AP News Digest 3:40 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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TOP STORIES

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PELOSI’S LEGACY — When Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she won’t re-up as a House leader next year, even her adversaries acknowledged that hers was a remarkable era. Pelosi prevailed for nearly 20 years as House Democratic leader, eight of them as speaker. She became the most powerful woman ever in U.S. politics. By Calvin Woodward and Nancy Benac. SENT: 2,610 words, photos. With PELOSI — Pelosi to step down from House leadership, stay in Congress; PELOSI-THE DECISION — Pelosi’s big decision: ’There’s a life out there, right? (both sent). An abridged version of 990 words is also available.

KOREAS-TENSION — North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters Friday in its second major weapons test this month that showed a potential ability to launch nuclear strikes on all of the U.S. mainland. By Hyung-Jin Kim and Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 970 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-PUTIN'S-SILENCE — President Vladimir Putin wasn’t present when his top military officials announced on television that Russia was withdrawing from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. As the defense minister and chief commander in Ukraine discussed the retreat in a stiffly recited meeting on Nov. 9, Putin toured a neurological hospital in Moscow. Later that day, he gave a speech at another event but didn’t mention the pullout that was arguably Russia’s most humiliating loss in Ukraine. And he hasn’t talked about it since then. As Russia faces mounting setbacks in its war, Putin appears to have delegated delivering unpopular news to others, a tactic he also used during the coronavirus pandemic. By Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 960 words, photos.

MUSK-TWITTER-EMPLOYEES — Twitter continued to bleed engineers and other workers on Thursday, after new owner Elon Musk gave them a choice to pledge to “hardcore” work or resign with severance pay. Some took to Twitter to announce they were signing off after Musk’s deadline to make the pledge. A number of employees took to a private forum outside of the company’s messaging board to discuss their planned departure, asking questions about how it might jeopardize their U.S. visas or if they would get the promised severance pay, according to an employee fired earlier this week who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. By Technology Writers Matt O’Brien, Frank Bajak and Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 480 words, photos. With MUSK-TWITTER-REGULATORS — Senators to FTC: Probe Twitter security, take needed action (sent).

UNITED STATES-SAUDI ARABIA-JOURNALIST KILLED — The Biden administration has declared that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince should be considered immune from a lawsuit over his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist, a turnaround from Joe Biden’s passionate campaign trail denunciations of Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the brutal slaying. By Ellen Knickmeyer and Matthew Lee. SENT: 880 words, photos.

RESILIENCE-STORIES-DANCING-GRANNIES — Almost a year ago, a driver plowed an SUV through a Christmas parade in Wisconsin, killing six people and scarring many more. Four of the victims were from the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, a group of women who find their calling marching in parades throughout the state. The driver was convicted of murder. His actions took the lives of longtime leaders, threatening to extinguish the tight-knit band of women. Somehow, they held on. In a few weeks the calendar will come full circle and march again in the same parade where tragedy struck. To keep moving forward, they need to go back. By National Writer Adam Geller. SENT: 2,730 words, photos. An abridged version of 900 words is also available.

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MORE ON ELECTION 2022

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ELECTION-2022-HOUSE-COLORADO — Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert’s lead has fallen to about 615 votes against Democrat Adam Frisch in the race for a U.S. House seat representing a largely rural swath of Colorado. SENT: 240 words, photos.

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MORE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-ABUSES — As violence escalates in Ukraine, human rights abuses have become widespread. The situation is particularly concerning in the southern region of Kherson, where villages were liberated from Russian occupation a week ago. The U.N. says it’s trying to verify allegations of nearly 90 cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions in Kherson and is trying to understand if the scale of abuse is even larger. A top Ukrainian official says there were at least four torture sites and seven places where people were detained in the Kherson region. SENT: 760 words, photos.

CZECH-COAL-REVIVAL — High energy prices linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine have paved the way for coal’s comeback in some parts of Europe. Many people have turned to coal as a cheaper option than natural gas, , endangering climate goals and threatening health from increased pollution. The trend raises worries in a region of northeastern Czech Republic that has worked for decades to end its industrial legacy as the most polluted area of the country. The country’s production of brown coal — the cheapest form — has risen by more than 20% in the first nine months of 2022 over a year earlier. SENT: 890 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-JOZEF PILSUDSKI — One hundred years ago, a revolutionary Polish patriot argued that Russia’s hunger for territory would continue to destabilize Europe unless Ukraine could gain independence from Moscow. Poland’s Marshal Józef Piłsudski never managed to fulfil his hope for an independent Ukraine connected to Europe. But the farsighted and analytical statesman did manage to wrest his own homeland from the grip of czarism and from two other powers, Austria and Prussia. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

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MORE ON COP27 SUMMIT

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COP27-RIVERS-IN-PERIL — A combination of climate change and politics is threatening the Tigris-Euphrates river system, one of the world’s most vulnerable watersheds. River flows have fallen 40% in the past four decades as the countries along their length — Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq — have each acted on their own to exploit the water. Rising temperatures are projected to make the drop even worse. Still, Turkey and Iraq, the two biggest water consumers, have been unable to reach a deal on sharing the waters, seen as vital to preserving the rivers. The stakes are high, from Turkish farmers hoping for a windfall from new dams on the rivers, to Iraqis giving up on barren fields no longer reached by river waters. SENT: 2,090 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,000 words is also available.

COP27-BRIDGETOWN-INITIATIVE — At the U.N. climate summit in Egypt, leaders of developing nations have repeatedly said it’s not fair to expect them to cover the costs of rebuilding from devastating weather events in a warming world, plus invest in cleaner industry while they also pay much higher interest rates on loans than rich nations. SENT: 950 words, photo.

