AP News Digest 2:15 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.
————-————— TOP STORIES —————————-
ELECTION 2020 — The Democratic Party's seven strongest presidential contenders are preparing for what could be the fiercest debate of the 2020 primary season as the race barrels ahead toward a series of contests that will help determine the course of the nomination fight. By National Political Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,190 words, photos. With: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-QUESTIONS — How will Sanders and Buttigieg act as front-runners? SENT: 700 words, photos; ELECTION 2020-IOWA CAUCUSES — Iowa Democratic Party extends until Monday a deadline originally set for midday Friday for presidential candidates to request a review of the results of the caucuses following the reporting debacle. SENT: 500 words, photo; ELECTION 2020-BLOOMBERG — The former Navy secretary who was fired after criticizing President Trump endorsed Democrat Michael Bloomberg for president. SENT: 400 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-DEMOCRATS — Donald Trump’s impeachment ended with a reminder of why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resisted the idea for so long — an acquittal everyone saw coming, followed by a bombastic presidential victory lap and a bump in his poll numbers just as the 2020 campaign officially began. Now Democrats have to decide how to navigate the legislative and political landscape that they've helped reshape. By Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
Find full coverage of the impeachment inquiry in AP Newsroom.
CHINA-OUTBREAK —China's ruling Communist Party faced public anger and recrimination over the death of a doctor who was threatened by police after trying to sound the alarm about the new coronavirus back in December. By Ken Moritsugu and Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 1,110 words, photos. WITH: CHINA OUTBREAK-US EVACUEES — Another plane carrying people evacuated from the virus zone in China landed Friday at a Marine Corps base just outside San Diego. SENT: 125 words.
SYRIA — Turkey sent more troops and tanks to bolster its military presence in northwestern Syria, where President Bashar Assad's forces have been advancing in a devastating, Russian-backed offensive that has sparked a massive wave of people fleeing in wet and blustery winter weather. By Sarah El Deeb and Susan Fraser. SENT: 915 words, photos. With RUSSIA-SYRIA — Russia’s Defense Ministry says Israeli air forces nearly shot down a passenger jetliner in Syria during a missile strike on the suburbs of Damascus. SENT: 560 words, photo.
ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT — Hiring jumped last month as U.S. employers added a robust 225,000 jobs, bolstering an economy that faces threats from China’s viral outbreak, an ongoing trade war and struggles at Boeing. The Labor Department also said that a half-million people streamed into the job market in January, though not all of them found jobs. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 645 words, photo. With FEDERAL RESERVE-MONETARY REPORT — Federal Reserve signals steady interest rates as downside risks to US economy have lessened. SENT: 500 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020—DACA RECIPIENTS — Many immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as young children say they have become political activists because they consider themselves Americans. They're assuming a prominent role in the presidential campaign and working to get others to vote though they can't themselves. It comes as a Supreme Court decision looms over whether to lift protections from deportation provided by an Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival. By Anita Snow. SENT: 1,165 words, photos.
—————————————————————- WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT —————————————————————-
ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT-PHOTO — Posting a patient's photo on social media is not illegal, a Minnesota court rules. SENT: 510 words.
TRUMP ART-PULLED — A Delaware university removed from an online showcase a piece of student artwork depicting President Donald Trump being decapitated. SENT: 195 words.
GROOMING-DOG DEATH — A woman whose dog died during a grooming at a PetSmart store in New Jersey is now apologizing for blaming the store for the death. SENT: 250 words.
BRITAIN-ROYALS — Britain is set for another royal wedding. Buckingham Palace announced Friday that Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice will marry in London on May 29. SENT: 215 words, photo.
MEXICO-PRESIDENTIAL PLANE — Mexicans will no longer have to worry about where to park a Boeing Dreamliner when the government raffles off the luxurious presidential jet: the air force will keep it. SENT: 440 words, photo.
