Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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Here are the AP's top stories and promotable content. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan.
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NATIONAL
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What to know about Trump administration freezing federal child care funds
SUMMARY: The Trump administration has frozen child care funds to all states after allegations of fraud at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents. States will have to provide more verification for the child care centers that receive funds from the Child Care and Development Fund, according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. Minnesota will have to provide additional verification on top of the new requirements for centers that are suspected of fraud. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has accused President Donald Trump of weaponizing the allegations for political gains. Trump has targeted the Somali diaspora in the state.
WORDS: 958 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 9:13 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSChildCareFraudMinnesotaWhattoKnowthLdWritethru/1d6edb8511d916fc3a5dc3b339d94e37/text___
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details. Trump, in the interview, said he regretted undergoing the advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because it raised public questions about his health. His physician said in a memo the White House released in December that he had “advanced imaging” as a preventative screening for men his age.
WORDS: 839 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 4:28 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpHealth/b453fdc14c4b130b95b37a13662772fd/text___
Federal employees file complaint against Trump administration's ban on gender-affirming care
SUMMARY: The Trump administration faces a legal complaint from government employees over a new policy eliminating coverage for gender-affirming care in federal health insurance programs. The Human Rights Campaign filed the complaint on behalf of affected workers Thursday, challenging the Office of Personnel Management's decision to stop covering such procedures. The complaint argues that this is sex-based discrimination and seeks to reverse the policy. The Trump administration has taken other steps to restrict care for transgender Americans, particularly minors. But these moves contradict recommendations from major medical groups like the American Medical Association.
WORDS: 360 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 2:02 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSFederalWorkersGenderAffirmingCarestLdWritethru/ea6ec8277fa81ffd3c85d51a23bea703/text___
Trump delays increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks. Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities. The increases, which were set to take effect Jan. 1, come as the Republican president instituted a broad swath of taxes on imported goods to address trade imbalances and other issues.
WORDS: 156 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 2:07 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpFurnitureTariffs/a89ea5c044af3c2ac8ffcb481e0150ef/text___
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
SUMMARY: Enhanced tax credits that have helped Americans offset the cost of Affordable Care Act health insurance for the last four years expired overnight. The arrival of the New Year's Day deadline with no fix from Congress cemented higher health costs for millions of Americans, including many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers. The change represents a failure by lawmakers to address an affordability issue that many Americans have raised as a top concern ahead of the 2026 midterms. On average, the more than 20 million subsidized enrollees in the Affordable Care Act program are seeing their premium costs rise by 114% in 2026, according to an analysis by the health care research nonprofit KFF.
WORDS: 910 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 12:36 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSHealthCareSubsidies/35060610e82ca3257821c53f2a34ecf6/text___
Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
SUMMARY: Former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers that the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without President Donald Trump. That's according to a transcript released Wednesday of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee. Smith also described the Republican president as the “most culpable and most responsible person” in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Dec. 17 deposition was held privately despite Smith’s request to testify publicly. The release of the transcript and video of the interview adds to the public understanding of the decision-making behind two of the most consequential Justice Department investigations in recent history.
WORDS: 1015 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 9:43 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSCongressJackSmithndLdWritethru/537fcb8673e385202c354a3e83897194/text___
Chief Justice says Constitution remains 'firm and unshaken' with major Supreme Court rulings ahead
SUMMARY: Chief Justice John Roberts says that the Constitution remains a sturdy pillar for the country, a message that comes after a tumultuous year in the nation’s judicial system with pivotal Supreme Court decisions on the horizon. Roberts released his annual letter to the judiciary on Wednesday and said the nation’s founding documents remain firm and unshaken, a reference to a century-old quote from President Calvin Coolidge. It comes after a year in which some raised fears of a possible constitutional crisis amid legal pushback to President Donald Trump's agenda. The Republican administration has scored wins at the Supreme Court, though major rulings on birthright citizenship and tariffs are yet to come.
WORDS: 417 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 11:03 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSSupremeCourtAnnualReportstLdWritethru/caad1b61e25a15315b667de3fbe1fabe/text___
Zohran Mamdani to become NYC's next mayor with a midnight oath underground
SUMMARY: Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York City as the clock ticks over into 2026 — but the celebrations are set to last through New Year’s Day. The Democrat’s team is planning two separate swearing-in ceremonies Thursday. First, there will be a small ceremony at midnight at the historic, decommissioned old City Hall subway station. Then in the afternoon there's a bigger public event on the steps of City Hall, as well as a block party to commemorate the start of Mamdani's term. His office expects thousands of people to attend the block party and says there will be performances, music and interfaith elements at the public inauguration.
WORDS: 579 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 5:03 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSNYCMayorMamdanithLdWritethru/6e958e049e6611a9f487a6de61db2950/text___
These bipartisan bills were noncontroversial — until Trump vetoed them
SUMMARY: President Donald Trump has issued the first vetoes of his second term, rejecting two bipartisan natural resources bills. The Tuesday vetoes had the effect of punishing backers of the bills who had opposed the president’s positions on other issues. Trump vetoed drinking water pipeline legislation from Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, a longtime ally who broke with the president over releasing files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He also rejected legislation that would have given the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida more control over some of its land. The tribe was among groups suing the administration over an immigration detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz."
