AP News Digest 3:40 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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ONLY ON AP

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SINGAPORE-TRANGENDER-AN-AGONIZING-CHOICE — Across the world, scores of countries still require transgender people to submit to sterilizing surgeries before their genders are legally recognized. It’s a practice international human rights bodies have condemned as torture. These policies have left untold numbers of transgender people with an agonizing choice between their fertility and their identity. For those who opt against surgery, the policies’ consequences can be severe, limiting their prospects for jobs, housing, marriage and safe passage through the world. Since their identification documents list their genders as the opposite of how they present in public, they can easily be outed. And that can lead to everything from bureaucratic hassles to life-threatening confrontations. By Kristen Gelineau. SENT: 2,990 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russia says its troops began pulling out of a strategic Ukrainian city amid growing signs it was following through on a retreat that would mark a turning point in the grinding war. Ukrainian officials acknowledged Moscow’s forces had no choice but to flee Kherson. A forced pullout from Kherson would mark one of Russia’s worst setbacks yet. SENT: 940 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-WOMEN — Support for abortion rights drove women to the polls in Tuesday’s elections. But for many, the issue took on higher meaning, part of an overarching concern about the future of democracy. That’s according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 94,000 voters. By Jocelyn Gecker and Nuha Dolby. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-ARIZONA — Democrats padded their narrow leads in key Arizona contests on Thursday, but the races for U.S. Senate and governor were still too early to call with about a fifth of the total ballots left to be counted. By Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 990 words, photos. With ELECTION 2022-NEVADA — The elections chief in Las Vegas defends the pace of vote-counting as the nation awaits Nevada’s results (sent).

STUDENT-LOAN-DEBT — A U.S. judge in Texas has blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to provide millions of borrowers with up to $20,000 apiece in federal student-loan forgiveness — a program that was already on hold as a federal appeals court in St. Louis considers a separate lawsuit by six states challenging it. By Gene Johnson SENT: 840 words, photo.

BIDEN — President Joe Biden left Washington for a global climate meeting with a giant domestic investment in tow — and likely to face questions about how far the U.S. will go to pull other large greenhouse gas emitters along. By Zeke Miller and Seung Min Kim. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.

SUMMIT-SWAG — A custom wristwatch from Cambodian leader Hun Sen at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, a foot-long dagger at the G-20 meetings in Bali, and cricket ice cream and Thai noodles with worm sauce at the APEC talks in Bangkok. World leaders have a surfeit of swag and surprises awaiting them as they attend back-to-back-to-back summits in Asia starting this week. By David Rising. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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MORE ON ELECTION 2022

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ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker pivoted to a decisive extra round of their Senate race with blistering attacks, while party leaders and donors around the country geared up for a four-week campaign blitz that could determine control of the chamber for the next two years. SENT: 1,150 words, photos, video. With ELECTION 2022-GA RUNOFF-EXPLAINER -- How Georgia’s Senate runoff works (sent).

ELECTION-2022-NEWSOM-DESANTIS — Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis, governors of states on opposite ends of both the country and the political spectrum, held up their governing styles this week as models for the nation ahead of the 2024 presidential election as they rushed to use their convincing midterm victories to stake a claim on the nation’s most enduring political promise: Freedom. SENT: 930 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-DEMOCRACY — This week’s ballot had an unspoken candidate — American democracy. Manycandidates who vociferously supported the lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election lost races that would have put them in position to influence future elections and their outcome. But the conditions that created anxiety over democracy’s potential demise remain. By Gary Fields and Nuha Dolby. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Republicans intensified their public criticism of former President Donald Trump, with some saying it was time for the party to move on after an unexpectedly poor showing in the midterm elections, even as he prepared to launch a third White House bid next week. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-HOUSE — The new U.S. House majority is still undetermined, but one thing is clear: The majority party’s margin will be narrow. With a number of races closer than expected, here is a look at some notable contests that had not yet been called by Thursday night. SENT: 700 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-GOVERNOR-OREGON — Tina Kotek has been elected Oregon’s next governor, extending longtime Democratic control of the state and dashing Republican hopes for a rare win in a top race on the West Coast of the United States. SENT: 540 words, photos. With ELECTION-2022-GOVERNOR-OR-EXPLAINER — Why AP called the Oregon governor race for Tina Kotek; ELECTION-2022-HOUSE-OREGON — Democrat Val Hoyle wins US House seat in Oregon’s 4th (both sent).

ELECTION-2022-HOUSE-WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep Kim Schrier has won a third term in Washington’s 8th U.S. House district, fending off a challenge from Republicans who targeted the seat as part of their efforts to flip the chamber. SENT: 280 words, photos. With ELECTION-2022-WASHINGTON-SOS — Anderson concedes in Washington secretary of state race (sent).

