BC-AP News Digest 2 pm

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 03:04 EST, 3 March 2017 | Updated: 14:04 EST, 3 March 2017

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Here are the AP's latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST.

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ONLY ON AP

Germany's Eric Frenzel competes in the men's nordic combined team sprint at the 2017 Nordic Skiing World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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CHICAGO VIOLENCE-TRAIN THEFTS - Gangs have repeatedly stolen guns after breaking into the box cars at a little-tended railyard near Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. The spate of incidents - including one heist of 111 brand new Rugers - highlight the dangerous confluence of the railyards near the city's most violent areas. By Michael Tarm. SENT: 900 words, photos video.

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TOP STORIES

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ATTORNEY GENERAL-RUSSIA - Some Democrats worry that appointing a Jeff Sessions subordinate to oversee an investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election is not a clean enough break from the embattled attorney general. But the veteran prosecutor in line for the job may be uniquely acceptable. By Eric Tucker. UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m., photos. With ART OF THE PARSE - In Washington, it's the art of the parse: Everyone splits rhetorical hairs from time to time, but politicians are especially adept at it. SENT: 700 words, photos

RUSSIA-US - As the drama over Attorney General Jeff Sessions plays out, the Kremlin is watching with a mixture of frustration and regret how the uproar is blocking progress on pressing issues on the U.S.-Russian agenda. But despite dashed hopes for a quick thaw, Moscow voices its readiness to wait as long as it takes. By Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 700 words, photos.

PENCE-EMAILS -While governor of Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly stonewalled public records requests for his emails, with his administration going to great lengths to conceal his use of a private AOL email address to conduct state business - actions that contrast with the reputation Pence sought to cultivate as a defender of the press. By Brian Slodysko. SENT: 470 words, photo. UPCOMING: 750 words with new approach.

JEWISH GROUPS-THREATS - A former journalist fired for making up details in stories is accused of threatening eight Jewish institutions nationwide and making a bomb threat against New York's Anti-Defamation League in an effort to harass and vilify his former girlfriend. By Colleen Long. SENT: 750 words. UPCOMING: Developing from afternoon court hearing. With JEWISH GROUPS-THREATS-THE LATEST; JEWISH GROUPS-THREATS-GLANCE (sent).

YELLEN - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is signaling that the Fed will likely resume raising interest rates later this month to reflect a strengthening job market and inflation edging toward the central bank's 2 percent target rate. By Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger. SENT:

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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SNAP IPO-HIGH SCHOOL -A California high school makes $24 million from Snap IPO. SENT: 180 words, photo.

FILM-DISNEY-GAY MOMENT? - Does Disney's first gay character appear in "Beauty and the Beast"? Not really, but director Bill Condon calls the subtle development a "gay moment." UPCOMING: 550 words by 3 p.m.

NINTENDO-SWITCH - The Nintendo Switch, a hybrid game machine that works as both a console at home and a portable tablet on the go, makes its debut. SENT: 900 words, photos.

PALESTINIANS-BANKSY -Banksy's art in West Bank hotel with world's 'worst view.' SENT: 480 words, photo.

FRANCE-OBAMA-PRESIDENT - An online petition urging former President Barack Obama to run for French president has more than 45,000 signatures. SENT: 190 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON & POLITICS

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TRUMP - President Donald Trump visits a private Catholic school in Florida, signaling that school choice will dominate his education priorities. SENT: 500 words. UPCOMING 800 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.

ATTORNEY GENERAL-CIVIL RIGHTS - NAACP officials say they remain uneasy after meeting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions over indicatons his department is shifting away from voting rights and problematic policing. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 500 words by 3 p.m., photos.

CONGRESS-TROUBLEMAKERS - The Capitol is suddenly awash with troublemakers and rebels - and that's just Republicans unsettled by the leadership's moves on health care. By Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner. SENT: 841 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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MARIJUANA FESTIVAL-US ATTORNEY - A big cannabis festival set to be held on an Indian tribe's reservation will go off without pot after the U.S. attorney in Nevada said federal laws prohibited its use, raising questions of whether the Trump administration's promise to crackdown on marijuana prompted the intervention. UPCOMING: 650 by 4 p.m., photos.

IMMIGRATION-CRIME VICTIMS - Families of victims of crimes committed by immigrants are praising Trump's announcement this week that he will create a new office to advocate on their behalf. SENT: 880 words, photo.

IMMIGRANT DETAINED -Before she was arrested following an immigration protest, Daniela Vargas loved to watch "Grey's Anatomy," wanted to be an SUV-driving soccer mom with three kids. Now the 22-year-old may be deported without a hearing to Argentina, a country she hasn't seen since she was 7. SENT: 850 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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IRELAND-MASS GRAVE -A mass grave containing the remains of babies and young children has been discovered at a former Catholic orphanage in Ireland, a finding that offers the first conclusive proof following a historian's efforts to trace the fates of nearly 800 children who perished there. SENT: 680 words, photos.

SYRIA-RACE FOR RAQQA - The next major campaign against the Islamic State group will be to take its de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqqa. The Pentagon has drawn up a secret plan to do that, likely leaning on local allies with stepped up American support. The question is: who are those local allies? SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With IRAQ - Thousands of civilians flee Mosul as Iraqi forces advanced. SENT: 500 words, photos.

MALAYSIA-NORTH KOREA - Malaysian police release the only North Korean it had detained in the killing of the half brother of North Korea's leader. SENT: 900 words, photos.

CUBA-TOBACCO BUMPER CROP-PHOTO GALLERY -Cuba's tobacco farmers are celebrating a bumper crop after two bad years that coincided with a boom in demand set off by a surge of tourists and looser U.S. rules on cigar-buying. SENT: 190 words, photos.

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BUSINESS

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FAKE FOODS - Is "fake milk" spoiling the dairy industry's image? Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice "milks" they say are masquerading as the real thing. The U.S. actually spells out the required characteristics for a range of products such as French dressing, canned peas and fruit juice. It's these federal standards of identity that often trigger the food fights. By Food Industry Writer Candice Choi. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-SHIRLEY MACLAINE - Hollywood legend Shirley MacLaine is not slowing down at 82. She shares stories from her past and present and her hopes for projects are yet to come. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING: 900 words by 2 p.m., photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Alina Heineke 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://www.apexchange.com. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477.

Models wear creations for Christian Dior' s Fall-Winter 2017-2018 ready-to-wear fashion collection presented Friday, March 3, 2017 in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

President Donald Trump salutes before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, March 3, 2017, before his departure to Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 3, 2017. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo taken on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, appear in the sky over Bifrost, Western Iceland. The Northern Lights are created as a result of collisions between gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere and charged particles released by the sun, according to the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre in Canada. (AP Photo/Rene Rossignaud)

Firefighters try to contain a fire following a suicide attack at a petrol tankers in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Friday, March 3, 2017. Three suicide bombers set ablaze three fuel tankers in the center of Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri before dawn Friday, officials said, just days before a planned visit by the U.N. Security Council. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)

President Donald Trump family, daughter Ivanka Trump her husband, senior adviser Jared Kushner and their children Arabella Kushner and Joseph Kushner, holding a model of Marine One, walk from Marine One toward Air Force One before their departure with the president from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, March 3, 2017, en route to Florida. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)