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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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SEVERE-WEATHER; ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-PROTESTS; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR; ATLANTIC-CITY-MAYOR-CHILD-ABUSE; FEDERAL-PRISONS; FUNERAL-HOME-DECOMPOSING-BODIES; YOUTH-CENTER-ABUSE; FBN-CHIEFS-RICE; CONGRESS-ISRAEL-UKRAINE; SUPREME COURT-TRANSGENDER HEALTH-IDAHO; BIDEN-CZECH REPUBLIC; ELECTION 2024-TRUMP
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TOP STORIES
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TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — The historic hush money trial of Donald Trump is underway with the arduous process of selecting a jury to hear the case charging the former president with falsifying business records in order to stifle stories about his sex life. By Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, videos, audio. WITH: ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Trump spends his first day on trial as a criminal defendant lashing out at the judge and prosecutors, casting himself as a victim, and angrily posting on social media. UPCOMING: 1,180 words, photos by 8 p.m.; TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-THE-LATEST (both sent).
Click here for more about the Trump hush-money trial.
MIDEAST-TENSIONS-ANALYSIS — Iran’s direct attack on Israel over the weekend upended decades of its shadowy warfare by proxy, something Tehran has used to manage international repercussions for its actions. But with both economic and political tensions at home boiling, the country’s Shiite theocracy chose a new path as changes loom for the Islamic Republic. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 940 words, photos. WITH: MIDEAST-TENSIONS — Israel’s military chief says that Israel will respond to Iran’s missile strike over the weekend; MIDEAST-TENSIONS-WHAT'S-NEXT — The shadow war between Iran and Israel has been exposed. What happens next?; MIDEAST TENSIONS-THE LATEST (all sent).
UNITED STATES-IRAQ — President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s leader in Washington as the White House works to prevent an escalation in Mideast hostilities following Iran’s weekend aerial assault on Israel. By Matthew Lee, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — The Israeli military renewed warnings for Palestinians in Gaza not to return to the embattled territory’s north, a day after Gaza hospital officials said five people were killed as throngs of displaced residents tried to reach their homes in the war-torn area. Northern Gaza was an early target of Israel’s war against Hamas and vast parts of it have been flattened, forcing much of the area’s population to flee south. By Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH:-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-EAST-JERUSALEM — Israel orders eviction of Palestinian family from east Jerusalem property, reigniting a legal battle; ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-PROTESTS — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators block traffic into Chicago airport, causing headaches for travelers (both sent).
ELECTION 2024-ABORTION-1800S LAWS — The near-total abortion ban resurrected last week by the Arizona Supreme Court dates to 1864, a barely recognizable time when gold and silver miners were driving growth and settlers were increasingly encroaching on tribal lands. The ban was written before Arizona even became a state. By Christine Fernando. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
BALDWIN-SET-SHOOTING — A movie weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust,” during a hearing in which tearful family members and friends gave testimonials that included calls for justice and a punishment that would instill greater accountability for safety on film sets. By Morgan Lee. SENT: 990 words, photos, video, audio.
WNBA-DRAFT — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others have been prepping for Monday night’s WNBA draft and now they are just hours away from the next chapter of their basketball careers. SENT: 290 words, photos. WITH: WNBA-DRAFT-FASHION — WNBA fashionistas expected to showcase their styles at the draft with spotlight on women’s hoops, SENT.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — The success of Israel and its allies in largely thwarting a massive Iranian missile and drone attack shows what Ukraine could achieve against Russian aerial barrages if it had more support from its partners, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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MORE NEWS
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PAKISTAN-WEATHER — Lightning and rain kill 49 in Pakistan as authorities declare a state of emergency in the southwest. SENT: 340 words, photos.
YOUTH-CENTER-ABUSE — Ex-youth center worker testifies that top bosses would never take kids’ word over staff. SENT: 670 words, photos.
ATLANTIC-CITY-MAYOR-CHILD-ABUSE — Atlantic City mayor and his wife are charged with abusing and assaulting their teenage daughter. SENT: 390 words, photos.
FBN-CHIEFS-RICE — The Chiefs’ Rashee Rice, facing charges from a Texas car crash, will participate in offseason work. SENT: 500 words, photos.
SEVERE-WEATHER — Much of the central US faces severe thunderstorms that could spawn tornadoes. SENT: 370 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-ISRAEL-UKRAINE — House Speaker Mike Johnson leaves his plan for aid to Israel and Ukraine uncertain, putting the future of the funding in doubt as lawmakers return to Washington for a crucial week of foreign policy work. SENT: 820 words, photos. WITH: BIDEN-CZECH REPUBLIC — President Biden calls on the House to immediately take up Ukraine and Israel funding as he hosts Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office, SENT.
SUPREME COURT-TRANSGENDER HEALTH-IDAHO — The Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce its ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth while lawsuits over the law proceed, reversing lower courts. SENT: 400 words, photo.
BIDEN-COMPUTER-CHIPS — The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide up to $6.4 billion in direct funding for Samsung Electronics to develop a computer chip manufacturing and research cluster in Texas. SENT: 310 words, photos.
