AP News Digest 7 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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MINNESOTA-JUVENILE-LIFER — An independent panel of national legal experts who reviewed the conviction of an African American man sentenced as a teenager to life in prison for the murder of a little girl has recommended his release. In a 57-page report, the panel said police suffered from “tunnel vision” in investigating the case, ignoring witnesses and evidence that might have helped clear Myon Burell, then 16 of the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards in 2002. By Robin McDowell and Margie Mason. SENT: 1,680 words, photos. With abridged version, SENT: 730 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to more than 2,200 a day on average, matching the frightening peak reached last April, and cases per day have eclipsed 200,000 on average for the first time on record, with the crisis all but certain to get worse because of the fallout from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. By Lisa Marie Pane and Rachel La Porte. SENT: 760 words, photos.
BIDEN-TRUMP-GOP — Americans waiting for Republicans in Congress to acknowledge Joe Biden as the president-elect may have to keep waiting. GOP lawmakers sticking with President Donald Trump say they might wait until January to declare the elections final. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 960 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-SUPREME COURT — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Republicans’ last-gasp bid to reverse Pennsylvania’s certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the electoral battleground. The court without comment refused to call into question the certification process in Pennsylvania. SENT: 440 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VACCINE — UK regulators say people who have a “significant history’’ of allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine while they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination program. SENT: 300 words, photos. DEVELOPING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — The United Arab Emirates says a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, though it released few details. Sinopharm’s shot relies on a tested technology, using a killed virus to deliver the vaccine, similar to how polio immunizations are made. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 760 words, photos.
IRAQ’S MOSUL RECOVERY — The Iraqi city of Mosul remains for many the symbol of the Islamic State group’s reign of terror, the place from where it proclaimed its caliphate in 2014. It’s also where IS made its last stand before the city was freed three years later, after a costly battle that killed thousands and left Mosul in ruins. Today, there are signs of recovery amid the wreckage of homes. Some residents have trickled back, local musicians again serenade enthralled crowds. At night, the city lights gleam as restaurant patrons spill out onto the streets. By Samya Kullab. SENT: 980 words.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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INDIA-MSTERY ILLNESS — Indian health officials have found traces of nickel and lead in a few blood samples taken from hundreds of patients who have been hospitalized by a mysterious illness in a southern state, officials said. SENT: 390 words, photos
CHINA-NEPAL-EXPLAINING EVEREST'S HEIGHT — The world’s highest mountain is now officially a little higher, but that might not be the end of the story. China and Nepal agreed this week on a new standard height for Mount Everest, the rugged Himalayan peak that straddles their border. SENT: 460 words, photos.
CHINA-APP REMOVALS — Companies including the Chinese arm of TripAdvisor Inc. have been ordered by regulators to overhaul their mobile phone apps in what the Chinese government said is a crackdown on pornography and other improper content. SENT: 180 words.
AUSTRALIA DIGITAL PLATFORMS — Google and Facebook would risk multimillion-dollar fines if they failed to comply with proposed legislation introduced into the Australian Parliament on Wednesday that would make the tech giants pay for journalism they display. SENT: 400 words.
KATIE HILL-RESTRAINING ORDER — Ex-Rep. Katie Hill wins restraining order against ex-husband. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has reported 686 new cases of the coronavirus, tying its second-highest daily jump since the emergence of the pandemic, as a resurgence driven by the greater capital area threatens to erase hard-won gains against the virus. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SINGAPORE CRUISE — A passenger on board a Royal Caribbean “cruise to nowhere” has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, prompting the vessel to return early to Singapore on Wednesday. Royal Caribbean said in a statement that a guest on the Quantum of the Seas ship “tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with our medical team.” SENT: 340 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — German Chancellor Angela Merkel advocated tougher restrictions on public life and pleaded with her compatriots to cut down on socializing as the country reported its highest single-day death toll of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. SENT: 450 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDAHO Idaho public health officials abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday after the Boise mayor and chief of police said intense protests outside the health department building — as well as outside some health officials’ homes — were threatening public safety. SENT: 1, 020 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — The Trump administration dives back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that adds a $600 direct payment to most Americans. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 690 words, photos. With TRUMP-CONGRESS-DEFENSE BILL — The House approves a wide-ranging defense policy bill, even as President Trump renews his threat to veto it. SENT: 950 words, photo.
