AP News Digest 2 p.m.
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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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-IMPEACHMENT — About half of Americans say the Senate should vote to convict former President Donald Trump at the end of his impeachment trial, even though a majority think he bears at least some blame for the Capitol insurrection. By Jill Colvin and Emily Swanson. SENT: 985 words, photos, graphics. With: AP POLL-IMPEACHMENT-GLANCE.
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TOP STORIES
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BIDEN-ECONOMY — President Joe Biden laid out the case Friday for moving fast and without Republicans, if necessary, to pass $1.9 trillion in coronavirus relief, armed with new signs of economic strain brought on by the continuing pandemic. By Josh Boak. SENT: 770 words, photos. Developing from White House briefing, and House vote mid-afternoon.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY VACCINES — The Pentagon will deploy more than 1,100 troops to five vaccination centers in what will be the first wave of increased military support for the White House campaign to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 850 words, photos.
RACE-WAR-ANALYSIS — One month ago, the Capitol siege awakened many Americans to the existence of a domestic terror threat in the U.S. But it is part of a long war that has been waged by legions of white people in the thrall of stereotypes, lies and conspiracy theories that don’t just exist for recluses on some dark corner of the internet. For a very long time, civil rights leaders, historians and experts on extremism say, many white Americans and elected leaders have failed to acknowledge that this war of white aggression was real, even as the bodies of innocent people piled up. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,785 words, photos. Eds: An abridged version of 1,055 words is available.
FEDERAL EXECUTIONS-CORONAVIRUS — The rush by Donald Trump’s administration to carry out an unprecedented number of executions at the end of his presidency likely acted as a super spreader event, according to data reviewed by The Associated Press. It was something health experts had warned could happen when the Justice Department insisted on resuming federal executions during a pandemic. By Michael Tarm, Michael Balsamo and Michael Sisak. UPCOMING: 1,000 words by 5 p.m., photo.
CHINA-TURKEY-UIGHURS FOR VACCINES? — Opposition legislators in Turkey are accusing Ankara’s leaders of secretly selling out Uighurs to China as a quid pro quo for vaccines. Tens of millions of vials of Chinese vaccines were promised to Turkey but many have not yet been delivered. Meanwhile, lawyers say Turkish police have raided dozens of Uighur homes for deportation in recent months — a sharp uptick from last year. By Dake Kang and Suzan Fraser. SENT: 990 words, photos.
OBIT-PLUMMER — Christopher Plummer award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film “The Sound of Music” and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, has died. He was 91. Plummer enjoyed varied roles ranging from the film “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” to the voice of the villain in 2009′s “Up” and as a canny lawyer in Broadway’s “Inherit the Wind.” By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MAGASCAR-TINY CHAMELEON — Scientists from Madagascar and Germany say a newly discovered species of chameleon is a contender for the title of world’s smallest reptile. SENT: 290 words, photo.
MISSING-FLUTE-FOUND — A musician visiting Chicago has pulled off what anyone who has left behind so much as a hat on a Chicago Transit Authority train knows is nearly impossible: He recovered a $22,000 flute that he forgot on a train. SENT: 340 words, photos.
OBIT-JIM-WEATHERLY — Hall of Fame songwriter Jim Weatherly, who wrote “Midnight Train to Georgia” and other hits for Gladys Knight, Glen Campbell and Ray Price, has died. He was 77. SENT: 210 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-OFFICER FIRED — A Florida police officer has been fired following a coworker’s complaint that he mocked her concerns about the coronavirus, hugged her against her wishes and misled investigators. SENT: 315 words.
ICE-FLOE-RESCUES — The U.S. Coast Guard and several other agencies rescued 66 people stranded on ice floes in a bay in northeastern Wisconsin. SENT: 175 words.
