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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TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-SERVICES, BUFFALO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING, GUN CONTROL-NEW YORK, VIRUS OUTBREAK-KID VACCINES, VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY, COLD CASE-FLORIDA, MUSEUM-SMASH UP, SOCIAL SECURITY-MEDICARE, ELECTION 2022-SENATE-ARIZONA-TRUMP, CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS, MEXICO CORRUPTION, LT-PERU-AMAZON-DEFORESTATION, MED-MELATONIN-KIDS
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GOVERNMENT-AID — Local governments across the U.S. have turned down a potential total of $73 million in federal pandemic relief funds. An Associated Press analysis found that 1,468 smaller cities, towns, villages and counties effectively said “no” to their share of the American Rescue Plan. Some local officials told the AP they had no need for the money. Others said they didn’t want the hassle of dealing with the federal government. Some expressed political opposition to the relief package enacted last year by the Democratic-led Congress and President Biden. By David A. Lieb. SENT: 1,200 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GOVERNMENT-AID-LOCALIZE IT: Here are some background details and potential questions you can use in your own reporting on how local governments are using — or not using — funds from the American Rescue Plan. Find the localize it link here:
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TOP STORIES
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BIDEN-GUNS — President Joe Biden will deliver an address to the nation about the latest round of mass shootings. He is attempting to increase the pressure on Congress to pass stricter gun limits after such efforts failed in the wake of past violence. By Will Weissert. SENT: 710 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 900 words after 7:30 p.m. speech. With CONGRESS-GUNS — The House is swiftly working to put its stamp on gun legislation. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-INVESTIGATION — A Texas state senator says the commander at the scene of the Uvalde school shooting was not informed of panicked 911 calls from inside the building. Sen. Roland Gutierrez called the lack of communication a “system failure.” By Jay Reeves and Jake Bleiberg. SENT: 640 words, photos, videos.
TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-INJURIES — Bullet fragments lodged in the children’s arms and legs. Traumatic flashbacks flooding their nightmares. For the 17 people injured during a mass shooting last week in Uvalde, Texas, healing will be slow in a community mourning the deaths of 21 others. As the tight-knit town of 16,000 holds funeral after funeral and investigators examine how police responded to the shooting at Robb Elementary School, several of the victims are still in hospitals over an hour’s drive away in San Antonio. By Stephen Groves and Adriana Gomez Licon. SENT: 1,145 words, photos.
TULSA MEDICAL BUILDING-SHOOTING — A man who blamed his surgeon for continuing pain after a recent back operation bought an AR-style rifle and opened fire hours later at a Tulsa medical office, killing the doctor and three other people in an attack that ended with him taking his own life, police said. The gunman called the clinic repeatedly complaining of pain and specifically targeted the doctor who performed the surgery, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said. By Sean Murphy and Terry Wallace. SENT: 810 words, photos, videos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian forces locked in a grinding battle for control of the country’s east struggled to hold off Russian troops and buy themselves some time while they await the arrival of the advanced rockets and anti-aircraft weapons promised by the West. With the arms deliveries possibly weeks away, Ukraine is looking at a prolonged period of grueling combat, military analysts said. By John Leicester and Elena Becatoros. SENT: 810 words, photos, videos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST.
LATER ABORTIONS — Abortions later in pregnancy are relatively rare, even more so now with the availability of medications to terminate early pregnancies. Yet a small percentage of women seek them each year. A growing number of hurdles around the U.S. mean more women could end up having the procedure later than they wish. The Associated Press interviewed three women who had abortions later in their pregnancies. By Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 2,295 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 765 words is also available.
BRITAIN-PLATINUM-JUBILEE — Queen Elizabeth II stepped gingerly onto the Buckingham Palace balcony Thursday, drawing wild cheers from the tens of thousands who came to join her at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne. Her fans sported Union Jack flags, party hats or plastic tiaras. Some had camped overnight in hope of a glimpse of the 96-year-old queen, whose appearances are becoming rare, and a chance to watch the Trooping the Color — a military parade that has marked each sovereign’s official birthday since 1760. By Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With BRITAIN-PLATINUM-JUBILEE PHOTO GALLERY (upcoming)
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TRENDING
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MICHAEL-AVENATTI-STORMY-DANIELS — Michael Avenatti has been sentenced to four years in prison for cheating client Stormy Daniels of hundreds of thousands of dollars in book proceeds. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SEA-TURTLE-SHARK-BITE — A loggerhead turtle is rehabbing at Zoo Miami’s new Sea Turtle Hospital after a shark bit off most of her left fin. SENT: 305 words, photos.
