AP News Digest 6:10 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: TRUMP-CONGRESS-NUCLEAR, CAPITOL BREACH-SHOOTING, CAPITOL BREACH-SPEAKER'S OFFICE, NKOREA-PARTY CONGRESS, PBS-MASTERPIECE-AT-50.
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TRUMP — President Donald Trump says he won’t attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, and Biden says he’s just fine with that, calling it “one of the few things we have ever agreed on.” By Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,190 words, photos, video. With TRUMP-INAUGURATION-HISTORY — A look at other presidents who stayed away, and why. SENT: 700 words, photos; TRUMP-LEGAL EXPOSURE — Trump’s top White House lawyer has repeatedly warned him he could be held responsible for inciting Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol, but the standard for legal liability is high. SENT: 770 words, photos.
TRUMP’S FUTURE — Democrats in Congress are swiftly laying plans to impeach President Trump and ensure an “unhinged” commander-in-chief can do no further damage in his remaining days in office. They are trying to send a message to the nation, and the world, that mob violence inspired by a White House will not stand. By Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Zeke Miller. SENT: 970 words, photos, video. With CONGRESS-EXPLAINING FAST IMPEACHMENT — How impeachment works, and what Congress can do in the short amount of time until Trump’s term ends. UPCOMING: 600 words by 7 p.m.
TRUMP-REPUBLICANS — Two days after thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, President Trump sits at the most isolated moment of his presidency. His allies across Washington have begun to desert him, two Cabinet members and at least a half-dozen aides have resigned, and a handful of congressional Republicans are openly considering whether he should be forced out before his scheduled Jan. 20 departure. By Steve Peoples and Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 980 words by 7 p.m., photos.
CAPITOL BREACH — A police officer dies from injuries suffered as President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, a violent siege that is forcing hard questions about the defeated president’s remaining days in office and the ability of the Capitol Police to secure the area. By Matthew Daly and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,140 words, photos, video. With CAPITOL BREACH-THE LATEST, developing; CAPITOL BREACH-TRUMP-FACT CHECK — A look at Trump’s claim that he immediately dispatched the National Guard to tamp down the chaos at the Capitol. SENT: 400 words, photos; CAPITOL BREACH-SHOOTING — Newly released video shows the Air Force veteran killed during the storming of the Capitol was shot as she began to climb through a broken part of a door leading into an area known as the Speaker’s Lobby. By Richard Lardner and Alison Kodjak. UPCOMING: 520 words, photo by 7 p.m.
TRUMP-CONGRESS-NUCLEAR — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s concern about constraining President Trump’s ability to launch a nuclear attack in his final days in office highlights a longstanding question: Should any president have the sole authority to start a nuclear war? By Robert Burns. SENT: 820 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots. By Bernard Condon, Matt Sedensky and Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
OBIT-LASORDA — Tommy Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93. The Dodgers said Friday that he had a heart attack at his home in Fullerton. By Beth Harris. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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ITALY SINKHOLE — A giant sinkhole opened in the parking lot of a hospital in Naples, Italy, forcing the temporary closure of a nearby residence for recovering COVID-19 patients because the electricity was cut. SENT: 200 words, photo.
MAYOR-CHOSEN HAT DRAWING — The race to be the mayor of a Houston suburb has ended with the winner’s name being drawn from a top hat. SENT: 195 words.
SPORTS BETTING-DRONES — In the “gamblers will bet on absolutely anything” category, here’s a new one: A major sports book is taking bets on aerial drone races. SENT: 365 words.
FIGHTER-SISTERS-STABBED — An Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts fighter is accused of stabbing his two sisters as they slept in a spare bedroom in his apartment. SENT: 490 words.
MEXICO-VIOLENCE — Nine people were killed and one wounded when gunmen opened fire at a wake in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, officials said. SENT: 265 words.
