AP News Digest 3:45 a.m.

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 at https://newsroom.ap.org.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-NUCLEAR-THREAT — Ukrainians no longer ask if their country will be hit by Russia with nuclear weapons. They are preparing for it. People casually discuss which city could be the most likely target or what type of weapon might be used. Amid the war and the nuclear fears, many have stocked up with supplies and make elaborate survival plans. Others face it with dark humor. The nuclear threat seems to be on everyone’s mind. By Hanna Arhirova and Adam Schreck. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-BIDEN — President Joe Biden visits California and Illinois as part of his last big campaign swing before the midterm elections. By Aamer Madhani. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 5:30 a.m. First event in San Diego at 2:45 p.m.

CHINA-GERMANY — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing for a one-day visit that has drawn criticism over China’s tacit support for Russia in its war on Ukraine and lingering controversies over economic ties and human rights issues. SENT: 800 words, photo.

OVERWHELMED-ABORTION-CLINICS — A Kansas abortion clinic that was among the first in the country to open after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has been inundated with patients. Some drive 10 hours or more to get there, coming from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and even Louisiana. But that’s only if they can get an appointment. Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, including this newest one, are only able to take about 10% to 15% of the patients seeking abortions. Kansas is one of the few states in the region still providing abortions in the wake of the court’s ruling. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

LOTTERY-ENVY — The third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history has people across the country clamoring for a chance to win a mega jackpot. But in the five states without a lottery, envious bystanders are crossing state lines or sending ticket money to friends and family across lines, hoping to get in on the action. By Kim Chandler and Mark Thiessen. SENT: 880 words, photos.

MIDEAST-CHOLERA — Thousands of cholera cases have swept across Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq in recent weeks. All three countries are struggling with crumbling health care and water infrastructure, turmoil and housing displaced people. That prevents an adequate response to the rapidly spreading disease. The outbreak marks a major setback for global efforts to eradicate cholera and reduce deaths related to the water-borne illness by 90% by 2030. By Kareem Chehayeb. SENT: 880 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIAA-UKRAINE-WAR-SENATORS-VISIT — Two U.S. senators met with families in Ukraine’s capital Thursday and promised continued humanitarian support for the war-torn country as winter nears. Democrat Chris Coons of Delaware and Republican Rob Portman of Ohio emphasized their commitment to the people of Ukraine while visiting a distribution center in Kyiv and speaking to families bracing for a dark, cold season with inadequate heating and electricity. SENT: 600 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was relying on emergency diesel generators to run its safety systems after external power from the Ukrainian electric grid was again cut off. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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BKN-NETS-IRVING — The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay Thursday, dismayed by his repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.” SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

PAGEANT LAWSUIT-TRANSGENDER CONTESTANT — A federal appellate court on Wednesday said a national beauty pageant has a First Amendment right to exclude a transgender woman from competing because including her could interfere with the message the pageant has said it wants to send about “what it means to be a woman.” SENT: 650 words, photos.

TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE — A moderately strong earthquake struck Turkey’s western province of Izmir, causing panic among residents and toppling the minaret of a mosque, officials said. Two people were hurt while trying to escape their home in panic. SENT: 180 words.

MEDIA-CNBC-SMITH — CNBC axes Shepard Smith’s nightly newscast after two years. SENT: 290 words, photo.

BRITTNEY GRINER -- Officials at the American embassy in Russia visit jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, just weeks after a court there rejected her appeal of her nine-year sentence for drug possession. SENT: 370 words, photo.

SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-PAUL-HAGGIS — Filmmaker Haggis says he never forced himself on publicist. SENT: 790 words, photos.

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ELECTION 2022

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ELECTION 2022-VIRGINIA-LURIA — Rep. Elaine Luria is spending the closing days of her reelection campaign in the new parts of her Virginia district to gain the support of Black residents whose votes could well determine if she gets a third term. Luria, a Democrat, finds herself in a dead heat with her GOP challenger. By Farnoush Amiri. UPCOMING: 1,150 words, photos by 5:30 a.m.

