AP News Digest 2 p.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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WINTER WEATHER — The death toll from a pre-Christmas blizzard that paralyzed the Buffalo area and much of the country has risen to 27 in western New York, authorities said Monday as the region dug out from one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history. The storm that walloped much of the country is now blamed for at least 48 deaths, with rescue and recovery efforts continuing Monday. By Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 846 words, photos.

THE AP INTERVIEW-KULEBA — Ukraine’s foreign minister says his government is aiming to have a peace summit by the end of February preferably at the United Nations with Secretary-General António Guterres as a possible mediator around the time of the anniversary of Russia’s war. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told The Associated Press on Monday that he was “absolutely satisfied” with the results of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. last week. By E. Eduardo Castillo and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 335 words, photo.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — The Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian drone approaching an airbase deep inside Russia. It was the second time the facility was targeted this month. The incident raises questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s air defenses. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that three servicemen were killed by debris at the Engels airbase. By E. Eduardo Castillo and Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 800 words, photos.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — South Korea’s military has fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance assets across the heavily fortified border with North Korea after North Korean drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years. By Hyung-Jin Kim. SENT: 830 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-VACCINATING THE ELDERLY — Chinese authorities are going door to door and paying people who are older than 60 to get vaccinated against COVID-19. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 870 words, photos, video.

MED-LONG-COVID — A British historian, an Italian archaeologist and an American preschool teacher share a prominent pandemic bond: They’re each credited with describing, naming and helping bring long COVID into the public’s consciousness in early 2020. They all still have symptoms. Nearly three years into the pandemic, it’s still unclear what makes people vulnerable to long COVID. By Lindsey Tanner. SENT: 1,165 words, photos.

ZIMBABWE-POOL — Once a minority sport played mostly in Zimbabwe’s wealthier neighborhoods, pool has increased in popularity over the years, first as a pastime and now as a survival mode for many in a country where employment is hard to come by. By Farai Mutsaka. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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TRENDING

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MALL OF AMERICA-LOCKDOWN — Authorities have identified the 19-year-old man who was fatally shot during an altercation at the Mall of America on Friday evening. SENT: 225 words.

MUSIC-ZACH BRYAN-TICKETMASTER — The chorus against Ticketmaster’s contentious concert pricing practices is growing, including Zach Bryan and friends. The country music artist dropped a live album titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster” on Sunday. SENT: 400 words, photo.

IRAN PROTESTS — A prominent former soccer player in Iran who has expressed support for anti-government protests says his wife and daughter were prevented from leaving the country. SENT: 515 words.

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YEAR END

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YE-TOP PHOTOS — Taken together, they can convey the feeling of a world convulsing — 150 Associated Press images from across 2022, showing the fragments that make up our lives and freezing in time the moments that somehow, these days, seem to pass faster than ever. SENT: 530 words, 153 photos.

YE-SPORTS CHANGING ROLL — Hardly a day passed in 2022 when a headline that ran across the ticker on ESPN wouldn’t have been out of place on CNN or Fox Business. There was the saga of basketball player Brittney Griner, Russia’s invasion and war on Ukraine and the struggle over transgender athletes among other topics that laid bare the intersection between sports and real life. SNET: 1,270 words, photos.

YE-SPORTS-PHOTOS-2022 — Sport is the forum where it cannot be hidden, where the feelings that are pulsing through someone’s core at a particular moment — be it good or bad, joy or pain, exhilaration or anguish, relief or regret — can be captured in a single image. SENT: 475 words, 100 photos.

YE-FILM-TOP 10 — The Associated Press’ Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr’s picks for the best movies of 2022. SENT: 1,350 words.

YE-DEATHS — Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2022. SENT: 7,500 words, photos.

YE-OVER IT — The rudeness pandemic, the actual pandemic and all things gray. There’s a lot to leave behind when 2022 comes to a close as uncertainty rules around the world. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

You can find AP’s full 2022 Year in Review content on AP Newsroom.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2022-INDEPENDENTS — A sweeping national survey of the electorate, AP VoteCast, finds that Republican House candidates nationwide won the support of 38% of independent voters during last month’s midterm elections. That lackluster showing among independents helps explain why the GOP flipped just nine House seats. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

ELECTRIC-VEHICLES-TAX-CREDIT-EXPLAINER — Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. The credit, part of changes enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to spur EV sales and reduce greenhouse emissions. But a complex web of requirements is casting doubt on whether anyone will be able to receive the full $7,500 credit next year. SENT: 1,485 words, photos.

