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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35 YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN — Kathy Gannon has reported on Afghanistan for the AP for the past 35 years, during an extraordinary series of events and regime changes that have rocked the world. Through it all, the kindness and resilience of ordinary Afghans has shone through for her – which is also what has made it so painful for her, she says, to watch the slow erosion of their hope. Gannon says she has always been amazed at how Afghans stubbornly hung on to hope against all odds, greeting each of several new regimes with optimism. But by 2018, a Gallup poll showed that the fraction of people in Afghanistan with hope in the future was the lowest ever recorded anywhere. It didn’t have to be this way, Gannon says. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 2,270 words, photos, 1,190-word abridged version.

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TOP STORIES

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INDEPENDENCE-DAY — Independence Day arrives at a time when the United States is roiled by hearings over the Jan. 6 insurrection, awash in turmoil over high court rulings on abortion and guns and struggling to maintain the common bonds that keep it together. Yet many also see cause to celebrate: The pandemic continues to be on the wane and, despite its faults, America’s democracy survives. By Bobby Caina Calvan. SENT: 530 words, photos. With: BIDEN-TWO JULYS — From one July Fourth to the next, a steep slide for Biden. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.

CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s devastating testimony last week against former President Donald Trump, says a member of a House committee investigating the insurrection. By Hope Yen. SENT: 770 words, photos.

RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR — Cities burned to the ground and colleagues with severed limbs. Bombardments so relentless, the only is to lie in a trench, wait and pray. Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region – where Russia is waging a fierce offensive - describe life during what has turned into a grueling war of attrition as apocalyptic. In interviews with The Associated Press, some complained of chaotic organization, desertions and mental health problems caused by relentless shelling. Others spoke of high morale, their colleagues’ heroism, and a commitment to keep fighting, even as the better-equipped Russians control more of the combat zone. By Francesca Ebel. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. With: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Russia has claimed control over the last Ukrainian stronghold in an eastern province that is key to achieving a major goal of its invasion. SENT: 530 words, photos.

DENMARK-SHOOTING — Danish police say that the gunman who opened fire in a shopping mall in Copenhagen on Sunday most likely acted alone and selected his victims at random. Investigators do not believe the attack was terror-related. Three people were killed — two Danes and one Russian citizen — and four others were hospitalized with serious injuries. By Jan M. Olsen. SENT/DEVELOPING:250 words, photos.

FATAL POLICE SHOOTING — Authorities say a Black man was unarmed when Akron police chased him on foot and killed him in a hail of bullets, but officers believed he had shot at them earlier from a vehicle and feared he was preparing to fire again. Akron police released video of the pursuit and killing of 25-year-old Jayland Walker. SENT: 690 words, photos.

THE MEANING OF EQUAL — “All men are created equal.” Few words in American history are invoked as often as the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, published nearly 250 years ago. And are few more difficult to define. The music, and the economy, of “all men are created equal” make it both universal and elusive — and adaptable to viewpoints otherwise with little or no common ground. How we use them often depends less on how we came into this world than on what kind world we want to live in. It’s as if “All men are created equal” leads Americans to ask: “And then what?” By Hillel Italie. SENT: 1,390 words, photos.

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TRENDING NEWS

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ITALY-GLACIER-HIKERS KILLED — A large chunk of a glacier in Italy’s Alps has broken loose and killed at least six hikers and injuring eight others. Alpine rescue service officials, which provided that toll Sunday evening, said it could take hours to determine if any hikers might be missing. SENT: 440 words, photos.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON LETTER — A letter written by founding father Alexander Hamilton in 1780 and believed stolen from the Massachusetts state archives decades ago is being displayed publicly for the first time since it was returned to the state after a lengthy court battle. SENT: 310 words, photo.

R-KELLY — Federal authorities are pushing back on R. Kelly’s claims that he was placed on suicide watch as a form of punishment last week after a judge sentenced him to 30 years behind bars for using his fame to sexually abuse young girls. SENT: 300 words, photo.

AUSTRALIA-FLOODS — More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds have been told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes on Monday as Australia’s largest city braces for what could be its worst flooding in 18 months. SENT: 480 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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BULGARIA-RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS — Two Russian airplanes were set to depart Bulgaria on Sunday with scores of Russian diplomatic staff and their families amid a mass expulsion that has sent tensions soaring between the historically close nations, a Russian diplomat said. SENT: 360 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON & POLITICS

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SUPREME COURT-REGULATING TECH — The Supreme Court’s latest climate change ruling could dampen efforts by federal agencies to rein in the tech industry, which went largely unregulated for decades as the government tried to catch up to changes wrought by the internet. Thursday’s 6-3 decision is widely expected to invite challenges of other rules set by government agencies. SENT: 940 words, photo.

