AP News Digest 6 p.m.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds: TRUMP-DRUG PRICES; ELECTION 2020-LEGAL SCORECARD; JONATHAN POLLARD; CONGRESS-PUBLIC LANDS; VIRUS OUTBREAK-GOVERNORS; MALL INCIDENT-WISCONSIN; CUOMO-TV AWARD; BOMB PLOT-PHARMACIST; BRAZIL-SUPERMARKET-DEATH; POLICE-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA; 1995 CONVICTION-OVERTURNED.
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TOP STORIES
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ELECTION 2020-DOMESTIC INTERFERENCE — In the weeks before the presidential election, federal authorities warned that foreign countries were primed to spread disinformation about the contest’s results. Turns out, the loudest megaphone for that message belonged not to Russia but to President Trump. By Eric Tucker and David Klepper. SENT: 980 words, photos
TRUMP-LEGAL CHALLENGES — President Donald Trump is trying to leverage the power of the Oval Office in an extraordinary attempt to block President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Criticism is mounting that his futile efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election could do long-lasting damage to faith in U.S. elections. By Colleen Long, Zeke Miller and David Eggert. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video. With ELECTION 2020-LEGAL SCORECARD (sent).
BIDEN — President-elect Joe Biden calls on Congress to enact billions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 assistance before the year’s end. Biden met Friday with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 760 words, photos. With BIDEN-STAFF — Biden adds four Obama administration veterans to his White House team. SENT: 340 words, photos; BIDEN-BIRTHDAY — Biden turns 78. SENT: 907 words, photos. WITH: BIDEN-THE LATEST.
BIDEN-TRANSITION — President-elect Joe Biden is moving quickly to fill out his administration and could name top leaders for his Cabinet — including his picks for treasury secretary and secretary of state — as early as next week. By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 850 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGES — As college students prepare to go home for the holidays, some schools are quickly ramping up COVID-19 testing to try to keep infections from spreading further as the coronavirus surges across the U.S. Thousands of cases have been connected to campuses since schools opened their doors this fall, forcing students to quarantine in dorms and shifting classes online. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Pfizer said it is asking U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, starting the clock on a process that could bring limited first shots as early as next month and eventually an end to the pandemic -- but not until after a long, hard winter. The action comes days after Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech announced that its vaccine appears 95% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19 disease in a large, ongoing study. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,O1O words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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1995 CONVICTION-OVERTURNED — Man freed, case dropped in deadly 1994 stabbing of NYC woman. SENT: 490 words, photos.
BOMB PLOT-PHARMACIST — A Nebraska pharmacist has been sentenced to nine years in prison and a Maryland drug dealer to 14 years for a convoluted plot to firebomb a competing pharmacy so they could divert more prescription narcotics to the black market. SENT: 560 words, photos.
BRAZIL-SUPERMARKET-DEATH — Death on eve of Brazil’s Black Consciousness Day sparks fury. SENT: 680 words, photos.
CUOMO-TV AWARD — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to soon receive an International Emmy award for his once-daily televised briefings on the coronavirus pandemic that killed tens of thousands of New Yorkers this spring. SENT: 360 words, photo.
ODD-HOLIDAY HOOT — A tiny owl that was found dehydrated and hungry in the branches of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is eating its way back to good health and set to be released back into the wild Saturday. SENT: 200 words, photo.
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MORE ON ELECTION 2020
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ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN RECOUNT — The recount of the presidential election in Wisconsin’s two most heavily Democratic counties began Friday with President Donald Trump’s campaign seeking to discard tens of thousands of absentee ballots that it alleged should not have been counted. SENT: 700 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-GEORGIA — Georgia’s Republican governor has certified the state’s slate of 16 presidential electors. Gov. Brian Kemp’s spokesman Cody Hall said the governor certified the electors on Friday. His certification came after the secretary of state certified election results showing the state’s voters chose Democrat Joe Biden for president. SENT: 780 words, photos.
