AP News Digest 3:25 a.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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ROGUE DEA AGENT — A once-standout U.S. federal narcotics agent known for spending lavishly on luxury cars and Tiffany jewelry has been arrested on charges he conspired to launder money with the same Colombian drug cartel he was tasked with fighting. Authorities say Jose Irizarry and his wife were taken into custody in Puerto Rico. By Emily Swanson and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,080 words, photo.
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ELECTION 2020 -- Just past the roulette wheel and slot machines, the smoky bars and blinking lights, Nevada Democrats are preparing to weigh in on their party's presidential nomination fight. The exercise of democracy inside urban temples of excess is just one element that distinguishes the first presidential contest in the West, which will, more importantly, test the candidates' strength with black and brown voters for the first time in 2020. By Steve Peoples, Michelle L. Price and Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-NEVADA-QUESTIONS – Six questions going into the Nevada caucuses (sent).
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-RUSSIA — Just weeks into this year's election cycle, Russia already is actively interfering in the U.S. presidential campaign in hopes of reelecting President Donald Trump, and is also trying to help the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side, intelligence officials conclude. By Aamer Madhani, Deb Riechmann and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BLOOMBERG — Mike Bloomberg says he’d free three women from confidentiality agreements that bar them from speaking publicly about sexual harassment or discrimination suits filed against him over the last three decades. The billionaire former mayor of New York also says his company, Bloomberg LP, will no longer use such agreements “to resolve claims of sexual harassment or misconduct going forward.” By Alexandra Jaffe and Kathleen Ronayne. SENT: 850 words, photos. See more on 2020 election below.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN TRUCE — Hopes for ending America's longest war hinge on maintaining a weeklong fragile truce in Afghanistan that U.S. officials and experts agree will be difficult to assess and fraught with pitfalls. In a country that has been wracked by violence for more than 18 years, determining if the agreement has been violated will be a tough task, and there are a number of other groups in the country that would love to see the deal fall through. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 800 words, photos. With AFGHANISTAN-CIVILIAN CASUALTIES — UN: 100,000 civilians casualties in Afghanistan in 10 years (sent).
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CLUSTERS — In South Korea, Singapore and Iran, clusters of infections are leading to a jump in cases of the new viral illness outside China. But it’s not the numbers that are worrying experts: It's that increasingly they can't trace where the clusters started. By Aniruddha Ghosal and Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK - Virus cases jump in S Korea to 346, China daily count drops; VIRUS OUTBREAK-AT A GLANCE — New virus has infected more than 77,000 people globally (both sent).
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KOBE-BRYANT-HELICOPTER-PILOT — Helicopter pilot in Bryant crash had FAA violation in 2015. SENT: 580 words, photos.
PORTLAND-STABBINGS-MURDER-TRIAL — Man guilty of killing 2 who tried to stop his slurs on train. SENT: 680 words, photo.
AIRBNB KILLING — Man accused of fatally stabbing girlfriend at Airbnb. SENT: 240 words, photos.
NUNES LAWSUIT — Judge dismisses Nunes lawsuit against Fusion GPS. SENT: 200 words, photo.
TV-FRIENDS-REUNION — Unscripted 'Friends' reunion special to launch with HBO Max. SENT: 280 words, photo.
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ELECTION 2020
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ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — As the Democratic presidential primary advances toward Super Tuesday, Joe Biden wants voters to choose a loyal Democrat. Preferably him, of course, but mostly just not Bernie Sanders or Mike Bloomberg. By Michelle L. Price and Bill Barrow . SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-NEVADA-Q&A – Questions and answers about Nevada’s preparations for the Democratic caucuses. By Christina A. Cassidy and Stephen Ohlemacher. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-SCENES FROM NEVADA — If Nevada has one job in the Democratic primary, it's to offer something different. And in many ways it has delivered. As the presidential race turned to the state this week, gone was the earnestness of Iowa and tradition of New Hampshire and in its place was racial diversity, a new unpredictability and the muscle of urban, union politics. By Michelle L. Price and Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 1,050 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-PEREZ — The Nevada caucuses pose a new test for Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, as the Democratic party leader tries to keep a messy primary season from devolving into chaos. Perez predicts a smoother process Saturday than the Feb. 3 debacle in the Iowa caucuses, where results have yet to be certified. SENT: 1,0900 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-IMMIGRATION — The Democratic presidential contest has moved to immigrant-heavy Nevada, but the issues of immigration are seldom getting a thorough airing on the campaign trail. Candidates usually throw in a quick condemnation of President Donald Trump's hard-line policies but have shied away from outlining their own immigration positions. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-SANDERS – Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says he was briefed by U.S. officials “about a month ago” that Russia has been trying to help his campaign as part of Moscow's efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 460 words, photos.
TRUMP — President Donald Trump rallied supporters in the battleground state of Nevada on the eve of the state's caucuses, looking to exploit Democratic divisions as he focuses on his reelection fight. Speaking to thousands of fans Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Trump also rejected a fresh intelligence community assessment that Russia was seeking to interfere in the 2020 race just as it did in 2016 on Trump's behalf. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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HIV-TRANSMISSION-LAW — Washington state health officials want to change a rarely used law that makes it a felony to intentionally expose a sexual partner to HIV, saying the current penalties don’t have an impact on reducing transmissions or improving public health. SENT: 650 words, photo.
ICE AGENT SHOOTING — The mother of a Mexican municipal worker who was shot in the face by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in New York says she wants justice and the federal agent to be held accountable for what he did. Carmen Cruz was joined by activists on Friday for a news conference to denounce the treatment of her son, Erick Díaz Cruz. SENT: 650 words, photos.
BORDER-PATROL-GUS-CHECKS — Greyhound, the nation's largest bus company, says it will stop allowing Border Patrol agents without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks. SENT: 660 words, photos.
CYBERSTALKING ARREST — A white man charged with cyberstalking and making racist online threats against a black activist in Virginia is expected to plead guilty next month, according to court records and a spokesman for federal prosecutors. SENT: 510 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA PRISON-POISON PACKAGES — An Eastern European man who authorities say sent a Christmas card to the Unabomber has been indicted on charges of mailing packages of a potentially deadly poison to a California state prison, officials say. SENT: 360 words, photos.
IMMIGRATION-SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS — The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will share records of people who were criminally arrested with immigration authorities, becoming the first local law enforcement agency in five states to comply with unusual demands for information, authorities say. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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CANADA-RAIL-PROTESTS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says indigenous barricades that are blocking rail service across Canada and hurting the economy have to come down now. SENT: 660 words, photos.
WEST AFRICA-US-MILITARY TRAINING — The U.S. military’s annual counterterrorism exercise in West Africa is occurring in the shadow of possible U.S. troop cuts at a time when extremist attacks have reached a worrying new level in the region. SENT: 840 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is welcoming slow but steady progress toward implementing a peace agreement signed a year ago by Central African Republic’s government and rebel groups, but he is “seriously concerned” about continuing hostilities and violence. SENT: 620 words.
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WELLS FARGO-FAKE ACCOUNTS-SETTLEMENT — Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations into a long-running practice whereby company employees opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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THEATER-WEST SIDE STORY — When a new revival of “West Side Story” opens on Broadway, it will make history. The musical sees 33 young people making their Broadway debuts, a record. The show,, loosely based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," chronicles the affair between two lovers caught in a violent gang world not of their making. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
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BBO-CHAMPS VS. CHEATERS — It will be champs vs. cheaters in a World Series rematch when the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros play their exhibition opener on Saturday night. The last time these teams met, the Nationals were celebrating their first World Series title in Houston after winning Game 7 at Minute Maid Park. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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