AP News Digest 7 a.m.

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.

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ONLY ON AP

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MORMON CHURCH-SEX ABUSE-VIDEO — A video of a man raping his 9-year-old daughter triggered a global search for the little girl in 2016. Months later, her father was arrested and the child was rescued from the abuse. Yet the video lives on, downloaded and uploaded by child pornographers across the globe as police, prosecutors and internet companies chase behind in a futile effort to remove the images. By Michael Rezendes and Helen Wieffering. SENT: 2,470 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,170 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserts that Donald Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection two years ago. By Mary Clare Jalonick, Eric Tucker, Farnoush Amiri, Jill Colvin, Michael Balsamo and Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,320 words, photos, audio. WITH: CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION-TAKEAWAYS — Jan. 6 takeaways: From Trump’s lies to the ‘unimaginable’ (sent).

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-DEVELOPMENTS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded another defiant note on his return to his nation’s capital Friday following his wartime visit to the United States, saying his forces are “working toward victory” even as Russia launched new strikes across the country. By E. Eduardo Castillo. SENT: 460 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA — Nearly three years after it was first identified in China, the coronavirus is now spreading through the vast country. Experts predict difficult months ahead for its 1.4 billion people. By Aniruddha Ghosal, Huizhong Wu and Dake Kang. SENT: 1,420 words, photos.

WINTER WEATHER — Thousands of flights were canceled and homeless shelters were overflowing amid one of the most treacherous holiday travel seasons the U.S. has seen in decades, with temperatures plummeting 50 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas and forecasters warning of an impending “bomb cyclone” that could make conditions even worse before Christmas. By Heather Hollingsworth and Jill Bleed. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

MIGRATION-GREECE-TURKEY-BORDER WALL — Greece is planning a major extension of a steel wall along its border with Turkey in 2023, a move that is being applauded by residents in the border area as well as voters more broadly. Authorities argue that the barrier is an effective deterrent in stopping illegal migration, as relations between EU-member Greece and neighbor Turkey continue to deteriorate. By Derek Gatpoulos. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

LEBANON-PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS — The residents of Lebanon’s only Christian-majority Palestinian camp are trying to rebuild the ties to fellow Palestinians broken years ago the country’s civil war. Since that 15-year conflict, the residents of Dbayeh have had good reason to keep a low profile. The other two Palestinian camps in Christian areas were razed — their inhabitants scattered or killed — by Christian militias during the war. By Abbey Sewell. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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TORY-LANEZ-MEGAN-THEE-STALLION — Jurors have began deliberations at the trial of rapper Tory Lanez, who is charged with shooting and wounding hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. SENT: 470 words, photos.

NEWTOWN SHOOTING-INFOWARS — A Connecticut judge has denied Infowars host Alex Jones’ motion seeking a new trial and the overturning of a jury verdict requiring him to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. SENT: 190 words, photos.

GRINER — Brittney Griner has asked her supporters in a social media post to advocate for Paul Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year prison term in Russia for espionage charges the United States are baseless. SENT: 180 words.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-MISSILE-CEMETERY — The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has a peculiar “cemetery,” one that recalls some of the worst damage done since the Russian invasion: the debris of rockets used against this town and its people. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2022-ARIZONA-GOVERNOR — Republican Kari Lake didn’t offer evidence to back her claims of widespread, intentional misconduct on Election Day at her two-day trial challenging her loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor’s race, lawyers for the state say. SENT: 840 words, photo.

NEVADA-FAKE-ELECTOR-TESTIMONY — New transcripts of closed-door testimony to the Jan. 6 House committee show Donald Trump and his allies had a direct hand in the Nevada Republican Party’s scheme to send a phony electoral certificate to Congress in 2020 in a last-ditch attempt to keep the former president in power. SENT: 820 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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FENTANYL DEATHS-SNAPCHAT — As the U.S. deals with its deadliest overdose crisis to date, a national crime-prevention group is calling on the Justice Department to clamp down on social media’s role in the spread of fentanyl, the drug largely driving a troubling spike in overdose deaths among teenagers. SENT: 880 words, photos.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL-RACISM — Superintendent Torie Gibson felt she had no choice but to make the unpopular decision. When learning Amador High’s football team had a group chat titled “Kill the Blacks,” filled with derogatory language and racial slurs, she ended the Northern California school’s varsity season. SENT: 830 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA DOCTORS-PRISON EXPERIMENTS — A prominent California medical school has apologized for conducting dozens of unethical medical experiments on at least 2,600 incarcerated men in the 1960s and 1970s. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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CHINA-US — China has sanctioned two U.S. citizens in retaliation for action taken by Washington over human rights abuses in Tibet, the government says, amid a continuing standoff between the sides over Beijing’s treatment of religious and ethnic minorities. SENT: 660 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said, its latest weapons demonstration that came days after U.S. and South Korean warplanes conducted joint drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. SENT: 760 words, photo.