ELECTION-2022-AZ-EXPLAINER — Polls closed two days ago in Arizona, but counting for the 2022 midterm elections continued as officials continued to tally votes cast in Maricopa County and across the state in outstanding races for Senate and governor. SENT: 800 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-MISINFORMATION — Two days after the elections, misinformation about the results remains focused on Arizona and Pennsylvania. SENT: 670 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-NEW YORK — Republicans in blue New York flipped four vital congressional seats and the Democratic incumbent won by single digits in the closest governor’s race in the state in nearly 30 years. SENT: 860 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-GOVERNOR-GEORGIA — Georgia Republican Brian Kemp is arguing that his no-drama conservative approach is the way forward for the GOP as he celebrates his reelection as governor. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-ENVIRONMENT — Environmental damage caused by Ukraine’s war is mounting, and experts warn of long-term health consequences for the population. Leaks and fires from Russian-targeted fuel depots are polluting the air and water. The World Wildlife Fund in Ukraine says more than 6 million people have limited or no access to clean water and more than 280,000 hectares (nearly 692,000 acres) of forests have been destroyed or felled. Ukraine’s Audit Chamber says the war has caused more than $37 billion in environmental damage. SENT: 870 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-SOUTH-KOREA — The U.S. will buy 100,000 rounds of howitzer artillery from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, a U.S. official say, in a deal the two governments have been working on for some time. SENT: 810 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-UN-GRAIN-DEAL — Senior U.N. and Russian officials planned to meet in Geneva for talks on extending the deal that returned Ukrainian grain to world markets and was supposed to eliminate obstacles for Russian exports of grain and fertilizer. SENT: 440 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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MEMORIAL-TAKEOFF — Fans will gather Friday to remember slain rapper Takeoff, a member of the hip-hop trio Migos, in downtown Atlanta near where the 28-year-old grew up. SENT: 220 words, photo.

OBAMA-LIBRARY — The firm building the Obama Presidential Center suspended operations after a noose was found at the site, and it offered a $100,000 reward to help find who was responsible. SENT: 320 words, photos.

TV-CHRIS-ROCK — Chris Rock is going where no comedian has gone before — live on Netflix. The streaming giant said Rock will be the first artist to perform on the company’s first-ever live, global streaming event. The comedy special is set to stream in early 2023, but few other details were revealed. SENT: 160 words, photos.

STOLEN-OLYMPIC-MEDALS — Authorities were looking for three Olympic medals belonging to a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team after they were stolen from a Southern California home. SENT: 200 words, photos.

PEOPLE-DYLAN-LETTERS-AUCTION — A deeply personal collection of love letters in which a teenage Bob Dylan tells his high-school sweetheart that he envisions changing his name and selling a million records is up for sale in Boston. SENT: 440 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON

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CONGRESS-PELOSI — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at a crossroads. She could be forced to relinquish the gavel if Republicans win majority control of the House. The uncertainty surrounding her future comes just weeks after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was brutally attacked. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

MEDIA-TRUMP-MURDOCH — Former President Donald Trump has taken some hits in the aftermath of the midterm elections, but the unkindest cuts may have come from a source that was once among his biggest backers — the media empire of magnate Rupert Murdoch. The New York Post’s front cover on Thursday put Trump’s face over the drawing of a boy from a well-known nursery rhyme. The headline: “Trumpty Dumpty.” SENT: 710 words, photos. With TRUMP-LEGAL-TROUBLES — Trump Org. executive says he helped colleagues dodge taxes (sent).

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NATIONAL

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TROPICAL WEATHER —Tropical Depression Nicole was moving through Georgia after a day of causing havoc as it churned through Florida as a hurricane and then tropical storm. The rare November hurricane could dump as much as 6 inches of rain over the Blue Ridge Mountains by Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Flash and urban flooding will be possible as the rain spreads into the eastern Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and New England through Saturday. SENT: 610 words, photos, videos.

CALIFORNIA-BOAT-FIRE — A dive boat captain has pleaded not guilty in federal court for a second time to manslaughter in the fiery deaths of 34 people trapped below deck on his burning vessel three years ago off the Southern California coast. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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CHINA-SHINGLES' DAY — China’s biggest online shopping festival, known as Singles’ Day, is typically an extravagant affair as Chinese e-commerce firms like Alibaba and JD.com ramp up marketing campaigns and engage top livestreamers to hawk everything from lipstick to furniture as they race to break sales records of previous years. SENT: 830 words, photos.

PHILIPPINE-MUSLIM-REBELS — Philippine troops forged a ceasefire with Muslim guerrillas after 10 combatants were killed in clashes in a southern village and frantic efforts were made to prevent an escalation that could threaten a major peace accord, military commanders and the rebels say. SENT: 630 words.

