AP News Digest 5:45 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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TRUMP — President Donald Trump presses his grievances over losing the presidential election, using a rally to spread baseless allegations of misconduct in last month’s voting in Georgia and beyond even as he pushes supporters to turn out for a pair of Republican Senate candidates in a runoff election in January. By Aamer Madhani, Ben Nadler and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With: TRUMP-FACT CHECK — President Donald Trump floods his first postelection political rally with debunked conspiracy theories and audacious falsehoods as he claims victory in an election he decisively lost. By Calvin Woodward. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — The vast region of Southern California, much of the San Francisco Bay area and a large swath of the Central Valley are about to be placed under a sweeping new lockdown in an urgent attempt to slow the rapid rise of coronavirus cases. By Jocelyn Gecker. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
CUBA-MYSTERY ILLNESS — A new report by a National Academy of Sciences committee finds that “directed” microwave radiation is the likely cause of illnesses among American diplomats in Cuba and China. SENT: 400 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-EUROPE-NURSING-HOMES — Virus cases among the elderly are again on the rise across Europe, causing havoc and rising death tolls in nursing homes despite the lessons of a tragic spring. Authorities are in a race to save lives as they wait for crucial announcements on mass vaccinations. Portugal has deployed military units to train nursing home staff in disinfection. In France, Germany and Italy, visits by relatives are being restricted again or banned altogether. By Aritz Parra. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Saudi prince strongly criticizes Israel at Bahrain summit SENT: 280 words, photos.
ROMANIA-ELECTION — Romanians elect new lawmakers, seek end to political turmoil. SENT: 350 words, photos.
CHINA-MOON-PROBE — Chinese probe prepares to return moon rocks to Earth. SENT: 220 words, photos.
OBIT-LANDER — David Lander, ‘Squiggy’ on ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dies at 73. SENT: 190 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CZECH-CHRISTMAS — St. Nicholas visits Czech children while adapting to virus. SENT: 250 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-VACINES — Provincial governments across China are placing orders for experimental, domestically made coronavirus vaccines, though health officials have yet to say how well they work or how they may reach the country’s 1.4 billion people. SENT: 750 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUDAN-ETHIOPIA — Ethiopia’s month-long war in its northern Tigray region has severely hampered efforts to fight one of Africa’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, as the fighting has displaced almost 1 million people and strained local humanitarian services to the breaking point. SENT: 730 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SURGE — Coronavirus infections across the U.S. continue to rise as the country moves deeper into a holiday season when eagerly anticipated gatherings of family and friends could push the numbers even higher. SENT: 590 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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IRAN-US — The top U.S. Navy official in the Mideast says America has reached an “uneasy deterrence” with Iran after months of regional attacks and seizures at sea, even as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. SENT: 540 words, photos.
VENEZUELA-ELECTION — Polling places in Venezuela open Sunday to elect members of the National Assembly in a vote championed by President Nicolás Maduro but rejected as a fraud by the nation’s most influential opposition politicians. SENT: 460 words, photos.
INDONESIA-CORUPTION — Indonesia’s social affairs minister has turned himself in to anti-corruption authorities to face charges of taking bribes related to the government’s COVID-19 aid distribution. SENT: 330 word, photos.
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WINTRY WEATHER — The first big wintry storm of the season began dropping what forecasters say could be more than a foot of wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the Northeast, making travel treacherous and cutting off power to tens of thousands. SENT: 330 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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JAPAN-ASTEROID — A Japanese capsule carrying the first samples of asteroid subsurface shot across the night atmosphere before successfully landing in the remote Australian Outback, completing a mission to provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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ITALY-LA-SCALA-MISSED-DEBUT — Soprano Lisette Oropesa was to be the first American to sing a title role in the gala season opener at La Scala since Maria Callas in the 1950s. Then Italy’s virus cases resurged, with an outbreak in both La Scala’s chorus and orchestra, forcing the country’s premier opera house to cancel for the first time one of the top events on Europe’s cultural calendar. Despite the disappointment of missing her La Scala season-opener debut, Oropesa, 37, still hopes to reprise the title role in Donizetti’s opera in Milan once performances can return to Italy’s theaters. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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BOX--SPENCE-GARCIA —Errol Spence Jr. skipped a tune-up in his first fight since a car crash that almost derailed his promising career. The Texan didn’t need a warmup act. Spence defended his WBC and IBF welterweight championships, looking sharp in a unanimous decision over Danny Garcia by controlling the pace almost from the start in another defense on his home turf. SENT: 740 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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.