ROKU-QUIBI — Roku is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel. SENT: 195 words, photo.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-VARIANT — New research suggests that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in two highly contagious variants of the coronavirus that erupted in Britain and South Africa. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — The United States topped 4,000 daily deaths from the coronavirus for the first time. That breaks a record set just the day before. The surge is being seen in a number of Sun Belt states, where spikes of the virus were seen over the summer. Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. had 4,085 deaths Thursday. The U.S. had nearly 275,000 new coronavirus cases as well. SENT: 400 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden will be taking a new direction to speed release of coronavirus vaccines when he assumes office Jan. 20. His office says Biden will curtail the current practice of holding back vaccine doses to guarantee that people who get their first shot can also get a required second inoculation three weeks later. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — London’s mayor has declared the capital’s COVID-19 situation to be critical, reflecting deteriorating conditions for beleaguered hospitals, as the country recorded its highest daily death toll in the pandemic. Friday’s grim news that another 1,325 people have died within 28 days of a positive test came hours after the U.K regulator authorized a third vaccine for emergency use. SENT: 715 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL-WAIVERS — Facing a massive surge in coronavirus cases, California has been issuing waivers allowing hospitals to temporarily bypass the nation’s only strict nurse-to-patient ratios. SENT: 920 words, photo. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — For nurses, California’s virus outbreak has a personal toll (sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS — Millions of business owners are about to get additional help weathering the coronavirus outbreak. The Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department are reviving the Paycheck Protection Program five months after its first two rounds of funding ended. SENT: 850 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INACCURATE TESTS — The nation’s second-largest city said it will keep using a coronavirus test that federal regulators warned may produce false results while Congress, which has used the same test, is seeking an alternative. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE —The European Union’s drug agency approved doctors drawing up to six doses from each vial of the coronavirus vaccine made by BioNTech-Pfizer, a move that could speed up the pace of vaccinations in the 27-nation bloc. SENT: 820 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO — The head of the World Health Organization has appealed to makers of COVID-19 vaccines and the wealthy countries buying them to “stop making bilateral deals” that hurt a U.N.-backed initiative to make the vaccines more available. SENT: 440 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CZECH-CREMATORIUM-FULL — The biggest crematorium in the Czech Republic has been overwhelmed by mounting numbers of pandemic victims. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SWEDEN — Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is defending his visit to a mall to buy a Christmas present for his wife— in breach of his own repeated appeals for the public to shun shopping centers to avoid spreading COVID-19. SENT: 440 words, photos.
IRAN — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei bans Iran from the importing of American Pfizer-BioNTech and Britain’s AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, a reflection of mistrust toward the West. SENT: 560 words.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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CAPITOL BREACH-SPEAKER'S OFFICE — The FBI has arrested an Arkansas man who was photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office following the storming of the Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters, authorities announced. SENT: 400 words, photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-NATIONAL GUARD — Defense leaders say they are reviewing current restrictions on the use of force by National Guard members and could allow troops to carry batons or guns in Washington, D.C., as they brace for more protests and possible violence leading up to and during the Jan. 20 inauguration. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 910 words, photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-POMPEO — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejects suggestions that the United States is a “banana republic” following the assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Trump. At the same time, the State Department has instructed U.S. embassies overseas to defend the American political process even as Trump sought to subvert it. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 730 words, photo.
BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden says President Trump isn’t “fit for the job,” but refuses to endorse growing Democratic calls that he be impeached for a second time. By Will Weissert and Darlene Superville. SENT: 610 words, photos, video. With BIDEN-ECONOMIC TEAM — Biden introduces the governor of Rhode Island, the mayor of Boston and a small-business advocate from California as the newest members of his economic team. SENT: 680 words, photos, video
BIDEN-INAUGURATION SECURITY — President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20 was already going to be scaled back due to the pandemic. But after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, there are now questions about whether having a presidential ceremony on the steps of the same building could also pose a serious security risk. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
CAPITOL BREACH-TEACHERS — Across the country, social studies teachers set aside lesson plans this week to help young people make sense of the scenes from Washington, D.C., of the violent siege by supporters of President Trump. Teachers took widely varying approaches, with some deliberately holding off on historical comparisons with the event so fresh. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.
CANADA-TRUDEAU-TRUMP — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says President Donald Trump incited an assault on democracy by violent rioters. Friday’s comments were a rare direct criticism of Trump by him. SENT: 230 words, photo.