—————————————————————-
MORE ON CHINA OUTBREAK
—————————————————————-
CHINA OUTBREAK-DOCTOR DANGERS — The death of a Chinese doctor underscores a grim reality: The physicians first to recognize outbreaks are often among the earliest victims. Dr. Li Wenliang's death showed the dangers health workers have faced in similar epidemics, including SARS and Ebola. SENT: 700 words, photo.
CHINA OUTBREAK-THE DOCTOR — The death of a doctor who was reprimanded for warning about China’s new virus triggered an outpouring of praise for him and fury that communist authorities put politics above public safety. Ophthalmologist Li Wenliang died at the hospital where he worked and likely contracted the virus while treating patients. A prominent Chinese disease researcher called him a hero and said, “Dr. Li Wenliang is immortal.” SENT: 870 words, photos.
HONG KONG-PANIC BUYING — Barren supermarket shelves and signs reading “out of stock.” Widespread panic-buying of essentials such as toilet rolls and rice has hit in Hong Kong. The rush on essentials is a knock-on effect of the deadly virus outbreak in neighboring mainland China. SENT: 300 words, photos.
—————————————————
——————————————————
TRUMP — President Trump will promote economic revitalization in low-income areas on his first trip outside of Washington since he was acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial. SENT: 300 words, photos. Will be updated from 1:20 p.m. remarks.
SECRET SERVICE-TREASURY — The White House is throwing its support behind a plan to transfer the U.S. Secret Service back to the Treasury Department to better focus on the growing threat of online financial crimes. SENT: 940 words, photo.
VINDMAN — The decorated soldier and White House aide who played a central role in the Democrats' impeachment case against President Trump is expected to be pushed out of his job at the National Security Council, two people familiar with the expected personnel move said. SENT: 560 words, photos.
TRUMP-HOTEL-LAWSUIT — A federal appeals court in Washington has dismissed one of several ongoing lawsuits charging that President Trump has illegally profited off the presidency. SENT: 400 words, photos.
CONGRESS-PUERTO RICO AID — The Democratic-controlled House passed a $20 billion-plus aid package for Puerto Rico, where a swarm of earthquakes last month set back the island territory's slow, troubled recovery from the hurricane devastation of 2017. The White House has promised a veto. SENT: 450 words, photos.
AP EXPLAINS-ONLINE MISINFORMATION — Americans will see lots of political misinformation in the months leading up to the 2020 race. Here's a rundown of the key terms and concepts they'll need to know to tell their bots from their trolls. SENT: 1,235 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-WALSH — Former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh ends his Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump. SENT: 540 words, photos.
———————- NATIONAL ————————
WINTER WEATHER — Extreme wind gusts, blowing snow and widespread flooding made traveling treacherous on Friday as a storm system moved into the northeastern United States, leaving rising water and at least five deaths in its wake across the South. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
VIRGINIA GUN LAWS — Democratic lawmakers in Virginia are advancing legislation to ban the sale of assault weapons and the possession of high-capacity magazines despite fierce opposition from gun owners. SENT: 585 words.
LEGISLATIVE CONTINUANCES— For a year and a half, a Virginia mother of seven young girls has been frustrated by repeated delays in the domestic violence case against her estranged husband because his defense lawyer exercised a privilege that most other attorneys don’t have. Nine separate times, court records show, the appeals trial for her former NASCAR driver husband has been delayed because his attorney, Republican state lawmaker Jeff Campbell, signaled he was too busy with legislative business to go to court. SENT: 1,015 words, photos.
RESORT RENTAL DISPUTE — Lake Placid is a picture-book village in the Adirondack Mountains offering tourists crisp air, pretty peaks, Winter Olympic sites and, lately, a lot more houses to rent for the weekend. SENT: 850 words, photos.
———————————- INTERNATIONAL ———————————-
ISRAEL-US PLAN-ARAB CITIZENS — It might have seemed to be one of the more innocuous elements in Trump's deeply divisive Middle East peace initiative: the suggestion that a densely populated Arab region of Israel be added to a future Palestinian state, if both sides agree. Instead, the proposal has infuriated many of Israel's Arab citizens, who view it as a form of forced transfer. SENT: 1,140 words, photos. With ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Palestinians deny U.S. charges of incitement, blame Trump plan. SENT: 840 words, photos.
