AP News Digest 2:15 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 7 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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AFRICA-VIRUS FEARS — The new virus that has spread across China has yet to be confirmed in Africa, but some health workers on the ground warn they are not ready to handle an outbreak. Global health authorities are increasingly worried about the threat as African countries race to take precautions as hundreds of travelers arrive daily from China. By Dake Kang, Noel Sichalwe and Cara Anna. SENT: 1,360 words, photos. This story has moved as the Sunday Spotlight.
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THAILAND-SHOOTING — A Cabinet minister in Thailand says at least 20 people have been killed and 31 injured in a mass shooting. The gunman, described by police as a soldier angry over a land dispute, holed up in a popular shopping mall in northeastern Thailand. Police commandos are searching the mall for the shooter, and the health minister says there could be more bodies. By Grant Peck. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-DEMOCRATS — For Democrats, this was supposed be a moment to begin easing three years of built-up of anxieties. Instead, the launch of the 2020 presidential primary has left the party deeply unsettled and President Donald Trump gleeful about the chaos. By Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 1,120 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020 — The debate is over, the primary is Tuesday and voters in New Hampshire are awaiting to be persuaded by the Democratic candidates for president. UPCOMING: 500 words by 4 p.m. Developing with events throughout the day.
ELECTION 2020-WOMEN — Female candidates helped power the Democratic takeover of the House in 2018, but women in the Democratic Party seem only moderately enthusiastic about voting for a woman for president. AP VoteCast finds that women in Iowa were only slightly more likely than men to back a woman. And the survey shows that many women thought a female candidate would have a harder time beating President Donald Trump in November. The concern has been an added burden for the women seeking the Democratic nomination for president. By Nicholas Riccardi, Hannah Fingerhut and Michael Casey. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
CHINA-OUTBREAK — China is recording more confirmed cases of the new virus, as the death toll grows and countries around the world enforce stricter measures to contain the spread. Fatalities have increased to 722 on the Chinese mainland, almost all of them in and around the epicenter of Wuhan in central Hubei province. SENT: 710 words, photos. With CHINA OUTBREAK-AT A GLANCE; CHINA OUTBREAK-KEEPING-CITIES-FED — China scrambles to keep cities in virus lockdown fed; CHINA OUTBREAK-EUROPE — France is closing two schools and trying to reassure tourists in the Alps after five British citizens contracted the new virus from China at a French ski resort. (all sent).
BRAZIL-SOCCER FIRE ANNIVERSARY — Today marks one year since a fire killed 10 teenage academy players at acclaimed Brazilian soccer club Flamengo. The club’s president has repeatedly called the fire “the worst tragedy” in the team's 124-year history. But 2019 has also been the year during which Flamengo had its best season in decades. It won its first Brazilian national league championship since 2009, and it captured the prestigious Copa Libertadores title it had not won in 38 years. By Diane Jeantet and Mauricio Savarese. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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UNIVERSITY-CANNABIS CURRICULUM — A university in Colorado will offer a cannabis-related degree program after receiving approval from the state. SENT: 260 words.
LOST DOG LAWSUIT — A legal fight over a lost dog could continue in Mississippi, even after the dog's owner has died. SENT: 260 words, photo.
IMMIGRATION DETENTION-SICK CHILD — The mother of a 5-year-old Guatemalan boy has sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the medical care he has received in detention for a head injury suffered before the family was arrested. SENT: 510 words.
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ELECTION 2020-EMBRACING TRUMP — In 2018, the Republican party's candidate for governor of Oregon painted himself as a centrist, criticized President Donald Trump's environmental stance and said he didn't want to be linked to divisive national figures. Knute Buehler lost. Now, Buehler is running for Congress and has taken Trump into a tight embrace. Buehler's turnaround underscores how Republican candidates across the country have been wrestling with opposing strategies. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
MILITARY-SUICIDES — Suicides in the active-duty Air Force surged last year to the highest total in at least three decades, even as the other military services saw their numbers stabilize or decline, according to officials and unpublished preliminary data. The reasons for the Air Force increase are not fully understood, coming after years of effort by all of the military services to counter a problem that seems to defy solution and that parallels increases in suicide in the U.S. civilian population. By National Security Writer Robert Burns. SENT: 780 words, photos.
