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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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Coverage Plan will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern unless specified otherwise.
NORTH CAROLINA
XGR–HOUSE REPUBLICANS-LEADERS
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two North Carolina state House Republicans are no longer in their caucus leadership positions after recent comments on the chamber floor directed at Democratic colleagues questioning their educational attainment and religion. Reps. Keith Kidwell of Beaufort County and Jeff McNeely of Iredell County have resigned as deputy majority whips, House Majority Leader John Bell said in a news release on Thursday. By Gary Robertson. UPCOMING: 490 words by 2 p.m.
TRANSGENDER HEALTH-TENNESSEE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal lawsuit alleges that Tennessee’s decision to deny its employees gender-affirming care is unconstitutional and discriminatory. The legal challenge was brought by two people who were denied transgender medical services while working for the state. The lawsuit notes that Tennessee currently provides counseling and psychological treatment for gender dysphoria but does not cover treatment “for, or related to, sex transformations” even if such services are considered medically necessary. The lawsuit in Tennessee comes as the GOP-led Volunteer State has joined other red states around in the country in advancing anti-transgender policies. By Kimberlee Kruesi. SENT: 390 words, photo.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
XGR-ABORTION
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A wave of newly approved abortion restrictions in the Southeastern United States has sent providers scrambling to reconfigure their services for a region with already severely limited access. South Carolina’s governor signed a bill Thursday banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy, setting up an anticipated legal challenge from providers. The law Thursday goes into effect immediately. Pending bans at varying stages of pregnancy in North Carolina and Florida are threatening to further delay abortions for patients as appointments pile up and doctors work to understand the new limitations. The states had been holdouts providing wider access to the procedure in the region. By James Pollard. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
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VIRGINIA
CAPITOL RIOT-OATH KEEPERS
WASHINGTON — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was sentenced Thursday after a landmark verdict convicting him of spearheading a weekslong plot to keep former President Donald Trump in power. He’s the first of the Jan. 6 defendants convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment. Rhodes’ sentencing comes just weeks after former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy. In remarks before the judge handed down his sentence, Rhodes called himself a “political prisoner.” By Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
UKRAINE PRESIDENT-COMMENCEMENT
BALTIMORE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a surprise commencement address via livestream at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on Thursday. Zelenskyy spoke from Ukraine via livestream. He told graduates to take advantage of the time and resources they have to pursue their passions and uphold the democratic values at stake in his country’s war against Russia. “Time is the most valuable resource on the planet,” he said. “Some people realize this sooner, and these are the lucky ones. Others realize it too late, when they lose someone or something.” The ceremony took place at the school’s Homewood Field on the university’s Baltimore campus. By Lea Skene. SENT: 430 words, photos.
FLOOD EVACUATIONS AI
Delaware officials are hoping an influx of federal infrastructure money means that future evacuations of crowded beaches during floodwaters can happen automatically through artificial intelligence. The Biden administration on Thursday is announcing a total of $53 million in grants to Delaware and seven other states aimed at high-tech solutions to traffic congestion problems. Rather than sending a crew to the scene to block an impassable road, the system uses sensors to detect weather threats — and even can predict them. Then, it sends the information directly to drivers through cellphone alerts while broadcasting them simultaneously on electronic highway signs. By Jeff McMurray. SENT: 560 words, photo.
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SPORTS
BBN–PADRES-NATIONALS
WASHINGTON — The Nationals host the Padres. By Byron Kerr. Starts at 4:05 p.m. ET. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.
BBA–ORIOLES-YANKEES
NEW YORK — Clarke Schmidt (2-4) starts for the New York Yankees and Kyle Gibson (5-3) for the Baltimore Orioles in the rubber game of a three-game series. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos, starts 7:05 p.m.
CAR–INDY 500-TICKET SALES
INDIANAPOLIS — When Doug Boles became president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013, he took over an event where empty seats and empty sections had become the norm. In the decade since, Boles has presided over the first two sellouts in track history and a surge in Indianapolis 500 interest. By Michael Marot. 800 words, with photos
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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
McCarthy’s Republicans push debt ceiling talks to brink
Stocks eye gains as trading opens in New York
Anticipated nuclear reactor launch draws concern
Kentucky flood victim moves into safer home
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AUDIO
House GOP passes resolution overturning student loan cancellation; Biden vows veto
State lawmakers want children to fill labor shortages, even in bars and on school nights
George Floyd death anniversary: Reckoning with police violence in limbo
Expect big crowds for the summer travel season — and big prices, too
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U.S. STORIES
DEBT LIMIT — House Republicans are pushing debt ceiling talks to the brink. As they prepare to leave town Thursday for a long Memorial Day recess, it’s a display of risky political bravado. They’re just days out from a potentially devastating debt default if Congress fails to act to raise the borrowing limit. SENT: 1,100 words, video, photos, audio.
CAPITOL RIOT-OATH KEEPERS — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is facing his sentencing after a landmark verdict convicting him of spearheading a weekslong plot to keep former President Donald Trump in power. He will be the first of the Jan. 6 defendants convicted of seditious conspiracy to receive his punishment. Prosecutors are seeking 25 years behind bars for Rhodes. SENT: 890 words, photos. Developing.
ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-DESANTIS — Ron DeSantis’ entry into the 2024 White House race against former President Donald Trump sets up a clash of the Republican Party’s two leading figures. Trump has spent months working to hobble the Florida governor, whom he and his team have long viewed as his most serious challenger. DeSantis so far has tried to remain above the fray, ignoring Trump’s escalating attacks. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
XGR-CHILD LABOR-STATE LAWS — Lawmakers in several states are looking to loosen child labor laws, even as the federal government cracks down on surging violations. In at least 10 states, legislators have proposed letting children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations as a fix for labor shortages. SENT: 1,00 words, photos.
NVIDIA STOCK SURGE — Shares of Nvidia, already one of the world’s most valuable companies, are skyrocketing after the chipmaker forecast a huge jump in revenue, signaling how vastly the broadening use of artificial intelligence could reshape the tech sector. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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