AP News Digest 3 am

Monday 05 December 2022 01:41 EST

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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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ELECTION 2022-GEORGIA-SENATE-RACE — Raphael Warnock is the first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. His reelection challenger is another Black man, Republican challenger Herschel Walker. The two men have cut different paths and offer clearly opposing visions for the country, including on race and racism. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. With ELECTION 2022-WHAT TO WATCH — Runoff presents different challenges for both candidates.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-HIDDEN ORPHANS — Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russian authorities have been accused of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-held territories to raise them as their own. At least 1,000 children were seized from schools and orphanages in the Kherson region during Russia’s eight-month occupation of the area, their whereabouts still unknown. But locals say even more orphans would have been taken had it not been for the efforts of some in the community who tried to hide as many as they could. By Sam Mednick. SENT: 970 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — China is easing some of the world’s most stringent anti-virus controls and authorities say new variants are weaker. But they have yet to say when they might end a “zero-COVID” strategy that confines millions of people to their homes and set off protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 890 words, photos. With CHINA PROTEST — Protesters near White House demand “Free China!”

SUPREME COURT-GAY RIGHTS — The Supreme Court is hearing the case of a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, that’s the latest clash of religion and gay rights to land at the highest court. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 510 words, photos. UPCOMING: 800 words after 10 a.m. arguments.

MARRIAGE RIGHTS-EXPLAINER — Legislation that ensures same-sex and interracial marriages are recognized as legal unions appears headed for final approval and President Joe Biden’s signature, a bipartisan agreement that reflects a wider acceptance of gay rights in both Congress and the country. By Sara Burnett. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

POLICE-KILLER ROBOTS — The unabashedly liberal city of San Francisco became the unlikely proponent of weaponized police robots last week after supervisors approved limited use of the remote-controlled devices, addressing head-on an evolving technology that has become more widely available even if it is rarely deployed to confront suspects. The authorization comes as police departments across the U.S. face increasing scrutiny for the use of militarized equipment and force amid a years-long reckoning on criminal justice. By Janie Har and Claudia Lauer. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.

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AP News Digest 3 am