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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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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NATIONAL

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US--PLANE CRASH-SAN DIEGO

Multiple people on private plane that crashed into San Diego neighborhood are dead, authorities say

SUMMARY: Authorities say a private jet crashed into military housing in San Diego during foggy weather, igniting cars parked along a suburban neighborhood block and killing multiple people on board the plane. Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy says the plane could hold eight to 10 people but it’s not yet known how many were on the aircraft. He says authorities will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line. The aircraft crashed just before 4 a.m. Thursday into the U.S. military’s largest housing neighborhood. It appeared to strike at least one home and smash through half a dozen vehicles. About 10 homes were damaged. Five people from a single family were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

WORDS: 884 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:29 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5e465454fc0282a81adafc1bfdc142a1&mediaType=text

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US--SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DIDDY

Rapper Kid Cudi says his car was set on fire weeks after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs broke into his home

SUMMARY: Rapper Kid Cudi has testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home in 2011 after learning he was dating Combs’ ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie. Speaking Thursday at Combs’ sex trafficking trial in New York, the Grammy-winning Cudi also said that a few weeks after the break-in, someone set fire to his car in his driveway. Cassie testified last week that Combs threatened to blow up Cudi’s car. Cudi said Combs denied involvement in the car fire at the time. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering. Cudi left the courthouse without commenting after his testimony.

WORDS: 1021 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:04 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:66ac16f76115e2c738deb6feae5b53a1&mediaType=text

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US--MAHMOUD KHALIL DETAINED

Mahmoud Khalil permitted to hold newborn son for the first time despite objections from government

SUMMARY: Detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was allowed to hold his one-month-old son for the first time after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to keep the father and infant separated by a plexiglass divider. The visit Thursday came ahead of a scheduled immigration hearing for Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate who has been held in a Louisiana jail since March 8. The government had sought to block Khalil from what’s known as a “contact visit,” only allowing him to meet with his wife and son from behind a barrier. Allowing the trio to meet in the same room, they said, could present a security risk.

WORDS: 586 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 11:12 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:406c341b8edf1f92dc44695cefcd8f8c&mediaType=text

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US--IMMIGRATION COURTS-ARRESTS

ICE agents wait in hallways of immigration court as Trump seeks to deliver on mass arrest pledge

SUMMARY: A spate of arrests at immigration courts across the United States this week has rattled people showing up for hearings and may signal a coordinated attempt at deportations under fast-track authority that President Donald Trump sharply expanded soon after taking office. Among those arrested was a 28-year-old Colombian man who The Associated Press witnessed getting arrested by five plainclothes federal agents in the hallways of Miami immigration court minutes after his case was dismissed.

WORDS: 1077 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:30 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:fa96435d4ec021cc8ff636b23d80d848&mediaType=text

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US--CLERGY ABUSE SETTLEMENT-NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans Archdiocese agrees to pay nearly $180M to victims of clergy sexual abuse

SUMMARY: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has agreed to pay nearly $180 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement announced Wednesday. A statement by the committee that negotiated the agreement says the archdiocese, its parishes and several insurers will pay $179.2 million into a trust to benefit survivors. It says the money will be distributed after the church emerges from bankruptcy. The agreement would settle a lawsuit filed in 2020. But it still requires approval by the bankruptcy court, abuse survivors and other Archdiocese creditors. The suit involves more than 500 people who say they were abused by clergy.

WORDS: 408 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 9:43 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:1a5b4444c186448bfed74c554b471f62&mediaType=text

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US--NEW ORLEANS-INMATES ESCAPE

New Orleans jail worker thought he was unclogging a toilet, not helping 10 escape, lawyer says

SUMMARY: A lawyer for a worker charged with helping 10 men escape a New Orleans jail says the worker did not know about the jailbreak plan. Sterling Williams was arrested Tuesday in connection with Friday’s jailbreak. His lawyer, Michael Kennedy, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the inmates clogged a toilet to get the water shut off so that they could escape through a hole behind it. Kennedy says Williams did not allow the inmates to cut a pipe behind the toilet to create an opening for their escape. Authorities have said that Williams was threatened into turning off the water but could have reported the threat and the men’s plan.

