AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Eds: Resending to delete VIRUS OUTBREAK-RETAIL STRUGGLES and ELECTION 2020-MAIL BALLOT LOOKBACK, which will move in later cycles.
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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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Pfizer said it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter. The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,O1O words, photos.
TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES — Michigan state legislators head to the White House as President Donald Trump makes an extraordinary and sure-to-be futile attempt to block Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state and subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. By Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin and David Eggert. SENT: 1088 words. UPCOMING: Developing late-afternoon, 1,090 words by 6 p.m., photos.
BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden is set to hold his first in-person meeting since winning the election with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. Among the challenges facing the incoming administration: COVID-19 relief legislation, vaccine distribution and Senate confirmation of Biden’s Cabinet picks. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 487 words. UPCOMING: Developing. WITH: BIDEN-THE LATEST, developing. WITH: BIDEN-STAFF — President-elect Joe Biden adds four Obama-Biden administration veterans to his top ranks as he continues to build out his White House team. SENT: 347 words, photos. WITH: BIDEN-BIRTHDAY — President-elect Joe Biden turns 78. In two months, he’ll take the reins of a politically fractured nation facing the worst public health crisis in a century, high unemployment and a reckoning on racial injustice. SENT: 907 words, photos.
BIDEN-TRANSITION — President-elect Joe Biden is entering a new, more active phase of his transition as he prepares to roll out top Cabinet secretaries and vet staff for key administration roles. He could unveil his picks for Treasury secretary and secretary of state as early as next week. But even as Biden’s team is trying to work around the roadblocks the Trump administration has put in the way of his transition, experts warn that the longer the incoming president waits to get access to key information, the more damage the delay may cause to national security and public health. By Alexandra Jaffe. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-DOMESTIC INTERFERENCE — In the weeks before the presidential election, federal authorities had warned that foreign countries were primed to spread disinformation about the contest’s results. Turns out, the loudest megaphone for that message belonged not to Russia but to President Donald Trump. By Eric Tucker. UPCOMING: 850 words by 4 p.m., photos
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGES — As college students prepare to go home for the holidays, some schools are quickly ramping up COVID-19 testing to try to keep infections from spreading further as the coronavirus surges across the U.S. Thousands of cases have been connected to campuses since schools opened their doors this fall, forcing students to quarantine in dorms and shifting classes online. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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ODD-HOLIDAY HOOT — A tiny owl that was found dehydrated and hungry in the branches of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is eating its way back to good health and set to be released back into the wild Saturday. SENT: 200 words, photo.
VATICAN-INSTAGRAM — The Vatican is investigating how Pope Francis’ official Instagram account “liked” a photo of a scantily-clad Brazilian model. SENT: 110 words.
GERMANY CANNIBALISM — German prosecutors said there is evidence of “cannibalism” in the killing of a 44-year-old man whose remains were found on the northern edge of Berlin earlier this month. SENT: 185 words, photos.
FRANCE BLACK FRIDAY — France postpones ‘Black Friday’ to help locked-down shops. SENT: 390 words, photos.
STUDENT LEFT ON BUS — Authorities say a 4-year-old boy was left on a Georgia school bus Thursday morning and ended up outside of the driver’s home. SENT: 150 words.
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ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN RECOUNT — Wisconsin will begin recounts of the presidential race in the state’s two biggest and most Democratic counties. It’s a longshot bid by President Trump — who paid a required $3 million fee — to undo Joe Biden’s victory. Trump, who lost by more than 20,600 votes in Wisconsin, has alleged “mistakes and fraud” in the two counties, though he has produced no evidence to back up his claims. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA — Georgia’s top elections official is expected to certify election results showing Joe Biden won the presidential election in the state. SENT: 540 words, photos. Developing.
SENATE-GEORGIA-PENCE — Vice President Mike Pence is campaigning Friday in Georgia as the state’s two Republican senators try to beat back Democratic challenges in runoff races on Jan. 5 that will determine who controls the Senate at the outset of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. SENT: 575 words, photos.
