AP News Digest 6 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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds EXPLOSION-NASHVILLE, RACIAL INJUSTICE-COLUMBUS POLICE, MICROSOFT-HACK, HOTEL CONFRONTATION, OBIT-DICK THORNBURGH, VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUPREME COURT, ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA SENATE, 2020 CENSUS, KANSAS LAWMAKER-LEGAL ISSUES, LGBT-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ONE GOOD THING-SPECIAL OLYMPIAN, FARMING-GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS, NEWSCASTERS-BIAS SUIT, SALT LAKE CITY NEWSPAPERS-FINAL DAILY PRINT, RELIGION-2020 DEATHS, YE-SPORTS-WOMEN’S MILESTONES.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The race to vaccinate millions of Americans is off to a slower, messier start than public health officials and leaders of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed had expected. Overworked, underfunded state public health departments are scrambling to patch together plans for administering vaccines. Differences in how counties and hospitals administer the vaccine are leading to long lines, confusion and jammed phone lines. Experts say the federal government hasn’t done enough to help states meet their goals for getting doses injected into arms. By Bobby Caina Calvan and Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 980 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THINGS TO KNOW, VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (both sent)
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-CONGRESS — Congress is ending a chaotic session with a rare rebuff by Republicans of President Donald Trump. GOP senators are ignoring the outgoing president’s demand to increase the $600 COVID-19 aid checks to $2,000, and they are poised to override his veto of a major defense bill. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-YEAR’S-EVE — This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with pandemic restrictions limiting crowds and many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget. As the clock struck midnight, the New Year’s experience mirrored countries’ responses to the virus itself. Some canceled or scaled back festivities, while others without active outbreaks were able to carry on like any other year. By Rod McGuirk, Frank Jordans and Derek Gatopoulos. SENT: 1,020 words, photos, videos. UPCOMING: Developing.
BREXIT — Britain has completed its economic break from the European Union, ending its 48-year partnership with the trading bloc and starting a new and more distant relationship with its continental neighbors. The formal move came at 11 p.m. Thursday in London. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 890 words, photos. With BEYOND-BREXIT — The New Year could finally bring a fresh start and a commitment to let bygones be bygones for Britain and the European Union. But don’t bet on it. SENT: 980 words, photos; BREXIT-GIBRALTAR — U.K. reaches deal with Spain to keep open Gibraltar border. SENT: 440 words, photos; BREXIT-TIMELINE (sent)
EXPLOSION-NASHVILLE-TELECOM VULNERABILITY — The Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville led to phone and data service outages and disruptions over hundreds of miles in the southern U.S., raising new concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. communications. The blast seriously damaged a key AT&T network facility. The immediate repercussions were surprisingly widespread. AT&T customers lost service — phones, internet or video — across large parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. There were 911 centers in the region that couldn’t take calls; others didn’t receive crucial data associated with callers, such as their locations. The Nashville police department’s phones and internet failed. Stores went cash-only. By Tali Arbel. SENT: 1,000 words, photo. With EXPLOSION-NASHVILLE — Law enforcement officials give media outlets their first opportunity to survey the bomb site. SENT: 230 words, photos.
YE-YOUR 2020 SNAPSHOT — It was a year like no other, and Americans shambled through 2020 the best they could, taking cellphone photos along the way. Behind those images are the stories of an era of pandemic and polarization and progress and upheaval. SENT: 2,940 words, photos. (Note: This is an UPDATED version of a story that first moved Dec. 29.)
Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-RUINED — Authorities have arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights. SENT: 370 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-COLUMBUS POLICE — New police body camera footage shows that police stood by for several minutes without offering first aid to Andre Hill after he was shot by an officer in Columbus, Ohio. SENT: 680 words, photos.
MICROSOFT-HACK — Microsoft said Thursday in a blog post that hackers tied to a massive intrusion of dozens of U.S. government agencies and private companies sneaked further into its systems than previously thought, although the intrusion doesn’t appear to have caused any additional harm. SENT: 240 words, photo.
HOTEL CONFRONTATION — Police have released a new video showing a woman trying to tackle a Black teenager after falsely accusing him of stealing her phone at a New York City hotel. SENT: 250 words, photo.