COLD CASE-FLORIDA — The remains of a teenager who went missing nearly 50 years ago have been identified through advanced DNA technology, and detectives believe she may have been slain by a police officer who was also a serial killer. SENT: 520 words, photo.
MUSEUM-SMASH UP — A man broke into the Dallas Museum of Art and caused more than $5 million in damage, including smashing three ancient Greek artifacts before he was arrested, police said. SENT: 210 words.
CHILD’S-BODY-FOUND-INDIANA — A young boy found dead inside a suitcase in a heavily wooded area of southern Indiana has been laid to rest. Todd Murphy, the chaplain for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, called the unidentified boy an “unknown angel” during a memorial service. SENT: 305 words, photos.
MANHOLE-EXPLOSIONS — Two manhole explosions in downtown Boston forced the evacuation of two buildings, shattered a window and sent one person to the hospital. SENT: 190 words.
TURKEY-NAME-CHANGE — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has sent a letter to the United Nations formally requesting that his country be referred to as “Türkiye,” the state-run news agency reported. SENT: 420 words, photo.
SNOWBANK-BODY-MURDER-FOR-HIRE — A Colorado man pleaded not guilty in federal court in Vermont to kidnapping a man who was later found shot to death in a snowbank in 2018 in what prosecutors allege is a murder-for-hire case stemming from a financial dispute. SENT: 465 words, photo.
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MORE ON SHOOTINGS
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TULSA-MEDICAL BUILDING SHOOTING-PAIN MANAGEMENT — The shootings by a man authorities said blamed his surgeon for continuing pain after a recent back highlighted concerns by medical professionals about dealing with pain and seeking pain medication. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 6:30 p.m.
TULSA-MEDICAL BUILDING SHOOTING-VICTIMS — A look at the two doctors, receptionist and patient killed by what authorities said was a man who recently underwent back surgery and was complaining about pain. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING-DIARY-A-MOTHER’S-WORRY — Since last week’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas, one Associated Press writer has, like so many parents, struggled to escape the thought of someone barging into her son’s classroom with a gun. And she is shaken by the devastating reality that some day she will have to explain the horrors of mass shootings to him and his sister. Across, the country, different mothers in different situations with different obstacles are facing their own versions of the very same thing. SENT: 670 words, photo.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING-SERVICES — Families of three victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, are remembering how they brightened the lives of people around them. Funerals were Thursday for 10-year-old Nevaeh Bravo, 11-year-old Maranda Mathis and 10-year-old Eliahna Torres. SENT: 490 words, photos.
BUFFALO-SUPERMARKET-SHOOTING — The white gunman who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket pleaded not guilty to hate-motivated domestic terrorism and other charges as a prosecutor called the evidence against him overwhelming. SENT: 620 words, photos. WITH: GUN CONTROL-NEW YORK — New York’s legislature is poised to ban people under age 21 from buying or possessing a semi-automatic rifle. SENT: 520 words, photos.
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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-RETURN-TO-RUINS — Nila Zelinska and her husband Eduard returned for the first time since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion to what used to be their home in a village outside Kyiv. It was in ruins, reduced to charred walls with no roof by shelling. Their black Labrador, which they’d been forced to leave behind, finally appeared, tail wagging. But nothing else was as it had been. SENT: 450 words, photos.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR-SANCTIONS — The U.S. announces new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and elites, including some of the richest men in Europe and their families. SENT: 800 words, photos.
SOC-UKRAINE'S-MISSION — Ukraine’s soccer players feel a duty to represent their nation on a global stage and give pride to people back home during Russia’s war on their homeland. Mission fulfilled so far. With Ukraine now just one win away from a morale-boosting spot in the World Cup finals, its players have been encouraged by messages from Ukrainians fighting the war back home. SENT: 670 words, photos.
UKRAINE WAR-100 DAYS PHOTO GALLERY — There is no accounting of a war that launched in late winter, continued through spring and is likely to drag on for seasons to come. The conflict unleashed by Russian President Vladimir Putin defies statistics. It is a story best told in unsparing images of human suffering and resilience. One hundred days of photos from Associated Press photographers. The 100-day mark is Friday. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-KID VACCINES — The Biden administration says children under 5 may be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorize shots for the age group as expected. SENT: 240 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NOVAVAX — Americans may soon get a new COVID-19 vaccine option — a more traditional kind of shot known as a protein vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration is evaluating the vaccine made by Novavax. SENT: 750 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — Germany’s federal and state leaders agreed to try to avoid closing schools and child care facilities if there is another surge in coronavirus cases this fall. SENT: 160 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA — Shanghai’s landmark old city garden has sprung back to life as residents took advantage of the renewed sense of freedom following the easing of 2-month-old COVID-19 restrictions. SENT: 490 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IRAN — Iran’s health minister said the country has marked its first day after more than two years without a single COVID-19 death, lauding this as a significant milestone for a nation that long had the highest number of coronavirus cases in the Middle East. SENT: 220 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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STUDENT LOAN DEBT — President Biden’s long-awaited decision on whether to cancel student debt looms large as his administration announces a more limited action to wipe out loans that were taken out by students of Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit chain that closed after a fraud scandal. SENT: 970 words, photos. (Incorporates STUDENT DEBT-CORINTHIAN COLLEGES.)
