AP News Digest 6 p.m.

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.

——————————————-

NEW & DEVELOPING

——————————————-

Adds: T-MOBILE-SPRINT-MERGER, ELTON JOHN-PNEUMONIA, RING FOUND.

_______________________

TOP STORIES _______________________

ELECTION 2020-NONWHITES — After starting in overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire, the Democrats' 2020 election calendar turns to states with substantial minority population: Nevada on Saturday, South Carolina on Feb. 29 and many Super Tuesday states on March 3. The next stage in the nominating fight will test candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, whose success thus far came in front of overwhelmingly white electorates. It may also be a potential last comeback opportunity for Joe Biden. By Bill Barrow and Tom Foreman Jr. SENT: 980 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020 — Democratic presidential candidates campaigning Sunday ahead of Nevada’s caucuses are fixated on a rival who isn’t even on the ballot, accusing billionaire businessman Mike Bloomberg of buying his way into the election and relishing the opportunity to take on the former New York mayor in a debate. By Alexandra Jaffee and Nicolas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 6:30 p.m.

CHINA-OUTBREAK — A recent speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping that has been published by state media indicates for the first time that he was leading the response to a new virus outbreak from early on in the crisis. The publication of the Feb. 3 speech was an apparent attempt to demonstrate that the Communist Party leadership had acted decisively from the beginning, but also opens up the Chinese leader to criticism over why the public was not alerted sooner. By Yanan Wang. SENT: 1,070 words, photo. WITH: CHINA-OUTBREAK-AT A GLANCE (sent).

CHINA-OUTBREAK-HOME QUARANTINES — On his return from China last week, Dr. Ian Lipkin quarantined himself in his basement. His wife now puts his food on the stairs. He’s run out of things to watch on Netflix. At odd hours, he walks in New York's Central Park, keeping 10 feet away from others. Lipkin is among hundreds of people in the U.S. and thousands around the world who, although not sick, live in semi-voluntary quarantine at home. With attention focused on quarantined cruise ships and evacuees housed on U.S. military bases, those in their own homes have largely escaped notice. They, too, experts say, play a crucial role in slowing the spread of the new viral disease now called COVID-19. By Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

EUROPE-STORM — Storm Dennis hammered Britain, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of South Wales, which bore the brunt of the country's second severe storm inside a week. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. By Pan Pylas. SENT: 710 words, photos.

SEVERE WEATHER-MISSISSIPPI — Authorities in Mississippi were bracing for the possibility of catastrophic flooding in and around the state capital of Jackson as water levels rise precipitously in a river swollen by days of torrential rain. By Rogelio V. Solis and Rebecca Santana. SENT: 370 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.

CATHOLIC SEMINARIES — A cascade of scandals in the Catholic Church has had surprisingly little impact on enrollment in its American seminaries. Though the number of seminarians is down from a half-century ago, it's held relatively steady in the past decade and even registered slight increases in the past few years. At St. Charles Borromeo Seminary outside Philadelphia, though the clergy abuse crisis isn't a constant topic of discussion, students say they know they'll be ministering to a flock that has been fractured by crimes in the church alongside broader societal secularization. Future priests say they can be the examples who restore the public's faith in the church. By Matt Sedensky. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. This is the Monday spotlight.

_______________________

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT _______________________

ELTON JOHN-PNEUMONIA — An emotional Elton John cuts short a performance in New Zealand after he loses his voice due to walking pneumonia and is assisted off stage. SENT: 370 words, photos.

UNITED NATIONS-ANTARCTIC TEMPERATURES — UN: Antarctic high temp records will take months to verify. SENT: 270 words, photo.

SKOREA-JOON-HO-ARRIVAL — 'Parasite' director Bong greeted by applause as he returns home to South Korea. SENT: 200 words, photos.

BRITAIN-BANKSY-MURAL DEFACED — Banksy's Valentine's Day mural covered after it was defaced. SENT: 190 words, photos.

SANDRA THE ORANGUTAN — Orangutan granted 'personhood' turns 34, makes new friend. SENT: 300 words, photo.

BRAZIL-CARNIVAL DOGS — Brazil is ramping up toward the world's most famous Carnival celebrations and already the dogs have had their day. SENT: 150 words, photos.

RING FOUND — A high school class ring that was lost in Maine in 1973 has been found in a forest in Finland. SENT: 140 words.

_______________________

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK _______________________

CHINA-OUTBREAK-QUARANTINED AMERICANS — A group of Americans are cutting short a 14-day quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo, to be whisked back to America. But they will have to spend another quarantine period at U.S. military facilities to make sure they don't have the new virus that's been sweeping across Asia. SENT: 710 words, photos.

CHINA-OUTBREAK-EUROPE — More than 100 Germans evacuated from the hard-hit Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak, are set to end their prescribed 14-day quarantine period. They have been kept isolated at a military base in the southern town of Germersheim. None of them have tested positive for the disease. SENT: 360 words, photos.