BIDEN-DEFENSE — President-elect Joe Biden makes his case for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense, urging Congress to waive a legal prohibition against a recently serving military officer running the Pentagon. By Robert Burns and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 1,050 words, photo. With BIDEN-ATTORNEY GENERAL — Alabama Sen. Doug Jones emerges as the leading contender to be nominated as Biden’s attorney general; BIDEN-CABINET — Biden selects Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role (both sent).
BIDEN-EDUCATION — The former president of the nation’s largest teachers union has received endorsements from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and national Hispanic organizations as she pursues the top education job in the Biden administration. Lily Eskelsen García led the National Education Association until September. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 900 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-PRESIDENTIAL POWER — The Supreme Court hears a case that could make it easier for the president to fire the head of the agency that oversees government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 440 words, photo. UPCOMING: 550 words after 10 a.m. arguments.
BIDEN-CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS — President-elect Joe Biden has met with leaders of some of the nation’s top civil rights organizations and vowed that his administration will prioritize racial justice and assemble a diverse Cabinet that can tackle pressing equity issues. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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ETHIOPIA MILITARY CONFRONTATION — Ethiopia’s government is rejecting calls for independent investigations into the deadly conflict in its Tigray region, saying it “doesn’t need a baby-sitter.” The declaration comes amid international calls for more transparency into the month-long fighting between Ethiopian forces and those of the fugitive Tigray regional government that is thought to have killed thousands, including civilians. At least one large-scale massacre has been documented, and others are feared. SENT: 620 words, photos.
BREXIT — Leaders of Britain and the European Union will meet Wednesday for a dinner that could pave the way to a post-Brexit trade deal — or tip the two sides toward a chaotic economic rupture at the end of the month. Early-morning comments from both sides insisting that it was for the other to compromise only highlighted the difficult task ahead for U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. SENT: 500 words, photos.
NEW-ZEALAND-VOLCANO SERVICE — A woman whose son was killed in a volcanic eruption in New Zealand a year ago said that as she stood crying, wailing and calling out his name on a beach soon afterward, a stranger came up to her and held her. SENT: 580 words, photos.
KOREAS TENSIONS — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lambasted South Korea’s foreign minister for questioning the North’s claim to be coronavirus free, warning Wednesday of potential consequences for the comments. SENT: 460 words.
IRAN-US — Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that U.S. sanctions are making it difficult for Iran to purchase medicine and health supplies from abroad, including COVID-19 vaccines needed to contain the worst outbreak in the Middle East. SENT: 330 words.
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GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — Minneapolis City Council members who tried unsuccessfully to dismantle the police department in response to George Floyd’s death are voting Wednesday on whether to shrink it, a move that could imperil the entire city budget because the mayor is threatening to use his veto to protect public safety amid soaring crime rates. SENT: 910 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-POLICE SHOOTING-OHIO — Civil rights and FBI investigators will help look into the fatal shooting by an Ohio sheriff’s deputy of a Black man whose family says that he was holding not a gun, but a sandwich, and that he was shot in front of two toddlers and his grandmother while inside his home, not outside it, as authorities assert. SENT: 780 words, photo.
PORTLAND-PROTESTS — Protesters outraged with the arrests of seven people at a home where a family was evicted in September hurled rocks at officers, sprayed a fire extinguisher at them and damaged police vehicles on Tuesday. The violence happened in broad daylight. Portland has been the site of frequent protests, many involving violent clashes between officers and demonstrators, ever since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. But most happened at night. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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YE-TOP 10 FILMS — AP’s film writers offer their lists of the top 10 films of 2020. By AP Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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SPORTS
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ERUOPE RACISM — Players have taken a knee, unfurled slogans and demanded tougher action only to find soccer — their working environment — remains infected with racism. The tipping point might just have come, with elite players in Paris taking the ultimate step by refusing to continue playing. SENT: 600 words, photos. WITH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUNDUP — In a powerful protest against alleged racism, players from Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir walked off the field during a Champions League game on Tuesday and didn’t return after a match official was accused of using insulting language about a Black coach. SENT: 760 words, photos.
COWBOYS-RAVENS — Back in action after a 15-day layoff, Lamar Jackson directed a relentless rushing attack that the Baltimore Ravens hope will be the first big step in a run to the playoffs. Jackson ran for 94 yards and a touchdown, and the Ravens returned from a COVID-19 outbreak to amass 294 yards rushing in a 34-17 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday night. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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