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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GRASSLEY — Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the longest-serving Republican senator and president pro tempore of the Senate, has tested positive for the coronavirus. SENT: 220 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing.
Adds UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN, ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA, ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS, ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN, BRITAIN-CORBYN, DEMOLISHING THE DAMS, MEXICO-GENERAL ARRESTED, COLLEGE ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY, BRITAIN-ENVIRONMENT.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE-24 HOURS IN ICU — France is more than two weeks into its second coronavirus lockdown, and intensive care units have been over 95% capacity for more than 10 days now. AP journalists spent 24 hours with the intensive care team at La Timone, southern France’s largest hospital, as they struggled with the surge of infections. By Lori Hinnant. SENT: 2,120 words, photos. Abridged version also available.
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BIDEN — Blocked by the current president, President-elect Joe Biden is forced to seek unusual workarounds to prepare the best he can for the exploding public health threat and evolving national security challenges he will inherit in just nine weeks. By Steve Peoples, Deb Riechmann and Zeke Miller. SENT: 920 words, photos, video. With BIDEN-STAFF — Biden announces top White House staff positions, drawing from the senior ranks of his campaign and some of his closest confidants. SENT: 690 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — The fall surge in the coronavirus is sending the death toll soaring in states around the country and putting the country on pace to reach 250,000 deaths this week. By Ryan J. Foley and Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 730 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK — States renew push for more federal money to deal with virus fallout. SENT: 940 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller says the U.S. will reduce troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-January, asserting that the decision fulfills President Trump’s pledge to bring forces home from America’s long wars even as Republicans and U.S. allies warn of the dangers of withdrawing before conditions are right. By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 960 words, photos. With NATO-US-AFGHANISTAN NATO — NATO chief warns of high price if troops leave Afghanistan. SENT: 570 words.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Hurricane Iota batters Nicaragua with screeching winds and pounding surf, chasing tens of thousands of people from their homes along the same stretch of the Caribbean coast that was devastated by an equally powerful hurricane just two weeks ago. The extent of the damage is unclears, with electricity and communication networks disrupted in much of the region. By Marlon Gonzalez. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE SCORECARD — Two COVID-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists say it’s critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates. Moderna and competitor Pfizer recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear to be strongly effective. But more vaccine types will be needed to meet global demand. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 850 words, photos.
FEDERAL RESERVE-SHELTON — The nomination of Judy Shelton, President Trump’s controversial pick for the Federal Reserve, stalls in the Senate after Vice President-elect Kamala Harris returns to the chamber to cast a key vote. By Andrew Taylor and Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 500 words, photos.
AMAZON PHARMACY — Now sold on Amazon: insulin and inhalers. The company says it has opened an online pharmacy, giving shoppers the chance to buy their medication on their phones and computers. Amazon's move into a new business could shake up the pharmacy industry. By Joseph Pisani and Tom Murphy. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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GERMANY STOLEN TREASURES — Three people are arrested in connection with a spectacular theft of 18th-century jewels from a collection in Dresden last November. SENT: 420 words, photos.
LIL WAYNE-GUN CHARGE — Rapper Lil Wayne is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an offense that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. SENT: 300 words.
WRONGFUL PREGNANCY-AWARD — A federal judge in Seattle awards $10 million to the family of a severely disabled child who was born after a community clinic nurse inadvertently gave the mother a flu shot instead of a birth-control injection. SENT: 430 words.
DUBAI-JETMAN-KILLED — One of Dubai’s “jetmen,” whose flights over the world’s tallest building and alongside a jumbo jet with engines strapped to his back wowed watchers online, has died while training for future flights. SENT: 400 words, photos.
