AP News Digest 3:30 a.m.

APTOPIX Biden (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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TOP STORIES

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BIDEN-ECONOMY — President Joe Biden tackles the economic fallout from the pandemic, while Congress begins to consider and debate the $1.9 trillion stimulus package he has proposed. Most economists believe the United States can rebound with strength once people are vaccinated from the coronavirus, but the situation is still dire. By Josh Boak. UPCOMING: 670 words, photos by 5:30 a.m.

BIDEN-FAUCI — Dr. Anthony Fauci is back. After a year in which he was undermined by former President Trump he says it’s “liberating” to be backed by a science-friendly administration that has embraced his recommendations to battle COVID-19 By Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 950 words, photos, video. With BIDEN-WHITE HOUSE — Coronavirus guidelines now the rule at White House.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Public health experts blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over. The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans. By Carla K. Johnson, Brian Melley and Karen Matthews. SENT: 980 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE LUCK — Fortune struck one man in the bakery aisle at the supermarket. Two others were working the night shift at a Subway sandwich shop. Yet another was plucked from a list of 15,000 hopefuls. With millions of Americans waiting for their chance to get the coronavirus vaccine, a lucky few are getting bumped to the front of the line as clinics scramble to get rid of extra, perishable doses at the end of the day. By Bernard Condon, Candice Choi and Matt Sedensky. SENT: 940 words, photos.

NORTH-KOREA-BIDEN’S-CHALLENGE — Last year was a disaster for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He helplessly watched his country’s already battered economy decay further amid pandemic border closures while brooding over the collapse of made-for-TV summits with Trump that failed to lift crippling sanctions from his country. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 970 words, photos.

RUSSIA-EXPLAINING-NAVALNY — The return to Russia from Germany by opposition leader Alexei Navalny was marked by chaos and popular outrage, and it ended, almost predictably, with his arrest. By Daria Litvinova. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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GIULIANI-ETHICS-COMPLAINT — Lawyers want Giuliani investigated, license suspended. SENT: 260 words, photo.

PEOPLE-DAVE CHAPPELLE — Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19; shows canceled. SENT: 140 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA WINDS-YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park to remain closed after wind damage. SENT: 240 words, photos.

IDITAROD — ExxonMobil becomes latest sponsor to sever Iditarod ties. SENT: 730 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell wants to postpone Trump’s impeachment trial until February to give the former president time to prepare and review his case. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.

BIDEN-CABINET-DEFENSE — Congress is moving quickly to install retired Gen. Lloyd Austin as Biden’s secretary of defense. SENT: 700 words, photos.

BIDEN-OVAL OFFICE — Paul Chavez didn’t know where a sculpture of his father, the late Latino American civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez, would end up in the White House. SENT: 570 words, photos.

CONGRESS-ETHICS — Seven Democratic senators asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the actions of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley “to fully understand their role” in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by Trump’s supporters. SENT: 430 words, photos.

BIDEN-BORDER-WALL — Biden orders a “pause” on all border wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration. SENT: 960 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — The death toll from the coronavirus in Germany has passed 50,000, a number that has risen swiftly over recent weeks even as infection figures are finally declining. SENT: 360 words.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CANADA-PFIZER — The leader of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, says he isn’t buying the explanation given by Pfizer about why the company has deferred next week’s coronavirus vaccine deliveries to Canada. SENT: 640 words, photo.

SRI-LANKA-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Sri Lanka approves the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be used against COVID-19 amid warnings from doctors that frontline health workers should be quickly vaccinated to stop the system from collapsing. SENT: 260 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Shanghai has imposed lockdowns on two of China’s best-known hospitals after they were linked to new coronavirus cases. SENT: 380 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEXICO — Mexico posted new one-day highs for the pandemic, with 22,339 newly confirmed coronavirus infections and 1,803 deaths from COVID-19 recorded for the previous 24 hours. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-VACCINE — Brazil’s government is eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2 million doses of coronavirus vaccine from India, while experts warn the precious cargo will do little to shore up an insufficient supply in South America’s biggest nation. SENT: 920 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-CLASHES — Ultra-Orthodox Jews attacked an unmarked Israeli police vehicle overnight, pelting it with stones and smashing the windows while officers were inside, and igniting a riot in which at least six people were arrested, police say. SENT: 270 words.

Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

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INTERNATIONAL

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IRAN-BITCOIN — Social media in Iran has been gripped by speculation that Bitcoin is to blame for a series of recent power blackouts across the country. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

PORTUGAL-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — With the moderate incumbent candidate widely seen as the sure winner of Sunday’s presidential election in Portugal, the most intriguing question for many Portuguese is how well a brash new populist challenger will fare in a ballot skewed by a surging COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 800 words, photos.

UNITED-NATIONS-NUCLEAR-BAN-TREATY — The first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons entered into force, hailed as a historic step to rid the world of its deadliest weapons but strongly opposed by the world’s nuclear-armed nations. SENT: 680 words, photo.

INDONESIA-PLANE CRASH — Relatives of the crash victims prayed and threw flowers into the Java Sea where the Sriwijaya Air jet plunged into the water almost two weeks ago, killing all 62 people on board. SENT: 350 words, photos.

SOMALIA-ETHIOPIA’S-CONFLICT — Pressure is growing on Somalia’s government amid allegations that Somali soldiers have been sent to fight in neighboring Ethiopia’s deadly Tigray conflict. SENT: 510 words.

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NATIONAL

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WAREHOUSE-PARTY-FIRE — The master tenant of a cluttered, dilapidated San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished in a late-night fire in 2016 is scheduled to plead guilty to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury. SENT: 380 words, photos. UPCOMING: Hearing scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

INAUGURATION-NATIVE-AMERICANS — Native Americans celebrated as Biden revoked a pipeline permit and halted border wall construction on his first day as president. SENT: 580 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets retreated after a resurgence of coronavirus infections in China and a rise in cases in Southeast Asia. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 590 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA-WUHAN — China is rolling out a state-backed film praising Wuhan ahead of the anniversary of the 76-day lockdown in the central city where the coronavirus was first detected. SENT: 670 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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TOKYO-FUTURE IOC — President Thomas Bach and local organizers are pushing back against reports that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be canceled. By Sports Writer Stephen Wade. SENT: 750 words, photo. With TOKYO-PHOTO-GALLERY — Postponed Tokyo Olympics to open in just six months.

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HOW TO REACH US

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