AP News Digest 3 a.m.

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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RUSSIA-VENEZUELA-SANCTIONS — Politically connected billionaires from Russia and Venezuela are at the center of a 49-page criminal indictment that reads like a how-to guide on circumventing U.S. sanctions. Charges were unveiled this week in New York against seven individuals who allegedly used a complex network of Hong Kong shell companies, cryptocurrency and cash drop offs to sidestep the western financial system. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy’s aim was to purchase sensitive U.S. military technology, smuggle illicit Venezuelan oil and launder tens of millions of dollars on behalf of wealthy Russian businessmen. By Joshua Goodman. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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CAPITAL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol formally issues its subpoena to Donald Trump, demanding testimony from the former president who lawmakers say “personally orchestrated” a multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. By Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. WITH: CAPITAL RIOT-INVESTIGATION-GLANCE — What does the committee want from Trump? SENT: 580 words, photo; CAPITOL RIOT-BANNON — Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally, is sentenced to four months behind bars after defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian forces bombarded Russian positions in the occupied and illegally annexed southern Kherson region, targeting resupply routes across a major river while inching closer to a full assault on one of the first urban areas Russia captured after invading the country. Russian-installed officials were reported desperately trying to turn the city of Kherson into a fortress while attempting to evacuate tens of thousands of residents. By Sabra Ayres and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 920 words, photos.

STUDENT-LOAN-DEBT — A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans, throwing the program into limbo just days after people began applying for loan forgiveness. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay while it considers a motion from six Republican-led states to block the program. The stay ordered the Biden administration not to act on the program while it considers the appeal. By Jim Salter. SENT: 990 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-GOP VOTING — Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot — hold onto it and hand it in at a polling place on Nov. 8. By Christina A. Cassidy and Ali Swenson. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

BRITAIN-POLITICS — Several British lawmakers, including scandal-tarnished former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, jockeyed for support Friday to become the country’s next leader following the implosion of Liz Truss’ historically short-lived government. The governing Conservative Party has ordered a lightning-fast race that aims to have a new prime minister in place within a week. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,045 words, photos.

GEORGIA ELECTION INVESTIGATION — Sen. Lindsey Graham asks the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling ordering him to testify before a special grand jury investigating whether Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia. SENT: 310 words, photo.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-GENERAL — The general carrying out President Vladimir Putin’s new military strategy in Ukraine has a reputation for brutality — for bombing civilians in Russia’s campaign in Syria. SENT: 960 words, photos.

EUROPE-ENERGY — European Union leaders are struggling to find immediate practical solutions on how to deal with the energy crisis but avoid an open rift between Germany and France. The 27 EU leaders papered over divisions between some of the biggest member states and at least agreed to continue work on ways to impose a gas price cap in case of massive increases. SENT: 950 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-EUROPE — European Union leaders gave the green light to a plan to provide Ukraine with 18 billion euros in financial support over the next year, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia is trying to spark a refugee exodus by destroying his country’s energy infrastructure. SENT: 570 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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CARDI B-TATTOO TRIAL — A jury sided with Cardi B on Friday in a copyright infringement case involving a man who claimed the Grammy-winning rapper misused his back tattoos for her sexually suggestive 2016 mixtape cover art. SENT: 750 words, photos.

ERRANT IDAHO ALLIGATOR — Idaho Fish and Game officials are asking the public for help with a particularly unusual find — a 3.5-foot alligator that was discovered hiding in the brush of a rural neighborhood about 40 miles northwest of Boise. SENT: 200 words.

FRANCE-HERO-DOGS -- France has inaugurated a memorial paying tribute to all “civilian and military hero dogs.” SENT: 740 words, photos.

SWEETIE PIE’S-MURDER PLOT -- Relatives confronted the man who fatally shot a former star of the St. Louis-based reality TV show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” when he was sentenced to 32 years in prison. “How can you sleep?” Kalyn Griggs asked Travell Anthony Hill. SENT: 340 words.

TEXAS-TWINS-ABUSE -- Court records say a teenager told Texas police that he and his twin sister were handcuffed and endured horrific abuse before escaping their family’s home near Houston. SENT: 450 words, photos.

