AP News Digest 6 p.m.

Biden (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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NEW/DEVELOPING

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Adds: VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA-LAWSUIT; KENOSHA-PROTEST-SHOOTINGS-LEGAL; FACEBOOK-METAVERSE-CORPORATE-NAME-CHANGE; ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY-CRISIS; CONGRESS-STOCK-TRADING-BURR; OKLAHOMA-EXECUTIONS; WORLD SERIES-ALL STAR-FALLOUT; CUOMO-HARASSMENT; CONGRESS-BUDGET-IMMIGRATION; TRAFFIC-DEATHS; VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-TRUMP; METAVERSE EXPLAINER

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ONLY ON AP

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MYANMAR-MASS-TORTURE — An investigation by The Associated Press has found that the Myanmar military has been torturing detainees across the country in a methodical and systemic way since its takeover of the government in February. The AP investigation was based on interviews with 28 people imprisoned and released in recent months, photographic evidence, sketches and letters, and testimony from three recently defected military officials. By Victoria Milko and Kristen Gelineau. SENT: 3,300 words, photos, video. With MYANMAR-MASS-TORTURE-VIGNETTES — A monk, a student, an artist: Tortured by Myanmar military. SENT: 1,380 words, photos, video.

AP POLL-BIDEN AGENDA — As President Joe Biden and Democrats try to get a roughly $2 trillion package over the finish line, a new poll shows that fewer than half of Americans approve of how they have handled the spending bill. And many say they know little to nothing about it. By Kevin Freking and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 970 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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CONGRESS-BUDGET — President Joe Biden declared he had reached a “historic” framework with Democrats in Congress on his sweeping domestic policy package, but he was still struggling for critical final support from skeptical colleagues for the hard-fought and dramatically scaled-back bill. By Lisa Mascaro, Aamer Madhani and Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 1,140 words, photos, videos. With CONGRESS-BUDGET-HIGHLIGHTS — A look at the details of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion framework. SENT: 630 words, photos. With CONGRESS-BUDGET-PAID LEAVE — With a paid family leave proposal falling out of President Joe Biden’s massive social spending package, Democrats in Congress feel they may have lost their last, best chance for making it happen. UPCOMING: 900 words by 7 p.m. With: CONGRESS-BUDGET-IMMIGRATION — Dems trying to include help for immigrants in Biden plan. SENT: 700 words, photos.

BIDEN ABROAD — President Joe Biden promised to show the world that democracies can work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As he prepares to push that message at a pair of global summits, his case could hinge on what’s happening in Washington where he is rushing to finalize a major domestic legislative package. By Josh Boak and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,245 words, photo. For more on the G20 Summit go to AP Newsroom here.

CONGRESS-OIL INDUSTRY — Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants denied spreading disinformation about climate change as they sparred with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming. SENT: 980 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Ukraine is suffering through a surge in coronavirus infections and deaths, along with other parts of Eastern Europe. While vaccines are plentiful, there is widespread reluctance to get them in many countries, although there are some notable exceptions. Only about 16% of Ukraine’s 41 million people are fully vaccinated, the second lowest share in Europe after Armenia. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

PROP-FIREARM-NARRATIVE — Accounts and images from court documents, interviews and social media postings have revealed much of what happened when actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on an Old West movie set in New Mexico. But a week after the Oct. 21 shooting, the key question remains unanswered: How did live ammunition wind up in a real gun being used as a movie prop, despite precautions that should have prevented it? By Morgan Lee, Susan Montoya Bryan and Gene Johnson. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

FACEBOOK-METAVERSE-CORPORATE-NAME-CHANGE — An embattled Facebook Inc. is changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the “metaverse.” But the social network itself will still be called Facebook. SENT: 550 words, photos. With: FACEBOOK-METAVERSE-CORPORATE-NAME-CHANGE-GLANCE A look at other corporate rebranding efforts. SENT: 860 words, photo AND METAVERSE EXPLAINER What is the metaverse and how will it work? SENT 1,000 words, photos.

ISRAEL-GAZA-BEACHES-PHOTO GALLERY — Though the beaches in Tel Aviv and Gaza City look out on the same cresting waves of the Mediterranean Sea, they are worlds apart -- and not just because they sit on opposite sides of a century-old conflict. SENT: 690 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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CUOMO-HARASSMENT — Cuomo accused of forcible touching in criminal complaint. SENT: 550 words, photo.

