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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NEW AND DEVELOPING
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TRUMP-BUDGET; CONGRESS-BUDGET- TAKEWAYS; CONGO-BOAT CAPSIZES; SCHOOL-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN; AMAZON-STARBUCKS-UNIONS
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WEEKEND COVERAGE
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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.
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TOP STORIES
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TRUMP-BUDGET — Donald's Trump’s decision to inject himself into the budget debate a month before his inauguration showed that he remains more adept at blowing up deals than making them, and it foreshadowed that his second term will likely be marked by the same infighting, chaos and brinksmanship that characterized his first. After days of threats and demands, the president-elect had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown. By Chris Megerian, Stephen Groves, Jill Colvin and Josh Boak. SENT: 1,240 words, photos, video.
CONGRESS-BUDGET — President Joe Biden has signed a bill into law that averts a government shutdown and brings a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the package. The difficulties in winning passage raise questions about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will be able to keep his job in the new year. By Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri and Matt Brown. SENT: 740 words, photos. ALSO SENT: CONGRESS-BUDGET- TAKEWAYS — One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in the modern era is about to make way for the next one; CONGRESS-DISASTER RELIEF-EXPLAINER — Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid to address extensive damage caused by hurricane and other disasters; CONGRESS-SOCIAL SECURITY — The Senate passed legislation to boost Social Security payments for millions of people; CONGRESS-BUDGET-FEDERAL-EMPLOYEES — Government funding difficulties create gloom for federal workers before Christmas; CONGRESS-BUDGET-MUSK-MISINFORMATION — Elon Musk used his influence on X to help kill a bipartisan funding proposal, spreading multiple false claims in the process.
GERMANY-CHRISTMAS MARKET — Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove into a busy outdoor Christmas market, killing five people, including a 9-year-old, and injuring 200 others. The alleged attack Friday evening at a Christmas market in Magdeburg shook the public’s sense of security at what would otherwise be a time of joy and wonder. With 41 people so badly injured, authorities warned that the death toll could rise. By Kirsten Grieshaber, Geir Moulson and Vanessa Gera. SENT: 730 words, photos, video, audio. ALSO SENT: GERMANY-CHRISTMAS MARKET-EXPLAINER — What we know about the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany; GERMANY-CHRISTMAS-MARKET-ATTACKER — What we know about the suspect behind the German Christmas market attack; GERMANY-CHRISTMAS MARKET-VEHICLE ATTACKS — A car-ramming at a Christmas market in Germany, which police are treating as an attack, is the latest in a grim series of events in which vehicles have been used as deadly weapons; HUNGARY-ORBAN-GERMANY — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Saturday drew a direct link between immigration and an apparent attack at a German Christmas market.
SYRIA-FORMER SOLDIERS — Hundreds of former Syrian soldiers are reporting to the country’s new rulers for the first time since Bashar Assad was ousted to answer questions about whether they may have been involved in crimes against civilians in exchange for a promised amnesty. The former soldiers trooped to what used to be the head office in Damascus of Assad’s Baath party that had ruled Syria for six decades. They were met on Saturday with interrogators, who are former insurgents who stormed Damascus two weeks ago. By Basdem Mroue. SENT: 550 words, photos. ALSO SENT: SYRIA-REVENGE-KILLINGS — In the days since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge, according to activists and experts who monitor Syria. The vast majority have been from the minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shia Islam that the Assad family adheres to; CYPRUS-SYRIA — Cyprus’ top diplomat says his country stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more than a decade of war.
CONGO-BOAT CAPSIZES — Thirty-eight people are confirmed dead, and over 100 remain missing in Congo after an overloaded ferry — full of people returning home for Christmas — capsized in the river Busira late Friday night, according to local officials and eyewitnesses. The boat sank less than four days after another one in the northeast of the country capsized, killing 25. SENT: 370 words.
