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
ABORTION
RALEIGH, N.C. — Abortion providers in North Carolina have filed a federal lawsuit that challenges several provisions of a state law banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The new restrictions are set to take effect July 1. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Dr. Beverly Gray, an OB-GYN at Duke Health, are asking a federal judge to block numerous provisions they argue are unclear and unconstitutional, or to place an injunction on the law to prevent it from being enforced. The lawsuit comes one month after the Republican supermajority in the state’s General Assembly fast-tracked the law through both chambers and overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. By Hannah Schoenbaum. SENT: 260 words, photo.
MED–CDC DIRECTOR
The White House has selected a former North Carolina health official to be the new director of the nation’s top federal public health agency. Dr. Mandy Cohen has been picked to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. the White House announced her appointment Friday. She succeeds Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who last month announced she was resigning effective June 30. The Atlanta-based federal agency had long been seen as a global leader on disease control and a reliable source of health information. But polls showed the public trust has eroded. That’s partly as a result of the CDC’s missteps in dealing with COVID-19 and partly due to political attacks and misinformation campaigns. By Mike Stobbe. SENT: 620 words, photo.
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VIRGINIA
ELECTION 2023-DECISION NOTES-VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON — Virginia voters will select candidates in a primary election Tuesday in which redistricting has forced a record number of retirements and created several high-profile contests between incumbents of the same party. The winners will face off in a November general election that will decide control of the state legislature. One top race is the Democratic primary in the 13th Senate District, where incumbent Joe Morrissey’s opposition to abortion has played a key role. Another top race is the Democratic primary in the 18th Senate District between two longtime incumbents. Fifty races will be on Tuesday’s primary ballot: 22 for state Senate, 25 for House of Delegates and three local races for commonwealth’s attorney. By Robert Yoon. SENT: 710 words.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
REVENUE FORECAST
A state panel updates Delaware’s official revenue forecast for the final time before lawmakers put the finishing touches on budget bills for the fiscal year starting July 1.
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SPORTS
BBO–ORIOLES-CUBS
CHICAGO — Adley Rutschman and the Baltimore Orioles face Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Cole Irvin pitches for Baltimore, and Kyle Hendricks starts for Chicago. By Baseball Writer Jay Cohen. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts 2:20 p.m. ET
BBN–MARLINS-NATIONALS
Miami plays Washington at Nationals Park. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. By Harvey Valentine.
BKN-HORNETS-SALE
Michael Jordan is finalizing a deal to sell the majority share of the Charlotte Hornets, a move that will end his 13-year run overseeing the organization, the team announced Friday. Jordan is selling to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, the Hornets said. Plotkin has been a minority stakeholder in the Hornets since 2019. Schnall has been a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks since 2015 and is in the process of selling his investment in that team. SENT, photo.
BKN–NBA DRAFT-GUARDS
Preps-to-pros prospect Scoot Henderson is the headliner among the guards in the upcoming NBA draft. The position includes athletic twins Amen and Ausar Thompson after they, too, skipped college basketball. Other notable names include Arkansas’ Anthony Black, Kentucky’s Cason Wallace and Connecticut’s Jordan Hawkins. By Aaron Beard. UPCOMING: 800 words and photos by noon.
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LOCALIZATION:
JUNETEENTH-LOCALIZE IT: It has been two years since Juneteenth became a federal holiday. This year’s celebrations, which mark the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free, will be held amid political efforts to limit discussions of America’s racial history. We offer historical context, links to past coverage and some tips for covering Juneteenth and events related to it. Find the latest Localize It guides.
CONSUMER PRICES-LOCALIZE IT: Inflation is falling but remains high and still squeezing many Americans’ finances. We offer context and details, instructions on how to view inflation numbers in your community and ideas for interview questions. Find the latest Localize It guides.
PRIDE-TRANSGENDER-LOCALIZE IT: As LGBTQ+ communities and their allies hold Pride events this month, transgender people especially are in the spotlight. A driving force for attention for a minority group within a minority group is a bevy of state laws across the U.S. on treatment of transgender people. In some states, there are bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors, restrictions on which bathrooms they can use and whether they can play on girls and women’s sports teams. In other states, there’s been a move to protect some rights for transgender people. We offer ideas for local coverage. Find the latest Localize It guides.
DECRIMINALIZING FENTANYL TEST STRIPS-LOCALIZE IT: A growing number of states are decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips, seeking to protect people who use drugs from unwitting exposure to the highly potent synthetic opioid ravaging the U.S. with overdose deaths. We provide a look at these states and offer tips for localization. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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VIDEO
Tornado kills at least 3 in North Texas town
DOJ probe finds MN police pattern of violating rights
Father charged with murder in deaths of 3 sons
Crickets take over Nevada town
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AUDIO
Bus full of seniors heading to a casino in Canada collides with truck, killing 15 people
Pope Francis leaves Rome hospital 9 days after operation; surgeon says ‘he’s better than before’
Teens with severe obesity are turning to surgery and new weight loss drugs, despite controversy
$930 million in grants announced in Biden’s effort to expand internet access to every home in the US
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U.S. STORIES
GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — The Justice Department has found that Minneapolis police engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discriminating against Black and Native American people. The findings emerged Friday following an investigation prompted by the killing of George Floyd. The sweeping two-year civil rights probe concluded that systemic problems in the Minneapolis Police Department “made what happened to George Floyd possible.” SENT: 980 words, photos.
PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING — A truck driver who expressed hated of Jews has been convicted of barging into a Pittsburgh synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath and fatally shooting 11 congregants in an act of antisemitic terror for which he could be sentenced to die. Robert Bowers’ lawyers conceded that he attacked and killed worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Jurors must now decide whether the 50-year-old should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole. SENT: 650 words, photos. Developing.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN-UNIONS — Joe Biden opened his 2020 presidential run at a Pittsburgh union hall. The first political rally of his reelection campaign is being held at a union gathering on the other side of Pennsylvania, punctuating just how much the president is counting on labor support to carry him to a second term. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
CENTRAL PARK-BIRDER-INTERVIEW — There’s nothing that can keep Christian Cooper from enjoying his happy place, the bird-friendly Ramble of New York’s Central Park. And that includes his tense, viral video encounter three years ago with a woman walking her dog off leash in his refuge. In a new memoir and a Nat Geo Wild documentary series, Cooper continues his lifelong passion for spreading the gospel of birding. The book, “Better Living through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World,” is out this week. SENT: 1,030 words, video, photos.
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