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 in AP Newsroom.
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WEEKEND COVERAGE
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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.
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TOP STORIES
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FRANCE-ELECTION — Voters across mainland France are casting ballots in the first round of an exceptional parliamentary election. The two-round vote could put France’s government in the hands of far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France’s nuclear arsenal is managed. Many French voters are frustrated about inflation and economic concerns and see President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership as out-of-touch. By Barbara Surk and Helena Alves. SENT: 680 words, photos, video. Developing. WITH: FRANCE-ELECTION-MACRON — Macron appeared on the political stage as a bold, young leader offering to revive France through radical pro-business, pro-European policies. Seven years later, his call for snap elections weakens him at home and abroad. SENT: 790 words, photos; FRANCE-ELECTION-HOW-IT-WORKS — Sunday is the first round of elections. SENT: 990 words, photos; FRANCE-ELECTION-THE-LATEST.
ELECTION-2024-JILL BIDEN — Jill Biden has been a near-constant presence at her husband’s side since his disastrous debate performance against Republican Donald Trump on Thursday night. The first lady has been delivering a spirited defense of her husband’s attributes and of his ability to serve for another four years. She’s also trying to signal there is no stepping back from the president’s intent to press forward with his campaign despite calls for him to step aside. SENT: 830 words, photos. By Josh Boak. SENT: 830 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION-2024-BIDEN — President Biden is looking to recapture his mojo and reassure donors he’s fully up to the challenge of beating Donald Trump after a troubling performance at their debate. SENT: 680 words, photos.
ELECTION 2024-DEMOCRATS — A sense of deep concern is growing among some Democratic officials that leaders inside Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee are not taking seriously enough the impact of Biden’s troubling debate performance. The DNC chairman did not acknowledge Biden’s weak showing or the following criticism during a Saturday member call, which participants described as a one-sided conversation ignoring fears about Biden’s ability to win. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 870 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION-2024-AIR-OF-DESPAIR — The debate suddenly crystalized the worries of many Americans that neither man is fit to lead the nation. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
UNITED-STATES-ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH — U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Hopes are lagging for a cease-fire in Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza that would calm attacks by Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias. With that in mind, American and European diplomats are warning Hezbollah about taking on the military might of Israel. A former U.S. diplomat in the Middle East says Israelis still seem to be arranging themselves for “an entirely different magnitude of conflict.” SENT: 1,210 words, photos.
TROPICAL-WEATHER — Beryl has grown into an Atlantic hurricane and is forecast to strengthen into a major storm as it nears the Caribbean. A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados’ meteorological service says the storm’s center is forecast to pass just south of the island. Late Saturday, Beryl was centered about 595 miles east-southeast of Barbados and its maximum sustained winds has risen to 85 mph. Thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final. By Danica Coto. SENT: 920 words, photos, video, audio.
GLOBAL-ELECTIONS-NATIONS-REFLECTED — British and American voters are going to the polls the same year for the first time in more than three decades. Voters in both places tell The Associated Press they distrust the candidates and their governments. They say years of scandal, lies and misinformation have drained the optimism and excitement they might have felt about past elections. In the United Kingdom, the July 4 vote provides an apt snapshot of the world’s biggest democracy and the country that gave rise to it 250 years after they split. By Laurie Kellman and Christine Fernando. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. WITH: GLOBAL-ELECTIONS-NATIONS-REFLECTED-ABRIDGED. SENT: 1,070 words, photos; BRITAIN-LANDMARK-ELECTIONS-1979 — Britain’s upcoming general election is widely expected to lead to a change of government for the first time in 14 years. Many analysts believe it will be one of the country’s most consequential elections since the end of World War II. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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SUPREME-COURT — The Supreme Court in June touched a wide swath of American society in a torrent of decisions on abortion, guns, the environment, health, the opioid crisis, securities fraud and homelessness. With the court meeting for the final time this term on Monday, an unusual push into July, the most anticipated decision of the term awaits: whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
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SERBIA-ISRAELI-EMBASSY-SHOOTING — An attacker with a crossbow wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said the attacker hit the officer in the neck. Serbia’s interior ministry said the officer fatally shot the assailant, identified as a 25-year-old Serb who converted to Islam. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called it an attempted terrorist attack. SENT: 420 words, photos, video.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Humanitarian workers started moving tons of aid that piled up at a United States-built pier off the Gaza coast to warehouses in the besieged territory, the United Nations said Saturday, an important step as the U.S. considers whether to resume pier operations after yet another pause due to heavy seas. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russian missiles slammed into a town in southern Ukraine on Saturday, killing seven civilians, including children, and wounding 36, local authorities reported. Ukrainian officials published photos of bodies stretched out under picnic blankets in a park in Vilniansk. SENT: 390 words.
