AP News Digest 7 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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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Multiple regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a massive Russian missile attack, the biggest wave of strikes in weeks targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing weather. Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said preliminary data showed Russia fired 69 missiles at energy facilities and Ukrainian forces shot down 54 of them. There were no immediate reports of any deaths. By Renata Brito and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 850 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-DARK-WINTER -- Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left millions of civilians in the cold and the dark. Families who endured the siege of Sarajevo three decades ago know what that’s like. They survived without heat, electricity or running water by improvising. Ukrainians are displaying the same resolve and ingenuity. The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” have independently documented more than 40 attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s electrical power, heat, water and telecommunications facilities since February. Families, neighbors and entire communities band together, brainstorm and resist — as those in Sarajevo did in the 1990s and those in Britain under Nazi Germany’s withering assault 80 years ago. By Beatrice Dupuy, Richard Lardner and Sabina Niksic. SENT: 1,840 words, photos.

WINTER-WEATHER-BUFFALO — The National Guard went door to door in parts of Buffalo to check on people who lost power during the area’s deadliest winter storm in decades, and authorities faced the tragic possibility of finding more victims amid melting snow. Already, more than 30 deaths have been reported in western New York from the blizzard that raged Friday and Saturday across much of the country, with Buffalo in its crosshairs. By Carolyn Thompson and Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 760 words, photos, video. WITH: WINTER-WEATHER-BUFFALO-EXPLAINER — How blizzard stunned even winter-wise Buffalo. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

MEXICO-THE MIGRATION NETWORK -- With more migrants entering Mexico, a sprawling network of lawyers, fixers and middlemen has exploded in the country. At every step in a complicated process, opportunists are ready to provide documents or counsel to migrants who can afford to speed up the system. In nearly two dozen interviews with The Associated Press, migrants, officials and those in the business described a network operating at the limit of legality. Many cooperate with Mexico’s immigration sector, where corruption is deeply ingrained, and at times work with smugglers. The increased flow of migrants over the last year and Mexico’s renewed efforts to control migration have made the work more prominent and profitable. The result is a booming business that often preys on vulnerable migrants. By Edgar H. Clemente and Maria Verza. SENT: 3,360 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,195 words is also available.

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TRENDING

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MISSING-RAPPER-THEOPHILUS-LONDON —The family of rapper Theophilus London has filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police this week and are asking for the public’s help to find him. London’s family and friends believe someone last spoke to him in July in Los Angeles. SENT: 380 words, photos.

ODD--CALIFORNIA STATUE BEHEADED -- The statue of a 19th-century Northern California rancher and meat-packing magnate has been decapitated leaving investigators in the state’s capital city scratching their heads to find a motive behind the vandalism. SENT: 265 words, photos.

CAMBODIA-HOTEL-FIRE -- A massive fire raging more than 12 hours in a Cambodian hotel casino has killed at least 16 people with the toll likely to rise. SENT: 605 words, photos.

SOUTH-KOREA-HIGHWAY-FIRE -- A freight truck collided with a bus on a highway near Seoul, causing a fire that killed at least five people and injuring 37 others. SENT: 125 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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VOTING-STATE CHANGES -- An explosion of new election-related legislation followed former President Donald Trump’s lies about losing the 2020 presidential election due to fraud. Next year is shaping up to be another busy one for state legislatures seeking to change voting laws. Democrats are readying bills that would make it easier to vote in Michigan and Minnesota, two states where they won control of the statehouses in November. In Texas, nearly 100 bills related to voting have been pre-filed already. Some seek to increase access to the ballot box while others are aimed at further restricting it. Ohio is another Republican-controlled state where lawmakers continue to push for restrictions. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.

ELECTION-2022-ARIZONA-RECOUNTS -- A court is scheduled on Thursday to unveil the winners of the Arizona attorney general’s race and two other elections that were so close they triggered mandatory recounts. In one of the tightest elections in state history, Democrat Kris Mayes was ahead of Republican Abraham Hamadeh by 511 votes out of 2.5 million before the recount began in the attorney general’s race. Judge Timothy Thomason also will announce recount results in races for state superintendent of public instruction and a state legislative seat in the Phoenix suburbs. SENT: 530 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-HOUSE-SANTOS — Long Island prosecutors have launched an investigation into U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos of New York, after revelations surfaced that the now-embattled Republican lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office. But despite intensifying doubt about his fitness to hold federal office, Santos has thus far shown no signs of stepping aside — even as he has publicly admitted to a long list of lies. SENT: 975 words, photos.

