AP News Digest 7 a.m.

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

————————————————-

WEEKEND COVERAGE

————————————————-

For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.

——————————

TOP STORIES

——————————

TRUMP — President-elect Donald Trump walked out to a roaring standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at Madison Square Garden, combining two things close to his heart: fierce battles inside the octagon and New York City. Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined the president-elect and UFC President Dana White at the Garden, as did Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration. By Will Weissert and Dan Gelston. SENT: 780 words, photos. With TRUMP-ENERGY SECRETARY — Trump names fossil fuel executive Chris Wright as energy secretary; and TRUMP-STAFF-PICKS — SENT.

ELECTION-2024-INCUMBENT-BACKLASH — Whether on the left or the right, regardless of how long they’ve been in power, sitting governments around the world have been drubbed this year by disgruntled voters in what has been called the “super year” for elections. Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election was just the latest in a long line of losses for incumbent parties in 2024, with people in some 70 countries accounting for about half the world’s population going to the polls. By David Rising, Jill Lawless and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-1000-DAYS-BATTLEFIELD — When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, the conventional wisdom was that the capital, Kyiv, would soon fall and that the rest of the country wouldn’t last long against a much larger enemy. Instead, it was that narrative that quickly collapsed. The scrappy Ukrainian army proved it could slow the advance of Russia’s forces and, if not drive them out completely, then, with enough support from the West, at least forestall defeat. Nearly three years later, the outlook looks more grim. By Hanna Arhirova. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, graphic. With RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Zelenskyy says Russia has launched 120 missiles and 90 drones targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure — SENT.

MIDEAST-WARS — Palestinian medical officials say Israeli airstrikes in Gaza overnight have killed 12 people. Israeli police meanwhile arrested three suspects after flares were fired at the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coastal city of Caesarea. By Natalie Melzer, Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb. SENT: 760 words, photos, videos. With VATICAN-POPE-GAZA — Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute “genocide” — SENT.

ASIA TYPHOON — A powerful typhoon wrecked houses, caused towering tidal surges and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to emergency shelters as it cut across the northern Philippines in the sixth major storm to hit the country in less than a month. The country’s weather agency warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” in provinces along its path. By Jim Gomez. SENT: 560 words, photos. With TROPICAL-WEATHER-NOVEMBER-STORMS — A third November storm, Sara, serves notice that a busy hurricane season isn’t over yet — SENT.

CLIMATE-COP29-HALFWAY — Distractions were bigger than deals in the first week of United Nations climate talks, leaving a lot to be done, especially on the main issue of money. In week one, not a lot of progress was made on the issue of how much money rich countries should pay to developed ones to move away from dirty fuels, cope with rising seas and temperatures and pay for damage already caused by climate-driven extreme weather. But more is expected when government ministers fly in for week two to handle the hard political deal-making at the negotiations, known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. By Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With COP29-INDIGENOUS-PEOPLES-PHOTO-GALLERY — Indigenous peoples, impacted by climate change, raise alarm about the planet at COP29; CLIMATE-COP29-AZERBAIJAN-TEA — Tea is a way of life in Azerbaijan and takes center stage at COP29. But it’s not immune to climate change — SENT.

————————————————-

SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

————————————————-

INDIA-POLLUTION-VOICES — Many of the regulars at Lodhi Garden in New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, say they won’t let rising pollution levels deter their daily visits. However, as a dangerous toxic blanket of smog engulfed the city this month and New Delhi’s air quality officially fell into the “severe” category, some say they have had to change, or at least tweak their daily routine for the sake of their health. By Yirmiyan Arthur. SENT: 780 words, photos.

——————————

MORE NEWS

——————————

MMA-UFC-309 — Jon Jones sends Stipe Miocic into retirement with decisive UFC heavyweight win in front of Trump. SENT: 950 words, photos.

BANANA-ART-AUCTION — How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million. SENT: 650 words, photos, video.

