AP News Digest 3:30 a.m.

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

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

——————————-

MIDWEST TORNADOES — A reported tornado ripped through an Arkansas nursing home Friday night, killing one person and injuring several others, and emergency crews in southern Illinois were responding to reports of workers trapped inside an Amazon warehouse after a roof collapsed from storm damage. By Jeff Roberson, Robert Jablon and Jim Salter. SENT: 770 words, photos.

CONGRESS-BUDGET — A new government report showing inflation rising at the fastest rate in nearly four decades raises fresh questions about the fate of President Joe Biden’s social and environment legislation. By Alan Fram. SENT: 990 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH AFRICA OMICRON — As the omicron variant sweeps through South Africa, Dr. Unben Pillay is seeing dozens of sick patients a day. Yet he hasn’t had to send anyone to the hospital. That’s one of the reasons why he, along with other doctors and medical experts, suspect that the omicron version really is causing milder COVID-19 than delta, even if it seems to be spreading faster. By Andrew Meldrum. SENT: 680 words, photos.

MEXICO-MIGRANTS CRASH — Simply counting up the human cost of the horrifying truck crash that killed 55 migrants and injured over 100 is chilling, even for those who survived the disaster on a highway in southern Mexico. About 40 of the survivors were listed with “multiple contusions” at local hospitals and they were the least injured. By Manuel De La Cruz and Edgar H. Clemente. SENT: 780 words, photos.

—————————————-

TRENDING NEWS

———————————————

OBIT-JAPAN-NINTENDO-CREATOR — Masayuki Uemura, a Japanese home computer game pioneer whose Nintendo consoles sold millions of units worldwide, has died, according to the university in Kyoto where he taught. He was 78. SENT: 260 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-TAHOE WILDFIRE ARREST — A father and son charged with starting a massive California wildfire that destroyed many homes and forced tens of thousands of people to flee Lake Tahoe communities earlier this year pleaded not guilty in court. SENT: 330 words, photos.

ODD-CAT-ON-POLE-RESCUE — For at least two days and maybe more, residents of a suburban Denver neighborhood worried about the fate of a black cat called Panther who was perched atop a 36-foot utility pole. SENT: 210 words, photos.

OBIT-NESMITH — Michael Nesmith, the wool-hatted, guitar-strumming member of the 1960s, made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died at 78. SENT: 1,320 words, photos.

ASTRONAUT WINGS CLIPPED — The Federal Aviation Administration says it will no longer give out commercial astronaut wings starting next year because too many people are launching into space. SENT: 350 words.

MOUNTAIN-LION-KITTENS — Two mountain lion kittens that survived after a litter of four was found under a picnic table are being cared for at a Southern California veterinary hospital, officials said. SENT: 173 words.

CATS-REMOVED-HOUSE — Police in a New Hampshire town say an accidental shooting led them to a house that was overrun with more than 70 cats and was declared uninhabitable because it was covered with feline feces and urine. SENT: 350 words.

————————————————————————

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

————————————————————————

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVY FIRING — A Navy commander has been fired from his job as the executive officer of a warship because he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine as required and refused to be tested for the virus, Navy officials said Friday. SENT: 270 words.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-US — National Guard troops and military medics are being deployed in greater numbers, and New York state is renewing a mask mandate to combat a surge in hospitalizations in COVID-19 hotspots in the Midwest and New England. SENT: 620 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MILITARY-VACCINE — The Pentagon says there are “active discussions” within the department about making COVID-19 vaccine booster shots mandatory for service members, even as thousands refuse or seek exemptions from the initial shot mandate. SENT: 400 words, photos.

—————————————————-

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

—————————————————-

BIDEN-MEDAL OF HONOR — President Biden will award the Medal of Honor next week to three U.S. soldiers who fought in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. SENT: 460 words, photo.

BOB DOLE-KANSAS SERVICES — Bob Dole made a final journey back to the prairie state that shaped him for memorials in his western Kansas hometown and at the Statehouse to honor the military service that left him severely wounded and the distinguished political career that followed his recovery. SENT: 420 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-SUBPOENAS — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection subpoenas six more people who the panel says were involved in the organization and planning of rallies that aimed to overturn Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election. SENT: 290 words, photo.

