AP News Digest 7 a.m.

New Zealand Ardern Biden (New Zealand Prime Minister's Office)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All Times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

———————————————

TOP STORIES

———————————————

TRUMP-ELECTION CHALLENGES — President Donald Trump’s campaign has filed plenty of lawsuits in six states as he tries to upend an election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden The strategy may have played well in front of TV cameras, but it’s proved a disaster in court, where judges uniformly have rejected claims of vote fraud. The latest case ended Saturday, when a federal judge in Pennsylvania said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani presented only “speculative accusations” and no proof of rampant corruption in the vote. A law school professor says the suits threaten the future of elections because so many Americans believe the claims being made by Trump’s team. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 1,610 words, photos. WITH ELECTION 2020-PENNSYLVANIA-TRUMP — President Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania. SENT: 160 words, photo.

TRUMP-BIDEN-FOREIGN POLICY -- On its way out the door, the Trump administration is enacting new rules, regulations and orders that it hopes will box in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration on numerous foreign policy matters and cement President Donald Trump’s “America First” legacy in international affairs. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,140 words, photos. WITH BIDEN -- President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Antony Blinken as secretary of state, according to multiple people familiar with the Biden team’s planning. If nominated and confirmed, Blinken would be a leading force in Biden’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Donald Trump questioned longtime alliances. SENT: 900 words, photos.

ISRAEL-SAUDI ARABIA — Israeli media are reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials. Hebrew-language media cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu and Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, flew to the Saudi city of Neom on Sunday, where they met with the crown prince. The prince was there for talks with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. A flight tracking website showed flights between Tel Aviv and Neom on Sunday evening. By Ilan Ben Zion. SENT: 370 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VACCINE — AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is easier to distribute than some of its rivals. The results are based on interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine. By Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — The lines for free COVID-19 tests stretch for blocks and hours in cities feeling the dual strain of the coronavirus surge and holiday plans. But $150 or more can buy a spot at the front of the queue of one of an increasing number of pop-up clinics that promise visitors instant results. Many who need results quickly to get back to work can’t afford that. By Christine Fernando and Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent)

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL SCHOOLS — The switch to remote learning in rural New Mexico has left some students profoundly isolated — cut off from others and the grid by sheer distance. In the village of Cuba, New Mexico, population 800, the school system is sending school buses to students’ homes over an hour away to bring them assignments, meals and a little human contact. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

——————————————————————————————

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

——————————————————————————————

NEW ZEALAND-ARDERN-BIDEN — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has become the latest world leader to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory, saying she offered to share her nation’s expertise on dealing the coronavirus. SENT: 260 words.

INTENTIONAL EXHALE-CHARGED — A man seen forcefully exhaling on two women outside President Donald Trump’s Virginia golf course has been charged with assault. SENT: 270 words.

BELGIUM-MIGRANT DEATH TRIAL — A trial has opened in the shooting death of a two-year-old toddler who was in a van during a high-speed chase between police and suspected migrant smugglers seeking to get to Britain. SENT: 300 words.

OBIT-ALS ICE BUCKET CO-FOUNDER — The ALS Association says a co-founder of the viral ice bucket challenge has died at the age of 37. The organization announced that Pat Quinn died Sunday. SENT: 510 words.

RHODES SCHOLARS — US Rhodes Scholars chosen virtually for the 1st time. SENT: 790 words, photos.

OBIT-BRUCE-SWEDIEN — Bruce Swedien, a five-time Grammy-winning audio engineer who collaborated with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, has died at 86. SENT: 280 words, photos.

——————————————————————————————

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

——————————————————————————————

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — Chinese authorities are testing millions of people, imposing lockdowns and shutting down schools after locally transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered in three cities across the country last week. With temperatures dropping, authorities are enacting large-scale measures in the cities of Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli. Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport is testing more than 17,000 people after two new cases of the virus were found and plans to call for the testing of others in surrounding communities. SENT: 580 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR —California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are quarantining after three of his children were exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. A spokesperson says in an emailed statement that Newsom, his wife and four children all tested negative for the virus on Sunday. SENT: 310 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — Indonesia’s confirmed COVID-19 cases have breached half a million as the government of the world’s fourth most populous nation scrambles to procure vaccines to help it win the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The Health Ministry says new daily infections rose by 4,442 to bring the country’s total to 502,110, the most in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 9.1 million confirmed cases. SENT: 480 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLYING HOME — Millions of Americans bought tickets to fly somewhere for Thanksgiving before the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with them not to travel for the holiday. In many cases, they’re still crowding airports and boarding planes despite relatively lenient cancellation policies that major airlines have implemented since the coronavirus pandemic emerged. SENT: 500 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

———————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

———————————————

HOUSE DEMOCRATS-WHAT HAPPENED -- House Democrats lost enough seats in this month’s elections that they’ll have the smallest majority in over a century. To find out what happened, the party has already begun a “deep dive” examination, and so far it’s blaming a parade of missteps. By Will Weissert and Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.

