AP News Digest 7 a.m.

APTOPIX Virus Outbreak Japan (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.

______________

TOP STORIES

______________

TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT — President Donald Trump is on the verge of becoming the first president to be impeached twice, as lawmakers move quickly to punish him over last week’s deadly U.S. Capitol attack. Trump’s faces a single charge — “incitement of insurrection” — for his fiery speech at a rally just before the Jan. 6 riot. By Lisa Mascaro, Zeke Miller and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video. Updates throughout the day; timing of votes uncertain. With CONGRESS-EXPLAINING 2ND IMPEACHMENT — How Trump’s second impeachment is expected to unfold. SENT: 1,040 words, photos; TRUMP-IMPEACHMENT-WHAT TO WATCH FOR — High drama on the House floor. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

TRUMP-REPUBLICANS — The wall of Republican support that has enabled President Trump to weather a seemingly endless series of crises is beginning to crumble. The choice facing Republicans isn’t about whether the party’s elected leaders are ready to move on from Trump, who remains popular with the GOP but is now toxic in much of Washington. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 970 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-VIOLENCE VIDEOS — An Associated Press reporter covering Congress, Mary Clare Jalonick cannot stop watching the videos that captured the chaos she lived through last week in the U.S. Capitol. Those images, some captured by other news outlets, some on her on cellphone, have made her realize that the attacks were even worse than they seemed on the day they happened. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video.

CAPITOL BREACH-AMERICA THE UNSTABLE — For America’s allies and rivals alike, the chaos unfolding during Donald Trump’s final days as president is the logical result of four years of global instability brought on by the man who promised to change the way the world viewed the United States. From the outside, the United States has never looked so vulnerable — or unpredictable. Alliances that had held for generations have frayed to a breaking point. By Lori Hinnant. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Japan is expanding a coronavirus state of emergency for seven more prefectures, affecting more than half the population as infections spread across the country. Prime Minister Yoshide Suga also said Japan will suspend fast-track business entry permits, fully banning foreign visitors while the state of emergency is in place. Suga’s announcement comes less than a week after he declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three nearby prefectures. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 710 words, photos.

TUNISIA-ARAB SPRING-NOSTALGIA — A lawmaker nostalgic for Tunisia’s past has become one of the country’s most popular and most controversial politicians. Abir Moussi is tapping memories of a more stable and prosperous time, just as Tunisians mark 10 years since they overthrew autocratic former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Some say that Moussi is a threat to Tunisia’s young democracy. Others, however, regard Moussi as a savior and the strong leader that the country needs as it struggles against unemployment and poverty. By Francesca Ebel. SENT: 990 words, photos.

_______________________________

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

_______________________________

NKOREA-KIM’S-SISTER — After the name of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was found to be missing from North Korea’s newly released lineup for its powerful Politburo, speculation has been rife about the woman widely viewed as the North’s No. 2. SENT: 970 words, photos.

TRUMP-SOCIAL-MEDIA-BANS — YouTube said it would be suspending U.S. President Donald Trump’s channel for at least a week amid concerns around “ongoing potential for violence,” making it the latest platform to limit the president’s online activities. SENT: 340 words, photos.

LOTTERY JACKPOT — Mega Millions lottery players will have a shot at the eighth-largest jackpot in U.S. history due to months without a winner of the big prize. SENT: 165 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 11 p.m. drawing.

OBIT-CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST — Meredith C. Anding Jr., a member of the “Tougaloo Nine,” who famously participated in a library “read-in” in segregated Mississippi 60 years ago, has died at 79. SENT: 700 words, photos.

BOOKS-BILLIE EILISH — At age 19, Billie Eilish is already looking back. The Grammy-winning star is releasing a collection of hundreds of family and other photos in May, the publisher says. SENT: 100 words, photo.

RODGERS-JEOPARDY! — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he will be a guest host on “Jeopardy!” during the offseason. SENT: 380 words, photos.

