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.

Adds BALLOON BOY-PARDON, HOLIDAY STORM, TRUMP DEFENSE, VIRUS OUTBREAK-ANTIBODY PROTECTION, BRITAIN-OBIT-STELLA TENNANT, and VIRUS OUTBREAK-THINGS TO KNOW.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS-TRUMP — Threatening to tank Congress’ massive COVID-19 relief and government funding package, President Donald Trump’s new demand of $2,000 checks to most Americans is posing a fresh test of allegiance for Republicans who reject such spending. The Democratic-controlled House will try to force the issue with a Christmas Eve vote, all but daring Republicans to resist. By Lisa Mascaro and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

TRUMP — President Donald Trump has plunged Washington into chaos once more by mounting another desperate attempt to cling to power while leaving lawmakers scrambling to respond to his threat to detonate Congress’ massive COVID-19 relief and year-end package. By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin. SENT: 900 words, photos. With TRUMP DEFENSE - President Donald Trump has vetoed the annual defense policy bill, following through on threats to veto a measure that has broad bipartisan support in Congress and potentially setting up the first override vote of his presidency. SENT: 600 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — All most people wanted for Christmas after this year of pandemic uncertainty and sadness was some cheer and togetherness. Instead many are heading into a season of isolation, grieving lost loved ones, worried about their jobs or confronting the fear of a potentially more contagious variant of the coronavirus. By Vanessa Gera. SENT: 1,150 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST and VIRUS OUTBREAK-THINGS TO KNOW.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE— Millions of Americans are traveling ahead of Christmas and New Year’s, despite pleas from public health experts that they stay home to avoid fueling the raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 320,000 nationwide. By Tamara Lush. SENT: 900 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES — Pfizer says it will supply the U.S. government with an additional 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine under a new agreement between the pharmaceutical giant and the Trump administration. To aid vaccine production, the government says it is using its authority under a Cold War-era law that allows it to direct private manufacturing. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 875 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE — Gridlock at an English port kept thousands of truckers and travelers stranded Wednesday despite a deal with France to lift a two-day blockade imposed because of a new variant of the coronavirus that had isolated Britain and raised fears of food shortages. By Jo Kearney and Sylvia Hui. SENT: 925 words, photos.

BLACKWATER-PARDONS — The pardons of four Blackwater contractors convicted in the shooting deaths of more than a dozen Iraqi civilians has prompted outrage from some human rights activists. The shootings at a crowded Baghdad traffic circle in September 2007 set off an international outcry and left a black eye on U.S. operations at the height of the Iraq war. By Eric Tucker and Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

BREXIT — European Union and British negotiators closed in on a trade deal Wednesday with only a disagreement over fishing remaining, raising hopes a chaotic economic break between the two sides on New Year’s Day could be averted even as soon as before midnight, officials said. SENT: 550 words, developing.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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BALLOON BOY-PARDON - A couple convicted of criminal charges in the so-called balloon boy hoax that fascinated the country more than a decade ago were pardoned Wednesday by the governor of Colorado. SENT: 260 words, photo.

HISTORIC CHURCH-FIRE REBUILD — At Christmases past, parishioners at Middle Collegiate in New York City rejoiced over gospel hymns, carols and soul tunes played on a Steinway piano that is now only metal and ashes after the historic church was destroyed this month by fire. SENT: 840 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-MICHIGAN THREATS — A woman has been charged with making threats against a Detroit-area Republican election official who received photos of a mutilated body a day after a clamorous meeting at which she initially refused to certify local results in favor of Joe Biden, authorities said Wednesday. SENT: 390 words.

BUILDING EXPLOSION-BALTIMORE — An explosion in a high-rise building in Baltimore injured 23 people Wednesday and temporarily trapped a window washing crew on dangling scaffolding. SENT: 175 words, photos.

FATAL CRASH-YONKERS — A car barreled into another vehicle in suburban New York City, splitting one of them in half and killing five people, police said. SENT: 150 words.

CHEER STAR-CHILD PORNOGRAPHY — “Cheer” star Jerry Harris has pleaded not guilty to federal child pornography charges and allegations that he solicited sex from minors at cheerleading competitions and convinced teenage boys to send him obscene photographs and videos of themselves. SENT: 200 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-A CHILD'S ILLNESS — A 12-year-old boy from a secluded valley in Idaho became one of hundreds of children in the U.S. affected by a rare COVID-19 complication. Doctors say the complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is rare, but the kids who get it can quickly become very ill. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE POLITICS — For some of the American political leaders lining up to get the COVID-19 vaccine there are practical imperatives for getting inoculated early. But there also are tricky optics for politicians to navigate, particularly with supplies of the vaccines still exceedingly limited and millions of elderly Americans and essential workers weeks away from being inoculated. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 950 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHRISTMAS RULES — In Peru, you can’t drive your car on Christmas. In Lebanon, you can go to a nightclub over the holidays, but you can’t dance. Italy’s color-coded virus rules change every couple of days for the next two weeks. Some countries want families to limit the number of people at Christmas meals. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE-FREED FOR CHRISTMAS — Until Jan. 3, France is springing nursing home residents for the holidays. The aim is to alleviate some of the mental suffering and solitude of the pandemic by allowing multi-generation family reunions, which have been off-limits during repeated lockdowns for fear of relatives infecting each other. And so a year full of sorrows and privations is ending with nursing home residents and their families facing the agonizing dilemma of whether a few days, or hours, of communal Christmas and New Year’s cheer are worth risking lives for. SENT: 835 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-THAILAND — Thailand is being challenged by an infection cluster among migrant workers after keeping the coronavirus largely in check for most of the year. The surge of cases in a province near Bangkok threatens to undo months of containment efforts. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA — Canada’s health regulator on Wednesday authorized a second COVID-19 vaccine. Health Canada said the vaccine from U.S. biotech firm Moderna is safe for use in the country and Moderna said it anticipates starting shipments to Canada within 48 hours. SENT: 225 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK EMTS - After months of fighting the coronavirus, the Fire Department of New York is vaccinating its own members. FDNY brass gathered Wednesday at the agency’s training academy for a long-awaited rollout that was overshadowed by the death of medical dispatcher Evelyn Ford. She became the 12th member of the department to die from the coronavirus on Tuesday. SENT 475 words, photos.