BANNED WORDS — “COVID-19” and “social distancing” are on Lake Superior State University's list of banned words and phrases. SENT: 510 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA VACCINE — China authorized its first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for general use, adding another shot that could see wide use in poorer countries as the virus surges back around the globe. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE-VACCINE — The European Union medicines watchdog says the German company BioNTech has applied for clearance in the 27-nation bloc to administer up to six doses of its COVID-19 vaccine from each vial, instead of the five doses currently approved. SENT: 620 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA-TESTING — As a result of holiday gatherings, African officials warn of a resurgence of COVID-19 on the continent and urge increased testing to combat it. SENT: 1100 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT-BENEFITS — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits last week fell by 19,000 to 787,000, still a historically high level as a resurgent coronavirus maintains its grip on the U.S. economy. SENT: 860 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EVICTIONS-ATTORNEYS — As the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic stretch into 2021, millions of U.S. renters are bracing for the possibility of having to show up in housing court to avoid getting evicted. But unlike their landlords, only a small fraction of them will do so flanked by an attorney. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FAMOUS-EXPERTS — The coronavirus pandemic has thrust virus experts and other normally low-profile scientists into the pop culture crucible this year. Angela Rasmussen is a Georgetown University virologist. She saw her Twitter following explode when she got into an exchange with Tesla billionaire Elon Musk. Laurel Bristow is an Emory University researcher who gained more than 300,000 Instagram followers explaining the pandemic in informal videos. But Ashish Jha says the sudden fame has also exposed him and other scientists of color to racist taunts and death threats. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IMMIGRANT-RELIEF — Immigrant taxpayers and their families are celebrating a federal relief package that includes spouses and children who are U.S. citizens. Checks sent out in the spring didn’t go to families if one spouse was an immigrant in the country illegally, even if the other was a U.S. citizen or legal resident. About 5 million Americans were left out that way. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CANADA — The finance minister for Canada’s most populous province has resigned after going on a Caribbean vacation during the pandemic and seemingly trying to hide the fact by sending social media posts showing him in a sweater before a fireplace. SENT: 540 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PANDEMIC PETS — For many dogs, this is life as it was meant to be: humans around 24/7, walks and treats on demand, and sneaking onto their bed at night. Cats, many who were social distancing before we knew what that was, are more affectionate than ever, some even acting needy for attention. Ten months into quarantines and working from home because of the pandemic, household pets’ lives and relationships with humans have in many cases changed — not always for the better. SENT: 930 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-PANDEMIC PETS-ADVICE (sent)
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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OBIT-DICK THORNBURGH — Dick Thornburgh, who as Pennsylvania governor won plaudits for his cool handling of the 1979 Three Mile Island crisis and as U.S. attorney general restored credibility to a Justice Department hurt by the Iran-Contra scandal, has died. He was 88. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.
UNITED-STATES-IRAN — The Pentagon has decided to send home the only Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Middle East, a move that will reduce American firepower in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUPREME COURT — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts praises federal courts nationwide for their flexibility in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging the role technology has played in keeping courts running. SENT: 360 words, photos.
TRUMP — President Trump delivers a year-end video message after returning early from vacation, highlighting his administration’s work to rapidly develop a vaccine against COVID-19 and rebuild the economy. Trump is hailing America’s “grit, strength and tenacity” and calling the vaccine a “truly unprecedented medical miracle.” SENT: 830 words, photos, video.
CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE — Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska issues a pointed rebuke of GOP attempts to object Jan. 6 to the Electoral College tally of the presidential election, warning colleagues against a “dangerous ploy” that could damage the nation’s civic traditions. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA SENATE — Exposure to the coronavirus has forced Georgia Sen. David Perdue into quarantine five days before the state’s high-stakes Senate runoff elections. SENT: 460 words, photos.
2020 CENSUS — The U.S. Census Bureau says less than a half percent of census takers interviewing households for the 2020 head count may have falsified their work. SENT: 600 words, photo.
KANSAS LAWMAKER-LEGAL ISSUES — The top Democrat in the Kansas House is refusing to give an incoming lawmaker any committee assignments over issues that include an anti-stalking court order filed against him after he won his seat. SENT: 590 words, photos.
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YEMEN — Yemen’s prime minister renewed accusations that the country’s Shiite rebels and Iran were responsible for the deadly explosion at the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden the previous day that killed at least 25 people and wounded 110. SENT: 420 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-HINDU TEMPLE — Pakistani police arrested at least 31 people in overnight raids after a Hindu temple was set on fire and demolished by a mob led by hundreds of supporters of a radical Islamist party, officials say. SENT: 450 words, photos.
