AP News Digest 2 p.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 in AP Newsroom.

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ONLY ON AP

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CLERGY ABUSE-NEW ORLEANS — Authorities are expanding their investigation of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans to include church leaders suspected of shielding predatory priests and failing to report crimes to law enforcement. Louisiana State Police last week carried out a sweeping search warrant at the Archdiocese of New Orleans targeting a long-secreted cache of church records and communications between church leaders and the Vatican about the handling of clergy sexual abuse claims. By Jim Mustian. SENT: 790 words, photos.

AP-POLL-ELECTION-2024-MEDIA-TRUST — Americans have a message for news organizations as they prepare to cover the 2024 election: About half of Americans say they’re concerned that outlets will report inaccuracies or misinformation. Roughly 4 in 10 say they’re worried about outlets using generative artificial intelligence to write election news. By David Bauder. SENT: 770 words, photo, audio.

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TOP STORIES

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CAMPUS-PROTESTS — Dueling groups of protesters clashed overnight at the University of California, Los Angeles, shoving, kicking and beating each other with sticks after pro-Israel demonstrators tried to pull down barricades surrounding a pro-Palestinian encampment. Hours earlier, police burst into a building occupied by anti-war protesters at Columbia University, breaking up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school. By Stefanie Dazio, Ethan Swope, Jake Offenhartz and Joseph B. Frederick. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, videos, audio.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Israeli leaders in his push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas to impress on them that “the time is now” for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war. The current round of talks appears to be serious, with Hamas considering a new proposal. But the sides remain far apart on the key issue of whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal. By Matthew Lee, Samy Madgy and Sam Mednick. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, videos, audio.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Donald Trump will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan. His remarks will be closely watched a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order. By Adriana Gomez Licon, Scott Bauer and Michelle L. Price. SENT: 460 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words after 3 p.m. event in Wisconsin.

CHANGING-CATHOLIC-CHURCH — Across the United States, the Catholic Church is undergoing an immense shift. Generations of Catholics are increasingly embracing religious conservatives who believe the church has been twisted by change. It has reshaped parishes across the country, leaving them sometimes at odds with Pope Francis and much of the Catholic world. By Tim Sullivan. SENT: 2,690 words, photos, video.

FEDERAL-RESERVE — The Federal Reserve said that it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that inflation is moving sustainably to its 2% target. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 820 words, photo, audio.

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MORE CAMPUS PROTEST STORIES

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-QUIET-COLLEGE-CAMPUSES — A student protest movement has washed over the country since police first tried to end an encampment at Columbia University in New York nearly two weeks ago. There have been fiery rhetoric and tumultuous arrests on high-profile campuses from New York to Los Angeles. But millions of students across the country have continued with their daily routines of working their way through school, socializing and studying for exams. SENT: 780 words, photos, video.

CAMPUS PROTESTS-MIDEAST MEDIA -- After weeks of nonstop coverage of destruction and death across the Gaza Strip, media across the wider Middle East has latched onto the demonstrations roiling American university campuses over the Israel-Hamas war. For some, the protests and what they describe as a heavy-handed police crackdown on them represent the double standards of life in the United States — which routinely calls on nations to respect dissent and free speech. SENT: 830 words, photos.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CAMPUS PROTESTS-NORTHWESTERN — An agreement between anti-war protesters and Northwestern University has largely ended demonstrations on the suburban Chicago campus. It’s also sparking criticism from all sides. Northwestern and protest organizers announced the agreement Monday, which includes reestablishing an advisory committee on university investments. SENT: 930 words, photos.

CAMPUS PROTESTS-TRUMP — Former President Donald Trump is lamenting the possibility that Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protesters could be treated more leniently than the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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AAPI HERITAGE MONTH — It has been almost 50 years since the U.S. government established that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments should be recognized annually across the nation. What started as just one week in May has evolved over the decades into a monthlong tribute of events, and is not just about showcasing festive fare like food and fashion, but hard subjects like grief and social justice. By Terry Tang. SENT: 1,020 words, photo.

