AP News Digest 6:30 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 AFGHANISTAN-US.
NBA DRAFT — Draft begins 8 p.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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FRUITS OF LABOR-WOMEN — On vast plantations across Indonesia and Malaysia, an AP investigation finds that women are burdened with some of the most dangerous duties in the production of palm oil, which is contained in almost three out of every four personal care products. Some of the women are sexually harassed and raped. They also spray toxic chemicals with little or no protective gear. By Margie Mason and Robin McDowell. SENT: 4,050 words, photos. Abridged version also available. With FRUITS OF LABOR-WOMEN-KEY FINDINGS (sent).
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TRUMP-VOTE CERTIFICATIONS — Finding no traction in the courts, President Donald Trump’s scattershot effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory shifts to obscure election boards, as he seeks sympathetic allies to upend routine but important steps in the electoral process, sow chaos and perpetuate unsubstantiated doubts about the vote. By Zeke Miller, Christina A. Cassidy and Colleen Long. UPCOMING: 1,320 words by 7 p.m., photos. With ELECTION 2020-LEGAL SCORECARD — A look at where Republican election challenges stand in six states. SENT: 940 words, photos; EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-CERTIFICATION — How does election certification usually work? SENT: 460 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-VOTE COUNT — President-elect Joe Biden is closing in on 80 million votes as Democratic-leaning areas continue to slowly count their final votes, making it likely his winning margin will be bigger than any presidential candidate this century other than Barack Obama’s in 2008. The gap between him and President Trump continues to grow, even as Trump insists he actually won. By Nicholas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 700 words by 7 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Overwhelmed hospitals are converting chapels, cafeterias, waiting rooms, hallways, even a parking garage into patient treatment areas. Conditions inside the nation’s hospitals are deteriorating by the day as the coronavirus rages across the U.S. at an unrelenting pace. By Paul J. Webber and Sarah Rankin. SENT: 750 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK — Hundreds of school employees in the U.S. have died of the coronavirus. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PFIZER-VACCINE — Pfizer says new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe. By Linda A. Johnson and Frank Jordans. SENT: 620 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN-US — An accelerated U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, announced by Washington this week, has rattled both allies and adversaries. There are fears of worsening violence and regional chaos, which some say could embolden the Islamic State affiliate in the country to try to regroup in a lawless Afghanistan and perhaps even attempt to build another “caliphate.” By Kathy Gannon. With UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — Acting Pentagon chief cites risks during troop reductions. SENT: 650 words, photo.
TRUMP-ENVIRONMENTAL ROLLBACKS — Down to its final weeks, the Trump administration is working to push through dozens of rollbacks that could weaken century-old protections for migratory birds, expand Arctic drilling and hamstring future regulation of public health threats. By Matthew Brown and Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 800 words, photo.
FAA-BOEING — After nearly two years and a pair of deadly crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration clears Boeing’s 737 Max for flight. The nation’s air safety agency announces the move, saying it was done after a “comprehensive and methodical” 20-month review process. By David Koenig and Tom Krisher. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — New York City’s mayor says he’s shuttering schools in the nation's largest public school system to try to stop the renewed spread of the coronavirus. SENT: 880 words, video, photos.
BRITAIN-MEGHAN LAWSUIT — Court papers show the Duchess of Sussex was advised by two senior members of Britain’s royal family to write a letter to her estranged father that a newspaper later published in part. SENT: 500 words, photo.
BOOKS-OBAMA-SALES — Former President Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” sells nearly 890,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada in its first 24 hours, putting it on track to be the best-selling presidential memoir in modern history. SENT: 940 words, photo.
TV-CHARLIE BROWN-SPECIALS — The “Great Pumpkin” never showed on broadcast television this year, but after a deal with PBS, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will return to the air. SENT: 150 words, photos.