COP27-STATE-OF-NEGOTIATIONS — Global climate talks approached crunch time on Friday, the final scheduled day of negotiations that are expected to go past their deadline as chances of a deal still looked unclear. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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TAYLOR SWIFT-TICKETMASTER — Ticketmaster says it is canceling a planned general public sale for Taylor Swift’s upcoming stadium tour because it doesn’t have enough tickets.

YANKEES-JUDGE-BALL-AUCTION — The ball New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit for his American League-record 62nd home run has gone up for auction. SENT: 340 words, photos.

BRITTNEY GRINER — WNBA star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony. SENT: 300 words, photo.

MEXICO-LAST-PANDA — Xin Xin, the last panda in Latin America, is not your average bear. A native of Mexico, she’s the only remaining member of a diaspora descended from giant pandas China gifted to foreign countries during the 1970s and 1980s. SENT: 900 words, photos.

WINTRY WEATHER — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency Thursday for parts of western New York ahead of a dangerous storm that had the potential to dump several feet of snow on some communities on the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON

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CAPITOL RIOT-OATH KEEPERS — Federal prosecutors are expected to make their final pitch to jurors in the high-stakes seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates charged in the Jan. 6, 2021. attack on the U.S. Capitol. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 500 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words after trial resumes at 9 a.m.

STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS — The Biden administration plans to ask the Supreme Court to reinstate the president’s student debt cancellation plan. SENT: 950 words, photo.

CONGRESS-AGENDA — The Republican Party’s capture of the House majority is upending the agenda in Washington, empowering GOP lawmakers to pursue conservative goals and vigorously challenge the policies of President Joe Biden and his administration. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-HARVEY-WEINSTEIN — Prosecutors in Los Angeles rested their case in the trial of Harvey Weinstein, who they allege raped two women and sexually assaulted two others. The move from Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson came after nearly four weeks of testimony from 44 witnesses. SENT: 690 words, photos.

RACIAL-INJUSTICE-COLORADO-MOUNTAIN — A Colorado state panel recommended Thursday that Mount Evans, a prominent peak near Denver, be renamed Mount Blue Sky at the request of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. The Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board voted unanimously for the change. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will weigh in on the recommendation before a final decision by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. SENT: 460 words, photos.

POLICE-INFORMANT-SEXUAL-ASSAULT — A Louisiana jury has convicted a career criminal of raping a police informant who had been sent into a drug house in a sting that went unmonitored and unprotected by law enforcement. SENT: 390 words, photos.

TEXAS-SCHOOL-SHOOTING — The Uvalde officer who was leading the city’s police department during the hesitant law enforcement response to an elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers has stepped down, a city spokeswoman says. SENT: 750 words, photo.

CHURCH ABUSE-MARYLAND — An investigation by Maryland’s attorney general identified 158 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore accused of sexually and physically abusing more than 600 victims over the past 80 years. SENT: 760 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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APEC — Threats to peace and stability were dominating the agenda at a summit of Pacific Rim economies Friday in Bangkok, as leaders warned that war and tensions among the big powers threaten to unravel the global order. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With APEC-VP-HARRIS — VP Harris assures Asian leaders US is ‘here to stay;’ APEC-AUSTRALIA-FRANCE — Australia sticks to US nuclear subs despite French criticism (both sent).

NEPAL-ELECTIONS — Nepal’s parliamentary elections being held Sunday are the fourth since the Himalayan nation abolished a centuries-old monarchy and became a republic. Nepalis have seen little change since, with the same generation of leaders holding power through their control of the main political parties. SENT: 790 words, photos.

UNITED-NATIONS-SOMALIA — The United Nations Security Council has voted to maintain an arms embargo on Somalia over strong objections from its government, saying the al-Shabab “terrorist group” still seriously threatens peace and stability in the region and sanctions are needed to degrade its activities. SENT: 720 words.

PORTUGAL-AN-ARTIST'S CAKE — As a former nightclub bouncer and black-belt karate instructor, Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos doesn’t shrink from the challenges thrown up by her latest lavish creation. The 51-year-old, renowned for her big, in-your-face installations, is now creating a ceramic wedding cake that’s 12 meters (40 feet) high and 15 meters (50 feet) wide for exhibition in England. SENT: 420 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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THERANOS-FRAUD-HOLMES-SENTENCING — A federal judge will decide whether disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes should serve a lengthy prison sentence for duping investors and endangering patients while peddling a bogus blood-testing technology. SENT: 920 words, photo.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks were mixed after a Federal Reserve official suggested U.S. interest rates might have to be raised higher than expected to cool inflation. Shanghai and Hong Kong gained while Tokyo declined. Oil prices gained. SENT: 520 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BBO--MVP AWARDS — Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees won the American League MVP award on Thursday night, and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt took the National League prize. By Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick. SENT: 880 words, photos.

FBN--TITANS-PACKERS. — Ryan Tannehill threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns to outduel Aaron Rodgers and help the Tennessee Titans beat the Green Bay Packers 27-17. By Steve Megargee. SENT: 880 words, photos. With FBN-FADING PACKERS — Rodgers, Packers can’t rally again as playoff hopes fade (sent).

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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LATIN-GRAMMYS — Uruguay’s Jorge Drexler was nominated for seven Latin Grammys and on Thursday he took home six, surprising those who took Bad Bunny’s triumph for granted. The second surprise was Rosalía winning album of the year for “Motomami (Digital Album).” 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.