Estimated read time: 9-10 minutes
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The world at 6 p.m. Times are EDT.
At the Nerve Center, Mike Stewart, Amir Bibawy and Stephanie Siek can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Swayne Hall (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477.
TOP STORIES
WEST RESPONSE-RUSSIA
WASHINGTON — Raising the stakes in an East-West showdown, the United States and European allies hit nearly two dozen close associates of Vladimir Putin with economic and other sanctions, and Moscow quickly retaliates by barring entrance to U.S. lawmakers and close Obama aides. Both sides threaten more penalties in the standoff over Russia's expanding its reach into Ukraine. By White House Correspondent Julie Pace. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
UKRAINE-EASTERN FRONT
PORASKOVEYEVKA, Ukraine — The disheveled men barricading the muddy lane leading into a military base in this eastern Ukraine village say they're taking a stand to defend Russian-speakers. In Donetsk, 90 kilometers southwest, pro-Russian activists and Cossacks armed with sticks and bats storm one local government office after another, only to leave a short while later. It looks a lot like Crimea. But with a population that identifies far more with Ukraine than residents of Crimea who voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia, things could play out far differently. By Yuras Karmanau and Sergei Grits. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
— UKRAINE — Pro-Russian crowds seize two Ukrainian warships as tensions remain high despite the release of a Ukrainian naval commander held by pro-Russian forces. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video.
MALAYSIA-PLANE
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — On the 13th day of the Malaysia Airlines mystery, what was called the "best lead" in the search emerged: satellite images of objects in one of the remotest spots on Earth — the stormy waters of the southern Indian Ocean, 1,000 miles off the western coast of Australia. The development gave new hope of finding the missing jet but was another emotional twist for the families of the 239 people aboard. By Scott McDonald and Kristen Gelineau. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, video, audio.
— MALAYSIA-PLANE SEARCH FACTS — The latest information on satellite images being investigated and how the search is being conducted. By Nick Perry. SENT: 650 words, photo.
ARMY GENERAL-SEX CHARGES
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — An Army general at the center of a sexual misconduct case that put the military justice system itself on trial is spared prison and given a reprimand and a $20,000 fine — a punishment legal experts, women's military groups and members of Congress call shockingly light. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair immediately announces his retirement, a humiliating fall for the battle-tested commander once regarded as a rising star in the Army. A disciplinary board could still bust him in rank and severely reduce his pension. By Michael Biesecker and Jeffrey Collins. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
AFGHANISTAN
JALALABAD, Afghanistan —Four gunmen with pistols stuffed into their socks attacked a luxury hotel frequented by foreigners in Afghanistan's capital, just hours after militants killed 11 people in an audacious assault on a police station in eastern Afghanistan. By Amir Shah and Kim Gamel. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
WINTER'S BUDGET TOLL
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — State and local governments across a huge swath of the nation are experiencing sticker shock after one of the coldest, snowiest, iciest winters in memory. Many have spent two or three times as much as they budgeted for clearing roads. More bad weather could send costs higher. Even as the official arrival of spring presages warmer weather, it's clear that winter's bitter aftertaste will linger much longer as officials compensate for untold millions in unexpected spending that includes patching a rash of potholes. By John Flesher. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, graphic.
— SPRING OUTLOOK — Spring is here, but it's hard to notice. A swath of the nation is locked in a deep freeze and fresh snow forced one Michigan college to postpone a first day of spring rite — the burning of a fake snowman. Meanwhile, there's little relief in sight for the drought-gripped Southwest. SENT: 640 words, photos.
MORE ON MALAYSIA PLANE
MALAYSIA-PLANE-AVIATION BOOM
HONG KONG — The transfixing mystery of the Malaysia Airlines jet that went missing with 239 people on board has unfolded in a region where air travel is undergoing supercharged growth after decades of being beyond the reach of most people. Air travel in Asia is surging as the middle class gets bigger, discount airlines proliferate and business ties with the rest of the world deepen. Airports are scrambling to expand as they bulge with passengers, and an upstart Indonesian carrier has given Boeing and Airbus their biggest jet orders ever. By Kelvin Chan. SENT: 800 words, photos.
WASHINGTON
CIA INVESTIGATIONS
WASHINGTON — Putting more pressure on the CIA, the Senate orders an investigation into a computer network that contained a still-secret review of U.S. terror interrogations. The clash has prompted dueling criminal referrals to the Justice Department and a dramatic collapse in confidence between the nation's spy agencies and the lawmakers entrusted with their oversight. By Bradley Klapper and Donna Cassata. SENT: 970 words, photo.
SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS, HFR
WASHINGTON — Even preschoolers are getting suspended from U.S. schools — and they're disproportionately black, a trend that continues up through the later grades, according to a new Education Department report. By Education Writer Kimberly Hefling. SENT: 600 words, photos. HOLD FOR RELEASE 12:01 a.m.
