AP News Digest 3:45 a.m.

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All Times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom ap.org.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-HALF MILLION DEAD — The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has topped 500,000. It’s a number so staggering that a top health researcher says it is hard to imagine an American who hasn’t lost a relative or doesn’t know someone who died. The virus has reached into all corners of the country and communities of every size. At the same time, many families are left to cope in isolation, unable even to hold funerals. Experts warn that about 90,000 more deaths are likely in the next few months, despite a massive vaccination campaign. By Adam Geller. SENT: 980 words, photos video. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DEADENED-SENSES — A year into the coronavirus pandemic, doctors are striving to better understand and treat patients who lose their sense of smell. Called anosmia, the condition is a common symptom of COVID-19. It is non-lethal but terribly vexing for the small minority of long-term sufferers who many weeks after infection still cannot taste food or smell the things they love. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-SECURITY — Congress is set to hear from former U.S. Capitol security officials for the first time about the massive law enforcement failures on Jan. 6, the day a violent mob laid siege to the building and interrupted the presidential electoral count. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 940 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing from 10 a.m. hearing.

ISRAEL-SPLIT OVER SETTLEMENTS — Generations of Jews have dropped spare change into the iconic blue boxes of the Jewish National Fund, a 120-year-old Zionist organization that acquires land, plants trees and carries out development projects in the Holy Land. But the Israeli group, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL, is now considering formally expanding its activities into the occupied West Bank. That has sparked fierce opposition from left-leaning Jewish groups in the United States, deepening a rift with the increasingly right-wing Israeli government. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 990 words, photos.

TRUMP-LEGAL-TROUBLES — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. fought for a year and a half to get access to former President Donald Trump’s tax records. Now, thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, he will soon have them. But what will that mean for the Democrat’s investigation into Trump’s business affairs? By Jim Mustian and David B. Caruso. SENT: 770 words, photo.

INTERIOR-SECRETARY-WATCHING-HISTORY — For Native Americans, Deb Haaland is more than an elected official on track to become the first Indigenous secretary of the Interior Department. She is a sister, an auntie and a fierce pueblo woman whose political stances have been molded by her upbringing. By Felicia Fonseca. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. Also see BIDEN-CABINET-INTERIOR below.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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PEOPLE-WOODLEY-RODGERS — Shailene Woodley confirms she’s engaged to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. SENT: 330 words, photos.

EL-CHAPO-WIFE — Wife of drug kingpin “El Chapo" arrested on U.S. drug charges. SENT: 630 words, photos.

KENYA-GIRAFFES-ELECTROCUTED — Two giraffes in Kenya park electrocuted by power lines. SENT: 180 words.

NEW ZEALAND-WHALE STRANDING — New Zealand volunteers refloat 28 whales in rescue effort. SENT: 390 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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UNITED STATES-IRAN — The Biden administration’s early efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are getting a chilly early response from Tehran. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 900 words, photos. With IRAN-NUCLEAR — State TV: Iran imposes curbs on U.N. nuclear inspections.

BIDEN-CABINET-HEALTH — Xavier Becerra, President Joe Biden’s pick for health secretary, faces two days of contentious Senate hearings. SENT: 650 words, photos. Developing from 10 a.m. hearing.

BIDEN-CABINET-INTERIOR — In testimony prepared for her confirmation hearing, Deb Haaland, Biden’s nominee for interior secretary, acknowledges oil and natural gas will continue to play a major role in America for years to come, even as the administration seeks to conserve public lands and address climate change. SENT: 930 words, photos. Developing from 9:30 a.m. hearing.

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NATIONAL

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GEORGIA-CHASE-DEADLY-SHOOTING — Those closest to Ahmaud Arbery want to make sure the Black man’s death isn’t overlooked again as three white men await trial in his slaying. SENT: 700 words, photo.

RACIAL-INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE-STATUES — At least 160 Confederate symbols were taken down or moved from public spaces in 2020. SENT: 860 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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INDIA-COMMUNAL-RIOTS-FIGHT-FOR-JUSTICE — As the anniversary of bloody communal riots that convulsed the Indian capital approaches, Muslim victims are still shaken and struggling to make sense of their struggle to seek justice. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

MYANMAR — Protesters against the military’s seizure of power in Myanmar were back on the streets of the country’s biggest city, a day after a call for a general strike shuttered shops and brought huge numbers out to demonstrate. SENT: 640 words, photos. With MALAYSIA-MYANMAR-MIGRANTS Malaysian court halts deportation of 1,200 Myanmar migrants.

SAUDI-ARABIA-OBIT-AHMED-ZAKI-YAMANI — Ahmed Zaki Yamani, a long-serving oil minister in Saudi Arabia who led the kingdom through the 1973 oil crisis, the nationalization its state energy company and later found himself held hostage by the assassin Carlos the Jackal, has died. He was 90. SENT: 680 words, photos.

EAST TIMOR-US-CLERGY ABUSE — A defrocked American priest went on trial to face charges he sexually abused young girls at his shelter for orphans and children from impoverished families, marking the first clergy sex case to emerge in East Timor — the most Catholic place in the world outside the Vatican. SENT: 440 words, photos.

HONG-KONG-POLITICS — Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave her clear support to electoral reforms that would likely further exclude opposition voices and cement Beijing’s control over the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s politics. SENT: 610 words, photo.

AFGHANISTAN-PEACE TALKS — With violence spiking, Afghanistan’s warring sides have returned to the negotiation table, ending more than a month of delays amid hopes that the two sides can agree on a reduction of violence — and eventually, an outright ceasefire. SENT: 790 words, photos. With AFGHANISTAN-UN-REPORT — U.N. says Afghan civilian casualties down by 15% last year.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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AUSTRALIA-DIGITAL-PLATFORMS — Facebook says it will lift its ban on Australians sharing news after it struck a deal with Australia’s government on legislation that would make digital giants pay for journalism. SENT: 500 words, photo.

EMERGENCY LANDING-EXPLAINING ENGINE FAILURE — The investigation into an engine explosion on a jetliner taking off from Denver is focusing on a fan blade that appeared to be weakened by wear and tear, a development reminiscent of a fatal failure on board another plane in 2018. By Airlines Writer David Koenig. SENT: 970 words, photo.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian markets were mixed after a sell-off of shares in technology companies on Wall Street. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 550 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US ___________________

At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Shuji Kajiyama (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.