AP News Digest 3:30 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MENTAL-HEALTH — The lockdowns that France has used to fight the spread of coronavirus have come at considerable cost to residents’ mental health. Surveys are noting a surge of depression, most acutely among people without work, those facing financial hardship and young adults. Mental health professionals say France’s coronavirus lockdowns and curfews have destabilized people who otherwise might not have ended up in psychiatric treatment wards. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,290 words, photos
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURGE — Americans returning from Thanksgiving break face strict new coronavirus measures around the country as health officials brace for a disastrous worsening of the nationwide surge because of holiday gatherings over the long weekend. Los Angeles County imposed a stay-at-home order for its 10 million residents, and Santa Clara County, in the heart of Silicon Valley, banned high school, college and professional sports. By Tammy Webber and Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 980 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Moderna asking U.S., European regulators to OK its virus shots.
BIDEN-ECONOMIC TEAM — With unemployment still high and the pandemic threatening yet another economic slump, President-elect Joe Biden is assembling a team of liberal advisers who have long focused on the nation’s workers and government efforts to address economic inequality. By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller. SENT: 960 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after 12:30 p.m. event.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL MISSOURI HOSPITAL — The coronavirus pandemic is devastating rural hospitals, including the tiny 25-bed facility in Memphis, Missouri. The situation is so dire that doctors sometimes have to send infected people home, telling them to come back if their condition worsens. By Jeff Roberson and Jim Salter. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
SENATE-GEORGIA-TRUMP — Some establishment Republicans are sounding alarms that President Donald Trump’s conspiratorial denials of his own defeat could threaten the party’s ability to win a Senate majority and counter Biden’s administration. By Bill Barrow and Alan Fram. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
BIDEN-RAHM EMANUEL — Biden is considering former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a substantial figure in Democratic Party politics, to serve as his transportation secretary. But Emanuel’s reported candidacy for the job is already raising concern from some members of the party’s progressive wing. By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller. SENT: 990 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS — The coronavirus has cast a pall over Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, all but shutting down the biblical town revered as Jesus’ birthplace at the height of the normally cheery holiday season. By Jelal Hassan. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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KASHMIR-ANIMAL-ATTACKS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Animal attacks taking their toll in Kashmir. SENT: 380 words, photos.
MUSIC-SPOTIFY-END OF YEAR — Bad Bunny is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020. SENT: 200 words, photo.
INDONESIA-VOLCANOES-ERUPT — Thousands flee as activity in Indonesian volcanoes increases. SENT: 520 words, photos.
TOKYO-RINGS-RETURN — Olympic rings back in Tokyo Bay; a sign of hope in pandemic. SENT: 310 words, photos.
MALL SHOOTING — Teen arrested in deadly California mall shooting. SENT: 230 words.
NEW-ZEALAND-CHINA-GRAPHIC-TWEET — New Zealand joins Australia in denouncing China’s tweet. SENT: 580 words, photos.
CAMBODIA-TOXIC WINE — Tainted rice wine kills seven at Cambodian funeral ceremony. SENT: 210 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LEARNING-LOSS — New research shows students have fallen behind in math since the pandemic disrupted school, while most are progressing at a normal pace in reading, findings by the not-for-profit NWEA show. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country’s first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days. SENT: 500 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad says the coronavirus pandemic has increased trafficking of women and gender-based violence, leaving the health and safety of women “on the line.” SENT: 590 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-SHOPPING — As the holiday season gets underway, health experts say to avoid shopping in stores when possible. SENT: 270 words, graphic.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BELGIUM — Non-essential shops in Belgium are reopening in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions. SENT: 170 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEXICO-WHO — The head of the World Health Organization says that “Mexico is in bad shape” with the pandemic and urges its leaders be serious about the coronavirus and set examples for its citizens. SENT: 200 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE `FAKE NEWS’ — The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network is urging governments and institutions to combat “fake news” about COVID-19 vaccines which has become “a second pandemic” and start building trust in communities around the world about the critical importance of vaccinating people. SENT: 560 words, photo.
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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BIDEN-INTELLIGENCE — Biden gets his first look as president-elect at the President’s Daily Brief, a top secret summary of U.S. intelligence and world events — a document former first lady Michelle Obama has called “The Death, Destruction, and Horrible Things Book.” SENT: 850 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-HOUSE-GEORGIA — Georgia voters are choosing the short-term replacement for civil rights legend John Lewis. SENT: 360 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-HOUSE-CALIFORNIA — Democrat Christy Smith conceded in a knife-edged loss to Republican rival Mike Garcia, who retained his Congressional seat in the 25th District north of Los Angeles. SENT: 360 words, photos.
BIDEN-PRESIDENTIAL PETS — Major Biden gets an early start in the spotlight as a presidential dog after a play date ended with his owner suffering a broken foot. SENT: 590 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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UNITED-NATIONS-HUMANITARIAN-NEEDS — The U.N. humanitarian office says needs for assistance have ballooned to unprecedented levels this year because of COVID-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people will require help in 2021. SENT: 630 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks rose after Chinese manufacturing improved, South Korea reported stronger exports and Australia’s central bank left its benchmark lending rate at a record low. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 610 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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