AP News Digest 7 a.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 1 month AGO
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE — The U.S. has given the final go-ahead to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, marking what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans. By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 1,100 words, photos,
TRUMP-ANALYSIS — The 2020 presidential election is over. But President Donald Trump’s baseless efforts to undermine it, and the consequences of those undemocratic actions, will linger for far longer. The actions of Trump and his allies have exposed a striking reality: Many lawmakers in one of the nation’s two major political parties are either willing to back efforts to overturn a free and fair election or unwilling to speak out against such a campaign. An AP News Analysis by Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 960 words, photos.
TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES — The Supreme Court rejects a lawsuit backed by President Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court and subvert the will of voters. By Nomaan Merchant, Alanna Durkin Richer and Mark Sherman. SENT: 1,250 words, photos. With TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES-THE CLAIMS — A lawsuit filled with claims that failed to withstand basic scrutiny. SENT: 870 words, photos.
BIDEN-CONGRESS GANGS-ANALYSIS — Senators trying to reach an agreement on a COVID-19 aid package aimed to show that the old ways of doing business in Washington — in good faith, across party lines — could still succeed. But by week’s end, resolution was proving out of reach. An AP News Analysis by Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,070 words, photo.
SUDAN-ETHIOPIA-THE MASSACRE — The only thing the survivors can agree on is that hundreds of people were slaughtered in a single Ethiopian town. Witnesses say security forces and their allies attacked civilians in Mai-Kadra with machetes and knives or strangled them with ropes. The stench of bodies lingered for days during the early chaos of the Ethiopian government’s offensive in the defiant Tigray region last month. By Fay Abuelgasim, Nariman El-Morty and Cara Anna. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-ROYALS — Prince William thanks pandemic workers at Christmas show. SENT: 180 words, photos.
HONG-KONG-JIMMY-LAI — Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai denied bail as Pompeo tweets support. SENT: 400 words, photos.
MEXICO-US AGENTS — US attorney general troubled by Mexican limits on agents. SENT: 390 words, photo.
ALGERIA-ABSENT PRESIDENT — Mystery over absence of Algeria leader treated for COVID-19. SENT: 290 words, photo.
ORACLE-HEADQUARTERS — Oracle says it will move HQ from Silicon Valley to Texas. SENT: 240 words, photo.
AUSTRALIA-ICEBREAKER RETIRED — Icebreaker leaves Australia after 150 Antarctica trips. SENT: 370 words, photo.
CHINA-FLYING-FLAMETHROWER — Flamethrower drone incinerates wasp nests in China. SENT: 180 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has reported another 950 coronavirus cases, its largest daily increase since the emergence of the pandemic, as fears grow about overwhelmed hospitals in the greater capital area. SENT: 1,130 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY'S TOLL — Italy could soon reclaim a record that nobody wants — the most coronavirus deaths in Europe — after the health care system again failed to protect the elderly and the government delayed imposing new restrictions. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINES-NATIVE AMERICANS — The federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans says it will receive more than enough vaccines to protect all the people working in hospitals and clinics, including doctors, nurses and support staff. SENT: 700 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH KOREA — Eight mainly Western nations accused North Korea of using the pandemic “to crack down further on the human rights of its own people,” pointing to reports of an uptick in executions related to the coronavirus and strict controls on movements in and around the capital. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL HOSPITAL — Across Brazil, many hospitals are filling up again with COVID-19 patients. On Friday, an Associated Press team visited the intensive care unit in the public Oceanico hospital in the Brazilian city of Niteroi. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UNUSED-PHONE-APPS — As coronavirus exposure notification technology slowly rolls out across the country, every resident in 17 states and the District of Columbia will now be able to send and receive alerts beyond their home state if they’ve tested positive for the coronavirus or come into contact with someone who has. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEXICO — The Mexican government’s medical safety commission approves the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, making Mexico the fourth country to do so. SENT: 260 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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BIDEN-AGRICULTURE — President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Tom Vilsack to take back his old job at the Agriculture Department. Vilsack says one of his first duties would be to “build back a vibrant and resilient economy” as the department aids in the coronavirus response. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — President Donald Trump has zeroed in on lots of big numbers this week: New highs in the stock market. The many states that have joined a lawsuit challenging his election loss. The 75 million people who voted for him. Other staggering numbers have gone unacknowledged by the president: Record coronavirus deaths in the U.S., record hospitalizations, record new cases. By Nancy Benac. SENT: 750 words, photos.