RUSSIA-SUMMER OFFENSIVE — Russian troops are forging through Ukraine’s outgunned and undermanned defenses along the front line in a relentless onslaught, prompting the West to push for new weapons and strategies to shore up Kyiv. That, in turn, has brought new political demands by President Vladimir Putin of Ukraine’s leadership and threats of retaliation against the West. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. WITH: RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CIVILIAN-CAPTIVES — Ten Ukrainians held prisoner for years were released from Russian captivity with the Vatican’s mediation. SENT: 440 words, photos, video, audio.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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PRIDE-PARADES — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride will reach its exuberant grand finale as multitudes of rainbow-laden revelers hit the streets for marquee parades in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere across the globe. The wide-ranging festivities Sunday will function as jubilant parties and political protests. This year, tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have colored the celebrations, exposing divisions within the community that is normally aligned on social issues. Pro-Palestinian activists have disrupted several pride events this month. SENT: 300 words, photos, video.
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MORE NEWS
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HUNGARY-EU-PRESIDENCY — When Hungary takes over the European Union presidency on July 1, many politicians in Brussels may wonder whether populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will further his reputation as the bloc’s main spoiler. SENT: 820 words, photos.
CLIMATE-INDIA-HEAT-GARBAGE-PICKERS — As many as 4 million people in India scratch out a living searching through landfills for anything they can sell. These waste pickers endure a miserable job that is growing more dangerous as climate change leads to rising heat. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.
REL-DAGESTAN-JEWISH COMMUNITY — Jews in the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan in southern Russia say they are determined to regroup and rebuild following a deadly attack by Islamic militants on Christian and Jewish houses of worship in two cities last weekend. SENT: 1.090 words, photos. Eds: This is the Sunday Spotlight.
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NATIONAL
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TEN-COMMANDMENTS-LOUISIANA — As a legal battle ensues over a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms, the details of exactly how the mandate will be implemented and enforced remain unclear. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
GUNS-CREDIT-CARDS — A new national divide is emerging among states over whether to track sales by gun stores. A California law taking effect Monday will require credit card networks to provide banks with special retail codes to assign to gun stores. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video.
POLICE-SHOOTING-TEEN-KILLED — Video shows a police officer in upstate New York fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy who had been tackled to the ground after he ran from police while pointing a replica handgun. SENT: 790 words, photos, video.
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INTERNATIONAL
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IRAN ELECTION — Iran will hold a runoff presidential election pitting a little-known reformist against a hard-line former nuclear negotiator after results released Saturday showed the lowest-ever poll turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
KENYA-AFFORDABLE-HOUSING — Kenya's government plans to build 250,000 houses each year, with the aim of eventually closing a housing deficit that World Bank data puts at 2 million units. But experts say construction and financing need to change and speed up for the housing deficit to be met. SENT: 750 words, photos, video.
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BUSINESS
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CANADA-WESTJET-STRIKE — Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, canceled 407 flights affecting 49,000 passengers after the maintenance workers union announced it went on strike. WestJet said it will continue to park aircraft through Sunday for the long weekend culminating in Canada Day on Monday. SENT: 480 words, photo.
