AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years 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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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT — After weeks of delay and strategizing, the U.S. House is planning to vote Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate to start the trial on removing him from office. It’s only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history, and comes against the backdrop of a politically divided nation and an election year. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 870 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 900 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. WITH: TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-THEN AND NOW — There's every chance that the impeachment trial of Donald Trump will look much like Bill Clinton's did 21 years ago. There's little chance the Senate will take the same path to get there. It’s expected to start on a sharply partisan vote, breaking from the unanimous bipartisan tally at the start of Clinton's trial. SENT: 918 words, photos.
Full coverage of the impeachment inquiry in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — An unusually heated clash of rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination could be the hallmark of Tuesday night’s televised debate in Iowa, the last before the state’s Feb. 3 leadoff caucuses. The winner will leave Iowa with momentum for the primaries to come. Just six candidates are gathering in Des Moines, the smallest number yet on a debate stage. By Alexandra Jaffe and Steve Peoples. SENT: 930 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 p.m. debate, 1,070 words by 10 p.m., with continuing updates, photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE QUESTIONS — Tuesday marks the last time the leading Democratic presidential contenders will face a national audience on the debate stage before primary voting begins, making it the most significant moment of the 2020 primary season to date. Six big questions heading into the debate. SENT: 830 words, photo. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-FACT CHECK — A factual look at the candidates’ statements. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 p.m. debate, 300 words by 11 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
EUROPE-IRAN — Britain, France and Germany are ratcheting up pressure on Iran to stop violating its landmark nuclear deal in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences through talks while also starting a process that could bring back punishing U.N. sanctions on Tehran. By Lorne Cook and David Rising. SENT: 900 words, photos. WITH: IRAN-PLANE CRASH — Iran's judiciary says arrests have been made for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed all 176 people. SENT: 730 words, photos.
VATICAN MARRIED PRIESTS — Benedict XVI asks to be removed as co-author of new book on priestly celibacy after the project gave the impression the retired pope was interfering with the reigning one. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
PROHIBITION-100 YEARS — In this era of bottomless mimosas, craft beers and ever-present happy hours, it’s striking to recall that 100 years ago the United States imposed a nationwide ban on the production and sale of all types of alcohol. The Prohibition Era, which lasted from Jan. 17, 1920, until December 1933, is now viewed as a failed experiment that glamorized illegal drinking, but there are several intriguing parallels in current times. By David Crary. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. WITH : MED--PROHIBITION-HEALTH — Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition was enacted. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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ODD--TRIAL BY COMBAT-IOWA — A Kansas man has asks an Iowa judge to let him engage in a sword fight with his ex-wife and her attorney so that he can “rend their souls” from their bodies. SENT: 290 words.
ODD BIG-TIPPER — A customer made it much more than a double for two New Hampshire bartenders when tipped them over $2,000 on a $21 check. SENT: 125 words.
EXPLOSIVE-DEVICE ARREST — A 37-year-old woman was arrested after deputies said she tried to uild an explosive device inside a Tampa Walmart store. SENT: 235 words.
HOMELESS-MOMS — Four homeless women who were ordered by a judge last week to leave a vacant house in Oakland evicted before dawn by a group of heavily armed sheriff's deputies: SENT: 400 words.
SHARK BITE NORTH CAROLINA — A North Carolina man taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather was bitten by a shark while surfing off the coast. SENT: 165 words.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP’S FOCUS — Yes, there is impeachment, immigration, even Iran to worry about. But with the first votes of the Democratic primaries just weeks away, President Trump is focused on his re-election bid and viewing nearly every move through a 2020 lens. By Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 850 words by 4 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — President Trump holds an evening rally in Milwaukee, offering counterprogramming to Tuesday night’s Democratic debate. By Jill Colvin. UPCOMING: 700 words by 9 p.m., with continuing updates, photos, video.
SUPREME COURT-BRIDGEGATE — The Supreme Court hears arguments about whether to throw out the convictions of two former aides to Republican Gov. Chris Christie who were convicted in the state’s “Bridgegate” scandal. The aides altered traffic patterns over the George Washington Bridge to create gridlock in Fort Lee as political payback. Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni have argued that their actions may have been unethical but weren’t criminal. SENT: 220 words. UPCOMING: 750 words by 3:30 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-BOOKER — Sen. Cory Booker says he is not making any immediate endorsement for president now that he has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination and will focus on his Senate reelection. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO — A volcano near the Philippine capital spewed lava into the sky and trembled constantly, possibly portending a bigger and more dangerous eruption, as tens of thousands of people fled villages darkened and blanketed by heavy ash. SENT: 840 words, photos.