NBA DRAFT PREVIEW — The twice-delayed NBA draft finally arrives Wednesday, and players such as Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman believe the extra time has them better prepared for their debuts. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL PRISONS — A federal prison complex in Louisiana that emerged as an early coronavirus hotspot failed to comply with federal health guidance, the Justice Department’s inspector general finds. SENT: 660 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea says that it will tighten social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area and some parts of eastern Gangwon province to try to suppress a coronavirus resurgence. SENT: 350 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HUNGARY — Doctors in Hungary are warning that a lack of medical staff qualified to treat intensive coronavirus patients could soon lead to soaring deaths and a breakdown in the country’s fragile health care system. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-TULIP FRIENDS — Field of tulips joins worried mom with widow battling cancer. SENT: 735 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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CONGRESS-REPUBLICANS — Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy easily wins reelection as House Republican leader. The vote is a turnaround as the entire GOP leadership team is set to be rewarded by their colleagues for reducing the Democrats’ House advantage in the November election. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 780 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-PENNSYLVANIA — A hearing on the Trump campaign’s federal lawsuit seeking to prevent Pennsylvania officials from certifying the vote results is set to begin after a judge denied the campaign’s new lawyer’s request for a delay. SENT: 850 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA — A second Georgia county uncovers a trove of votes not previously included in the election results. Officials say the votes won’t change the overall outcome of the presidential race. SENT: 520 words, photos.
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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — The Palestinian Authority says it is restoring ties with Israel, allowing the transfer of much-needed tax revenues. It severed contacts in May over Israel’s planned annexation of up to a third of the occupied West Bank. SENT: 480 words, photo.
PERU-POLITICAL CRISIS — Peruvians watch in hope as the nation’s third president in a week is sworn into office promising to restore trust in government after the worst constitutional crisis in two decades. SENT: 730 words, photos.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — Joyous scenes of smiles and hugs play out as Armenians return to the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh after a cease-fire. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BRITAIN-CORBYN — Ex-Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says has been reinstated to the U.K. opposition party after a three-week suspension. The decision angers Jewish leaders who recall anti-Semitism in Labour that flourished during Corbyn's tenure. SENT: 340 words, photo.
ETHIOPIA-PEACE PRIZE TO WAR — Peace came swiftly after Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia's prime minister in 2018. Sadly, it didn't last. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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DEMOLISHING THE DAMS — A new agreement paves the way for the largest dam demolition in U.S. history, a project that promises to reopen hundreds of miles of waterway along the Oregon-California border to salmon that are critical to tribes but have dwindled in recent years. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
MISSILE DEFENSE-TEST — The Pentagon says it succeeded in a first attempt to shoot down an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile with an interceptor missile fired from aboard a ship at sea. By National Security Writer Robert Burns. SENT: 580 words, photo.
MEXICO-GENERAL ARRESTED — The U.S. Justice Department is dropping its drug trafficking and money laundering against former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, Attorney General William Barr says. SENT: 260 words, photos.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN — A group of women who say they were victimized by Harvey Weinstein endorses former prosecutor Lucy Lang to replace the Manhattan district attorney who put the movie mogul behind bars. SENT: 470 words, photos.
CHICAGO VIOLENCE-BOY SHOT — Police say a 5-year-old Chicago boy is hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting as he sat on a couch playing on an iPad. SENT: 170 words.
COLLLEGE ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY — A California couple will serve prison time for paying $250,000 to get their daughter into the University of Southern California as a volleyball recruit as part of the college admissions bribery scheme. SENT: 250 words.
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CONGRESS-SOCIAL MEDIA — As the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook give assurances of vigorous action against election disinformation, Republicans at a Senate hearing pound the social media companies over political bias, business practices and market dominance. By Business Writer Marcy Gordon. SENT: 790 words, photos, video.
DIGITAL STARTUP-TRUMP REELECTION — President Trump’s reelection campaign was powered by a cellphone app that offering intimate access to the data of his millions of supporters. As the campaign winds down, there are questions about how the campaign will use that data. SENT: 2,400 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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BRITAIN-ENVIRONMENT — Britain says it will ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030, a decade earlier than its previous commitment. SENT: 370 words.
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BOOKS-TARANTINO — Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino has a two-book deal with Harper, beginning with a novelization of “Once Upon a Time ... In Hollywood” that is scheduled for next summer. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 550 words, photo.
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CUBS-EPSTEIN — Theo Epstein, who transformed the Chicago Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting title in 2016, is leaving the team after nine seasons as president of baseball operations. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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