SENATE TENNESSEE — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander says the Trump administration should aid President-elect Joe Biden in his transition. In a statement, the retiring Tennessee Republican said Trump’s team should provide all transition materials, resources and meetings needed to ensure a smooth transition, especially on COVID-19 vaccine distribution. SENT: 605 words, photo.
NOT REAL NEWS — False information claiming fraud in the U.S. presidential election is thriving online weeks after the Nov. 3 presidential election. SENT: 2,700 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — The coronavirus surge is taking an increasingly dire toll across the U.S. just as a vaccine appears close at hand, with the country now averaging over 1,300 COVID-19 deaths per day — the highest figure since the disastrous spring in and around New York City. By David Crary and Paul Weber. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MOTORCYCLE RALLY — This summer’s huge motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to dozens of coronavirus cases in neighboring Minnesota. That’s the finding of a report Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SENT: 310 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BATTERED-BUSINESSES — By most measures of what keeps a pub afloat, the coronavirus pandemic should have Ye Olde Kings Head on its last kegs. The British restaurant and bar has endured more than its share of setbacks during the past nine months and faces the latest challenge when new restrictions force it to halve its seating and send customers on their way by 10 p.m. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SANFORD CEO-MASKS — The head of one of the largest health systems in the Midwest has told his employees he’s recovered from COVID-19 and is back in the office — without a mask. Some doctors and nurses said his message was confusing and disheartening. SENT: 860 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RICK SCOTT — Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was isolating at home with “very mild symptoms.” SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE — Citizens in Italy’s small Germany-speaking province of South Tyrol lined up at schools, gymnasiums and pharmacies for rapid coronavirus tests, the largest testing initiative in the country to date and one that officials hope will speed the lifting of a partial locally imposed lockdown. SENT: 745 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEXICO — Mexico passes the 100,000 mark in COVID-19 deaths, becoming only the fourth country to do so amid concerns about the lingering physical and psychological scars on survivors. SENT: 830 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GREECE — Greek authorities are taking over two private health clinics and their staff in northern Greece as the region’s public hospitals are under severe pressure from a surge in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST-CHILDREN — The global pandemic and ensuing lockdown have taken their toll on the mental and physical well-being of millions of kids in the Middle East and North Africa, the U.N. children’s agency says. SENT: 560 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — Australia’s once hard-hit state of Victoria has gone three weeks without a new COVID-19 case for the first time since February. SENT: 710 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA — India’s total number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began crosses 9 million. SENT: 350 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California is imposing a nighttime curfew as its coronavirus figures soar but it will lean heavily on voluntary compliance and sheriffs of some counties say they won’t enforce it. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS EMERGENCY USE — What does emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine mean? It’s when regulators allow shots to be given to certain people while studies of safety and effectiveness are ongoing. SENT: 355 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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SUPREME COURT-MUELLER GRAND JURY — - The Supreme Court is putting off upcoming arguments about whether Congress should have access to secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. SENT: 218 words, photo.
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BOSNIA DAYTON-ANNIVERSARY — Bosnians are marking the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended more than 3 1/2 years of ethnic war in their country. In many ways, Bosnia today is a country at peace, a testament to the success of the Dayton Accords, which ended more than 3 1/2 years of bloodshed when they were endorsed 25 years ago on Saturday. But while the shooting and shelling that killed over 100,000 people stopped, full peace remains elusive. SENT: 970 words, photos.
YEMEN-AFGHANISTAN-HUNGER — The twin baby boys lay on a bed of woven palm leaves in a remote camp for displaced people in Yemen’s north, their collar bones and ribs visible. They cried loudly, twisting as if in pain, not from disease but from the hunger gnawing away at them. Here, U.N. officials’ increasingly dire warnings that a hunger crisis is growing around the world are becoming reality. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — Azerbaijani forces entered the war-ravaged ghost town of Aghdam, regaining a once-beloved city a quarter-century after being driven out by Armenian forces. Aghdam and the surrounding region of the same name are the first of several territories adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh to be turned over under a cease-fire that ended six weeks of intense fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia. SENT: 870 words, photos.
