AP News Digest 2 p.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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HUNGER-IN-AMERICA — As a year marked by coronavirus nears an end, millions of Americans are depending on food banks to stave off hunger. Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization, has distributed 4.2 billion meals in an 8-month period. That’s an unprecedented pace in the group’s history. An Associated Press analysis of most of the group’s food banks found a nearly 57 percent increase in food distribution compared with last year. Experts say Latinos, Blacks, and households with children and women are among those at greatest risk of hunger. By Sharon Cohen. SENT: 2,770 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,000 words is also available.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK — How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners? A head start helped. Over a decade of behind-the-scenes research had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. The two U.S. frontrunners are made with a genetic code called messenger RNA. They target the spike protein coating the virus. Earlier research from the University of Pennsylvania and National Institutes of Health laid the groundwork for unusually rapid development and testing of those shots. U.S. regulators are set to decide this month whether to allow emergency use, paving the way for rationed shots. By Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 940 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent) and VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE Q&A (sent)
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIDEN — The health care team assembled by President-elect Joe Biden points to stronger federal management of the nation’s COVID-19 response, a leading role for science and an emphasis on fair and equitable distribution of vaccines. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RURAL-HOSPITAL-STRAIN — The radiology technician slept in an RV in the parking lot of his rural Kansas hospital for more than a week because his co-workers were out sick with COVID-19 and no one else was available to take X-rays. A doctor and physician assistant tested positive on the same day in November, briefly leaving the hospital without anyone who could write prescriptions or oversee patient care. The situation at Rush County Memorial Hospital in La Crosse illustrates the depths of the COVID-19 crisis in rural America at a time when the virus is killing more than 2,000 people a day and inundating hospitals. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 920 words, photo.
ISRAEL-SETTLER-ROADS — In the years to come, Israelis will be able to commute into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from settlements deep inside the West Bank via highways, tunnels and overpasses that cut a wide berth around Palestinian towns. Rights groups say the new roads that are being built will set the stage for explosive settlement growth, even if President-elect Joe Biden’s administration somehow convinces Israel to curb its housing construction. The costly infrastructure projects signal that Israel intends to keep large swaths of the occupied territory in any peace deal, and that would make it even harder to establish a viable Palestinian state. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.
YE-OVER-IT-AND-NOT — Zoom, Zoom and Zoom. Masks, masks and masks. Sourdough starter and short-order cooking. In these “troubled times,” in our sweat pants and the isolation we endure “out of an abundance of caution,” there isn’t much not to be over as 2020 comes to a longed for halt. With the election behind us, along with its deluge of texts and cries of fake news, the year was a mess of common horrors and inconveniences driven by political divisions, racial injustice and the deadly and persistent pandemic, with chronic language to match. But not all things 2020 need to be left behind. By Leanne Italie. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PEARL HARBOR-ANNIVERSARY — Officials were scheduled to gather in Pearl Harbor to remember those killed in the 1941 Japanese attack, though public health measures adopted because of the coronavirus pandemic mean no survivors will be present. SENT: 290 words, photos.
TRUMP-GIULIANI — President Donald Trump says his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is “doing very well” after testing positive for the coronavirus. SENT: 940 words.
QUOTES OF THE YEAR — Fauci’s plea ‘Wear a mask’ tops list of 2020 notable quotes. SENT: 390 words, photos.
YE-DEATHS — In a year defined by a devastating pandemic, the world lost iconic defenders of civil rights, great athletes and entertainers who helped define their genres. SENT: 6,200 words.
FBN-ONE-GOOD-THING-FOOTBALL-&-MATH — Former NFL player Urschel sells virtue of math to youngsters. SENT: 730 words, photos.
PEOPLE-BRADY-BUNDCHEN — Arrest after break-in at Tom Brady-Gisele Bundchen mansion. SENT: 180 words.
MIAMI-HERALD-EXECUTIVE-EDITOR — McClatchy has named Monica R. Richardson to lead its newsrooms in Florida, becoming the Miami Herald’s first Black executive editor in the newspaper’s 117-year history. SENT: 350 words, photos.
DOG FOUND-THREE YEARS — 3 years later, dog and Michigan owners reunited in Illinois. SENT: 220 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VACCINE — It’s been dubbed “V-Day” in Britain -- recalling the D-Day landings in France that marked the start of the final push in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany. A week after the U.K. became the first Western country to authorize widespread use of a vaccine against COVID-19, it is preparing to administer its first shots on Tuesday in its war on the virus. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK- CALIFORNIA — Restaurant owner Brenda Luntey shrugs off the new stay-at-home orders California has announced to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases. She is keeping her restaurant in rural Shasta County open, despite orders to shut indoor dining. Hers is one of several rural California counties that appeared to dodge the virus in the spring but are now seeing some of the most alarming spikes in COVID-19 infections statewide. Each day brings dire new records in hospitalizations and deaths. But outside California’s big cities, the backlash against tough new restrictions is growing, especially in conservative areas. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL CALIFORNIA — California unveils smartphone tool to trace virus cases. SENT: 520 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BLACK-AND-LATINO-CHILD-CARE — Black and Latino child care providers have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic in an industry that has long relied on providers of color. Facing skyrocketing operating costs, reduced capacities and limited federal support, Black and Latino-owned child care centers across the country are at a higher risk for closing permanently. Many child care advocates say it’s a crisis that may be based in systemic racism and sexism with roots in the child care work of enslaved Black women. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NYC SCHOOLS — It’s back to school again for thousands of New York City schoolchildren who returned to classrooms after a roughly two-week shutdown spurred by the city’s rising coronavirus caseload. SENT: 420 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GERMANY-STREET-PERFORMANCES — With theaters and concert halls shuttered to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some Berlin artists are taking their performances to the streets of the German capital in an effort to keep their edge during the pandemic and entertain a population craving cultural interaction. SENT: 540 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VETERAN BUSINESS — When the COVID-19 pandemic dried up 95% of the income coming into Nicole Walcott’s North Carolina business, the U.S. Army veteran dug in her heels and started applying for any grant she could find. Without the financial assistance she’s received from nonprofits like Operation Homefront, Walcott doesn’t believe her alternative wellness center in Fayetteville would be open today. SENT: 810 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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BIDEN-HEALTH SECRETARY — In choosing California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for his health secretary, President-elect Joe Biden taps a rising political star who is a robust defender of the Affordable Care Act yet will face questions about whether he possesses the health care and management experience to lead the massive mobilization to vaccinate a nation amid a deadly pandemic. The pick of Becerra, who is Latino, comes amid increased pressure on Biden to diversity his incoming administration. By Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 1080 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m.