ONE GOOD THING-HOSPITAL HOLIDAY CARDS — Joseph Johnson was going about his life, getting ready for the holidays at the Jersey Shore, when he started to feel ill and wound up in a hospital. It turned out he had diabetes, and it was threatening his life. SENT: 660 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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BIDEN-EDUCATION-CARDONA — President-elect Joe Biden introduced Miguel Cardona as his pick for education secretary on Wednesday, saying Connecticut’s education chief and life-long champion of public schools is the right pick to lead the department as the nation struggles to educate students safely during the pandemic. By Collin Binkley, Alexandra Jaffe and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 700 words, photos.

YE-TRUMP-LEGACY-BY THE NUMBERS -- Words matter, but numbers tell stories, too. Presidential historians and others will plumb them as they assess President Donald Trump’s legacy in office. Trump’s presidency is reflected in a broad range of numbers that represent everything from the U.S. death toll during the coronavirus pandemic to the COVID-19 vaccine development he pushed under a compressed timetable to the tens of thousands of tweets he sent during four years in office. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 670 words, photos, graphics.

ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA OSSOFF — Though still chasing his first victory, Jon Ossoff is no stranger to the pressure of campaigning in overtime — this time for one of two crucial U.S. Senate seats that will determine control of the chamber. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ETHIOPIA-MASSACRE — The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission says more than 100 people have been killed in the latest massacre along ethnic lines in the western part of the country. SENT: 270 words.

FRANCE-POLICE KILLED — A heavily armed gunman in southern France killed three police officers responding to a domestic violence call at his house and then fled, and he was found dead nearby Wednesday after an apparent suicide, the regional prosecutor said. SENT: 450 words.

BOSNIA-MIGRANTS CAMP — A huge fire broke out Wednesday at a temporary migrant camp in northwestern Bosnia that has been strongly criticized by rights groups as unsuitable due to its lack of resources. Officials said former residents started the blaze. SENT: 460 words, photos.

GERMANY-RUSSIA-NAVALNY — German doctors treating Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after he was poisoned with a nerve agent have detailed the case in an article for a major medical journal. SENT: 345 words.

AFGHANISTAN — A bombing and a shooting attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul have killed at least two people, including the head of an independent Afghan elections watchdog. Unknown gunmen shot and killed Mohammad Yousuf Rasheed during his morning commute. SENT: 390 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-SERIAL KILLINGS — A judge has ordered a long prison term for a man who killed two women and sexually assaulted two others in Australia’s western city of Perth more than 20 years ago. The crimes were connected in more recent years by his fingerprints and DNA. SENT: 420 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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POLICE SHOOTING-COLUMBUS — Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, have released police body camera footage showing the moments when an officer on a nonemergency call fatally shot a Black man who was holding a cellphone as he emerged from a garage. SENT: 690 words, photos.

HOLIDAY STORM - A storm that began with snow, strong winds and bitter cold into the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota was making travel treacherous and grounded flights on one of the most anticipated air travel days since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 520 words.

ABORTION RESTRICTIONS -ARKANSAS — A federal judge in Little Rock has temporarily blocked four new abortion restrictions hours after they took effect in Arkansas, including one that bans a procedure commonly used in the second trimester. SENT: 345 words.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ANTIBODY PROTECTION — People who have antibodies from infection with the coronavirus seem less likely to get a second infection for several months and maybe longer, two new studies suggest. It’s good news that bodes well for protection from vaccines. SENT 500 words, photo.

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BUSINESS

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 89,000 last week to a still-elevated 803,000, evidence that the job market remains under stress nine months after the coronavirus outbreak sent the U.S. economy into recession and caused millions of layoffs. By Paul Wiseman. SENT: 850 words, photos.

BUSINESS-WINNERS-LOSERS — The success of Apple and other big technology companies and the struggles of the smallest of businesses is just one example of how the pandemic created winners and losers in the business world in 2020. Wall Street recovered after March; Main Street is still struggling. SENT: 1,400 WORDS, PHOTOS.

FINANCIAL MARKETS —- Stocks managed small gains on Wall Street Wednesday following a mixed set of reports on the economy. SENT: 815 words, developing, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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BRITAIN-OBIT-STELLA TENNANT - British model Stella Tennant has died suddenly at the age of 50. Her family said Tennant died Tuesday and asked for privacy while mourning “a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all.” They did not disclose her cause of death. Tennant rose to fame in the 1990s while walking the runway for Versace, Alexander McQueen and other fashion designers. SENT: 420 words, photos.

TRAVEL WRITERS-AMERICAN PLACES — Sixteen notable writers have created a combined list of places that they believe helped shape and define America, from coastal Oregon and Solvang, California, to Ellis Island and New Hampshire’s Black Heritage Trail. SENT: 450 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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YE—COLLEGE SPORTS — The coronavirus was only one factor in a chain of events that consumed college sports in 2020, and is poised to do more of the same in 2021 and beyond.

Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

NFL-TV COVERAGE — Even though NFL games may look the same, most of the processes around broadcasting the games have changed during the pandemic. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Josh Cornfield 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 http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.