Here are the AP’s top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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UPCOMING
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US-MED--ULTRAPROCESSED FOOD-MARKERS
DESCRIPTION: Scientists have identified molecules in blood and urine that could signal high consumption of ultraprocessed foods. It’s the first time researchers have found biological markers to measure diets high in the foods linked to a host of health problems.
UPCOMING: By 05/20/2025 2:00 p.m. EDT, Text, Photo
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US SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN
DESCRIPTION: Continuing coverage of Harvey Weinstein’s trial in New York on rape and sexual assault charges. Story on merits
UPCOMING: By 05/20/2025 2:30 p.m. EDT, Text, Photo
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BKN--NBA PLAYOFF COVERAGE
FORMATS: Text, Photo
1. WITH: BKN--PACERS-KNICKS PREVIEW
2. DESCRIPTION: GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The New York Knicks finally got to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years and found an opponent they used to face when they were always a threat to go deep in the postseason. The Indiana Pacers come to Madison Square Garden for Game 1 on Wednesday for the latest chapter in their playoff rivalry. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
3. UPCOMING: By 05/20/2025 4:00 p.m. EDT
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US-TRUMP-VENEZUELA-IMMIGRATION
DESCRIPTION: The largest Venezuelan community in the United States is coming to grips with a Supreme Court decision clearing the way for the Trump administration to immediately end deportation protections for 350,000 Venezuelans. It’s all anyone discusses in “Little Venezuela,” or “Doralzuela,” a city of 80,000 people surrounded by Miami sprawl, freeways and the Florida Everglades.
UPCOMING: By 05/20/2025 4:30 p.m. EDT, Video, Text, Photo
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US TRUMP ADMINISTRATION-HHS JOB CUTS
DESCRIPTION: Plaintiffs from nearly 20 states will be in court to request that a March directive from the Department of Health and Human Services announcing the termination of 10,000 employees be temporarily halted.
ON MERITS: By 05/20/2025 5:00 p.m. EDT, Text, Photo
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NEW AND DEVELOPING
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UNITED STATES
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US--INDIANA-EXECUTION
Man executed for the 2000 killing of a police officer in Indiana’s second execution in 15 years
SUMMARY: Indiana officials have executed a man convicted in the 2000 killing of a police officer. Benjamin Ritchie died by lethal injection early Tuesday at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. The 45-year-old Ritchie had been on death row since 2002, when he was convicted in the fatal shooting of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot. Ritchie apologized for his actions at a clemency hearing earlier this month, saying he had changed during more than two decades in prison.
WORDS: 962 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:17 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:54aee13773b5b249601ef3f4bf7c6266&mediaType=text
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US--TRUMP-THE LATEST
The Latest: Trump tries to rally divided Republicans around his ‘big beautiful bill’
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump is trying to seal the deal on his “big, beautiful bill” in a closed-door meeting with divided House Republicans. The multitrillion-dollar package could collapse ahead of votes this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that cutting his department’s budget by nearly 50% actually strengthens the U.S. position globally by focusing on core priorities. And as Trump hosted the Kennedy Center’s new loyalist leadership at the White House Monday night, he called the other Boss — Bruce Springsteen — a “dried out prune.” The rocker has used his concerts to criticize what he calls a “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”
WORDS: 2581 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:16 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ec04c6caddad876d339c7545655ebbe2&mediaType=text
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US--NEW ORLEANS-INMATES-ESCAPE
A maintenance worker has been charged in connection with the New Orleans jail break
SUMMARY: Authorities have arrested an Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office maintenance worker in connection with the escape of 10 inmates. The office said in a statement Tuesday that Sterling Williams admitted he turned the water off in a cell before the men slipped away through a hole behind the toilet. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson has said she believes the escape was an inside job and last week told reporters her agency had suspended three employees pending an investigation. The inmates escaped early Friday. Four of the fugitives have been apprehended and six remain at large.
WORDS: 326 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:00 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:45f2a4be028254cc2587f50deb9af44d&mediaType=text
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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US--CONGRESS-TAX CUTS
Trump on Capitol Hill implores divided Republicans to unify behind his big tax cuts bill
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has implored House Republicans on Capitol Hill to drop their fights over his big tax cuts bill. He spoke privately for at least an hour trying to unite House Republicans on the multitrillion-dollar package that is at risk of collapsing before planned votes this week. Trump was upbeat afterward, saying there was “unity.” But negotiations are slogging along. It’s not at all clear the package, with its sweeping tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs, has the support needed. With all Democrats opposed, the Republicans can handle only a few defections from their slim House majority.