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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

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MIDEAST-TENSIONS -- The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog will travel to Iran next week as Tehran’s nuclear program enriches uranium a step away from weapons-grade levels and international oversight remains limited, officials said. SENT: 360 words, photo.

LEBANON-CHRISTIAN-LEADER — The leader of a main Christian political party in Lebanon blasted the Shiite militant group Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel to back up its ally Hamas, saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israel’s crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip. SENT: 680 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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DISNEY-WORLD-BUSH-PAINTINGS — George W. Bush’s portraits of veterans are heading to Disney World. SENT: 140 words, photos.

FORD-RECALL -- Ford is recalling nearly 243,000 Maverick small pickup trucks in the U.S. because the tail lights may not illuminate. SENT: 120 words, photo, audio.

BRITAIN-BORIS-BECKER – German tennis legend Boris Becker has been discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay his creditors. SENT: 420 words, photo.

SOUTH AFRICA-BABY TURTLES RESCUED — Over 500 baby sea turtles washed ashore in a big storm off South Africa. Here’s the rescue effort. SENT: 540 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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CONGRESS-SPEAKER – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’ll call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Georgia Republican is forcing her colleagues to choose sides after Democratic leaders announced they’d provide the votes to save the Republican speaker’s job. SENT: 770 words, photos.

ELECTION-2024-BIDEN-MARIJUANA — President Biden may eventually ban TikTok, but he’s moving to give something back to the young people who dominate the popular social media app — a looser federal grip on marijuana. Facing softening support from a left-leaning voting group that will be crucial to his reelection hopes in November, Biden has made a number of election-year moves intended to appeal in particular to younger voters. SENT: 870 words, photos.

TRUMP-MEDIA-SHARES -- Former President Donald Trump has secured an additional $1.8 billion worth of shares in Trump Media, according to a regulatory filing this week. SENT: 350 words, photos.

Find the AP’s latest Election 2024 coverage plans, including live video and text plans, our explanatory journalism and highlights from previous cycles and candidate schedules in The Daily Rundown, which publishes around 8 a.m. Monday through Friday.

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NATIONAL

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REL-DISUNITED-METHODISTS -- United Methodist delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers. SENT: 640 words, photos.

ABORTION-FLORIDA — Florida’s ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant, went into effect and some doctors are concerned that women in the state will no longer have access to needed health care. SENT: 980 words, photos. WITH: ABORTION-ARIZONA — Arizona’s Democratic leaders make final push to repeal 19th century abortion ban. SENT: 650 words, photo.

CAR-CRASH-INSANITY-DEFENSE — No one disputes that Michelle Wierson crashed her SUV into a car stopped at a traffic light in suburban Atlanta, causing the death of a young boy. But while prosecutors say she needs to be held accountable for her actions, her lawyers say her mental state at the time absolves her of liability under Georgia law. Prosecutors want a judge to bar Wierson from using an insanity defense. SENT: 950 words, photo.

EDUCATION-STUDENT LOANS — The Biden administration said it will cancel $6 billion in student loans for people who attended the Art Institutes, a system of for-profit colleges that closed the last of its campuses in 2023 amid accusations of fraud. SENT: 540 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Months of relentless Russian artillery pounding have devastated a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, new drone footage obtained by The Associated Press has shown, with barely a building left intact, homes and municipal offices charred, and a town that once had a population of 12,000 now left deserted. The footage shows the community of Chasiv Yar — which is set amid green fields and woodland — pounded into an apocalyptic vista. SENT: 390 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-BOOMING-BUSINESS — The Taliban takeover three years ago has sent Afghanistan’s economy into a tailspin. Billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them. But some businesses have flourished under Taliban rule, defying expectation. SENT: 890 words, photos.