________________________________

VIRUS OUTBREAK

_________________________________

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — Indonesian President Joko Widodo has received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use. The world’s fourth most populated country plans to vaccinate millions of health care workers and other other high-risk groups in the coming months. Top military, police and medical officials also were vaccinated. Health officials are still working to secure access to more doses. They concede the effort might be marred by infrastructure issues. By Edna Tarigan and Victoria Milko. SENT: 450 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE APPLICATIONS — Aspiring college students who have seen every aspect of their lives disrupted by the coronavirus are grappling with how to show their potential in a season when so many admissions exams and activities have been canceled. Students are facing January and February college application deadlines without SAT and ACT entrance exam scores, community service records and resumes flush with extracurricular activities. By Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 885 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TRAVEL-RESTRICTIONS — Anyone flying to the U.S. will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday the order will take effect in two week. The U.S. is already facing a surge of coronavirus infections, and new, more contagious variants are emerging around the world. The CDC says the test won’t eliminate all risk, but it will slow the spread of the virus in the U.S. SENT: 560 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — As the U.S. finds itself in the most lethal phase of the coronavirus outbreak yet, governors and local officials in hard-hit parts of the country are showing little willingness to impose any new restrictions on businesses to stop the spread. Both Democratic and Republican leaders are signaling their opposition to forced closings and other measures. By Julie Watson and Terry Tang. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Millions of people are lining up in subzero temperatures to receive a second round of coronavirus tests in a city south of Beijing that is at the heart of China’s most serious latest outbreak of COVID-19. The National Health Commission announced Wednesday that another 90 confirmed cases had been reported in Hebei province. The increased numbers come as World Health Organization experts prepare to fly on Thursday to Wuhan at the start of their investigation into the origins of the pandemic. SENT: 420 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-GOA — The sun’s golden rays fall on Goa’s smooth, sandy beaches every evening, magical as ever but strangely quiet and lonely. This holiday season, few visitors are enjoying the celebrated sunsets in the Indian party hotspot. The unspoken fear of the coronavirus is sapping Goa’s vibrant beach shacks and noisy bars of their lifeblood. By Vineeta Deepak. SENT: 870 words, photos.

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

_______________________

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

_______________________

CAPITOL BREACH-THE FURY — This time the fury enveloping the Capitol comes not from an insurgent mob but from within. The anger on display is searing — Democrat against Republican; Republican against Republican; legislators of both parties against the catastrophic security failure that left top leaders of the government vulnerable to last week’s violence as well as to the coronavirus in their ranks. By Calvin Woodward and Alan Fram. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.

CONGRESS-EXPLAINING-2ND-IMPEACHMENT — The House is expected to vote to impeach President Donald Trump, which would make him the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. The vote would be a forceful rebuke after Trump egged on supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol. While the previous three impeachments lasted months before a final vote, including investigations and hearings, this time it will have only taken a week. After the rioting at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “we must take action.” Unlike Trump’s first impeachment, this one will be bipartisan, with at least a few Republicans voting in favor. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-LAW ENFORCEMENT — Federal prosecutors are considering sedition charges against at least some of the Trump loyalists who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week and will be examining the movement and money flow of the rioters who converged on Washington. By Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. With CAPITOL BREACH-EXPLAINING CHARGES — Questions and answers about the investigation. SENT: 920 words, photos.

CAPITOL-BREACH-EXPLAINING-CHARGES — Prosecutors have brought dozens of cases after the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, and they promise more charges are to come as investigators work to identify more members of the pro-Trump mob. Investigators are combing through thousands of tips, photos, videos and social media accounts to collect evidence against the attackers who overran the Capitol to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the next president. Authorities predict hundreds of criminal cases will ultimately be filed. They are considering sedition charges against some of the rioters. By Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 930 words, photos.

_________________

INTERNATIONAL

_________________

SYRIA-ISRAEL — Israeli warplanes have carried out intense airstrikes on eastern Syria targeting positions and arms depots of Iran-backed fighters. An opposition war monitor says dozens of fighters were killed or wounded in Wednesday’s strikes. Syria’s state news agency SANA says the strikes hit areas along the border with Iraq. A senior U.S. intelligence official confirms the attack. The strikes come amid rising tensions in the region and amid concerns that Iran might carry out attacks to avenge last year’s killing of one of its top commanders. By Zeina Karamsent. SENT: 530 words.

