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.

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TOP STORIES

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MIDEAST WARS-GAZA — Health officials in the Gaza Strip say the death toll from the 14-month war between Israel and Hamas militants has topped 45,000 people. The Health Ministry said 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded since the start of the war in October 2023. By Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy. SENT: 710 words, photos. With MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST — A UK-based war monitor says Israeli airstrikes hit missile warehouses in Syria; EUROPE-SYRIA — EU seeks assurances about a peaceful future from Syria’s new leaders; SYRIA-ASSAD-PICTURES — Candid photos of Assad expose a world beyond the carefully crafted and repressive rule — SENT.

CYCLONE-CHIDO — France is rushing help by ship and military aircraft to its poor overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean that has been shattered by its worst storm in nearly a century. Hundreds or even thousands of people are thought to have died when Cyclone Chido hit the island on Saturday. By Gerald Imray. SENT: 580 words, photos.

SOUTH KOREA-MARTIAL-LAW — South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree. The push comes as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting on Yoon’s case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. By Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung. SENT: 850 words, photos, videos, audio.

BIDEN-HARRIS-DNC — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris thanked deep-pocketed Democratic donors who raised record sums in last month’s election loss to President-elect Donald Trump and urged them not to lose hope and to remain politically engaged. Biden and Harris, along with their spouses, in remarks at the Democratic National Committee holiday reception sought to buck up key donors who the Democratic Party needs to stay committed as it tries to pick up the pieces. By Moriah Balingit. SENT: 460 words, photos, video.

MEDIA-FEARING-TRUMP — When Donald Trump takes office as president for a second time, many journalists anticipate a hostile climate toward them and their work. This is, after all, a man who once labeled journalists as enemies and has talked about retribution toward enemies. Former Washington Post editor Martin Baron says he expects Trump to come after the press with every tool in his toolbox, “and there are a lot of tools.” By David Bauder. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

SECRETIVE-SECT-SEX-ABUSE — A small Christian sect that for decades was little noticed by the outside world has found itself riven by a very public child sex abuse scandal. In the past year, news stories and a documentary have focused on the misdeeds of predator preachers in the religious community known as the “Two by Twos,” as well as the leaders who sent them to live with unsuspecting families. Survivors say leaders pressured victims to keep quiet and sometimes failed to make legally required reports to police. By Rebecca Boone. SENT: 1,770 words, photos. With SECRETIVE-SECT-SEX-ABUSE-TAKEAWAYS — SENT.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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HONDURAS-DEPORTATIONS-TRUMP — As President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office in January with a promise of carrying out mass deportations, nations like Honduras where people have migrated north for generations are bracing themselves for a potential crush of vulnerable people they’re ill-prepared to receive. If Trump fulfills his campaign promise, countries like Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador could be among the first and most affected by mass deportations. By Megan Janetsky. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — Ukraine’s military intelligence agency is claiming that around 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded in fighting with the Ukrainian army over the weekend in Russia’s Kursk border region. SENT: 330 words, photo.

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MORE NEWS

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INDIA-OBIT-ZAKIR-HUSSAIN — Zakir Hussain, one of India’s most accomplished classical musicians, dies at 73. SENT: 460 words, photos.

PSG-HOMOPHOBIC-CHANTS — Referee briefly stops French league match between PSG and Lyon after homophobic chants. SENT: 370 words, photo.

ITALY-CAVE-RESCUE — Rescuers in Italy working to free a cave explorer trapped underground. SENT: 180 words.

ITALY-WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE STREET — Milan’s Via MonteNapoleone usurps New York’s Fifth Avenue as world’s most upscale shopping street. SENT: 580 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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HUNTER-BIDEN-INFORMANT-CHARGES — A former FBI informant is set to plead guilty to lying about a phony bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress. SENT: 460 words, photos.

BIDEN-NATIONAL MONUMENT — President Joe Biden will sign a proclamation establishing a national monument honoring the late FDR-era Labor Secretary Frances Perkins. Perkins was the first woman appointed to serve in a presidential Cabinet and a driving force behind the New Deal, according to the White House. SENT: 400 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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GERMANY-POLITICS — Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces a confidence vote in the German parliament that he’s expected to lose, which would pave the way for the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy to hold an early election in February. SENT: 510 words, photos. Debate starts at 1200 GMT, result of the vote expected after 1400 GMT.

BRITAIN-CHURCH-OF-ENGLAND — The archbishop who is due to take temporary charge of the Church of England is facing calls to resign over his handling of the case of a priest accused of sexual misconduct. SENT: 410 words, photo.

KOSOVO-KURTI — Kosovo’s Special Prosecutor’s Office has summoned Prime Minister Albin Kurti to testify in a case that remains unclear, with his supporters saying it’s a politically driven move as the country gears up for election. SENT: 300 words.

CAMBODIA-US-NAVAL-VISIT — A U.S. Navy warship has arrived in Cambodia, the first such visit in eight years to a nation that is China’s close ally in Southeast Asia. SENT: 590 words, photos.

