AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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TRUMP-ELECTION CHALLENGES — President Donald Trump’s campaign has filed plenty of lawsuits in six states as he tries to upend an election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden The strategy may have played well in front of TV cameras, but it’s proved a disaster in court, where judges uniformly have rejected claims of vote fraud. The latest case ended Saturday, when a federal judge in Pennsylvania said Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani presented only “speculative accusations” and no proof of rampant corruption in the vote. A law school professor says the suits threaten the future of elections because so many Americans believe the claims being made by Trump’s team. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 1,610 words, photos. WITH ELECTION 2020-PENNSYLVANIA-TRUMP — President Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania. SENT: 160 words, photo.
TRUMP-BIDEN-FOREIGN POLICY -- On its way out the door, the Trump administration is enacting new rules, regulations and orders that it hopes will box in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration on numerous foreign policy matters and cement President Donald Trump’s “America First” legacy in international affairs. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.
BIDEN -- President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Antony Blinken as secretary of state, according to multiple people familiar with the Biden team’s planning. If nominated and confirmed, Blinken would be a leading force in Biden’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Donald Trump questioned longtime alliances. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VACCINE — AstraZeneca says late-stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine were “highly effective’’ in preventing disease. A vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford prevented 70% of people from developing the coronavirus in late-stage trials, the team reported Monday. SENT: 230 words. DEVELOPING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The lines for free COVID-19 tests stretch for blocks and hours in cities feeling the dual strain of the coronavirus surge and holiday plans. But $150 or more can buy a spot at the front of the queue of one of an increasing number of pop-up clinics that promise visitors instant results. Many who need results quickly to get back to work can’t afford that. By Christine Fernando and Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent)
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL SCHOOLS — The switch to remote learning in rural New Mexico has left some students profoundly isolated — cut off from others and the grid by sheer distance. In the village of Cuba, New Mexico, population 800, the school system is sending school buses to students’ homes over an hour away to bring them assignments, meals and a little human contact. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MALL SHOOTING-WISCONSIN — Authorities say they arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection to a shooting at a suburban Milwaukee mall that injured eight people. SENT: 190 words, photos.
INTENTIONAL EXHALE-CHARGED — A man seen forcefully exhaling on two women outside President Donald Trump’s Virginia golf course has been charged with assault. SENT: 270 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-STEIL — U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil says he has tested positive for COVID-19. A statement by the Republican lawmaker from Wisconsin says he began experiencing mild symptoms over the weekend. SENT: 120 words, photo.
OBIT-ALS ICE BUCKET CO-FOUNDER — The ALS Association says a co-founder of the viral ice bucket challenge has died at the age of 37. The organization announced that Pat Quinn died Sunday. SENT: 510 words.
BENGALS-BURROW-INJURED — “See ya next year,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tweeted after his left knee was injured in Cincinnati’s loss to Washington. SENT: 690 words, photos.
RHODES SCHOLARS — US Rhodes Scholars chosen virtually for the 1st time. SENT: 790 words, photos.
OBIT-BRUCE-SWEDIEN — Bruce Swedien, a five-time Grammy-winning audio engineer who collaborated with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, has died at 86. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA — Chinese authorities are testing millions of people, imposing lockdowns and shutting down schools after locally transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered in three cities across the country last week. With temperatures dropping, authorities are enacting large-scale measures in the cities of Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli. Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport is testing more than 17,000 people after two new cases of the virus were found and plans to call for the testing of others in surrounding communities. SENT: 580 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR —California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are quarantining after three of his children were exposed to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. A spokesperson says in an emailed statement that Newsom, his wife and four children all tested negative for the virus on Sunday. SENT: 310 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLYING HOME — Millions of Americans bought tickets to fly somewhere for Thanksgiving before the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with them not to travel for the holiday. In many cases, they’re still crowding airports and boarding planes despite relatively lenient cancellation policies that major airlines have implemented since the coronavirus pandemic emerged. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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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HOUSE DEMOCRATS-WHAT HAPPENED -- House Democrats lost enough seats in this month’s elections that they’ll have the smallest majority in over a century. To find out what happened, the party has already begun a “deep dive” examination, and so far it’s blaming a parade of missteps. By Will Weissert and Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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SAUDI ARABIA — Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they struck a Saudi oil facility in the port city of Jiddah with a new cruise missile, just hours after the kingdom finished hosting its virtual Group of 20 leaders summit. SENT: 470 words. Developing
PHILIPPINES-US — President Donald Trump’s administration has provided precision-guided missiles and other weapons to help the Philippines fight Islamic State group-aligned militants and renewed a pledge to defend its Asian treaty ally if it comes under attack in the disputed South China Sea. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien represented Trump in Monday’s ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, where he announced the delivery of the missiles and bombs to the Philippine military. SENT: 520 words, photos.
HONG KONG-POLITICS — Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and two other activists have been taken into custody after pleading guilty to charges related to a demonstration outside police headquarters during anti-government protests last year. SENT: 400 words, photos.
NEW ZEALAND-ARDERN-BIDEN — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has become the latest world leader to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his election victory, saying she offered to share her nation’s expertise on dealing the coronavirus. SENT: 280 words.
FRANCE-SARKOZY — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is going on trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling in a phone-tapping scandal, a first for the 65-year-old politician who has faced several other judicial investigations since leaving office in 2012. SENT: 670 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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CHURCH STABBING-CALIFORNIA — Two people are dead and multiple other people are seriously wounded following a church stabbing in San Jose, California late Sunday. SENT: 150 words. DEVELOPING.
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stocks have risen as investors look ahead to quarterly U.S. econmic data and updates on anti-coronavirus curbs on business amid wrangling over the American presidential election. Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney rose while Hong Kong retreated. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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SCIENCE
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CHINA-MOON MISSION — Chinese technicians are making final preparations for a mission to bring back material from the lunar surface in what would be a major advance for the country’s space program. Chang’e 5 is China’s most ambition lunar mission yet and marks the first time in four decades that any country has sought to bring rocks and debris from the moon to Earth. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS — Taylor Swift won her third consecutive artist of the year prize at the American Music Awards, but she missed the show for a good reason: She said she’s busy re-recording her songs’ masters after her catalog was sold. SENT: 1,041 words, photos. WITH: MUSIC-AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS-LIST (sent)
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SPORTS
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CHIEFS-RAIDERS — Patrick Mahomes threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 28 seconds to play, and the Kansas City Chiefs avenged their only loss in the last 12 months with a 35-31 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Mahomes passed for 348 yards and led two go-ahead scoring drives in the frantic fourth quarter for the defending Super Bowl champions, who split their season series with Las Vegas in dramatic fashion. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
FBC-T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL — Alabama is now a unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll, and Northwestern has moved up to No. 11 for its best ranking in 24 years. For the second straight week, the top eight teams in the poll held their spots. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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