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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ONLY ON AP
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FBI-SEXUAL MISCONDUCT — An Associated Press investigation has identified at least six sexual misconduct allegations involving senior FBI officials over the past five years, including two new claims brought this week by women who say they were sexually assaulted by ranking agents. The AP found several of the accused FBI officials were quietly transferred or retired, keeping their full pensions even when probes substantiated the sexual misconduct claims. By Jim Mustian. SENT: 1,370 words, photos.
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MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK — A U.S. government advisory panel has convened to decide whether to endorse mass use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans. The meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration represented the next-to-last hurdle before the expected start of the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation, shots could begin within days. By Lauran Neergaard and Matthew Perrone. SENT: 860 words, photos. Developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers have become gloomier than ever: Over 3,000 American deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or 9/11. One million new cases in the span of five days. More than 106,000 people in the hospital. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BIDEN — The revelation that federal prosecutors launched a tax investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter has the potential to wound the incoming administration, reviving distracting storylines and complicating the choice of an attorney general who would have to oversee an investigation into Biden’s son. By Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 880 words by 5 p.m., photos WITH: BIDEN-THE LATEST, developing.
BIDEN STAFF — President-elect Joe Biden names Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, giving her broad sway over his administration’s approach to immigration, health care and racial inequality and elevating the prominence of the position in the West Wing. Denis McDonough, who was the Obama White House chief of staff, is Biden’s pick for Veterans Affairs secretary. By Julie Pace and Zeke Miller. SENT: 980 words, photos. WITH: BIDEN-RAHM EMANUEL— Rahm Emanuel’s chances of landing a top Cabinet post in Joe Biden’s administration appear increasingly unlikely after the former Chicago mayor emerged as a source of controversy for the president-elect, who had been considering Emanuel for transportation secretary. SENT: 630 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-ISRAEL-MOROCCO — Israel and Morocco agree to normalize relations, marking the fourth Arab-Israel agreement in four months under President Donald Trump. As part of the deal, the U.S. will recognize Morocco’s claim over the disputed Western Sahara region. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 662 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COMMUTING — As the coronavirus rages across the U.S., grocery workers, health care professionals, university staffers, cleaning crews and others who don’t have the option to work from home must weigh safety against affordability when deciding how best to commute to their jobs. Those who can have ditched public transportation and drive to work instead, contributing to a boon in used car sales in the U.S. By Cathy Bussewitz. SENT: 1,163 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The worsening of the viral pandemic across the United States and Europe is threatening their economies and intensifying pressure on governments and central banks on both continents to intervene aggressively. In a worrisome sign of the harm the virus is inflicting in the U.S, the government said that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped last week to 853,000 — the most since September. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 915 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PEOPLE-ELLEN DEGENERES — Ellen DeGeneres says she’s tested positive for COVID-19 but is “feeling fine right now.” SENT: 150 words, photo.
GERMANY PAINTING RECOVERED — A surrealist painting worth more than a quarter million euros that was forgotten by a businessman has been recovered from a nearby recycling dumpster. SENT: 160 words.
FUNERAL HOME-WOMAN ALIVE — Michigan authorities have agreed to reinstate the licenses of two suburban Detroit paramedics if they pass a national exam after a young woman declared dead on their watch was discovered to be alive at a funeral home. SENT: 485 words.
BABY ELEPHANT-DIES — A baby elephant at a Syracuse zoo died from a virus just before his second birthday. SENT: 200 words, photo.
PEOPLE-BTS — BTS has had more than just a “Dynamite” year — they’ve become such a global phenomenon that Time magazine named the South Korean group its 2020 Entertainer of the Year. SENT: 200 words, photo.
DALLAS RAPPER FATAL SHOOTING —Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the killing of rapper Mo3, who was fatally shot last month on a busy Dallas interstate. SENT: 145 words.