ABORTION-GERRYMANDERING — State legislatures will be in the spotlight as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling giving the power to regulate abortion to the states. While overturning Roe v. Wade, the high court’s majority said it was time to “return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” But some question whether gerrymandering has diminished the ability of state legislatures to truly represent the people’s will. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-GOVERNOR-FLORIDA-AD — Gov. Gavin Newsom is running for reelection in California, but his latest television ad is airing in Florida. The 30-second spot scheduled to air on Fox News starting Monday takes shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his policies, while drawing a contrast with California. SENT: 180 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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MIDEAST-US NAVY — The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet is starting to offer rewards for information that could help sailors intercept weapons, drugs and other illicit shipments across the region. The program launches on Tuesday against the backdrop of tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and Tehran’s arming of Yemen’s Houthi rebels. SENT: 710 words, photos.

CHINA STORMS— A fourth crew member has been rescued after a typhoon sank a Chinese engineering vessel earlier this week about 180 miles south of Hong Kong, according to a Chinese state broadcaster. SENT: 250 words, photo.

MEXICO-IMMIGRATION — Several thousand migrants who set off in southern Mexico with the goal of reaching the United States dissolved their march Sunday after Mexican officials handed out about 3,000 temporary residence permits. SENT: 400 words.

TROPICAL-WEATHER — Tropical Storm Bonnie strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific, a little over a day after it crossed over Central America from the Caribbean dropping heavy rain but causing little damage. SENT: 100 words.

SRI LANKA — Cash-strapped Sri Lanka has extended school closures for one week because there isn’t enough fuel to get teachers and children to classrooms. SENT: 530 words, photo.

INDIA BUS ACCIDENT — A passenger bus has slid off a mountain road and fell into a deep gorge in northern India, killing 16 people, including schoolchildren. SENT:150 words.

ARGENTINA-ECONOMY MINISTER — Argentina has a new economy minister just a day after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor shook the governing coalition at a time it was already having a crisis of unity. SENT: 350 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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TEXAS SHOOTING — Police say a gunman killed two people and wounded four others, including three police officers, before taking his own life at a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A detective says the officers returned fire after being shot at while responding to a report of gunshots at the home in a residential neighborhood. SENT: 320 words.

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT — Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced at a memorial on Sunday where Williams was remembered for his courage, humility and selflessness. SENT: 390 words, photo.

ABORTION CLINIC-WEST VIRGINIA -- Nationwide, workers at clinics that shuttered abortion services are feeling fear and stress as they chart a path forward following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. At what was West Virginia’s only abortion clinic, the days following the historic court ruling have been filled with grief for staff as their new reality sets in. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.

FUNERAL HOME INVESTIGATION — Police are investigating after more than 30 bodies, some decomposing, were found inside a southern Indiana funeral home. SENT: 220 words.

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Shares are mixed in Asia while U.S. futures fell ahead of the July 4 holiday in the U.S. Benchmarks rose in Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney but fell in Hong Kong and Seoul. SENT: 670 words, photos.

MIDWEST-AQUACULTURE — Although fish and seafood consumption is on the rise in the U.S., the number of Midwest aquaculture farms is declining, and many fish producers say they face challenges getting their produce to consumers. SENT: 960 words, photos.

BUFFALO BILLION TRIAL — A federal judge has granted bail to a prominent Buffalo developer and other businessmen serving prison time for a bid-rigging scheme related to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Buffalo Billion” economic redevelopment program. SENT: 270 words.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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BRITAIN-OBIT-BROOK — British theater and film director Peter Brook has died at age 97. Brook was known for an influential and distinguished career which saw him garner worldwide acclaim. SENT: 290 words, photos.

PUERTO RICO-RICKY MARTIN — Representatives for Ricky Martin have denied allegations that led to a restraining order against the Puerto Rican superstar, who has not been charged with any crime. Police said Saturday that a judge had issued the order against Martin, but authorities trying to serve the order were unable to find the superstar in the Puerto Rican town of Dorado where he lives. SENT: 210 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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TEN-WIMBLEDON — Novak Djokovic found himself locked in a tight fourth-round match at Wimbledon against a wild-card entry making his Grand Slam tournament debut. They were even at a set apiece after about 1 1/2 hours of play. But Djokovic soon was in control and ended up winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. SENT: 970 words, photos.

CAR--NASCAR-ROAD AMERICA — Tyler Reddick raced to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory, continuing the season-long trend of first-time winners on road courses. SENT: 460 words, photos.

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