AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months AGO
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BLACKWATER PARDONS — One of four former U.S. government contractors pardoned by President Donald Trump in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians says he feels like “I acted correctly.” Evan Liberty spoke to The Associated Press in his first interview since being pardoned late last month. The guards were convicted in the deaths of 14 civilians, including women and children, during a 2007 shooting at a crowded Baghdad traffic circle. Even for a president who has repeatedly exercised his pardon power on personal associates and political supporters, Trump’s clemency for the contractors was met with especially intense condemnation, both in the United States and the Middle East. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
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CONGRESS-ELECTORAL COLLEGE — A group of 11 Republican senators plans to reject presidential electors from some states during Wednesday’s joint session of Congress to certify the results of the White House race that Democrat Joe Biden won. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is leading this new coalition as President Donald Trump’s bid to subvert the voters’ will threatens to tear apart the Republican Party. The senators say they will vote against certain state electors unless Congress appoints a commission to investigate the election results. The senators acknowledge their effort is unlikely to change the election outcome, with Biden set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 800 words, photos.
SENATE-GEORGIA-BIDEN’S FUTURE — Usually it’s a president’s first midterm election that reorders a White House’s political approach and priorities. For President-elect Joe Biden, his most defining congressional election is coming before he takes office. Two runoffs Tuesday in Georgia will decide which party controls the Senate and how far the new president can reach legislatively on issues such as the pandemic, health care, taxation, energy and the environment. For a politician who sold himself to Americans as a uniter and a seasoned legislative broker, the Georgia elections will help determine whether he’s able to live up to his billing. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
RISKIEST PLACES — U.S. experts have calculated the riskiest and safest counties in the country for disasters, and Los Angeles is on the shakiest ground. The new National Risk Index by the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that the risk of 18 natural hazards including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and heat waves is also high in New York, Miami and Philadelphia. Loudoun County in Virginia, other Washington D.C. suburbs, areas near Boston and Long Island rank as some of the safest places. By Science Writer Seth Borenstein.
IRAN — International inspectors say Iran plans to enrich uranium up to 20% at its underground Fordo nuclear facility. The announcement Saturday by the International Atomic Energy Agency means Iran’s program would be a technical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over its tattered atomic deal. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 680 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-OLDER AND ACTIVE — Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and many of its people in their 70s and older have kept working through the coronavirus pandemic. From neighborhood newsstand dealers to farmers taking crops to market, they are fighting labels that depict the elderly as a monolithic group in need of protection. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRIBES-VACCINE TRIALS — As coronavirus vaccines were being developed around the world, few Native American tribes signed up to participate. The reasons range from unethical practices of the past to the quick nature of the studies amid the pandemic. Native researchers say without participation from tribal communities, tribes won’t know which vaccine might best be suited for their citizens. By Felicia Fonseca. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. This is the Sunday Spotlight.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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GENEROUS OFFICER — A Massachusetts police officer is winning praise for providing Christmas dinner for two women accused of trying to steal groceries for their children. SENT: 120 words, photo.
ODD-HIPPIES-WELCOME — LaGrange County in Indiana has repealed its “anti-hippie ordinance” — a 1971 law that was intended at blocking huge gatherings like the 1969 Woodstock music festival. SENT: 150 words.
HONG KONG-SNAKE CATCHER — Ken Lee is among a new breed of snake catchers who strive to release the reptiles back into nature. SENT: 475 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Funeral homes in Southern California say they must turn away grieving families as they run out of space for the bodies piling up during an unrelenting coronavirus surge. UPCOMING: 700 words by 3 p.m. photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THINGS TO KNOW, VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — As the U.K. hits a record for new daily infections, teachers are demanding that the government close schools for two more weeks to counter a fast-spreading virus variant. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BACKCOUNTRY SKIING — Skiers and snowboarders flocked to the backcountry almost immediately after resorts across the country shut down last spring because of the coronavirus. Avalanche forecasters are concerned. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-VACCINE TRIAL — India has tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial as it prepares to roll out an inoculation program to stem the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 420 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Australia’s leading medical group says the New South Wales state government has put the rest of the country at risk by its decision not to go hard and early in its response to the COVID-19 outbreak on Sydney’s northern beaches, which is suspected to have also caused new cases in neighboring Victoria state. SENT: 825 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS — The Dutch government says that it will begin vaccinating thousands of frontline health care workers as soon as possible to ease pressure on hospitals hit by coronavirus-related staffing shortages. SENT: 300 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE-RAVE — A French prosecutor said police detained seven people, including two alleged organizers, after an underground New Year’s Eve rave party drew at least 2,500 people in western France despite a coronavirus curfew and other restrictions. At least 1,200 fines were issued. SENT: 320 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIRIAM THE MASK MAKER — A 95-year-old woman who became a prolific mask maker during the pandemic took a short break this fall while she recovered from COVID-19 herself. SENT: 510 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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VIRGINIA ELECTIONS — An unusually broad field of candidates are vying for the governor’s seat in Virginia as the marquee political contest of 2021 gets into full swing. SENT: 910 words, photos.