————————

NATIONAL

————————

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL — A police sergeant who was at the scene when Daunte Wright was shot testified that he was holding Wright’s right arm with both hands in an attempt to handcuff him in the moments before he was shot. SENT: 1,095 words, photos. With DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL-DEFENSE STRATEGY — Defense lawyers for Kim Potter are arguing that she made a mistake in drawing her handgun instead of her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright. But they’re also arguing that she would have been justified in shooting him anyway. What experts say about that strategy. SENT: 990 words, photos.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT-TRIAL — Jussie Smollett’s conviction for lying to police about a racist, homophobic attack came nearly three years after his report of a horrifying hate crime quickly became part of a polarized political landscape, with people — including the president of the United States — weighing in from all over. SENT: 830 words, photos, videos. With JUSSIE SMOLLET-TRIAL-OTHER CASES — After Jussie Smollett verdict, more court cases await (sent).

FAKE-NATIVE-AMERICAN-ART — Two artists are facing federal charges that they faked Native American heritage to sell works at downtown Seattle galleries. SENT: 590 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-GIANT SEQUOIAS — Sequoia National Park will reopen its Giant Forest area on Saturday, three months after a Northern California wildfire prompted extraordinary efforts to protect the grove and destroyed thousands of other redwoods. SENT: 320 words, photos.

COLD CASE-CAR FOUND — The discovery of a missing Georgia man’s 1974 Pinto in an Alabama creek this week is a big break in the cold case. Officials will analyze the bones and part of a skull found inside. SENT: 1,220 words, photo.

————————————

INTERNATIONAL

————————————

UNITED-NATIONS-SUDAN — Sudan’s military must rebuild trust with the opposition, especially the young generation who feel betrayed by its seizure of power in an Oct. 25 coup that sparked the greatest crisis in the country’s political transition, the U.N. special envoy for Sudan says. SENT: 740 words, photos.

FRANCE-NEW-CALEDONIA — The South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia decides Sunday whether to break away from France, in a vote that is important for French geopolitical ambitions and is closely watched amid growing Chinese influence in the region. SENT: 430 words, photo.

INDIA-FARM-PROTEST — Farmers dismantled their makeshift accommodations at multiple protest sites and started to vacate long stretches of highways ringing New Delhi where they have camped since November last year. Hundreds of them waved green and white flags and danced to celebrate their victory as they rode tractors, jeeps and cars. SENT: 420 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-POLIO — Gunmen attacked two police providing security for polio vaccination workers in northwest Pakistan, shooting and killing one and wounding the other, officials say. SENT: 200 words.

LEBANON-PALESTINIANS — Arms stored for the Palestinian Hamas group exploded in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Friday night, killing and wounding a number of people, the state-run National News Agency reports. SENT: 220 words, photos.

VENEZUELA-HOSTAGE-DIPLOMACY — The Associated Press has learned that a senior U.S. diplomat quietly traveled to Venezuela this week and met with imprisoned Americans in an ongoing effort to secure their release. SENT: 890 words, photo.

————————

SPORTS

————————

FBN—BRONCOS-REMEMBERING THOMAS — Denver Broncos players will wear a decal on their helmets Sunday against Detroit to honor Demaryius Thomas. There will also be a video tribute at the stadium and a moment of silence for the charismatic receiver. By Sports Writer Pat Graham. SENT: 800 words, photos.

HKN—BOARD OF GOVERNORS — The NHL is sticking to its plan to allow its players to compete in the Beijing Olympics — for now. Speaking at the conclusion of the league’s board of governors meeting in Florida, Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL will continue to honor its commitment to giving players the opportunity to compete for gold in February. But there is still no clarity on what happens if an NHL player tests positive for COVID-19 in China. SENT: 700 words, photos.

——————————————-

HOW TO REACH US

———————————————

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.