OBIT-BELA-KAROLYI — Bela Karolyi, coach of Olympic champion gymnasts who was criticized after Nassar scandal, dies at 82. SENT: 1,870 words, photos.

WBD-NBA-SETTLEMENT — “Inside the NBA” will air on ESPN and ABC as part of settlement between WBD and NBA, AP sources say. SENT: 400 words, photo.

MEXICO-MISS-UNIVERSE — Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark is crowned the 73rd Miss Universe. SENT: 160 words, photos.

——————————————————

WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

——————————————————

BIDEN — Joe Biden will become the first U.S. president to set foot in the Amazon rainforest during a brief stop in the Brazilian city of Manaus. The visit comes as the U.S. is expected to scale back its commitment to combating climate change under the incoming Donald Trump administration. SENT: 670 words, photos.

—————————

NATIONAL

—————————

WILDFIRES — Windy conditions renewed a wildfire that escaped a containtment line and prompted emergency officials to enact a voluntary evacation plan for a small number of houses in a community near the New York-New Jersey border. SENT: 280 words, photos, audio.

DEPUTY-SHOOTING-911-RESPONSE — The U.S. Justice Department is demanding records related to the shooting of an Illinois woman who was killed in her home by a sheriff’s deputy. The government is investigating how authorities in Sangamon County treat Black residents and people with behavioral disabilities. SENT: 210 words, photo.

KLAMATH-DAM-REMOVAL-SALMON — Less than a month after four towering dams on the Klamath River were demolished, hundreds of salmon made it into waters they have been cut off from for decades to spawn in cool creeks. SENT: 670 words, photos, video.

————————————

INTERNATIONAL

————————————

SENEGAL-ELECTION — People in Senegal are voting in a parliamentary election that will decide whether the country’s president will be able to carry out ambitious reforms, six months after he was voted in on an anti-establishment platform. SENT: 560 words, photo.

AUSTRIA-VIENNA-CHRISTMAS-MARKET — A flip of the switch, some oohs and ahhs from a crowd of onlookers, and a giant decorated Christmas tree went up in lights on Vienna’s town hall square as the Yuletide season got rolling in Austria’s capital. SENT: 11 photos., 200 words.

——————————

EDUCATION

——————————

EDUCATION-RELIGIOUS-SCHOOLS — Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. The practice could expand, as backers of school choice have an ally in President-elect Donald Trump. One new approach that has emerged in Ohio has defenders of the separation of church and state crying foul. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.

——————————

BUSINESS

——————————

ANTITRUST-UNDER-TRUMP — The U.S. antitrust watchdogs that pounced on Big Tech and deterred dealmaking throughout corporate America during President Joe Biden’s administration may be tamer and kept on a shorter leash by President-elect Donald Trump after he returns to the White House next year. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.

———————

SPORTS

———————

FBC-T25-TENNESSEE-GEORGIA — Carson Beck threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, leading No. 11 Georgia to a 31-17 win over No. 6 Tennessee that gave a huge boost to the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff hopes. SENT: 640 words, photos.

SAN-JOSE-ST-TITLE-IX-COMPLAINT — The Mountain West Conference has concluded there was insufficient evidence to determine misconduct between women’s volleyball players from the Colorado State and San Jose State programs ahead of a match last month after a coach filed a Title IX complaint alleging the student-athletes were attempting to manipulate the contest. SENT: 610 words, photos.

——————————————

HOW TO REACH US

——————————————

The Nerve Center 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 AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.

Jon Jones reacts after defeating Stipe Miocic in a UFC 309 mixed martial arts heavyweight title bout, early on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

People stand at alongside a pedestrian bridge collapsed due to flooding caused by rains brought on by Tropical Storm Sara in San Pedro Sula, Honduras Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Kansas State players run onto the field before an NCAA college football game against Arizona State Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Lima, Peru. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP)

Cesar Salmeron, left, embraces his son Antony Salmeron upon his release from prison in Tocuyito, Venezuela, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. Antony Salmeron was detained during a government crackdown following anti-government protests against the results of the presidential election. (AP Photo/Jacinto Oliveros)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Joe Biden will become the first sitting American president to set foot in the Amazon rainforest during a brief stop Sunday in the Brazilian city of Manaus as the incoming Trump administration seems poised to scale back the U.S. commitment to combating climate change.