FACT CHECK-WEEK — President Donald Trump says the world is witnessing a great American economic revival that he brought on by reversing course from the Obama years. Yet the economy is not so different from the robust one he inherited and disparages at every turn. Trump's State of the Union speech came packed with assertions tailor-made for his reelection bid, during a week when his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial emboldened him. The leading Democrats vying to replace him tangled in a debate before New Hampshire seeks to give shape to a race mangled in Iowa. A sampling of rhetoric of the past week. By Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward. SENT: 1,900 words, photos. Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN — In the third week of testimony at Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial, the prosecution rested, the defendant dozed off and there was the most intense testimony yet, with jurors being sent home early one day after a key accuser started sobbing uncontrollably. UPCOMING: 1,200 words by 3 p.m., photos.
HOUSE FIRE-MISSISSIPPI — Authorities say a mother and her six children have been killed in a house fire in central Mississippi. SENT: 120 words, photo.
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GERMANY-POLITICS — A German state governor installed with the help of a far-right party says he is resigning with immediate effect, three days after his election shook the country's politics. SENT: 620 words, photos.
SYRIA — Syrian state media and opposition activists say government forces have captured new areas from insurgents in their efforts to control a key highway in the northwest. SENT: 460 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — The U.S. military says American and Afghan military personnel have been fired on while conducting an operation in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province. SENT: 100 words. Developing.
INDIA-NEW DELHI-ELECTIONS — Voting began for a crucial state election in India’s capital with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party trying to regain power after a 22-year gap and major victories in a national vote. SENT: 460 words, photos.
IRELAND-ELECTION — Irish voters are choosing their next prime minister in an election where frustration with economic austerity and a housing crisis have fueled the rise of Sinn Fein, still shunned by the country's main political parties because of its links to the Irish Republican Army. SENT: 880 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated after polls close at 5 p.m.
FRANCE-AFRICA-EXTREMISM — The French military says operations by French and Malian forces killed more 30 extremists in Africa's Sahel region in recent days. SENT: 210 words.
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OBIT-ORSON BEAN — Authorities in Los Angeles say actor and comedian Orson Bean was hit and killed by a car in Los Angeles. He was 91. He was known for his appearances on TV game shows and for playing a crotchety merchant on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” among scores of other film, television and theater credits. SENT: 930 words, photos.
FASHION-WEEK-TOM-FORD — While most fashion shows are in New York this week, Tom Ford has brought fashion week to Hollywood. The designer took advantage of Oscars weekend to stage a sleek show in Los Angeles. He dazzled a crowd jammed with A-listers with his signature drama, using bright colors and rich textures. SENT: 600 words, photos.
BRITAIN-OBIT-JOYCE — Ireland’s president says Stephen Joyce, the gatekeeper of his grandfather James’ estate and subject of the celebrated poem “Ecce Puer,’’ or “Behold the Young Boy,” has died. SENT: 480 words.
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FIFA-AFRICA AUDIT — Financial wrongdoing across African soccer has been unearthed in a confidential audit of the continent’s governing body that raises concerns about the legitimacy of millions of dollars of payments to executives and national associations. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
FBO--XFL OPENER -- Six days after the Super Bowl, the second incarnation of the XFL debuts in the nation’s capital. Following the failure of the Alliance of American Football and in the shadow of the NFL, Vince McMahon’s league begins with plenty of twists, from a 3-point conversion to a shootout-style overtime. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 6:30 p.m.
BKC--T25-SETON HALL-VILLANOVA -- No. 10 Villanova is back home after losing its last two conference games, facing Myles Powell and No. 12 Seton Hall in a Big East showdown at Wells Fargo Center. Seton Hall leads the Wildcats by two games in the league. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Game started 2:30 p.m.
CAR--NASCAR-DAYTONA-HARVICK -- Kevin Harvick was unable to win a second championship the last several years, a trend he'd like to end. He’s cutting back on radio and TV appearances and believes that will allow him to better concentrate on racing this season. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 5 p.m.
FIG-FRANCE-RAPE ACCUSATIONS — The long-serving head of France's skating federation resigned Saturday amid suspicions that he covered up for a coach accused of rape and sexual abuse by former figure skaters. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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