AP News Digest 6:15 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 VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE, DEVOS-FAREWELL, 2020-CENSUS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE RUINED, HAVEN-DISSOLVING, BAKED-IN WARMING, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARCH MADNESS.
SENATE-GEORGIA — Trump rally at 9 p.m.
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CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE — With mounting desperation, President Donald Trump is calling on Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden. But more and more Republicans are turning against him, saying the time to dispute the election “has passed.” By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 900 words, photos, video. With ELECTORAL COLLEGE-PROTESTS — DC mayor calls in National Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests. SENT: 880 words, photos.
TRUMP-ANALYSIS — President Trump’s ongoing efforts to overturn the 2020 election results — laid bare for the world in an hourlong weekend phone call with a Georgia election official — demonstrate his unrestrained determination to maintain a grip on power no matter the consequences for the nation’s democratic traditions. An AP News Analysis. By Jonathan Lemire and Kate Brumback. UPCOMING: 850 words by 7 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The first Americans inoculated against COVID-19 begin rolling up their sleeves for their second and final dose, while Britain introducesanother vaccine on the same day it imposes a new nationwide lockdown against the rapidly surging virus. New York State, meanwhile, announces its first known case of the new and seemingly more contagious variant. By Danica Kirka and Aniruddha Ghosal. SENT: 950 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — UK prime minister orders new virus lockdown for England. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
SENATE-GEORGIA — President-elect Joe Biden tells Georgians he needs a Democratic Senate majority to combatthe coronavirus and get other things done. Vice President Mike Pence warns conservative Christians that the state’s high-stakes Senate runoffs Tuesday may offer “the last line of defense” against a Democratic takeover in Washington. By Bill Barrow and Jeff Amy. SENT: 980 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 p.m. Trump rally, 1,150 words by 10 p.m. With EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA RUNOFF — Here we go again: What to expect as Georgia counts votes. SENT: 750 words, photos.
Find our complete coverage plan for Tuesday’s Georgia runoff election here.
PERSIAN GULF TENSIONS — Iran begins enriching uranium to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and also seizes a South Korean-flagged tanker near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a double-barreled challenge to the West that further raised Mideast tensions. By Jon Gambrell and Isabel Debre. SENT: 670 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ASSANGE — A British judge rejects the United States’ request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges over the publication of secret U.S. documents a decade ago, saying he is likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
GLOBAL MINISTRY-SEX SCANDAL — A posthumous sexual misconduct scandal involving the man who founded, in his own name, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has placed the global Christian organization in a wrenching predicament. It faces calls from within its own ranks to change its name, pay reparations to any victims and oust some top leaders. By National Writer David Crary. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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GOOGLE-UNIONIZATION — A group of Google engineers announces they have formed a union, creating a rare foothold for the labor movement in the tech industry. SENT:
SLACK-OUTAGE — Slack, the messaging service used by millions, suffers a global outage on the first day back at school and work for most people after the New Year’s holiday. SENT: 340 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEXICO — The Mexican government official heading up efforts to deal with the pandemic is spotted at a Pacific coast beach, apparently sitting at a sea-side restaurant without wearing a face mask. SENT: 200 words, photos.
HEISMAN TROPHY PREVIEW — Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on Tuesday night. SENT: 740 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — As lawmakers around the U.S. convene this winter to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, statehouses themselves could prove to be hothouses for infection. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES-BLACK SURGEON — For Dr. David Tom Cooke, participating in the clinical trial for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine was one step in his efforts to allay concerns about the vaccine’s safety in the Black community. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NIGERIA-VARIANT — Scientists in South Africa are testing to see if the vaccines for COVID-19 will be effective against the country’s variant virus. SENT: 390 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Lebanon gears up for a new nationwide lockdown following the holiday season, which saw a large increase in infections. SENT: 480 words, photos.
VIRUS OUBREAK-FLORIDA-TRUMP — A Florida legislator wants President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club punished for hosting a New Year’s Eve party where few of the 500 guests wore masks in possible violation of local coronavirus ordinances. SENT: 480 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden is mostly steering clear of the controversy engulfing President Trump’s final days in office, aiming to project the different approach to governing Americans can expect when he moves into the White House on Jan. 20. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
CONGRESS-HOUSE RULES — Democrats controlling the House move aggressively to tighten their hold over the chamber despite their narrow margin, ramming through a rules package that limits the potential for embarrassing votes and caters to the party’s progressive wing. SENT: 670 words, photos.
DEVOS-FAREWELL — In a farewell letter to Congress, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urges lawmakers to reject policies supported by President-elect Joe Biden, and to protect Trump administration policies that Biden has promised to eliminate. SENT: 830 words, photos.
2020-CENSUS — Attorneys for municipalities and advocacy groups say they plan to seek court sanctions against Trump administration attorneys for refusing to turn over data and documents about the quality of the census. SENT: 520 words, photo.
TRUMP-NUNES — President Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to one of his most outspoken congressional allies, California Rep. Devin Nunes. SENT: 300 words, photos.
CIA RECRUITMENT — To further diversify its ranks, the CIA launches a website to find top-tier candidates who will bring a broader range of life experiences to the nation’s premier intelligence agency. SENT: 550 words, photo.
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QATAR-GULF-CRISIS — Kuwait’s foreign ministry announces that Saudi Arabia will lift a years-long embargo on Qatar, opening its air and land borders in the first steps toward ending the Gulf crisis. SENT: 440 words, photo.
SPAIN-GIBRALTAR — Virus, more than Brexit fallout, is the worry in and near Gibraltar, the United Kingdom’s only land border with the European mainland. SENT: 440 words, photos.
NIGER-VIOLENCE — More than 100 civilians were killed in Niger over the weekend by extremists who attacked two villages, as insurgent violence mounts in the West African nation. SENT: 830 words.
MEXICO-PRESIDENTIAL PRESS CONFERENCES — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has held marathon press conferences — some lasting three hours — every weekday since taking office on Dec. 1, 2018. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE RUINED — A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was “crashing down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA, according to court documents. SENT: 640 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-KENTUCKY OFFICERS — A Kentucky police detective facing termination in connection with his role in the raid that left Breonna Taylor dead has met with his police chief, an attorney says. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks pull back from their recent record highs as big swings return to Wall Street at the onset of the year. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
FIAT CHRYSLER-PEUGEOT-MERGER — Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot vote to merge and create the world’s fourth-largest auto company. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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HAVEN-DISSOLVING — A health care venture conceived by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan to attack soaring costs is dissolving only a few years after launching. By Health Writer Tom Murphy. SENT: 390 words, photo.
BAKED-IN WARMING — The amount of baked-in global warming, from carbon pollution already in the air, is enough to blow past international agreed upon goals to limit climate change, a study says. But there's still time to fix things. SENT: 600 words, photo.
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TV-MR. MAYOR — There’s a government office right there in the very title of Ted Danson’s new series, but the new NBC comedy “Mr. Mayor” is anything but political. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 710 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARCH MADNESS — All 67 games of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, including the Final Four, will be played entirely in Indiana. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Mike Stewart 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.