WORDS: 918 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 8:43 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:0c233399f8cd5958885a19dca487c1c7&mediaType=text

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US--ABORTION EXCEPTIONS-TEXAS

A Texas bill to clarify exceptions to the state’s abortion ban clears a key hurdle after rocky path

SUMMARY: Texas lawmakers have advanced a bill to clarify medical exceptions under one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S. The approval in the Texas House on Wednesday puts the GOP-backed proposal on the brink of reaching Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The changes would not expand abortion access in Texas or include a list of specific medical exceptions under the state’s near-toal ban, which took effect in 2022. But the proposal is a signficant pivot for Texas Republicans, who for years have defended the ban as written in the face of the legal challenges and pleas from medical providers.

WORDS: 987 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 6:26 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:35e2dddb7bff3200b951cd3e7aa92f49&mediaType=text

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US--KAREN READ TRIAL-THINGS TO KNOW

Things to know about the retrial of Karen Read in the killing of her police officer boyfriend

SUMMARY: A brain surgeon testified at Karen Read’s second murder trial that victim John O’Keefe’s skull was mostly likely fractured when he fell backward and hit his head. Prosecutors say Read backed her SUV into her boyfriend, O’Keefe, and left him to die on a snowy night outside another officer’s home after she dropped him off at a party in January 2022. Her lawyers say she was framed in a police conspiracy. Dr. Aizik Wolf testified Wednesday that he believes O’Keefe struck his the back of his head on the ground, saying the only way he could’ve gotten such an injury would be falling backward.

WORDS: 553 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 5:43 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8c249420766ea4dcd08c8655aec8ca3f&mediaType=text

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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US--CONGRESS-CALIFORNIA-EMISSION-RULES

Senate votes to block California’s rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035

SUMMARY: The Senate has voted to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Lawmakers on Thursday have passed two resolutions to roll back the state’s vehicle emissions standards. They now head to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it. The second one blocks rules curbing tailpipe emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The Senate is poised to pass a third measure to overturn rules on smog-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks. All three were approved by the House. California has significant power to shape purchasing trends, especially because about a dozen states follow California’s lead on curbing air pollution.

WORDS: 846 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:23 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:a506228ff7f692daee59970a87fbd02e&mediaType=text

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US--DEATH OF THE PENNY

Stop making cents: US Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny

SUMMARY: The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out. That word comes from a Treasury Department official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the news. An immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs is expected by stopping penny production, according to the official. In February, President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin.

WORDS: 353 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:22 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:daf6367d7e8d31d6783720d5d4667115&mediaType=text

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US--ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS KILLED

2 staff members of Israeli Embassy killed in shooting near Jewish museum in DC

SUMMARY: Police say two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith says they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday evening when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire. The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. Authorities said he walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by security guards.

WORDS: 1016 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 12:56 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:10307b3b1a2a337e76730736b12ebbcb&mediaType=text

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US--SUPREME COURT-PUBLIC RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Supreme Court tie vote dooms taxpayer funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma

SUMMARY: The Supreme Court has effectively ended a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma, dividing 4-4. Thursday’s outcome keeps in place an Oklahoma court decision that invalidated a vote by a state charter school board to approve the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The school would have been the nation’s first religious charter school. The outcome leaves the issue unresolved nationally. Only eight justices participated, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett sitting it out. The court’s one-sentence notice didn’t provide a vote breakdown. But based on arguments last month, Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to be the key, and the outcome suggests he went with the court’s three liberals to make it 4-4.

