AP News Digest 5:30 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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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian authorities say the Russian military bombed an art school where about 400 people had taken refuge in the port city of Mariupol, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an unrelenting siege by Russian troops would go down in history for what he said were war crimes. By Cara Anna. SENT: 1,310 words, photos, video. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THE-LATEST; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-THINGS TO KNOW.

SUPREME COURT-NOMINATION-FACT CHECK — Republicans are selectively citing the record of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to try to make a case against President Joe Biden’s choice for the Supreme Court. They are treating questions from her judge’s life over the years as statements of opinion to portray her as an outlier not deserving of a seat on the high court, but their assertions on this front don’t stand up to scrutiny. SENT: 890 words, photos.

SAUDI-YEMEN — Yemen’s Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia that targeted a liquified natural gas plant, water desalination plant, oil facility and power station, Saudi state-run media reports. By Isabel Debre. SENT: 830 words, photos.

SOUTH-KOREA-PRESIDENTIAL-OFFICE — South Korea’s president-elect says he will abandon the current mountainside presidential palace of Blue House and establish his office in central Seoul as part of efforts to better communicate with the public. By Hyung-Jin Kim. SENT: 620 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-BABIES WAITING — At a makeshift basement bomb shelter in Ukraine’s capital, at least 20 babies born to surrogate mothers are waiting for their foreign parents to be able to travel to the war-torn country and take them home. SENT: 280 words, photos.

RUSSIA-SPACE-STATION — When three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station wearing yellow flight suits with blue accents, some saw a message in them wearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag. They shot that down. SENT: 240 words, photo.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-OFFICER'S-PLEA — A Ukrainian police officer in Mariupol has warned that the besieged port city has been “wiped off the face of the earth” and pleaded with the presidents of the United States and France to provide his country with a modern air defense system. SENT: 220 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-POLAND-US — U.S. lawmakers in a bipartisan delegation visiting Poland say the most urgent need in Ukraine’s fight against a Russian invasion is to equip the Ukraine military and support in every way so it can defend the country’s independence. SENT: 420 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HONG-KONG — Hong Kong’s leader says the government would consider lifting strict social distancing measures as new COVID-19 infections in the city continued trending downward. SENT: 300 words, photo.

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TRENDING NEWS

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BELGIUM-CARNIVAL-CRASH — A car slammed at high speed into carnival revelers in a small town in southern Belgium, killing four people and seriously injuring about two dozen, the mayor reports. SENT: 130 words.

SHOOTING-ARKANSAS — At least one person was killed and 20 others wounded, including children, in a shooting outside a car show in southeast Arkansas, local police say. SENT: 220 words.

DISMEMBERED-DOGS-PAROLE — A man convicted of torturing, killing and dismembering seven dogs is eligible for possible release years earlier than originally believed, officials say. SENT: 390 words, photos.

LA-NATIONAL-FOREST-AIRPLANE-CRASH — Six people were injured after a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department helicopter crashed in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa, the LA County Fire Department says. SENT: 280 words.

APPLE-EMPLOYEE-FRAUD-CHARGES — A former Apple employee has been charged with defrauding the tech giant out of more than $10 million by taking kickbacks, stealing equipment and laundering money, federal prosecutors said. SENT: 240 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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REDISTRICTING-OHIO — The Ohio Redistricting Commission has decided to look for two independent mapmakers and a mediator to help come up with new district maps following the Ohio Supreme Court’s rejection of a third set of maps presented by the Republican-dominated panel. SENT: 270 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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IDITAROD — Three additional mushers running at the back of the pack have scratched from this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race after accepting assistance during a massive ground storm. SENT: 560 words, photo.

SHOOTING-REPORTER-KILLED — A Virginia newspaper reporter was one of two people killed during a shooting outside a restaurant and bar, authorities said. SENT: 350 words, photo.

GANG-VIOLENCE-LONG-ISLAND — A federal jury will hear opening statements Monday in the trial of a Long Island woman accused of luring four young men to their slaughter by more than a dozen members of the MS-13 street gang. SENT: 290 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea fired suspected artillery pieces into the sea, South Korea’s military has said, days after the North’s latest missile launch ended in failure amid the country’s recent burst of weapons testing activity. SENT: 340 words, photos.

ISRAEL-RABBI FUNERAL — Israeli authorities were preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to descend upon a city near Tel Aviv on Sunday for the funeral of a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi. SENT: 320 words.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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PGA-AWARDS — “CODA” won the top prize at Saturday night’s Producers Guild Awards, giving momentum to the possibility that the small film could have a big night at next week’s Oscars. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. SENT: 750 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BKC--NCAA-COACH K VS IZZO —In a sport where the only lasting stars are the coaches, few are more recognizable than Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. Both have spent decades at the top of their profession, with national titles, Final Fours and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. They’ve squared off far more frequently than usual for teams in different leagues, including on the sport’s biggest stage in the NCAA Tournament. On Sunday, they’ll do it one final time. By Basketball Writer Aaron Beard. SENT: 880 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At The Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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.