AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-THANKSGIVING TRAVEL — Americans couldn’t resist the urge to gather for Thanksgiving, driving only slightly less than a year ago and largely ignoring the pleas of public health experts, who begged them to forgo holiday travel to help contain the coronavirus pandemic, data from roadways and airports shows. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 620 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-MISINFORMATION’S LEGACY — A cellphone video of a man hauling a large box into a Detroit election office spread across social media as proof of voter fraud, even though it was debunked by news organizations and public officials. That single video serves as a powerful emblem of the trafficking in false information that has plagued the presidential election won by Joe Biden. By Amanda Seitz and David Klepper. SENT: 1,420 words, photos. An abridged version of 970 words is also available.
TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES — In his quest to cling to power, President Donald Trump has managed to lose not just once to Joe Biden but over and over again in courts across the country. Trump and his allies continue to mount new cases recycling the same baseless claims. By Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 890 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-LEGAL SCORECARD — Where the legal action stands in key states. SENT: 630 words, photos.
BIDEN-CONGRESSIONAL AGENDA — President-elect Joe Biden is adjusting the scope of his agenda to meet the realities of governing under a divided Congress and the complications of legislating during a historic pandemic. The maneuvering reflects the reality that passing any major Democratic priorities would be a heavy lift. By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 940 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-KENTUCKY-MCCONNELL — While Senate leader Mitch McConnell is at the center of talks on another coronavirus relief bill, hardships are mounting in his home state of Kentucky. Much of the political pressure in the state is focused not on McConnell but on Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and the restrictions he has imposed on everyday life. By Bruce Schreiner and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn. SENT: 1,130 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Optimism about delivering long-sought COVID-19 relief is building on Capitol Hill. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, video.
INDIA-FARMER-PROTESTS — Tens and thousands of farmers have descended upon the borders of New Delhi to protest new farming laws that they say will open them to corporate exploitation. Protesters with distinctive colorful turbans and long, flowing beards are choking the highways in giant demonstrations and threatening to besiege the capital. By Sheikh Salaliq. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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SOUTH AFRICA-EXPLOSION — Explosion at South Africa oil refinery, no injuries reported. SENT: 110 words.
PHILIPPINES-MILITANT-ATTACK — Militants open fire and burn police car in Philippine town. SENT: 300 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-SUPPRESSION ORDER — Judge refuses to dismiss media charges in Pell trial. SENT: 390 words, photos.
OBIT-MIGUEL-ALAGARIN — Miguel Algarín, a founder of beloved NYC poetry space, dies. SENT: 200 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WWII VETERAN — An Alabama man who spent World War II repairing bomb-damaged trains in France recovered from a fight with COVID-19 in time to mark his 104th birthday on Thursday. SENT: 340 words.
FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD— The first commercially printed Christmas card is up for sale — a merry Victorian-era scene that scandalized some who denounced it as humbug when it first appeared in 1843. SENT: 400 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Getting a COVID-19 vaccine to the right people could change the course of the pandemic in the United States. But wFriday’s monthly U.S. jobs report will help answer a key question overhanging the economy: Just how much damage is being caused by the resurgent coronavirus, the resulting curbs on businesses and the reluctance of consumers to shop, travel and dine out? By Economics Writer Christoper Rugaber. SENT: 520 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has recorded 629 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the highest daily tally in about nine months. SENT: 230 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California is on the brink of a new stay-at-home order that would close businesses and curb travel in regions that could see hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new rules that take effect Saturday, designed to keep local health systems from collapsing under the weight of skyrocketing COVID-19 caseloads. SENT: 910 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE PHISHING — IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort that used targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information associated with a U.N. initiative for distributing coronavirus vaccine to developing countries. IBM says the precise and careful targeting suggests a nation-state is behind the campaign. SENT: 700 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-OFFICIAL BANNED — The official serving as President Donald Trump’s eyes and ears at the Justice Department has been banned from the building after trying to pressure staffers to give up sensitive case information she could relay to the White House. By Michael Balsamo and Zeke Miller. SENT: 690 words, photos.
MILITARY-MILLEY — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the United States should reconsider its decades-old practice of stationing troops and their families on bases in countries at risk of war, like in South Korea and in the Persian Gulf. By Robert Burns. SENT: 710 words, photo.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — Lawyers for a former FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty to altering an email during the Trump-Russia investigation say he made “made a grievous mistake” but should be spared prison time and given probation instead. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 480 words.
UNITED STATES-CHINA-INTELLIGENCE — Outgoing National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe says China poses the greatest threat to America and the rest of the free world since World War II. By Deb Riechmann. SENT: 620 words, photo.
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ISRAEL-IRAN — The Israeli government has urged its citizens to avoid travel to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing threats of Iranian attacks. Iran has been threatening to attack Israeli targets since its chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated last Friday near Tehran. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
BANGLADESH-ROHINGYA — Authorities in Bangladesh start sending a first group of more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees to an isolated island despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. SENT: 660 words, photos.
ONE GOOD THING-HONG KONG KITCHEN — Located smack in the middle of Hong Kong’s bustling Mong Kok neighborhood, Dignity Kitchen offers an array of mouthwatering Singaporean fare. But what sets Dignity Kitchen apart from other restaurants in the city is that it is a social enterprise, almost entirely staffed by employees with physical or mental disabilities. The restaurant trains disabled employees to prep food and cook, as well as serve customers. SENT: 530 words, photos.
US-IRAQ — The U.S. is withdrawing some staff from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. officials said, temporarily reducing personnel amid regional security concerns. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut off power to hundreds of thousands. SENT: 740 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower after Pfizer Inc. cut the number of doses of a planned coronavirus vaccine it might ship this year. Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong, which are the bulk of the region’s market value, retreated while Sydney advanced. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 510 words, photos.
CHINA-US-BLACKLIST — Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut off power to hundreds of thousands. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 350 words.
FACEBOOK-DISCRIMINATION — The Trump administration is accusing Facebook in a lawsuit of discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of foreigners with special visas to fill more than 2,600 high-paying jobs. SENT: 300 words.
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TV-HOLIDAY SHOWS — Bring on the sentimental holiday romcoms, the chorus of Christmas music specials and the nostalgia of last century’s animated charmers: Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton and the Grinch will help light up TV holiday musical specials, movies and more. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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FBC--WEEKEND PREVIEW — Among the teams contending for a playoff spot, the intrigue is not about who No. 3 Ohio State is playing as much as who will be play playing for the Buckeyes this weekend. Ohio State seems to be on track to play at Michigan State on Saturday after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the program forced a cancellation of last week’s road trip to Illinois. Coach Ryan Day said he expected to the Buckeyes to be short-handed but did not elaborate. There are two matchups of ranked teams, including one in the Big Ten, and an interesting road test for No. 5 Texas A&M. By Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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