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.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds MERCENARY HACKERS-UAE, BIDEN, ROBERT DURST-MURDER TRIAL, BOY SCOUTS-BANKRUPTCY, R KELLY, AFGHAN REFUGEES-VIRGINIA, ISRAEL-OBIT-NUDEL, HISTORIC CAVE AUCTION, OBIT-NORM MACDONALD, APPLE EVENT.
CALIFORNIA RECALL — Polls close 11 p.m.
BOSTON MAYOR — Polls close 8 p.m.
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CALIFORNIA RECALL — After a campaign that laid bare divisions in America’s most populous state, Californians are deciding whether Gov. Gavin Newsom keeps his job, or if the state goes in a more conservative direction. Newsom is leading in polls. By Michael R. Blood and Kathleen Ronayne. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing. Polls close 11 p.m. With CALIFORNIA RECALL-GOP FRAUD CLAIMS — GOP pushing unfounded fraud claims. SENT: 1,230 words, photos; CALIFORNIA RECALL-VOTER VOICES — On final day, Californians cast votes to keep, oust governor. SENT: 1,900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — COVID-19 deaths and cases in the U.S. have climbed back to where they were over the winter, wiping out months of progress and potentially bolstering President Joe Biden’s argument for sweeping new vaccination requirements. The U.S. is averaging over 1,800 COVID-19 deaths and 170,000 new cases per day. By Heather Hollingsworth, Cathy Bussewitz and Colleen Long. SENT: 950 words, photos.
UNITED-STATES-AFGHANISTAN — Secretary of State Antony Blinken endures a second day of harsh bipartisan criticism of the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal, while a new intelligence estimate warns that al-Qaida could begin to threaten the U.S. from Afghanistan within one or two years. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,020 words, photos, video.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Nicholas slows to a crawl over the Houston area after making landfall earlier as a hurricane, knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses and dumping more than a foot of rain along the same area swamped by Hurricane Harvey — though it’s still just a fraction of what fell during the 2017 deluge. By Juan A. Lozano. SENT: 930 words, photos.
CENSUS-POVERTY — Massive government relief passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic moved millions of Americans out of poverty last year, even as the official poverty rate increased slightly, the Census Bureau reports. In 2020, 11.4% of Americans, or more than 37 million people, were living in poverty. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 970 words, photos.
THEATER-BROADWAY RETURNS — Signaling that Broadway is inching back to normalcy, three powerhouse shows — “The Lion King,” “Hamilton” and “Wicked” — are reopening Tuesday evening to audiences at full capacity. Lin-Manuel Miranda is among the bold-face names expected to be on hand, visiting the theater where his “Hamilton” is housed to welcome back patrons. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 730 words, photos.
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TRENDING
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OBIT-NORM MACDONALD — Norm Macdonald, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer and performer who was “Weekend Update” host during the 1990s, has died at 61. SENT: 800 words, photos. With OBIT-NORM MACDONALD-REACTION — O’Brien, Carrey, Dole praise “comedy genius.” SENT: 300 words, photo.
TRUMP-BOOK — Fearful of Donald Trump’s actions in his final weeks as president, the United States’ top military officer twice assured his Chinese counterpart that the two nations would not go to war, according to an upcoming book. SENT: 630 words, photos.
WOLF HUNT — Dozens of American Indian tribes ask the Biden administration to immediately enact emergency protections for wolves, saying states have become too aggressive in hunting the animal. SENT: 390 words.
SUBWAY ROBBERY-VIDEO — A woman who struggled with a robber inside an Illinois Subway shop says the owner suspended her from work after surveillance video of the fight became public. SENT: 340 words.
CANADA-O'LEARY-BOAT CRASH — The wife of “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary is found not guilty of charges stemming from a boat crash that killed two people in Ontario. SENT: 120 words.
PEOPLE-JEFF BRIDGES -- Jeff Bridges says his cancer is in remission and his COVID-19 case is “in the rear view mirror.” SENT: 220 words, photo.
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RUSSIA-PUTIN — The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is in self-isolation after people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus. SENT: 670 words, photos.
WHO-VACCINE INEQUALITY — The World Health Organization and its partners hope to provide Africa with about 30% of the COVID-19 vaccines the continent needs by February. SENT: 440 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — An advisory panel recommends that the U.K. government offer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to everyone over age 50. SENT: 620 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NETHERLANDS — The Dutch government will mandate COVID-19 passes to get into venues like bars, restaurants and theaters later this month. SENT: 550 words.