McCONNELL-PELOSI-VANDALISM — The homes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were vandalized with graffiti demanding more money to individuals to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic. UPCOMING: 380 words by 2:30 p.m., photos.
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PERSIAN GULF-TENSIONS — Iraq’s military on says explosives experts with its naval forces successfully dismantled a mine that was discovered stuck to an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. SENT: 270 words, photo.
NORWAY-LANDSLIDE — Rescue teams searching for survivors four days after a landslide carried away homes in a Norwegian village have found no signs of life amid the ruined buildings and debris. Three bodies have been recovered; seven people are missing. SENT: 540 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ASSANGE — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. SENT: 750 words, photo.
BRAZIL-BOLSONARO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro survived 2020 in surprisingly good shape. He’s popular despite a pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 of his countrymen. But the new year bring risks on all sides for the populist who has fought to limit environmental protections and rein in leftist influence. SENT: 980 words, photos.
PAKISTAN — Pakistan’s security forces have arrested an alleged leader of the militant group that was behind the bloody 2008 Mumbai attacks in India. SENT: 220 words, photo.
YEMEN — Yemen’s prime minister says that an attack on the airport in Aden was meant “to eliminate” the country’s new government as it arrived in the southern city. SENT: 640 words, photos.
SOMALIA-ATTACK — Officials say a suicide bombing in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has killed five people including two Turkish nationals. SENT: 290 words.
MEXICO-ENDANGERED PORPOISE — The conservationist group Sea Shepherd said Friday that two fishermen were injured off Mexico’s Baja California coast when they rammed their small boat into a larger vessel used by the group in efforts to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise. SENT: 420 words.
EGYPT-SINAI — Egyptian officials say a roadside bomb has gone off in the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing two members of the security forces and wounding five. SENT: 305 words.
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PUERTO RICO-NEW GOVERNOR — Puerto Rico’s new governor is vowing to achieve statehood for the U.S. territory and fight against poverty, corruption and COVID-19. SENT: 750 words.
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CHINA-US-DELISTED COMPANIES — China says it will take necessary countermeasures in response to the New York Stock Exchange’s announcement this week that it will delist three major Chinese telecoms, in the latest flare-up of tensions between Beijing and Washington. SENT: 270 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBC—CFP-TITLE GAME MATCHUP — In a matchup of storied programs, Alabama faces Ohio State on Jan. 11 for the title in this pandemic-disrupted season. The Tide is in the College Football Playoff championship game for a record fifth time. The Buckeyes are back for the first time since winning the CFP’s inaugural crown. SENT: 750 words, photos.
FBC--T25-ORANGE BOWL -- No. 5 Texas A&M plays No. 14 North Carolina in the Orange Bowl, with the winner completing a nine-win season. This could be a chess match between coaches — the Tar Heels’ Mack Brown and the Aggies’ Jimbo Fisher. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts 8:15 p.m.
FBC--T25-FIESTA BOWL -- No. 12 San Jose State tries to cap an undefeated season when it faces No. 25 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. For the Cyclones, it’s their first time in a New Year’s Six bowl. The Ducks are playing in a major bowl for the seventh time in 12 years. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts 4 p.m.
FBC--T25-TEXAS-HERMAN FIRED -- Texas fires football coach Tom Herman after four seasons of failing to win a Big 12 championship and making only one appearance in the league title game. Herman had three seasons left on a guaranteed contract due to pay him more than $6 million per year. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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