WORDS: 1077 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:19 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ebc172c76ac51434e9bfa28d867bd9a0&mediaType=text
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US--IMMIGRATION-PROTEST-JUSTICE-DEPARTMENT
Prosecutor charges Democratic Rep. McIver pushed, grabbed agents while trying to stop mayor’s arrest
SUMMARY: Federal prosecutors allege Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey pushed and grabbed officers while attempting to block the arrest of the Newark mayor outside an immigration detention facility. In an eight-page complaint unsealed on Tuesday interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba’s office says McIver was protesting the removal of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka from a congressional tour of the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark on May 9. McIver has denied wrongdoing and says prosecutors are distorting her actions.
WORDS: 601 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:04 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f4c995ea685e9085f585be345649f57a&mediaType=text
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INTERNATIONAL
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EU--RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR
With little progress after phone calls and talks, Ukraine’s allies hit Russia with new sanctions
SUMMARY: Kyiv’s European allies have slapped new sanctions on Moscow, a day after a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the European Union expects an unconditional and immediate ceasefire from Russia. Diplomatic efforts have produced little progress in halting the fighting, including Monday’s phone call between Trump and Putin, and Friday’s direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “it is obvious that Russia is trying to buy time to continue the war and occupation. We are working with partners to put pressure on the Russians to behave differently.”
WORDS: 986 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:15 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:83979d718b73cb9bd655dd9aaa915573&mediaType=text
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AF--SOUTH AFRICA-AFRIKANER FARMERS
Trump alleges ‘genocide’ in South Africa. White Afrikaner farmers reject that
SUMMARY: Topping the agenda at President Donald Trump’s meeting with South Africa’s president at the White House this week is the extraordinary new U.S. refugee policy welcoming white Afrikaner farmers who the Trump administration claims are persecuted. The Associated Press visited a lively agricultural fair in South Africa’s heartland days ahead of the U.S. meeting. Both white and Black farmers and even conservative white Afrikaner groups denied the Trump administration’s “genocide” and land seizure claims that led the U.S. to cut all financial aid to South Africa. Farmers agree that violent crime is a problem, but for everyone.
WORDS: 982 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 10:47 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c87264523d555a64c0588d8734bba83a&mediaType=text
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ML--MIDEAST-WARS
Israel says more aid is entering Gaza, while its latest strikes kill at least 85 people
SUMMARY: Israel is showing no sign of responding to allies’ calls to halt its new military offensive in Gaza. Health officials say airstrikes have killed at least 85 Palestinians overnight into Tuesday. Meanwhile, Israel says it is allowing in dozens more trucks of aid. It is not immediately clear whether the desperately needed aid has reached any of Gaza’s over 2 million people. They were under an Israeli blockade of food, medicines and fuel for nearly three months. Experts have warned of famine. Some close allies say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to allow “minimal” aid is not enough. They also want a ceasefire.
WORDS: 952 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 10:41 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:402954f7424825ef73ad57f17a701fac&mediaType=text
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AS--NEW ZEALAND-HAKA PROTEST
How uproar over a Māori haka, beloved in New Zealand life, sowed chaos and gridlock in Parliament
SUMMARY: The haka, a chanting dance of challenge, is sacred to New Zealand’s Māori people but it’s become a beloved cultural institution among New Zealanders of all races. But one haka performed in protest in New Zealand’s Parliament by three legislators last November has provoked fierce division among lawmakers about whether it was appropriate. A vote to approve unprecedented, lengthy bans from Parliament for the Māori party lawmakers who enacted the protest was unexpectedly suspended on Tuesday. Debate will resume in June, when it threatens to gridlock the legislative agenda until all parties reach consensus on what punishment the lawmakers should receive.
WORDS: 795 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 7:33 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c854a3703621dd1eca78d2ac02561e5c&mediaType=text
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ML--MIDEAST-WARS-GAZA AID-WHAT TO KNOW
Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Here’s what to know
SUMMARY: Israel has begun allowing a trickle of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip after sealing the territory’s 2 million Palestinians off from all imports for more than 2 1/2 months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he eased the blockade under pressure from unnamed allies to shore up support for Israel’s latest major offensive against Hamas. Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians in recent days, and the humanitarian crisis is the worst it’s been in 19 months of war. United Nations agencies and aid groups have welcomed the move but say the promised aid is nowhere near what’s needed. The U.N. says only five trucks have entered Gaza since Monday. That’s compared to around 600 per day during a ceasefire earlier this year.
