AP News Digest 6 p.m.

| January 2, 2021 12:12 AM

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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NEW & DEVELOPING

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Adds: SENATE-GEORGIA, OBIT-WESTPHAL, OBIT-FLOYD LITTLE, ISRAEL-PROTESTS.

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ONLY ON AP

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BLACKWATER PARDONS — One of four former U.S. government contractors pardoned by President Donald Trump in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians says he feels like “I acted correctly.” Evan Liberty spoke to The Associated Press in his first interview since being pardoned late last month. The guards were convicted in the deaths of 14 civilians, including women and children, during a 2007 shooting at a crowded Baghdad traffic circle. Even for a president who has repeatedly exercised his pardon power on personal associates and political supporters, Trump’s clemency for the contractors was met with especially intense condemnation, both in the United States and the Middle East. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.

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TOP STORIES

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CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE — A growing number of Republican lawmakers are joining President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the U.S. election, pledging to reject the results when Congress meets next week to count the Electoral College votes and certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 970 words, photos.

SENATE-GEORGIA-BIDEN’S FUTURE — Usually it’s a president’s first midterm election that reorders a White House’s political approach and priorities. For President-elect Joe Biden, his most defining congressional election is coming before he takes office. Two runoffs Tuesday in Georgia will decide which party controls the Senate and how far the new president can reach legislatively on issues such as the pandemic, health care, taxation, energy and the environment. For a politician who sold himself to Americans as a uniter and a seasoned legislative broker, the Georgia elections will help determine whether he’s able to live up to his billing. SENT: 1,020 words, photos. WITH: SENATE-GEORGIA — President-elect Biden is going all-in to help Democrats win two Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine party control in the critical early years of his administration, a widespread effort that not long ago would have been unthinkable in a Republican-dominated state in the Deep South. By Bill Barrow and Sudhin Thanawala. SENT: 900 words, photos.

RISKIEST PLACES — U.S. experts have calculated the riskiest and safest counties in the country for disasters, and Los Angeles is on the shakiest ground. The new National Risk Index by the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that the risk of 18 natural hazards including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and heat waves is also high in New York, Miami and Philadelphia. Loudoun County in Virginia, other Washington D.C. suburbs, areas near Boston and Long Island rank as some of the safest places. By Science Writer Seth Borenstein.

IRAN — International inspectors say Iran plans to enrich uranium up to 20% at its underground Fordo nuclear facility. The announcement Saturday by the International Atomic Energy Agency means Iran’s program would be a technical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over its tattered atomic deal. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 680 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-OLDER AND ACTIVE — Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and many of its people in their 70s and older have kept working through the coronavirus pandemic. From neighborhood newsstand dealers to farmers taking crops to market, they are fighting labels that depict the elderly as a monolithic group in need of protection. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRIBES-VACCINE TRIALS — As coronavirus vaccines were being developed around the world, few Native American tribes signed up to participate. The reasons range from unethical practices of the past to the quick nature of the studies amid the pandemic. Native researchers say without participation from tribal communities, tribes won’t know which vaccine might best be suited for their citizens. By Felicia Fonseca. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. This is the Sunday Spotlight.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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OBIT-FLOYD LITTLE — Floyd Little, the great running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died at 78. SENT: 900 words, photos.

OBIT-WESTPHAL — Paul Westphal, a Hall of Fame player who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and later coached in the league and in college, has died at 70. SENT: 770 words, photos.

GENEROUS OFFICER — A Massachusetts police officer is winning praise for providing Christmas dinner for two women accused of trying to steal groceries for their children. SENT: 120 words, photo.

ODD-HIPPIES-WELCOME — LaGrange County in Indiana has repealed its “anti-hippie ordinance” — a 1971 law that was intended at blocking huge gatherings like the 1969 Woodstock music festival. SENT: 150 words.

HONG KONG-SNAKE CATCHER — Ken Lee is among a new breed of snake catchers who strive to release the reptiles back into nature. SENT: 475 words, photos.

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