_______________________

WASHINGTON/POLITICS _______________________

STOP AND FRISK — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's history on stop and frisk is getting renewed attention as he campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. Criticism has resurfaced with a 2015 recording of him saying the way to bring down murder rates is to “put a lot of cops” in minority neighborhoods because that’s where “all the crime is.” SENT: 1,240 words, photos.

TRUMP-DAYTONA — Trump is grand marshal at the Daytona 500 as he looks to win over NASCAR fans: SENT: 300 words, photos.

EMIRATES-IVANKA TRUMP — Ivanka Trump lauded a handful of Mideast countries, including close U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for embarking on “significant reforms” to advance women's rights, while speaking at a gathering of women entrepreneurs and regional leaders in Dubai. SENT: 810 words, photos.

_______________________

INTERNATIONAL _______________________

SYRIA — Syrian troops have made significant advances against the last rebel held enclaves in the country's northwest, state media say, consolidating the government's hold over the key Aleppo province. The Syrian government advance also appeared to put the provincial capital of Aleppo out of the firing range of opposition groups for the first time in years, another sign of Syrian President Bashar Assad's growing control of the area. SENT: 600 words, photos.

YEMEN — Yemen’s warring sides have agreed to implement a long-delayed and major prisoner swap, the United Nations says, in a sign that talks to end the disastrous war between the country's internationally recognized government and its Houthi rebels could be making progress. SENT: 700 words, photos.

IRAN-US — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that he doesn't believe the U.S. will pursue war with his country, because it will harm President Donald Trump's 2020 reelection bid. SENT: 320 words, photos.

FRANCE-PARIS ELECTION —France's Health Minister Agnes Buzyn has been named the new candidate for mayor of Paris by the country's governing party, which scrambled to replace the original contender who abruptly withdrew after a leak of sex videos on social media, a press official for the party said. SENT: 370 words.

ISRAEL-POLITICS — Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz is vowing to form a government that will include neither the indicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the predominantly Arab parties in Parliament. SENT: 780 words, photos. WITH: GERMANY-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Palestinian PM says Trump's Mideast plan would be “buried very soon.” SENT: 170 words, photo.

GERMANY-LIBYA — Countries with interests in Libya's civil war recommitted themselves to uphold a barely working arms embargo, four weeks after a peace summit in Berlin was followed by numerous new arms violations, officials from Germany and the U.N. said. SENT: 600 words, photos.

_______________________

NATIONAL _______________________

JAPANESE-AMERICAN-INTERNMENT-APOLOGY — California legislators are expected to pass a resolution this week condemning the state’s role in the U.S. government’s internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIOLENT TEENS-NEBRASKA — A sudden and puzzling increase in violence and escapes at Nebraska's two state-run homes for high-risk juvenile offenders has prompted officials to move some of the teenagers to other facilities and to consider spending millions of dollars on upgrades intended to enhance safety. The incidents at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers in central Nebraska has shocked state officials, legislators and parents. SENT: 910 words, photos.

WRONGFUL CONVICTION-REPARATIONS — The Florida Attorney General’s office has announced it was wrong to deny reparations to a Jacksonville man wrongfully convicted of murder who spent 43 years in prison. SENT: 480 words.

CLUB SHOOTING-CONNECTICUT — Police: 1 dead, 4 wounded in Connecticut club shooting. SENT: 320 words, photos.

HISTORYMAKERS-BLACK WOMEN'S VOICES — A trailblazer among black women in the business world wants to help make sure that the stories of other pioneering women like her are not forgotten. SENT: 490 words, photo.

_______________

HEALTH/SCIENCE _______________

SCI-PSYCHOLOGY TESTS — Courts are not properly screening out unreliable psychological and IQ tests, allowing junk science to be used as evidence, researchers have concluded. Such tests can sway judges or juries and influence whether someone gets custody of a child or is eligible for bail or capital punishment. SENT: 530 words.

———————-

BUSINESS

———————-

T-MOBILE-SPRINT-MERGER — New York's attorney general New York will not appeal a judge's decision approving the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, the state's attorney general says. SENT: 320 words.

_______________________

ENTERTAINMENT

_______________________

BRITAIN-TV HOST-DEATH — The boyfriend of Caroline Flack, a British television presenter who has died at 40, said Sunday that his “heart is broken" as criticism swelled at her treatment by some British media. SENT: 520 words, photos.

FILM-BOX OFFICE — The redesigned “Sonic the Hedgehog” showed plenty of teeth at the box office, speeding to a $57 million debut. And “Parasite” saw one of the largest post-Oscars bumps in years following its best picture win. SENT: 760 words, photos.

_______________

SPORTS _______________

BKN-ALL-STAR GAME — Team LeBron squares off against Team Giannis square off in the 69th NBA All-Star Game. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts at 8 p.m.

DAYTONA 500 — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the field to the green flag in NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500, a race expected to be watched by President Trump. By AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. UPCOMING. 1,000 words, photos. Race underway.

—————————————- HOW TO REACH US —————————————-

At the Nerve Center, Rob Jagodzinski 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.