IRAN-PROTESTS — Iranian prosecutors have filed criminal charges against activists and journalists following a BBC report that alleged security forces “sexually assaulted and killed” a 16-year-old girl during the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Nika Shakarami’s death also sparked widespread outrage. SENT: 420 words, photo.

MAY-DAY-LABOR — Workers, activists and others around the world took to the streets to mark May Day with protests over the pressure of rising prices and calls for greater labor rights. Pro-Palestinian sentiments were also on display. SENT: 780 words, photo.

GREECE-ELITE-FIREFIGHTERS — Under pressure to cope with the impact of rising temperatures, Greece’s emergency response planners are shifting tactics this summer. Greece is doubling the number of special unit firefighters after the warmest winter on record and with temperatures reaching 86 degrees Fahrenheit in late March. SENT: 810 words, photos, audio.

MEXICO-CLANDESTINE-GRAVES — Volunteer searchers say they’ve found a clandestine crematorium on the edge of Mexico City. It’s the first time in recent memory that anyone claimed to have found such a body disposal site in the capital. One of the so-called “searching mothers” announced her team had found bones around a charred pit on the outskirts of the city. Ceci Flores said the team had found bones and ID cards at the site in a rural area of the city’s south side. SENT: 520 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE ———————————————

MED-BIRD-FLU-VETERINARIAN — A Texas veterinarian collected samples from dairy farms that confirmed the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in cattle for the first time. Dr. Barb Petersen monitors more than 40,000 cattle on a dozen farms in the Texas Panhandle. She received reports from farmers of dead birds and cats and sick cows and sent samples to a lab to be tested. On farms with sick animals, Petersen said she saw sick people, too. UPCOMING: 780 words by 3 p.m.

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BUSINESS

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GOOGLE-APPLE-ANTITRUST-CYCLE — The U.S. Justice Department’s double-barreled antitrust attack on Google’s dominant search and Apple’s trendsetting iPhone is reviving memories of the epic battle that hobbled Microsoft before it roared back to yet again become the world’s most valuable company. SENT: 910 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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OBIT-PAUL AUSTER — Paul Auster, a prolific, prize-winning man of letters and filmmaker known for such inventive narratives and meta-narratives as “The New York Trilogy” and “4 3 2 1,” has died at age 77. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BKN-HEAT-CELTICS - The Celtics hold a 3-1 series lead and have a chance to advance to to the second round of the playoffs when they host the Heat. Boston will try to do it without center Kristaps Porzingis, who is out with a strained right calf. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.

SOC-DORTMUND-PSG — Borussia Dortmund hosts Paris Saint-Germain for the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 5 p.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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Hundreds of sea lions gather on the docks at Pier 39, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in San Francisco. According to harbormaster Sheila Candor, the sea lion count has been the largest in 15 years. (Yuri Avila/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

This image provided by Maxar Technologies, shows an April 29, 2024, aerial view of USNS Roy P. Benavidez and floating dock sections during construction of the U.S. military's floating dock that is being assembled offshore of Gaza. The dock and floating pier will be part of the Joint Logistics Over the Shore (JLOTS) system that will help deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza,. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Pro-Palestinian protester is arrested by law enforcement at the University of South Florida MLK Plaza Fountain on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus using a tactical vehicle, in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier Tuesday. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

New York City police officers take people into custody near the Columbia University campus in New York Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a building taken over by protesters earlier in the day was cleared, along with a tent encampment. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador from Buenos Aires and Argentine President Javier Milei lambasted the move as “nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist.”

Spain said its ambassador to Argentina would remain indefinitely in Madrid, where she had been recalled for consultations Sunday in response to comments made by President Milei during a contentious weekend visit he made to the Spanish capital. In a fiery speech defending free market capitalism at a far-right rally in Madrid, Milei accused the Spanish prime minister’s wife of corruption and described socialism as “cursed and carcinogenic."

