AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months 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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FRUITS OF LABOR-THE CHILDREN — An Associated Press investigation has found an army of children toiling beneath a canopy of towering palm oil trees in Indonesia and Malaysia, the main suppliers of the world’s most consumed vegetable oil. They are kept out of school and forced to work for free or for little pay, and routinely exposed to dangerous chemicals. Others are smuggled across borders and left vulnerable to trafficking or sexual abuse. The AP traced the fruits of their labor to the supply chains of popular cereals, candies and ice creams sold by Nestle, Unilever, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo and many other leading food companies. It also was linked to that most American of treats — Girl Scout cookies. By SENT: Robin McDowell and Margie Mason. SENT: 3,660 words, photos. There is an abridged version of this story.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-CONGRESS —Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks Democrats’ push to immediately bring President Donald Trump’s demand for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks up for a vote, saying the chamber would “begin a process” to address the issue. Pressure is mounting on the Republican-led Senate to follow the House, which voted overwhelmingly on Monday to meet the president’s demand to increase the checks from $600 as the virus crisis worsens. By Lisa Mascaro and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,075 words, with photos. Developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Alabama, long one of the unhealthiest and most impoverished states in America, has emerged as one of its most alarming coronavirus hot spots. Its hospitals are in crisis as the virus rages out of control in a region with high rates of obesity, high blood pressure and other conditions that can make COVID-19 even more dangerous. By Jay Reeves. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
EXPLOSION-NASHVILLE-BUSINESSES — The Christmas Day explosion has sparked shock across the country after a bomb detonated in the heart of Nashville’s historic downtown, killing the bomber and injuring three other people and damaging dozens of buildings. The city’s mayor has promised to rebuild. But those who made their livelihood in the area fear another precious piece of their city may be lost. By By Kimberlee Kruesi and Bobby Caina Calvan. SENT: 910 words, photos, videos.
YE-MASS SHOOTINGS-2020 — If there’s one silver lining in this tumultuous year, it’s this: The number of mass shootings that happened in public was the lowest in more than a decade. UPCOMING: 740 words, photos, by 3 p.m.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-COLUMBUS POLICE — An officer on the scene of the fatal shooting of Andre Hill in Ohio’s capital city last week didn’t perceive any threats and didn’t see a gun, contrary to a mistaken claim by the fellow officer who killed Hill, according to newly-released records. By Andrew Welsh-Huggins. SENT: 700 words, photos.
YE-YOUR-2020-SNAPSHOT — It was a year like no other, and Americans shambled through 2020 the best they could, taking cellphone photos along the way. Behind those images are the stories of an era of pandemic and polarization and progress and upheaval. The photos represent the lives people experienced and the moments they captured. Associated Press reporters recently went back to some of the people they interviewed during the news events of the past year and asked a straightforward question: What image on your phone’s camera roll tells YOUR story of 2020? SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
Find more year-end coverage on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MED--DIETARY GUIDELINES — The first U.S. government dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers recommend feeding only breast milk for at least six months and giving no added sugar to children younger than 2. SENT: 250 words, photo.
RACIAL-INJUSTICE-EMANCIPATION-STATUE — Statue of slave kneeling before Lincoln is removed in Boston. SENT: 390 words, photo.
MARYLAND-STATE-SONG-REPEAL — After decades of debate, legislators in Maryland finally seem ready to repeal the state song. “Maryland, My Maryland” was written in 1861 as a call to arms for the Confederacy. SENT: 560 words.
JOURNALISTS-KILLED — Targeted killings of journalists surged in 2020, group says. SENT: 310 words.
MUSIC-HOLIDAY-SONGS — A record 39 holiday songs dominate Billboard Hot 100 chart. SENT: 660 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-STATE LEGISLATURES — State lawmakers across the country will convene in 2021 with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic rippling through much of their work — even affecting the way they work. After 10 months of emergency orders and restrictions from governors and local executive officials, some lawmakers are eager to reassert their power over decisions that shape the way people shop, work, worship and attend school. They also will face virus-induced budget pressures, with rising demand for spending on public health and social services colliding with uncertain tax revenue. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British officials are considering tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients surpasses the first peak of the outbreak in the spring. SENT: 680 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RUSSIAN-VACCINE — Belarus and Argentina launched mass coronavirus vaccinations with the Russian-developed Sputnik V shot, becoming the first countries outside Russia to roll out the vaccine, which has faced criticism over the speed with which it was approved. SENT; 540 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IRAN-VACCINE — The first study of the safety and effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine in Iran began Tuesday, state TV reported, with dozens due to receive the domestically developed shot even as details about its production remained slim. SENT: 610 words, photos.
