AP News Digest 2 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.
______________
______________
SENATE-GEORGIA — Georgia voters are deciding the balance of power in Congress in a pair of high-stakes Senate runoff elections that will help determine President-elect Joe Biden’s ability to enact what could be the most progressive governing agenda in generations. By Steve Peoples and Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,110 words. UPCOMING: Developing, polls close at 7 p.m., 1,200 words by 8 p.m., with updates throughout the night, photos, video. With: SENATE-GEORGIA-THE LATEST, developing. WITH: SENATE-GEORGIA-VOTECAST — The Associated Press survey of more than 2,700 voters in Georgia provides insight into who voted, and why, in the state’s Senate runoff elections. UPCOMING: 600 words by 7 p.m., with updates throughout the night. WITH: SENATE-GEORGIA-TAKEAWAYS — Highlights from the elections. UPCOMING: Developing late evening, 600 words by 11 p.m., photo. WITH: SENATE-GEORGIA-BIG QUESTIONS — The two Georgia runoffs that will determine control of the Senate have kept President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden in campaign mode and run up a half-billion-dollar tab in the process. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
Find complete coverage for the Georgia runoff election here.
CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE — Republican lawmakers orchestrating an unprecedented attempt to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory are finalizing their strategy as Congress careens toward a showdown Wednesday over the Electoral College count. With mounting desperation, Trump pledges to “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency as he appeals to Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 990 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 1,030 words by 4 p.m., photos, video. WITH: CONGRESS-EXPLAINING ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE — How Congress will count Electoral College votes. By Mary Clare Jalonick. UPCOMING: 990 words by 4 p.m., photo.
TRUMP-REPUBLICANS — It is a defining moment for the future of the Republican Party. The move to certify the Electoral College for Joe Biden has split the GOP, leading to a schism between those wanting to honor democratic norms and turn the page on President Donald Trump and those staying in lockstep with him and hoping to inherit Trump’s supporters for 2024. By Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 890 words by 5:30 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Despite growing vaccine access, January is looking grim around the globe as the coronavirus resurges and reshapes itself from Britain to Japan to California, filling hospitals and threatening livelihoods anew as governments lock down businesses and race to find solutions. England headed back into lockdown. Mexico City’s hospitals hold more virus patients than ever. Germany reported one of its highest daily death tolls to date. By Danica Kirka and Angela Charlton. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE RECORDS — As U.S. health officials try to get COVID-19 vaccines to people more quickly, it’s already time for some people to get their second shots. So who’s keeping track to make sure you get the correct second dose, and on time? And who can see that information? By Candice Choi. SENT: UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — The U.S. could soon be giving at least a million COVID-19 vaccinations a day despite the sluggish start, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, even as he warned the nation could be in for still tougher coming weeks of a surging virus. UPCOMING: 700 words by 3 p.m., photos.
_______________________________
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
_______________________________
MASSACHUSETTS STATE DINOSAUR — A Massachusetts state lawmaker is asking for the public’s help to select an official state dinosaur. SENT: 175 words.
MISSOURI CONGRESSMAN-PRAYER — U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said he was caught off guard by the negative response after he ended his opening prayer on the first day of the new Congress by saying, “Amen and A-woman.” SENT: 205 words.
MISSOURI PATROL-HEADQUARTERS SHOOTING — A man fired several shots with an assault-style rifle at a suburban Kansas City headquarters for the Missouri State Highway Patrol before he was shot and wounded by troopers, the patrol said. SENT: 265 words.
FRANCE-DEADBEAT-PARENTS — France is launching a new government service empowered to take money directly from the bank accounts of parents who fail to pay child support. SENT: 575 words, photos.
MALL EVACUATED-SUSPICIOUS DEVICE — A self-described “American nationalist” suspected of leaving a hoax explosive device in a car at a New York City mall has turned himself in to police, a law enforcement official said. SENT: 490 words, photos.
POLAND CATHOLIC WEEKLY — A liberal Roman Catholic magazine in Poland that recently criticized some high-ranking church officials says local church authorities in Krakow have terminated the publication’s office lease after almost 76 years. SENT: 325 words.
________________________________
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
_________________________________
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island emerged as a surprising COVID-19 hot spot last month, briefly posting the highest rate of new cases in the country. The nation’s smallest state hasn’t experienced the number of deaths seen in more populous states. But experts say Rhode Island’s experience offers lessons for other states wrestling with the same factors that drove the spike in cases. Among them are high population density, an aging population and many nursing homes, poverty, and an economy that relies on low-wage workers who can’t work from home. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO — The head of the World Health Organization said that he is “disappointed” that Chinese officials haven’t finalized permissions for the arrival of team of experts into China to examine origins of COVID-19. SENT: 345 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she has agreed with state governors to extend the country’s current lockdown by three weeks until Jan. 31. SENT: 415 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — England’s National Health Service is accustomed to tough winters — and caring for people on overcrowded wards sometimes means moving patients into the corridor. But this is different. Now some are lucky just to get medical help as they wait in an ambulance in the parking lot. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-VACCINE-EXPORTS — India’s government had not banned the export of any vaccines for COVID-19, the health ministry said, days after the head of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer said it got emergency authorization to produce the shots as long as it didn’t send them overseas. SENT: 330 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — Thailand reported 527 new coronavirus cases, most of them migrant workers who already were isolated, and the government said it was tightening movements of people around the country. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-COMMUNITY FRIDGES — Dozens of residents in an impoverished Miami neighborhood are staying fed thanks to the efforts of a woman whose generous acts have sparked widespread giving. Since August, Sherina Jones has been feeding the hungry through free community refrigerators. SENT: 740 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-RE-INFECTION — If you’ve already had the coronavirus, it’s possible you could get it again but such cases seem to be rare. Some reinfections have been confirmed, but two new studies suggest that would be very unusual for at least several months and maybe longer. SENT: 240 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MOROCCO-TOURIST-TOWN-PHOTO-GALLERY — Pandemic empties blue-hued Moroccan tourist town. SENT: 360 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
_______________________
_______________________
TRUMP-PENCE — Vice President Mike Pence finds himself in the most precarious position of his tenure as he prepares to preside over Wednesday’s congressional tally of Electoral College votes, the last front in President Donald Trump’s futile attempts to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. SENT: 1100 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 990 words by 5 p.m., photos.