WHITES ONLY CHURCH — The city council in a small Minnesota farming community has voted to grant a permit that allows a controversial Nordic heritage church that has been identified as a white supremacist group to gather at an abandoned church. SENT: 340 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — President Trump’s push for a fresh round of $600 checks to Americans in the COVID-19 aid package is being panned by his Republican allies but embraced by some of his fiercest rivals in Congress: liberals, who say direct cash payments help households weather the economic crisis. But disagreements persist, holding up the $900-billion plus package. SENT: 600 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
RELIGION-HANUKKAH-COVID-RULES -- As Jewish communities around the country prepare to mark Hanukkah under the shadow of pandemic-era gathering restrictions, members of various denominations are preparing for smaller-than-usual gatherings for a holiday that’s typically celebrated in the home, not the temple. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ABORTION PILL — A federal judge in Maryland has denied the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a rule that would require women to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that public health risks for patients only have grown worse. SENT: 670 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH AFRICA-NEW WAVE — South Africa’s health minister Zweli Mkhize said the country is seeing a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases and is bracing for increased hospitalizations and deaths. SENT: 530 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA — “It will be extremely terrible to see” rich countries receiving COVID-19 vaccines while African countries go without, especially as a new surge in cases begins on the continent of 1.3 billion people, Africa’s top public health official says. SENT: 510 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — The number of new coronavirus infections in Japan’s capital topped 600 in a day for the first time, while experts warned of the increased burden on hospitals. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VATICAN — Pope Francis will celebrate Midnight Mass earlier than usual to comply with Italy’s anti-coronavirus curfew and will deliver his Christmas Day blessing indoors to prevent crowds from forming in St. Peter’s Square. SENT: 340 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONE-GOOD-THING-CONCERT-MEMORIAL -- Alumni of a small suburban Cincinnati high school who lost three classmates in the 1979 disaster at a concert by The Who faced obstacles this year to holding their annual memorial scholarship fundraising event, but they were determined that the show would go on. They got help from some friends — including two famous ones. SENT: 635 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-MASKS — Even after COVID-19 vaccinations start in the U.S., masks and social distancing will be recommended for some time. SENT: 280 words, graphic.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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UNITED STATES-IRAN BOMBERS — In a new show of military might, two American bomber aircraft fly directly from the U.S. over a swath of the Middle East, sending what U.S. officials said was a direct message of deterrence to Iran. SENT: 790 words, photos.
TRUMP-CONGRESS-DEFENSE BILL — In a rare break with President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urges passage of a wide-ranging defense policy bill that Trump has threatened to veto. SENT: 600 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., with Senate vote possible late Thursday.
TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES-POWELL — Conservative attorney Sidney Powell continues to press forward on President Trump’s behalf, leading some observers to criticize her for providing false hope to the president’s supporters and to question her true motives. SENT: 1,085 words, photos.
BIDEN-DURBIN — Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin is poised to become the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, making him a key ally of President-elect Joe Biden as he navigates an increasingly partisan Congress. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
SUPREME COURT-NO-FLY LIST-MUSLIMS — A unanimous Supreme Court rules that Muslim men who were placed on the government’s no-fly list because they refused to serve as FBI informants can seek to hold federal agents financially liable. SENT: 650 words, photo.
WASHINGTON-HOLIDAY PARTIES — It’s the season for holiday gatherings, but COVID-19 infection numbers are setting daily records in the nation’s capital, where local government has limited enforcement powers on federal property and international embassies. As the Trump administration pushes ahead with multiple holiday events, including Thursday’s Congressional Ball, the District of Columbia can’t do much more than track the numbers and hope virus guidelines are followed. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m., photos.
UNITED STATES-FOREIGN AID — President Donald Trump has signed an order requiring that all U.S. foreign assistance be “rebranded” to ensure that recipients know that American taxpayers have paid for it. SENT: 330 words, photo.
GUN LAWS-BIDEN ADMINISTRATION — Efforts to impose restrictions on firearms will soon have a supporter in the White House. But it’s unlikely that big ticket items gun-control advocates have pined for will have much chance of passage given the tight margins in Congress and the increased polarization over gun issues. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
MEDICAL PRIVACY — Acting on suggestions from hospitals, doctors and patients, U.S. health officials are proposing changes to medical privacy rules that could ease information sharing in crisis situations. The proposal adapts lessons learned from the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 695 words.
VETERANS AFFAIRS-WILKIE INVESTIGATION — Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the female congressional staffer who complained and his staff worked to publicly spread dirt about her while ignoring known problems at the facility, according to a blistering investigation. SENT: 970 words, photo.
ELECTION-2020 WISCONSIN — A federal judge cast doubt on President Trump’s lawsuit that seeks to overturn Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin, saying siding with Trump would be “the most remarkable ruling in the history of this court or the federal judiciary.” SENT: 600 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The execution of a man convicted in the 1999 killing of two youth ministers in Texas is scheduled at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Brandon Bernard, 40, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 6 p.m.
CENSUS-HOUSEHOLD INCOME — Asian American households saw the biggest income growth of any racial or ethnic group in the United States over the past decade and a half — almost 8%. SENT: 775 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-POLICE SHOOTING-OHIO — An attorney for the family of the Black man killed by an Ohio deputy says the preliminary autopsy shows clear signs of the victim being shot in the back multiple times. SENT: 960 words, photo.
