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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A zoo keeper counts Squirrel Monkeys during the annual stocktake at London Zoo in London, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A sculpture of the Hulk made of flowers is on display at the Flower Show in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Boys ride on the back of a truck in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans during a rally demanding the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read "Immediately arrest Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Snow blankets the meadow near a chapel in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day stands on the sidewalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Czechia's Karolina Muchova plays a shot between her legs to Italy's Jasmine Paolini during their quarterfinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to Rupa Redding-Lallinger on behalf of Louis Redding during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FILE - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter looks at his watch upon arriving at Queen Alia International airport in Amman ,Jordan, on April 20, 2008. Earlier on his Middle East tour, Carter met with exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal despite strong opposition from Israel and the White House. (AP Photo/Jamal Nasrallah, Pool, File)
A street performer flips over a line of people on Bourbon street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, after the area reopened to the public following a deadly attack in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions march toward the presidential residence during a rally demanding the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
WEEKEND COVERAGE
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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.
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ONLY ON AP
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AP-POLL-ELECTION-CONFIDENCE — A new poll finds that Republican voters are once again confident in the accuracy of U.S. elections now that Donald Trump has won. About 6 in 10 Republicans said they trust the 2024 vote count. That’s a leap from only 2 in 10 who said in October they believed the count would be accurate. That low share followed years of Trump sowing doubt among his supporters over the accuracy of U.S. elections. By Linley Sanders and Nicholas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 660 words, photos by 7:30 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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CONGRESS — The new Congress has opened with one major task at hand and that is the election of the House speaker. As newly-elected lawmakers assembled at the U.S. Capitol, current Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson was confident as he arrived with a fresh boost of support from Trump after working to sway the hardline holdouts. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: 119TH-CONGRESS-THE-LATEST.
BIDEN-US-STEEL-NIPPON — President Biden has blocked the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel — affirming his earlier vow on the presidential campaign trail to prevent the acquisition of Steeltown USA’s most storied steel company. By Fatima Hussein, Josh Boak and Marc Levy. SENT: 850 words, photos.
NEW-ORLEANS-CAR-INTO-CROWD — Street performers and football fans returned to New Orleans streets as the city inched back toward normalcy. A deadly New Year’s truck attack along Bourbon Street killed 14 people, along with the driver. Shamsud-Din Jabbar was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his speeding truck around a barricade and plowing into a crowd of revelers. By Eric Tucker, Jim Mustian, Kevin McGill and Jack Brook. SENT: 960 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: BIDEN-NEW-ORLEANS — Biden will visit New Orleans on Monday.
MILITARY-EXTREMISM — Much remains unknown about the man who carried out an attack in New Orleans on New Year’s and another who died in an explosion in Las Vegas the same day. But the violence highlights the increased role of people with military experience in ideologically driven attacks, especially those that seek mass casualties. By Jason Dearen, Michelle R. Smith and Aaron Kessler. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 3 p.m.
WINTER-BLASTS — A strong snow and ice storm followed by brutally cold conditions will soon smack the eastern two-thirds of the United States as frigid air escapes the Arctic, plunging as far south as Florida, meteorologists forecast. Starting Saturday, millions of people are going to be hit by moderate to heavy snow from Kansas City to Washington — including a high chance of at least 8 inches of snow between central Kansas and Indiana. By Seth Borenstein. SENT: 700 words, photos.
JIMMY-CARTER-MIDEAST-LEGACY — As president, Jimmy Carter brokered the peace agreement that removed Israel’s most powerful enemy from the battlefield. Israel and Egypt signed the Camp David peace accords in 1978. They remain the biggest achievement from decades of mostly failed U.S. peacemaking in the Middle East. But for Carter, who died on Sunday at the age of 100, they were clouded by what he saw as the continued oppression of the Palestinians and Israel’s expansion of settlements. Carter devoted much of his life during and after his presidency trying to broker a just solution to the wider conflict. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
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MIDEAST WARS
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MIDEAST-WARS — Israeli strikes killed at least 42 people in Gaza, including children, hospital and emergency response workers said, as health workers and Israel’s military traded claims over reported evacuation orders for two hospitals in the territory’s largely isolated north. SENT: 850 words, photos, video. WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST.
IRAN-YEMEN-HOUTHI-THREAT — The rockets from Gaza have mostly fallen silent. A ceasefire with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has taken hold. But repeated fire from Yemen’s Houthi rebels is proving a stubborn threat for Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis are stepping up their missile attacks, sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis scrambling for shelter in the middle of the night and keeping up what could be the last major front in the Middle East wars. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is “strong and unpredictable,” and those qualities can be a decisive factor in his policy approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. SENT: 480 words, photo.
