AP News Digest 7 a.m.

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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WEEKEND COVERAGE

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For weekend stories, please click here for the Weekend Lookahead digest.

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TOP STORIES

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MIDEAST-WARS — The Health Ministry in Gaza says Israel’s army detained the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza. The announcement comes after health officials said Israeli troops stormed the hospital on Friday and forced many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather, according to the ministry. Israel’s army didn’t respond to questions about the director, Dr. Abu Safiya. It denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital. By Wafaa Shurafa and Sam Mednick. SENT: 540 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: MIDEAST-WARS-YEMEN-ISRAEL-AIRSTRIKES — The top U.N. humanitarian official in Yemen says Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport as a civilian Airbus 320 with hundreds of passengers on board was landing this week. SENT: 800 words, photo, video.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-KURSK-OPERATION — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk. Some want to stay in the region at all costs. Others question the value of having gone in at all. Battles are so intense that commanders are unable to evacuate their dead. The overstretched Ukrainians have lost more then 40% of the territory they won in the lightning incursion that seized much of Kursk in August. By Samya Kullab. SENT: 840 words, photos.

INDIA-SINGH — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, was cremated after a state funeral Saturday. The veteran leader, who also was credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the U.S., died late Thursday at age 92. Singh’s body was taken to the headquarters of his Congress party in New Delhi and later transported to a crematorium ground for his last rites as soldiers beat drums. Singh was prime minister for 10 years until 2014. By Aijaz Hussain. SENT: 470 words, photos, video.

SUPREME-COURT-TIKTOK — President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump’s request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. By Haleluya Hadero and Michelle L. Price. SENT: 600 words, photo, audio.

UNITED-STATES-CHINA-HACK — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm was confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 370 words, photo, audio.

AP POLL-NEW YEAR’S EVE — If you’re planning on ringing in the new year quietly at home, you’re not alone. A majority of U.S. adults say they plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. By Mark Kennedy and Linley Sanders. UPCOMING: 870 words, photos by 7:15 a.m.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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SOUTH AFRICA-ART EXHIBITION — A retrospective exhibition in South Africa is honoring Esther Mahlangu, a local artist from a rural background who has become internationally known for her colorful work in traditional Ndebele painting. Mahlangu is respected for persevering with art at a time when Black artists, especially women, were hardly acknowledged. SENT: 430 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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CANADA-US-TRUMP-TARIFFS — Two Canadian Cabinet ministers left a meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Friday without assurances President-elect Donald Trump will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. SENT: 680 words, photos.

TEACHER-ARRESTED-RUSSIA — The State Department says an American schoolteacher arrested in Russia on drug charges more than three years ago has been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. SENT: 350 words, photo.

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MORE NEWS

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GREG-GUMBEL-OBIT — Longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died from cancer. He was 78. His family announced his death in a statement released by CBS on Friday. SENT: 740 words, photos, audio.

MEGA MILLIONS-JACKPOT — After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the Mega Millions lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. SENT: 250 words, photos, video. WITH: MEGA-MILLIONS-JACKPOT-NORMAL — A U.S. lottery jackpot has soared above $1 billion, and that’s still a big deal. SENT: 800 words, photos, video, audio.

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NATIONAL

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GIULIANI-ELECTION-MISINFORMATION — A federal judge signaled Rudy Giuliani’s upcoming contempt hearing might not end well for him. Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan issued an order Friday in which he was dismissive of what he described as attempts by Giuliani and his lawyer to dodge providing information to the election workers’ lawyers. SENT: 350 words, photos.

NYPD-TOP-OFFICER-RESIGNS — A former top New York City police official admitted through his lawyer that he had a “consensual, adult relationship” with a subordinate. But he denied her claims that he demanded sex in exchange for extra pay. SENT: 520 words, photos, audio.

OFFICER-CHARGED-OKLAHOMA-DISMISSED — Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general dismissed a felony assault charge Friday against a police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, during an argument over a traffic ticket. SENT: 380 words, photo, video.

CARBON-MONOXIDE-DEATHS — A Massachusetts family of four were found dead on Christmas Day at their lake house in New Hampshire after their propane heating system appeared to have malfunctioned, poisoning them with carbon monoxide gas overnight, authorities said Friday. SENT: 710 words, photos.

REPORTER ASSAULT — A Colorado man faces possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now.” SENT: 330 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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AFGHANISTAN-BORDER — Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that its forces hit several points inside Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes last week. SENT: 190 words.

ECUADOR-MISSING-CHILDREN — A probe into the military’s role in the disappearance of four children in Ecuador this month was delayed for almost two weeks, even though police had access to surveillance videos implicating soldiers in the disappearance. SENT: 540 words, photos.

MEXICO-BUS-CRASH — A collision between a bus and a truck on Mexico’s Gulf coast Friday left eight people dead and 27 others injured. SENT: 100 words.

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BUSINESS

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BRAZIL-CHINA-BYD — Dozens of Chinese workers were put up in hotels in Brazil’s tropical northeastern region after local labor authorities found them at a construction site for electric vehicle automaker BYD. Local prosecutors say they were living in “slavery-like conditions.” SENT: 320 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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BRITAIN-OBIT-HUSSEY — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” died on Friday, her family said on social media. She was 73. SENT: 280 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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SYDNEY-HOBART-THE-AFTERMATH — Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney to Hobart line honors winner finishes. There were no such celebrations when defending champion LawConnect won the race Saturday morning. Two sailors died on separate boats in boom accidents on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. SENT: 690 words, photos, video, audio.

DIAMONDBACKS-BURNES — Corbin Burnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a $210 million, six-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. SENT: 460 words, photo.

EX-49ER-RAPE-CHARGES — A California appeals court overturned the rape conviction of former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield after determining prosecutors made racially discriminatory statements during the Black man’s trial. SENT: 540 words, photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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The Nerve Center 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.

FILE - Baltimore Orioles' Corbin Burnes pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against New York Yankees, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)

Law Connect sails down the Derwent River to win line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in Hobart, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Salty Dingo via AP)

FILE - "Romeo and Juliette" movie director Franco Zeffirelli, left, actors Olivia Hussey, center, and Leonard Whiting are seen after the Parisian premiere of the film in Paris on Sept. 25, 1968. (AP Photo/Eustache Cardenas, File)

A mural of a child and the Spanish message "Where are they?" cover a wall in protest of the disappearance of four children who were last seen on Dec. 8 running away from a military convoy in Guayaquil, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz)

Former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, right, and attorney Lambros Lambrou, center, attend a press conference, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Rudy Giuliani speaks outside the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Nov. 1, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

A customer arrives to buy lottery tickets at Joe's Service Center showing a $1.22 billion winning prize on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Altadena, Calif. In 2022, the location had sold a $2.04 billion Powerball ticket. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

FILE - Greg Gumbel, left, watches as Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun talks to Butler head coach Brad Stevens, right, prior to taping a television interview for the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball championship game Sunday, April 3, 2011, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu's iconic BMW 525i is seen on display at the Wits Arts Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/ Mogomotsi Magome)

FILE - Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, speaks during a press briefing at the White House,March 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

FILE - The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., March 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Security officials and others walk with the hearse carrying the body of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh towards the cremation site in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)

FILE - During a funeral ceremony in Irpin, the Kyiv region of Ukraine, on Nov. 21, serviceman Roman bids farewell to a comrade from the 47th Brigade -- Serhii Solovyov -- who was killed during fighting with Russian Forces in Kursk on November 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

Palestinians carry white sacks containing the bodies of those killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Maghazi refugee camp, at Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)