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.
———————————————-
Click to Gallery
Army veteran Donald Woody, left, and Marine veteran Warren Stade, in eagle feather bonnet, pay their respects as former President Jimmy Carter lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Washington. Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. The two are from the Skakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Jorida Latifi and her 7-year-old son ride on snow tubes during an outing organized by a group that promotes outdoors activities for Muslim women at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minn., on Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Recently unearthed artifacts by the mission of Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage on display at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut's Funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile's West Bank, in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
Cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create icicle on a tree ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Georgia basketball team celebrates with the University of Georgia students after a win against Kentucky at an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A member of a government-backed militia holds a weapon before a march in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, days ahead of President Nicolás Maduro's inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A Tibetan woman offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter lies in state at the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP)
Two persons ride by on motorcycles as the Palisades Fire destroys a neigbhborhood in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
CORRECTS BYLINE FROM ETIENNE LAURENT TO ETHAN SWOPE - The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
NEW/DEVELOPING
———————————————-
JIMMY-CARTER-RACE; BIDEN-GREAT-GRANDFATHER; ISRAEL-TV-REPORTER-AI-COMEBACK; LEBANON-ELECTION-EXPLAINER; CHINA-NEPAL-EARTHQUAKE:-PHOTO-COLLECTION; FEDERAL-RESERVE-MINUTES; HEALTH SECRETARY-INTERVIEW; UNITED STATES-GUANTANAMO-EXPLAINER; META-CONTENT-MODERATION; GRIZZLY BEAR PROTECTIONS; NHL-OUTDOOR GAMES-FLORIDA.
———————————
TOP STORIES
———————————
CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — Massive wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area left neighborhoods in ruins, killing at least two people and threatening landmarks made famous by Hollywood as desperate residents escaped through flames, hurricane-force winds and towering columns of smoke. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of LA. By Jaimie Ding, Christopher Weber and Julie Watson. SENT: 1,130 words, photos, live, videos, audio. Developing. WITH: CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES-THE-LATEST; CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-THINGS TO KNOW; CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-ENTERTAINMENT; CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-PHOTO GALLERY; Find a selection of related wildfire photos in AP Newsroom.
SUPREME-COURT-TRUMP-HUSH-MONEY — President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to call off Friday’s sentencing in his hush money case in New York. Trump’s lawyers turned to the nation’s highest court after New York courts refused to postpone the sentencing by the judge who presided over Trump’s trial and conviction in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. By Lindsay Whitehurst and Mark Sherman. SENT: 520 words, photos, audio. WITH: TRUMP-SPECIAL-COUNSEL — Justice Department says it plans to release only part of special counsel’s Trump report for now.
TRUMP-CONGRESS — President-elect Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill to meet privately with Republican senators as House and Senate GOP leaders are straining to come up with a strategy for tackling his legislative priorities as the party takes power in Washington. By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
WINTER-BLASTS — An area stretching from Texas to Tennessee is bracing for an expected snowstorm even as some other parts of the U.S. hit by the plunging polar vortex this week are beginning to shake off its icy effects. The National Weather service says a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain is expected to fall on that stretch of the South beginning Wednesday night and early Thursday, with the heaviest amounts likely in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. By Jamie Stengle and Sean Murphy. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, videos, audio. WITH: CLIMATE-WINTER-BLASTS-FARMERS — This week’s winter wallop across the U.S. means different things to farmers in different places.
MIDEAST-WARS — Israeli soldiers recovered the body of a 53-year-old hostage in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza, the military said, and the army was determining if another set of remains belongs to the man’s son. The discovery of Yosef AlZayadni’s body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining hostages and halt the fighting in Gaza. By Tia Goldenberg and Melanie Lidman. SENT: 810 words, photos. video. WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-THE-LATEST; ISRAEL-HOSTAGES-ANOTHER-WINTER ; ISRAEL-TV-REPORTER-AI-COMEBACK; LEBANON-ELECTION-EXPLAINER (all sent)
CARTER-BIDEN — Joe Biden is the consummate Washington insider. Jimmy Carter was anything but. Yet the 46th and 39th U.S. presidents had a decades-long friendship starting when Biden, as a young Delaware lawmaker, became the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s outsider White House bid in 1976. Their bond will be on display one final time Thursday as Biden eulogizes Carter during his state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. By Bill Barrow and Darlene Superville. SENT: 1,210 words, photos. WITH: JIMMY-CARTER-FUNERAL — Jimmy Carter continues to lie in state at Capitol Rotunda ahead of his state funeral; and JIMMY-CARTER-RENAISSANCE-MAN — Jimmy Carter’s woodworking, painting and poetry reveal an introspective Renaissance Man. Also see JIMMY CARTER-RACE below.
———————————
SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
———————————
SNOW-TUBING-IN-HIJABS — Three years ago, a Somali-American mom in Minneapolis founded a group for Muslim women who want to enjoy the great outdoors. On a recent below-zero winter morning, Nasrieen Habib and two dozen members went snow tubing in a park in the Twin Cities suburb of Maple Grove, their hijabs tucked under wool caps and heavy coat hoods. For the group, which now has more than 700 members, these outings are a way to enjoy hiking and other outdoors activities safely. By Giovanna Dell'Orto. SENT: 930 words, photos, video.
JIMMY CARTER-RACE -- Jimmy Carter spent his life intertwined with America’s and the world’s enduring legacy of slavery. His approach revealed a dualism in Carter that pitted his personal ambitions and political pragmatism against the idealism of his religious and social values. He was a governor, president and humanitarian who climbed the political ladder with calculated moderation, while still using his most powerful platforms to break down racial barriers and advance human rights. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.