MAYOTTE-CYCLONE — A week after Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, the island remains in crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed and doctors warning of mounting risks of epidemics like cholera due to the lack of clean water and electricity. There have been 35 people confirmed dead but the French health minister warned any estimates were likely major undercounts. Doctors fear the lack of clean water and electricity, compounded by overcrowded living conditions, is setting the stage for a health crisis. By Sam Mednick, Adrienne Surprenant and Thomas Adamson. 720 words, photos, video.
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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FLORIDA-BLACK-HISTORY — Thirty years after Florida required schools to teach African American history, how the subject is taught remains inconsistent across Florida classrooms, an Associated Press review found. In the eyes of some advocates, Black history instruction in public schools is inadequate and under fire by the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. That’s pushing churches and community groups to take up the mantle of teaching Black history. By Kate Payne. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
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MIDEAST WARS
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MIDEAST-WARS — A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Another 14 people had minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before dawn, the military said. The Houthis in a statement on Telegram said they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target that they did not identify. Israel’s military said it was investigating, adding that “we emphasize that aerial defense is not hermetic.” SENT: 790 words, photos, video, audio.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukraine brought the war into the heart of Russia Saturday morning with drone attacks that local authorities said damaged residential buildings in the city of Kazan in the Tatarstan region, over 600 miles from the front line. SENT: 280 words, photo.
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MORE NEWS
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NORAD-SANTA-TRACKER — NORAD’s Santa tracker is a Christmas tradition that has become nearly global in scope. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado to ask for Santa’s location as he delivers presents around the world. Millions more follow online. NORAD typically scans the heavens for potential threats, such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
EGGNOG-HOLIDAY SPIRITS — It’s eggnog season. The boozy beverage dates back to medieval England but remains a holiday hit. SENT: 450 words, photos, video, audio.
BRITAIN-STONEHENGE-SOLSTICE — Thousands of tourists, pagans, druids and people simply yearning for the promise of spring marked the dawn of the shortest day of the year at the ancient Stonehenge monument in England on Saturday. SENT: 330 words, photos.
ALASKA-SANTA-NATIVE-VILLAGE — Forget the open-air sleigh powered by a tuckered herd of flying reindeer. Santa and Mrs. Claus this week took supersized transportation to southeast Alaska, riding in a C17 military cargo plane and a camouflaged Humvee. SENT: 560 words, photos, video.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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SUPREME COURT ETHICS — A lengthy investigation by Democratic senators of Supreme Court ethics details more luxury travel by Justice Clarence Thomas and urges Congress to establish a way to enforce a new code of conduct. Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate in January, underscoring the hurdles in imposing restrictions on a separate branch of government even as public confidence in the court has fallen to record lows. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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HURRICANE-RAVAGED-FARMS — Farmers in Georgia are still reeling more than two months after Hurricane Helene blew away cotton, destroyed ripened squash and cucumbers and uprooted pecan trees and timber. Agribusinesses in other Southern states saw costly damage as well. SENT: 970 words, photos, video.
SCHOOL-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN — The 14-year old student killed at a Wisconsin Christian school this week is remembered as a talented teenager who shared her gifts of music and art with many. Funeral services were held Saturday morning for Rubi Patricia Vergara. She was shot and killed along with teacher Erin West Monday by a fellow student on Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Two other students who were shot remain hospitalized in critical condition. SENT: 310 words, photo. ALSO SENT: SCHOOL-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-CHRISTMAS — Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, is leaning into the belief that God hasn’t abandoned them days after a deadly shooting.
NYPD-TOP OFFICER RESIGNS — The top uniformed police officer in the New York Police Department has resigned amid allegations he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch accepted the resignation of Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey Friday night, effective immediately, according to an emailed statement from the department Saturday. SENT: 660 words, photo.
BIRD FLU-EXPLAINER — California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S. That raises new questions about the outbreak of the virus, also known as Type A H5N1. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed again this week that the virus poses low risk to the general public. SENT: 990 words, photo, videos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRAZIL-BUS CRASH — A crash between a passenger bus and a truck early Saturday killed 38 people on a highway in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil, officials said. The Minas Gerais fire department, which responded to the scene, said 13 others were taken to hospitals near the city of Teofilo Otoni. The bus had reportedly departed from Sao Paulo and was carrying 45 passengers. SENT: 260 words, video.