ILLINOIS CONGRESSWOMAN-HITLER REMARK — A freshman Republican congresswoman from downstate Illinois apologized Friday for quoting Adolf Hitler during a rally outside of the U.S. Capitol this week. SENT: 330 words.
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NKOREA-PARTY CONGRESS — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal and develop more sophisticated atomic weapons systems, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy. SENT: 200 words, photos.
LIBYA — The powerful interior minister of Libya’s U.N.-backed government, seen as a contender for the post of prime minister, has expressed hopes that bringing stability to his war-torn country would become a top priority for the incoming Biden administration. SENT: 900 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-BLASPHEMY — The U.S. religious watchdog appealed for the rights of a Pakistani woman from the country’s minority Ahmadis who has been jailed on blasphemy charges, declaring her a prisoner of conscience and urging Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to immediately set her free. SENT: 610 words, photos.
INDONESIA-RADICAL CLERIC — A convicted firebrand cleric who inspired the Bali bombers and other violent extremists walked free from an Indonesian prison after completing his sentence for funding the training of Islamic militants. SENT: 970 words, photos.
IRAN-DOWNED PLANE — The countries whose citizens were killed in the crash of a Ukrainian jetliner say they want Iran “to deliver justice and make sure Iran makes full reparations to the families of the victims and affected countries.” SENT: 230 words, photos.
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GIFFORDS-ANNIVERSARY — A decade ago, a gunman with paranoid schizophrenia killed six and injured 13 including Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She was meeting with constituents in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson. Now, some survivors say the violence at the U.S. Capitol this week has sparked painful memories and once again highlighted the bitter strife that continues to grip American politics. SENT: 960 words, photos.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY-LAWSUIT — Liberty University sued Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, accusing his administration of wrongfully denying financial aid to some of the evangelical school’s online students. SENT: 515 words, photos.
HATE-CRIMES-ARKANSAS — An effort to enact a hate crimes law in Arkansas — one of the few states without one — is in jeopardy, despite a push by the state’s popular Republican governor and major corporations. SENT: 740 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-IOWA PLEA DEAL — A white man who deliberately sped his car through a crowd of racial injustice protesters in Iowa City, striking many, will avoid prison and have the incident erased from his record if he stays out of trouble for three years. SENT: 620 words, photo.
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ECONOMY-JOBS REPORT — U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,000 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses. SENT: 995 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks were drifting near their record highs, following a sober reminder of how many jobs the pandemic is destroying, as Wall Street balances expectations for the economy’s potentially brighter future against its current pain. SENT: 800 words, photo.
GENERAL MOTORS-IMAGE CHANGE — General Motors is changing its corporate logo and launching an electric vehicle marketing campaign to reshape its image as clean vehicle company, rather than a builder of gas-powered pickups and SUVs. SENT: 550 words, photo.
DEUTSCHE-BANK BRIBERY — Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay a fine of more than $100 million to avoid a criminal prosecution on charges it participated in a foreign bribery scheme. Lawyers for the bank waived its right to face an indictment on conspiracy charges during a teleconference with a federal judge in New York City. SENT: 250 words, photo, developing.
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TV-Q&A-JAVICIA LESLIE-BATWOMAN — Javicia Leslie says she envisioned playing a superhero, but she didn’t know the role of Batwoman was in her future. Leslie stars as the caped crusader on CW’s “Batwoman,” which premieres its second season on Jan. 17. SENT: 850 words, photos, video.
PBS-MASTERPIECE-AT-50 — As PBS’ “Masterpiece” marks its 50th anniversary, the drama and mystery showcase could rest on its reputation built with acclaimed programs including “I, Claudius” and “Elizabeth R” and polished anew by surprising pop-culture hits “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey.” SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
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FBN-ALL PRO TEAM — Dynamic defensive star Aaron Donald and unstoppable tight end Travis Kelce are unanimous choices for The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on his fourth All-Pro Team. SENT: 700 words, photos.
FBC-COLLEGE FOOTBALL-2021 — In 2021, college football will both attempt to return to normal after a season roiled by the pandemic while also adapting to new set of NCAA rules that will empower athletes like never before. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Rob Jagodzinski can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Donald E. King (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.