News Digest 6 p.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.

NEW/DEVELOPING

BIDEN-BALD-EAGLE-NATIONAL-BIRD; TRUMP-DEATH-ROW-COMMUNICATIONS; NFL-SHARING-FAITH; HAITI-GANG-VIOLENCE; MOZAMBIQUE-PROTESTS-DEATH-TOLL; HAWAII-VOLCANO; CALIFORNIA-HOTEL-STRIKE-END; CLIMATE-CALIFORNIA-WEATHER; BRAZIL-SLAVE-LABOR; SPANISH-KING-CHRISTMAS

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TOP STORIES

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WORLD-CHRISTMAS EVE — Bethlehem prepared to mark another somber Christmas in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The excitement and cheer that typically descends on the Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank on Christmas were nowhere to be found. By Jalal Bwaitel. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, video.

VATICAN-HOLY YEAR — Pope Francis kicked off the 2025 Holy Year on Tuesday, inaugurating a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome in a test of the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. From his wheelchair, Francis knocked a few times and the great Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica swung open as the choir inside the basilica began Christmas Eve Mass. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 720 words, photos, video.

TRUMP-DEATH-ROW-COMMUNICATIONS — President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. By Adriana Gomez Licon. SENT: 840 words, photo.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. SENT: 915 words, photos, video, audio.

MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST — The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank. The Israeli military said it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of some uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. SENT: 2170 words, photos, video, audio.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — Caitlin Clark raised the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both the college ranks and the WNBA, and Tuesday she was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year for her impact on and off the court. After leading Iowa to the national championship game, Clark was the top pick in the WNBA draft as expected and went on to win rookie of the year honors in the league. A group of 74 sports journalists from The Associated Press and its members voted on the award. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was second with 25 and boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes. By Doug Feinberg. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, audio.

BIDEN-BALD-EAGLE-NATIONAL-BIRD - Biden signs a bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the US. SENT: 195 words, photo.

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MORE NEWS

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HAWAII-VOLCANO - Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano. SENT: 190 words, photos.

HISTORIC-CHURCH-HIDDEN-ANGELS — Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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BILL CLINTON-HOSPITALIZED — Former President Bill Clinton was discharged from a Washington hospital on Tuesday and will be home for Christmas after he was admitted the day before with a fever. Clinton is being treated for the flu, Angel Urena, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement about his release. SENT: 170 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-GAZA FAMINE — Deaths from starvation will likely pass famine levels in northern Gaza as soon as next month due to Israel’s “near-total blockade” of food and other aid. That finding by the U.S.-created global food-crisis monitor appears to have exposed a rift within the Biden administration over the extent of the starvation. By Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 590 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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CLIMATE-CALIFORNIA-WEATHER - Hurricane-force winds bear down on California, latest in stretch of extreme weather. SENT: 800 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-HOTEL-STRIKE-END - The last group of striking hotel workers in San Francisco has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract with Hilton, bringing an end to a strike that has lasted three months. SENT: 360 words, photos.

NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper leaves his job next week after eight years. It’s a span in which the southern Democrat picked his moments against a Republican-dominated legislature to win big on expanding Medicaid and on requiring cleaner energy. After 24 years in statewide office, does he try to oust a Republican senator in 2026 in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat for a seat since 2008? SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

SUBWAY BURNING — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said at his arraignment on murder charges.. SENT: 685 words, photo, video, audio. Also SENT: SUBWAY BURNING-WHAT TO KNOW —What to know about the death of a woman who was set on fire in a New York City subway train.

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INTERNATIONAL

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MOZAMBIQUE-PROTESTS-DEATH-TOLL – Violence that engulfed Mozambique after the country’s highest court confirmed ruling party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections has killed at least 21 people, including two police officers. SENT: 325 words, photo.

HAITI-GANG-VIOLENCE - Suspected gang members have opened fire on journalists in Haiti’s capital as they were covering the attempted reopening of the country’s largest hospital, wounding or killing an unknown number of people. SENT: 515 words, photos, video.

BRAZIL-SLAVE-LABOR - Prosecutors find workers in ‘slavery like’ conditions at Chinese car company site in Brazil. SENT: 330 words.

SPANISH-KING-CHRISTMAS - Spain’s monarch pays tribute to the victims of Valencia floods in his Christmas Eve speech. SENT: 355 words, photos.

FRANCE POLITICS-WHAT’S NEXT — France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt, intensifying pressure from the nationalist far right, wars in Europe and the Mideast: Challenges abound for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after an already tumultuous 2024. SENT: 520 words, photos.