STUDENT DEBT-CORINTHIAN COLLEGES — The Biden administration is aiming to bring closure to one of the most notorious cases of fraud in American higher education. That’s the goal of the government’s move to forgive all remaining federal student debt for former students of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain. SENT: 990 words, photos.
SOCIAL SECURITY-MEDICARE — A stronger-than-expected economic recovery from the pandemic has pushed back the go-broke dates for Social Security and Medicare, but officials warn that the current economic turbulence is putting additional pressures on the bedrock retirement programs. SENT: 900 words, photo.
ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVANIA-EXPLAINER-VOTING LAWS — If Republican Doug Mastriano is elected governor of Pennsylvania, the state could become a test case for his idea to wipe its voter rolls clean and make everyone re-register if they want to vote again. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. With CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION-MASTRIANO —Mastriano offers to sit for a voluntary interview with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. SENT: 800 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-SAUDI ARABIA — The Biden administration praises Saudi Arabia for its roles securing an OPEC+ pledge to pump more oil and a cease-fire extension in Yemen. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
ELECTION 2022-SENATE-ARIZONA-TRUMP — Donald Trump endorses investor Blake Masters in the crowded Republican Senate primary in Arizona, siding with another acolyte of tech investor Peter Thiel. SENT: 1,140 words, photo.
ELECTION 2022-LYNCHING AD-KENTUCKY — Kentucky Democrat Charles Booker appears on camera with a noose around his neck in a new online ad attacking his election opponent, Republican Sen. Rand Paul. The ad criticizes Paul for blocking anti-lynching legislation two years ago. It fails to mention that Paul co-sponsored a new version of the measure that cleared Congress this year and was signed by President Joe Biden. SENT: 830 words, photos.
ELECTION-2022-CALIFORNIA-HOUSE — California’s primary on Tuesday will set the stage for a November election where a handful of U.S. House seats in the Los Angeles area and Central Valley will help determine which party controls Congress. SENT: 1,310 words, photos.
EPA-WATER — The Environmental Protection Agency proposes handing more power to states and tribes to block major energy projects based on water quality concerns. SENT: 610 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS — Reparations experts and advocates largely welcomed a move by California to acknowledge in writing its role in perpetuating discrimination against African Americans. The 500-page document released Wednesday details the harms suffered by descendants of enslaved people and how federal, state and local laws, public officials and the courts were active in sustaining systemic racism. SENT: 860 words, photos.
SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-HARVEY-WEINSTEIN — A New York appeals court upheld Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction and 23-year prison sentence, rejecting the movie mogul’s claims that the judge at his landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced him by allowing women to testify about allegations that weren’t part of the criminal case. SENT: 890 words, photo.
SPELLING-BEE — A champion will be crowned in the finals of the first fully in-person Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2019. That year’s bee ended in an eight-way tie, which is no longer possible under new competition rules. The 2020 bee was canceled because of the pandemic, and the bee returned under new leadership and a mostly virtual format last year. SENT: 765 words, photos. WITH: SPELLING-BEE-REINSTATEMENT — A speller has been reinstated into the Scripps National Spelling Bee field after successfully appealing that he was denied relevant root information about a word. SENT: 335 words, photos.
JOHN-HINCKLEY — John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is saying thank you to the people who helped him win freedom from court oversight. On Wednesday, a judge held a final hearing in Hinckley’s case and said his release from conditions would occur as planned June 15. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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EL SALVADOR-ARBITRARY ARRESTS — Over the past 10 weeks, El Salvador’s security forces have arrested more than 36,000 people since the congress granted President Nayib Bukele the power to suspend some civil liberties to pursue powerful street gangs. Lawmakers extended those powers by another 30 days last week as public opinion polls showed broad popular support. However, human rights groups say a growing number of the arrests appear arbitrary or unjustified. SENT: 1,720 words, photos. An abridged version of 990 words is available.
POLAND-EUROPE-JUDICIARY-EXPLAINER — Poland’s prime minister recently asserted that the vast majority of Polish judges under scrutiny by a controversial judicial chamber were drunk drivers, rapists or thieves. That claim was quickly rejected by nearly 60 judges being investigated by the so-called Disciplinary Chamber at the Supreme Court of Poland. SENT: 970 words, photos.
