AP News Digest 3 a.m.

APTOPIX The Other Pandemic Native Americans (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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ONLY ON AP

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THE OTHER PANDEMIC-NATIVE AMERICANS — The medicine man told her she should soon give her son back to the Earth. Rachel Taylor kissed her fingertips and pressed them to the image of a crow sewn onto a leather bag full of her son’s ashes. Kyle Domrese was one of more than a record-high 100,000 Americans lost in a year to drug overdoses as the COVID-19 pandemic sent addiction up by nearly 30 percent. The death rate for Native Americans is now the highest in the nation, and they are 12 times more likely than others to die from methamphetamine. By Claire Galofaro. 2,600 words. With AP Photos. Abridged version will also move.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK — President Joe Biden has announced plans to deliver 500 million free COVID-19 tests to Americans, increase support for hospitals and expand the availability of vaccines to confront a winter surge of coronavirus cases driven by the fast-spreading omicron variant. By Josh Boak, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Colleen Long. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. With: VIRUS OUTBREAK-DEADLIEST YEAR (sent) and VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent).

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS — The quick spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus has stirred another reckoning about whether in-person schooling is worth the risk. Teachers worry about endangering their health by entering crowded schools. Frustrated parents wonder how to keep their children safe and whether campuses could become superspreader sites. By Bobby Caina Calvan. SENT: 960 words, photos.

WHITE SUPREMACISTS-LAW ENFORCEMENT — In nearly 10 years working undercover for the FBI inside Florida’s Ku Klux Klan, Joseph Moore helped foil at least two murder plots. He was also an active informant when the FBI exposed klan members working as law enforcement officers in Florida at the city, county and state levels. The 50-year-old has never discussed his undercover work in the KKK publicly, until now. By Jason Dearen. SENT: 2010 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.

CONGRESS-BUDGET — President Joe Biden appears determined to return to the negotiating table with Sen. Joe Manchin. Biden says he and the West Virginia Democrat will, as Biden put it, “get something done.” By Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 870 words, photos.

GERMANY-RUSSIA-PIPELINE — Russia’s newly built natural gas pipeline is facing a rocky road, with Germany’s new leaders less friendly to the Nord Stream 2 project and tensions ratcheting up over Russia’s troop buildup at the Ukrainian border. The pipeline opposed by Ukraine, Poland and the U.S. needs backing from Germany to start bringing natural gas directly to Europe, which is struggling with a shortage that has sent prices surging. But the U.S. and Germany have evoked the project as a way to counter any possible Russian aggression in Ukraine. By David McHugh and Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

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TRENDING NEWS

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-RELIEF FRAUD — Nearly $100 billion at minimum has been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs set up to help businesses and people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday. SENT: 390 words, photos.

JEFFREY ESPTEIN-MAXWELL TRIAL — A jury has finished its first full day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. SENT: 450 words, photos.

MEDIA-FOX-FAUCI — Fox News defended Jesse Watters after he used the phrase “kill shot” in a speech urging young conservatives to conduct a hostile ambush interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci said Fox should fire him. SENT: 600 words, photos.

OLY-HKO-NHL WITHDRAWING — The NHL is not sending players to the Beijing Olympics after all. Two people with direct knowledge of the decision tell The Associated Press the league is going to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics after its regular-season schedule was disrupted by coronavirus outbreaks. SENT: 850 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CENSUS POPULATION — U.S. population growth dipped to its lowest rate since the nation’s founding during the first year of the pandemic. That’s because the coronavirus curtailed immigration, delayed pregnancies and killed hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents. SENT: 800 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — New COVID-19 cases in Australia’s most populous state surged to a pandemic record Wednesday, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with state leaders to discuss preventative measures. SENT: 350 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he’s committed to keeping the city open as it grapples with yet another spike in coronavirus cases. SENT: 550 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the nation’s third-largest city will require proof of coronavirus vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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NATIONAL ______________

DAUNTE WRIGHT-OFFICER TRIAL — A Minnesota jury has ended its second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the manslaughter trial of the suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright. SENT: 800 words, photos.

HARVARD PROFESSOR-CHINA CHARGED — A Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program has been found guilty on all counts in a federal court in Boston. Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China. SENT: 450 words, photos.

REDISTRICTING CALIFORNIA — California Democrats appear to have come away with the advantage in a recasting of the state’s congressional districts, with boundaries that could strengthen their hold on the delegation and play into the fight for U.S. House control next year. SENT: 900 words, photos.

MORMON BILLIONAIRE LEAVES CHURCH — An advertising-technology billionaire has formally resigned his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and rebuked the faith over social issues and LGBTQ rights in an unusual public move. SENT: 500 words, photos.

ATLANTIC CITY CASINO TAXES — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill Tuesday night that will give tax relief to Atlantic City’s casinos — and possibly prevent the closure of as many as four of them. SENT: 530 words, photos.

GYM DOCTOR-SEXUAL ASSAULT COACH —An appeals court has overturned the conviction of a former Michigan State University gymnastics coach who was sentenced to jail for lying to investigators about her knowledge of sexual abuse complaints against Larry Nassar in the 1990s. SENT: 550 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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GAZA-BATTERIES — In the Gaza Strip, small batteries power internet routers and LED lights and large ones are connected to solar panels. Most houses have many different batteries, thanks in large part to the chronic power crisis in the Palestinian enclave. Though they helped mitigate the power shortage, the batteries cause another problem: They have been piling up — Gaza lacks a way to safely dispose of them. There are no recycling factories in the territory, and a punishing blockade means they cannot be exported. SENT: 730 words, photos.

LIBYA ELECTIONS — Libyan parliament says it is ‘impossible’ to hold long-awaited presidential election as scheduled on Friday. DEVELOPING.

CHINA-HONG KONG ELECTIONS — Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam is visiting with top Chinese leaders in Beijing to report on the territory’s first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing could run as candidates. SENT: 500 words, photos.

MIGRATION-GREECE-BOAT SINKS — Greece’s coast guard says a broad search and rescue operation has been launched after a boat carrying migrants ran into trouble and sank south of the Cycladic island of Folegandros, leaving dozens potentially missing. SENT: 250 words, photos.

LATIN AMERICA-HUMAN RIGHTS — The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled against two past right-wing governments in Latin America and one from the left. It says the countries’ current governments shouid make reparations. SENT: 400 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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SMALL BUSINESS-LAST MINUTE SHOPPING — After a wearying nearly two years of the pandemic, independent retailers are cautiously hoping their holiday seasons will be bright. Many ordered decorations, toys and stocking stuffers well in advance in the belief that shortages at bigger stores will lead to a burst of last-minute shopping in their small stores. SENT: 950 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street higher after President Joe Biden reassured investors by calling for more vaccinations but no business or travel curbs in response to the omicron coronavirus variant. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced while Shanghai was down less than 0.1%. Wall Street rose, recovering the previous day’s losses. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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KOMODO PARK-CONSERVATION VS DEVELOPMENT — Construction for tourism in Komodo National Park has raised concerns from UNESCO, environmental activists and residents about damage to habitat of the Komodo dragon. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

NASA SPACE TELESCOPE — The $10 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is about to take flight. NASA is entrusting the launch of the world’s biggest and most powerful space observatory to its European partners. SENT: 950 words, photos.

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