BC-AP News Digest 2:15 am
Here are the AP's latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT.
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ONLY ON AP
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers, Friday, March 31, 2017, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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TOM SIZEMORE-STUNTMAN INJURED - Records obtained by AP show that actor Tom Sizemore was not supposed to drive a vehicle during the filming of a scene for the "Shooter" television series in which he ran over veteran stuntman Steve de Castro, seriously injuring him. By Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m., photos.
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TOP STORIES
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TRUMP-INTELLIGENCE - The White House's funneling of information to a top Republican lawmaker has further eroded President Donald Trump's relationship with his spy agencies and deepened suspicions that he is seeking to manipulate intelligence for political gain. By Julie Pace, Eileen Sullivan and Vivian Salama. UPCOMING: 850 words by 3 p.m., photos.
TRUMP-RUSSIA-PROBE - Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's offer of cooperation in exchange for immunity is rebuffed by congressional investigators who say it's too early in their probe of his Russia connections to discuss a deal. By Eileen Sullivan. SENT: 300 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos, video. With IMMUNITY Q&A - Questions and answers about various types of legal immunity.
OVERPASS COLLAPSE-FIRE -Atlanta's dreadful rush-hour traffic gets even worse after a raging fire underneath Interstate 85 collapses an elevated portion of the highway through the heart of the city. By Kate Brumback and Russ Bynum. SENT: 500 words., photos. UPCOMING: New approach of 600 words, by 4 p.m. WITH: OVERPASS COLLAPSE-FIRE-THE LATEST.
TEXAS JAILS-IMMIGRANT DETENTION - Several Texas counties that are struggling with debt because their jails have few or no prisoners hope to refill those cellblocks with a different kind of inmate: immigrants who have entered the country illegally. By Claudia Lauer. SENT: 900 words with photos.
SKOREA-POLITICS-THE CELL -For a person whose life always seemed to revolve around South Korea's huge presidential palace, the next several months will be lived on a much smaller scale. Disgraced former President Park Geun-Park's cell has a television, a toilet, a sink, a table and a mattress. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 640 words, photos. With AP EXPLAINS-SKOREA-POLITICS -Park's fate and what happens next in South Korea. SENT: 770 words, photo.
VENEZUELA-POLITICAL CRISIS - The Supreme Court's move to strip Venezuela's opposition-controlled Congress of its last vestiges of power draws widespread condemnation from foreign governments and even a rebuke from the country's normally pro-government prosecutor. Security forces violently repress protests that break out in the capital. By Jorge Rueda and Joshua Goodman. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words with new approach, photos, by 4 p.m.
BKC-FINAL FOUR-KEY MATCHUPS - Oregon will have to stop one of the best offensive teams in the country to beat North Carolina. South Carolina must contend with massive Przemek Karnowski to have a shot against Gonzaga. These are just a few of the key matchups for Saturday's Final Four games. By Basketball Writer John Marshall. UPCOMING: 600 words by 6 p.m.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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TRUMP UNIVERSITY - Judge approves $25 million Trump University settlement. SENT: 650 words, photos.
CRAYOLA-COLOR RETIRED -Crayola boots dandelion for bluish crayon yet to be named. SENT: 130 words, photos, video.
CESAR CHAVEZ DAY - Farmworkers in California are using the 90th birthday of Cesar Chavez to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policies. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 3 p.m.
CHINA-PANDA PRESERVE - China plans panda preserve 3 times size of Yellowstone park. SENT: 300 words.
ESTONIA-POLICE TEDDY BEARS - Estonia children's charity plans to donate teddies to police to help them comfort children. SENT: 130 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON & POLITICS
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TRUMP TRADE - President Donald Trump signs executive orders aimed at cracking down on trade abuses as he prepares to bring his tough trade rhetoric to a meeting next week with China's president. SENT: 700 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m.
SENATE-SUPREME COURT - Senate Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee grows, setting up a showdown with Republicans who have the votes to confirm Neil Gorsuch if they change the rules. SENT: 843 words, photos. UPCOMING: 750 words by 4 p.m.
WHITE HOUSE-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES - The White House is scheduled to share financial information about some of its top staff members late Friday, possibly including President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner. UPCOMING: Developing from release at 5 p.m., 800 words by 7 p.m.
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NATIONAL
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CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING - Convicted South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof is set to plead guilty to state murder charges, avoiding a second death sentence and effectively bringing to a close the prosecutions against him for the 2015 slaughter. SENT: 350 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
LEAD-TAINTED TOWN - Nine months later, 45 of some 330 families in the former industrial town of East Chicago, Indiana, have yet to be evacuated from a housing project ordered emptied by the mayor because of severe lead contamination, with some families resisting because they don't want to return to violence-plagued neighborhoods in Chicago. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 4 p.m.
TRUMP-MAYOR - Roger Claar has been no stranger to controversy in his 30 years as mayor of the southwestern Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, but he faces a bigger challenge than ever in his bid for re-election Tuesday, for one reason. He supported Donald Trump. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 3 p.m.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS - Israel will limit new settlement construction in the West Bank "when possible" to within areas already developed or at least to contiguous areas, President Benjamin Netanyahu's government announces as a gesture to President Donald Trump as it approves the first new settlement in the territory in two decades. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
MIDEAST-CIVILIAN CASUALTIES - The Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked militants are quickly moving to drum up outrage over a sharp spike in civilian casualties said to have been caused by U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The propaganda points to the risk that greater tolls and destruction could undermine the American-ledexac campaign against the militants. SENT: 1.070 words, photos.
EUROPE-BREXIT - The European Union raises the possibility of starting general talks on Britain's future relationship with the bloc as early as the fall if decisive progress is made on key parts of the divorce proceedings - a move that grants some of the British prime minister's wishes. SENT: 850 words, photos.
PAKISTAN - A car bomb explodes near a Shiite Muslim mosque in the town of Parachinar in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 24 people and wounding over 100, officials say. SENT: 640 words.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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ZIKA VACCINE - U.S. health officials have begun enrolling volunteers to test an experimental vaccine to protect against Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause devastating birth defects in pregnant women. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m., photos.
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BUSINESS
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WELCOMING CHINESE TOURISTS - High-end hotels offer congee and other Chinese breakfast staples. Restaurants adopt picture-based menus. Tourism sites translate more signs into Mandarin or offer interpreters. The U.S. hospitality industry is visibly stepping up efforts to lure Chinese visitors as they are forecast to become the largest international demographic by 2021. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Alexandra Olson can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Don King ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm, 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.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, front left, speaks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, front right, during a group photo of NATO foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday, March 31, 2017. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with his NATO counterparts in Brussels for the first time looking to persuade reluctant allies to increase defense spending and do more to combat terrorism.(AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Crews work on a section of an overpass that collapsed from a large fire on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Friday, March 31, 2017. Many commuters in some of Atlanta's densely populated northern suburbs will have to find alternate routes or ride public transit for the foreseeable future after a massive fire caused a bridge on Interstate 85 to collapse Thursday, completely shutting down the heavily traveled highway. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Capitol Hill is seen in the distance as rain falls on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, early Friday, March 31, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
University students push on the riot shields of Venezuelan Bolivarian National guards officers during a protest outside of the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 31, 2017. Venezuelans have been thrust into a new round of political turbulence after the government-stacked Supreme Court gutted congress of its last vestiges of power, drawing widespread condemnation from foreign governments and sparking protests in the capital. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A man stands on a sidewalk in a neighborhood recently retaken by Iraqi security forces during fighting against Islamic State militants on the western side of in Mosul, Iraq, Friday, March 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