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MORE NEWS
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GERMANY-ELEPHANTS’-CHRISTMAS — For the elephants and others at the Berlin Zoo, it’s finally time to unwrap their Christmas presents. Trees that didn’t find a home this festive season were given to some of the animals in what has become an annual event. SENT: 200 words, photos, video.
BRITAIN-ZOO-STOCKTAKE — From alpacas to zebras — and lots of birds, reptiles and invertebrates in between — London Zoo is taking stock of what it possesses. SENT: 240 words, photos, video.
AUSTRALIA-SHARK-ATTACK — Authorities say a surfer missing in Australia is believed dead in a shark attack and they are searching the waters where the man disappeared. SENT: 270 words, video.
JETBLUE-FLIGHT-DELAYS — The Transportation Department said it will hit JetBlue Airways with a $2 million penalty for chronically late flights along the East Coast. SENT: 340 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
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BIDEN-MEDAL-RECIPIENTS — President Biden will award the Medal of Honor to military recipients who displayed heroism and self-sacrifice in combat and the Medal of Valor to first responders who put their own lives at risk to save others. The recipients of the Medal of Honor are Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. SENT: 640 words, photos.
BIDEN-TRANSGENDER — Some transgender people worry President Biden did not do enough to shield them from the torrent of Trump policies to come. President-elect Donald Trump declared last month that “it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders — male and female.” UPCOMING: 880 words, photos by 8 a.m.
ELECTION-2025-CALENDAR — Which U.S. elections are happening in 2025? Here’s a look at upcoming primary and general contests. SENT: 330 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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HAWAII-FIREWORKS-CULTURE — Authorities and residents in Hawaii are wondering whether a New Year’s Eve explosion that killed three people and wounded more than 20 will dampen the state’s enthusiasm for illegal pyrotechnic displays. In recent years, occasions large and small have provided an excuse for residents across the state to set off increasingly sophisticated fireworks. SENT: 970 words, photos, video.
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INTERNATIONAL
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SOUTH-KOREA-MARTIAL-LAW — South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff during which he defied their attempt to detain him. It’s the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video, audio.
GHANA-BLACK-AMERICANS — Ghana recently granted citizenship to 524 people from the Black diaspora, and most were Black Americans. It was the largest group to be granted citizenship at one time since Ghana launched its “Year of the Return” initiative in 2019. The launch marked 400 years since the first African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619. The joy that people feel in finding connections that were broken long ago is palpable. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SURGEON-GENERAL-ALCOHOL — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed. SENT: 480 words, photo.
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BUSINESS ———————————
APPLE-SIRI-SETTLEMENT-WHAT-TO-KNOW — Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of turning its virtual assistant Siri into a snoop that eavesdropped on the users of iPhones and other trendy devices in a betrayal to its long-standing commitment to personal privacy. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FREE-APPLE-TV — Apple TV+ is hoping people will make a dent in the Strategic Popcorn Reserve by binging on its streaming TV and movies as part of a free weekend promotion, what experts are calling a canny step. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 790 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBC-CFP-FOOTBALL'S-FINAL-FOUR — In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won. In the second round, they all won again. The moral of this story: Who knows, other than something doesn’t totally add up when not a single one of the top four teams, all of which received byes, advances into college football’s final four. The semifinals are set: Next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it will be No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame. Then, Friday in the Cotton Bowl, it will be No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, Donald E. King 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.
A zoo keeper counts Squirrel Monkeys during the annual stocktake at London Zoo in London, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A sculpture of the Hulk made of flowers is on display at the Flower Show in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Boys ride on the back of a truck in Homs, Syria, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans during a rally demanding the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read "Immediately arrest Yoon Suk Yeol." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Snow blankets the meadow near a chapel in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A memorial for the victims of a deadly truck attack on New Year's Day stands on the sidewalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Czechia's Karolina Muchova plays a shot between her legs to Italy's Jasmine Paolini during their quarterfinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to Rupa Redding-Lallinger on behalf of Louis Redding during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FILE - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter looks at his watch upon arriving at Queen Alia International airport in Amman ,Jordan, on April 20, 2008. Earlier on his Middle East tour, Carter met with exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal despite strong opposition from Israel and the White House. (AP Photo/Jamal Nasrallah, Pool, File)
A street performer flips over a line of people on Bourbon street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, after the area reopened to the public following a deadly attack in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions march toward the presidential residence during a rally demanding the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