ASTEROID-CHASER — NASA is debating whether to try to fix a jammed solar panel on its newly launched Lucy spacecraft, en route to explore asteroids. NASA reports that ne of Lucy’s two giant, circular solar panels is only between 75% and 95% extended and attempts to fully extend the panels have been unsuccessful. SENT: 260 words, photo.

VATICAN-POPE-BIDEN — The Vatican has abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis. The Vatican press office provided no explanation for why. SENT: 560 words, photos.

KOREAS-KIM’S-HEALTH — South Korea’s spy agency tells lawmakers that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has recently lost about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) but remains healthy. SENT: 750 words, photos.

TRAFFIC-DEATHS — US road deaths spiked 18% to 20,000 in 2021′s first half. SENT: 260 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RECALLS — Dozens of recall campaigns are underway across the U.S. ahead of next week’s election. Many of the efforts are led by people who oppose any COVID-19-related rules. The races illustrate the contentiousness that has upended usually sleepy school board and city council meetings. SENT: 905 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-HALLOWEEN — Whether you decide to go trick-or-treating with your family in the pandemic might depend on your situation and comfort level. The COVID-19 transmission rate in your area is one factor to consider, as well as whether the other people your children will be exposed to are vaccinated. SENT: 345 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTRBEAK-AFRICA — African health officials and the United Nations are warning of a looming shortage of up to 2 billion syringes for mainly low- and middle-income countries around the world as the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses rises, and routine vaccinations could be affected, too. SENT: 470 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — Indonesians are looking ahead warily toward the holiday travel season, anxious for crucial tourist spending but worried an influx of visitors could spread the coronavirus just as its pandemic situation seems to be subsiding. SENT: 970 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-PROBE-GRIEF — A Brazilian Senate committee has recommended criminal indictments for President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. A government body laying blame at the president’s feet in the form of a nearly 1,300-page report is already helping bring solace and validation to the mournful nation with the world’s second highest death toll from the virus and eighth-highest per capita. SENT: 880 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA — Moscow city authorities have ordered most people to stay off work for at least 11 days, to stem coronavirus infections as new daily cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Russia surged to all-time highs. SENT: 530 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Britain has removed the seven remaining countries on its travel “red list.” The change means that travelers who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel after arriving in the U.K. SENT: 260 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA-LAWSUIT — The state of Florida sued President Joe Biden’s administration over its coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors, opening yet another battleground between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the White House. SENT: 300 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-TRUMP — Former President Donald Trump is stepping from afar into the hotly contested Virginia governor’s race with a tele-rally planned Monday for Republican Glenn Youngkin, according to a person familiar with his plans. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 350 words.

CONGRESS-STOCK TRADING-BURR — North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr and his brother-in-law are being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for potential insider trading, a case that stems from their abrupt sales of financial holdings during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, according to recent federal court filings. SENT: 780 words, photo.

BIDEN-BUDGET-ANALYSIS — Joe Biden set out to be a president who under-promised and over-delivered. That worked, until it didn’t. As the White House now closes in on a nearly $3 trillion domestic package that Biden frames as a historic investment in infrastructure and social spending, the moment is clouded by a sense among many on the political left that the pared-back package falls far short of the lofty expectations set by the president himself. UPCOMING: 1,100 words, photos.

CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING — Families of nine victims killed in a racist attack at a Black South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre. The Justice Department will pay $88 million, which includes $63 million for the families of the slain and $25 million for survivors of the shooting. SENT: 765 words, photos.

PRESIDENTS-AND-POPES — When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he won’t kiss the ring. Biden, who is only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to — that no one is “better” than him. By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,080, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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VENEZUELA-JAILED-AMERICANS — Venezuela’s government quietly offered last year to release imprisoned Americans in exchange for the U.S. letting go a key financier of President Nicolás Maduro, according to people with knowledge of the proposal and message exchanges seen by The Associated Press. SENT: 1,400 words, photos.

SUDAN — Sudan’s strongman fired at least six ambassadors, including the envoys to the U.S., the European Union and France, after they condemned the military’s takeover of the country, a military official says. SENT: 940 words, photos.

CLIMATE-COP26 — The U.N.‘s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate envoy called for countries to step up the fight against global warming, describing it as an issue of sheer survival for humankind. SENT: 710 words, photos.