WORDS: 770 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 12:35 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:170e3701926e29ea5072eb50f0db97b6&mediaType=text

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US--ISRAELI EMBASSY-JEWISH MUSEUM SHOOTING-WHAT TO KNOW

What we know about the DC shooting where 2 staff members of the Israeli Embassy were killed

SUMMARY: Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were fatally shot while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested. That’s according to Washington police and federal authorities. The attack occurred Wednesday evening. The man and woman killed were a young couple on the verge of becoming engaged. The violence was seen by officials in Israel and the U.S. as the latest in a growing wave of antisemitism as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and as food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless Israel’s blockade ends. The suspect has been identified as Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Chicago.

WORDS: 924 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 10:51 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9e77d16a88d634b0dde5b2455c96dddf&mediaType=text

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US--CONGRESS-TAX CUTS

House Republicans pass Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after all-night session

SUMMARY: House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. Speaker Mike Johnson defied the skeptics within his ranks and muscled President Donald Trump’s priority bill to approval Thursday. Last-minute concessions and a stern warning from Trump appeared to win over the hold outs to salvage what he calls the “big, beautiful bill.” The outcome caps an intense time on Capitol Hill, with days of private negotiations and public committee hearings. Democrats, without the votes to stop Trump’s package, tried to stall it. The Congressional Budget Office says the tax provisions would add $3.8 trillion to federal deficits.

WORDS: 1210 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 9:08 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f2c60ae5c7c1313de69446f9ac7176e6&mediaType=text

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US--IMMIGRATION-DEPORTATIONS-SOUTH SUDAN

‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations

SUMMARY: A federal judge says the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic nation of South Sudan. The Trump administration says it expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the United States but refused to reveal where they would end up. Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said the eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger. He ordered a new set of interviews with the migrants, either back in the U.S. or abroad. Before Wednesday’s hearing, administration officials accused “activist judges” of advocating the release of dangerous criminals.

WORDS: 1431 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 8:58 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:a09612dbd055c5d1d88902c415bdf3e6&mediaType=text

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US--TRUMP-SOUTH AFRICA

Trump confronts South African leader with baseless claims of the systematic killing of white farmers

SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has used a White House meeting to confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with baseless claims of the systematic killing of white farmers in that country. Trump said during Wednesday’s meeting that people are fleeing South Africa for their own safety. At one point, Trump dimmed the lights in the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician playing an anti-apartheid song that included lyrics about killing farmers. Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump’s accusation, saying of the behavior alleged by the U.S. president, “We are completely opposed to that.”

WORDS: 1275 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 8:41 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9ce43dd5a9cd58e912653c99a8ab1944&mediaType=text

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US--PENTAGON-DEI

Most books pulled from Naval Academy library are back on the shelves in latest DEI turn

SUMMARY: All but a few of the nearly 400 books that the U.S. Naval Academy removed from its library because they dealt with anti-racism and gender issues are back on the shelves. That is the result of a review ordered by the Pentagon and marks the latest turn in a dizzying effort to rid the military of materials related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Defense officials said Wednesday that about 20 books from the academy’s library are now earmarked for review, but that includes some that weren’t removed in the initial purge of 381 books. A few dozen at the Air Force libraries have been pulled out for review.

WORDS: 800 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 6:57 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d6df4f5c82d92763f2060d7f4b99cd95&mediaType=text

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US--TRUMP-QATAR-PLANE

Defense Department accepts Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump’s use

SUMMARY: The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday that the department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president. He said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.” Trump has defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars. Others have raised concerns about the aircraft being a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. They also have noted the need to retrofit the plane to meet security requirements.

WORDS: 708 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 5:56 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c4e1d73c3dbe18397c10e3d3d267bcd6&mediaType=text

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US--JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-POLICE REFORM

Justice Department moves to cancel police reform settlements reached with Minneapolis and Louisville

SUMMARY: The Justice Department has moved to cancel settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, that called for an overhaul of policing following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The department announced the steps Wednesday. Minneapolis in January approved a consent decree with the federal government in the final days of the Biden administration to overhaul its training and use-of-force policies under court supervision. The agreement required approval from a federal court. But the Trump administration told the court it doesn’t intend to proceed. The administration also announced it’s retracting the findings of Justice Department investigations into six other police departments that the Biden administration had accused of civil rights violations.