FIJI-FOREIGNERS-HOSPITALIZED — Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar, Fijian authorities said. The cause of their illness was not known and officials said it was too soon to know if tainted alcohol was involved. SENT: 420 words.

INDONESIA-PHILIPPINES-PRISONER-TRANSFER — A Filipino woman who was on death row in Indonesia will be flown back to her home country after Indonesia and the Philippines signed a deal on Dec. 6, after a decade of pleading from Manila. SENT: 720 words, photos, video.

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EDUCATION

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EDUCATION-SCHOOL-RIDESHARES — Reliance on school buses has been waning for years as districts struggle to find drivers and more students attend schools far outside their neighborhoods. As responsibility for transportation shifts to families, the question of how to replace the traditional yellow bus has become an urgent problem for some families, and a spark for innovation. Several startup companies have begun working with school systems to provide ride-share services. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

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BUSINESS

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FEDERAL-RESERVE — Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs for homes, credit cards and cars may be disappointed after this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed’s policymakers are likely to signal fewer interest rate cuts next year than were previously expected. SENT: 870 words, photo.

XGR-CRYPTOCURRENCY-STATES — The new year will usher in the bitcoin-friendly administration of President-elect Donald Trump and an expanding lobbying effort in statehouses that, together, could push states to become more crypto-friendly and more public pension funds and treasuries to buy the cryptocurrency. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

CHINA-ECONOMY — Chinese retail sales slowed in November and housing prices fell, with demand still lackluster despite a flurry of stimulus measures over the past few months. SENT: 690 words, photos. With FINANCIAL-MARKETS — World shares fall as China reports lackluster data, while bitcoin hits new highs — SENT.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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PUBLIC-DOMAIN-2025 — Popeye the Sailor and the Belgian boy reporter Tintin lead the class of characters and works of art becoming public domain in 2025. On Jan. 1, 2025, the U.S. copyright expires on creations from 1929. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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LAKERS-JAMES — LeBron James returned to the Los Angeles Lakers in a 116-10 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies after a two-game break. James is fighting a left foot injury and was away from the team most of last week because of personal reasons. SENT: 480 words, photos. With GRIZZLIES-LAKERS — Anthony Davis scores 40 points, LeBron James has 18 in return to help the Lakers beat the Grizzlies, 116-110 — SENT.

BEARS-VIKINGS — Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings host the struggling Chicago Bears. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game scheduled to start at 8 p.m. With FALCONS-RAIDERS — UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) is brought down by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre (42) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

People walk through foam during a Santa Run event in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A Syrian Christians woman cries, as she attends the first Sunday Mass since Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster, at Mariamiya Orthodox Church in old Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Syrian fighters detain men suspects of looting at a residential complex of former Bashar Assad's military officers at the village of Husseiniyeh, in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. A rebel force deployed to the village in southeastern Damascus to stop looters who swarmed a residential complex in the area and set some apartments on fire. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinians, wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, receive treatment at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A child carries Christmas donations from the SOMOS social movement, a non-governmental organization working to fight hunger, in the Jardim Gramacho favela, in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro state, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI informant is set to plead guilty on Monday to lying about a phony bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

Alexander Smirnov is expected to make the plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge in connection with the bogus story, along with a tax evasion charge stemming from a separate indictment accusing him of concealing millions of dollars of income, according to court papers.

Smirnov has been behind bars since his arrest in February on charges that he told his FBI handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid President Biden and Hunter Biden $5 million each around 2015.

Prosecutors and the defense have agreed to recommend a sentence of between four and six years in prison, according to the plea agreement.

Smirnov had been an informant for more than a decade when he made the explosive allegations about the Bidens in June 2020, after “expressing bias” about Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, prosecutors said.

But Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma starting in 2017, according to court documents. An FBI field office investigated the allegations and recommended the case be closed in August 2020, according to charging documents.

No evidence has emerged that Joe Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes as president or in his previous office as vice president.

While Smirnov’s identity wasn’t publicly known before the indictment, his claims played a major part in the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. Before Smirnov's arrest, Republicans had demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the unverified allegations, though they acknowledged they couldn’t confirm if they were true.

During a September 2023 conversation with investigators, Smirnov also claimed the Russians probably had recordings of Hunter Biden because a hotel in Ukraine’s capital where he had stayed was “wired” and under their control — information he said was passed along to him by four high-level Russian officials.

But Hunter Biden had never traveled to Ukraine, according to Smirnov's indictment.

Smirnov claimed to have contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials, and told authorities after his arrest this year that “officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story” about Hunter Biden.

The case against Smirnov was brought by special counsel David Weiss, who also prosecuted Hunter Biden on gun and tax charges. Hunter Biden was supposed to be sentenced this month after being convicted at a trial in the gun case and pleading guilty to federal charges in the tax case. But he was pardoned this month by his father, who said he believed “raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.”

In this courtroom sketch, defendant Alexander Smirnov speaks in Federal court in Los Angeles, Feb. 26, 2024. (William T. Robles via AP)

FILE - Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, left, walks out of his lawyer's office in downtown Las Vegas after being released from federal custody Feb. 20, 2024. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)