AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SMALL-BUSINESS-LOANS-CATHOLIC — When the coronavirus forced churches to close their doors and give up Sunday collections, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte turned to the federal government’s signature small business relief program for more than $8 million. The diocese’s headquarters, churches and schools landed the help even though they had roughly $100 million of their own cash and short-term investments available last spring, financial records show. By Reese Dunklin and Michael Rezendes. SENT: 3,640 words, photos graphic, video. An abridged version of 1,020 words has also been sent. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SMALL-BUSINESS-LOANS-CATHOLIC-TAKEAWAYS.
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TOP STORIES
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BIDEN-ECONOMY-PUBLIC — Even as President Joe Biden gathers with senators and works the phones with Capitol Hill to push for a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, his team is increasingly focused on selling the plan directly to voters. By Josh Boak. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. With BIDEN-ECONOMY — Biden flexible on who gets aid, tells lawmakers to “go big."
CONGRESS-DIVIDED REPUBLICANS — House Republicans will be forced to go on the record defending or rebuking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has drawn bipartisan condemnation over her embrace of far-right conspiracy theories, as well as her past endorsement of calls for violence against Democrats. By Alan Fram, Brian Slodysko and Kevin Freking. SENT: 990 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after House vote, time uncertain.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-HARD-HIT BOROUGH — In parts of east London, the pandemic has hit much harder than most places in the U.K. The borough of Redbridge in the outer reaches of the capital had the nation’s second-worst infection rate in January. While case rates have come down, leaders say the borough is still “in the eye of the storm.” Officials say the area’s dense housing, high levels of poverty and large number of workers in public-facing jobs combine to make it more vulnerable. By Sylvia Hui. SENT: 920 words, photos.
MYANMAR — Myanmar’s new military government has blocked access to Facebook as resistance to the coup surged amid calls for civil disobedience to protest the ousting of the elected civilian government and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Facebook is especially popular in Myanmar and the ousted government had commonly made public announcements on the social media site. SENT: 420 words, photos.
LEBANON-BLAST INVESTIGATION — Days after a massive explosion ripped through Beirut’s port and disfigured the Lebanese capital, family members of some of the 211 people killed in the blast demanded an international probe. It was a swift vote of no confidence in the authorities’ ability to investigate one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and one of the nation’s most traumatic experiences. By Sarah El Deeb. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN-LIVING DANGEROUSLY — Residents of the Afghan capital Kabul rarely go out after dark and increasingly are sending their children to safety outside the city in the face of deteriorating security. Bombings have been frequent in the past months, not just large-scale attacks but also targeted bombings that often kill or wound bystanders. Crime has increased. Kidnappings for ransom have increased. Afghanistan is supposed to be moving toward peace, but Kabul’s residents fear the turmoil is a sign it is instead entering yet another phase in decades of war. By Rahim Faiez and Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PARLER — CEO of social media app Parler says board fired him. SENT: 290 words, photo.
CAPITO -BREACH-CHANSLEY — Man who wore horns at U.S. Capitol to get organic food in jail. SENT: 450 words, photo.
TOKYO-MORI — Head of Tokyo Games won’t resign after statement about women. SENT: 320 words, photos.
NYPD-COMMANDER-HATEFUL-MESSAGES — NYPD official fired over hateful posts after internal trial. SENT: 200 words.
TYSON-PUBLIC-VIEWING — Public viewing for Cicely Tyson at famed Harlem church. SENT: 130 words, photo.
KASHMIR-FEEDING-BIRDS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Wildlife officials feed birds in freezing Kashmir. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA-WHO-MISSION — One of the World Health Organization investigators looking for clues into the origin of the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan says that the Chinese side has provided a high level of cooperation. SENT: 350 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
IMF-MIDEAST — Broad access to different coronavirus vaccines remains crucial for an economic recovery in the Mideast, the International Monetary Fund says, warning the path ahead remains “long and winding” for countries already struggling with corruption and debt. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GULF — Gulf Arab states launched new restrictions over fears of the coronavirus resurging across their countries. SENT: 650 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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BIDEN-STATE DEPARTMENT — Biden visits the State Department to underscore his promise to restore a multilateral approach to U.S. foreign policy and mark his administration’s reengagement with the international community. SENT: 790 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words after 2:45 p.m. remarks.
BIDEN-PRAYER BREAKFAST — Biden is expected to address the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that calls on political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning. SENT: 900 words, photo. UPCOMING: 990 words after morning event, time uncertain.
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT-TAKEAWAYS — Legal briefs filed in the impeachment case against Donald Trump lay out radically different interpretations of the former president’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and of the constitutionality of even holding a trial. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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OPIOID-CRISIS-MCKINSEY — The global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in advising companies on how to “supercharge” opioid sales amid an overdose crisis, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. By Geoff Mulvihill. SENT: 410 words, photo.
RACIAL-INJUSTICE-COLUMBUS-POLICE — A white Ohio police officer was charged with murder in the latest fallout following the December shooting death of 47-year-old Andre Hill, a Black man, the state’s attorney general says. SENT: 820 words, photos, video.
ROCHESTER POLICE-CHILD PEPPER SPRAYED — A 9-year-old Black girl who was handcuffed and pepper-sprayed by white police officers typically is “a giant teddy bear” who loves music and playing the video game Fortnite, according to her mother, who questions whether race was a factor in how her daughter was treated. SENT: 660 words, video.
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INTERNATIONAL
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INDIA-FARMER-PROTESTS — It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. SENT: 630 words, photos.
SRI-LANKA-INDEPENDENCE-DAY — Sri Lanka’s president says that he has received the final report of an inquiry commission investigating the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks and vowed he will not allow anyone responsible for the deaths of more than 260 people escape justice. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SKOREA-US — The South Korean and U.S. presidents agreed on the need for a comprehensive strategy on North Korea as they push to work together to achieve denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, officials say. SENT: 440 words, photo. With AUSTRALIA Australian prime minister says he invited Biden Down Under.
UNITED NATIONS-ETHIOPIA-HUMANITARIAN — The U.N. Security Council discussed the grave humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region as senior U.N. officials pressed the government for access to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of people that humanitarian workers have been blocked from reaching. SENT: 450 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares fell as caution set in over company earnings reports, recent choppy trading in technology stocks and prospects for more economic stimulus for a world battling a pandemic. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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SUPER BOWL-CHIEFS FANS-NATIVE IMAGERY — The Kansas City Chiefs barred headdresses and war paint amid the nationwide push for racial justice, but its effort to make its popular “war chant” more palatable is getting a fresh round of scrutiny from Native American groups as the team prepares to make its second straight Super Bowl appearance. By SENT: 820 words, photos.
Find complete Super Bowl coverage on APNews.com.
BEIJING-1-YEAR-MARK — Most of the venues for the 2022 Beijing Olympics have been completed as the Chinese capital becomes the first city to hold both the Winter and Summer Olympics, but these games are presenting some major problems and calls for boycotts and protests. By Sports Writer Stephen Wade. SENT: 840 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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