AP 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 AND DEVELOPING

—————————————————

SEVERE WEATHER; AIRPLANE CRASHES-2024; CALIFORNIA-HOME INSURANCE-WILDFIRES; TREASURY DEPARTMENT-CHINA HACK; NORTHERN LIGHTS; BIDEN-BORDER CROSSINGS; RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-PRISONERS; FRANCE-MAYOTTE

———————————

TOP STORIES

———————————

JIMMY CARTER-PRESIDENTIAL FUNERALS — Jimmy Carter’s memorial journey will end at his house in the tiny town of Plains, Georgia, where he grew up on a peanut farm. He will be laid to rest next to his wife, Rosalynn, died last year. In the coming days, there will first be an interstate choreography of grief, ceremony and logistics that is characteristic of state funerals. Since the nation’s founding, America has bid farewell to former presidents with an intricate series of events weaving together longstanding traditions and personal touches. Funerals often are planned by the presidents themselves, who usually have years after leaving the White House to ponder how they want to be memorialized. By Chris Megerian. SENT: 930 words, photos. Also SENT: JIMMY CARTER-GUINEA WORM — Noble Prize-winning peacemaker Jimmy Carter spent nearly four decades waging war to eliminate an ancient parasite plaguing the world’s poorest people; CARTER-PLAYBOY INTERVIEW — Jimmy Carter already had drawn months of media scrutiny as a devout Southern Baptist running for president. Then the 1976 Democratic nominee brought up sex and sin as he explained his religious faith to Playboy magazine.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-MILITARY AID — President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion more in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kyiv fight off Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The package includes $1.25 billion in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the military to pull existing stock from its shelves and gets weapons to the battlefield faster. It also has $1.22 billion in longer-term weapons packages to be put on contract through the separate Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI. SENT: 380 words, photos.

TRUMP-COLUMNIST-LAWSUIT — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury’s finding in a civil case that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist in an upscale department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written opinion upholding the $5 million award that the Manhattan jury granted to E. Jean Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse. By Larry Neumeister and Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 720 words, photo, audio.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT-CHINA HACK — Chinese hackers remotely accessed several U.S. Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency said Monday. The department did not provide details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained, but it said in a letter to lawmakers revealing the breach that “at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information.” By Eric Tucker. SENT: 320 words, photos.

SOUTH KOREA-PLANE FIRE — South Korean officials said they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country’s airlines, as they struggle to determine what caused a plane crash that killed 179 people. Sunday’s crash, the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades, triggered an outpouring of national sympathy. Many people worry how effectively the South Korean government will handle the disaster as it grapples with a leadership vacuum following the recent successive impeachments of President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s top two officials, amid political tumult caused by Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law earlier this month. By Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tom-hyung. SENT: 970 words, photos, videos. Also SENT: SOUTH-KOREA-PLANE-FIRE-THINGS-TO-KNOW; SOUTH-KOREA-PLANE-FIRE-BOEING — Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for Boeing; and AIRPLANE CRASHES-2024.

GAZA-WOMEN’S-PRIVACY — For Gaza’s women, the hardships of life in the territory’s sprawling tent camps are compounded by the daily humiliation of never having privacy. Women struggle to dress modestly while crowded into tents with extended family members, including men, and with strangers only steps away in neighboring tents. Access to menstrual products is limited, so they cut up sheets or old clothes to use as pads. Makeshift toilets usually consist of only a hole in the sand surrounded by sheets dangling from a line, and these must be shared with dozens of other people. By Wafaa Shurafa and Julia Frankel. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

————————————

MIDEAST WARS

—————————————

SYRIA-BAATH-PARTY — Syria’s long-ruling Baath party has frozen its activities after insurgents overthrew President Bashar Assad weeks ago. Many members of the party’s leadership have gone into hiding or fled the country. The party that for decades ruled as part of the Assad dynasty is now being blamed for damaging relations with other Arab countries and aiding in the spread of corruption that brought the war-torn nation to its knees. While few are mourning the party’s fall, some are concerned that the Sunni majority that now controls the country could carry out a purge that could turn into sectarian score-settling. SENT: 890 words, photos.