NATIVE AMERICAN-CULTURAL PATRIMONY — A new law increases the penalties for trafficking Native American remains and cultural objects. President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony this month. SENT: 900 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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WATER WOES — Days of freezing temperatures in Deep South areas that usually freeze for only hours are threatening dozens of water systems as burst pipes leak millions of gallons of water. Dozens of water systems had either boil advisories in place because of low pressure or warned of bigger catastrophes if leaks from broken pipes weren’t found and water shut off. SENT: 645 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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JAPAN-HEAVY SNOW — Large swaths of Japan are seeing heavy snow since last week, killing 17 and leaving hundreds of homes without power. SENT: 285 words, photos.

FRANCE-SHOOTING — Members of France’s Kurdish community and others are holding a silent march Monday to honor three people killed at a Kurdish cultural center in Paris. SENT: 550 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN — The United Nations says its top official in Kabul has met the Taliban government’s economy minister in the Afghan capital. The meeting on Monday followed a decision by the country’s Taliban rulers to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations, allegedly because some female NGO employees were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly. SENT: 550 words, photos.

CHINA-TAIWAN — Taiwan says China’s military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the self-ruled island. SENT: 400 words, photo.

ISRAEL-POLITICS — Over 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans, including a former Israeli chief of staff, on Monday urged the country’s top legal officials to stand tough against the incoming government. SENT: 300 words, photo.

SPAIN-BUS ACCIDENT — Spanish authorities announced Monday the recovery of the body of a seventh victim after a bus plunged 30 meters (100 feet) from a bridge into a river on Christmas Eve. SENT: 200 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-MILITANT ATTACKS — Pakistani forces on Monday expanded their search for the perpetrators behind multiple attacks that killed six troops and wounded 17 civilians in a restive southwestern province the previous day. SENT: 290 words, photo.

INDONESIA-ROHINGYA REFUGEES — A second group in two days of weak and exhausted Rohingya Muslims has landed on a beach in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh after weeks at sea. SENT: 630 words.

SOUTH KOREA-SEX DOLLS — South Korea has formally lifted a ban on the import of full-body sex dolls, ending years of debate over how much the government can interfere in private life. SENT: 475 words, photo.

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ECONOMY/BUSINESS

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HOLIDAY SALES — Holiday sales rose as American spending remained resilient during the critical shopping season despite surging prices on everything from food to rent, according to one measure. SENT: 545 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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BRONCOS-HACKETT – The Denver Broncos have fired coach Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games. Hackett never was able to get quarterback Russell Wilson out of a season-long slump. SENT: 524 words, photos.

BBN-CLEMENTE 50th ANNIVERSARY — Roberto Clemente remains one of the most revered figures in Puerto Rico and Latin America 50 years after his death. His graceful flare and powerful arm were unrivaled in his era. His humanitarian efforts off the field are perhaps his greatest legacy, though. Half a century after he played, many of today’s Latino baseball players credit him for paving the way. SENT: 1,095 words, photo.

OBIT-BONNAR — Former fighter Stephan Bonnar, who played a significant role in the UFC’s growth into the dominant promotion in mixed martial arts, has died, UFC announced. He was 45. SENT: 211 words.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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THE STREAM — This week’s new entertainment releases include a streaming concert from 21 Savage, a Netflix film starring Adam Driver made from Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel “White Noise” and a movie marathon on Turner Classic Movies featuring the martini-swilling detectives Nick and Nora Charles from “The Thin Man.” SENT: 640 words, photos.

DIZZYING DRESS CODES — The season’s triple-virus threat not withstanding, parties are back. And they’ve brought with them the potential for some dress code chaos. White tie, black tie, black tie creative/festive, semiformal, business casual — here are tips for how to follow dress codes, from the most to least formal. SENT: 970 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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