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AP News Digest 6 p.m.

Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 11 months AGO
| February 18, 2020 12:05 AM

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 RELIGION-DEMOCRATS-ABORTION, MISSING GIRL-SOUTH CAROLINA, LIBYA, SAINTS-BREES

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-CLEMENCY— President Trump goes on a clemency blitz, commuting what he calls a “ridiculous” 14-year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former New York Police Department commissioner Bernie Kerik, among a long list of others. It's the president's latest intervention in the justice system as he is under fire for weighing in on the cases of former aides. By By JILL COLVIN, ZEKE MILLER and MICHAEL TARM. SENT: 910 words, photos. With TRUMP-BLAGOJEVICH — Trump commutes former Illinois Gov. Blagojevich's sentence. SENT: 1,100 words, photos; TRUMP-CLEMENCY-GLANCE — List of those pardoned or granted commutations. UPCOMING: 500 words by 7 p.m.; TRUMP-BLAGOJEVICH-TIMELINE (sent).

ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — Mike Bloomberg has been in a one-way conversation with voters for months as he bypasses the traditional early voting states and his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. That changes Wednesday when he makes his first appearance on a debate stage in Nevada. By Steve Peoples. UPCOMING: 900 words by 8 p.m., photos. With ELECTION 2020-BLOOMBERG-SALE — Bloomberg would sell the financial data and media company he created if he is elected president, an adviser says. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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

CHINA OUTBREAK-ASIAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES — Asian-American businesses in major U.S. cities are seeing a remarkable decline in customers amid fears about the viral outbreak that originated in China. City and health officials are trying to stanch the financial bleeding through information campaigns and personal visits to shops and restaurants. By Alexandra Olson and Terry Tang. SENT: 1,250 words, photos. With CHINA OUTBREAK-FAILED QUARANTINE — Quarantine on cruise ship in Japan comes under question. SENT; 1,100 words, photos; CHINA-OUTBREAK-HOW DEADLY? — What's more deadly — the flu, SARS or the new coronavirus discovered in China? SENT: 170 words.

BOY SCOUTS-BANKRUPTCY — The Boy Scouts of America urges victims to come forward as the historic, 110-year-old organization files for bankruptcy protection in the first step toward creating a huge compensation fund for potentially thousands of men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders. By National Writer David Crary. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

CLERGY STRESS-A TOUGH JOB MADE TOUGHER — These are daunting times for U.S. clergy of many faiths as the age-old challenges of their ministries are compounded by newly evolving stresses. Rabbis worry about protecting their congregations from anti-Semitic violence; Sikh leaders still feel the emotional scars of a deadly 2012 attack on a Wisconsin temple. Pastors talk about spiritual PTSD, burnout and self-doubt, and wonder who to turn to for help. By National Writer David Crary. SENT: 2,200 words, photos. Abridged version also available.

NASCAR-DAYTONA 500 — It’s been 19 years since Dale Earnhardt slammed into a wall on the final lap of the Daytona 500, killing him instantly and triggering a chain reaction of safety improvements. But after Ryan Newman’s harrowing wreck on the final lap Monday night, NASCAR got a grim reminder that racing will never be safe. By Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6:30 pm., photos. With NASCAR-DAYTONA-NEWMAN-HOW IT HAPPENED — Blaney's attempted push of Newman led to violent crash. SENT: 420 words, photos.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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TRUMP-CORRESPONDENTS DINNER — Comedians are making their return to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after last year's hiatus. SENT: 300 words, photos.

TROOPER FIRING-LOST HAT — An appeals court says a North Carolina state trooper shouldn't have been fired for losing his hat and lying about it in a case that's spanned a decade and multiple trips through the courts. SENT: 730 words, photo.

SYRIAN REFUGEE KILLED — He fled Syria — but was shot delivering pizzas in Baltimore. SENT: 180 words.

ELTON JOHN-PNEUMONIA — Elton John cancels his two remaining New Zealand shows as he continues to suffer from a bout of pneumonia. SENT: 550 words, photos.

BRITAIN-ROYAL DIVORCE — Queen Elizabeth II's nephew and his wife have amicably agreed to end their marriage. SENT: 200 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ROGER STONE — A federal judge refuses to delay sentencing for Trump confidant Roger Stone on his witness tampering and lying to Congress conviction while she considers his request for a new trial. SENT: 500 words, photos.

BORDER WALL-WAIVED LAWS — The Trump administration says it is waiving federal contracting laws to speed construction of a border wall with Mexico. SENT: 520 words, photos.

TRUMP-CALIFORNIA WATER WARS — President Trump is directing more of California's precious water to wealthy farmers and other agriculture interests. SENT: 800 words, photos. With TRUMP — President Trump sets out on a rare four-day Western swing mixing politics and policy. UPCOMING: 600 words by 7 p.m., photos; TRUMP-INDIA — Trump says India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is promising massive crowds when the president visits next week. SENT: 300 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-CHINA — The Trump administration designates five state-run Chinese news outlets that operate in the United States as “foreign missions,” requiring them to register their properties and employees in the U.S. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 380 words.

RELIGION-DEMOCRATS-ABORTION — Democratic presidential hopefuls are offering different approaches to a central challenge: how to talk to voters without a clear home in the polarizing debate over the government’s role in the decision to end a pregnancy. SENT: 1,100 words, photo.

ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-SOUTH CAROLINA — President Trump isn't competing in a primary in South Carolina, but he's planning to make an appearance in the state just before Democrats hold their primary election. SENT: 320 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-IRAN — Sen. Chris Murphy defends a weekend meeting he held with Iran's foreign minister in Europe that President Trump suggests may have violated U.S. law. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 530 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN — Jurors in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial end their first day of deliberations with lots of questions and no verdict in the landmark #MeToo case. SENT: 670 words, photos.

MISSING GIRL-SOUTH CAROLINA — A 6-year-old girl who disappeared after school from the front yard of her South Carolina home was strangled by a neighbor who then killed himself, authorities say. SENT: 310 words, photos.

IMMIGRATION-MIGRANT TEEN — A Venezuelan teenager is forced back to Mexico by U.S. authorities who denied her claims that she was fleeing political repression and violence, though they accepted the same claims from her father. SENT: 640 words, photo.

SEVERE WEATHER-SOUTH — Forecasters expect more heavy rains in parts of the flood-ravaged South. SENT: 630 words, photos, videos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISRAEL-POLITICS — The criminal trial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin March 17, court officials announce, shaking up the final stretch of a contentious election campaign. SENT: 940 words, photos.

LIBYA — The U.N.-supported government in Libya says that it has suspended its participation in the military talks in Geneva following an attack on Tripoli's port. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

SOUTH SUDAN LOCUST-OUTBREAK — The worst locust outbreak that parts of East Africa have seen in 70 years reaches South Sudan, a country where roughly half the population already faces hunger. SENT: 420 words, photos.

SYRIA — The United Nations human rights chief urges Syrian government forces and their allies to allow safe corridors in conflict areas in northwestern Syria. SENT: 730 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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UNITED STATES-VENEZUELA-ROSNEFT — The Trump administration announces sanctions on a Russian state-controlled brokerage that has helped the Venezuelan government skirt an American oil embargo. SENT: 700 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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PERU EXCAVATIONS — For nearly two decades, workers for a company building gas lines across Peru’s capital have found themselves unearthing a treasure trove of history. SENT: 410 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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SAINTS-BREES — Quarterback Drew Brees' record-setting NFL career is on track for a 20th season — and a 15th with the New Orleans Saints. SENT: 570 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.

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