FBN-SUPER BOWL-BIDEN DOGS — President Joe Biden’s dogs will make an appearance during the Puppy Bowl this weekend. SENT: 200 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEACHERS — Teacher access to coronavirus vaccines has become an early test for President Joe Biden, who is caught between his pledge to quickly open schools and the powerful teachers unions, some of whom are resisting returning to the classroom without the shots. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4 p.m., photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOMES — Fewer cases of COVID-19 are cropping up in U.S. nursing homes and other long-term care centers than just a few week ago, a rare glimmer of hope that the worst may be over in thousands of facilities that have been wracked by death and suffering during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — When it comes to fighting the coronavirus, Israel is discovering the limits of vaccines. The country famous for its high-tech prowess and spirit of innovation is home to the world’s speediest vaccination drive, fueled from the top by national pride and a deep longing to start “getting back to life,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it. SENT: 950 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST, VIRUS OUTBREAK-THINGS TO KNOW (both sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-STATEHOUSE TENSIONS — Tensions are running high in some state capitols over coronavirus precautions after this year’s legislative sessions began with an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The Associated Press has tallied at least 40 state lawmakers in roughly one-third of the states who already have fallen ill with the virus this year. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO INTERVIEW — A member of the World Health Organization expert team investigating the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan says the Chinese side granted full access to all sites and personnel they requested to visit and meet with. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT-FRAUD — Unemployment agencies across the country were bombarded with so many claims during the pandemic that many struggled to distinguish the correct from the criminal. Now, simple tax forms — barely enough to fill a half-sheet of paper — are revealing the extent of the identity theft that made state-run unemployment offices lucrative targets for fraud after millions of people lost their jobs during the pandemic. SENT: 980 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-VOLUNTEERS — A group of more than 100 volunteers in Florida is helping seniors navigate the technology-heavy process of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The volunteers stepped in after seeing the chaos and confusion that erupted when the state opened up vaccine eligibility for residents 65 and older. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Everyone arriving in the U.K. from countries identified as coronavirus hotspots will have to spend 10 days in hotel quarantine starting Feb. 15 in a bid to stop new virus variants reaching the country. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HUG-TENT — Residents at an assisted living center near Denver are getting a taste of what life was like before the coronavirus pandemic. Sort of. Thanks to a “hug tent” set up outside the suburban facility, residents could embrace and hold hands with their families this week. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MOTHER-DAUGHTER NURSES — Sigrid Stokes is carrying on a life-saving family tradition each time she administers COVID-19 vaccines to her fellow health care workers at at a Northern California’s hospital. The mother of the 76-year-old nurse practitioner was a teenager when the deadly 1918 flu pandemic struck, and she quickly volunteered at a local hospital to help those sickened. Years later, she told her daughter that experience inspired her to move from her native Norway to the United States and become a nurse. SENT: 580 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GERMANY — Officials say a more contagious variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain now accounts for almost 6% of all cases in Germany. SENT: 560 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-REMEMBRANCE — The impeachment trial of Donald Trump is more than an effort to convict the former president of inciting an insurrection. It’s also a public airing, accounting and remembrance of the worst attack on the U.S. Capitol in 200 years. Many Republican allies of the former president say it’s time to move on, but the Democrats bringing the charges against Trump, the only president twice impeached, say memory matters. 800 words by 5 p.m., photo.
CONGRESS-DIVIDED REPUBLICANS — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at “morons” in both parties who voted to kick her off her committees, a day after the House meted out the unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she’d earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories. SENT: 1,005 words, photos.
BIDEN-TRAVEL — President Joe Biden makes his first trip aboard Air Force One since taking office. He heads to his home state of Delaware for the weekend at a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising against travel. By Aamer Madhani. UPCOMING: 500 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ANGRY REPUBLICANS-SASSE — U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska is pushing back against some fellow Republicans who want the state party to formally censure him for his outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol riot. SENT: 600 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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FBI-SHOOTING-FLORIDA — Police nationwide are facing a heightened danger: Criminals are using home surveillance cameras to monitor their movements. The FBI believes that may have happened this week when two of its agents were gunned down by a child pornography suspect in South Florida. SENT: 770 words, photos.
POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA — An 18-year-old from Illinois who’s accused of killing two people and wounding a third during a police brutality protest in Wisconsin last summer fired a California attorney who had been soliciting money for his case. SENT: 260 words, photo.