———————————
MORE NEWS
———————————
MEDIA-CNN DEFAMATION TRIAL — CNN is on trial for libel this week before a jury in Florida, and it comes at a particularly inopportune time for legacy media. SENT: 1,030 words, photo, video, audio.
BLINKEN-TRUMP-GREENLAND — Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is advising the world not to waste a lot of time on what President-elect Donald Trump has been saying about Greenland. SENT: 330 words, photos.
NHL-OUTDOOR GAMES-FLORIDA — Outdoor hockey is coming to Florida. The NHL will have games in Miami and Tampa next season. SENT: 610 words, photos.
——————————————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
——————————————————
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — A daytime Russian missile attack on the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians and injured about 30 others, officials said. SENT: 680 words, photos.
——————————————————
WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
——————————————————
HEALTH SECRETARY-INTERVIEW — Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has some advice for his successor: Be prepared for the unexpected, including deadly viruses and cyberattacks that disable hospitals for weeks. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos, video by 7 p.m.
UNITED STATES-GUANTANAMO-EXPLAINER — The Biden administration has arranged for several detainees long held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to be sent back to their countries or other places in his bid to clear out those who have never been charged with crimes. Who are these men, who is still held and what are the concerns about the releases? SENT: 1,450 words, photo.
BIDEN — President Joe Biden, in a new interview days before he leaves office, cast doubt on his fitness to serve another four years even as he maintained that he could have won election to a second term. SENT: 490 words, photo, audio. With BIDEN-GREAT-GRANDFATHER — Biden is a great-grandfather.
HUNTER-BIDEN-INFORMANT-CHARGES — Prosecutors will ask a judge for six years in prison for a former FBI informant whose bogus story about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepting bribes became central to Republicans’ impeachment effort. SENT: 600 words, photos.
————————
NATIONAL
————————
EDUCATION-COLLEGE-TUITION — New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. SENT: 780 words, photos.
————————————
INTERNATIONAL
————————————
CHINA-NEPAL-EARTHQUAKE — Relief teams in western China shifted their focus to resettling survivors after a search for any remaining victims of a deadly earthquake that struck a day earlier near a holy city for Tibetan Buddhists. SENT: 730 words, photos, audio. With: CHINA-NEPAL-EARTHQUAKE:-PHOTO-COLLECTION.
———————————————
HEALTH & SCIENCE
———————————————
THREATENED-FRESHWATER-ANIMALS — New research shows about a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction. By Science Writer Christina Larson. SENT: 350 words, photos, audio.
GRIZZLY BEAR PROTECTIONS — The Biden administration will continue protecting about 2,000 grizzly bears in four Rocky Mountain states despite objections from Republican-led states, U.S. wildlife officials said. SENT: 890 words, photos.
————————————-
BUSINESS / TECH
—————————————-
FEDERAL-RESERVE-MINUTES — Federal Reserve officials at their meeting Dec. 17-18 are expected to dial back the pace of interest rate cuts this year in the face of persistently elevated inflation and the threat of widespread tariffs and other potential policy changes. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 590 words, photo. With FEDERAL-RESERVE-TARIFFS — Top Fed official backs new rate cuts even if Trump tariffs materialize.
META-CONTENT-MODERATION — Meta rolls back hate speech rules as Mark Zuckerberg cites “recent elections” as a catalyst. By Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay. SENT 530 words, photo.
CES-2025-VEHICLES — Auto makers pulled out all the stops to showcase their latest advances for in-vehicle experiences at CES. By Business Writer Wyatte Grantham-Philips. SENT: 830 words, photos.
—————————————————
ENTERTAINMENT
————————————————-
SAG NOMINATIONS — “Wicked” topped nominations to the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards, landing a leading five nominations including best ensemble, and individual nods for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 850 words, photos. WITH: SAG-AWARDS-NOMINATIONS-LIST.
————————
SPORTS
————————
RAVENS-PLAYOFFS LAMAR — Lamar Jackson spent the last four weeks of the regular season leading Baltimore to a division title and making a strong bid for a third MVP award. Now, however, the conversation changes. The postseason begins this week, and this is a time of year when Jackson still has plenty of doubters. By Sports Writer Noah Trister. SENT: 760 words, photos.
——————————————
HOW TO REACH US
——————————————
At the Nerve Center, Randy Herschaft and Jerome Minerva 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.
Army veteran Donald Woody, left, and Marine veteran Warren Stade, in eagle feather bonnet, pay their respects as former President Jimmy Carter lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Washington. Carter died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. The two are from the Skakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Jorida Latifi and her 7-year-old son ride on snow tubes during an outing organized by a group that promotes outdoors activities for Muslim women at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minn., on Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Recently unearthed artifacts by the mission of Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage on display at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut's Funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile's West Bank, in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)
Cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create icicle on a tree ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Georgia basketball team celebrates with the University of Georgia students after a win against Kentucky at an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
A member of a government-backed militia holds a weapon before a march in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, days ahead of President Nicolás Maduro's inauguration for a third term. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A Tibetan woman offers a prayer in the remembrance of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake, at a Tibetan camp in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter lies in state at the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP)
Two persons ride by on motorcycles as the Palisades Fire destroys a neigbhborhood in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
CORRECTS BYLINE FROM ETIENNE LAURENT TO ETHAN SWOPE - The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A resident of a senior center is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
