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AP News Digest 8:15 a.m.

Via AP news wire

Sunday 08 January 2023 13:16 GMT

AP News Digest 8:15 a.m.

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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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BIDEN-BORDER — President Joe Biden is heading to the U.S.-Mexico border later Sunday for a firsthand look at border security. The stop in El Paso, Texas, will be his first visit to the border as president. Republicans have hammered him as soft on security while the number of migrants crossing spirals. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. DEVELOPING: Biden expected to arrive in El Paso at about 3 p.m.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — The first international travelers are arriving in China without the mandatory quarantine that had been imposed at the start of the pandemic three years ago. The easing of border restrictions comes even as the virus continues to spread in China amid what critics say is a lack of transparency from Beijing. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

TENURE BACKLASH — Officials in some red states say it is time to reconsider tenure for instructors at public colleges. The indefinite academic appointments that come with tenure — the holy grail of university employment — have faced review from lawmakers or state oversight boards in at least half a dozen states, often presented as bids to rein in academics with liberal views. By Heather Hollingsworth. UPCOMING: 1,090 words, photos by 10 a.m. This is the Monday Spotlight.

FTX-BAHAMAS — FTX was supposed to be the crown jewel of the Bahamian government’s push to be the global destination for all things crypto. Instead, FTX is bankrupt and Bahamians are trying to figure out what’s next for their country and whether their national experiment to be the world’s foremost crypto hub has failed. By Ken Sweet. UPCOMING: 1,350 words, photos by 10 a.m.

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TRENDING

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GERMANY-CHEMICAL ATTACK PLOT — German officials said Sunday that a 32-year-old Iranian man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning an attack with deadly chemicals. It wasn’t immediately clear how far advanced the plans for an attack were. SENT: 270 words, photos.

CHINA-DEADLY ACCIDENT — Authorities in southern China say 19 people have died and 20 are injured in a traffic accident at the start of the Lunar New Year holiday travel rush. SENT: 280 words, photos.

PHILIPPINES-RELIGIOUS PROCESSION — Thousands of Catholic devotees have joined a night procession through downtown Manila to venerate a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ, which was not paraded to discourage an even larger crowd amid lingering fears of COVID-19. SENT: 570 words, photos.

INDIA-UNRULY PLANE PASSENGER — Indian police have arrested an unruly airline passenger following a complaint by a woman aboard an Air India flight from New York that he urinated on her in business class. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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CONGRESS-BOEBERT — Voters who support Lauren Boebert, the firebrand Republican congresswoman from Colorado, are hoping she tones down her brash style. The concerns come after the far-right politician’s pitch seemed to find less appeal in the November election. UPCOMING: 900 words by 9 a.m., photos.

STATEHOUSES-PICKING SPEAKERS — As Republican infighting debilitates Washington, lawmakers at some U.S. statehouses have managed to launch sessions complicated by similar GOP partisan divides or razor-thin margins of party control with a host of creative — if yet untested — solutions. UPCOMING: 1,180 words, photos by 10 a.m.

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NATIONAL

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SEATTLE SCHOOLS-SOCIAL MEDIA LAWSUIT — The public school district in Seattle is suing the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. SENT: 430 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA-STORMS — California braced for more stormy weather with rain beginning to sweep into the northern part the state. Heavy storms are due to return Monday. SENT: 370 words, photos.

DEADLY AVALANCHE-COLORADO — Authorities in Colorado say an avalanche has buried two men on snowmobiles in the mountains, killing one and leaving the other missing. SENT: 230 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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JAPAN-KISHIDA — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida begins a weeklong trip to strengthen military ties with Europe and Britain and bring into focus the Japan-U.S. alliance at a summit in Washington. It comes as Japan breaks from its postwar restraint to take on more offensive roles with an eye toward China. SENT: 750 words, photos.

SENEGAL-BUS CRASH — Senegal’s president says two buses have collided head-on in the center of the country, killing at least 40 people and injuring dozens of others. SENT: 220 words.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — The Palestinian foreign minister says Israel has revoked his travel permit, part of a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians that Israel’s new hard-line government announced days ago. SENT: 730 words, photos.

VATICAN-BENEDICT XVI-TOMB — The Vatican is allowing the public to visit the new tomb of Pope Benedict XVI under St. Peter’s Basilica. SENT: 410 words, photos.

SERBIA-KOSOVO — Serbia’s president says NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo have rejected its demand for Serbian security forces be allowed to return to the breakaway province amid ongoing tensions. SENT: 370 words, photos.

GERMANY-COAL PROTEST — Climate activists are pledging to defend a tiny village in western Germany from being bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. SENT: 250 words, photos.

INDIA-LGBTQ MARCH — More than 2,000 members of the LGBTQ community and their supporters have returned to New Delhi streets after a three-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to press for equal marriage rights. SENT: 220 words, photos.

ROMANIA-BEAR DANCE-PHOTO GALLERY — Centuries ago, people in what is now northeastern Romania would don bear fur and dance to fend off evil spirits. Nowadays, the custom lives on as a popular festival that has been drawing crowds of tourists. The so-called ‘dancing bears festival’ takes place every year, starting in the days before Christmas. SENT: 400 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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SKI-WCUP-WOMEN’S GIANT SLALOM — Mikaela Shiffrin has matched Lindsey Vonn’s women’s World Cup skiing record with her 82nd win. Already with eight wins this season, Shiffrin is also quickly approaching Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record between men and women of 86 victories. SENT: 500 words, photos. Developing.

FBN-TITANS-JAGUARS — The Jacksonville Jaguars are AFC South champions for the first time in five years. They secured the title with a 20-16 victory against rival Tennessee on Saturday night in a win-and-in game that turned on Josh Allen’s 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 2:51 remaining. SENT: 800 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Elise Ryan 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.