ELECTION 2022-NEW-HAMPSHIRE-1ST-DISTRICT — U.S. Rep. Chis Pappas accused his Republican challenger of treating politics as a performance without offering solutions to problems, while Karoline Leavitt accused the Democratic incumbent of being a partisan problem creator during their third and last debate. SENT: 600 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-PENNSYLVLANIA-SENATE — TV icon Oprah Winfrey has endorsed Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race and rejected Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, whom she had helped launch to stardom nearly two decades ago when she brought him on her popular daytime talk show as a regular guest. SENT: 280 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-HARRIS — Vice President Kamala Harris has been campaigning across the country — not for herself but to boost Democratic candidates. It’s a chance for her to flex her political muscles two years after her own presidential bid failed. SENT: 1,360 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-NEW YORK GOVERNOR — Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hit the campaign trail in New York City for Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat facing an unexpectedly competitive election. SENT: 790 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON

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SUPREME COURT-DIVERSITY — The Supreme Court looks more like America than it ever has. The lawyers who argue at the nation’s highest court? Not so much. The current two-week session of arguments features 25 men and just two women, and the racial and ethnic disparity among lawyers also is stark. By Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 5:30 a.m.

TRUMP-LEGAL TROUBLES — A Manhattan judge said he will appoint an independent monitor “to ensure there is no further fraud” at former President Donald Trump’s company, restricting its ability to freely make deals, sell assets and change its corporate structure.. By Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 820 words, photo.

IRS-SEIZURES — The crime-fighting arm of the IRS, which tracks financial crimes and hunts down pricey properties of sanctioned Russian elites, identified more than $32 billion in funds during the past fiscal year for eventual seizure, the agency reports. SENT: 400 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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IRAN-PROTEST — Iran has marked the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as its theocracy faces nationwide protests after the death of a 22-year-old woman earlier arrested by the country’s morality police. SENT: 630 words.

INDIA-DANGEROUS-AIR-POLLUTION — Indian authorities on Friday shut factories and construction sites, restricted diesel-run vehicles and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control haze and smog enveloping the skyline of the capital region. SENT: 630 words, photos.

UNITED NATIONS-CLIMATE SUMMIT — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the planet is heading toward irreversible “climate chaos” and urged global leaders at the upcoming climate summit in Egypt to put the world back on track to cut emissions, keep promises on climate financing and help developing countries speed their transition to renewable energy. SENT: 600 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFOWARS — Infowars host Alex Jones is facing the possibility of having more penalties heaped onto the amount he already owes for spreading conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, as the punitive damages phase of his Connecticut trial is set to begin Friday in a lawsuit filed by the victims’ families. SENT: 790 words, photos.

SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-HARVEY-WEINSTEIN — An attorney for Harvey Weinstein suggested Thursday that the shifts in a massage therapist’s account of a 2010 sexual assault by the former movie mogul meant she had fabricated details, while she insisted that working through the trauma had drawn out more accurate memories. SENT: 550 words, photos.

SEX OFFENDER LAWYER — A divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday approved a registered sex offender’s application to become an attorney in the state — though the man says he’s not sure he’ll wind up practicing law after all. SENT: 810 words.

PELOSI-HUSBAND ATTACKED — The Canadian man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacking her husband with a hammer should have been flagged by immigration officials and blocked from getting back into the U.S. after overstaying his authorized entry more than two decades ago, a federal official said. SENT: 630 words, photos.

INDIANA-ABORTION — An Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio is suing Indiana’s attorney general, seeking to block him from using allegedly “frivolous” consumer complaints to issue subpoenas seeking patients’ confidential medical records. SENT: 630 words, photo.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-ALCOHOL-DEATHS — The rate of deaths that can be directly attributed to alcohol rose nearly 30% in the U.S. during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new government data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already said the overall number of such deaths rose in 2020 and 2021. Two reports from the CDC this week provided further details on which groups have the highest death rates and which states are seeing the largest numbers. SENT: 550 words, photo.

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BUSINESS/ TECH

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Shares soared more than 7% in Hong Kong after a Communist Party newspaper reported that local officials were being urged not to impose overly burdensome controls to curb coronavirus infections. SENT: 340 words, photos.

ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT — The U.S. jobs report for October will be closely watched Friday for any indication that employers are slowing their hiring — a prospect the Federal Reserve would likely welcome as a sign that the high inflation that is gripping the economy might soon begin to ease. SENT: 800 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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BBO-WORLD-SERIES-ASTROS-PHILLIES — Justin Verlander overcame an early jolt to grit out the World Series win that long eluded him, rookie Jeremy Peña hit a go-ahead home run and the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 to head home with a 3-2 lead. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

FBN-EAGLES-TEXANS — Jalen Hurts didn’t make too much of the Philadelphia Eagles improving to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. Instead he reminisced on his freshman year at Alabama in 2016 when his team won its first eight games during a 14-0 start, but came short of the ultimate goal. SENT: 960 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.