ITALY-OBIT-PEPPER — Beverly Pepper, a fixture of the Roman “Dolce Vita” and renowned American sculptor who made Italy her home and backdrop to many of her monumental steel creations, has died. She was 97. SENT: 525 words, photos.
SERBIA SHRINKING COUNTRY — Near-empty villages and abandoned, crumbling houses can be seen all over Serbia, a Balkan country whose population is shrinking so fast that the issue has been pinned as a national emergency and the United Nations has stepped in to help. Other countries in the region are facing similar problem where population decline is undermining the economic growth and development. SENT: 870 words, photos.
INDIA-NEW DELHI-ELECTIONS — Campaigning for a crucial state election in India's capital has reached a fever pitch as members of the Hindu nationalist-led government call for violence against minority Muslims and invoke the specter of arch-nemesis Pakistan to reverse course after a pair of losses in recent state polls. SENT: 820 words, photos.
IRELAND-ELECTION — Ireland's elections are usually two-horse races. But this time there's a third contender, as a party with historic links to the Irish Republican Army soars in the polls. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
————————————-
HEALTH/ SCIENCE
—————————————
OVERFLOWING GREAT LAKES — High water levels are wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes. The five inland seas are bursting at the seams during the region's wettest period in more than a century, which scientists say is likely connected to the warming climate. And no relief is in sight. SENT: 1,210 words, photos, video.
SCI--BOEING-CREW CAPSULE — Defective software could have doomed Boeing's crew capsule during its first test flight that ended up being cut short late last year, NASA said. SENT: 450 words, photo.
———————————- BUSINESS/TECH ———————————-
FORD MANAGEMENT SHAKE-UP — Ford is shaking up its management after a poor fourth-quarter financial performance and the botched launch of the Explorer SUV. Automotive President Joe Hinrichs will retire from the company. Jim Farley, president of new business and strategy, will become chief operating officer. By Tom Krisher. SENT: 600 words, photo.
HYUNDAI RECALL — Hyundai is recalling nearly 430,000 small cars because water can get into the antilock brake computer. SENT: 440 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks slipped a bit, following other markets around the world lower, amid concern that the best week for the S&P 500 in eight months may have been overdone. SENT: 900 words, photo.
ITALY-BENETTON-TOSCANI — Benetton has severed decades-old ties with creative director Olivier Toscani over insensitive remarks regarding the fatal 2018 Genoa bridge collapse. SENT: 480 words, photo.
——————— SPORTS ———————-
OBIT-ROGER KAHN — Roger Kahn, the writer who wove memoir and baseball and touched millions of readers through his romantic account of the Brooklyn Dodgers in "The Boys of Summer," has died. He was 92. SENT: 875 words.
BBO--SPRING TRAINING — Talk of cheating and electronic sign stealing, along with hitting and pitching, will dominate spring training camps when pitchers and catchers report next week. By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 7 p.m.
HKN--OVECHKIN 700 — Alex Ovechkin is this generation's greatest goal scorer. He has done it with a mix of size, physicality, a deceptive release and a shot goalies liken to a knuckleball. The Washington Capitals captain is on the verge of becoming the eighth player with 700 goals. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 4 p.m.
KOBE BRYANT-MEMORIAL — Kobe Bryant's widow says there will be a “celebration of life” memorial on Feb. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to honor her late husband and 13-year-old daughter Gianna. SENT: 300 words, photos.
TYSON-DOUGLAS-30TH ANNIVERSARY — Thirty years after his startling victory against boxing titan Mike Tyson, Buster Douglas is feeling healthy and basking in the glory he says he was denied at the time. “Right now, everything is looking up,” Douglas said in a recent Associated Press interview, noting he struggles with diabetes. “Feeling good and the numbers are good. It's a good thing.” SENT: 785 words, photos.
—————————————— HOW TO REACH US —————————————-
At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Donald E. King (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.