The massive Amazon, which is about the size of Australia, stores huge amounts of the world’s carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas driving climate change, even as the world’s largest tropical rainforest is rapidly deforested.

Biden is expected to take an aerial tour over part of the Amazont, meet local and indigenous leaders and visit an Amazonian museum as he looks to highlight his commitment to the preservation of the region.

The Biden administration announced plans last year for a $500 million contribution to the Amazon Fund, the most significant international cooperation effort to preserve the rainforest, primarily financed by Norway.

So far, the U.S. government said it has provided $50 million, and the White House announced Sunday an additional $50 million contribution to the fund.

“It’s significant for a sitting president to visit the Amazon. ... This shows a personal commitment from the president,” said Suely Araújo, former head of the Brazilian environmental protection agency and public policy coordinator with the nonprofit Climate Observatory. “That said, we can’t expect concrete results from this visit."

She doubts that a “single penny” will go to the Amazon Fund once Donald Trump is back in the White House.

His administration is highly unlikely to prioritize the Amazon or anything related to climate change. The Republican president-elect already said he would again pull out of the Paris agreement, a global pact forged to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change, after Biden recommitted to the agreement.

Trump has cast climate change as a “hoax” and said he will eliminate energy efficiency regulations by the Biden administration.

Still, the Biden White House on Sunday announced a series of new efforts aimed at bolstering the Amazon and stemming the impact of climate change.

Among the actions is the launch of a finance coalition that looks to spur at least $10 billion in public and private investment for land restoration and bioeconomy-related projects by 2030, and a $37.5 million loan to the organization Mombak Gestora de Recursos Ltda. to support the large-scale planting of native tree species on degraded grasslands in Brazil.

Biden is also set to sign a U.S. proclamation designating Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day, and will highlight in remarks during the visit that the U.S. is on track to reach a $11 billion in spending on international climate financing in 2024, a six-fold increase from when he started his term.

The Amazon is home to Indigenous communities and 10% of Earth’s biodiversity. It also regulates moisture across South America. About two-thirds of the Amazon lies within Brazil, and scientists say its devastation poses a catastrophic threat to the planet.

The forest has been suffering two years of historic drought that have dried up waterways, isolated thousands of riverine communities and hindered riverine dwellers’ ability to fish. It's also made way for wildfires that have burned an area larger than Switzerland and choked cities near and far with smoke.

When Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office last year, he signaled a shift in environmental policy from his predecessor, far-right Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies, prompting deforestation to surge to a 15-year-high.

Lula has pledged “zero deforestation” by 2030, though his term runs through the end of 2026. Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon dropped by 30.6% in the 12 months through July from a year earlier, bringing deforestation to its lowest level in nine years, according to official data released last week.

In that 12-month span, the Amazon lost 6,288 square kilometers (2,428 square miles), roughly the size of the U.S. state of Delaware. But that data fails to capture the surge of destruction this year, which will only be included in next year’s reading.

Despite the success in curbing Amazon deforestation, Lula’s government has been criticized by environmentalists for backing projects that could harm the region, such as paving a highway that cuts from an old-growth area and could encourage logging, oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River and building a railway to transport soy to Amazonian ports.

Biden is making the Amazon visit as part of a six-day trip to South America, the first to the continent of his presidency.

On Sunday morning, he was wrapping a visit to Lima, Peru, where he took part in the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After his brief stop in Manaus, he was heading to Rio de Janeiro for this year's Group of 20 leaders summit.

Madhani reported from Lima, Peru, and Long from Washington.

FILE - A river borders an area that has been illegally deforested by land-grabbers and cattle farmers in an extractive reserve in Jaci-Parana, Rondonia state, Brazil, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a bilateral meeting, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Lima, Peru. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP)

President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)