WORDS: 910 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 5:24 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9d7cf00be8477e3dcb2fe1a658d73667&mediaType=text

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US--IMMIGRATION PROTEST-JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

New Jersey Democratic Rep. McIver released on recognizance on federal assault charges

SUMMARY: A federal judge in New Jersey ordered Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver released on her own recognizance during the congresswoman’s first court appearance on assault charges stemming from immigration officials’ attempt to arrest Newark’s mayor at a detention facility. McIver appeared remotely Wednesday from Washington as Congress is in session for the initial hearing, where she was officially notified of the two counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding an officer from the May 9 skirmish outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement-run facility called Delaney Hall.

WORDS: 887 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 2:49 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2e6403ecb933882e641557303cdc6b2a&mediaType=text

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INTERNATIONAL

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ML--MIDEAST WARS-THE LATEST

Live updates: Israel lets food into Gaza even as its forces attack a hospital, Palestinians say

SUMMARY: Palestinian hospital officials say Israeli tanks and drones have attacked a hospital in northern Gaza overnight, igniting fires and causing extensive damage. Videos taken by a health official at Al-Awda Hospital show walls blown away and thick black smoke billowing from rubble. The Israeli military said its forces were operating “adjacent” to Al-Awda Hospital, but said only that, “The circumstances of the fire are still under review.” Pressure on Israel from close allies is mounting after its nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza led to famine warnings. Even the United States, a staunch ally, has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis.

WORDS: 2183 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:07 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:819b2841d03136907357ca52c91ee859&mediaType=text

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US--ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS KILLED-THE VICTIMS

Who were the Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead days before getting engaged?

SUMMARY: The two people shot and killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington were young staffers at the Israeli Embassy who were soon to be engaged. The suspect shouted “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested. Israel identified the victims as Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky without giving their ages. They were leaving a young diplomats event at the Capital Jewish Museum that was meant to “foster unity and celebrate Jewish heritage” when they were killed on Wednesday. Israel’s ambassador to the U.S said that Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem.

WORDS: 604 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 12:54 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:efbe6ba65306a314a782d388ce3fba65&mediaType=text

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ML--IRAN-US

Iran says it may take ‘special measures’ to defend nuclear sites from Israel

SUMMARY: Iran’s top diplomat has warned that his country would take “special measures” to defend its nuclear facilities if Israel continues to threaten them, raising the stakes further ahead of a new round of talks with the United States. The comments Thursday by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered no specifics on what Tehran would do, but already, international inspectors have seen their access limited to Iran’s program. That’s even as Tehran enriches uranium to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The U.S. and Iran are due to meet Friday in Rome.

WORDS: 427 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 11:21 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:e3a56cb2f47bb065f8b3861297a6ff3e&mediaType=text

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ML--MIDEAST-WARS-GAZA MALNUTRITION

Gaza’s main hospital is overwhelmed with children in pain from malnutrition

SUMMARY: The U.N. children’s agency says more than 9,000 children have been treated for malnutrition in Gaza this year, and food security experts say tens of thousands of cases are expected in the coming year. Experts also warn the territory could plunge into famine if Israel doesn’t stop its military campaign and fully lift its blockade. The blockade was in place for more than two months, preventing all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some 2 million Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. Palestinians in Gaza rely almost entirely on outside aid to survive because Israel’s offensive has destroyed almost all the territory’s food production capabilities.