COLOMBIA-CARTEL BOSS — The return of former drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia following his deportation from the United States has reopened old wounds among victims of the Medellín Cartel, with some expressing dismay at the Colombian authorities’ decision to let Ochoa walk free. Some of the cartel victims said Tuesday they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. SENT: 580 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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INDIA-OBIT-FILMMAKER-SHYAM-BENEGAL — Shyam Benegal,a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a new wave cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after suffering from chronic kidney disease. He was 90. SENT: 440 words, photo.

OPERA-VOICE OF AN ANGEL — If she has the voice of an angel, and the face of an angel, she must be an Angel. Angel Blue, that is. The American soprano, one of the most admired singers of her generation, is headlining the Metropolitan Opera’s first new production of Verdi’s “Aida” in 36 years. SENT: 830 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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NFL-SHARING-FAITH — NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it’s their duty to spread their love of Jesus. SENT: 670 words, photos, video.

NETHERLANDS COURT-SOCCER VIOLENCE — An Amsterdam District Court on Tuesday sentenced five men to up to six months in prison for violence that erupted around a UEFA Europa League football match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots, which caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate antisemitic attacks, left 5 people in hospital and 20 others with minor injuries. More than 60 people were detained. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (11) is pushed out of bounds near the goal line by New Orleans Saints cornerback Will Harris (5) and linebacker Pete Werner (20) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

A person rides their bike on Front Street in the fog on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

An aerial view of parked trolley buses during heavy snowfall in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

A building from a wharf collapse floats in the ocean Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Santa Cruz, Calif. (Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP)

Part of a wharf and other debris floats in the ocean Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Santa Cruz, Calif. (Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP)

Fabio Ochoa, center, a former member of Cartel of Medellin, kisses a relative's hand upon his arrival at El Dorado airport, after being deported from the United States, in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal court for his arraignment on state murder and terror charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

Men gather outside closed businesses next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Palestinians mourn over the bodies of five policemen killed Monday by an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday Dec. 24, 2024. According to witnesses at the scene, the policemen fired shots to prevent a group of bandits blocking the road from stealing aid from a truck. The Israeli army immediately struck the policemen after that.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The sun rises over homes covering a hill of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive.

Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline blamed technology from one of its vendors.

As a result, flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% of the airline's 3,901 domestic and international flights leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Nineteen flights were canceled.

Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the FOS system. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said.

Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said.

Hours after the ground stop was lifted, Tajer said the union had not heard about any “chaos out there beyond just the normal heavy travel day.” He said officials were watching for any cascading effects, such as staffing problems.

On social media, however, customers expressed frustration with delays that caused them or their family members to miss connecting flights. One person asked if American planned to hold flights for passengers to make connections, while others complained about the lack of assistance they said they received from the airline or gate agents.

Bobby Tighe, a real estate agent from Florida, said he will miss a family Christmas Eve party in New York because his American flight was repeatedly delayed. The delays made him miss a connecting flight, leaving him the choice of going to his destination — Westchester, New York — on Christmas Day or taking another flight to Newark, New Jersey, that was scheduled to land Tuesday evening. He chose the latter.

“I’m just going to take an Uber or Lyft to the airport I was originally supposed to go to, pick up my rental car and kind of restart everything tomorrow,” Tighe said. He said his girlfriend was “going through the same exact situation” on her way from Dallas to New York.

Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights were departing within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — were arriving at their destinations as scheduled.

Dallas-Fort Worth, New York’s Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays, Cirium said. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays.

Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4,058 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights canceled. The site did not post any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but it showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed.

Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms were developing in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York.

Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions.

That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights.

This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them.

Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive.

An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays.

The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2.

Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA.

“Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.

Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state.

Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company.

Associated Press writers David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.

Travellers pass the main terminal of Denver International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Travellers queue up to pass through the south security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Young traveller queues up at a United Airlines self-check kiosk in Denver International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Passengers self-check baggage at the American Airlines terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, after American Airlines briefly grounded flights on Christmas Eve because of a technical problem. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

An employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks past boards showing flight delays, in the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

An employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks past boards showing flight delays, in the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Cesar Davila, who works for the American Airlines partner providing wheelchair assistance, wears a Christmas tree hat and festive glasses as he waits for a traveler to help inside the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Cesar Davila, who works for the American Airlines partner providing wheelchair assistance, wears a Christmas tree hat and festive glasses as he pushes a traveler through the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Two travelers nap near the Alaska Airlines ticketing area at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Travelers wait in line for security checks at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Marie Digna, traveling to Grand Rapids, Mich., enters security with her two sons, Lucian, right, and Samson, at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Travelers wait in line for security checks at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

American Airlines employees, some wearing Santa Claus hats, check in travelers in the American terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat walks through the American terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

An American Airlines employee wearing a Santa Claus hat looks toward quiet check-in counters in the American terminal at Miami International Airport, on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

FILE - American Airlines planes wait at gates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)