——————————————-—-

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

————————————————

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-PRISONERS — Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said Monday. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 Ukrainian prisoners, including military personnel, border guards and national guards — along with two civilians — were freed. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 150 Russian soldiers were freed from captivity as part of the exchange in which each side released 150 people. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers wasn’t immediately clear. SENT: 320 words, photos, video, audio.

—————————————

YEAR IN REVIEW

—————————————

ELECTIONS-2024-THE-WORLD-VOTES — Some 70 countries that are home to half the world’s population held elections this year, and voters’ message was often: “You’re fired.” From India and the United States to Japan, France and Britain, voters tired of economic disruption and global instability rejected sitting governments. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.

RETAIL-WINNERS-AND-LOSERS — Value was in vogue in 2024. Shoppers and restaurant patrons in the U.S. were choosy about where and how to spend their money as they wrestled with high housing and food prices. SENT: 950 words, photo.

Find all of the AP’s year-end content in the 2024 Year In Review hub on AP Newsroom.

———————————

MORE NEWS

———————————

NORTHERN LIGHTS — There’s a chance solar storms may bring northern lights to several northern U.S states just in time for the new year. SENT: 330 words, photo.

CENSUS-WORLD POPULATION — The world population will be 8.09 billion on New Year’s Day after a 71 million increase in 2024. SENT: 200 words, photo.

IRAN-ITALY-JOURNALIST — Tehran confirmed Monday that an Italian journalist has been arrested on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, state media reported. SENT: 330 words.

——————————————————

WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

——————————————————-

CONGRESS-TRUMP-SPEAKER — President-elect Donald Trump is endorsing House Speaker Mike Johnson as he prepares to fight to keep his role leading Republicans in Congress. Trump said Monday in a post on his social media network that Johnson “is a good, hard working, religious man” and said “Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement.” SENT: 420 words, photos, audio.

DEMOCRACY-BRIDGING-THE-GAP — In a deeply partisan Congress, one group of lawmakers with a shared background is working in a bipartisan way to try to pass important issues. The caucus of military veterans might be one of the few places where members of both major parties feel they can build relationships and work together. It’s one small sign of attempts to bridge a national political divide that, to some, seems to be growing wider by the day. UPCOMING: 1,030 words, photos by 9 a.m.

————————

NATIONAL

————————

BIDEN-BORDER CROSSINGS — Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico in December are little changed from a month earlier, a U.S. official said Monday, hovering near the lowest levels since July 2020 and indicating that an anticipated surge ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president hasn’t happened. SENT: 410 words, photo.

SEVERE WEATHER — Cleanup was underway Monday after a strong storm system spawned hail, rain, high winds and tornadoes across the southern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least four people. As of Monday afternoon, over 30 tornadoes had been confirmed as crews worked through about 50 reports of tornado damage spanning from Texas to South Carolina. SENT: 630 words, photos, video, audio.

CALIFORNIA-HOME INSURANCE-WILDFIRES — Hundreds of thousands of California homeowners who have failed to find or lost access to home insurance as wildfires in the state become more destructive will once again be able to buy policies under a state regulation announced Monday. SENT: 290 words, photos.

————————————

INTERNATIONAL

————————————

ARGENTINA-PAYNE DEATH — An Argentine judge confirmed charges against five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of musical group One Direction, and ordered preventive prison for two of them for having supplied him with drugs. A judicial officer said that one of them was an employee of the hotel in Buenos Aires where Payne stayed until he died after falling from the balcony of his room in October. SENT: 340 words, photos.

FRANCE-RAPE-TRIAL — The ex-husband of Gisèle Pelicot won’t appeal his 20-year prison sentence for drugging and raping her and allowing dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in a case that revolted France, his lawyer said Monday. The lawyer said 17 of the 50 other men also found guilty this month have decided to appeal their sentences after a more than three-month trial that turned 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot into an icon against sexual violence. SENT: 410 words, photos.

FRANCE-MAYOTTE — French Prime Minister François Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation. Bayrou, recently appointed as prime minister, also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from “a few dozen to a few hundred.” SENT: 276 words, photo.

