AP News Digest 6:15 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.
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NEW & DEVELOPING
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Adds: TRUMP-INTELLIGENCE, UNITED STATES-ARMS CONTROL, TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-MCGAHN SUBPOENA, NOT-REAL-NEWS, BOEING-CREW-CAPSULE.
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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-CONFIDENCE IN INSTITUTIONS — Do Americans trust anyone or anything in public life these days? Even after impeachment, ahead of the elections and amid the coronavirus, some do, according to a new survey. President Donald Trump appears unharmed by his impeachment and subsequent Senate acquittal — in fact he received some of the highest marks of his presidency in the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. By Laurie Kellman and Emily Swanson. SENT: 760 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-SANDERS NDA — An African American political consultant signed a nondisclosure agreement barring her from discussing a lawsuit alleging Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and a nonprofit he later founded engaged in discriminatory racial conduct. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. By Brian Slodysko and Will Weissert. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks sink again after another wild day on Wall Street amid coronavirus fears, extending a rout that handed the market its worst week since October 2008 at the height of the financial crisis. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed around 350 points lower. The benchmark financial index has lost 13 percent since hitting a record high 10 days ago. By Alex Veiga and Damian J. Troise. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL MARKETS-CORRECTION-Q&A — Stocks just “corrected,” a regular but still scary event. SENT: 880 words, photos; VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-MARKETS — As global markets plunge amid growing fears about the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump and his allies return to a familiar playbook and blame others for the slide. By Jonathan Lemire and Josh Boak. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — A deepening health crisis becomes an economic one too as the coronavirus outbreak saps financial markets around the globe, empties shops and businesses and puts major sites and events off limits. The list of countries hit by the illness edged toward 60 as Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Iceland and the Netherlands reported their first cases. The threats to livelihoods were increasingly as worrisome as the threats to lives. By Foster Klug and Matt Sendesky. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-NIGERIA — Nigeria confirms coronavirus, first in sub-Saharan Africa; VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand reports first virus patient; case linked to Iran; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING- Virus fears hit Africa, markets, churches. SENT: 890 words, photos; VIRUS OUTBREAK-AT A GLANCE. Also see MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK below.
TRUMP-INTELLIGENCE — President Trump again picks Rep. John Ratcliffe to be the nation's top intelligence official, overseeing the 17 U.S. spy agencies the president has repeatedly scorned. SENT: 470 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN-PEACE DEAL — America's longest war may finally be nearing an end as the United States and the Islamists it toppled from power in Afghanistan are poised to sign a peace deal on Saturday. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020 — The South Carolina primary opens a critical three-day period that will determine whether Democrats rally around Bernie Sanders or prepare for a lengthy fight for the presidential nomination. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Joe Biden is confident that he is poised for victory in Saturday's first-in-the-South primary. SENT: 1,170 words, photos; ELECTION 2020-BIG CRUNCH — March is crunch time for Democratic presidential candidates, with nearly two-thirds of the party’s national delegates up for grabs. SENT: 890 words, photos.
For featured coverage of the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
MED--OBESITY-SECOND SURGERIES - As more Americans turn to surgery to lose weight, more of them are also returning for a second operation, because the first isn't working. Last year, an estimated 15% of the 252,000 obesity surgeries in the U.S. came after a previous surgery. That compares to 6% of the 158,000 surgeries in 2011, according to a surgeons' group. By Candice Choi. SENT: 880 words, photos.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US RESPONSE — Federal officials scramble to get testing for the coronavirus up and running in every state by the end of next week, as President Donald Trump’s chief economic officer seeks to calm a jittery stock market and urges Americans not to overreact. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Darlene Superville. SENT: 920 words, photos.
MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRUG SHORTAGE — Health officials reported the first U.S. drug shortage tied to the viral outbreak that is disrupting production in China, but they declined to identify the manufacturer or the product. The Food and Drug Administration said that the drug's maker recently contacted officials about the shortage, which it blamed on a manufacturing issue with the medicine's key ingredient. SENT: 480 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FACE-MASK-SHORTAGES — Fear of the spreading coronavirus has led to a global run on sales of face masks despite medical experts' advice that most people who aren't sick don't need to wear them. Many businesses are sold out, while others are limiting how many a customer can buy. Amazon is policing its site, trying to make sure sellers don't gouge panicked buyers. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA-STRANDED STUDENTS — Parents' fears are growing for the thousands of African students who are thought to be stranded in China's locked-down city of Wuhan amid the virus outbreak. There are concerns that students are running out of food and money weeks after other countries evacuated citizens. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — After facing sanctions and the risk of war amid tensions with the United States, Iran’s Shiite theocracy now has an enemy in the new coronavirus that infiltrated its leadership in plain view of state-controlled media and despite repeated denials of any looming threat. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY — Authorities in Italy moved to reopen schools and museums amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country which has the most cases outside of Asia. Italians yearned for a return to normal life even as other European countries were introducing restrictions or closures to rein in the spread of the disease. SENT: 1,133 words, photos.
OLY--TOKYO-VIRUS OUTBREAK - IOC President Thomas Bach refuses to add “fuel to the flames of speculation” about possible disruption of the Tokyo Olympics over a fast-spreading virus. He urges athletes to proceed “full steam.” A transcript of Bach’s remarks to limited Japanese media is obtained by the AP. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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UNITED STATES-ARMS CONTROL — The Trump administration says it told Moscow this week that the U.S. is open to holding a summit with other permanent members of the United Nations in hopes of pushing for three-way arms control pact with Russia and China. By Deb Riechmann. SENT: 480 words, photos.
TRUMP-CONSERVATIVES — As hardcore conservatives gather ahead of the 2020 election, they’re working on how to sell President Trump beyond the party faithful. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 860 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — Trump aims to upstage his Democratic challengers on the eve of South Carolina’s presidential primary. SENT: 290 words, photos. UPCOMING: 600 words after 7 p.m. rally.
LIBERAL GUN OWNERS-POLITICS — The field of Democratic presidential candidates are universally in favor of some form of gun control. That leaves liberals who own firearms wondering: Who should get my vote? Liberals, women and minorities are among a growing segment of gun owners in the United States. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-MCGAHN SUBPOENA — A federal appeals court rules that judges have no role to play in the subpoena fight between the House of Representatives and the Trump administration over the testimony of high-ranking officials. SENT: 310 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-CALIFORNIA PRIMARY-VOTING — Major changes to the way Californians vote have voting advocates on edge as people cast ballots in a high-profile primary that was moved up from June so the country's most populous state could have a say in picking the Democratic nominee for president. SENT: 835 words, photos.
CONGRESS-SURVEILLANCE — Surveillance authorities used by the FBI to fight terrorism could expire next month as both Democrats and Republicans concerned about overreach have complicated their renewal. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker. SENT: 980 words, photo.
CONGRESS-BARR — The House Judiciary Committee is launching a wide-ranging probe of Attorney General William Barr and the Justice Department, demanding briefings, documents and interviews with 15 officials as it tries to determine whether there has been improper political interference in federal law enforcement. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 630 words, photos.
FEDERAL PRISONS-GUN SEARCH — The federal jail in New York City where wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein took his own life is on lockdown as authorities try to determine whether someone smuggled a gun inside one of the most secure federal jails in the country, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 630 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in South Carolina on the eve of the state’s primary. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 600 words, photos.
POMPEO — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the Trump administration's response to the spreading coronavirus and faced contentious questions from Democrats about an airstrike that killed Iran's most powerful general. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 450 words, photo.
NOT-REAL-NEWS — In this week's roundup of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week, we focus on false and misleading reports spreading online around the new coronavirus outbreak, a situation the World Health Organization has dubbed an “infodemic.” SENT: 1,360 Words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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BOEING-CREW-CAPSULE — Boeing acknowledges it failed to conduct full and adequate software tests before the botched space debut of its astronaut capsule late last year. SENT: 400 words, photos.
FRANCE-FIRE — Police evacuated a historic Paris train station after a fire engulfed multiple vehicles and sent a large cloud of black smoke over the neighborhood. SENT: 150 words.
KOBE BRYANT-CRASH PHOTOS — Authorities are reportedly investigating whether deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others. SENT: 435 words, photos.
