AP News Digest 2 p.m.

APTOPIX Britain Soccer Premier League (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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.

———————————

TOP STORIES

———————————

UKRAINE-TENSIONS — Pro-Russia separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilization while Western leaders made increasingly dire warnings that a Russia invasion of its neighbor appeared imminent. By Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. With: UKRAINE-TENSIONS-BALTICS — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured the three Baltic nations that they would not be on their own if faced with security threats from Russia. SENT: 630 words, photos. With: UKRAINE-TENSIONS-SANCTIONS — EU chief: Russia could be cut off from markets, tech goods. SENT: 500 words, photos.

UKRAINE TENSIONS-HARRIS — Vice President Kamala Harris says the world has arrived at “a decisive moment in history” and that the United States is committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty against the threat of what the West calls an imminent threat of invasion by Russia. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 730 words, photos.

Find full Ukraine coverage here.

ELECTION-2022-FIGHT FOR FAMILIES — Senate Democrats and Republicans each want to flash election-year signals that they’re helping families struggling with rising costs and the 2-year-old pandemic. Democrats plans votes on proposals aimed at reducing inflation. Republicans are blaming President Joe Biden and Democrats for the worst price increases in decades, but they’re also focusing on COVID-era social issues like mask and vaccine mandates. By Alan Fram. SENT: 940 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PROTESTS — Police aggressively pushed back protesters in Canada’s besieged capital, seizing control of trucks and clearing the streets in front of Parliament, the heart of the protests. Scores of trucks left under the increasing pressure, raising authorities’ hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. SENT: 680 words, photos.

GUANTANAMO CLOSURE-EXPLAINER — The Biden administration has been quietly laying the groundwork to release prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and at least move closer to being able to shut it down. A review board has determined more than half of the 39 men held indefinitely without charge can now be safely released to their homelands or sent to another country. Some could start to leave in the coming weeks and months. By Ben Fox. SENT: 950 words, photos.

DAUNTE-WRIGHT-OFFICER-TRIAL — The issue of race was barely brought up during the trial of Kim Potter, a former suburban Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of manslaughter for killing Daunte Wright after she said she confused her handgun for her Taser. But Wright’s family members and many activists say the killing of the 20-year-old Black motorist has always been about race, from the moment officers decided to pull him over, to the moment a judge gave Potter a two-year sentence, which family members decried as giving more consideration to the white defendant than the Black victim. By Amy Forliti. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

OLY-MASCOT-FOLLIES — The popular panda mascot of the Beijing Games got into a minor controversy last week when horrified fans by speaking with a grown man’s voice on Chinese TV. But the incident is just the latest comic mishap for Olympic mascots, which are supposed to embody the culture of their host cities. By Candice Choi. SENT: 890 words, photos.

———————————————————

MORE ON THE OLYMPICS

———————————————————

OLY-US-TEAM MEDALS — Arbitrators have rejected a last-ditch request by American figure skaters to have their silver medals awarded before the end of the Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Beijing dismissed the appeal by the nine skaters, who finished second in the team event that was marred by a doping positive by 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva. SENT: 530 words, photos.

PAIRS-FREE-SKATE — Sui Wenjing and Han Cong captured the Olympic gold medal that eluded them by a razor-thin margin four years ago. They edged Russian rivals Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov by less than a point to win the pairs figure skating competition at the Beijing Games. SENT: 550 words, photos.

OLY-CHINA-THE-CHAINED-WOMAN — As the world watches the Beijing Olympics, the story of a chained woman who appeared in a video in rural China has continued to grow. It has evaded numerous censors both digital and human. The original accounts that shared the video disappeared, and censors on social media platforms deleted articles and hashtags. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.

OLY-STUDENT-ATHLETES — Here’s one thing the pandemic has made easier for the young stars of the Beijing Olympics: juggling the demands of elite athletic competition with college life. Remote schooling, now a fact of life for students everywhere, also comes in handy when you’re a world away from campus for weeks at a time. And the technology has been battle tested for two years now. SENT: 710 words, photos.

OLY-ATHLETES-ON-RESILIENCE — Whether it’s a sidelining injury or loss on the world stage, Olympic athletes know what it’s like to suffer major setbacks — and to bounce back. Most athletes who earn a chance to compete in an Olympic Games do not go home with medals. But many often go home having achieved a personal best: a career-high judging score or a faster race time. For athletes, it’s evidence that resilience does yield a prize at the Olympics. SENT: 720 words, photos.

OLY--FIG-DOH CANADA — Whether it was its two men finishing ninth and last among 29 skaters or its only woman barely cracking the top 20, Canada has struggled mightily in figure skating during the Beijing Olympics. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 768 words, photos.

