AP News Digest 3:20 am

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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TOP STORIES

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KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s previous launch of a nuclear-capable missile over Japan. Experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s goal is to eventually win U.S. recognition as a legitimate nuclear state and the lifting of those sanctions, though the international community has shown no sign of allowing that to happen. By Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-MILITARY WOES-EXPLAINER — Even as the Kremlin moved to absorb parts of Ukraine in a sharp escalation of the conflict, the Russian military suffered new defeats that highlighted its deep problems on the battlefield and opened rifts at the top of the Russian government. The setbacks have badly dented the image of a powerful Russian military and added to the tensions surrounding an ill-planned mobilization. They have also fueled fighting among Kremlin insiders and left Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly cornered. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

GREECE-MIGRANTS MISSING — Residents of a Greek island pulled shipwrecked migrants to safety up steep cliffs in dramatic rescues after two boats sank in Greek waters, leaving at least 15 people dead and dozens still missing. By Thanassis Stavrakis. SENT: 290 words, photos, video.

CLIMATE MIGRATION-INDONESIA — For years, the tide would flood Asiyah’s home along the northern coast of Java, Indonesia. Rising seas and stronger tides as an effect of climate change had destroyed her village’s crops and washed away dirt paths people walked along. She and her family eventually abandoned their home and moved to drier land, becoming climate migrants as many of their neighbors had before them. Their story illustrates how climate change can play a major factor in forcing people to migrate. By Dita Alangkara and Victoria Milko. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, video.

ABORTION CLINIC CLOSURES — At least 66 clinics in 15 states have stopped providing abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to an analysis released. SENT: 360 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA-FAMILY KIDNAPPED — A baby girl, her parents and uncle were found dead in a central California orchard two days after they were kidnapped at gunpoint from their business, police said. By Olga R. Rodriguez and Stefanie Dazio. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.

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MORE ON COVID-19

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VIRUS OUTBREAK CHINA — Sprawling Xinjiang is the latest Chinese region to be hit with sweeping COVID-19 travel restrictions, as China further ratchets up control measures ahead of a key Communist Party congress later this month. SENT: 570 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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ALEC BALDWIN-SET SHOOTING — Lawsuit settled, film may resume after Alec Baldwin shooting. SENT: 740 words, photos.

JUDGE 62ND-BALL OFFER — Fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd homer offered $2 million for ball. SENT: 360 words, photos.

RAMS-49ERS-FAN ON FIELD — Protester subdued by Rams’ Wagner files police report. SENT: 360 words, photos.

TV PRODUCER-SEX ASSAULT — “Scrubs” producer Eric Weinberg charged with sex assaults. SENT: 400 words, photos.

TRANSGENDER CAKE — Colorado baker fighting ruling over gender transition cake. SENT: 780 words, photos.

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ELECTION 2022

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ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-WALKER — A woman who said Herschel Walker paid for her 2009 abortion is the mother of one of his children, according to a new report, undercutting the Republican Senate candidate’s claims that he didn’t know who she was. SENT: 570 words, photo.

ELECTION 2022-STRESSED ELECTION OFFICES — Local election offices are dealing with staffing shortages, threats from the public to workers and poll volunteers, misinformation, and voter roll challenges and public records requests orchestrated by right-wing groups. UPCOMING: 1,100 words, photos. by 8 a.m.

ELECTION 2022-CHENEY-ARIZONA — Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said the Republican candidates for Arizona governor and secretary of state pose a huge risk for democracy because both say they will refuse to certify election results if they don’t like the results. SENT: 760 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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IMMIGRATION-DEFERRED ACTION — A federal appeals court ordered a lower court review of Biden administration revisions to a program preventing the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought into the United States as children. SENT: 790 words, photo.

TEXAS EXECUTION — A Texas death row inmate whose case redefined the role of spiritual advisers in death chambers nationwide was executed, despite the efforts of a district attorney to stop his lethal injection. SENT: 890 words, photo.

NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFORWARS — A Connecticut jury is expected to hear closing arguments in a trial to determine how much Infowars host Alex Jones should pay for persuading his audience that the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax perpetrated to impose more gun control laws. SENT: 530 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY-MOTHER AND CHILD DEATHS — Babies in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region are dying in their first month of life at four times the rate before the war cut off access to most medical care for over 5 million people, according to the most sweeping study yet of how mothers and children are suffering. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 a.m., photos.

BRITAIN-EUROPEAN RESET? — After an acrimonious divorce and years of bickering, Britain’s government looks like it wants to make up with the European Union. SENT: 800 words, photos.

MYANMAR JAPAN JOURNALIST — A court in military-ruled Myanmar has handed a 10-year prison sentence to a Japanese video journalist who was arrested at an anti-government protest in July. SENT: 650 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks were mixed after strong U.S. hiring dampened hopes the Federal Reserve might ease off plans for interest rate hikes and the OPEC group of oil exporters agreed to output cuts to shore up prices. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 480 words, photos.

MUSK-TWITTER-NEXT STEPS-EXPLAINER — Elon Musk’s monthslong tussle with Twitter took another twist this week after the Tesla billionaire seemed to return to where he started in April — offering to buy the company for $44 billion. But it’s not over yet. By Technology Writer Matt O’Brien. SENT: 540 words, photo.

OFF THE CHARTS-EARNINGS PREVIEW — Wall Street expects the latest round of quarterly profits to show burn marks from the hottest inflation in four decades, and the damage could linger into 2023. By Business Writer Damian Troise. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos, by 8 a.m.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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NEW ZEALAND-SKI TROUBLES — New Zealand’s Tūroa ski area closed three weeks early because it has hardly any snow. Climate change appears to be a significant factor, after the country's warmest winter on record. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-KEVIN SPACEY — Kevin Spacey heads to court to defend himself in a lawsuit filed by Anthony Rapp, the actor who in 2017 made the first in a string of sexual misconduct allegations that left the “House of Cards” star’s theater and filmmaking career in tatters. SENT: 510 words, photo.

MUSIC-LORETTA LYNN-ABORTION — Loretta Lynn, the Grammy-winning country music icon who died Tuesday at 90, lived through — and sang about — decades of advancements for women's social movements, achievements now endangered. By Entertainment Writer Kristin M. Hall. UPCOMING: 920 words, photos by 7 a.m.

SWEDEN NOBEL LITERATURE — The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announces the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature. UPCOMING: Developing from 7 a.m. announcement.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Wally Santana (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.