WORDS: 1097 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 10:41 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f33432592d7143767ca3797b15c6777b&mediaType=text

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AS--KOREAS-TENSIONS

North Korea’s second naval destroyer is damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim

SUMMARY: North Korea says a new 5,000-ton destroyer key to its naval advancement was damaged during its launching ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un. State media reported the ship slid off the ramp and became stuck after the flatcar failed to move alongside it, throwing off its balance and crushing parts of the ship’s bottom. The accident at Wednesday’s ceremony at the northeastern port of Chongjin was an embarrassing setback for Kim, who has emphasized naval advancement as key to his nuclear-armed military. The report said Kim blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for the accident.

WORDS: 789 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 8:17 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:9f66685ad8f34d5bef027750a0678370&mediaType=text

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ML--IRAN-US-EXPLAINER

What to know about the tensions between Iran and the US before their fifth round of nuclear talks

SUMMARY: Iran and the United States will hold talks Friday in Rome, their fifth round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. The talks follow previously negotiations in both Rome and in Muscat, Oman. President Donald Trump has imposed new sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign targeting the country. He has repeatedly suggested military action against Iran remained a possibility, while emphasizing he still believed a new deal could be reached by writing a letter to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to jump start these talks. Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own.

WORDS: 1008 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 3:50 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:085748abe53152378e017e25b956359f&mediaType=text

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AS--KASHMIR-TOURISM

Kashmir tourism bears the brunt after tourist massacre and India-Pakistan military strikes

SUMMARY: There are hardly any tourists in scenic Himalayan region of Kashmir. Most hostels and ornate pinewood houseboats are empty. Resorts in the snowclad mountains have fallen silent. Hundreds of cabs are parked and idle. Last month’s gun massacre left 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir followed by tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan, bringing the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region. New Delhi and Islamabad reached a U.S.-mediated ceasefire on May 10 but tour operators say hardly any new bookings have come in, damaging the local economy.

WORDS: 846 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:17 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:10e86a15ace3ef4307747652d676cc62&mediaType=text

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ML--MIDEAST WARS

Netanyahu promises new Gaza aid delivery plan as supplies still fail to reach Palestinians

SUMMARY: The U.N. says it is trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians. There are delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is days away from implementing a new aid system in Gaza. He says Israel later plans to create a “sterile zone” in the territory, free of Hamas, where the population would be moved and receive supplies. Israel also says 100 trucks crossed into Gaza on Wednesday. But the U.N. says it cannot easily bring them deeper into Gaza because of insecurity.

WORDS: 1321 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 9:16 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:11444e8b684b983dbb64daa5854b7b14&mediaType=text

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ML--MIDEAST WARS-GAZA-HOSPITALS

Two of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza are encircled by Israeli forces, staff say

SUMMARY: Two of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals have been encircled by Israeli troops, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities. That’s what hospital staff and aid groups said this week as Israel pursues a renewed offensive into the devastated Palestinian territory. The Indonesian hospital and al-Awda hospital are among the region’s only surviving medical centers. Both have come under fire this week. Shelling at al-Awda happened Wednesday as The Associated Press spoke to its director on the phone. A third hospital is out of service. The Israeli military has raided or laid siege to hospitals throughout the war, accusing Hamas of using them as command centers and to hide fighters. It has only provided evidence for some of its claims.

WORDS: 1249 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 8:22 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c7e55bab701799808f7c881d4f5fcef9&mediaType=text

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AF--SOUTH SUDAN-EXPLAINER

A look at South Sudan, where the US is accused of quietly sending migrants

SUMMARY: The United States is being asked to explain why it appears to be deporting migrants from as far away as Vietnam and Cuba to South Sudan. The chaotic country is once again in danger of civil war. The U.S. has granted South Sudan’s own people temporary protected status because of insecurity there. A U.S. judge ordered Trump administration officials to appear at an emergency hearing Wednesday over the deportations. Here’s a look at South Sudan, where some residents now wonder whether their country will become a kind of dumping ground.