BABY TRUMP BALLOON ARREST — An Alabama man arrested for slashing a towering protest balloon depicting President Trump as a baby ordered to attend counseling and complete community service. SENT: 215 words.
BUFFALO DIOCESE-BANKRUPTCY — The embattled Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy protection, taking another major step in its effort to recover from a clergy misconduct scandal that‘s been the basis for hundreds of lawsuits. SENT: 310 words.
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CENSUS ALASKA PROBLEMS - More than a month into the start of the 2020 census in rural Alaska, some workers going door to door have grown frustrated by not knowing when they will get their next assignments. Others have bought gear to protect against the brutal cold only to find out they're not getting paid back. And a smartphone app to log hours worked is difficult to use in the field, census takers told The Associated Press. SENT: 1,063 words, photos.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN — The jury that convicted Harvey Weinstein of rape and sex assault did not consider the trial's implications for the #MeToo movement, one of the jurors said in an interview aired Friday. “No, zero, absolutely zero,” juror Drew Malbin said on “CBS This Morning." “Because it’s not the job and it’s not what we were asked to do." SENT: 600 words, photos.
IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM — A federal appeals court temporarily halts a major Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts. SENT: 700 words.
BLACK HISTORY-UNTOLD STORIES - A Dartmouth College professor has created a website that aims to highlight African Americans who did great things but never the recognition of their more famous peers. SENT: 600 words, photos.
INTO THE WILD-LURE OF THE BUS — Travelers have gotten stranded, injured and even died trying to reach an abandoned bus in Alaska’s punishing wilderness, while attempting to retrace the journey described in “Into the Wild." Now families of some of those who died are proposing a footbridge to make it easier for people to complete the journey, but locals fear that could give pilgrims a false sense of security. SENT: 730 words, photos.
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SYRIA — The presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone to try to defuse tensions that rose significantly in Syria after 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian government airstrike, and a new wave of refugees and migrants headed for the Greek border by land and sea after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.
VENEZUELA-FINDING FOOD — Families in Venezuela struggling to find enough food each day talk about their struggle. A U.N. World Food Program study that showed one of three in residents of the crisis-stricken nation aren’t able to meet minimum nutrition requirements. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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CONGRESS VAPING — Moving to stem a vaping epidemic among young people, the House has approved a bill to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. The bill would place new restrictions on the marketing of e-cigarettes and ban flavors in tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill also would place a new excise tax on nicotine. SENT: 835 words, photos.
SICK TURTLES — A dozen sea turtles that nearly froze when they were too far north last fall as water temperatures abruptly plunged in New Jersey survived that ordeal but remain threatened by the pneumonia most of them developed afterward. Sea Turtle Recovery, a nonprofit group operating out of the Turtle Back Zoo in northern New Jersey, got the turtles through their initial medical crisis, with two needing CPR. SENT: 575 words, photos.
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KING-VIRTUAL REALITY - A high-tech museum exhibit is offering a first-person view of Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic March on Washington speech. The exhibit that opens Friday in Chicago lets visitors use virtual reality technology to stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial next to a three-dimensional King as he delivers his "I Have a Dream Speech." By Sophia Tareen. SENT: 750 words, photos, video.
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BBO—LAST STAND - Across spring training, one-time All-Stars in their mid-30s are hoping to stave off the end of their careers. Such jobs are typically hard to come by, with teams preferring younger, less expensive options. That could change this year when MLB rosters expand. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
HEALING WITH BASKETBALL - After a wrenching year marked by a Ku Klux Klan rally, devastating tornadoes and a mass shooting, this struggling city is rallying around a college basketball team and its spectacular season. The Dayton Flyers are ranked No. 4 in the nation, and making people smile again. SENT: 950 words, photos.
SKI--FOREVER CHEMICALS-SKI WAX — At ski races across the United States, competitors are starting to abandon a type of wax many count on for speed amid concerns it contains toxic chemicals that threaten human health and could reach streams and other critical groundwater sources. SENT: 765 words, photos.
SWM--CAS-SUN YANG APPEAL - Three-time Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang is banned for eight years, his Tokyo Games gone and possibly his career. The top court of international sports punishes the Chinese star for a drug-test collection in which a blood sample container was smashed with a hammer. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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