BC-AP News Digest 6 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 1 month AGO
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-BARR, VIRUS OUTBREAK-300K DEATHS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-INCOME SCAMS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-BIRTHDAY KINDNESS, TV-BIG SKY-NATIVE AMERICAN PROTESTS, WOMEN’S OPEN.
BIDEN — Remarks scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHILD BRIDES — Marriages of underage girls are on the rise as the pandemic deepens poverty around the world, threatening to undo years of work by activists trying to stop the tradition. The United Nations estimates that hardships resulting from COVID-19 will drive 13 million more girls to marry before age 18. By Krista Larson. SENT: 2,430 words, photos. Abridged version also available.
AP POLL-VIRUS RESTRICTIONS — The pandemic has hit new levels across the U.S., but Americans’ alarm over the virus and their preferences on government restrictions have barely budged from the quieter period in the summer. An AP-NORC survey finds less than half of Americans say they are extremely or very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with the virus. By Stephen Groves and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, graphics.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history kicks off as health workers roll up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic — a day of optimism even as the nation’s death toll hits a staggering 300,000. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 810 words, video, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TRUMP — Top US officials expected to get COVID-19 vaccine this week. SENT: 580 words, photos; VIRUS OUTBREAK-EXPLAINING VACCINE SHIPMENTS — How much COVID-19 vaccine will be shipped in US? SENT: 660 words, photos; VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE Q&A — What to know about COVID-19 vaccination in the US. SENT: 860 words, photos. Also moved previously.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE — Presidential electors in key battleground states cast the votes that affirm Joe Biden as the nation’s next president. Monday’s action by the Electoral College is a formality that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 1,020 words. UPCOMING: 1,100 words by 9 p.m., with updates from developments into the evening; last votes around 7 p.m. With ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-ELECTORS — Why Trump’s latest Electoral College ploy is certain to fail. SENT: 860 words, photo.
BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden will tell Americans on Monday that “democracy prevailed” as electors across the country cast votes affirming his victory in last month’s election. Biden aims to guide Americans past the tumult of the campaign and President Trump’s refusal to accept defeat. By Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert. SENT: 830 words, photo. UPCOMING: 990 words after Biden remarks, scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Find the AP’s full coverage plan for Monday’s Electoral College vote here.
TRUMP-BARR — Attorney General William Barr, one of President Trump’s staunchest allies, is resigning amid lingering tension with the president over the president’s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son. Barr went to the White House on Monday, where Trump said he submitted his letter of resignation. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 140 words, photo. UPCOMING: 880 words by 7 p.m.
FEDERAL AGENCIES HACKED — U.S. government agencies and private companies rush to secure their computer networks following the disclosure of a sophisticated and long-running cyber-espionage intrusion. Experts say the hack was almost certainly carried out by a foreign state. By Frank Bajak and Ben Fox. SENT: 1,140 words, photos. With EXPLAINER-FEDERAL AGENCIES HACKED — How bad is the hack that targeted US agencies? SENT: 860 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveils a proposal for COVID-19 relief as Congress searches for a final agreement. The proposal being unveiled Monday includes billions of dollars for businesses, the unemployed and for schools, along with money for vaccine distribution. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 780 words, photos.
INDIANS-NAME CHANGE — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name after months of discussions, including with Native Americans who have long protested the use of a moniker that many deem racist. The team just doesn't know to what or when. By Sports Writer Tom Withers. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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GOOGLE-OUTAGE — Google users in the U.S., Europe, India and other parts of the world are briefly unable to access their Gmail accounts, watch YouTube videos or get to their online documents during an outage. SENT: 200 words, photo.
CHILE-SOLAR ECLIPSE — Thousands of people gather in the Chilean region of La Araucanía to witness a solar eclipse. SENT: 350 words, photos.photos.
TREASURE HUNTER-STILL IN JAIL — A former deep-sea treasure hunter is about to mark his fifth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing gold coins. SENT: 740 words, photos.
MICHAEL JACKSON-ACCUSERS-DOCUMENTARY — A court rules that a lawsuit filed by the Michael Jackson estate over an HBO documentary about two of the late pop star’s sex abuse accusers can go forward in private arbitration. SENT: 340 words.