————————————————————————-

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

—————————————————————————

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HONG-KONG — Hong Kong has reported 15 coronavirus deaths and more than 6,000 confirmed cases for a second day in its latest infection surge. SENT: 140 words, photo.

—————————————-

TRENDING NEWS

——————————————

FRANCE-EPSTEIN PROBE — A modeling agent who was close to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his French jail cell, where he was being held in an investigation into the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. SENT: 580 words, photos.

BIG-BIRTHDAY-TATTOO — A Michigan woman soon will celebrate a milestone birthday. How old? Look at her decorative upper arm. Gloria Weberg has “NY NY 1922” tattooed on her left arm, the year and place of her birth. SENT: 200 words, photos.

MISSING ACTOR FOUND DEAD — Actor Lindsey Erin Pearlman, 43, who had roles in “General Hospital,” “American Housewife” and other shows, was found dead days after she was reported missing in Los Angeles, authorities said. SENT: 135 words.

—————————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

—————————————————-

TRUMP-INVESTIGATIONS — Former President Donald Trump faced one legal setback after another this week as judges ruled against him, his accounting firm declared his financial statements unreliable, and the National Archives confirmed that he took classified information with him to Florida. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,370 words, photos. With NATIONAL ARCHIVES-TRUMP — The National Archives refers the matter of Trump’s records to the Justice Department. SENT: 620 words, photo; CAPITOL RIOT-LAWSUITS — A federal judge rejects efforts by Trump to toss out lawsuits that claim his actions led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. SENT: 560 words, photo.

————————

NATIONAL

————————

NEWTOWN SHOOTING-GUN MAKER — After agreeing to a $73 million lawsuit settlement with gun-maker Remington, the families of nine Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims say they are shifting their focus to ending firearms advertising with macho, military themes that exploit young men’s insecurities, all in the hopes of preventing more mass shootings. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

RACIAL INJUSTICE PROTEST-TEXAS — Jose Garza ran for district attorney in Austin on promises to hold police accountable in Texas’ capital city. He got off to a fast start, charging at least seven officers during his first year on the job, including one charged with murder twice. But no cases have reached deeper into the police department than the indictments Thursday of 19 officers on felony charges over tactics used during the 2020 racial injustice protests. SENT: 910 words, photos.

MISSISSIPPI-TAX ELIMINATION — Mississippi is accustomed to being first in worsts: It’s one of the poorest, unhealthiest states in the nation, with public schools that are chronically underfunded. Some Republican leaders say a good way to boost the state’s fortunes would be to phase out its income tax. SENT: 990 words, photos.

INFRASTRUCTURE-FUNDING-SOCIAL JUSTICE — The Biden administration says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will spend $14 billion on a variety of infrastructure and environmental restoration projects that promote social, economic and environmental justice. But some of the rules for allocating funding are still being written and some local officials and activists are worried about whether they’re being applied in a way that fulfills the administration’s promise. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.

————————————

INTERNATIONAL

————————————

MEXICO-VIOLENCE — Special squads of Mexican army troops equipped with metal detectors and bomb suits have deployed to the western state of Michoacan, where warring drug cartels have planted land mines or improvised explosive devices. SENT: 390 words, photos.

EUROPE-STORM — Crews cleared fallen trees and worked to restore power to about 400,000 people in Britain as Western Europe cleaned up after one of the most damaging storms for years. SENT: 400 words, photos.

EMIRATES-US — American wheat farmers will boost production and prevent supply chain problems in the event that a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine chokes off agricultural exports from the global grains powerhouse, the U.S. secretary of agriculture said during a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates. SENT: 590 words, photos.

GREECE-FERRY-FIRE — Rescue teams in Greece searched a burning ferry for 12 people believed to be missing after it caught fire in the Ionian Sea while en route to Italy, while passengers described a frightening evacuation from the ship. SENT: 380 words, photos.

NICARAGUA-CRACKDOWN — Nicaraguan authorities have ordered home detention for three opposition figures suffering from health problems, one week after another died following months of incarceration. SENT: 270 words, photos.

IRAN-NUCLEAR — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “now is the moment of truth” to determine whether Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers can be salvaged, and the Iranian leadership needs to make a choice. SENT: 400 words, photos.

———————-

SCIENCE

———————-

STUTTERING-RESEARCH — Researchers are delving into the biological underpinnings of stuttering. The condition affects 70 million people worldwide, including President Joe Biden. It’s often misunderstood as a psychological problem caused by things like bad parenting or emotional trauma. But research discussed at a science conference stresses the ge1netics and brain differences behind it. SENT: 890 words, photos.

——————————————-

HOW TO REACH US

———————————————

At the Nerve Center, Sophia Eppolito can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.