AUSTRALIA-CHINA — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift billions of dollars in trade barriers in the event that the two leaders hold their first bilateral meeting. SENT: 580 words, photos.

ASEAN- Cambodia’s prime minister on Friday cautioned fellow Southeast Asian leaders against complacency, saying that even though economies are gradually recovering as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, there is much work to be done. SENT: 420 words, photos.

INDIA-US-YELLEN — Supply chains, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the impact of COVID-19 were top of mind for U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as she prepared to meet with Indian leaders Friday in New Delhi. SENT: 390 words, photos.

SKOREA-NEW-ZEALAND-BODIES-IN-SUITCASES — A South Korean court has approved the extradition of a 42-year-old woman facing murder charges in New Zealand over her possible connection to the bodies of two long-dead children found abandoned in suitcases in August. SENT: 380 words, photo.

BELGIUM-STABBING — Belgian authorities said early Friday that a lone assailant who killed one police officer and wounded another in a stabbing that was being investigated as a possible terrorism-linked attack had gone to a police station earlier to express hatred for them. SENT: 380 words, photos.

JAPAN-POLITICS — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to delay his departure to Southeast Asia to attend three upcoming summits, apparently to sack his justice minister over a remark he made about capital punishment that was criticized as inappropriate. SENT: 310 words photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA — China’s capital Beijing has closed city parks and imposed other restrictions as the country faces a new wave of COVID-19 cases. Elsewhere, more than 5 million people were under lockdown in the southern manufacturing hub Guangzhou and the western megacity Chongqing. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

COP27-RENEWABLES — The Arab world’s most populous country is taking steps to convert to renewable energy. Experts say that Egypt, with near-perpetual sunshine and windy Red Sea coastlines, is well-positioned to go green. But it’s also a developing country and like others, faces obstacles in making the switch. Much of the infrastructure in Egypt is geared toward fossil fuels, with more than half of its electricity coming from natural gas. And a string of new gas discoveries may slow the country’s transition towards renewables. SENT: 930 words, photos.

COP27-ADAPTION — Battling droughts, sandstorms, floods, wildfires, coastal erosion, cyclones and other weather events exacerbated by climate change, the African continent needs to adapt, but it needs funds to do so, leaders and negotiators from the continent said at the U.N. climate summit. SENT: 490 words, photos.

COP27-METHANE-DETECTION — Big emitters of the heat-trapping gas methane can expect a call from the United Nations starting next year, when the global body launches a new platform to combine existing systems for tracking the potent greenhouse gas from space. SENT: 410 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian stock markets surged after U.S. inflation eased by more than expected, spurring hopes the Federal Reserve might scale down plans for more interest rate hikes. Hong Kong’s market benchmark jumped 5.7% and Seoul rose 3.3%. Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Oil prices edged higher. SENT: 640 words, photos.

TWITTER-MUSK-LABELS — Twitter is once again adding gray “official” labels to some prominent accounts. The company, in its second chaotic week after billionaire Elon Musk took over, had rolled out the labels earlier this week, only to kill them a few hours later. SENT: 240 words.

JAPAN-SEMICONDUCTORS — Japan is investing almost half a billion dollars to beef up semiconductor development and production in a “last chance” attempt to keep its position as a major player on the global technology stage, the government say. SENT: 340 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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TV-THE CALLING — Peacock’s “The Calling,” from celebrated showrunner, writer and executive producer David E. Kelley, puts a Jewish detective who quotes from the Torah front and center on U.S. prime time during a new spasm of antisemitism. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 775 words, photos and video.

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SPORTS

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FBN-FALCONS-PANTHERS — D’Onta Foreman carried 31 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, Laviska Shenault added a 41-yard burst to the end zone and the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on a rainy night. The Panthers piled up a season-high 232 yards on the ground, and Eddy Pineiro kicked four field goals after he missed two critical kicks in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Falcons 11 days earlier. SENT: 750 words, photos.

WCUP-QATAR-ISRAELIS-AND IRANIANS — Qatar may hope that soccer fans will ignore politics at the first World Cup in the Middle East. But Israel and Iran, foes locked in conflicts across the region, are bringing sensitive flashpoints to the tournament’s doorstep. Israel is not competing, but it sees the massive spectacle as a way to further integrate into the Middle East after establishing ties with two of Qatar’s Gulf Arab neighbors. Iran is convulsed by protests that erupted over the September death of 22-year-old woman in the custody of the country’s morality police. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

WCUP-QATAR-RELIGION-EXPLAINER — Qatar is a Muslim nation, with laws, customs and practices rooted in Islam. The country is neither as liberal as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates nor as conservative as parts of Saudi Arabia. Most of its citizens are Sunni Muslim. SENT: 670 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.