WORDS: 828 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 7:47 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:3552af27dab8a5f68087d4b4e2201118&mediaType=text

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EU--RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for first time since Moscow said it drove out Ukrainian forces

SUMMARY: President Vladimir Putin has visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow said that it drove out Ukrainian forces from the area in April. The Kremlin said Wednesday that Putin visited Kursk on the border with Ukraine on Tuesday. Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024 in the largest cross-border raid by Kyiv’s forces in the more than three-year war. Ukraine hasn’t confirmed its expulsion from the area. Putin visited Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2 which is still under construction. And he spoke at a meeting with selected volunteers.

WORDS: 943 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 4:18 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8757dc115948899600d15ac8e32cc4ec&mediaType=text

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AS--PAKISTAN-BOMBING

A suicide car bomber strikes a school bus in Pakistan, killing 5

SUMMARY: Officials say a suicide car bomber struck a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing five people, including three children. Fifty-three people were wounded Wednesday A local deputy commissioner says the attack occurred in Balochistan province. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists. The province has been the scene of a long-running insurgency. An array of separatist groups includes the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army. It was designated as a terror organization by the United States in 2019.

WORDS: 539 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 2:20 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2cfd2c0f98752e775ca47a5cb66083ce&mediaType=text

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BUSINESS

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FINANCIAL MARKETS

Stocks drift as worries about the US government’s soaring debt continue to weigh

SUMMARY: Stocks are drifting on Wall Street following a rocky week so far because of worries coming out of the bond market about the U.S. government’s soaring debt. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% in afternoon trading Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 33 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%. Treasury yields were also holding a bit steadier in the bond market, but only after oscillating earlier in the morning after the House of Representatives approved a bill that would cut taxes and could add trillions of dollars to the U.S. debt.

WORDS: 900 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:07 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:494e172f6dace74c6b921bd4f554564e&mediaType=text

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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US-MED--VACCINES-FDA MEETING

FDA panel debates COVID vaccine recipe as questions swirl about fall shots

SUMMARY: Government vaccine advisers are meeting to decide if the recipe for COVID-19 vaccines needs updating for this fall and winter. The meeting comes even as a new Trump administration policy has thrown into question whether healthy people younger than 65 will still qualify for a shot — or if vaccines will be limited to seniors and people at high risk from infection. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will debate if the virus has mutated enough since last winter to require a tweak to the formula. Thursday’s meeting is the group’s first since President Donald Trump took office in January.

WORDS: 823 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 9:53 a.m. EDT

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SCI--SHRINKING CLOWNFISH

Clownfish shrink their bodies to survive ocean heat waves

SUMMARY: New research finds clownfish shrink their bodies to survive warming oceans. Scientists observed some of the orange-striped fish shrank during a heat wave off the coast of Papa New Guinea. Heat waves are becoming more common and intense underwater due to climate change. Though scientists don’t yet know how clownfish shrink, one idea is that they could be reabsorbing their own bone matter. It’s possible the smaller stature may help the clownfish save energy during a stressful scorch since smaller fish need less food. The fish grow back when their environment gets less stressful. The study was published Wednesday in Science Advances.

WORDS: 435 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 11:36 p.m. EDT

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SCI--MARS ROVER SELFIE

NASA’s Mars Perseverance snaps a selfie as a Martian dust devil blows by

SUMMARY: The latest selfie by NASA’s Perseverance rover at Mars has captured an unexpected guest: a Martian dust devil. The twirling dust devil popped up a few miles behind the rover during this month’s photo shoot. The selfie was released Wednesday. It’s a composite of 59 images taken by the camera on the end of the rover’s arm. Perseverance is covered with red dust in the picture, the result of drilling into dozens of rocks over the past four years. It’s collecting samples at an ancient lakebed and river delta for eventual return to Earth.