WORDS: 624 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 5:16 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APUSTrumpVetoesrdLdWritethru/ac59b3ab03fb6f3b09d65b0223f1b495/text___
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INTERNATIONAL
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About 40 people dead and 115 injured in fire at Swiss Alpine bar during New Year's celebration
SUMMARY: About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, during a New Year’s celebration in a Swiss Alpine bar, police said. The fire happened in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Attorney general of Valais Canton Beatrice Pilloud says it is too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage. Police say the fire started around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in Le Constellation. Investigators are working to determine the cause. A reception center and helpline has been established for impacted families. The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers north of the Matterhorn.
WORDS: 918 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 6:41 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUSwitzerlandBarFirethLdWritethru/ff049a656af75e65703c5febb908786c/text___
At least 3 reported killed during widening protests in Iran sparked by ailing economy
SUMMARY: Protests over Iran's struggling economy have spread into rural areas, with at least three people killed. Authorities reported the fatalities on Wednesday and Thursday in cities home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group. The demonstrations are the largest since 2022 but haven't reached the intensity of those sparked by Mahsa Amini's death. In Lordegan, videos showed gunfire and debris on the streets. Iran's government media hasn't reported on the violence there. The protests began due to economic pressures, with Iran's currency rapidly depreciating. Demonstrators have also chanted against the country’s theocracy.
WORDS: 769 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 5:46 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APMLIranProtestsrdLdWritethru/8533eacbc3c502ccc5f5339ae4384399/text___
Here's what to know about a deadly fire at a Swiss Alpine bar's New Year celebration
SUMMARY: Swiss investigators are probing what caused a fire in a bar at an Alpine ski resort that left dozens of people presumed dead and another 100 injured during a New Year’s celebration. Most of the injured were seriously wounded when the blaze swept through the crowded bar less than two hours after midnight Thursday in southwestern Switzerland. The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue. Overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of potentially one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies. Here’s what we know about Thursday’s deadly fire.
WORDS: 665 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 2:21 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEUSwitzerlandBarFireWhattoKnowndLdWritethru/a11acd3dcdf4d06a187f9a3aee5d8041/text___
Cities around the world welcome 2026 with thunderous fireworks and heightened security
SUMMARY: From Sydney to Paris to New York City, crowds have rung in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks, while others have taken a more subdued approach. A countdown to midnight was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Russians celebrated in snowy Moscow. A light show with somersaulting jet skis twinkled in Dubai and in Japan, temple bells rang. Events were more subdued in Hong Kong, Australia and Indonesia after recent mass shootings or disasters. There was disaster in the Swiss resort town of Crans-Montana, where a fire at a bar in the early hours of the new year was presumed to have killed dozens of people.
WORDS: 855 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 11:02 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APNewYearsEvethLdWritethru/33d891df335fd824b29cff8994c61ca9/text___
Russia says Ukrainian drone strike kills 24 in occupied Ukraine as tensions grow amid peace talks
SUMMARY: Russian officials say that a Ukrainian attack killed 24 people in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region, as tensions between the two nations continue to spike despite diplomats hailing productive peace talks. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the strike, which could not be independently verified by The Associated Press. The statement follows claims from Moscow that Ukraine launched a long-range drone attack against one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official residences in northwestern Russia on Tuesday. Kyiv has denounced the claims as a “lie.”
WORDS: 777 - MOVED: 01/01/2026 11:21 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APEURussiaUkraineWarndLdWritethru/a041a1db772f25f7396437a4d1734f72/text___
Thailand releases 18 Cambodian prisoners of war as part of ceasefire agreement
SUMMARY: Thailand has repatriated 18 Cambodian prisoners of war. The release Wednesday fulfilled a ceasefire agreement signed with Cambodia. Both sides say the release aims to build goodwill and adhere to international humanitarian principles. Cambodia's defense ministry says the move fosters peace and stability. The exchange removes a major obstacle to pursuing peace after recent territorial conflicts between the neighboring nations. Thailand has held the soldiers under the Geneva Conventions on armed conflict but faced criticism from Cambodia, which used the detentions to rally nationalist sentiment. The soldiers were released after a 72-hour preliminary ceasefire passed without fighting.
WORDS: 670 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 5:58 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APASThailandCambodiathLdWritethru/65c3f6e5af81d2c8ae5156e003cbe7d7/text___
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BUSINESS
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Wall Street falls in light trading on the final day of 2025, another banner year for markets
SUMMARY: Wall Street fell on the final day of trading for 2025, a banner year for markets that was driven by both optimism and uncertainty. The S&P 500 pulled back 0.7% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite gave back 0.8%. Trading was very light ahead of the New Year’s Day holiday Thursday, when markets will be closed. The S&P 500 rose more than 16% this year as investors embraced the optimism surrounding artificial intelligence and its potential for boosting profits for companies. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.
WORDS: 823 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 2:21 AM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFinancialMarketsthLdWritethru/fccc61b72ed242f62000add1575707d0/text___
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SPORTS
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Miami beats defending national champ Ohio State 24-14 in the CFP quarterfinal at Cotton Bowl
SUMMARY: Keionte Scott returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown and No. 10 Miami shocked defending champion Ohio State 24-14 in the first College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. The 12-2 Hurricanes never trailed after going into Wednesday night as 9 1/2-point underdogs. They have won two playoff games to get into football’s final four after needing an at-large berth to make the 12-team field. One more win and they will get to play for a national championship in their home stadium. Next up is a CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8. Third-ranked Ohio State finished 12-2, with losses in the Big Ten title game and the Cotton Bowl after an undefeated regular season.
WORDS: 1038 - MOVED: 12/31/2025 9:19 PM PST
https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/APFBCCFPCottonBowlthLdWritethru/c34e19efd652cd8b5c900693388f748b/text___
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