TRUMP-SELF PARDON — President Donald Trump has declared that he has “absolute power” to issue a pardon to himself. Yet the law is much murkier than his confidence suggests. By Eric Tucker. UPCOMING: 850 words, photo by 4:30 p.m.
FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — As Donald Trump’s presidency winds down, his administration is throttling up the pace of federal executions despite a surge of coronavirus cases in prisons, announcing plans for five starting Thursday and concluding just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Democrat Joe Biden. By Michael Tarm and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
TRUMP-MEDAL OF FREEDOM — President Donald Trump will present the nation’s highest civilian honor to Dan Gable, a renowned wrestler and coach from Iowa who won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. SENT: 230 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing from noon ceremony, 400 words by 3 p.m., photos, video.
MELANIA TRUMP-TENNIS PAVILION — Weeks before her family turns the White House over to President-elect Joe Biden, Melania Trump announces that a new tennis pavilion on the south grounds is ready for action. SENT: 365 words, photos.
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BREXIT — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of the European Commission plan to meet in person to see whether a last minute trade deal can be hammered out. Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a lengthy phone call on Monday that “significant differences” remained on three key issues. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
MIDEAST-UNICEF — Yemen is “on the edge of a precipice” after years of civil war, a senior U.N. official has warned on Monday, with millions of children suffering from malnutrition and facing the risk of famine. SENT: 780 words, photos.
INDIA-MYSTERY-ILLNESS — At least one person has died and 200 others have been hospitalized due to an unidentified illness in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, reports say. The illness was detected Saturday evening in Eluru, an ancient city famous for its hand-woven products. Since then, patients have experienced symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness, doctors said. SENT: 220 words, photos.
WHO FOUNDATION-CEO — Hoping to strengthen its funding, the World Health Organization is appointing a CEO to a foundation intended to bring in more private donations, which should leave the global health body less vulnerable if a country withdraws or cuts funding as the United States did. SENT: 440 words, photos.
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BALTIMORE-MAYOR — With youthful energy and hopeful rhetoric, Baltimore’s newly elected mayor will assume office Tuesday, ushering in a new generation of leadership trying to move the city beyond what many say has been decades of stagnation and backsliding. But Democrat Brandon Scott, 36, is starting his new job at a historically tough time. The city has recorded more than 300 homicides for the sixth year in a row, and its population, businesses and tax revenues have not been spared by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 710 words, photos.
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE — The Virginia Military Institute has removed a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a project initiated this fall after allegations of systemic racism roiled the public college. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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BRAIN SCANS CHALLENGED — Researchers are becoming increasingly critical of some brain scan studies that purport to show exactly how our minds shape our behavior. Much of the research being re-examined relies on a technique called fMRI. Scientists have found simple statistical errors and misinterpretations of results can lead to shaky or inconsistent findings about how the brain actually works. With growing concern about the dependability of scanning techniques, scientists are looking for alternatives that can more reliably help them unpack the mind’s mysteries. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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DYLAN CATALOG-SALE — To some music lovers, Bob Dylan’s songwriting catalog is priceless. Well, now he’s put a price on it. The songwriting legend has sold publishing rights to his catalog of more than 600 songs, one of the greatest treasures in popular music, to the Universal Music Publishing Group. By David Bauder. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks are taking a pause from their big recent rally, and most stocks on Wall Street are edging lower following mixed and mostly muted movements for markets overseas. SENT: 630 words, photos.
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FBN-BILLS-49ERS — The vagabond San Francisco 49ers host a “home” game against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. The 49ers were forced to relocate after COVID-19 restrictions in California. By David Brandt. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos from 6:15 p.m. MST kickoff.
BKC--T25-COLLEGE BKB POLL — Gonzaga and Baylor remained atop the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll Monday after their hotly anticipated weekend game in Indianapolis was called off about 90 minutes before tipoff because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs’ program. SENT: 560 words, photos.
BKW--T25-WOMEN’S BKB POLL — Coach Tara VanDerveer and Stanford are the new No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Cardinal ascended to the top spot Monday after previous No. 1 South Carolina lost at home to then-No. 8 North Carolina State. Stanford received 24 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel. SENT; 590 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Dave Clark 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