AP News Summary at 1:43 am EST

Griner swap wasn’t what US hoped for, but what it could get

WASHINGTON (AP) — The one-for-one swap involving Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout was not the one that US officials had hoped to negotiate or were initially willing to accept. For months they have been demanding the release of both Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan. The final agreement came together in just the past few days. The administration grudgingly accepted that though Russia would not budget on Whelan, it was finally prepared to relent on Griner. That created imperfect but ultimately workable options for a US government under pressure to make a deal.

How senators ‘defied political gravity’ on same-sex marriage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Passing legislation to protect same-sex marriages in the Senate was a monthslong effort, building on a decadeslong push. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and four other senators implored their colleagues to tweak the bill to make it more appealing and enlisted key outside allies to help. In the end, they “defied political gravity,” as Baldwin puts it. The bill passed the Senate Nov. 30. Twelve Republicans supported the bill, two more than they needed to break the filibuster in the 50-50 Senate and pass it. The House passed the bill again Thursday and sent it to President Joe Biden.

New Peru president vows to finish term, others want election

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s first female president is pushing to cement her hold on power, saying she expects to complete the term of her ousted predecessor and buck the trend of presidential failures blighting the Andean nation. Yet, even as Dina Doluarte made the call Thursday, some politicians were already calling for early elections in an indication of continued political rancor. Boluarte was elevated from vice president to replace leftist Pedro Castillo as the country’s leader after he angered many by trying to dissolve the legislature before an impeachment vote. She said Thursday that she should be allowed to hold the office for the remaining 3 1/2 years of his term. Political experts say she faces a tough road, noting she has no base of support in Congress.

Ukraine: Russia put rocket launchers at nuclear power plant

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials claim Russian forces have installed multiple rocket launchers at Ukraine’s shut-down Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The claim raises fears Europe’s largest atomic power station could be used as a base to fire on Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s nuclear company Energoatom said Thursday that Russian forces occupying the plant have placed several Grad multiple rocket launchers near one of its six nuclear reactors. With renewed focus on the dangers at Zaporizhzhia in the war, the Kremlin is sending new signals about how to end it. It said Thursday it’s up to Ukraine’s president to end the military conflict, suggesting terms that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the fighting.

Colorado shooter’s 2021 case dropped for lack of cooperation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Springs gay nightclub shooter had charges dropped in a 2021 bomb threat case after family members who were terrorized in the incident refused to cooperate. That’s according to the district attorney and court documents unsealed Thursday. The documents say the charges were dropped despite warnings from other relatives that sut Anderson Lee Aldrich was “certain” to hurt or kill a set of grandparents if freed. The district attorney said Aldrich tried to reclaim guns that were seized after the threat, but authorities did not return the weapons. The district attorney spoke hours after a judge unsealed the prior case.

Messi resumes World Cup quest as Argentina plays Netherlands

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands has all the ingredients of a classic. Lionel Messi is going up against Virgil van Dijk while the youngest coach at the World Cup in Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni is taking on the oldest in wily Dutchman Louis van Gaal. There is also a back catalog of famous World Cup meetings between the teams including the 1978 final won by Argentina and a last-16 match in 1998 clinched by a memorable goal by Dennis Bergkamp. The possibility of it being Messi’s final game on soccer’s biggest stage just adds to the anticipation. He is playing in his fifth and likely last World Cup and has yet to win one.

China’s Xi at Saudi palace to meet royals on Mideast trip

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping is meeting with Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince while on a visit to the kingdom. The visit on Thursday hopes to solidify ties with a region crucial to China’s energy supplies as sanctions intensify on Russia over its war on Ukraine. Xi arrived at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh and was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king’s assertive son who stands ready to rule to oil-rich kingdom for decades to come. Xi shook hands with the prince as an honor guard on horseback carried Saudi and Chinese flags.

Chronic malnutrition stalks many poor children in Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Government officials in Ecuador say child malnutrition is chronic among the country’s 18 million inhabitants. It is seen everywhere, but hits hardest in rural areas and among the country’s indigenous peoples. Ecuador has the second highest rate of chronic child malnutrition in Latin America, after Guatemala. UNICEF says one in three Ecuadorian children suffers from malnutrition. Of those, just over 40% are Indigenous, though Indigenous make up only 7% of the population. In just over a fifth of the malnutrition cases, learning is affected.

The Year of the Slap: Pop culture moments in 2022

Taylor Swift was up. Elon Musk was in, out, and in. Tom Cruise was back. BTS stepped aside, and so did Serena Williams, and Tom Brady too — oops, scratch that. But the slap? The slap was everywhere — that moment Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars and a global audience wondered if they really just saw what happened. That’s The Associated Press’ top pop culture moment of 2022, but there were so many more. Swift had a big year that kept getting bigger. In movies there were big comebacks: Wakanda and Avatar sequels, and of course Cruise, who turned 60 and had his biggest movie with “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Santa visit brings joy to a frosty Alaskan Inupiaq village

NUIQSUT, Alaska (AP) — Santa and Mrs. Claus left Rudolph at home to catch a ride recently on an Alaska Air National Guard cargo plane to visit the Inupiac village of Nuiqsut, about 30 miles south of the Arctic Ocean. The visit in late November was part of the Operation Santa Claus outreach program, in which the guard tries to bring Christmas gifts to a few Alaska Native villages each year. The plane carried the important guests, but also more than 1,400 pounds of gifts for about 160 students at the town’s school. The program dates back to 1956 and for some villages hit by adversity, it brings them Christmas itself.