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BREXIT — With a chaotic and costly no-deal Brexit only three weeks away, gloom settled on both sides of the English Channel as European Union and United Kingdom trade negotiators sought to find a breakthrough in technical talks where their leaders failed three times in political discussions over the past week. SENT: 650 words, photos. WITH: EXPLAINING BREXIT-MESSY DIVORCE -- For UK and EU, Brexit has become a messy divorce. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
LEBANON PORT BLAST —The Lebanese prosecutor probing last summer’s port explosion in Beirut filed charges on Thursday against the caretaker prime minister and three former ministers, accusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people, Lebanon’s official news agency said. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH: LEBANON-SILOS — A heated debate is underway in Lebanon over the fate of the towering grain silos gutted in the massive explosion at the Beirut port. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA — More than 3,000 troops took part in a military parade in Azerbaijan on Thursday to celebrate reclaiming control over broad swathes of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding lands in a conflict with Armenia. SENT: 480 words.
NETHERLANDS RUSSIA SPIES — A Dutch intelligence agency says it has uncovered two Russian spies who were targeting the Netherlands’ science and technology sector. The development is likely to further strain tense relations between the two countries. SENT: 380 words.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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YE-DISASTERS — 2020 was more than just a disastrous year it was a year of disasters. A record number of Atlantic hurricanes, horrible flooding in Asia and Africa, wildfires stretching from the top of the world in the Arctic to the bottom in Australia. SENT: 1,015 words, photos.
Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
INDIA-AIR-POLLUTION — India is facing two public health emergencies simultaneously: critically polluted air and the pandemic. In previous years, the government encouraged more people to use buses that run on cleaner fuels, as an emergency air quality measure. But this year there are limits on passengers to maintain social distance. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
ENDANGERED SPECIES — A leading conservation group uniting governments and civil society says all four known freshwater dolphin species are now threatened with extinction, after newly discovered information on the tucuxi in the Amazon river system showed it too is endangered. SENT: 520 words, photos.
SEA LEVEL SATELLITE — A newly launched European-U.S. satellite designed to continue a decades-long record of tracking global sea levels has sent back its first measurements, NASA said. SENT: 300 words, photos.
EUROPE-CLIMATE — Five years after the Paris agreement, the European Union’s climate credentials will be put to the test as the bloc’s leaders meet to try and seal an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels. SENT: 630 words, photos.
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AIRBNB-IPO — Airbnb shares more than doubled in price as the home sharing company made its debut Thursday on the Nasdaq stock exchange. SENT: 1,190 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks were teeter-tottering, following more evidence that the pandemic is tightening its grip on the economy and as investors wait to see if Congress will do anything about it. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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YE-POP CULTURE-MOMENTS – In a year like no other, people turned to culture to satisfy sometimes conflicting needs of distraction, inspiration, consolation, escapism, hope. And while live entertainment was tragically curtailed due to the raging pandemic, performers found their own stages in endlessly creative ways. A Broadway star serenaded health workers from his apartment window, and ballet dancers performed “Swan Lake” from their bathtubs. There were Zoom proms, drive-in concerts and a host of original cast reunions. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
HOLIDAYS-NO DRAMA — Will people heed the call to stay home for Christmas? Or will the December holidays go the way of Thanksgiving, when thousands traveled against the advice of top health officials? Some who are planning to stay home say that giving up the hassle, expense and family drama of holiday travel isn’t really such a bad deal. There are those who look forward to staying in PJs and watching movies all day. Others plan to bake their way through Christmas. SENT: 990 words, photos.
MUSIC-TAYLOR SWIFT — Taylor Swift fans are getting a double reason to celebrate this year. The singer-songwriter is about to release her second album in 2020. SENT: 240 words, photo.
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FBN--PATRIOTS-RAMS — Jared Goff and the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams (8-4) host Cam Newton and the Patriots (6-6). New England has won four of five to get back into playoff contention ahead of this rematch of the Pats’ dominant win in the Super Bowl two seasons ago. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts at 8:20 p.m.
FBN--AFC-PLAYOFF OUTLOOK — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are already in the playoffs and that’s no surprise for the defending Super Bowl champions. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are undefeated no more but they’re also on the verge of clinching a playoff spot in the AFC. After that, there are plenty of other contenders who might have something to say about the conference being just a top-heavy twosome. SENT: 870 words, photos.
OLY--USOPC-PROTEST RULE — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee heeded calls from American athletes by announcing that it won’t sanction them for raising their fists or kneeling on the medals stand at next year’s Tokyo Games and beyond. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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