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.
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TRUMP — With 13 days left in President Donald Trump’s term, a shaken nation wonders what he might do next. Out of sight in the White House, a cornered president has been silenced on his favorite lines of communication and faces the resignation of numerous aides and growing chatter about whether the 25th Amendment could be invoked to remove him from office early. By Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5:30 p.m., photos.
TRUMP’S FUTURE — Lawmakers in both parties and members of President Trump’s own administration have been engaged in discussions on removing Trump from power following Wednesday’s insurrection in the Capitol by his supporters. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Zeke Miller. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
TRUMP-PENCE — They were never a natural fit, the evangelical darling and the reality TV star, but Donald Trump and Mike Pence made their marriage of convenience work politically. Now they’re both feeling betrayed by one another at the finish line. By Jill Colvin. UPCOMING: 890 words by 5 p.m., photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-LAW ENFORCEMENT FAILURES — There were plenty of warnings, plenty of time to prepare and plenty of money to do it. But the U.S. Capitol was overrun by a violent mob in an utter failure from a law enforcement agency sworn to protect the lawmakers inside, one that has an operating budget of $460 million and experience with high-security, high-stakes moments. By Nomaan Merchant and Colleen Long. UPCOMING: 890 words by 5 p.m., photos.
CONGRESS DOUBLE STANDARD -- The violent breaching of the halls of power on Capitol Hill by insurrectionists represents one of the plainest displays of a racial double standard in modern history. The insurrectionist mob had a nearly unhindered, hours-long run of the Capitol building complex Wednesday. But the display is consistent with a long pattern of how society coddles racists and downplays violent white supremacist ideology. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
TRUMP SOCIAL MEDIA-RECKONING — Facebook will bar President Trump from posting on its system at least until the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, the platform said. In a post announcing the unprecedented move, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the risk of allowing Trump to use the platform is too great following the president’s incitement of a mob that touched off a deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. By Barbara Ortutay and David Klepper. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
BRAZIL-ABORTIONS ABROAD — Brazilian women without means have started seeking abortions elsewhere in Latin America to dodge risks and legal obstacles in the region’s most populous country. Abortions are relatively common in Brazil, but there is great stigma attached and President Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to prevent any loosening of restrictions. Brazilian women don’t even need passports to enter Argentina, which on Dec. 30 approved landmark legislation legalizing abortion. By David Biller, Almudena Calatrava and Tatiana Pollastri. SENT: 1,370 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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DAIMLER-ELECTRIC CAR — Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across almost the entire width of the car instead of a conventional dashboard. SENT: 205 words, photo.
PAKISTAN DANIEL PEARL — Pakistan’s Supreme Court adjourned without deciding whether to free the man convicted and later acquitted of the 2002 murder of a American journalist Daniel Pearl. SENT: 325 words, photos.
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25th AMENDMENT-EXPLAINER — President Donald Trump’s role in inciting violence at the U.S. Capitol and refusal to acknowledge defeat in the presidential election is prompting some lawmakers to urge his removal from office using the 25th Amendment. Some questions and answers about the 25th Amendment. SENT: 636 words, photo.
CAPITOL BREACH — The day after the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters brings painful new questions across the government — about Trump’s fitness to remain in office for two more weeks, the ability of the police to secure the complex and the future of the Republican Party in a post-Trump era. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4 p.m. With: CAPITOL BREACH-THE LATEST, developing.
CONGRESS-WORLD REACTION — As the world watched American institutions shaken to the core by an angry mob, officials and ordinary citizens wondered: How fragile is democracy, and how much stress could their own political systems withstand? SENT: 1,050 words, photo. WITH: CONGRESS-WORLD REACTION QUOTES — SENT: 780 words, photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-ARRESTS — Members of the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol could face sedition and other serious federal charges but it may weeks for investigators who are combing through photos and social media accounts to build cases against them. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-SCENE — The mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol broke glass, ransacked offices, desecrated statues and left trash and dirt strewn about the U.S. Capitol, creating a massive cleanup job for the hundreds of workers who toil across the complex. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-WOMAN SHOT — The woman who was fatally shot when a mob supporting President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol was identified by authorities Thursday as Ashli Babbitt, whose family described her as an Air Force veteran. SENT: 450 words, photos.
