AP News Digest 7 a.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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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SPACE STATION — Two NASA astronauts team up for another all-female spacewalk.
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ONLY ON AP
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VENEZUELA-AT&T — The U.S. government is trying to pressure DirecTV to pull the rug from under what they consider Nicolás Maduro’s propaganda machine. The U.S. wants the company, which is wholly owned by Dallas-based AT&T, to stand up forcefully to government censors — or risk being caught in violation of U.S. sanctions barring Americans from doing business with Maduro. By Joshua Goodman. UPCOMING: 2,120 words by 8 a.m., photos.
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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-WHAT TO WATCH — There will be pomp, history and a bit of presidential politics as the House sends two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate for trial. By Laurie Kellman. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after 10 a.m. news conference with House speaker. With TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT — Delay over, House to send articles of impeachment to Senate. See MORE ON IMPEACHMENT below.
Full coverage of the impeachment inquiry in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-ANALYSIS — Electability questions persist. Anxieties about gender and sexism are resurgent. And three leading candidates are about to get yanked off the campaign trail for Trump’s impeachment trial. Those deep uncertainties shadowed the latest Democratic debate. By Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 800 words, photos. With ELECTION-2020-DEBATE — Warren makes case: Democratic woman can beat Trump; ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-TAKEAWAYS — Democrats tackle foreign policy and global trade; ELECTION 2020-FACT CHECK — Erroneous claims from the candidates — and Trump. See MORE ON 2020 ELECTION below.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
IRAN-PLANE CRASH — Iran's president warns that European soldiers in the Mideast “could be in danger” after three nations challenged Tehran over breaking the limits of its nuclear deal. Tehran's top diplomat meanwhile acknowledges that Iranians “were lied to” for days following the Islamic Republic's accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian jetliner that killed 176 people. By Nasser Karmi, Jon Gambrell and Emily Schmall. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. With IRAQ-IRAN-US — Qatar seeks to mediate amid tensions after U.S. strike in Iraq.
AUSTRALIA-WILDFIRES-HEALTH — Australians accustomed to blue skies and sunny days are now gripped by fears of long-term health consequences if prolonged exposure to choking smoke from the country's wildfires becomes the new summer norm. By Rod McGuirk. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. With AUSTRALIAN OPEN-AIR QUALITY — Smoke, haze again forces delay in Australian Open qualifying.
PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO DWELLERS — It's the second-most active volcano in the Philippines, a designated permanent danger zone long declared off-limits to human settlements. Yet to more than 5,000 people the Taal volcano is home. By Aaron Favila and Jim Gomez. SENT: 830 words, photos.
EUROPE-WORKING ROYALS — British Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's desire to step away from royal duties plunges the royal house into crisis. A quick look at the history of European royalty shows that some other royals have struggled to keep all their business activities above board, while others have managed just fine to combine business activities with royal duties. By Mike Corder. SENT: 960 words, photos. With BRITAIN-ROYAL RIFT — Documents suggest Thomas Markle to testify in Meghan lawsuit.
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MORE ON IMPEACHMENT
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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-CIPOLLONE — Trump is turning to an unassuming jurist with little trial experience but high regard in conservative Washington legal circles to lead his defense in his impeachment trial. SENT: 1,230 words, photo.
TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-DOCUMENTS — House Democrats release a trove of documents they obtained from Lev Parnas, a close associate of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, including a handwritten note that mentions asking Ukraine's president to investigate “the Biden case.” SENT: 870 words, photos.
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MORE ON 2020 ELECTION
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ELECTION 2020-GENDER — The smoldering political flareup between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders rekindles debate over a question that has been gnawing at Democratic primary voters for more than three years: Can a woman beat Trump? SENT: 1,290 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — Trump rallies supporters by hailing his own decision to kill a top Iranian general, while Democrats vying to replace him argue that doing so has made the country less safe. SENT: 910 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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JEOPARDY CHAMPION — For “Jeopardy!” fans, Ken Jennings is the greatest. SENT: 330 words, photo.
