BC-AP News Coverage Advisory, 10:15 Advisory
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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HIGHLIGHTING
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ELECTION 2020-DEBATE (sent, developing)
TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT (sent, developing)
TRUMP-IRAN-IMMINENT THREAT (sent, developing)
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP’S FOCUS (upcoming)
SUPREME COURT-BRIDGEGATE (upcoming)
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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SHARK BITE NORTH CAROLINA — A North Carolina man taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather was bitten by a shark while surfing off the coast. SENT: 165 words.
TOXIC BEETLES-HORSE DEATHS — Hay tainted by a toxic beetle is blamed for the deaths of 14 horses and illnesses to dozens of others on a Wisconsin ranch. SENT: 300 words.
CHINA ROAD COLLAPSE — A bus plunged into a sinkhole on a city street in northwestern China, killing at least six people and leaving four missing, authorities said. SENT: 250 words, photos.
FOUR DEAD-FLORIDA — Four bodies were found inside a central Florida home and sheriff's officials said they have one person in custody. SENT: 215 words.
LESOTHO-FIRST LADY — Police in Lesotho are searching for the wife of the country's prime minister for questioning in the 2017 killing of the leader's former wife. SENT: 270 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT — The House is preparing to vote Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate to start the historic trial, several people tell The Associated Press. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is meeting privately Tuesday with House Democrats about next steps, ending her blockade almost a month after they voted to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. SENT: 840 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 a.m. House Democrats’ meeting, other events, 900 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP-IRAN-IMMINENT THREAT — For all of the Trump administration’s insistence that the threat of an “imminent” attack led to the American drone strike on Iran’s top general, U.S. officials behind the scenes say the strike was motivated as much, if not more, by a broader effort to rein in a dangerously emboldened Iran. The shifting rationale has raised questions about the credibility of the threat posed by Gen. Qassem Soleimani. SENT: 980 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developments possible.
ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — An unusually heated clash of rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination could be the hallmark of Tuesday night’s televised debate in Iowa. Just six candidates are gathering in Des Moines, the smallest number yet on a debate stage. That dynamic will offer candidates more opportunities to criticize each other’s proposals as well as tout their own. SENT: 1077 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 a.m. debate, 1,090 words by 10 p.m., with continuing updates, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-DEBATE QUESTIONS — Tuesday marks the last time the leading Democratic presidential contenders will face a national audience on the debate stage before primary voting begins, making it the most significant moment of the 2020 primary season to date. Six big questions heading into the debate. SENT: 830 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-WARREN-SANDERS — Elizabeth Warren says fellow Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders told her when they met privately in 2018 that he didn’t think a woman could win the White House. Sanders denies that, but the dispute will likely change the tone of the campaign going into Tuesday's debate. SENT: 655 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BUTTIGIEG-IOWA— Quentin Hart, the black mayor of Iowa's most racially diverse city, is backing Pete Buttigieg for president, giving the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor a rare boost from a minority leader as he struggles to attract voters of color. SENT: 470 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-BRIDGEGATE — The Supreme Court hears arguments about whether to throw out the convictions of two former aides to Republican Gov. Chris Christie who were convicted in the state’s “Bridgegate” scandal. The aides altered traffic patterns over the George Washington Bridge to create gridlock in Fort Lee as political payback. UPCOMING: Developing from 10 a.m. argument, 790 words by 3 p.m., photos.
TRUMP —President Trump holds a rally in Wisconsin. UPCOMING: Developing from 8 p.m. event in Milwaukee, 400 words by 5 p.m., with updates from rally, photos, video.
TRUMP-IRAN-DELICATE BALANCE — President Donald Trump's embrace of anti-government protesters in Iran is another departure from his predecessors, who feared such overt support could backfire and inadvertently help hard-liners in the Islamic Republic. SENT: 930 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP’S FOCUS — Yes, there is impeachment, immigration, even Iran to worry about. But with the first votes of the Democratic primaries just weeks away, President Trump is focused on his re-election bid and viewing nearly every move through a 2020 lens. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-BOOKER — Sen. Cory Booker says he's not making any immediate endorsement for president now that he's dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination and will focus on his Senate reelection. Booker says he eventually might endorse someone in the still-crowded White House field before the party's nominating convention this summer. SENT: 280 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-WARREN-STUDENT DEBT — Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says she'd order her secretary of education to cancel up to $50,000 in college debt for about 95% of student borrowers on her first day in office, effectively erasing outstanding loans for about 42 million Americans. SENT: 380 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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IMMIGRATION-SEPARATING FAMILIES — A U.S. judge rules that the Trump administration is operating within its authority when separating families stopped at the Mexico border, rejecting arguments that it was quietly returning to widespread practices that drew international condemnation. SENT: 520 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-UTILITY — Tensions between the U.S. government and Pacific Gas & Electric are boiling over as the two sides battle over whether a taxpayer-funded agency should be allowed to stake a claim on a $13.5 billion settlement covering most of the losses from catastrophic wildfires blamed on the bankrupt utility. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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IRAN-PLANE CRASH — Iran's judiciary says arrests have been made for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed all 176 people on board just after takeoff from Tehran last week. SENT: 730 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — A volcano near the Philippine capital spews lava into the sky and trembles constantly, possibly portending a bigger and more dangerous eruption, as tens of thousands of people fled villages darkened and blanketed by heavy ash. SENT: 780 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-WILDFIRES-VILLAGE — The tiny village of Nerrigundah in southeastern Australia has been among the places hardest hit by the country's devastating wildfires, with about two-thirds of the homes destroyed. Like many small communities that have been scorched by the fires, the town will never be the same. Residents are still coming to terms with what they have lost and trying to figure out whether they will stay. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video.
EUROPE-IRAN — Britain, France and Germany ratcheted up pressure on Iran Tuesday to cease its violations of a landmark nuclear deal, stressing that they want to resolve differences through talks while starting the clock on a process that could result in a so-called “snapback” of United Nations sanctions. SENT: 925 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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US-RUSSIA-HACK-UKRAINE SCANDAL — A U.S. cybersecurity company says Russian military agents successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the scandal that led to President Donald Trump's impeachment. Russian agents launched a phishing campaign in early November aimed at stealing the login credentials for employees of Burisma Holdings, the gas company, according to Area 1 Security, a Silicon Valley company that specializes in e-mail security. It is not clear what the hackers were looking for or may have obtained, although the operation's timing suggests that Russian agents may have been searching for material that could damage former U.S. vice president Joe Biden, whose son Hunter previously served on Burisma's board. SENT: 750 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks are off to a mostly lower start on Wall Street as losses for some banks and health care companies offset gains elsewhere in the market. Wells Fargo slumped in early trading after reporting a sharp drop in profit in its latest quarter. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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BRITAIN-ROYAL RIFT-RACISM - As Prince Harry and wife Meghan step back as senior royals, questions linger over the role race has played in her treatment in Britain. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ROYAL RIFT - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday he believes the royal family can resolve a serious rift over the plans of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who want to break free of their royal roles and move to Canada. SENT: 715 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBC--CFP CHAMPIONSHIP — From small-town Ohio kid to Louisiana Legend, Joe Burrow capped his record-breaking, Heisman-winning season by bringing a national championship to LSU. Burrow threw five touchdown passes, ran for another score and capped one of the greatest seasons in college football history by leading No. 1 LSU to a 42-25 victory against No. 3 Clemson Monday night to win the national championship. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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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, 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.