AP News Digest 7 a.m.

Sunshine Week Governors Exempt (USA TODAY NETWORK)

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.

_____________

TOP STORIES

_____________

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GUARD VACCINES — Prison guards are refusing coronavirus vaccines at alarming rates. That’s causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside of prison. Infection rates in prisons are more than four times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people’s symptoms and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread. A Florida correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group about whether they’d take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered. More than half said, “Hell no.” By Nicole Lewis of The Marshall Project and Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press. SENT: 1,880 words, photos.

BIDEN — Let the sales push begin. President Joe Biden Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour to highlight the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan and its benefits. The road show kicks off Monday with Harris heading to a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary school in Las Vegas while first lady Jill Biden visits a New Jersey elementary school. By Darlene Supervile. SENT: 700 words, photos. Biden to speak at 1:45 p.m. EDT.

MYANMAR — Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in six townships in the country’s largest city, as security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup. State broadcaster MRTV said Monday that the Yangon townships of North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan and North Okkalapa have been put under martial law. An initial announcement was made late Sunday saying two other townships — Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha — were being placed under martial law. At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown on anti-coup protesters, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. SENT: 770 words, photos. WITH: EXPLAINER: MYANMAR USING MARTIAL LAW TO ‘LEGITIMIZE’ TACTICS (sent)

SYRIA-SURGING POVERTY — Syria is marking the 10th anniversary of the start of its conflict. President Bashar Assad is firmly in power, but millions are being pushed deeper into poverty. Lines stretch for miles outside gas stations, with an average wait of five hours to fill up one’s tank. People spend their days waiting in line to collect quotas of bread and fuel, which are hardly ever enough. On the streets in Damascus, women and children beg for food. The United Nations says more than 80% of Syrians now live in poverty, and 60% are at risk of hunger. By Zeina Karam. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. WITH: SYRIA-10 YEARS-TIMELINE (sent).

REDISTRICTING-SOUTH — The partisan showdown over redistricting has hardly begun, but already both sides agree on one thing: It largely comes down to the South, its states set to be premier battlegrounds for the once-a-decade fight over redrawing political boundaries. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

MUSIC-GRAMMYS-JOYOUS NIGHT — It was an historical night at the Grammys for Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish — and women in general. Their happiness seemed overshadowed by the sheer joy of making music again after a year largely sidelined by the pandemic. Dozens of creators took to the stage for a Zoom-less evening made more intimate by the need for social distancing. Beyoncé‘s four Grammys took her to 28, more than any other woman. Swift’s win for ‘folklore’ made her the first woman to win three different album of the year prizes. Eilish, with ‘Everything I Wanted,’ became only the third artist to win back-to-back record of the year Grammys. By David Bauder. SENT: 990 words, photos. With GRAMMY AWARDS-THE LATEST; GRAMMY AWARDS-LIST; GRAMMY-AWARDS-FASHION; GRAMMYS-PHOTO GALLERY.

__________________

SUNSHINE WEEK

__________________

SUNSHINE-WEEK-GOVERNORS-EXEMPT — Some of the nation’s governors routinely block access to public records to keep the public in the dark about key decisions involving the coronavirus pandemic. Records about stay-at-home orders, business restrictions and possible influence peddling by special interests are not available in every state. Governors’ offices in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and South Dakota have thwarted records requests by The Associated Press and other news organizations, citing broad exemptions from state sunshine laws. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

SUNSHINE-WEEK-OPEN-MEETINGS — The coronavirus pandemic is redefining the way the American public interacts with its government. It wasn’t long ago when a public meeting of a city council or state legislature meant that constituents could attend in-person and voice concerns. Now more public bodies are livestreaming their meetings. But an Associated Press survey of state legislatures also found that most no longer allow the public inside their chambers. Some still do not allow people to testify remotely at committee hearings. Some city councils that convene remotely have also done away with verbal input from the public, allowing only written comments. By David A. Lieb. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

SUNSHINE-WEEK-RECORDS-DELAYED — A year after the first coronavirus shutdowns, public records have become harder to get in many U.S. states and cities. Governors, legislatures and local officials have suspended or ignored laws that set deadlines to respond to records requests. Many officials have cited obstacles for staff members who work from home or who are overwhelmed with crisis management. Some requests that used to take days or weeks now take months. New data shows that government agencies saw a sixfold increase last year in the time spent on records requests. By David A. Lieb. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.

______________________________

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

_______________________________

CHINA-STANDSTORM — China’s capital Beijing has been enveloped in the worst sandstorm in a decade, along with a wide swath of the country’s north. Traffic was snarled and more than 400 flights out of the capital’s two main airports were canceled. SENT: 380 words, photos, video.

TEXAS-WOMAN REFUSES TO WEAR MASK — An arrest warrant has been issued for a woman who refused to wear a mask at a Texas bank. SENT: 440 words, photo.

SUSPECTED INCENDIARY DEVICES — Police in North Carolina evacuated local businesses after they found several suspected incendiary devices near a Baptist church and a county building. SENT: 180 words.