TAX-DAY — On this Tax Day, refunds are looking a bit bigger for taxpayers. According to the latest IRS statistics, the average income tax refund so far this season is $3,011, up $123 from last year. Two out of three taxpayers expect to receive a refund. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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ELECTION
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ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-TRUMP-TAXES — Tax Day reveals a major split between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Biden released his tax records on the IRS Monday deadline, paying a 23.7% rate on $619,976. Trump says the public has no need to see his tax data. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
ELECTION-2024-WISCONSIN-REPUBLICAN — The director of Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign in Wisconsin, who pushed allegations of widespread fraud that were ultimately debunked, has been hired to run the Republican Party of Wisconsin heading into the November election. SENT: 640 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 10 a.m. EDT Monday through Friday.
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NATIONAL
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MARYLAND-BRIDGE-COLLAPSE — The massive container ship that caused the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge experienced apparent electrical issues before it left port but set out anyway, someone with knowledge of the situation has told The Associated Press, hours after the FBI said it was investigating whether any laws might have been broken. SENT: 860 words, photos, video, audio.
FEDERAL-PRISONS — The beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons says it will close a women’s prison in California known as the “rape club” despite attempts to reform the troubled facility after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant staff-on-inmate sexual abuse. SENT: 790 words, photo.
FUNERAL-HOME-DECOMPOSING-BODIES — The couple who owned a Colorado funeral home — where 190 decaying bodies were discovered last year — have been indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining nearly $900,000 in pandemic relief funds from the U.S. government, according to court documents. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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SUDAN-CONFERENCE — World donors have pledged more than $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid for Sudan after a yearlong war that has pushed its population to the brink of famine, French President Emmanuel Macron says. SENT: 800 words, photos. Will be updated with conference throughout the day.
INDIA-ELECTION-DEMOCRACY — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are increasingly wielding strong-arm tactics to subdue political opponents and critics of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party. A decade into power, and on the cusp of securing five more years, the Modi government is reversing India’s decadeslong commitment to multiparty democracy and secularism. SENT: 1,180 words, photos, videos.
AUSTRALIA-STABBING — Australian police are examining why a lone assailant who stabbed six people to death in a busy Sydney shopping mall and injured more than a dozen others targeted women while avoiding men, a police commissioner says. The killer’s father blamed his son’s frustration at not having a girlfriend. SENT: 640 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: AUSTRALIA-STABBING-VICTIMS — Sydney attack victims include a mother who saved her baby, a Chinese grad student and an architect; AUSTRALIA-CHURCH-STABBING — Horrified worshipers watch online and in person as a bishop is stabbed at a church in Sydney (both sent).
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TRENDS & CULTURE
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POLL-SLEEPY-AMERICANS — If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, audio.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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DRINKS-THAT-DO-MORE — The global market has exploded for drinks that promise to do more than just taste good. So much so that grocery store beverage aisles are starting to look more like pharmacies. Hundreds of brands are vying for consumers’ attention with increasingly exotic ingredients and wellness-focused marketing. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. With DRINKS-THAT-DO-MORE-THINGS-TO-KNOW — What does science say about the ingredients in functional beverages? (sent).
COFFEE-HISTORY — The coffee that picked you up this morning is 600,000 years old. Researchers have found that the world’s most popular type of coffee, known as arabica, emerged hundreds of thousands of years ago through natural crossbreeding of two other coffee species. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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RETAIL-SALES — Americans boosted spending at a hotter-than-expected pace in March, underscoring how shoppers remain resilient despite inflationary pressures and other economic challenges. Retail sales rose 0.7% last month — almost double what economists had forecast — after rising 0.9% in February, according to Commerce Department data. SENT: 610 words, photos.
TRUMP-MEDIA-SINKING-STOCK — The stock price for Donald Trump’s social media company has slid again, pushing it more than 66% below its peak set late last month. Trump Media & Technology Group closed down 18.4% at $26.61 as more of the euphoria that surrounded the stock fades. SENT: 540 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-BEYONCE-BLACK-COUNTRY-FANS — Tayhlor Coleman grew up with a love for country music. She says she’d always hoped that Beyoncé, who grew up in the same area of Houston as she did, would one day make a country album. With the release of “Act II: Cowboy Carter,″ Coleman’s wish came true. Beyoncé’s steamrolling into country music has reignited discussions about the genre’s origins and its diversity — or lack thereof. ”Cowboy Carter″ is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the second consecutive week, SENT: 2,180 words, photos, video.
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SPORTS
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OLY-PARIS-100-DAYS-TO-G0 — April 17 marks the 100 days countdown to the Paris Olympics ambitious opening ceremony. The first Games in a century in France’s capital will be judged not only for the sporting spectacle. Another yardstick will be their impact on disadvantaged Paris suburbs away from iconic city-center landmarks hosting much of the action. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. WITH: PARIS-2024-OPENING-CEREMONY — Macron says the Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine could be moved to stadium for security reasons; OLYMPICS-WITH-FANS — Paris-bound Olympians look forward to a post-COVID Games with fans in the stands; GREECE-TORCH-LIGHTING-PERFORMERS — At birthplace of Olympics, performers at flame-lighting ceremony feel a pull of the ancient past (all sent).
BOSTON-MARATHON — Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia ran alone for most of the Boston Marathon to win in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds. Hellen Obiri repeated as the women’s winner. She outsprinted Sharon Lokedi down Boylston Street to win by eight seconds. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug righted himself after crashing into a barrier when he took a turn too fast and still coasted to his seventh win in the men’s wheelchair race. Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women’s wheelchair race. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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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, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.