NOT REAL NEWS — A look at what didn’t happen this week. SENT: 2,100 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION 2022-IRS — The IRS got long-sought additional funding from Congress this summer. GOP candidates across the country are making attacks on a larger IRS a central part of their midterm election pitch, warning in often misleading ads that the Democratic legislation will bankroll an army of auditors to harass middle-class taxpayers. By Kevin Freking And Fatima Hussein. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-KAGAN — Justice Elena Kagan on Friday waded into the issue of divisiveness on the Supreme Court, saying that “time will tell” whether the court can get back to “finding common ground” after a term in which its six conservatives and three liberals split over contentious issues like abortion and gun rights. SENT: 630 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-MISINFORMATION-TECH — Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Twitter say they’re taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation about voting and elections ahead of next month’s midterms. Yet a look at some of the most popular platforms shows baseless claims about election fraud continue to flourish. SENT: 950 words, photos. WITH: SOCIAL-MEDIA-MIDTERMS-MISINFORMATION — TikTok’s algorithms are very good at finding videos to keep people glued to their phone screens for hours on end but a new report finds the platform isn't good at is detecting ads that contain blatant misinformation about U.S. elections. SENT: 640 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-BALLOT ISSUES EXPLAINER — Voters across the country are deciding ballot measures that could reshape the ways they cast ballots in coming elections. SENT: 750 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-BIDEN — President Biden predicts the momentum will shift back to Democrats in the final days of the midterm elections and the party will do “just fine,” as GOP candidates have tightened or pulled ahead in key races. SENT: 340 words, photos. WITH: YELLEN — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen promotes Biden administration policies as the key to advancing the nation’s “long-term economic well-being.” SENT: 360 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-SENATE-OHIO — A high-tech indoor farming company in Appalachia promoted by JD Vance and financed in part by his venture capital firm is facing five lawsuits alleging it misled regulators and duped investors. SENT: 1,250 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-BESIEGED COUNTY — Republican commissioners in one rural New Mexico county have tried everything to persuade voters that their elections are secure, and none of it seems to be working. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

CAPITOL RIOT-PHOTOGRAPHER ASSAULTED — A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for assaulting an Associated Press photographer and attacking police officers with a stun gun during the U.S. Capitol riot. SENT: 710 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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OFFICERS SHOT-CONNECTICUT-FUNERALS — Thousands of police officers from around the country gathered in a football stadium in Connecticut for a funeral for two officers who were shot to death in an apparent ambush. SENT: 560 words, photos.

TRIBAL-RESERVATION-SHOOTING — Authorities said they have arrested two of the three suspects they were searching for after two people were found dead and a police officer was shot on a tribal reservation in northeastern Washington. SENT: 320 words, photos.

SCHOOL SHOOTING-MICHIGAN — A teenager accused of killing four fellow students and injuring more at a Michigan high school is expected to plead guilty to murder next week, authorities said. SENT: 560 words, photos.

EMMETT TILL STATUE — A Mississippi community with an elaborate Confederate monument plans to unveil a larger-than-life statue of Emmett Till, not far from where white men kidnapped and killed the Black teenager over accusations that he flirted with a white woman in a country store. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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CHINA-PARTY-CONGRESS — The closing session of a major weeklong meeting of China’s ruling Communist Party has gotten underway. The roughly 2,000 delegates were expected to approve changes to the party constitution that could further enhance Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s hold on power. SENT: 120 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.

ITALY-POLITICS — Giorgia Meloni formed Italy’s new ruling coalition, giving the country its first far-right-led government since the end of World War II and becoming the first woman tapped to serve as the country’s premier. A presidential palace official announced that Meloni and her Cabinet would be sworn in on Saturday. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neo-fascist roots, was the top vote-getter in Italy’s national election last month. By Frances D’Emilo and Giada Zampano. SENT: 830 words, photos. WITH: ITALY-MELONI-PROFILE -- As a young teen, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni embarked on an ideological quest that has propelled her to the height of government power. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-POLITICS — Officials say Pakistan’s elections commission has disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding public office for five years, after finding he had unlawfully sold state gifts and concealed assets as premier. The decision is likely to deepen lingering political turmoil in the impoverished country. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-PARTY-CHINA-CONGRESS — As China’s ruling Communist Party holds a congress this week, many Beijing residents are focused on an issue not on the formal agenda: Will the end of the meeting bring an easing of the at times draconian “zero-COVID” policies? SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Roslyn gained strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday and forecasters expected it to be a hurricane when it makes a likely weekend landfall between the resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. SENT: 240 words, photo.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONLINE-LEARNING-REGRETS — As the harmful effects of extended pandemic school closures become more apparent, some educators and parents have regrets. They’re questioning decisions in cities across the U.S. to remain online long after clear evidence emerged that schools weren’t COVID-19 super-spreaders — and months after life-saving adult vaccines became widely available. Talking about “learning loss” is controversial, but the casualties of Zoom school are real. By Bianca Vazquez Toness and Jocelyn Gecker. SENT: 2,130 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,170 words is also available.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, notching sizable weekly gains for major indexes. The benchmark S&P 500 rose 2.4% Friday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq also gained ground. SENT: 940 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MUSIC-TAYLOR SWIFT — Taylor Swift has said “Midnights” was inspired by certain key sleepless nights, something many of her fans undoubtedly experienced as the singer-songwriter dropped seven bonus tracks and a music video just hours after the album’s release Friday. SENT: 670 words, photos. WITH: MUSIC-REVIEW-TAYLOR-SWIFT — SENT: 745 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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BBN-NLCS-PADRES-PHILLIES — Kyle Schwarber homered and Jean Segura hit a two-run single to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres for a 2-1 lead in the National League Championship Series. SENT: 820 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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