EPA PUBLIC-HEALTH STUDIES — The Environmental Protection Agency releases one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration, limiting what evidence it will consider about risks of pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public-health regulation. It restricts what findings from public health studies the agency can consider in crafting health protections. SENT: 744 words, photo.
HAWLEY-PROTEST — Protesters who gathered outside the Virginia home of Republican Sen. Josh Hawley Monday evening were peaceful and left when police explained they were violating local picketing laws, police say. The Missouri senator claimed on Twitter that the group had been engaged in “leftwing violence.” SENT: 415 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-IRAN-TENSIONS — Joe Biden has an Iran problem, and it’s getting more complicated by the day. Thanks to provocative moves by Iran and less-than-coherent actions by the outgoing Trump administration, the president-elect is facing an increasingly uncertain situation when it comes to Iran. SENT: 940 words, photo.
_________________
_________________
PERSIAN-GULF-TENSIONS — Armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops stormed a South Korean tanker and forced the ship to change course and travel to Iran, the vessel’s owner says, the latest maritime seizure by Tehran amid heightened tensions with the West over its nuclear program. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ZIMBABWE-TAEKWONDO GIRLS — In Zimbabwe, where girls as young as 10 are forced to marry due to poverty or traditional and religious practices, a teenage taekwondo enthusiast is using the sport to give girls in an impoverished community a fighting chance at life. SENT: 800 words, photos.
QATAR-GULF CRISIS — Gulf Arab leaders signed a declaration in Saudi Arabia to mark a new page in relations following the kingdom’s decision to end a 3 1/2-year embargo of Qatar, easing a rift that deeply divided regional U.S. security allies and frayed social ties across the interconnected Arabian Peninsula. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN-PEACE-TALKS — Afghan negotiators are to resume talks with the Taliban aimed at finding an end to decades of relentless conflict even as hopes wane and frustration and fear grow over a spike in violence across Afghanistan that has combatants on both sides blaming the other. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
VENEZUELA — Nicolás Maduro was set to extend his grip on power as the ruling socialist party prepared to assume the leadership of Venezuela’s congress, the last institution in the country it didn’t already control. SENT: 650 words, photos.
————————
————————
POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA — An Illinois teenager is expected to enter a plea in the slayings of two people during street protests in Wisconsin following the police shooting of a Black man. Kyle Rittenhouse, now 18, heads to court just as the city of Kenosha is bracing for a charging decision for the white police officer who shot Jacob Blake on Aug. 23. The shooting, which was captured on bystander video and left Blake paralyzed, sparked sometimes violent unrest and eventually the deadly confrontation between Rittenhouse and several protesters. SENT: 650 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-ANDRE HILL FUNERAL — As light snow fell around the Ohio church morning, Andre Hill’s family, friends and strangers angry about his death — clad in their Sunday best and Black Lives Matter masks — walked in to honor his life. SENT: 590 words, photos.
ATLANTIC COAST PIPELINE — The developers of the now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline are laying out plans for how they want to go about unwinding their work and restoring disturbed land. In a filing with federal regulators, the pipeline company proposed an approximately 24-month timeline for efforts West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. SENT: 850 words, photos.
——————————————
HEALTH & SCIENCE
——————————————
GERMANY MIGRANTS-WEATHER — Move over, Siegfried. Ahmet is on the way. A journalists’ group gave a low pressure system bringing frigid temperatures, dark clouds and snow to Germany the boy’s name of Turkish origin in an effort to increase the visibility of the country’s increasingly diverse population. Ahmet will be followed by low pressure systems with names such as Cemal, Goran and Hakim. The high pressure systems reaching Germany early this year will be called Bozena, Chana or Dragica. SENT: 330 words, photos.
___________________
___________________
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks were wobbling between small gains and losses, a day after suffering their worst loss in months amid the worsening pandemic and potentially market-moving Senate elections. SENT: 685 words, photos. WITH: ECONOMY-MANUFACTURING — American factories grew in December at the fastest pace in more than two years as manufacturing continued to fare better during the pandemic than the battered services sector. SENT: 275 words, photos.
CHINA-WHERE’S-JACK-MA? — China’s best-known entrepreneur, e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma, hasn’t been seen in public since he angered regulators with an October speech. That is prompting speculation about what might happen to the billionaire founder of Alibaba Group, the world’s biggest e-commerce company. It is unclear what awaits Ma, who made his fortune by taking big risks. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
———————————-
—————————————
FILM-JAMAL KHASHOGGI DOCUMENTARY — The Jamal Khashoggi documentary “The Dissident” was one of the top films at the Sundance Film Festival last year and its premiere was attended by Hillary Clinton. But despite widespread acclaim, the major streaming services have stayed away. The experience of “The Dissident” raises questions about the future of political films on risk-averse streaming services. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 5 p.m.
———————
———————
FBC-HEISMAN TROPHY — Alabama’s DeVonta Smith can become the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in nearly three decades. Smith is the favorite among four finalists that include quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Kyle Trask of Florida and Smith’s teammate, Mac Jones of Alabama. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. UPCOMING: 750 words with photos. Winner announced about 7:50 p.m.
_________________
HOW TO REACH US
___________________
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, Phil Holm (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.