JAPAN-SUGA-PANDEMIC POLITICS — Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga came to office on a wave of popularity, pledging to combat the coronavirus and fix Japan’s languishing economy. Now his support ratings have sunk amid flaring virus outbreaks and scandals within the ruling party, even as the economy appears to be recovering. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-VARIANT-VACCINE — Experts say current COVID-19 vaccines will likely work on the new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom, but are working to confirm that. The variant in the U.K. has caused alarm because of the possibility that it might spread more easily. SENT: 230 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-IRAN-WOMEN — As the coronavirus pandemic ravages Iran, home to the Mideast’s worst outbreak, a women’s group hopes to empower its members by helping them make and sell face masks. SENT: 440 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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SENATE-GEORGIA-COVID POLITICS — President Donald Trump’s call to more than triple pandemic relief for individual Americans has scrambled the political calculations for Georgia’s two Republican senators in the closing days of their high-stakes runoff campaigns. Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler belatedly declare their support for $2,000 relief checks. In doing so, they maintain their alliance with the president but find themselves aligned with the very Democratic congressional leaders they assail as socialists who’d tax-and-spend the country into bankruptcy. By Bill Barrow. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos, by 5 p.m.
TRUMP-CONGRESS-DEFENSE — President Donald Trump lashes out at congressional Republicans after the House easily voted to override his veto of a defense policy bill. More than 100 Republicans, including a member of GOP leadership, joined with Democrats on Monday to approve the override, which would be the first of Trump’s presidency. The Senate is expected to consider the measure later this week. Trump slammed GOP lawmakers on Twitter, charging that “Weak and tired Republican ‘leadership’ will allow the bad Defense Bill to pass.″ By Matthew Daly. SENT: 900 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
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CROATIA-EARTHQUAKE — A strong earthquake hit central Croatia on Tuesday, destroying buildings and sending panicked people fleeing into rubble-covered streets in a town southeast of the capital. Authorities said at least six people were killed and dozens were injured. SENT: 590 words, photos.
SOC-ISRAEL-FIGHTING RACISM — The owner of Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem soccer club has given himself an ambitious task. Weeks after bringing in a wealthy Emirati investor as co-owner, Moshe Hogeg says he is determined to remove the stain of racism from his team. Beitar is the only major Israeli team never to have signed an Arab player, and its fans have been known to make racist chants at matches. By Josef Federman. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
BREXIT-FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT-EXPLAINER — So far, the large majority of British and EU citizens have not felt the realities of Brexit. Though the U.K. left the European Union on Jan. 31, it follows the bloc’s rules until the end of this year as part of a transition period to the new economic relationship. That’s all set to change. SENT: 840 words, photos.
EGYPT-METOO — An Egyptian court has convicted a former student at an elite university of sexual misconduct charges and sentenced him to three years in prison, the first conviction in a case that has fueled the #MeToo movement in the Arab world’s most populous country. SENT: 400 words, photo.
ISRAEL-US — The United States sold the ambassador’s residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale that shines new light on a transaction that has been shrouded in secrecy. SENT: 520 words, photos.
SPAIN-HORSE RACING-PHOTO GALLERY — The pandemic may have altered many habits, but horse racing at Madrid’s Zarzuela Racecourse has changed has changed little. Guillermo Arizkorreta, a racehorse trainer with plenty of winning experience, says “Fortunately, we have a lot of space.” SENT: 380 words, photos.
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EXECUTION SURVIVOR DIES — An Ohio death row inmate who survived an attempt to execute him by lethal injection in 2009 has died of possible complications of COVID-19, the state prisons system said. SENT: 710 words, photo.
NYC CRIME SPIKE — New York City is closing the books on its bloodiest year after a long time of being known as the safest big city in America. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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BOEING-AMERICAN-MAX-FLIGHT — American Airlines flew a Boeing 737 Max with paying passengers from Miami to New York, the plane’s first commercial flight in U.S. skies since it was grounded after two deadly crashes. SENT: 560 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — After a brief gain, stocks were mostly flat on Tuesday, as investors continue to close out positions for the New Year and after President Donald Trump signed into law the $900 billion coronavirus economic stimulus package. SENT: 290 words, photos. Developing.
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FRANCE-OBIT-PIERRE-CARDIN — French fashion designer Pierre Cardin possessed a wildly inventive artistic sensibility tempered by a stiff dose of business sense. He had no problem acknowledging that he earned more from a pair of stockings than from a haute-couture gown with a six-figure price tag. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
MEDIA-60 MINUTES — One of television’s hottest shows is also among its oldest. Viewership of CBS’ pioneering newsmagazine “60 Minutes” is up 9 percent over last year, the largest increase of any prime-time show on any of the top four networks. Its success in the frenzied news year of 2020 is a tribute to both durability and adaptability. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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ATHLETES AND ACTIVISM — More than any year in decades, professional athletes stepped to the forefront on issues of racial injustice, police brutality and voting rights and turned rallying cries into action in 2020. SENT: 1070 words, photos.
FBC-COLLEGE-FOOTBALL-PLAYOFF — To play through a pandemic, college football players had to sacrifice much of their lives away from the game and endure the constant stress of knowing that the next coronavirus test could be the one that derails a season. To reach the playoff, No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Notre Dame had to go a combined 37-2 on the field and keep the virus at bay. Doing so required lots of COVID-19 testing and little time spent with anyone outside the team. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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