HONG KONG-JIMMY LAI — Hong Kong’s highest court revoked media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s bail after prosecutors succeeded in asking the judges to send him back to detention. Lai had been granted bail on Dec. 23 after three weeks in custody on charges of fraud and endangering national security. SENT: 410 words, photos.
EMIRATES-PLAYGROUND FOR ISRAELIS — After a U.S.-brokered deal to normalize ties between Israel and the UAE, Israeli revelers seeking relief from monthslong virus restrictions came to Dubai in droves. For the past month, Israelis accustomed to traveling on foreign passports, if at all, to the Arab world, have made themselves at home in the UAE’s commercial hub. Now, as the virus surges in Israel and triggers a third lockdown, Israelis are hoping vaccines accelerate their mass return to the skyscrapper-studded city. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
REL-VATICAN-POPE-BACK-PROBLEM — Back pain causes pope to skip Vatican New Year’s ceremonies. SENT: 430 words, photos.
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POLICE-SHOOTING-MINNEAPOLIS — Police in Minneapolis said they would release body camera video from a traffic stop that ended with a man shot dead, the city’s first police-involved death since George Floyd died while being restrained by officers in May. Police said the man was a suspect in a felony and that he died in an exchange of gunfire Wednesday on the city’s south side. SENT: 620 words, photos.
POLICE SHOOTING-MARYLAND — Maryland prosecutors have ruled out criminal charges against any police officers in the shooting death of a man whose family says he was sleeping in his bed next to his girlfriend when police opened fire, an attorney for the family says. SENT: 810 words, photos.
RACIST-STORE-REDEEMED — Renovations are starting for an old theater in South Carolina that spent decades as a store that sold racist merchandise and a meeting spot for the Ku Klux Klan. The Echo Project wants to rehabilitate the theater in Laurens and turn it into a community center and museum on racial reconciliation. SENT: 750 words, photos.
LGBT-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — A North Carolina appeals court says domestic violence protection orders issued by judges must be granted to someone trying to stay apart from a same-sex dating partner, just like in opposite-sex relationships. SENT: 740 words.
ONE GOOD THING-SPECIAL OLYMPIAN — Derek “Tank” Schottle was withdrawn and bullied when he was a young boy. Special Olympics allowed him to gain confidence. Now his daily affirmations spread joy to more than 100,000 Twitter followers and beyond. SENT: 750 words, photos.
CASEY-ANTHONY — Records show Casey Anthony is starting investigation firm. SENT: 210 words.
DAMAGED MOSQUE-MISSOURI — Donations coming in to rebuild Missouri mosque that burned. SENT: 250 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street closed out a tumultuous year for stocks with more record highs Thursday, a fitting coda to the market’s stunning comeback from its historic plunge in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1,070 words, photo.
YE-BUSINESS-WINNERS-LOSERS — The coronavirus pandemic created winners and losers in the business world. Wall Street recovered after March, even though Main Street is still struggling. SENT: 1,430 words, photos.
FARMING-GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS — U.S. farmers are expected to end the year with higher profits than last year and the best net farm income in seven years thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income. SENT: 670 words, photos.
NEWSCASTERS-BIAS SUIT — Five female anchors will no longer work at a New York news channel after settling discrimination claims. SENT: 390 words, photo.
SALT LAKE CITY NEWSPAPERS-FINAL DAILY PRINT — Salt Lake City’s two major newspapers have printed daily editions for more than a century, but now the presses will only be whirring once a week as they join other news organizations nationwide in shifting their focus online to stay afloat. SENT: 510 words, photos.
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RELIGION
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RELIGION-2020 DEATHS — A look at the many religious leaders — some admired worldwide, others beloved only locally — who died in 2020. SENT: 1,600 words, photos.
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FILM-BOX OFFICE — After two $11 billion years, the box office in 2020 is careening toward a 40-year low. Industry experts weigh in on this disastrous asterisks of a year. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING: 950 words by 12 p.m., photos.
TV-ELIZABETH IS MISSING — Only one project lured two-time Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson back to the screen after an absence of 25 years: “Elizabeth Is Missing.” By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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YE-SPORTS-WOMEN'S MILESTONES — It was a milestone year for women in sports. It started with San Francisco 49ers assistant Katie Sowers becoming the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl. It ended with Becky Hammon serving as an NBA head coach when she took over for the ejected George Popovich in the San Antonio Spurs’ game on Wednesday night. SENT: 890 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Leon Drouin-Keith 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.