PEOPLE-TORY LANEZ — Rapper Tory Lanez pleads not guilty through his attorney to felony assault charges in the July shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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MORE ON ELECTION 2020
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TRUMP-REPUBLICANS — Though a growing number of Republicans have quietly acknowledged the result of the election, few are publicly challenging President Trump. UPCOMING: 1,100 words by 7 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-BELLWETHERS — Vigo County, Indiana, was the America’s more reliable presidential bellwether, voting in line with the rest of the nation since 1956. But that winning streak ended this year, as it did for nearly all the country’s bellwethers. SENT: 2,100 words, photos. Abridged version also available.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — President Trump’s campaign pays $3 million for a recount of two heavily Democratic Wisconsin counties, saying that they were the site of the “worst irregularities.” No evidence of wrongdoing has been presented so far. SENT: 290 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA — Election officials across Georgia are staring down a Wednesday deadline to complete a hand tally of the presidential race in the state. SENT: 780 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing. Deadline at 11:59 p.m. With ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA-GRAHAM — Sen. Graham facing ethics complaint over Georgia ballots question. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE — Coronavirus cases in Europe fell nearly 10% last week thanks in part to strict government measures, the World Health Organization says. SENT: 620 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY-PROTESTS — German police fire water cannons at demonstrators in downtown Berlin protesting coronavirus restrictions. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA-SECOND SURGE — As Africa is poised to surpass 2 million confirmed virus cases, it is Kenya’s turn to worry the continent with a second surge in infections. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IMMIGRANT CHILDREN — A federal judge orders the Trump administration to stop expelling immigrant children who cross the southern border alone. SENT: 570 words.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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CONGRESS-DEMOCRATS — House Democrats nominate Nancy Pelosi to be the speaker who guides them again next year as Joe Biden becomes president, and she seems to suggest that these will be her final two years in the post. SENT: 920 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-IRAN — The United States hits Iran with new sanctions as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes the case that undoing the actions of the Trump administration would be foolish and dangerous. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 460 words, photo.
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GREEN BERET ESPIONAGE — A former Army Green Beret pleads guilty to divulging military secrets to Russia about his Special Forces unit’s activities in former Soviet republics. SENT: 570 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-INVESTIGATION — Prosecutors in the upcoming trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd want to introduce evidence of a 2017 arrest in which they say the officer held his knee on the back of a 14-year-old boy and ignored his pleas that he couldn’t breathe. SENT: 360 words, photo.
FEDERAL-EXECUTIONS — The Justice Department plans to execute a death-row inmate convicted of helping to kidnap and kill a Texas woman in 1994. It would be the eighth execution this year as part of a resumption of federal executions after a nearly two-decade pause. SENT: 790 words, photos.
POLICE SHOOTING WISCONSIN-MALL — A suburban Milwaukee police officer who has fatally shot three people in the line of duty since 2015, including a Black teenager outside a mall in February, is resigning from the department. SENT: 300 words.
NRA-GUN INSURANCE — New York regulators say the National Rifle Association is banned from marketing insurance in the state for five years and will pay $2.5 million to settle a probe into “dangerous” policies that covered gun owners’ costs related to self-defense shootings. SENT: 460 words, photos.
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MEXICO-GENERAL ARRESTED — U.S. prosecutors formally drop a drug trafficking and money laundering case against a former Mexican defense secretary, a decision that comes after Mexico threatened to cut off cooperation with U.S. authorities unless the general is sent home. SENT: 960 words, photos.
TROPICAL-WEATHER — Piles of wind-tossed lumber used to be homes. Concrete walls have been pounded into painted chunks. The devastation caused by Hurricane Iota becomes clear along Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. SENT: 580 words, photos.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — Armenia’s prime minister presents a 15-point “road map” in a bid to resolve a political crisis that unfolded after he signed a truce with Azerbaijan to halt the fighting over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. SENT: 370 words.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — An afternoon slump leaves stock indexes broadly lower on Wall Street. The S&P 500 loses 1.2% while the Dow sheds more than 340 points. SENT: 800 words, photo.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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CONGO-EBOLA — Congo declares an end to its 11th Ebola outbreak, this one in western Equateur province, nearly six months after cases were reported and amid the rise of COVID-19 in the Central African nation. SENT: 520 words.
SPACE STATION — The International Space Station’s two Russian astronauts venture out on a spacewalk to prepare for next year’s arrival of a long-delayed lab. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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NBA DRAFT — The NBA will hold its twice-delayed draft, launching the professional careers of players such as Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Draft begins 8 p.m.
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MEDIA-FOX COMPETITION — The Trump-friendly network Newsmax saw its viewership explode after the election, helped by fans of the president who were apparently miffed at Fox News Channel. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
MUSIC-GRAMMY NOMS PREVIEW — A preview of what to expect when the Recording Academy announces the nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards next week. By Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 1,500 words, photos.
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HOLIDAYS-SEARCHING FOR JOY — As some holiday tree sellers fear they’ll sell out by Thanksgiving and parcel shipping companies worry about November gridlock, a growing number of people on a quest for joy have early Christmas fever. They’ve bucked tradition and gone full-on Christmas weeks earlier than normal. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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