MEAT LOAF FALL-LAWSUIT — Meat Loaf sues hotel, blaming negligence for disabling fall. SENT: 230 words, photo.
PUPPY ROBBERY — Police identify Maryland woman accused of stealing dog at gunpoint. SENT: 180 words.
OFFENSIVE LICENSE PLATE-UTAH — Lawmakers to question how “deport” license plate got OK’d. SENT: 340 words, photo.
SCHOOL SHOOTING-TEXAS — Student fatally shot at Texas high school; suspect arrested. SENT: 270 words, photos.
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TRUMP-RUSSIA-PROBE-FLYNN — Former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn files court papers to withdraw his guilty plea, saying federal prosecutors had acted in “bad faith" and broken their end of the bargain when they sought prison time for him. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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RUSSIA-PUTIN — President Vladimir Putin proposes to tweak the Russian Constitution to increase the powers of parliament and the Cabinet — a move that could herald his intention to shift into a new position to stay at the helm after his current term expires. SENT: 710 words, photos.
AP EXPLAINS-US ASYLUM AGREEMENTS — The U.S. government plans to begin sending Mexican asylum seekers to Guatemala and has finalized steps with Honduras to begin sending asylum seekers from other countries there. SENT: 830 words, photo.
AP EXPLAINS-VENEZUELA-RIVAL ASSEMBLIES — Venezuela's political landscape has recently taken a turn from messy to downright chaotic. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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AIRCRAFT FUEL DUMP — Federal authorities will investigate why an airliner with engine trouble dumped jet fuel over a densely populated area of Southern California while making an emergency return to the airport, dousing dozens of schoolchildren in a smelly vapor. SENT: 820 words, photos, graphic.
MYSTERY DRONE SIGHTINGS — People insist they have spotted fleets of large drones crisscrossing rural America’s night sky, their mission mysterious, raising questions that have veered into conspiracy theories and launching an investigation. SENT: 820 words, photo.
EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT-VIRGINIA — State lawmakers are poised to take a major step toward making Virginia the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. SENT: 380 words, photos.
TEXAS EXECUTION — A Texas inmate with a history of violence against women is set to be executed for fatally shooting his wife, who had feared she would never get out of her marriage alive. SENT: 700 words, photo. UPCOMING: Execution scheduled for after 7 p.m.
MICHAEL-AVENATTI-CHARGES — Michael Avenatti, the embattled former attorney for the porn actress Stormy Daniels, is arrested in California for alleged bail violations, according to a court filing by federal prosecutors. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRGINIA GUN BAN — Fearing a repeat of the deadly violence that engulfed Charlottesville more than two years ago, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to declare a temporary emergency banning all weapons, including guns, from Capitol Square ahead of a massive rally planned next week over gun rights. SENT: 440 words, photos.
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US-CHINA-TRADE-PACT-SIGNING — After 18 months of economic combat, the United States and China are to take a step toward financial peace. By Business Writers Paul Wiseman and Joe McDonald. SENT: 1,280 words, photo.
DAVOS-FORUM-GLOBAL-RISKS — Environmental issues make up the top five risks to the global economy for the coming decade, organizers of next week's World Economic Forum in Switzerland say. SENT: 700 words, photo.
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SCIENCE
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ENDANGERED RHINO EMBRYO — Researchers say they have successfully created another embryo of the nearly extinct northern white rhino in a global effort to keep the species alive. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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SIGN-STEALING SOLUTIONS — If Major League Baseball really wants to stop its teams from electronically stealing signs, it might consider fighting technology with more technology. By Sports Writer David Brandt. SENT: 980 words, photos.
RED SOX-CORA FIRED — Alex Cora, identified as a ringleader in an illegal system of sign stealing when he was with the Houston Astros, is fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox. By Sports Writer Jimmy Golen. SENT: 960 words, photos.
ISRAEL-BASEBALL — Team Israel’s improbable run to the Tokyo Olympic Games is spurring hope that it will provide the overlooked sport of baseball in Israel its long-awaited boost. SENT: 960 words, photos.
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