Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up for select stories. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s complete coverage of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, and the rest of the world, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org
Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to 919-510-8937, 202-641-9660, 410-837-8315, 804-643-6646 or metro@ap.org. Mid-South Assistant News Director Jonathan Drew can be reached at 919-510-8937 or jdrew@ap.org.
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NORTH CAROLINA
DISUNITED METHODISTS-SWITCHING CHURCHES
Thousands of United Methodist congregations have been voting on whether to stay or quit one of the nation’s largest denominations amid intractable debates over theology and the role of LGBTQ people. The dividing line isn’t just running between congregations. It’s running right through the pews of individual churches, separating people who had long worshipped together. Those who come up on the short end of a disaffiliation vote face the dilemma of whether to stay or go. Some United Methodist regional conferences have begun designating what they call “Lighthouse” congregations – ones that actively welcome people who wanted to stay United Methodist but whose former churches voted to leave. By Peter Smith and Holly Meyer. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
ABORTION
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The only five women in South Carolina’s 46-member Senate have vowed to resist new abortion restrictions up for debate after the group filibustered a near-total ban last month. But it remains to be seen whether the coalition known as the “sister senators” — three Republicans, one Democrat and one independent — will be able to block a new version of a bill that cleared the state Senate earlier this year with some of the bloc’s backing. The Republican-led state Senate on Tuesday is expected to debate a bill banning most abortions after an ultrasound detects cardiac activity, generally around six weeks and before most people know they are pregnant. By James Pollard. SENT: 740 words, photos.
— With: ABORTION-THINGS TO KNOW
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VIRGINIA
RACIAL INJUSTICE-SCHOOLS
A divided federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of a new admissions policy at an elite Virginia high school that critics say discriminates against Asian Americans. The 2-1 ruling Tuesday from the appellate court in Richmond overturns a ruling last year that found the Fairfax County School Board engaged in impermissible “racial balancing” when it overhauled the admissions policy at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The school frequently is cited among the best in the nation, and admission is highly competitive. But Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented for decades. A new admissions policy has increased Black and Hispanic representation. Asian American representation has dropped. By Matthew Barakat. SENT: 510 words, photo.
BIRTH TO DEATH-ELDERS-ALZHEIMER’S
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Black Americans are more likely than white Americans to develop Alzheimer’s disease. They are less likely to be diagnosed and get treatment. The reasons are many and systemic and can be traced to American health inequities that follow Black people from birth to death. While evidence exists that certain genetic risk factors could differ by race and be a driver, the large disparities among racial groups can’t be explained just by genetics. Poor medical care throughout life, and the stress of racism, can be factors. By Kat Stafford. SENT: 2,180 words, photos, video.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
BIRTH TO DEATH-ADULTHOOD-HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. — In a nation plagued by high blood pressure, Black people are more likely to suffer from it. And so, in the time of COVID-19, they are more likely than white people to die. It’s a stark reality. And it has played out in thousands of Black households that have lost mothers and fathers over the past three years, a distinct calamity within the many tragedies of the pandemic. About 56% of Black adults have high blood pressure, compared to 48% of white people. Three in four African Americans are likely to develop the disorder by age 55. By Kat Stafford. SENT: 2,380 words, photos, video.
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SPORTS
BBA–ORIOLES-YANKEES
NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (5-0, 2.01 ERA) faces Baltimore right-hander Kyle Bradish (2-1, 3.90) in the opener of a three-game series between AL East rivals on a roll. The second-place Orioles have won five of six and are coming off a three-game sweep in Toronto. Third-place New York, returning from a 6-1 road trip, has won a season-best four straight and 14 of 19 to move a season-high nine games over .500. By Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game starts 7:05 p.m.
BBN–PADRES-NATIONALS
WASHINGTON — The Nationals host the Padres. By Ian Quillen. Starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.
HKN–HURRICANES-PANTHERS PREVIEW
SUNRISE, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky has been a brick wall in the Eastern Conference finals, and Florida’s goalie can lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup final with a win over Carolina on Wednesday night. The Panthers lead the Hurricanes 3-0 in the series going into Game 4. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
SOF–NCAA–SUPER REGIONALS THINGS TO KNOW
OKLAHOMA CITY — No. 1 seed Oklahoma is getting closer to its third straight national title. To get there, the Sooners will have to get through Clemson’s Valerie Cagle, an elite player in the circle and at the plate who is a finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, in super regionals. Eight super regionals that start Thursday and Friday will determine the participants in the Women’s College World Series. By Cliff Brunt. UPCOMING: 700 words, with photos. Story by 4 p.m. Central.