ETHIOPIA ROAD ACCIDENT — At least 66 people died after a truck plunged into a river in southern Ethiopia, a hospital director said Monday. The accident took place Sunday when an old, overcrowded truck that was contracted by wedding guests fell off the Gelan Bridge, where villagers said traffic crashes have happened before. SENT: 260 words.

——————————————

ENTERTAINMENT

——————————————

OBIT-LINDA-LAVIN — Linda Lavin, Tony-winning Broadway actor who starred in the sitcom “Alice,” dies at 87. SENT: 750 words, photos.

————————

SPORTS

————————

FLORIDA STATE-HAMILTON LAWSUIT — Six former Florida State basketball players sued Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton on Monday, alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation. SENT: 330 words, photo.

——————————————

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.

Southern California forward Kiki Iriafen, left, blocks a shot by Michigan guard Mila Holloway during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A butterfly rests on the nose of assistant butterfly collector Edgar Emojong at the African Butterfly Research Institute (ABRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Ukrainian servicemen of 3rd assault brigade participate memorial ceremony of their fallen comrades during the winter solstice in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish people dance and sing on the fifth night of Hanukkah in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Ali al-Batran, a 20-day-old infant, lies in the intensive care unit with hypothermia at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. His twin brother, Jomaa, has died, as local health officials report at least three other infant deaths from the cold in recent weeks. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Rescue team carry the body of a passenger at the site of a plane fire at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Relatives of passengers on a plane which skidded off a runway and burst into flames, react at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

FILE - Former President Jimmy Carter poses for a portrait during the Toronto International Film Festival, Sept. 10, 2007, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Weather forecasters sometimes warn of storms that unleash such unusual rain they are described as 100-year or even 500-year floods.

Here’s what to know about how scientists determine how extreme a flood is and how common these extreme events are becoming.

Scientists use math to help people understand how unusual a severe flood is and how to compare the intensity of one flood to another.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, one statistic scientists use is the percentage chance that a flood of a specific magnitude will happen. A 500-year flood means such an event has a 1 in 500 chance, or 0.2%, of occurring in a year.

Another concept scientists use is how frequently an event of a certain intensity is expected. For example, a meteorologist can look at the average recurrence interval of an anticipated flood and see that a similar event is only expected once every 25 years.

Agencies have preferred expressing the percent chance of a flood occurring rather than the recurrence interval because that statistic better represents the fact that rare floods can happen within a few years of each other. It's sort of like rolling a pair of dice and getting double six's twice in a row. It's rare, but statistically possible.

Another term people hear during an impending flood is that it could be a once-in-a-generation or once-in-a-lifetime event, a casual way of saying a flood could be unlike anything many people have experienced.

Houston, Texas, was struck by three 500-year flood events from 2015 through 2017, according to local officials at the time. The events included Hurricane Harvey, the heaviest recorded rainfall ever in the U.S. Homes and businesses were destroyed and cars were swept away by the floods.

Although math can calculate how often to expect floods of specific magnitudes, nature has its own plans, including irregularity. Many interconnected systems in the environment, such as local weather patterns and larger events like El Nino, can contribute to the changing likelihood of floods.

Since the early 1900s, precipitation events have become heavier and more frequent across most of the U.S. and flooding is becoming a bigger issue, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Gases emitted by humans, like carbon dioxide and methane, are warming the atmosphere, allowing it to hold more water vapor. For every 1 degree of Fahrenheit that the temperature warms, the atmosphere can hold nearly 4% more water, which is a 7% increase for every 1 degree Celsius, said Victor Gensini, professor of atmospheric sciences at Northern Illinois University. That vapor eventually falls back to the ground as rain or snow. “We’ve absolutely seen a shift in the probability distribution of heavy rainfall over the last three decades,” Gensini said.

Other regions have experienced drought due to changing precipitation patterns. According to NASA, major droughts and periods of excessive precipitation have been occurring more frequently. Globally, the intensity of extreme wet and dry events is closely linked to global warming.

This story has been corrected to show that the three 500-year flood events in Houston took place over three years, not 24 months. It has also been corrected to show that the origin of the calculations about 500-year flood events in Houston were from local officials, not researchers at the University of Chicago.

Seth Borenstein contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

FILE - Cars are submerged on a freeway flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey near downtown Houston, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)