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AP News Digest 3 am

Via AP news wire

Monday 12 December 2022 01:51 EST

AP News Digest 3 am

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ONLY ON AP

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ELECTION 2022-YOUNG VOTERS — Young voters who have been critical to Democratic successes in recent elections showed signs that their enthusiasm may be waning in November's midterms, a potential warning sign for a party that will need their strong backing heading into the 2024 presidential race. By Will Weissert and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. An abridged version of 970 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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GRINER — WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want any alone time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home. “I have been in prison for 10 months now, listening to Russian. I want to talk,” Griner said, according to Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who helped secure the basketball star’s release and bring her back to the U.S. last week. By Seung Min Kim. SENT: 580 words, photos.

PERU-POLITICAL CRISIS — Peru’s newest president, Dina Boluarte, gave in to protesters’ demands announcing in a nationally televised address that she will send Congress a proposal to move up elections. Boluarte’s decision came after thousands of demonstrators took to the streets around Peru for another day to demand that she resign and schedule elections to replace her and Congress. The protests turned deadly, with at least two reported deaths in a remote community in the Andes, officials say. By Regina Garcia Cano. SENT: 760 words, photos, video.

IRAN-PROTESTS — Iran executed a second prisoner detained and convicted amid nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy, airing footage on state television it claimed shows him stabbing two security force members to death and running away. The public hanging of Majidreza Rahnavard, less than a month after he allegedly carried out the fatal stabbings — purportedly angry about security forces killing protesters — shows the speed at which Iran now carries out death sentences handed down for those detained in the demonstrations the government hopes to put down. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 530 words, map.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — China will drop a travel tracing requirement as part of an uncertain exit from its strict “zero-COVID” policies that have elicited widespread dissatisfaction. At midnight on Monday, the smart phone app will cease to function, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded, potentially reducing the likelihood they will be forced into quarantine for visiting pandemic hot spots. SENT: 640 words, photos.

CAPITOL RIOT-OATH KEEPERS — After securing seditious conspiracy convictions against two leaders of the Oath Keepers in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, the Justice Department will try to make its case against four others affiliated with the far-right group. By Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 690 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-CANINE THERAPY — Bice is an American pit bull terrier with an important and sensitive job in Ukraine — comforting children traumatized by the war. The Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation is a state-operated community center where a group of people are trying to help those who have experienced a trauma after last winter's Russian invasion, and now they are using dogs like Bice to give comfort. By E. Eduardo Castillo. SENT: 820 words, photos.

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WORLD CUP

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WCUP-QATAR-SENSORY ROOMS — The sensory rooms located at three World Cup stadiums in Qatar provide a calm and secure environment for children and young adults with autism, learning difficulties or other sensory access requirements. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos by 5 a.m.

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TRENDING

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BRITAIN-US-LOCKERBIE SUSPECT — Libyan accused in Lockerbie bombing now in American custody. SENT: 940 words, photos.

PATTI LABELLE CONCERT EVACUATED — Bomb threat disrupts Patti LaBelle concert in Wisconsin. SENT: 220 words, photo.

OBIT-PITMAN HUGHES — Pioneering Black feminist Dorothy Pitman Hughes dies at 84. SENT: 930 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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PUBLIC TRANSIT-FREE FARES — Washington, D.C., becomes the biggest city in the U.S. to waive bus fares to spur interest in public transit. Analysts say the bold plan offers a good test whether it will promote equity and win back pre-pandemic riders. SENT: 990 words, photos.

LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL-RACISM — Two months after being entangled in a racism scandal that shook public trust in Los Angeles government, disgraced City Councilman Kevin de Leon has refused calls to resign and is attempting to rehabilitate his reputation as he faces a politically uncertain future. SENT: 790 words, photos.

WRONGFUL CONVICTION-MISSOURI — A hearing begins in a case that will decide if the conviction should be overturned for a Missouri man who has spent nearly three decades in prison for a murder that two other people later confessed to committing. SENT: 400 words, photo. UPCOMING: Hearing at 10 a.m.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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NASA-MOONSHOT — NASA’s Orion capsule made a blisteringly fast return from the moon Sunday, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a test flight that should clear the way for astronauts on the next lunar flyby. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 830 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares slipped in Asia after last week’s decline on Wall Street, while signs of a surge in coronavirus infections in China suggested progress may be bumpy as it rolls back its “zero-COVID” pandemic restrictions. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 610 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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GOLDEN GLOBES-NOMINATIONS — After scandal and boycott plunged the Hollywood Foreign Press Association into disarray and knocked the Golden Globes broadcast off television for a year, the annual film and television awards are set to announce nominations. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 630 words, photos. UPCOMING: Announcement at 8:35 a.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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