranking out the first 1620 of her career in the Olympic debut of women’s freestyle skiing big air. SENT: 990 words, photos. WITH: BEIJING-SOCIAL MEDIA — Praise for Gu breaks Chinese social media. SENT: 535 words, photos. WITH: BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE LATEST.
MEN’S SHORT PROGRAM— Nathan Chen had just shattered the world record for a figure skating short program, even throwing a defiant fist in a rare display of emotion, when he was asked how he’d spend the next 48 hours before his long-awaited Olympic coronation. SENT: 940 words, photos.
SHIFFRIN’S NEXT RACE — Maybe this “huge disappointment” — her words upon missing a gate early in the first Alpine race at the Beijing Olympics — will serve Mikaela Shiffrin well in her next event, the slalom. By National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 760 words, photos.
MOTHER-SON MEDALS — Ryan Cochran-Siegel collected the first Olympic Alpine medal for a U.S. man since 2014 by earning the silver in the super-G. The triumph comes nearly 50 years to the day after Cochran-Siegel’s mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, won a skiing gold at the 1972 Sapporo Games. By National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 700 words, photos.
OLY-HKW-CANADA-US — Marie-Philip Poulin capped a three-goal run by scoring on a penalty shot with 2:35 left in the second period and Canada upended the defending Olympic champion United States 4-2 to claim the women’s hockey tournament’s top seed entering the playoff round. SENT: 835 words, photos.
CHINA-BEIJING AIR-EXPLAINER — The clear skies greeting Olympic athletes this month is a stark change from just a decade ago when the city’s notorious air pollution often made it difficult to make out nearby buildings. SENT: 710 words, photos, video.
ATHLETES IN ISOLATION — More than 30 athletes at the Beijing Olympics are in isolation facilities after testing positive for the coronavirus, organizers say. SENT: 390 words, photos.
OLY-NBC-RATINGS — NBC’s Mike Tirico began Friday’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony by saying, “just over six months ago in Tokyo, we said we were about to embark on an Olympics unlike any other. Now we’re about to top that.” In the case of ratings, though, topping that has meant producing record lows. SENT: 895 words, photos.
OLY-WHAT-TO-WATCH — Nathan Chen has been building toward this for years. He’s one good free skate away from Olympic gold. After setting a world record with his short program, Chen goes for an Olympic title live in prime time on Wednesday night. SENT: 525 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CANADA-PROTESTS — Canadian lawmakers are expressing increasing worry about the economic effects of disruptive COVID-19 demonstrations. They spoke after the busiest border crossing between the U.S. and Canada became partially blocked by truckers protesting vaccine mandates and other coronavirus restrictions. SENT: 935 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — China has ordered inhabitants of the southern city of Baise to stay home and suspended transportation links amid a surge in COVID-19 cases at least partly linked to the omicron variant. SENT: 420 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UGANDA-VACCINE MANDATE — Ugandan authorities are seeking to legally mandate vaccines in draft legislation aimed at boosting the East African country’s drive to inoculate more people against COVID-19. SENT: 450 words.
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TRENDING NEWS
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SPORTS-BETTING-SUPER-BOWL — The gambling industry’s national trade group estimates a record 31.5 million Americans plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl. SENT: 560 words, photos.
SUPER-BOWL-SNOOP-DOGG — Snoop Dogg says he won’t let the big Super Bowl stage rattle his nerves. The ultra-smooth rapper said he will worry about his upcoming halftime performance after the fact. SENT: 370 words, photo.
APARTMENT-BUILDING-FIRE — Several families whose loved ones died or were injured while trying to escape a smoked-filled Bronx apartment building are suing the owners. SENT: 475 words, photos.
BRITAIN-PORN-REGULATION — Britain’s government says all pornography websites will be legally required to verify that users are 18 or older as part of new online safety rules. SENT: 240 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DOCTOR-THREATENED — A Texas man has pleaded guilty to threatening a Maryland doctor who has been a prominent advocate for COVID-19 vaccines, a federal prosecutor said. SENT: 180 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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OVERDOSE DEATHS — A bipartisan report from a congressional commission says the U.S. needs Cabinet-level leadership and a new multipronged strategy to counter its festering overdose epidemic. The report calls opioids one of the most pressing challenges in national security, law enforcement and public health. SENT: 730 words, photo.
ELECTION 2022-CAMPAIGN FINANCE — Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is far outraising his main Republican primary challenger, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, leaving Perdue with less than $1 million in cash on hand while Kemp had $12.7 million in his main campaign account. SENT: 880 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-HOUSE-SOUTH-CAROLINA — The South Carolina Republican who ousted Rep. Mark Sanford in a 2018 GOP primary only to lose in the general election is mounting another effort to win the seat. Katie Arrington said Tuesday she is hopeful she’ll again secure backing from Donald Trump. SENT: 730 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-HOGAN — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan plans to announce that he will not run for the U.S. Senate, rebuffing an aggressive recruitment push from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans who saw the term-limited governor as the GOP’s best chance to win in the deep-blue state. SENT: 575 words, photo.
SENATE-BIDEN-ENVOY — A Senate committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Deborah Lipstadt, President Biden’s nominee to serve as a special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 3 p.m.
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NATIONAL
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PHILANTHROPY-PHILANTHROPY50 — A handful of Americans donated at least $1 billion to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual ranking of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2021. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates topped the list, pledging $15 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a huge player in global health and American education. SENT: 950 words, photos. WITH: PHILANTHROPY-PHILANTHROPY50-LIST. SENT: 845 words, photos.