SAINTS-BREES RETIRES — Record-setting New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has announced his retirement after 20 NFL seasons. “Til the very end I exhausted myself to give everything to the Saints organization, my team and the great City of New Orleans,” Brees said in social media post on Sunday. SENT: 1,480 words, photos.

ROCKIES-STORM — A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. SENT: 670 words, photos.

_________________________________

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

_________________________________

VIRUS OUTBREAK — When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools, educators had to figure out how to get kids online. Fast. With federal relief money and assistance from state governments and philanthropists, they have helped millions of students get online for distance learning. Still, a year into the pandemic, millions of others remain without internet because of financial hurdles and logistical difficulties in getting students what they need. SENT: 960 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-GENDER GAP — Worldwide, working women paid a high price during the pandemic as many quit jobs to care for children when schools closed. But Italy’s women went into the crisis already struggling for decades to expand their presence in the national workforce. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IRELAND-ASTRAZENECA-VACCINE — Irish health officials recommended the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting after inoculations in Norway. Dr. Ronan Glynn, Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer, that while there was no conclusive link between the vaccine and the cases, Irish health officials are recommending the suspension of the vaccine’s rollout as a precaution. SENT: 350 words, photo

VIRUS OUTBREAK-YO-YO MA-PERFORMANCE — Newly vaccinated Massachusetts residents were treated to a mini concert over the weekend when famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma brought out his instrument after getting his second coronavirus shot. SENT: 190 words, photos.

_________________

INTERNATIONAL

_________________

CHINA-SINGLE MOMS — Sarah Gao is a single mother in China who has been dealing with a court case since 2017 because she could not get her maternity benefits. The vast majority of Chinese women are unable to access public benefits, ranging from paid maternity leave to prenatal exam coverage, because their legal status is officially in a gray zone. SENT: 970 words, photos.

NETHERLANDS-ELECTION — Polling stations have opened across the Netherlands in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 450 words, photos. WITH: NETHERLANDS-ELECTION-RACIAL INJUSTICE — A former television presenter who is arguably the best-known Black Dutch woman is leading a small party that wants to put ending racial inequality front and center on the political stage before and after the Netherlands’ general election. SENT: 990 words, photos.

GERMANY ELECTIONS — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party is considering how to respond to historically bad state election results that a senior member described as a “wake-up call,” six months before a national vote that will determine who succeeds Germany’s long-time leader. SENT: 590 words, photos.

ASIA-US — Concerns about China’s growing influence in the region is expected to be a main focus when two ministers of President Joe Biden’s administration visits Japan for their first in-person talks with their Japanese counterparts. SENT: 570 words, photos.

HONG-KONG-PROTESTING ABROAD — Hong Kong democracy activists have launched a new push to continue their fight among residents living abroad. The move comes in the wake of a sweeping crackdown by Beijing and changes to the the semi-autonomous Chinese city’s electoral system aimed at shutting out opposition voices. SENT: 460 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-RAPE ALLEGATION — Australians are rallying in several cities demanding justice for women and calling out dangerous workplace cultures as the government reels from two rape allegations. SENT: 660 words, photos.

HONDURAS-ELECTIONS — Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández’s name keeps popping up in the New York trial of an alleged drug trafficker. And one of the candidates running to replace him in Sunday’s primary elections has been convicted in the same court of laundering money for the same cartel. The court actions show just how deep are the challenges facing Honduras, a country that U.S. prosecutors have repeatedly portrayed as a narco-state where drug traffickers buy protection from politicians. SENT: 710 words, photos.

___________

NATIONAL

___________

CLERGY ABUSE-CHICAGO — A Black Catholic church on Chicago’s South Side is waging an unusually fierce fight with the archdiocese over its investigation of decades-old sexual abuse allegations against a popular activist priest. St. Sabina Church is a close-knit community that’s been a social activism hub for 40 years under the Rev. Michael Pfleger. But the white priest’s job, his reputation in a Black community that’s long respected him, and the parish’s future are in jeopardy because of abuse allegations leveled against him by three men, two of whom are Black and a third whose race hasn’t been made public. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER-TRIAL — Jury selection is entering its second week in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer who is charged in the death of George Floyd. Seven jurors have been chosen so far to hear evidence in Derek Chauvin’s trial. SENT: 420 words, photos.

CAPITOL-BREACH-RESERVIST-CHARGED — An Army reservist charged with taking part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol was known as a Nazi sympathizer who wore a Hitler mustache, coworkers told federal investigators. SENT: 270 words, photos.

______________________

ENTERTAINMENT

______________________

OSCAR NOMINATIONS — Nominations to the 93rd Academy Awards on Monday will look — in more ways than one — unlike they ever have before. After a pandemic year that shuttered most movie theaters, none of the expected best-picture nominees will have hardly any box office to speak of. SENT: 770 words, photos.

___________

SPORTS

__________

BKC--NCAA TOURNAMENT — Now that the 68-team field for March Madness is set, the next few days figure to be the most nerve-wracking part of the seasons. No player can show up for a game without seven negative test for COVID-19. There are deadlines for teams to be replaced, too. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 810 words, photos.

___________________

HOW TO REACH US

___________________

At the Nerve Center, Shameka Dudley-Lowe 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.