SENATE-GEORGIA-PENCE — Vice President Mike Pence is campaigning Friday in Georgia as the state’s two Republican senators try to beat back Democratic challenges in runoff races on Jan. 5 that will determine who controls the Senate at the outset of President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. SENT: 575 words, photos.
SENATE TENNESSEE — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander says the Trump administration should aid President-elect Joe Biden in his transition. In a statement, the retiring Tennessee Republican said Trump’s team should provide all transition materials, resources and meetings needed to ensure a smooth transition, especially on COVID-19 vaccine distribution. SENT: 605 words, photo.
NOT REAL NEWS — False information claiming fraud in the U.S. presidential election is thriving online weeks after the Nov. 3 presidential election. SENT: 2,700 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GOVERNORS — Republican governors in some hard-hit states are refusing to ask families to limit Thanksgiving celebrations despite warnings from federal health officials that gatherings could worsen a coronavirus surge that’s already spinning out of control. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 7 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — The coronavirus surge is taking an increasingly dire toll across the U.S. just as a vaccine appears close at hand, with the country now averaging over 1,300 COVID-19 deaths per day — the highest figure since the disastrous spring in and around New York City. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MOTORCYCLE RALLY — This summer’s huge motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to dozens of coronavirus cases in neighboring Minnesota. That’s the finding of a report Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SENT: 310 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BATTERED-BUSINESSES — By most measures of what keeps a pub afloat, the coronavirus pandemic should have Ye Olde Kings Head on its last kegs. The British restaurant and bar has endured more than its share of setbacks during the past nine months and faces the latest challenge when new restrictions force it to halve its seating and send customers on their way by 10 p.m. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SANFORD CEO-MASKS — The head of one of the largest health systems in the Midwest has told his employees he’s recovered from COVID-19 and is back in the office — without a mask. Some doctors and nurses said his message was confusing and disheartening. SENT: 890 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS EMERGENCY USE — What does emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine mean? It’s when regulators allow shots to be given to certain people while studies of safety and effectiveness are ongoing. SENT: 355 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WASHINGTON
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TRUMP-DRUG PRICES — The Trump administration issues regulations that could lower the prices Americans pay for many prescription drugs. But it’s hard to say whether the rules will withstand expected legal challenges or whether the incoming Biden administration will accept them. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.
JONATHAN POLLARD — The Justice Department says Jonathan Pollard, the former Navy intelligence analyst who served 30 years in prison for selling secrets to Israel, has completed his parole. The move frees him to travel to Israel. SENT: 310 words, photo.
CONGRESS-PUBLIC LANDS — U.S. officials say proposed land conservation purchases in dozens of states would preserve natural areas and increase access to tourist destinations. The announcement Friday comes as lawmakers from both parties push back on Trump administration restrictions on how the money can be spent. SENT: 380 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-MUELLER GRAND JURY — - The Supreme Court is putting off upcoming arguments about whether Congress should have access to secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. SENT: 218 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BOSNIA DAYTON-ANNIVERSARY — Bosnians are marking the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended more than 3 1/2 years of ethnic war in their country. In many ways, Bosnia today is a country at peace, a testament to the success of the Dayton Accords, which ended more than 3 1/2 years of bloodshed when they were endorsed 25 years ago on Saturday. But while the shooting and shelling that killed over 100,000 people stopped, full peace remains elusive. SENT: 970 words, photos.
YEMEN-AFGHANISTAN-HUNGER — The twin baby boys lay on a bed of woven palm leaves in a remote camp for displaced people in Yemen’s north, their collar bones and ribs visible. They cried loudly, twisting as if in pain, not from disease but from the hunger gnawing away at them. Here, U.N. officials’ increasingly dire warnings that a hunger crisis is growing around the world are becoming reality. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — Azerbaijani forces entered the war-ravaged ghost town of Aghdam, regaining a once-beloved city a quarter-century after being driven out by Armenian forces. Aghdam and the surrounding region of the same name are the first of several territories adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh to be turned over under a cease-fire that ended six weeks of intense fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia. SENT: 870 words, photos.
