AP News Digest 7:25 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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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. By Jim Mustian. SENT: 1,370 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine faces one final hurdle before an expected decision to greenlight the shot for use in millions of Americans. Food and Drug Administration advisers will meet to scrutinize the company’s data for any red flags or oversights. By Lauran Neergaard and Matthew Perrone. SENT: 790 words, photos. UPCOMING: 950 words after 9 a.m. meeting.
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. By Aniruddha Ghosal. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
FACEBOOK-ANTITRUST — The giant tech companies whose services are woven into the fabric of social life are now the targets of a widening assault by government competition enforcers. Regulators filed landmark antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, the second major government offensive this year against once seemingly untouchable tech behemoths. By Marcy Gordon and Michael R. Sisak. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
CHINA-US — China is imposing restrictions on travel to Hong Kong by some U.S. officials and others in retaliation for similar measures imposed on Chinese individuals by Washington, the Foreign Ministry says. U.S. diplomatic passport holders visiting Hong Kong and nearby Macao will temporarily no longer receive visa-free entry privileges, spokesperson Hua Chunying said. SENT: 680 words, photo.
GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other programs — but will keep the mayor’s targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact, averting a possible veto. By Amy Forliti and Steve Karnowski. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIRX — When Dr. Deborah Birx was brought into President Donald Trump’s orbit to help fight the coronavirus, she had sterling reputation as a globally recognized AIDS researcher and a rare Obama administration holdover. Less than 10 months later, her reputation is frayed and her future in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration uncertain. By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MARIJUANA-INMATE-FREED — Man who was serving 90-year sentence for marijuana released. SENT: 780 words, photos.
MEXICO-BEAKED-WHALE — Researchers say new species of beaked whale found off Mexico. SENT: 240 words.
NATIONAL PARK-RAPES — Two men sentenced in Great Smoky Mountains National Park rapes. SENT: 230 words.
AFGHANISTAN — Gunmen kill female TV anchor in eastern Afghanistan. SENT: 110 words, photos.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE — U.N. food agency to receive Nobel prize in online event. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Arguments over mask requirements and other restrictions have turned ugly in recent days as the deadly coronavirus surge across the U.S. engulfs small and medium-size cities that once seemed safely removed from the outbreak. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Lawmakers embrace a one-week extension of government funding to buy time for more COVID-19 relief talks. SENT: 780 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. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH AFRICA-NEW WAVE — South Africa is seeing a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases and bracing for increased hospitalizations and deaths, the country’s health minister says. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SWITZERLAND — While most of Switzerland is preparing for tighter lockdown restrictions because of COVID-19, the country’s French-speaking regions are going in the other direction — allowing restaurants to reopen after a drop in cases from one of the world’s highest rates of infection roughly a month ago. SENT: 250 words.
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-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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BIDEN-CABINET — Biden is set to nominate Katherine Tai to be the top U.S. trade envoy. SENT: 460 words, photos.
TRUMP-DENYING REALITY — There’s still a lot of noise about the U.S. election, but there’s no real cause for confusion. SENT: 600 words, photos.
HUNTER BIDEN-TAXES — The Justice Department is investigating the finances of Biden’s son, including scrutinizing some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions. SENT: 870 words, photo.
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FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The Trump administration is planning an unprecedented five more federal executions before Biden’s inauguration, starting with a Texas street-gang member set to be put to death for his role in the 1999 slayings of an Iowa religious couple whose bodies he burned in the trunk of their car. By Legal Affairs Writer Michael Tarm. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
ALABAMA PRISONS — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons, saying the state is failing to protect male inmates from inmate-on-inmate violence and excessive force at the hands of prison staff. SENT: 790 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-POLICE SHOOTING-OHIO — The mother of a Black man shot by an Ohio sheriff’s deputy demanded answers to her son’s death, saying he’d done nothing wrong and was returning from the dentist with sandwiches for his family when he was killed. SENT: 800 words, photo.
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%, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau. SENT: 680 words, photo.
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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 that killed more than 200 people in August. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
CHINA-CANADA — China’s Foreign Ministry says that two Canadians who have been held for two years in a case linked to a Huawei executive have been indicted and put on trial but gave no details. SENT: 480 words, photos.
BREXIT — Britain’s foreign minister says that negotiations on a trade deal with the European Union will reach a “moment of finality” this weekend, with both sides assessing chances of an agreement as slim. SENT: 430 words, photos.
AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA — A military parade was held in the Azerbaijani capital in celebration of the peace deal with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh that saw Azerbaijan reclaim much of the separatist region along with surrounding areas. SENT: 480 words.
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SCIENCE
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SPACEX-STARSHIP TEST SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 650 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 proved its resilience in a year that has upended global travel. Now it needs to prove to investors that it sees more growth ahead. By Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin. SENT: 1,100 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — World markets were mixed after selling of technology and health services companies’ shares ended a winning streak on Wall Street. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 640 words, photos. With EUROPE-ECONOMY — Virus-hit European economy likely to get stimulus shot; BRITAIN-ECONOMY — U.K. economic growth slows for sixth consecutive month.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (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