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CONGRESS-BUDGET —To pay for the massive social spending that President Joe Biden envisions, House Democrats begin serious work on a maneuver worthy of the most agile circus acrobats. They’re looking to squeeze revenue from the elite 2% cadre of Americans who earn more than $400,000 a year while leaving everyone else untouched. SENT: 890 words, photos.
CONGRESS-VOTING BILL — Senate Democrats pare back their signature elections bill in hopes of kickstarting their stalled push to pass it. But the new compromise legislation is probably doomed to fail in the 50-50 Senate. SENT: 830 words, photos.
MERCENARY HACKERS-UAE — Three former U.S. intelligence and military operatives admit providing sophisticated hacking technology to the United Arab Emirates and agree to pay nearly $1.7 million to resolve criminal charges. SENT: 420 words, photo.
BIDEN — President Biden tries to advance his domestic spending plans by touring a renewable energy lab in Colorado to highlight how his clean-energy proposals would help combat climate change and create good-paying jobs along the way. SENT: 670 words, photos, video.
UNITED STATES-CYBERSECURITY — The general who leads U.S. efforts to thwart foreign-based cyberattacks says he’s mounting a “surge” to fight incursions that have debilitated government agencies and companies responsible for critical infrastructure. SENT: 440 words, photo.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-WARRANTS — The Justice Department curtails federal agents’ use of “no-knock” warrants, which allow law enforcement agents to enter a home without announcing their presence. SENT: 550 words, photo.
GEORGIA PRISONS-FEDERAL PROBE — The Justice Department announces a civil rights investigation into Georgia prisons, saying it will focus on “harm to prisoners resulting from prisoner-on-prisoner violence.” SENT: 840 words, photos.
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ROBERT DURST-MURDER TRIAL — A Los Angeles jury begins deliberating in the lengthy murder trial of New York real estate heir Robert Durst after a prosecutor describes him as a “narcissistic psychopath” who needs to be held accountable. SENT: 590 words, photos.
BOY SCOUTS-BANKRUPTCY — An insurer of the Boy Scouts of America reaches a tentative settlement with the Boy Scouts and attorneys representing tens of thousands of men who say they were molested decades ago by scoutmasters and others. SENT: 700 words.
WESTERN WILDFIRES — Sequoia National Park has been shut down and its namesake gigantic trees are potentially threatened as forest fires burn in steep and dangerous terrain in California’s Sierra Nevada. SENT: 330 words.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — Four former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights plead not guilty to the federal charges against them. SENT: 490 words, photos. With GEORGE FLOYD-DEADLY FORCE — Judge suspends Minnesota’s tougher standards on deadly force. SENT: 260 words, photo.
BOSTON MAYOR — Boston is on the cusp of narrowing its field of mayoral hopefuls for the first time to two people of color, possibly both women — a stark change from the unbroken string of white men elected mayor in the city's first 200 years. SENT: 640 words, photo.
R KELLY — Prosecutors want a New York City jury at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial to hear profane video and audio recordings they say demonstrate how he threatened his victims with violence. SENT: 540 words, photo.
AFGHAN REFUGEES-VIRGINIA — Six people who recently traveled to the United States after fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan have been diagnosed with measles, officials say. SENT: 440 words, photos.
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HAITI-PRESIDENT SLAIN — Haiti’s chief prosecutor asks a judge to charge Prime Minister Ariel Henry in the slaying of the president and asks officials to bar him him from leaving the country. SENT: 550 words, photo.
SLOVAKIA POPE — Pope Francis urges Slovakia’s Roma to integrate better into the mainstream as he meets with the country’s most socially excluded minority group. SENT: 560 words, photos.
CHINA-#METOO — A Beijing court rules against a Chinese woman in a #MeToo case in a blow to the tamped-down movement whose legacy remains uncertain. SENT: 830 words, photos.
NIGERIA-CHOLERA — Nigeria is seeing one of its worst cholera outbreaks in years, with more than 2,300 people dying from suspected cases. SENT: 590 words, photos.
ISRAEL-OBIT-NUDEL — Ida Nudel, one of the most prominent activists who campaigned for the right of Jews to leave the Soviet Union in the 1970s and ’80s, has died in Israel. She was 90. SENT: 290 wordss.
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APPLE EVENT — Apple unveils its next iPhone line-up, including a model that offers twice the storage available in earlier versions and other modest upgrades to last year’s editions. By Technology Writer Michael Liedtke. SENT: 550 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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HISTORIC CAVE AUCTION — A Missouri cave containing Native American artwork from more than 1,000 years ago is sold at auction. SENT: 560 words, photos.
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FILM-JESSICA CHASTAIN — Jessica Chastain is starring in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” about the life and strange times of Tammy Faye Bakker. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Mike Stewart 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@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.