FLORIDA-CULTIVATED-MEAT — As Florida’s ban on “lab-grown” meat is set to go into effect, one manufacturer hosted a last hurrah with a cultivated meat-tasting party in Miami. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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ENT-MUSIC-BET-AWARDS — The BET Awards return Sunday night with Oscar-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson as host. Performers will include Childish Gambino, Megan Thee Stallion, Lauryn Hill and her son YG Marley, Ice Spice and Tyla. Will Smith will perform a new song. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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OLY-ATH-US TRIALS-SAUNDERS — Raven Saunders is the shot put standout who wears a mask at competitions and identifies with the pronouns they and them. They’re chasing an Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games after earning silver in Tokyo. Saunders took a step toward that goal by finishing second at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials to earn a place on the team. SENT: 750 words, photos.
OLY-ATH-US-TRIALS — Noah Lyles kept his hopes for the sprint double at the Olympics alive Saturday night, coming from behind to win the 200 meters at the U.S. track trials in 19.53 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year. SENT: 370 words, photos, video.
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HOW TO REACH US
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The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
Raven Saunders competes in the women's shot put final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Jacinter Awino, 33, holds her son as she cleans utensils in the Kibera slum of the capital Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Jacinter shares a small tin house with her husband and four children. The 33-year-old housewife and her mason husband are unable to raise the $3,800 purchase price for a one-room government house. Their tin one was constructed for $380 and lacks a toilet and running water. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Waste picker Arjun, 6, works at garbage dump site during a heat wave on the outskirts of Jammu, India, on June 20, 2024. As many as 4 million people in India scratch out a living searching through landfills for anything they can sell. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
A man holds burned pages in the damaged Kele-Numaz synagogue in Derbent, Russia, on Monday, June 24, 2024. Jews in the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan in southern Russia say they are determined to regroup and rebuild following a deadly attack by Islamic militants on June 23 on Christian and Jewish houses of worship in Derbent and the regional capital of Makhachkala. (Anatoliy Zhdanov/Kommersant Publishing House via AP) RUSSIA OUT
Guns for sale are displayed at Maxon Shooter's Supplies in Des Plaines, Ill., Tuesday, June 25, 2024. A new national divide is emerging among states over whether to track sales by gun stores. A California law taking effect Monday will require credit card networks to provide banks with special retail codes to assign to gun stores. By contrast, new laws taking effect in Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee and Wyoming will prohibit the use of special gun shop codes in financial transactions. A total of 17 states have passed some sort of limit on category codes for gun retailers, while California has been joined by Colorado and New York. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)
FILE - A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. Christians and Jews believe in the Ten Commandments — just not necessarily the version that will hang in every public school and state-funded college classroom in Louisiana. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Christy Gorbet, of Pleasanton, center, dances in front of the main stage during the first of two days of Pride Celebration at Civic Center in San Francisco, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
FILE - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, left, arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, June 27, 2024. When Hungary takes over the helm of the European Union on Monday July 1, 2024 many politicians in Brussels will have the same thing on their minds: whether populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will use the role to further his reputation as the bloc’s main spoiler. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)
This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image taken at 4:20pm EDT shows hurricane Beryl, lower center right, as it strengthens over the Atlantic Ocean and churns toward the southeast Caribbean on Saturday, June 29, 2024. (NOAA via AP)
A man waits for his order inside a restaurant Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in downtown Racine, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
A woman carries a frame that shows a portrait for Hezbollah leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, as she passes destroyed houses that were hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel, south Lebanon, Saturday,, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden arrive at McGuire Air Force Base, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Burlington County, N.J. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A woman holds her child outside a voting station in Strasbourg, eastern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Voters across mainland France began casting ballots Sunday in the first round of exceptional parliamentary election that could put France's government in the hands of nationalist, far-right parties for the first time since the Nazi era. The outcome of the two-round election, which will wrap up July 7, could impact European financial markets, Western support for Ukraine and how France's nuclear arsenal and global military force are managed. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