BRITAIN-ASSANGE — Promises by the U.S. government that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if he is extradited to face American justice are not enough to address concerns about his fragile mental health and high risk of suicide, a lawyer defending him argued. SENT: 730 words, photos.

ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY-CRISIS — Ethiopia’s government says a new airstrike has hit the capital of the country’s Tigray region and a doctor says 10 people have been killed, including children. This is the deadliest of the new round of airstrikes that began last week as the year-long war intensifies. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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OKLAHOMA-EXECUTIONS — Oklahoma executed a man for the 1998 stabbing death of a prison cafeteria worker, the state’s first lethal injection following a six-year moratorium. John Marion Grant, 60, is the first inmate to be executed since a series of flawed executions in 2014 and 2015. Grant was serving a 130-year prison sentence for several armed robberies when witnesses say he dragged prison cafeteria worker Gay Carter into a mop closet and stabbed her 16 times with a homemade shank. He was sentenced to die in 1999. SENT: 850 words, photos.

KENOSHA-PROTEST-SHOOTINGS-LEGAL — When Kyle Rittenhouse goes on trial Monday for shooting three men during street protests in Wisconsin that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer, he’ll argue that he fired in self-defense. Legal experts say under Wisconsin law he has a strong case. What’s less clear is whether prosecutors will be able to persuade the jury that Rittenhouse created a deadly situation by showing up in Kenosha with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle — and that in doing so he forfeited his claim to self-defense. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.

LOUISIANA POLICE DEATH-FEDERAL PROBE — The Louisiana Senate has created a special committee to dig into complaints about the use of excessive force by the State Police, after troopers were documented in a series of beatings of Black men that have drawn attention from federal investigators. SENT: 530 words, photos.

ELECTION 2021-MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was the face of the city through some of its darkest days — the police killing of George Floyd last year and the rioting, burning and looting that ensued. Now the Democrat faces a tough fight to keep his job in the city’s first election since Floyd’s death under the knee of a white police officer in May 2020. SENT: 990 words, photos.

REL-KIDNAPPED-MISSIONARIES-FAITH — Relatives and supporters of 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti are praying at least as much for the captors as the captives. They’re tapping into a long history in their conservative Anabaptist tradition when they use phrases such as “Love your enemies,” “Forgive them,” and “Pray for the kidnappers.” SENT: 1,270 words, photos.

GIFTED EDUCATION — Public school programs for the gifted and talented are getting increased scrutiny as critics denounce them as modern-day segregation and push for broader access or outright elimination. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With EXPLAINER-GIFTED EDUCATION — Why are schools revisiting gifted education? SENT: 1,120 words, photo.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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ECONOMY-GDP — Hampered by COVID-19 cases and supply shortages, the U.S. economy slowed sharply to a 2% annual growth rate in the July-September period, the weakest quarterly expansion since the recovery from the pandemic recession began last year. SENT: 940 words, photo.

PHILANTHROPY-BILLIONAIRES TAX — Elon Musk isn’t happy. With a personal fortune that is flirting with $300 billion, the Tesla CEO — the richest person on earth — has been lashing out at a Democratic proposal to tax the assets of billionaires like him. SENT: 990 words, photo.

BRITAIN--SOCIAL-MEDIA — British lawmakers grilled Facebook and other tech giants over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. The tech giant’s head of safety said that the company supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an “unsafe experience.” SENT: 690 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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WORLD SERIES-BRAVES-ASTROS-PREVIEW — A World Series short on drama so far shifts the scene to Atlanta, where the Braves and Houston Astros are set to play Game 3 at Truist Park on Friday night. The matchup is tied at one game each and Houston’s Jose Altuve is one of the few stars to have any huge hits. SENT: 730 words, photos.

WORLD SERIES-BRAVES-TOMAHAWK CHOP — The World Series is shifting to Atlanta and some TV viewers may be offended to see Braves fans still chopping and chanting. The tomahawk chop has the support of baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

WORLD SERIES-ALL STAR-FALLOUT — Atlanta was stripped of baseball’s All-Star Game over the summer, but it has the World Series now. And Republicans are gloating. The moment the Braves clinched the National League pennant Saturday, Republicans began dunking on Major League Baseball and Democrats over July’s All-Star Game being yanked from Truist Park in protest over Georgia’s restrictive voting law. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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INDIAN ANTIQUITIES-RETURNED — U.S. authorities have returned about 250 antiquities to India in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme. The items are worth an estimated $15 million and were handed over during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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