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The world at 3 a.m. Times are EST.
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DEVELOPING
— KERRY KENNEDY — Court session begins at 9:30 a.m.
— NEW-HOME SALES — Commerce Department reports on sales of new homes in January. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 10 a.m., 350 words by 10:45 a.m.
— BANK EARNINGS — FDIC reports how much U.S. banks earned in the October-December quarter. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 10 a.m., 350 words by 10:45 a.m.
TOP STORIES
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN
WASHINGTON — Frustrated with his Afghan counterpart, President Barack Obama is ordering the Pentagon to accelerate planning for a full U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of this year. But Obama is holding out hope that Afghanistan's next president may eventually sign a stalled security agreement that could prevent the U.S. from having to take that step. By White House Correspondent Julie Pace. SENT: 870 words, photos.
WOMEN IN COMBAT
FORT STEWART, Ga. — By spending their days lifting 65-pound missiles and .50-caliber machine guns, all while wearing 70 pounds of body armor and other fighting gear, women at Georgia's Fort Stewart are helping make history. They're part of an Army study that will determine how all soldiers — including women, for the first time — will be deemed fit to join its fighting units from infantry platoons to tank crews. Not all the women participating have battlefield aspirations — indeed, an Army survey shows only a small fraction of women say they want to move into combat jobs. But they're enduring the grueling training nonetheless. By Russ Bynum. UPCOMING: 1,000 words by 4:30 a.m, video, photos.
EL CHAPO IN HIDING
WASHINGTON — Mexico's most powerful drug cartel leader employed the very latest high-tech communications gadgetry and sophisticated counterespionage practices to elude an international manhunt for 13 years, The Associated Press has learned. In the end, however, life on the run unraveled for Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in a decidedly low-tech way. By Alicia A. Caldwell. SENT: 690 words, photo.
HOMELESS-TINY HOUSES
MADISON, Wis. — In this college town and other cities around the country, advocates and religious groups are building compact houses in communal settings to give homeless residents a place of their own. Many houses, which usually include a bed but no bathroom, are built with donated materials and volunteer labor and require residents to behave appropriately, avoid drugs and alcohol and help maintain the properties. But some neighbors have not been receptive, saying they worry about noise and possible crime. By Carrie Antlfinger. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
— AP PHOTO RPCA101: Betty Ybarra, 48, stands outside a tiny house she and her boyfriend live in in Madison, Wis. It was the first house built by OM Build, which wants to build nine such structures in Madison for the homeless. By Carrie Antlfinger.
NYC MAYOR-MISSTEPS
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has suffered through a series of blunders — failing to close the schools during a major snowstorm, calling a police official to get a campaign supporter out of jail and speeding through stop signs two days after introducing a traffic safety program. While such mistakes may come with the territory for a big-city mayor, de Blasio may actually have made the situation worse by stonewalling the media at every turn. By Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 770 words, photos.
INTERNATIONAL
UKRAINE
KIEV, Ukraine — Under the watchful eyes of thousands of protesters still surrounding the seats of power in Kiev, talks on the formation of the new government gather pace as the hunt for the fleeing President Viktor Yanukovych continues. By Maria Danilova. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6 a.m., photos.
NATIONAL
AVALANCHE DANGERS
SEATTLE — Skiers and snowboarders rejoiced when a series of storms dumped several feet of snow in the mountains across the West, after what had been a disappointing, dry start for many seeking fresh powder in the backcountry. But all that new snow falling in recent weeks has fueled dangerous avalanche conditions from the Cascades to the Rockies. Seventeen people have died in an avalanche this winter, 11 of them since early February. By Phuong Le. SENT: 680 words, photos, video.
BACKYARD GOLD BONANZA
LOS ANGELES — A California couple out walking their dog on their property stumbles across a modern-day bonanza: $10 million worth of rare, mint-condition gold coins buried in the shadow of an old tree. Most of the 1,427 coins — dating from 1847 to 1894 — are in near-perfect condition. By John Rogers. SENT: 850 words, photos, video.
WASHINGTON
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MINIMUM WAGE-PRESSURED SENATORS
WASHINGTON — Two Democratic senators named Mark, both seeking re-election this year from Republican-leaning states, illustrate how local politics is complicating the push by President Barack Obama and his party to raise the federal minimum wage. Mark Pryor of Arkansas says he'll vote against the bill. Mark Begich of Alaska is co-sponsoring it. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
HEALTH
SNACK MAKERS TEACH DIETITIANS
NEW YORK — The same snack and soda makers that often are blamed for fueling the nation's obesity rates also play a role in educating the dietitians who advise Americans on healthy eating. Dietitians can earn education credits they need to keep their licenses by taking food company-sponsored workshops, seminars and online classes. The classes are among the food and beverage industry's behind-the-scenes efforts to try to burnish the nutritional images of their products at a time when people are increasingly trying to eat better. By Candice Choi. UPCOMING: 1,600 words by 7 a.m., photos.
BUSINESS
WIRELESS SHOW-FINGERPRINT SECURITY
BARCELONA, Spain — Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 smartphone will be at least the third to have a fingerprint sensor for security but it's alone in letting you use that for general shopping, thanks to a partnership with PayPal. The sensor brings convenience for entering passcodes and could encourage more people to lock their phones. But fingerprint security isn't foolproof. Here's what to know as you consider whether to place your trust in it. By Anick Jesdanun. SENT: 840 words, photo.
GETTING ATTENTION
— MISSOURI EXECUTION — Missouri executes inmate for abducting, raping and killing 15-year-old girl in 1989. SENT: 710 words, photo.
— VATICAN-BENEDICT — Benedict XVI denies he was pressured to resign on eve of anniversary, says it was free choice. SENT: 130 words.
— POLICE CAR THEFT SCHEME — Police officers in California town accused of scheme to take impounded cars for themselves. SENT: 900 words, photos.
— TV-MILES O'BRIEN-INJURY — PBS science reporter Miles O'Brien says arm injury required partial amputation of his limb. SENT: 350 words, photo.
— SECOND-TERM FIXER — Longtime Washington insider John Podesta is developing a bit of a specialty for the presidents he's served — second-term problem solver. SENT: 890 words, photo.
— CANADA-DOCTOR SENTENCED — Canadian doctor who assaulted patients during surgeries sentenced to 10 years in prison. SENT: 610 words, photos.
— INDIA-SUBMARINE ACCIDENT — Indian navy sailors overcome by smoke during training aboard sub; 2 missing, 7 hospitalized. SENT: 100 words.
— KERRY KENNEDY — Kerry Kennedy to take stand at NY drugged-driving trial; lawyer says prosecution helping. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 500 words by 5 p.m., photos.
— AARON HERNANDEZ-ALTERCATION — Sheriff: Former NFL star Aaron Hernandez involved in Massachusetts prison altercation. SENT: 110 words.
— OBIT-LUMUMBA — Jackson, Miss., 1st-term Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, attorney and human rights activist, dies at 66. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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