MIDEAST IRAN'S ALLIES — Two Iraqi officials say Iran has instructed allies across the Middle East to be on high alert and avoid provoking tensions with the U.S. that could give an outgoing Trump administration cause to launch attacks in the U.S. president’s final weeks in office. SENT: 840 words, photos.
FRANCE-TRAIN ATTACK — One of three Americans acclaimed as heroes for tackling an alleged Islamic State gunman aboard a Paris-bound train testified at the man’s trial Friday that he tried to kill him. SENT: 270 words, photos.
ONE-GOOD-THING-TEACHING-REFUGEES — Refugee women in Malaysia, some in their late 50s, are learning to read and write for the first time. SENT: 760 words, photos, video.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENT CLASH — Health officials around the world are clashing over the use of certain drugs for COVID-19, leading to different treatment options for patients depending on where they live. For instance, the World Health Organization guidelines panel advised against using the antiviral remdesivir for hospitalized patients, though it's the standard of care in the U.S. and many other countries. SENT: 710 words, photo.
EUROPE US SATELLITE MISSION — A satellite jointly developed by Europe and the United States being launched this weekend will greatly help scientists keep track of the rise in global sea levels, one of the most daunting effects of climate change, a senior official at the European Space Agency said. SENT: 610 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — U.S. stocks were lower as worries about the worsening pandemic weigh on rising optimism about a coming coronavirus vaccine. SENT: 650 words, photo.
APEC — Leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, including U.S. President Donald Trump, have pledged to work toward free, open and non-discriminatory trade and investment to revive their coronavirus-battered economies. SENT: 690 words, photos.
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OBIT-JAN MORRIS — Jan Morris, the celebrated journalist, historian, world traveler and fiction writer who became a pioneer of the transgender movement, has died at 94. SENT: 920 words.
SOUTH KOREA-BTS — K-pop band BTS has released their highly anticipated new album, which they describe as a “letter of hope.” The band held a socially distanced news conference in Seoul to unveil “BE,” its second album this year. SENT: 440 words, photos.
MUSIC-JAMES TAYLOR — James Taylor fans are getting more classic songs covered by the iconic singer-songwriter on Friday with the release of three — “Over The Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” from “My Fair Lady” and “Never Never Land” from “Peter Pan.” By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 700 words, photos.
MUSIC-DYLAN LOST INTERVIEWS — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for $495,000. SENT: 285 words, photos.
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BKN-RAPTORS-CANADA-PANDEMIC — The Canadian government has denied a request by the NBA and the Raptors to play in Toronto amid the pandemic, and the team says it will start the season next month in Tampa, Florida. SENT: 300 words, photos. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 3 p.m.
BKN--NBA-FREE AGENCY — NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents at 6 p.m. EST, and deals are expected to be struck quickly. Top players include Anthony Davis and Goran Dragic. Also, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo can agree to a supermax contract with Milwaukee. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 7 p.m.
FBN--BROWNS-GARRETT OUT — NFL sack leader Myles Garrett will miss one game — and possibly two — for the Browns after the dynamic end tested positive for COVID-19. Cleveland is in playoff contention for the first time in years. By Tom Withers. SENT: 350 words, photos. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 4 p.m.
FBC—T25-WEEKEND PREVIEW — The Big Ten’s four unbeaten teams meet Saturday in two games that could go a long way toward settling the division races: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 3 Ohio State in the East and No. 10 Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Northwestern in the West. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 650 words, photos.
SOC--FIFA-SEXUAL ABUSE INVESTIGATION — The president of Haiti’s soccer federation is banned from the sport for life and fined more than $1 million by FIFA, which says he sexually abused female players. Yves Jean-Bart denies the accusations. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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