EUROPE-BREXIT-FARAGE — Nigel Farage, the self-declared “pantomime villain” of Brexit, is leaving his favorite theater — the European Union's parliament in Strasbourg — this week with a sense of mission accomplished. SENT: 740 words, photos. WITH: BRITAIN-BIG BEN —Will Big Ben bong for Brexit? Not unless British taxpayers cough up the bucks. SENT: 350 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-WILDFIRES-VILLAGE — The tiny village of Nerrigundah in southeastern Australia has been among the places hardest hit by the country's devastating wildfires, with about two-thirds of the homes destroyed. Like many small communities that have been scorched by the fires, the town will never be the same. Residents are still coming to terms with what they have lost and trying to figure out whether they will stay. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video.
LEBANON-PROTESTS — Lebanese protesters returned to the streets following a brief weekslong lull, blocking several roads around the capital, Beirut, and other areas of the country. The renewed rallies were held against a ruling elite who protesters say have failed to address the economy's downward spiral. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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VOTER PURGE-WISCONSIN —A Wisconsin appeals court on put on hold an order to immediately remove up to 209,000 names from the state's voter registration rolls, handing Democrats who had fought the move a victory in the battleground state. The appeals court sided with the bipartisan state elections commission in putting the brakes on removing any voters while the court fight continues. It also put on hold a ruling from Monday in which a judge found the commission and its three Democratic members in contempt for not proceeding with removing the voters. SENT: 740 words, photos.
ILLINOIS COLD CASE — Police in the Chicago suburb of Lisle say that advances in DNA testing has helped them solve the 1976 strangulation death of a teenager. They believe the man responsible for the killing – who is now dead – is a serial killer, and are trying to determine whether photos of unidentified women in his home are more of his victims. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m.
ST. LOUIS PROSECUTOR-LAWSUIT — Prosecutors from around the country are rallying in St. Louis to support the St. Louis Prosecutor who has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the city, the local police union and others of a coordinated and racist conspiracy aimed at forcing her out of office. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m. WITH: ST. LOUIS PROSECUTOR-KKK Act-Q&A — St Louis' top prosecutor's lawsuit against the city and the police union relies in part on an 1871 civil rights law called the Ku Klux Klan Act. A Q&A on that law. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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MICROSOFT-NSA-SECURITY FLAW — The National Security Agency has discovered a security flaw in Microsoft's Windows operating system and tipped off the company so that it can fix it. SENT: 225 words.
US-RUSSIA-HACK-UKRAINE SCANDAL — A U.S. cybersecurity company says Russian military agents successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the scandal that led to President Trump's impeachment. Russian agents launched a phishing campaign in early November aimed at stealing the login credentials for employees of Burisma Holdings, the gas company, according to Area 1 Security, a Silicon Valley company that specializes in e-mail security. SENT: 750 words, photos.
BLACKROCK-CLIMATE CHANGE — BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, will make climate change central to its investment decisions. Founder and CEO Laurence Fink, who oversees the management of about $7 trillion in funds, said in his influential annual letter to CEOs Tuesday that he believes we are “on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance” because of a warming planet. SENT: 600 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks were mixed in trading as investors digested the first significant round of fourth-quarter corporate earnings reports. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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BRITAIN-ROYAL RIFT-RACISM - When accomplished, glamorous American actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, she was hailed as a breath of fresh air for Britain’s fusty royal family. That honeymoon didn’t last. Now the couple wants independence, saying the pressure of life as full-time royals is unbearable. And a debate is raging: Did racism drive Meghan away? By Jill lawless and Leanne Italie. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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BBA—ASTROS-WHAT'S NEXT — The Houston Astros look to move on and figure out what's next after manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended by Major League Baseball and subsequently fired by team owner Jim Crane for the team's sign-stealing in 2017. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 7 p.m.
FBN-PACKERS-49ERS RIVALRY — Few franchises have been as intertwined over the last quarter-century as the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers with seven previous playoff meetings heading into this year's NFC championship game. By Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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