TRUMP RALLIES — Supporters of President Trump are returning to Washington for a pair of rallies to back his desperate efforts to subvert the election that he lost. Saturday’s rallies are meant as a show of force just two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Joe Biden as the next president. By Ashraf Khalil. SENT: 240 words, photo. UPCOMING: 500 words after events begin around 9 a.m.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to meet in a rare weekend session to consider President Donald Trump’s lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the battleground state. SENT: 350 words, photo.
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FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The Trump administration has continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard. SENT: 880 words, photos.
CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS-VIRGINIA — Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday announced a proposal to spend $25 million to transform historical sites in Virginia, including the Richmond spot where a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee became a recent focal point of protests against racism. SENT: 710 words.
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INDIA-CHILD-LABOR — The coronavirus pandemic is threatening the future of a generation of India’s children as thousands of families put their children to work to get by. With classrooms shuttered and parents losing their jobs, many children are working in farms, illegal factories, brick kilns and roadside stalls, reversing decades of progress to stop child labor. SENT: 820 words, photos.
SOUTH KOREA-CHILD RAPIST — Angry protesters threw eggs and shouted insults as one of South Korea’s most notorious child predators was released from a prison in southern Seoul at the end of a 12-year term. SENT: 760 words, photos.
UNITED-NATIONS-SYRIA-CHEMICAL-WEAPONS — The global chemical weapons watchdog criticized Syria for failing to declare a chemical weapons production facility and respond to 18 other issues, while Russia accused the watchdog of conducting a “political crusade” against its close ally, the Syrian government. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VENEZUELA-NATIONAL-CONSULTATION — Adversaries of Nicolás Maduro are inviting Venezuelans to voice their frustrations in a survey wrapping up days after the governing party won congressional elections boycotted by the opposition, which called the vote a fraudulent maneuver aimed at consolidating the president’s power. SENT: 460 words, photos.
INDONESIA-ISLAMIC-CLERIC — A firebrand Indonesian cleric turned himself in to authorities after he was accused of inciting people to breach pandemic restrictions by holding events with large crowds. SENT: 380 words, photos.
TAIWAN-NEWS-CHANNEL — Employees and supporters rallied for a Taiwanese pro-China cable news channel as it was taken off air after the government refused to renew its license, citing accuracy issues. SENT: 360 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — An early morning barrage of mortar shells slammed into the Afghan capital on, killing at least one civilian and wounding a second, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. SENT: 220 words, photos.
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GOOGLE-CALIFORNIA — California is seeking to join the Justice Department in its antitrust lawsuit against Google parent Alphabet Inc. SENT: 260 words.
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FBN-KORNACKI-NBC — Steve Kornacki, the breakout star of MSNBC’s election coverage, will continue to be a part of NBC’s “Football Night in America” after his debut appearance last Sunday. Kornacki will be on for the pregame show and during halftime of Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. By Sports Writer Joe Reedy. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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NBA PRESEASON RDP — John Wall was back on the floor for the first time in nearly two years. DeMarcus Cousins played for the first time since the 2019 NBA Finals. And the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers were home, with nobody there to watch. The NBA preseason — a truncated 49-game, nine-day sprint — opened Friday with a five-game slate, action returning to NBA arenas for the first time in exactly nine months. SENT: 950 words, photos.
GLF—WOMEN’S OPEN — Hinako Shibuno is no longer a Cinderella. But the 22-year-old from Japan is still smiling, especially after a 67 gave her a 135 total and a three-shot lead in the U.S. Women’s Open. Arizona State sophomore Linn Grant of Sweden was in second after a 69 and, and Kaitlyn Papp had a 68 to move another shot behind. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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