GUYANA-VENEZUELA-BORDER — Guyana’s government Saturday formally protested to Venezuela following the completion by Venezuela’s armed forces of a bridge built on a remote river island shared by both countries. Work on the bridge, which links Venezuela’s mainland to a military base, has caused a decades-old row over border lines in the Essequibo region to flare up again. SENT: 370 words, photo.
VATICAN-GOSSIP — Pope Francis is suffering from a cold and will deliver his Sunday blessing from indoors, the Vatican said. On Saturday, he delivered his annual Christmas greetings to Vatican bureaucrats and lay employees. Once again, he used the occasion to admonish the backstabbing and gossiping among his closest collaborators and urge them instead to speak well of one another. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VATICAN-BELGIUM-ABORTION — The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late King Baudouin be beatified for having abdicated for a day rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion. Francis had surprised and even enraged some Belgians when, during his September visit to Brussels, he prayed at Baudouin’s tomb, denounced Belgium’s abortion laws as “homicidal” and announced he wanted to beatify the late king. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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AMAZON-STARBUCKS-UNIONS — Large and established labor unions secured meaningful employer concessions this year following strikes by Boeing factory workers, dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports, video game performers, and hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip. But workers at Starbucks, Amazon and some other prominent consumer brands still are fighting for their first contracts. Amazon delivery drivers and Starbucks baristas have gone on strike in a handful of U.S. cities as they seek to exert pressure on the two major companies to recognize them as unionized employees or to meet demands for an inaugural labor contract. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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CFP-SMU-PENN STATE — Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (12-2) advanced to face fourth-seeded Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve with the win. Penn State will have some history on its side when it faces Boise State. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 all-time in the Fiesta Bowl. SENT: 580 words, photos.
CFP-TENNESSEE-OHIO STATE — Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the No. 6 Buckeyes have moved on from the devastating Michigan loss and are ready to play No. 7 Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff in the Horseshoe. By Mitch Stacy. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 8 p.m. EST.
CFP-CLEMSON-TEXAS — No. 5 seed Texas (11-2) hosts No. 12 Clemson (10-3) in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff on Saturday. The Longhorns were runner-up in the SEC. Clemson won the ACC championship to return to the playoff for the first time since 2020. By Jim Vertuno. 600 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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People outside Magdeburg Cathedral follow a memorial service for victims of Friday's Christmas Market attack, where a car drove into a crowd, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
People outside Magdeburg Cathedral follow a memorial service for victims of Friday's Christmas Market attack, where a car drove into a crowd, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
United States' Lindsey Vonn looks on before competing in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)
Italy's vice Premier Matteo Salvini speaks to journalists as he leaves a Palermo's law court in Sicily, Italy, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, after he was acquitted in a first instance trial where he was accused of blocking for 19 days the disembarkation of 147 people, including minors, rescued at sea by the NGO Open Arms in August 2019.(AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he exchanges season greetings with Vatican employees, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A cotton picker moves through Chris Hopkins' cotton field as a round bale sits, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, near Lyons, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
President Joe Biden arrives to speak at the Department of Labor in Washington, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
People take part in the winter solstice celebrations during sunrise at Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (James Manning/PA via AP)
FILE - NORAD Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Charles D. Luckey takes a call while volunteering at the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
Dr. Marvin Dunn leads a tour of Overtown, a historically Black neighborhood near downtown Miami, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, file)
Relatives of victims who were killed by Tsunami waves grieve at the site of a mass burial in Cuddalore, India, Monday, Dec. 27, 2004. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, File)
A girl walks amidst destruction in Mbouyougou, Mayotte, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrienne Surprenant)
Starbuck workers picket outside of a closed Starbucks on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
People line up to buy bread in a bakery near Bab Touma, a neighborhood of the Old City of Damascus, Syria, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz answers to reporters at a Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noorozi)
Forensics work on a damaged car sitting with its doors open after a driver plowed into a busy Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, early Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