———————————————

INTERNATIONAL

———————————————

SAUDI ARABIA — Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they struck a Saudi oil facility in the port city of Jiddah with a new cruise missile, just hours after the kingdom finished hosting its virtual Group of 20 leaders summit. The kingdom did not immediately acknowledge any attack Monday as videos on social media suggested a fire at an Aramco oil facility.. SENT: 560 words. Developing

PHILIPPINES-US — President Donald Trump’s administration has provided precision-guided missiles and other weapons to help the Philippines fight Islamic State group-aligned militants and renewed a pledge to defend its Asian treaty ally if it comes under attack in the disputed South China Sea. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien represented Trump in Monday’s ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, where he announced the delivery of the missiles and bombs to the Philippine military. SENT: 630 words, photos.

HONG KONG-POLITICS — Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and two other activists have been taken into custody after pleading guilty to charges related to a demonstration outside police headquarters during anti-government protests last year. SENT: 400 words, photos.

LIBYA — The U.N. says Libya’s rivals have begun a second round of talks on a mechanism to choose a transitional government that would lead the conflict-stricken country to elections in December next year. U.N. acting envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams headed the online meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum a week after the first round of the talks in Tunisia failed to name an executive authority. SENT: 320 words, photos.

JAPAN-GHOSN — A panel of human rights experts working with the United Nations says former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was wrongly detained in Japan and has urged “compensation” and “other reparations” for him from the Japanese government. SENT: 600 words, photo.

FRANCE-SARKOZY — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is going on trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling in a phone-tapping scandal, a first for the 65-year-old politician who has faced several other judicial investigations since leaving office in 2012. SENT: 670 words, photo.

———————————————

NATIONAL

———————————————

CHURCH STABBING-CALIFORNIA — Two people are dead and multiple other people are seriously wounded following a church stabbing in San Jose, California late Sunday. SENT: 150 words, video. DEVELOPING.

———————————————

BUSINESS

———————————————

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks and Wall Street futures rose Monday as investors looked ahead to quarterly U.S. economic data amid unease about anti-coronavirus restrictions and wrangling over the American presidential election. London, Shanghai, Frankfurt and Hong Kong advanced. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. SENT: 570 words, photos.

CHINA-ALIBABA — The chairman and CEO of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has praised Chinese regulators in a possible attempt to repair ties after the stock market debut of its former financial services arm was suspended following criticism of them by billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma. SENT: 380 words.

———————————————

SCIENCE

———————————————

CHINA-MOON MISSION — Chinese technicians were making final preparations Monday for a mission to bring back material from the moon’s surface for the first time in nearly half a century — an undertaking that could boost human understanding of the moon and of the solar system more generally. Chang’e 5 — named for the Chinese moon goddess — is the country’s most ambitious lunar mission yet. If successful, it would be a major advance for China’s space program, and some experts say it could pave the way for bringing samples back from Mars or even a crewed lunar mission. SENT: 860 words, photos.

———————————————

ENTERTAINMENT

———————————————

MUSIC-AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS — Taylor Swift won her third consecutive artist of the year prize at the American Music Awards, but she missed the show for a good reason: She said she’s busy re-recording her songs’ masters after her catalog was sold. SENT: 1,041 words, photos. WITH: MUSIC-AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS-LIST (sent)

MUSIC-MUSIC THROUGH PEACE — Global star Angelique Kidjo uses her artistry and her activism to connect beyond language and skin color. Kidjo and other international musicians are performing social justice anthems for an online fundraising concert called Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice. SENT: 550 words, photos.

———————————————

SPORTS

———————————————

CHIEFS-RAIDERS — Patrick Mahomes threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 28 seconds to play, and the Kansas City Chiefs avenged their only loss in the last 12 months with a 35-31 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Mahomes passed for 348 yards and led two go-ahead scoring drives in the frantic fourth quarter for the defending Super Bowl champions, who split their season series with Las Vegas in dramatic fashion. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

FBC-T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL — Alabama is now a unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, and Northwestern has moved up to No. 11 for its best ranking in 24 years. For the second straight week, the top eight teams in the poll held their spots. SENT: 530 words, photos.

———————————————

HOW TO REACH US

———————————————

The Nerve Center, Dave Clark 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(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.