AP News Digest 6 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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLORADO — First reported U.S. case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado. SENT: 400 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
Adds BIDEN, VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLORADO, RUSSIA-NAVALNY, MASSACHUSETTS-ABORTION, TRUMP-HOSPITAL PRICING, TRAIN-SAFETY TECHNOLOGY, AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
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FRUITS OF LABOR-THE CHILDREN — An Associated Press investigation finds 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. By Robin McDowell and Margie Mason. SENT: 3,660 words, photos. Abridged version also available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-CONGRESS — President Donald Trump’s push for bigger $2,000 COVID-19 relief checks stalls out as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks a swift vote proposed by Democrats. Republican senators are deeply split over new spending, and McConnell says the Senate will “begin a process” to address the issues. By Lisa Mascaro and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
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 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. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California extends strict stay-at-home orders in areas where ICUS are running out of beds. SENT: 640 words, photos.
BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden criticizes the Trump administration for the pace of distributing COVID-19 vaccines. Once he takes office, he vows to ramp up vaccinations to 1 million shots a day, but acknowledges it “will still take months to have the majority of Americans vaccinated.” By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 550 words, photos.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-TAMIR RICE — The Justice Department says it cannot bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers for the 2014 fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, whose death became a national symbol in the Black Lives Matter movement. By Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker. SENT: 730 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
BOEING-AMERICAN-MAX FLIGHT — American Airlines flies 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. By Airlines Writer David Koenig. SENT: 560 words, photos.
EXPLOSION-NASHVILLE-BUSINESSES — For those who call Nashville home, the deadly Christmas Day bomb blast in the heart of the Music City feels like a cruel capstone to an already dark year that also included a deadly tornado in March. By Kimberlee Kruesi and Bobby Caina Calvan. SENT: 910 words, photos, videos.
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. 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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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. SENT: 740 words, photos.
HURRICANE-DELAYED WEDDING — Hurricanes, virus can’t stop Louisiana couple’s wedding. SENT: 650 words, video, photos.
JOURNALISTS-KILLED — Targeted killings of journalists surged in 2020, group says. SENT: 310 words.
PEOPLE-HARRY AND MEGHAN — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dropped their first podcast. SENT: 300 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-EMANCIPATION-STATUE — Statue of slave kneeling before Lincoln is removed in Boston. SENT: 390 words, photo.
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 U.S. will convene in 2021 with the continuing pandemic rippling through much of their work — even affecting the way they work. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British officials consider tougher coronavirus restrictions as the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients exceeds the first peak of the outbreak in the spring. SENT: 680 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RUSSIAN VACCINE — Belarus and Argentina launch mass coronavirus vaccinations with the Russian-developed Sputnik V shot, becoming the first countries outside Russia to roll out the vaccine. SENT; 540 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IRAN-VACCINE — The first study of the safety and effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine in Iran begins, with dozens due to receive the domestically developed shot. SENT: 610 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-VARIANT-VACCINE — Experts say current vaccines will likely work on the new variant of the coronavirus in the United Kingdom. SENT: 230 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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SENATE-GEORGIA-COVID RELIEF — President 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. SENT: 870 words, photos.
TRUMP-CONGRESS-DEFENSE — President Trump lashes out at congressional Republicans after the House voted to override his veto of a defense policy bill. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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CROATIA-EARTHQUAKE — A strong earthquake in Croatia destroys buildings and kills at least seven people southwest of the capital, displacing scores of residents as emergency teams search for those still missing. SENT: 590 words, photos.
RUSSIA-NAVALNY — Russian authorities ramp up the pressure on top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and level new fraud accusations against him. SENT: 500 words, photo.
ARGENTINA-ABORTION — The decades-long fight by Argentine women’s groups for legal abortion is being decided by the country’s Senate. SENT: 680 words, photos.
EGYPT-METOO — An Egyptian court convicts a former student at an elite university of sexual misconduct charges and sentences him to three years in prison. The case has fueled the #MeToo movement in the Arab world’s most populous country. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-COLUMBUS POLICE — An officer at the fatal shooting of Andre Hill in Ohio’s capital city 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. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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.
MASSACHUSETTS-ABORTION — The Massachusetts Senate votes to override the Republican governor’s veto of legislation that expands access to abortion in the state, making the measure law. SENT: 310 words.
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 says. SENT: 710 words, photo.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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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. By Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 740 words, photo.
TRUMP-HOSPITAL PRICING — A federal judge rules in favor of the Trump administration’s plan to require hospitals and insurers to disclose the actual prices for common tests and procedures. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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FRANCE-OBIT-PIERRE CARDIN — French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who possessed a wildly inventive artistic sensibility tempered by a stiff dose of business sense, has died at age 98. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
TRAIN-SAFETY TECHNOLOGY — Federal regulators say the railroad industry has installed an automatic braking system on nearly 58,000 miles of track where it is required ahead of a yearend deadline. SENT: 430 words, photos.
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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. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR — DeVonta Smith of Alabama is The Associated Press college football player of the year and the first wide receiver to win the award since it was established in 1998. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 430 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Mike Stewart can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, 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.