CIVIL RIGHTS-MASSACRE-SOUTH CAROLINA — Big plans are being realized for a once-segregated bowling alley that stands dark and dusty 54 years after state troopers fired into a crowd of Black students in the killings now known as the “Orangeburg Massacre.” SENT: 680 words, photos.
IVERMECTIN-KANSAS DOCTORS — Fellow Republican conservatives rallied behind a Kansas physician-legislator who’s under investigation by the state medical board, advancing his measures to protect doctors pursuing potentially dangerous treatments for COVID-19 and to weaken childhood vaccination requirements. SENT:600 words, photos.
UCLA-GYNECOLOGIST-SEX-ABUSE-SETTLEMENT — The University of California has agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle allegations that several hundred women were sexually abused by a former UCLA gynecologist, lawyers announced. SENT: 430 words, photos.
BREONNA TAYLOR-EX-OFFICER’S TRIAL — Jury selection in the trial of a former Kentucky police officer involved in the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor is scheduled to resume after a week of delays. SENT: 320 words, photos. WITH: BREONNA TAYLOR-EX-OFFICER’S TRIAL-EXPLAINER — How are jurors chosen in the Breonna Taylor case? SENT: 725 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — A Minneapolis police officer who oversaw medical training for two of the three former officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights testified that the officers were trained to give CPR as soon as they fail to find a pulse on someone. SENT: 725 words, photos.
SCHOOL-SHOOTING-MICHIGAN — The mother of a teenager who is accused of killing four students at a Michigan school told her boss earlier that day that “she felt as if she was failing” the boy, according to testimony. SENT: 330 words, photos.
SCOTT PETERSON-JUROR MISCONDUCT — A juror in Scott Peterson’s two-decade-old murder trial will be granted immunity before testifying at a hearing that could determine whether a new trial is granted, authorities say. SENT: 470 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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GERMANY-RUSSIA-PIPELINE-EXPLAINER — President Biden has targeted Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline as he tries to deter the Kremlin from a feared invasion of Ukraine. The pipeline would double capacity to bring gas straight to Germany from Russia once it gets European approval. Biden says that if Russia invades, “we will bring an end to it. SENT: 875 words, photos.
MAURITIUS-BRITAIN-CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO — A delegation from Mauritius is set to sail to the Chagos Islands to press the country’s claim for the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago, which is also claimed by Britain and is home to an American military base. SENT: 560 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-ELECTIONS — Campaigning in the Philippines’ presidential election started with a cast of candidates led by a late dictator’s son and the pro-democracy current vice president, with all vowing to bail out a country driven deeper into poverty by the pandemic and plagued by gaping inequalities and decades-long insurgencies. SENT: 950 words, photos.
SPAIN-DIGITAL DIVIDE — A Spanish retiree campaigning to keep in-person customer services at bank branches because he felt “left out” by the shift to online banking is handing government officials a petition with more than 610,000 signatures, amid a wave of national support for his cause. SENT: 270 words.
HORN OF AFRICA-HUNGER — Drought conditions have left an estimated 13 million people facing severe hunger in the Horn of Africa, according to the United Nations World Food Program. SENT: 210 words, photos.
YEMEN — A yearlong battle over the strategic Yemeni city of Marib has displaced about 100,000 people, the international charity group Oxfam says. SENT: 440 words.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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EMIRATES-DYING TURTLES — Waves of dead turtles are washing up on a beach in the United Arab Emirates and a marine researcher has found they ate a staggering amount of trash. SENT: 890 words, photos, video.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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CRYPTOCURRENCY-CITIES — A small group of cryptocurrency enthusiasts has an offer that they’re hoping U.S. cities can’t refuse.. They have created a new crypto coin called -- natch -- Miami Coin, with 10% of the proceeds from the “mining” of new coins flowing to the city government. Who doesn’t love money for nothing? There’s just a catch or two. UPCOMING: 1,100 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks were higher on Wall Street after a directionless morning as investors continue to struggle to predict how well the economy will weather the current bout of inflation as well as the Federal Reserve’s medicine for healing it, higher interest rates. SENT: 415 words, photos.
PELOTON-LEADERSHIP-CHANGE -- The co-founder of Peloton is stepping down as chief executive after an extended streak of tumult at the exercise and treadmill company which will also cut almost 3,000 jobs. John Foley first pitched the idea of an interactive exercise bike in 2011, hoping to disrupt the industry. He will give up the CEO position and become executive chair at Peloton Interactive Inc. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-SPOTIFY — Neil Young isn’t satisfied with urging his fellow musicians to join him in taking their music off the streaming service Spotify. Now he wants company employees to quit their jobs before it “eats up your soul.” SENT: 180 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN-SUPER-BOWL-OLD-MAN-WEDDLE — As the coach of his son’s 12-and-under Pop Warner championship team, Eric Weddle had a message for the young players to not take the opportunity to win a championship for granted. Weddle is now aiming for a second title, one with much larger stakes than a Pop Warner league. He came back last month for a playoff run with the Rams following a two-year retirement and can end his career with the Super Bowl title that eluded him during his first 13-year stint in the NFL. SENT: 750 words, photos.
FBN-SUPER-BOWL-LIVING-LIFE — About 10 years ago, Chad Vincent was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. He vowed not to allow the disease to limit his experiences. On Sunday, Vincent will attend the Super Bowl — one of many sporting events on his attendance resume. Vincent and his wife, Jen, are not only getting into SoFi Stadium, they will be sleeping there Saturday night. SENT: 525 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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