IRAN-MISSILE-DRILL — State TV reports that Iran’s navy has begun a short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman and inaugurated its largest military vessel amid heightened tensions over the country’s nuclear program and a U.S. pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic. The two-day missile drill starting Wednesday was being held in the gulf’s southeastern waters, and two new Iran-made warships joined the exercise. By Nasser Karimi. SENT: 430 words, photos.

INDONESIA-PLANE CRASH — Divers looking for a crashed plane’s cockpit voice recorder were searching in mud and plane debris on the seabed between Indonesian islands. They’re looking to retrieve information key to learning why the Sriwijaya Air jet nosedived into the water over the weekend. The divers earlier recovered the flight data recorder from the jet with 62 people aboard. By Niniek Karmini and Achmad Ibrahim. SENT: 630 words, photos.

___________________

NATIONAL

___________________

FEDERAL EXECUTIONS-MONTGOMERY — The U.S. government has carried out its first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades. Authorities executed a Kansas woman who strangled an expectant mother in Missouri and cut the baby from her womb. Lisa Montgomery was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. By Michael Tarm and Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 1,055 words, photos.

FLINT WATER — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they’ll be charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, the AP learns. Lead-contaminated water devastated the majority Black city and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2014-15. By Ed White and David Eggert. SENT: 650 words, photos. With FLINT WATER-TIMELINE — Key moments in water crisis. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

CALIFORNIA-ZINC POLLUTION — California is considering whether to ask tire manufacturers to look at ways of eliminating zinc from their products because studies have shown the mineral may harm aquatic wildlife when it is washed into rivers and lakes. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control said Tuesday it will begin the long process of deciding whether to put zinc-bearing tires on a list of consumer product safety priorities. By Robert Jablon. SENT: 350 words, photos.

___________________

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

___________________

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street rebounded, shrugging off uncertainty about a possible new attempt to impeach President Donald Trump. Tokyo, Australia and South Korea advanced. Shanghai was off 0.1% and Hong Kong swung between gains and losses. Overnight, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index gained less than 0.1%, recovering from the previous day’s decline. Analysts suggested investors were focused on President-elect Joe Biden’s possible economic stimulus plans after he takes office next week. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 260 words, photos.

OBIT-SHELDON-ADELSON — Billionaire casino mogul and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson has died. Las Vegas Sands says Adelson died Monday night from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 87. Over the second half of his life he became one of the world’s richest men, with a casino empire that stretched from Las Vegas to China. He was considered the nation’s most influential GOP donor over the final years of his life. By Michelle L. Price. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.

__________________

ENTERTAINMENT

__________________

NIELSENS — CNN had its most-watched day in the network’s 40-year history with last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Its average viewership that day exceeded the previous record set on Election Day 2016, and even eclipsed Sept. 11, 2001, coverage. During the storming of the Capitol itself on Wednesday afternoon, CNN averaged nearly 9 million viewers. By David Bauder. SENT: 360 words, photo.

________

SPORTS

________

OLY-TOKYO-WHAT-NOW? — Opposition to the Tokyo Olympics is growing with calls for a cancellation as virus cases rise in Japan. The International Olympic Committee and local organizers have already said another postponement is impossible, leaving cancellation — or going ahead — as the only options. Two polls published in the last few days by the Japanese news agency Kyodo, and Japanese broadcaster TBS, show that just over 80 percent want the Olympics canceled or postponed, or believe they will not take place. By Stephen Wade and Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.

ALABAMA CELEBRATION — Thousands of excited football fans ignored pandemic precautions and partied in streets around the University of Alabama after the Crimson Tide beat Ohio State for the national championship. City officials had urged people to watch the game at home and celebrate privately to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But students poured out of packed bars near campus as time expired in Miami late Monday. The state health officer says he expects more COVID-19 cases arising from the massive street party. SENT: 580 words, photos, video.

____________________

HOW TO REACH US

___________________

At the Nerve Center, Sophia Tulp can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, (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.