WORDS: 236 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 2:12 p.m. EDT

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CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT

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US--HURRICANE SEASON-FORECAST

Get ready for another busy Atlantic hurricane season, but maybe not as crazy as 2024

SUMMARY: With warmer-than-normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting another unusually busy hurricane season for the Atlantic. But they don’t think it will be as chaotic as 2024. Last year was the third-costliest season on record, with killer storms Beryl, Helene and Milton. Thursday’s hurricane season outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects a 60% chance for an above-normal season, a 30% chance it will be near normal and only a 10% probability it will be quieter than average. The forecast calls for 13 to 19 named storms with six to 10 becoming hurricanes. It projects three to five of those will reach major status, which means winds of more than 110 mph.

WORDS: 825 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:29 p.m. EDT

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EDUCATION

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US--TRUMP-EDUCATION

Judge blocks Trump’s orders to dismantle the Education Department and fire employees

SUMMARY: A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs. The administration said it would challenge the ruling. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction Thursday stopping the Trump administration from carrying out two plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump’s goal to dismantle the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president’s campaign promises. The ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits that said Trump’s plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department.

WORDS: 540 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 12:32 p.m. EDT

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ENTERTAINMENT

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ENT--SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DIDDY-KID CUDI

What to know about Kid Cudi, the rapper testifying at the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial

SUMMARY: Rapper Kid Cudi is the latest celebrity to testify in Sean “Diddy” Combs′ sex trafficking trial. The popular melodic rapper told jurors Thursday about a 2012 firebombing of his car that prosecutors say was connected to Cudi’s brief relationship with Combs’ ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie. She testified that the relationship sent Combs into a rage, and he beat her when he learned of it. The Cleveland born-and-raised, Grammy-award-winning rapper has long been celebrated for his alternative hip-hop. His game-changing single “Day ‘n’ Nite (Nightmare)” is easily one of the most influential rap records of the last two decades.

WORDS: 1020 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 12:38 p.m. EDT

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LIFESTYLE

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US--NO MOW MAY

Bored with manicured lawns, some homeowners adopt No Mow May all year long

SUMMARY: Whether it’s No Mow May or Let It Bloom June or Leave The Leaves, homeowners are finding more ways to adopt a low mow lifestyle instead of keeping up with short, manicured lawns. Supporters say the taller grass and flowers provide a habitat for pollinators and insects during crucial spring months, while also improving water retention in the soil. The No Mow May trend also has its detractors who say it’s a temporary help if done only once a year and invasive weeds are likely to take over if not pruned back. In Nashville, homeowner Brandon Griffith said he was just tired of mowing when he stopped and waited to see what came up in his yard. Now his wild yard is full of insects, lizards, birds and butterflies, along with flowers and grasses.

WORDS: 780 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 1:21 p.m. EDT

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SPORTS

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BKN--NBA-MVP

Gilgeous-Alexander voted as the NBA’s MVP, continuing run of international players winning the award

SUMMARY: The case for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was simple. He’s the best player on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had the best record this season and set a league mark for margin of victory. If that wasn’t enough, he also won the scoring title. That’s an MVP year. Gilgeous-Alexander was announced Wednesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, his first time winning the award. It’s now seven straight years that a player born outside the U.S. won MVP, extending the longest such streak in league history.

WORDS: 1096 - MOVED: 05/22/2025 10:50 a.m. EDT

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FBN--NFL OWNERS MEETINGS

NFL teams can keep using the tush push after ban proposal fails at owners meetings

SUMMARY: NFL owners narrowly failed to pass a proposal to prohibit the tush push. The fate of the short-yardage strategy was on the agenda at their spring meetings. The ban on offensive players from pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping or encircling a runner was supported by a 22-10 vote, according to a person with knowledge of the proceedings, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because details weren’t made public. That’s two short of the three-quarters majority required by league bylaws. Health and safety committees for the players and owners and the league’s competition committee all unanimously recommended the proposal.

WORDS: 987 - MOVED: 05/21/2025 5:44 p.m. EDT

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