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LOCALIZATION:
BIRTH TO DEATH-LOCALIZE IT: To be Black anywhere in America is to struggle with health problems from birth to death. Black Americans are more likely than white people to die during childbirth, suffer from asthma, mental health troubles, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s. The reasons are myriad: worse access to adequate medical care, neighborhoods that are polluted, lack of healthy food choices, mistrust of doctors. But the core problem is racism over centuries that afflicts Black people from cradle to grave. We direct you to state and local data and offer tips for telling this story in your community. Find the latest Localize It guides.
TRANSGENDER HEALTH-MODEL LEGISLATION-LOCALIZE IT: Legislation to restrict gender-affirming care is often pre-written and shopped out by a handful of interest groups. So-called model legislation has been used in statehouses for decades. Critics say model legislation allows a handful of far-right groups to create a false narrative around gender-affirming care for minors that is based on distorted science. Political observers say Republicans’ recent focus on such legislation is a “wedge issue” to motivate their voting base. The AP obtained the texts of more than 130 bills in 40 state legislatures and analyzed them for similarities to model bills peddled by the groups Do No Harm and the Family Research Council. We provide tips on localizing the story, including examples of some key model bills that you can check against legislation in your state. Find the latest Localize It guides.
VICTIMS COMPENSATION-RACE-LOCALIZE-IT: Black people are disproportionately denied aid from state programs that reimburse victims of violent crime. That’s according to an AP examination of data from 23 states that shows Black applicants were nearly twice as likely as white applicants to be denied aid in some states, including Indiana, Georgia and South Dakota. The denials add up to thousands of Black families missing out on millions of dollars in aid each year. Experts say the disparities are rooted in biases embedded in the design of victim compensation programs, among other factors. We provide exclusive data, plus tips and resources for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
DARTMOUTH NATIVE AMERICAN REMAINS-LOCALIZE IT: Dartmouth College announced that it found the skeletal remains of 15 Native Americans in its possession and was working to identify and repatriate the remains. The announcement comes as universities around the country have struggled to return tens of thousands of Native artifacts to tribes as required by federal law. We provide details and offer resources for local reporting. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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VIDEO
House DEMS: Speaker McCarthy’s’ position on debt ceiling ” untenable”
Guam residents prepare for Typhoon Mawar
Millionaire’s jail escape plan foiled in Florida
Driver arrested for barrier crash near White House
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AUDIO
U-Haul truck driver who crashed into security barrier at park near White House is arrested
Shelters start to fill in Guam as US territory in Pacific braces for Typhoon Mawar
The U.S. surgeon general has some tips for parents and teens on social media use
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U.S. STORIES
BIRTH TO DEATH-BIRTH-PREGNANCY — Black women in the U.S. are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy or delivery than any other race. Some doctors don’t take their concerns seriously. Black babies are more likely to die, and also far more likely to be born prematurely. That can set the stage for health issues that can follow people through their lives. Historians trace the problems to racist medical practices amid and after slavery. Physicians performed torturous surgical experiments on enslaved Black women without anesthesia. And well after the abolition of slavery, hospitals performed unnecessary hysterectomies on Black women, and eugenics programs sterilized them. Health care segregation also played a major role. SENT: 3,300 words, photos, video, audio.
WHITE HOUSE-TRUCK CRASH — A witness to the crash of a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House says the driver struck the barrier at least twice. Chris Zaboji was finishing a run near Lafayette Square late Monday when he heard the loud crash of the truck hitting the barrier. Zaboji says the truck “backed up and rammed it again.” A 19-year-old suburban St. Louis resident identified as the driver has been arrested. Police say they believe the crash was intentional, but nobody was injured. Video posted by WUSA-TV shows a police officer inventorying evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag. U-Haul is based in Phoenix. SENT: 400 words, photos, video, audio.
CLERGY ABUSE-ILLINOIS — Illinois’ attorney general has released the results of a sweeping investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, saying investigators found that 451 clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, which was far more than the 103 individuals the church had named when the state review began in 2018. At a news conference Tuesday announcing his office’s findings, Attorney General Kwame Raoul credited accusers for making the review possible. He said state investigators found that 1,997 children across the state were abused by clergy between 1950 and 2019. SENT: 650 words, photo.
SURGEON GENERAL-CHILDREN-SOCIAL MEDIA — The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people. Dr. Vivek Murthy is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” With young people’s social media use “near universal” but its true impact not fully understood, Murthy is asking tech companies to share data and increase transparency with researchers and the general public. He asks policymakers to address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula and other products children use. SENT: 1,060 words, photo.
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