Find an advisory with all of today’s coverage plans for the Capitol siege and the final days of Trump’s presidency here.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The U.S. registered more COVID-19 deaths in a single day than ever before -- nearly 3,900 -- on the very day the mob attack on the Capitol laid bare some of the same, deep political divisions that have hampered the battle against the pandemic. SENT: 400 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IOWA TESTING — Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and four aides helped make a marketing video for a Utah company that was awarded no-bid contracts for work on the coronavirus pandemic, a move that has raised allegations of favoritism and improper use of public resources. SENT: 765 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Japan declares a state of emergency in Tokyo and three nearby areas as coronavirus cases continue to surge, hitting a daily record of 2,447 in the capital. SENT: 890 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Lebanon begins a 25-day nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus as infections hit a record in the tiny Mediterranean nation and patients overwhelm the health care sector. SENT: 620 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARIZONA GOVERNOR — Since early in the pandemic, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has resisted instituting restrictive measures to try to keep the coronavirus cases from rising. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-WHO — The World Health Organization is denying that Italian officials pressured it to spike a report into Italy’s coronavirus response but says the U.N. agency should have shared the document with the government before publication. SENT: 500 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California hospitals struggling with a skyrocketing coronavirus surge are trying to prepare for the possibility that they may have to ration care for lack of staff and beds — and hoping they don’t have to make that choice. SENT: 630 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — Lockdown measures were being imposed in a northern Chinese province where coronavirus cases more than doubled in the region near Beijing that’s due to host some events in next year’s Winter Olympics. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-SECOND-SHOT — The first COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. and U.K. require two doses a few weeks apart. SENT: 300 words, graphic.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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BIDEN-ATTORNEY GENERAL-MERRICK GARLAND — President-elect Joe Biden introduces Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general along with three others he has selected for senior Justice Department positions to “restore the independence” of the agency and faith in the rule of law. SENT: 1040 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 1:30 p.m. event, 1000 words by 4 p.m., photos, video.
SENATE-GEORGIA STACEY ABRAMS — Stacey Abrams spent years crisscrossing Georgia to convince Democratic leaders, donors and prospective candidates that a vast, untapped well of potential voters could upend Republican domination in the state. Now, she’s being credited with laying the organizational groundwork that helped Democrats capture the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, propelling the party into the Senate majority. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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IRAN-PLANE SHOOTDOWN-ANNIVERSARY — More questions than answers remain about the disaster that killed 176 people on board a Ukrainian jetliner, a year after Iran’s military mistakenly downed the plane with surface-to-air missiles. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
HONG-KONG-CRACKDOWN — Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was arrested on a new charge under the national security law while an American rights lawyer who was detained in a sweeping crackdown was granted bail. SENT: 740 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — Attacks in Afghanistan left at least 23 civilians and security forces dead, officials say, even as Afghan negotiators were in Qatar to resume talks with the Taliban aimed at finding an end to decades of conflict. SENT: 370 words, photo.
UGANDA ELECTIONS-BOBI WINE — Police in Uganda confronted popular opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine during an online press conference and he said they fired tear gas and bullets as they swarmed his car. Journalists watched as an officer appeared to drag Wine from the car while he pleaded that he had broken no law. SENT: 710 words, photo.
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BOSTON MARATHON-BOMBING — Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sued the federal government for $250,000 over how he’s been treated at the Colorado prison where he is serving a life sentence. He cites confiscation of a baseball cap and a limit on showers. SENT: 275 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-ANDRE HILL — A spokesperson for Ohio’s capital city says an officer’s instruction for other officers to turn off their body worn cameras in the aftermath of Andre Hill’s fatal shooting is part of an investigation into Hill’s death. SENT: 480 words, photos.
ONE GOOD THING-DOG TRAINER — Marybeth Hearn was 10 when she asked her parents if she could train her first guide dog: a black Labrador puppy named Letta. In the more than five decades since, she has trained dozens of dogs to assist blind and visually impaired people. But her legacy doesn’t end there. SENT: 630 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SCI-IDENTICAL TWINS — If you’re an identical twin who’s always resisted being called a clone of your sibling, scientists say you have a point. Identical twins are not exactly genetically the same, new research shows. SENT: 500 words, photo.
CHANGING RIVERS — A new study shows one-third of America’s rivers have changed color since 1984. Wednesday’s study says much of that is rivers getting greener. Scientists say generally that’s not good. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell slightly to 787,000, evidence of a job market stumbling in the face of the viral pandemic and the damage it has inflicted on the economy for nearly 10 months. SENT: 770 words, photos. WITH: ECONOMY-SERVICES —The U.S. services sector, where most Americans work, grew for the seventh straight month in December even as coronavirus cases surged through the holidays. SENT: 245 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Wall Street is rallying toward record highs again on expectations that the Democratic sweep of Washington means more stimulus is likely on the way for the economy. SENT: 790 words, photos. Developing.
TRADE GAP — The U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November, the highest monthly deficit in 14 years, as a surge in imports overwhelmed a smaller increase in exports. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE-MEDIA — A day after a violent mob loyal to President Trump stormed the Senate, the media was trying to grasp the long-term implications and possible ramifications. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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BBO-METS INDIANS TRADE — The Cleveland Indians traded four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets. Cleveland obtained infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. SENT: 400 words, photos.
FBN-PLAYOFF NEWCOMERS — Jamal Adams yelled in celebration after Seattle qualified for the playoffs last month and lit up a victory cigar at the podium when the Seahawks clinched the division. After spending his first three seasons in the NFL on the outside of the postseason with the struggling New York Jets, Adams is reveling in the chance to play in meaningful January games after the offseason trade to Seattle. He is among several stars set for playoff debuts this weekend along with Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and Tampa Bay receives Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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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.