MEXICO CORRUPTION — The United States has extradited a former Mexican border state governor to his homeland, where he is accused of embezzling millions of dollars in state funds. SENT: 135 words, photo.
LT-PERU-AMAZON-DEFORESTATION — Peru has descended into one of the worst political crises in its history and protection of its Amazon rainforest is failing, according to a report published today. Peru is home to the second-largest portion of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil. The country had pledged to stop deforestation by 2021. SENT: 700 words, photo.
YEMEN — The United Nations says that Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to renew a nationwide truce for another two months. The announcement is a glimmer of hope for the Arab world’s most impoverished country, plagued by eight years of civil war. SENT: 930 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli forces have shot and killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during what the army described as violent confrontations. They are among four Palestinians who have been killed in the last two days at a time of heightened Mideast tensions. SENT: 550 words, photos.
MYANMAR-HUMANITARIAN-CRISIS — The United Nations’ humanitarian relief agency says the number of people displaced within strife-torn Myanmar has for the first time exceeded 1 million, with well over half the total losing their homes after a military takeover last year. SENT: 560 words, photos.
FRANCE-ANGRY-DIPLOMATS — Members of the French diplomatic corps are dropping their traditional reserve to go on a rare strike, angered by a planned reform they worry will hurt their careers and France’s standing in the world. SENT: 790 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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NATURAL-GAS-EXPORTS-THREAT-TO-GULF — There are neighborhoods in Southwest Louisiana that have endured seven federally declared disasters in just two years. Those storms are increasingly amped up by climate change, which is fueled by growing emissions. Those emissions come from burning coal, oil and natural gas and from leaks and deliberate releases of natural gas. Yet these same storm-prone neighborhoods are near a buildout of new plants that supercool natural gas for export. The region provides a contrast between the need to phase out fossil fuels to address climate change and the world’s growing demand for natural gas. SENT: 2,240 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,055 words is available.
MED-MELATONIN-KIDS — Researchers are drawing attention to a rise in poisonings in children involving the sleep aid melatonin — including a big jump during the pandemic. SENT: 550 words, photo.
AFRICA-MONKEYPOX — The World Health Organization’s Africa office says the continent’s 54 countries must be part of a united global fight against monkeypox, as countries in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere respond to unusual outbreaks of the disease. SENT: 550 words, photo.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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SUMMER-JOBS-VACANCIES — 2022 is expected to be the best summer job market for teens in 15 years. Researchers at Drexel University’s Center for Labor Markets and Policy predicted in a report last month that an average of 33% of youths ages 16 to 19 will be employed each month from June through August this year, the highest such rate since 34% in the summer of 2007. And the pay available to them — $15 or $16 an hour for entry-level work — is drawing some back into the job market. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — The stock market shook off a wobbly start and ended broadly higher Thursday, marking its first gain in this holiday-shortened week. SENT: 580 words, photos.
OPEC-OIL-PRICES — The OPEC oil cartel and allied producing countries including Russia will raise production by 648,000 barrels per day in July and August, offering modest relief for a global economy suffering from soaring energy prices and the resulting inflation. SENT: 550 words, photos.
HOJO'S-RESTAURANT CLOSED — The Howard Johnson’s restaurant in the resort village of Lake George, N.Y., is closed. It was the last of the once-pervasive eateries serving food under orange roofs with blue spires. SENT: 290 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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DEPP-HEARD-CAREERS — After an explosive six-week libel trial followed by millions on social media and live TV, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard each face an uphill battle: trying to rebuild their images and careers. Depp already has a head start, with a jury verdict that largely favored his narrative, that his ex-wife defamed him by accusing him of abusing her. SENT: 1,170 words, photos, video.
QUENTIN TARANTINO PODCAST — Almost 40 years after meeting at Video Archives in 1983, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary are revisiting that pivotal moment and the films that made them with the Video Archives Podcast, a new venture from SiriusXM’s Stitcher premiering this summer. SENT: 290 words, photo.
MUSIC-CMA FEST — The CMA Fest is prohibiting Confederate flag imagery at its four-day country music festival. SENT: 190 words.
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SPORTS
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BKN-NBA-FINALS — Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors begin their quest for a fourth championship in eight seasons when they host the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts at 9 p.m.
HKN-OILERS-AVALANCHE — Brace for more offensive fireworks as Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche try to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference final against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Game 1 featured 14 goals and 84 shots. Both teams could be using their backup goaltenders in Game 2, with Darcy Kuemper banged up and Mike Smith coming off a rough outing. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts at 8 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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