MIDEAST IRAN'S ALLIES — Two Iraqi officials say Iran has instructed allies across the Middle East to be on high alert and avoid provoking tensions with the U.S. that could give an outgoing Trump administration cause to launch attacks in the U.S. president’s final weeks in office. SENT: 840 words, photos.
FRANCE-TRAIN ATTACK — One of three Americans acclaimed as heroes for tackling an alleged Islamic State gunman aboard a Paris-bound train testified at the man’s trial Friday that he tried to kill him. SENT: 270 words, photos.
ONE-GOOD-THING-TEACHING-REFUGEES — Refugee women in Malaysia, some in their late 50s, are learning to read and write for the first time. SENT: 760 words, photos, video.
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NATIONAL
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BORDER-DENTENTION-CHILDREN — Border Patrol agents are detaining about 65 immigrant children at a station in South Texas in conditions that don’t control the spread of the coronavirus, with limited social distancing and a lack of access to soap or hand sanitizer, immigration lawyers said. SENT: 750 words.
MALL INCIDENT-WISCONSIN — A Wisconsin mayor says multiple people were shot at mall Friday but none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening. Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride says in a statement that a suspect remains at large after the shooting at Mayfair Mall. SENT: 280 words. Developing.
POLICE-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA — An Illinois 17-year-old charged with killing two people during a protest in Wisconsin has posted bail and been released from custody. Kyle Rittenhouse posted a $2 million cash bond in Kenosha on Friday. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENT CLASH — Health officials around the world are clashing over the use of certain drugs for COVID-19, leading to different treatment options for patients depending on where they live. For instance, the World Health Organization guidelines panel advised against using the antiviral remdesivir for hospitalized patients, though it's the standard of care in the U.S. and many other countries. SENT: 710 words, photo.
EUROPE US SATELLITE MISSION — A satellite jointly developed by Europe and the United States being launched this weekend will greatly help scientists keep track of the rise in global sea levels, one of the most daunting effects of climate change, a senior official at the European Space Agency said. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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OBIT-JAN MORRIS — Jan Morris, the celebrated journalist, historian, world traveler and fiction writer who became a pioneer of the transgender movement, has died at 94. SENT: 920 words.
SOUTH KOREA-BTS — K-pop band BTS has released their highly anticipated new album, which they describe as a “letter of hope.” The band held a socially distanced news conference in Seoul to unveil “BE,” its second album this year. SENT: 440 words, photos.
MUSIC-JAMES TAYLOR — James Taylor fans are getting more classic songs covered by the iconic singer-songwriter on Friday with the release of three — “Over The Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” from “My Fair Lady” and “Never Never Land” from “Peter Pan.” By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 700 words, photos.
MUSIC-DYLAN LOST INTERVIEWS — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for $495,000. SENT: 285 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKN-RAPTORS-CANADA-PANDEMIC — The Canadian government has denied a request by the NBA and the Raptors to play in Toronto amid the pandemic, and the team says it will start the season next month in Tampa, Florida. SENT: 820 words, photos.
BKN--NBA-FREE AGENCY — NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents at 6 p.m. EST, and deals are expected to be struck quickly. Top players include Anthony Davis and Goran Dragic. Also, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo can agree to a supermax contract with Milwaukee. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 7 p.m.
FBC—T25-WEEKEND PREVIEW — The Big Ten’s four unbeaten teams meet Saturday in two games that could go a long way toward settling the division races: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 3 Ohio State in the East and No. 10 Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Northwestern in the West. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 650 words, photos.
SOC--FIFA-SEXUAL ABUSE INVESTIGATION — The president of Haiti’s soccer federation is banned from the sport for life and fined more than $1 million by FIFA, which says he sexually abused female players. Yves Jean-Bart denies the accusations. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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