CONGRESS-RASKIN — Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin says he has a type of lymphoma that is a “serious but curable form of cancer” and he is beginning several months of treatment. Raskin will be the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the next Congress. He expects to be able to work through his outpatient treatment. SENT: 380 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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EXECUTIONS-TENNESSEE — Tennessee has not complied with its own lethal injection protocol ever since it was revised in 2018, resulting in multiple executions being conducted without proper testing, according to an independent review released Wednesday. It comes months after Republican Gov. Bill Lee paused all executions in May after acknowledging that the state had failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested. SENT: 410 words, photo.

SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-CALIFORNIA-SCHOOL -- No criminal charges will be filed over decades of alleged sexual misconduct at an elite private high school in Southern California even though “numerous” children were victimized, authorities said. SENT: 465 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISRAEL-POLITICS — Benjamin Netanyahu was set to return to office at the helm of the most religious and ultranationalist government in Israel’s history, vowing to implement policies that could cause domestic and regional turmoil and alienate the country’s closest allies. The new government was set to be sworn in on Thursday. Netanyahu’s new government has pledged to prioritize settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, extend massive subsidies to his ultra-Orthodox allies, and push for sweeping reform to the judicial system that could endanger the country’s democratic institutions. SENT: 655 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS -- South Korea has staged large-scale military drills to simulate shooting down North Korean drones. South Korea is trying to ease public concerns over its defense readiness after the North flew drones into its territory earlier this week. South Korean warplanes and helicopters failed to bring down any of the five North Korean drones spotted in its airspace. That caused security jitters among many South Koreans. In response, the training Thursday involves land-based anti-air guns, drones playing the role of enemy drones, and a total of 20 fighter jets, attack helicopters and unmanned assets. It was the country’s first set of major anti-drone drills since 2017. SENT: 515 words, photos.

NIGERIA-CHIBOK GIRLS REMEMBERED -- On April 14, 2014, fighters for the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram stormed a school in the Chibok community of Nigeria’s Borno state and abducted 276 girls who had been preparing for science exams. The kidnappings from the Government Girls Secondary School sparked a #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign involving celebrities worldwide. The missing girls are being remembered now with new sculptures created by French artist Prune Nourry in collaboration with Obafemi Awolowo University. SENT: 780 words, photos.

USSR CENTENARY — With its brutality, technological accomplishments and rigid ideology, the Soviet Union loomed over the world like an immortal colossus. It led humankind into outer space, exploded the most powerful nuclear weapon ever, and inflicted bloody purges and cruel labor camps on its own citizens while portraying itself as the vanguard of enlightened revolution. But its lifespan was less than the average human’s; born 100 years ago, it died days short of its 69th birthday. The Soviet Union both inspired loyalty and provoked dismay among its 285 million citizens. On the centenary of the treaty that formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, The Associated Press reviews the events of its rise and fall. SENT: 1,450 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED—VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRAVEL TESTING — The U.S. announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero COVID” policies had kept China’s infection rate low but fueled public frustration and crushed economic growth. SENT: 560 words, photos.

CHINA-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Moves by the U.S., Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak — and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country’s track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere. SENT: 680 words, photos.

EUROPE-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The European Union is assessing the increase in COVID-19 cases in China following Beijing’s rollback of its strict anti-infection controls in an attempt to streamline the testing of travelers from China in the 27 EU nations. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares have fallen in Europe and Asia after benchmarks skidded more than 1% on Wall Street. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices fell. Later Thursday, the U.S. government was due to release jobless claims, a measure of employment that could provide insight into how the economy is faring as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to quash inflation. SENT: 590 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BKN--LAKERS-JAMES AT 38 — LeBron James averaged more points as a 37-year-old than anyone has in NBA history. But as he turns 38 on Friday with his Los Angeles Lakers a long way from being a title contender, the 20-year veteran made clear that more championship shots are what James wants most. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 895 words, photos.

FBN--RAIDERS-CARR —Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said that Jarrett Stidham will start the final two games at quarterback in place of Derek Carr. McDaniels cited the struggles of the offense over the past month as the reason for the switch. SENT: 850 words, photos

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HOW TO REACH US

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