JAPAN-ASTEROID-PROBE — Japan’s space agency confirms the presence of soil samples inside a capsule a spacecraft brought back last week from a distant asteroid. SENT: 260 words,
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-300K DEATHS — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipses 300,000, just as vaccinations begin across the country. SENT: 430 words, photos. Optional version of 1,000 words also available.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INCOME SCAMS — Authorities say they are cracking down on illegal schemes that have proliferated during the pandemic and prey on desperate people who have lost their jobs during the economic upheaval. SENT: 300 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — London and its surrounding areas will be placed under Britain’s highest level of coronavirus restrictions beginning Wednesday as infections rise rapidly. SENT: 740 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — Germany’s health minister demands that the European Union’s regulatory agency work faster to approve a coronavirus vaccine. SENT: 730 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA-VACCINE — Canada administers its first doses of a vaccine. SENT: 320 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-BIRTHDAY KINDNESS — Virginia woman does 53 acts of kindness for 53rd birthday. SENT: 520 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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ELECTION 2020-DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS — For more than a month, America’s democratic institutions have withstood a historic barrage of partisan attacks from President Trump and his allies, revealing both the durability of an electoral system crafted by the nation’s founding fathers and the intense strain that system is under. UPCOMING: 1,000 words by 8 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICANS — Republican leaders face a choice: declare Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election or keep standing silently by President Trump’s continued assault on the Electoral College outcome. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 990 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-WISCONSIN — The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects President Trump’s lawsuit attempting to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the battleground state. SENT: 550 words. With ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA-EARLY VOTING — Early in-person voting begins in Georgia for the state’s twin U.S. Senate runoffs. SENT: 780 words, photo.
TRUMP-RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS — The Trump administration moves to loosen Obama-era restrictions on religious organizations that receive federal money to provide social services. SENT: 670 words, photo.
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UNITED STATES-IRAN-LEVINSON —The Trump administration for the first time formally blames Iran for the presumed death of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, publicly identifying two Iranian intelligence officers believed responsible for his abduction. SENT: 900 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-TURKEY — The Trump administration imposes sanctions on its NATO ally Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system, setting the stage for further confrontation as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 880 words, photo.
SAUDI-ARABIA — An oil tanker off the port city of Jiddah is hit by an explosion from “an external source,” a shipping company says, suggesting another vessel has come under attack off the Saudi kingdom amid its yearslong war in Yemen. SENT: 750 words, photos.
SUDAN-US — The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum says the Trump’s administration has removed Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. SENT: 680 words, photos.
INDIA-FARMER PROTESTS — Tens of thousands of protesting Indian farmers call for a second national strike to press for agricultural reform. SENT: 490 words, photo.
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NATION’S CAPITAL-VIOLENCE — Police in Washington, D.C., ask for the public's help in identifying people who burned Black Lives Matter banners and damaged local churches during weekend clashes between activists and supporters of President Trump. SENT: 360 words, photos.
US-2020-CENSUS — Census numbers-crunching documents are at the center of latest fight. SENT: 670 words, photo.
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US-UAW-SCANDAL-SETTLEMENT — An independent monitor will watch the United Auto Workers’ finances and operations, and members will decide how they pick future leaders under a reform agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office. SENT: 550 words, photo.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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HEALTH CARE SIGN-UPS — A crush of sign-ups expected Tuesday on the last day of open enrollment for HealthCare.gov could cement the Affordable Care Act’s place as a survivor of the Donald Trump years. SENT: 590 words.
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TV-BIG SKY-NATIVE AMERICAN PROTESTS — ABC’s “Big Sky” drew Native American censure for overlooking violence against Indigenous women. Its producers' first steps to make amends were called insulting by Native leaders. By Television Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 880 words, photos.
YE-THE YEAR IN PUBLISHING — Book publishing had a year like no other in 2020, and yet proved remarkably stable. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
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WOMEN’S OPEN — A Lim Kim of South Korea makes her first U.S. Women’s Open a memorable one, closing with three straight birdies to tie the record for the largest comeback and win the biggest event in women’s golf. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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