— NSA SURVEILLANCE — Google enhances email service, makes it harder for NSA to intercept communications.
— VETERANS' UNEMPLOYMENT — Joblessness among post-Sept. 11 veterans inches down to 9 percent for 2013, but remains high.
— IRS PHONE SCAM — IRS watchdog says phone scam largest ever; more than 20,000 people contacted by fake agents.
— SUPREME COURT-SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY — Supreme Court may take up Virginia sex registry case.
NATIONAL
OBIT-FRED PHELPS
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., the fiery founder of a small Kansas church who drew international condemnation for outrageous and hate-filled protests that blamed almost everything, including the deaths of AIDS victims and U.S. soldiers, on America's tolerance for gay people, has died at 84, a relative says. Throughout his life, Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church, a small congregation made up almost entirely of his extended family, tested the boundaries of free speech, violating accepted societal standards for decency in their unapologetic assault on gays and lesbians. By John Hanna. SENT: 1,500 words, photos, video.
EXXON VALDEZ-25 YEARS LATER
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, there was the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. The tanker carrying 53 million gallons of crude struck Bligh Reef in 1989 and unleashed an estimated 10.8 million gallons of thick, toxic crude oil into the water. Twenty five years later, most of the species have recovered, but some wildlife, as well as the people who live in the region, are still struggling. By Dan Joling. SENT: 960 words, photos, video.
—AP WAS THERE — A tanker ran aground on a reef and ripped holes in its hull Friday, gushing millions of gallons of thick crude oil into pristine Prince William Sound in the largest spill in U.S. history. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
INTERNATIONAL
ISRAEL-NETANYAHU SCANDAL
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself engulfed in a fresh controversy after a former member of his housekeeping staff files a lawsuit claiming he was mistreated and verbally abused by the Israeli leader's wife, Sara. Critics have long accused Israel's first family of living extravagantly while ignoring the struggling middle class. By Josef Federman. SENT: 910 words, photo.
BUSINESS
GUM'S DECLINE
NEW YORK — These days, gum may seem as appealing as that sticky wad on the bottom of a shoe. It's not that Americans still don't partake in a stick of Trident or Orbit, the two most popular brands. They're just not as crazy about chomping away on the stuff as they once were, with U.S. sales tumbling 11 percent over the past five years. No one in the industry can really pinpoint any one factor that's causing the decline, but the biggest reason may be that people simply have more to chew on. By Candice Choi. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
SPORTS
BRACKET RACKET
Welcome to BracketRacket, your one-stop shopping on game days for all your NCAA tournament needs. We'll have interviews with celebrity alums drawn from sports, entertainment and politics, plus occasional "bracket-buster" picks, photos, news, gossip, stats, notes and quotes from around the tourney sites — all of it bundled into a quick read that gives diehard fans and office-poolers alike something to sound smart about. By Jim Litke. SENT: 1,500 words, photos, interactive. UPCOMING: Updates through the evening.
— PICK SIX-NCAA SUBPLOTS: Amid all the action at the start of the NCAA tournament are some interesting subplots — like a Big East reunion, a player who became close friends with a cancer-stricken girl and some Omaha love. By John Marshall. SENT: 700 words.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— KURT COBAIN INVESTIGATION — Police will release new Kurt Cobain photos, re-examination of death found nothing new. SENT: 270 words.
— HOT CELL DEATH — Mayor calls death of mentally ill veteran in overheated NYC cell 'very troubling'. SENT: 800 words, photos.
— WITNESS INTIMIDATION-PHILLY — Senator, Philadelphia district attorney seek federal help to stop rise in witness intimidation. SENT: 380 words.
— SUPERMAN-KENNEDY COMIC — JFK Library displays 1964 storyboards of John F. Kennedy posing with Superman. SENT: 370 words, photos.
— WTC-TEEN ARRESTED — N.J. teen accused of gaining access to top of World Trade Center and taking pictures is arrested. SENT: 600 words, photos.
— CHRISTIE-TOWN HALL — Christie says aide who ordered traffic backups would have been fired even if she'd told truth. SENT: 480 words, photos.
— OBIT-LAWRENCE WALSH— Lawrence E. Walsh, the special prosecutor who spent six years investigating misconduct by President Ronald Reagan administration officials in the Iran-Contra affair, has died. He was 102. SENT: 1,440 words, photo.
— SHERIFFS DEPUTY SHOT — An attack that killed a Northern California sheriff's deputy started with a crime spree in Oregon. SENT: 830 words, photo.
— NUKE REPOSITORY-RADIATION — The operator of the nation's troubled nuclear waste dump in southeastern New Mexico wants to temporarily store waste in rural West Texas. SENT: 800 words, photos.
— PISTORIUS-HOUSE — Oscar Pistorius is selling the house where he killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, to raise money for his legal bills and because he can't contemplate ever living there again. SENT: 605 words, photos.
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