WORDS: 931 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 7:06 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8e82698ba2f5a8aa396b71456a10b8ab&mediaType=text
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ML--IRAN-US
Iran’s supreme leader rejects US stance on uranium enrichment
SUMMARY: Iran’s supreme leader has pushed back against U.S. criticism of the country’s nuclear program. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that Tehran won’t seek permission from anyone to enrich uranium and called American statements “nonsense.” Khamenei made the comments during a memorial for the late President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash last year. Khamenei said that “no one in Iran is waiting for their permission” and that “the Islamic Republic has its own policies and direction.” His comments reflect Tehran’s growing frustration with the stalled nuclear discussions as well as the broader tensions that have defined U.S.-Iran relations in recent years.
WORDS: 264 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 6:22 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:bad3bcd548ea6e06872fd15287062718&mediaType=text
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL MARKETS
US stocks drift as S&P 500 flirts with its first drop in 7 days
SUMMARY: U.S. stock indexes are drifting as momentum slows for Wall Street after it rallied from a deep hole nearly all the way back to its all-time high set earlier this year. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Tuesday and may be set for its first drop in seven days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 104 points, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%. Treasury yields inched higher in the bond market, while the value of the U.S. dollar was relatively stable against other currencies. Stock indexes abroad mostly rose following cuts to interest rates by central banks in China and in Australia.
WORDS: 772 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 10:43 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:02ba2e767cdf0306c28ec9210bec90ed&mediaType=text
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MUSK-TESLA
Elon Musk says he’s committed to still be Tesla’s CEO in 5 years’ time
SUMMARY: Billionaire Elon Musk says he’s committed to being CEO of Tesla in five years’ time. The question came as Musk made a video appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum hosted by Bloomberg. A moderator asked: “Do you see yourself and are you committed to still being the chief executive of Tesla in five years’ time?” Musk responded: “Yes.” Tesla has faced intense pressure as Musk worked with the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump as part of its Department of Government Efficiency effort, particularly amid its campaign of cuts across the U.S. federal government.
WORDS: 356 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 10:33 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:76e38b748142268260a79bd72071f7f8&mediaType=text
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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US-MED--VACCINES-FDA
Trump officials set new requirements for COVID vaccines in healthy adults and children
SUMMARY: Federal health officials will no longer routinely approve annual COVID-19 shots for younger adults and children who are healthy. Companies that want to market their vaccines to those Americans will need to conduct large, new studies, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. It’s a major shift in FDA’s approach to updating vaccines that protect against the virus. It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and his appointees continue to scrutinize the use of vaccines for a number of diseases. The FDA said Tuesday annual COVID shots will still be regularly approved for seniors and younger people with increased health risks from the virus.
WORDS: 565 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 11:00 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:bb4de15b6ff955d6cd0b406aaec3cdc5&mediaType=text
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US-MED--SALMONELLA-CUCUMBERS
New salmonella outbreak tied to same Florida grower with tainted cucumbers last year
SUMMARY: U.S. health officials are investigating a new outbreak of salmonella illnesses tied to a Florida grower whose tainted cucumbers were linked to more than 500 illnesses last year. Cucumbers grown by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales are linked to at least 26 illnesses in 15 states. Nine people have been hospitalized. The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection in April to a 2024 outbreak that ended in August. Investigators traced that outbreak to untreated canal water. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps.
WORDS: 347 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 10:46 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:254618f4ce92fa421a5b8e2187ec267d&mediaType=text
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CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
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ML--SYRIA-WATER SHORTAGES
Syria’s driest winter in nearly 7 decades triggers a severe water crisis in Damascus
SUMMARY: Syria’s capital, Damascus, is suffering from its worst water shortages in years as a result of the lowest rainfall in more than six decades. The Ein el-Fijeh spring in the Barada Valley that is the main source of water for Damascus is almost dry, leaving many people to rely on buying water from tanker trucks that fill from wells. Government officials are warning that things could get worse in the summer and are urging residents to economize in water consumption while showering or washing dishes. During Syria’s nearly 14-year-long civil war, Ein al-Fijeh was shelled several times, changing hands between forces of President Bashar Assad and insurgents.
WORDS: 772 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 8:55 a.m. EDT
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SPORTS
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FBN--NFL OWNERS MEETINGS
The NFL tush push ban proposal is back on the table at the spring owners meetings
SUMMARY: The fate of the tush push is up for discussion again. A vote is expected this week on the proposal by the Green Bay Packers to prohibit the play popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles. To pass the ban, 24 of the 32 teams must approve. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last month he believes owners will reach a consensus on the issue of competitive integrity and player safety. There will be a new topic as well when NFL owners gather in Minnesota. The league has proposed allowing players to participate in flag football when the sport debuts at the 2028 Olympics.
WORDS: 671 - MOVED: 05/20/2025 6:00 a.m. EDT
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