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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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
SONGWRITER-IOWA KILLING
DAVENPORT, Iowa — A songwriter and music industry entrepreneur from Atlanta has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing his girlfriend in Iowa. Justin Wright was found guilty of first-degree murder in April in the death of 20-year-old Wilanna Bibbs, and was sentenced Wednesday, the Quad-City Times reported. Wright, also known as J Wright, founded Camp Entertainment Worldwide in 2011. His company worked with artists that included Bow Wow, Timbaland, Kash Doll and DJ Khalid, and he became a multi-platinum songwriter working with those acts. Bibbs, an aspiring singer from Durham, North Carolina, was shot to death on May 9, 2021, at a home in Davenport, Iowa. The couple was in Iowa visiting Wright’s relatives. SENT: 180 words, photos.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
ELECTION 2024-GOP-DIVERSITY
CHICAGO — Race has emerged as a central issue in the 2024 presidential contest as the GOP’s primary field features five candidates of color. That’s the GOP’s most racially diverse presidential class ever. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joined the race Thursday. Suarez is of Cuban descent and highlights his status as the only Hispanic in the contest. In most cases, the diverse Republican candidates downplay the significance of their racial heritage. They also oppose policies around policing, voting rights and education designed to benefit disadvantaged communities and combat structural racism. The GOP’s increasingly diverse leadership is backed by evolving politics on issues such as immigration and suggests the party might have an opportunity to widen its appeal. By Steve Peoples and Gary Fields. SENT: 1,300 words, photos, video.
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VIRGINIA
AMAZON HEADQUARTERS
Amazon unveils the first phase of its new headquarters project Thursday. The debut comes at a time when the tech giant has paused work on the second phase of its HQ2 project and as it and other companies struggle to find the post-pandemic balance between working from office and home. By Matthew Barakat. UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
BALTIMORE-TRANSIT
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announces a major investment in transit to enhance east-west connectivity across the Baltimore region.
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SPORTS
BBO–NATIONALS-ASTROS
HOUSTON — Washington’s MacKenzie Gore opposes Houston’s Cristian Javier when the Nationals and Astros wrap up a three-game series. UPCOMING: 600 words. Photos.
BBA–BLUE JAYS-ORIOLES
BALTIMORE — The Orioles and Blue Jays meet in the rubber match of their three-game series. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 1:05 p.m. ET.
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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
Jeffries: GOP trying to change debt resolution
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrives for pre trial hearing
Accused shooter: ’I have to accept responsibility
Miami Republican mayor files to run for president
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AUDIO
‘Stand with Trump’ becomes rallying cry as Republicans amplify attacks on US justice system
Ex-Starbucks manager awarded $25.6 million in suit over firing after 2018 arrests of 2 Black men
Suicides and homicides among young Americans jumped early in the pandemic, study says
Biden targets junk fees with executives from Live Nation, SeatGeek and Airbnb
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U.S. STORIES
TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — The FBI investigators who searched Harold Martin’s Maryland property in the fall of 2016 found classified documents — including material at the top-secret level — strewn about his home, car and storage shed. The former National Security Agency contractor didn’t contest the allegations, ultimately pleading guilty in 2019 and admitting his actions were “wrong, illegal and highly questionable.” But his expressions of contrition and guilty plea to a single count of willful retention of national defense information didn’t spare him the harsh punishment of nine years in prison. The resolution of that case looms as an ominous guidepost of the legal jeopardy Trump faces as he confronts 37 felony counts —31 under the same Espionage Act provision used against Martin and other document hoarders. UPCOMING: 1,080 words, photos by 2 p.m.
SUPREME COURT-NATIVE CHILD WELFARE — The Supreme Court has preserved the system that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children. The justices rejected a broad attack from some Republican-led states and white families who argued that the system is based on race. The court left in place the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which was enacted to address concerns that Native children were being separated from their families and, too frequently, placed in non-Native homes. Tribal leaders have backed the law as a means of preserving their families, traditions and cultures. SENT: 800 words, photos.
COLORADO SPRINGS SHOOTING — The suspect in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is expected to strike a plea deal to state murder and hate charges that would ensure at least a life sentence for the attack that killed five people and wounded 17. That’s according to several survivors who were advised of the plans and spoke to The Associated Press. Word of a possible plea in last year’s Club Q massacre follows jailhouse phone calls from the suspect to the AP expressing plans to begin making amends at the next court hearing this month. SENT: 1,310 words, photos. With COLORADO SPRINGS SHOOTING-TAKEAWAYS (sent).
POLL-TRUST IN SCIENCE – Confidence in the scientific community declined among U.S. adults in 2022, a major survey shows, driven by a partisan divide that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest results from the General Social Survey found that 39% had a great deal of confidence in the scientific community. That’s down from 48% in 2021 and 2018. In the latest poll, 53% of Democrats and 22% of Republicans reported a great deal of confidence in science. SENT: 710 words, photo.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-FALL VACCINES — The COVID-19 vaccines are on track for a big recipe change this fall. Today’s vaccines still contain the original coronavirus strain, the one that started the pandemic. But that strain was long ago supplanted by mutated versions as the virus rapidly evolves. Scientific advisers for the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday discussed whether the next round of shots should only include protection against the newest omicron variants that are now dominant worldwide. Regulators will be making their best guess which strain to include, just like they do every year in setting the recipe for the fall flu vaccine. SENT: 670 words, photo. Developing.
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