DEATH PENALTY-VIRGINIA — Virginia’s state House has joined the Senate in voting to abolish the death penalty. Gov. Ralph Northam supports this legislation. His signature would make Virginia the 23rd state to stop executing prisoners. SENT: 640 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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RUSSIA-NAVALNY —Russia said it was expelling diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany, accusing them of attending a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as international tensions grew over the jailing of the Kremlin’s most prominent foe. The announcement came as the European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the treatment of Navalny represents “a low point” in relations between Brussels and Moscow. SENT: 990 words, photos.
RUSSIA PROTESTS-CROWDED JAILS — Detainees are recounting their miserable experiences as Moscow jails were overwhelmed following mass arrests from protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny this week. Detainees described waiting for hours in police vehicles without access to food, water or toilets before they were taken to overcrowded jail cells, where there was little regard for coronavirus precautions. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-ICC — The International Criminal Court says its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, appearing to clear the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. SENT: 160 words, developing.
MYANMAR — Hundreds of members of Myanmar’s deposed ruling party have declared themselves to be the sole legitimate representatives of the people and asked for international recognition as the country’s government. Protests against the military takeover also swelled Friday. SENT: 930 words, photos. With MYANMAR-ECONOMIC-WOES — Military coup yet another blow for Myanmar’s sagging economy. SENT: 1,105 words, photos.
INDIA-FREE SPEECH CRACKDOWN — Media coverage and social media chatter around the tens of thousands of protesting farmers at the edges of the Indian capital have prompted a furious reaction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Critics say it has used the massive demonstrations to escalate a crackdown on the media and free speech by detaining journalists and freezing Twitter accounts. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
EGYPT-ISLAM-KAFALA — Egyptians who have taken in children under the Islamic system of guardianship known as Kafala are turning to social media to raise awareness as part of a push to provide orphans with permanent families. They’re sharing their stories and working to demystify the sometimes misunderstood practice. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
LIBYA — Delegates from Libya’s warring factions selected four leaders to guide the North African country through to national elections in December, seen as a major — if uncertain — step toward unifying a nation with two separate governments in the east and west. SENT: 575 words, photos.
JAMAICA-MARIJUANA SHORTAGE — Jamaica is running low on ganja. The shortage in the famed but illegal market is due to heavy rains followed by an extended drought, an increase in consumption and a drop in the number of traditional marijuana farmers. Experts say it’s the worst shortfall they’ve seen. SENT: 580 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT — U.S employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, a sign that that the viral pandemic retains a tight grip on the economy nearly a year after it triggered a painful recession. SENT: 650 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks were higher, despite the fact that Wall Street got a dismal jobs report for January. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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Q&A-BILLY-CRYSTAL — After hosting the Oscars nine times, Billy Crystal wouldn’t necessarily rule out a tenth. But the 72-year-old actor would prefer some wider attention for his low-budget indie film, “Standing Up, Falling Down.” SENT: 985 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN–SUPER BOWL-OFFENSIVE MASTERMINDS —Coaches Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are masterminds on offense, a big reason why the Chiefs and Buccaneers are in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Reid adapted Patrick Mahomes to his West Coast offense. Arians modified his “no risk it, no biscuit” philosophy because of Tom Brady. SENT: 850 words, photos.
SUPER-BOWL-S-NEW-WORLD-ORDER — Super Bowl ads each year offer a snapshot of the American psyche. And this year, it’s a doozy. After a year of pandemic fear and isolation, a tumultuous election capped by a riot at the Capitol, and periodic uncertainty as to whether there would even BE a Super Bowl, marketers have to tread carefully. SENT: 880 words, photos, video. With SUPER BOWL-10-S-TO WATCH FOR — This year there are more than 20 advertising newcomers to the Super Bowl as well as old favorites. SENT: 835 words, photos.
Find complete Super Bowl coverage on APNews.com.
HKO–VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINOR LEAGUERS FUTURE — The pandemic has put hockey on ice for many minor league players. Some are now looking outside the sport — considering careers in firefighting, aviation, real estate and refereeing — while keeping one skate in the game. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 4 p.m.
GLF–MOON SHOT — Fifty years later, Alan Shepard holds his place in golf history as the only person to hit a shot on the moon. Shepard was the commander of Apollo 14. The mission to the moon ended on Feb. 6, 1971. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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