Following Milei's refusal to apologize, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told reporters Tuesday that “Argentina will continue without an ambassador," speaking with a measure of incredulity that Milei would treat Spain this way.

“We are facing a unique case, not only unique for this government, but unique in the history of international relations,” Albares said. “There is no precedent for a head of state going to the capital of another country to insult its institutions.”

Milei — who has found himself embroiled in diplomatic quarrels across the region and has referred to his opponents as “human excrement” — has never been seen as the most tactful occupant of Argentina's highest office.

He continued lashing out at Spain on Tuesday, telling the local La Nación news channel that the Spanish decision was “nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist."

“Socialists are capable of doing anything,” he added. But he did not immediately retaliate. When asked whether Argentina would do the same, Milei said: “I am not going to be such an idiot.”

The surprise move escalates a long-running diplomatic spat between the socialist government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Milei's libertarian administration. Sánchez first incurred Milei's wrath when he backed his left-wing opponent in last year's presidential election and declined to congratulate Milei on his victory.

Tensions mounted amid a barrage of insults in recent weeks as Sánchez's Cabinet ministers alleged Milei had taken narcotics during a TV appearance and Milei accused Sánchez of pursuing policies that “only bring poverty and death.”

Defying the norms of presidential behavior, Milei snubbed all Spanish government officials on his first visit to Spain as head of state last week and instead met only Sánchez's fiercest critics, members of the hard-right, anti-immigrant Vox party that hopes to make gains in June’s European parliamentary elections.

Analysts said that Milei's diplomatic saber-rattling serves a bigger political agenda.

“Milei might be sensing that the socialist party has short legs, and so he's trying to prepare Argentina to get a really close ally when Spain gets a right-wing government, in the same way he's betting on Trump,” said Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist at Johns Hopkins University. “Milei is taking gambles, taking risks.”

The foreign minister, Albares, complained Milei had used his visit to poke Spain in the eye, breaking diplomatic protocol that Latin American countries and their former colonizer have long observed.

At the Vox party rally Sunday, Milei delivered his typical anti-socialism talking points and mocked Sánchez for taking a break from public view last month over corruption allegations brought by an activist group against his wife, Begona Gomez. The private group, which files lawsuits to promote far-right causes, accused Gomez of using her position to influence business deals.

Gomez has not been indicted or called in for questioning. Spanish prosecutors have recommended the case be thrown out.

The fallout with Spain, a significant investment partner for Argentina, could have lasting political and economic consequences for President Milei, who has promised to rescue the country's long-troubled economy through austerity.

Spain is Argentina’s second-biggest foreign investor after the United States, with Spanish companies investing 140 million euros ($152 million) in the country in 2022. Some 495,000 Spaniards live in Argentina, according to Spanish government statistics, while 97,000 Argentines reside in Spain.

Over the weekend, Milei also met with Spanish business executives. One of them, Antonio Garamendi, president of the main Spanish business council, said he “profoundly rejected” Milei's “off-key remarks” about the Spanish government in an interview with major local radio station Ser.

“Milei is trying to prove that commercial relations are a market issue that goes on one track and political issues are on another track,” said Mazzuca, the political scientist. “I don't know if that's going to work.”

Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

A portrait of the Kings of Spain hangs on a wall at the Spanish restaurant Paxapoga in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People have lunch at the Spanish restaurant Paxapoga in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A coat of arms decorates the door of the Spanish restaurant Paxapoga in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People jog past Spain's embassy in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

FILE - A man walks dogs past Spain's embassy in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, May 20, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday, May 21, 2024, as Spain pulled its ambassador from Buenos Aires and Argentine President Javier Milei lambasted the move as “nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist.” (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, File)

FILE - Argentina's president Javier Milei gestures as he delivers a speech on stage during the Spanish far-right wing party Vox's rally "Europa Viva 24" in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday, May 21, 2024, as Spain pulled its ambassador from Buenos Aires and Argentine President Javier Milei lambasted the move as “nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist.” (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)