JAPAN-DEFENSE-BUDGET — Japan’s defense spending will jump 20% to a record $55 billion next year as the country prepares to deploy U.S.-made Tomahawks and other long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets in China or North Korea under a more offensive security strategy. SENT: 780 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-BOMBING — A powerful car bomb detonated near a residential area in Islamabad, killing two suspected militants and an officer, police said, raising fears that militants have a presence in one of the country’s safest cities. SENT: 500 words, photos.

ZIMBABWE-DARK-CHRISTMAS — To brighten the festive season, the mayor of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, recently switched on Christmas lights in the city center. But for many, the event was just a reminder of two things they crave but can’t get: electricity and a happy holiday spirit. SENT: 640 words, photos.

HONG-KONG — Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to follow the “one country, two systems” governing principle for Hong Kong, saying it is the “best arrangement” to maintain the city’s prosperity and stability. SENT: 450 words, photo.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli police shot dead an assailant who allegedly rammed them with his car after trying to shoot an officer in central Israel, authorities and medics say, an attack that left three policemen wounded. SENT: 370 words.

SOMALIA-JOURNALIST RESTRICTIONS — Journalists in Somalia say the government is further restricting their work amid a significant military offensive against the al-Shabab extremist group, with a new directive to submit content for approval before publication. SENT: 360 words.

NEPAL-FRENCH-SERIAL KILLER — Confessed French serial killer Charles Sobhraj was freed from prison in Nepal after serving most of his sentence for the murders of American and Canadian backpackers. SENT: 270 words, photos.

INDIA-ROAD-ACCIDENT — A truck carrying Indian soldiers skidded down a steep slope into a gorge in India’s remote northeast, killing at least 16, the army say. SENT: 130 words.

SRI-LANKA-FOOD-CRISIS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Rasarathnam Anushiya once had a mission: She awaited orders to blow herself up as a suicide bomber during Sri Lanka’s civil war. Years on, her struggle now is to feed her three children during the country’s unprecedented economic crisis. SENT: 470 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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POLAR-BEAR-DECLINE — Polar bears in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay — on the southern edge of the Arctic — are continuing to die in high numbers, a new government survey of the land carnivore has found. Females and bear cubs are having an especially hard time. SENT: 430 words, photo.

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BUSINESS/ TECH

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MICROSOFT-ACTIVISION-BLIZZARD — Microsoft is headed for a battle with the Federal Trade Commission over whether the U.S. will block the tech giant’s planned takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard. SENT: 830 words, photo.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Shares rose in Europe after a retreat in Asia ahead of updates on U.S. consumer spending and durable goods orders. Benchmarks climbed in London and Paris but fell in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul. Oil prices surged more than $1 a barrel. SENT: 680 words, photos.

BRITAIN-STRIKES — Air travelers face possible delays at U.K. airports as government employees who check passports went on strike in the latest of a spate of walkouts over pay amid a cost-of-living crisis. SENT: 190 words.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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DANCE-BALLET-RATMANSKY — Alexei Ratmansky, one of the most acclaimed choreographers in the world, is stepping down from his perch at American Ballet Theatre, the company announces. SENT: 350 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BBO--BAUER REINSTATED — Trevor Bauer was reinstated Thursday by Major League Baseball’s independent arbitrator, allowing the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher to resume his career at the start of the 2023 season. AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. SENT: 890 words, photos.

FBN--JAGUARS-JETS — Trevor Lawrence leaped for a touchdown and the Jacksonville Jaguars continued their push toward the playoffs with their third straight victory, 19-3 over an embarrassed Zach Wilson and the New York Jets on a rainy, windy night. SENT: 870 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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