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.
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ONLY ON AP
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BRAZIL-TARNISHED GOLD-ILLEGAL MINING — An investigation by The Associated Press has found that a Sao Paulo-based company Marsam, known for its commitment to the responsible sourcing of precious metals, processes gold for, and shared ownership links to, an intermediary accused by prosecutors of buying gold mined illegally on Indigenous lands and other areas deep in the Amazon rainforest. Critics say an international certification program used by manufacturers to show they aren’t using minerals that come from conflict zones is an exercise in greenwashing. By David Biller and Joshua Goodman. SENT: 3,010 words, photos.
AP POLL-DEMOCRATS-ABORTION — Democrats increasingly view protecting abortion rights as a high priority as Roe v. Wade faces its strongest threat in decades. In a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 13% of Democrats mention abortion or reproductive rights as one of the issues they want the federal government to address in 2022. Less than 1% of Democrats named it as a priority for 2021. By Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 850 words, photo.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS OUTBREAK CHINA — Just weeks before the Winter Olympics, China is battling multiple COVID-19 outbreaks in half a dozen cities with the one closest to Beijing driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. With the success of the games and China’s national dignity at stake, Beijing is doubling-down on its “zero-COVID” policy by imposing sometimes draconian restrictions to snuff out new cases. And to safeguard the games, participants at the Beijing Olympics will not be allowed to leave what’s called the closed loop between hotels and competition venues. By Huizhong Wu. SENT: 800 words, photos.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN-DJOKOVIC — Australia’s prime minister says his government’s tough policy toward visitors who were not vaccinated for COVID-19 had not changed, as it nears a decision on whether to deport Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic Despite the cloud hanging over Djokovic’s ability to compete, Australian Open organizers included the top seed in the draw. By John Pye and Rod McGuirk. SENT: 830 words, photos.
CAPITOL RIOT-INVESTIGATION — The House panel investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection has requested an interview and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy He says he will not cooperate, claiming the investigation is not legitimate and accusing the panel of “abuse of power.” By Farnoush Amiri and Eric Tucker. SENT: 880 words, photos.
EUROPE-GAS CRUNCH — Europe’s natural gas crisis isn’t letting up. Reserves are low. Prices are high. Utility customers are getting hit with higher bills. It raises the question: how exactly is Europe, which imports most of its energy, going to make it through the winter without a gas disaster, especially if the season turns out to be colder or longer than usual? By Business Writer David McHugh. UPCOMING: 870 words, photos by 3:30 a.m.
GAZA-RECYCLING RUBBLE — The Gaza Strip has few jobs, little electricity and almost no natural resources. But after four bruising wars with Israel in just over a decade, it has lots of rubble. Local businesses are now finding ways to cash in on the chunks of smashed concrete, bricks and debris left behind by years of conflict. In a territory suffering from a chronic shortage of construction materials, a bustling recycling industry has sprouted up, providing a welcome income to a lucky few but raising concerns that the refurbished building materials are substandard and unsafe. By Fares Akram. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VARIANT HUNTERS — British scientists hunting down coronavirus variants have a new mission: sharing their expertise with others around the world. At the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, high-tech sequencing machines analyze the genetic material of COVID-19 cases. The lab shows how British scientists have industrialized the process of genomic sequencing, making them a world leader in helping public health authorities track the spread of new variants. Experts say the omicron variant now fueling infection spikes around the world shows the need for global cooperation. By Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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PROP FIREARM-SHOOTING — Film armorer blames ammo supplier in deadly “Rust" shooting. SENT: 440 words, photos.
PEOPLE-JASON MOMOA-LISA BONET — Jason Momoa, Lisa Bonet split after 16 years together. SENT: 130 words, photos.
BEIJING-WINTER-SPORTS — Beijing organizers say met plan to popularize winter sports. SENT: 350 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE — French teachers call for nationwide strikes to protest the government’s virus policies for schools amid record-breaking infections across the country. UPCOMING: 230 words, photos by 3:30 a.m.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SOUTH-KOREA — South Korea received its first supply of Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 pills to treat patients with mild or moderate symptoms. SENT: 470 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK CANADA — Students in Canada’s largest province of Ontario will return to classrooms, and teachers and staff will be provided with non-fitted N95 masks, officials say. SENT: 260 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON
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CONGRESS-VOTING BILLS — Senate Democrats are trying to force a public showdown over their sweeping elections legislation. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after President Joe Biden meets with senators at 1 p.m.
ELECTION 2022-COURTING TRUMP — In her quest to be Nevada’s next governor, Las Vegas city councilwoman Michele Fiore has been spending thousands on television ads. But instead of airing them only in Nevada media markets, she’s also targeting an audience of one: former President Donald Trump. SENT: 930 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ITALY-SHIPWRECK ANNIVERSARY — Italy is marking the 10th anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster with a daylong commemoration that will end with a candlelit vigil marking the moment the ship slammed into a reef and then capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio. SENT: 640 words, photos. UPCOMING: Mass begins at 5 a.m.
US-NORTH KOREA-SANCTIONS — The Biden administration slapped sanctions on five North Korean officials in its first response to Pyongyang’s latest ballistic missile test and later announced it will also seek new U.N. sanctions. SENT: 640 words, photo.
EL SALVADOR-SPYWARE — Dozens of journalists and human rights defenders in El Salvador had their cellphones repeatedly hacked with sophisticated spyware over the past year and a half, an internet watchdog says. SENT: 760 words.
SOUTH-KOREA-BUILDING-COLLAPSE — South Korean rescue workers at a collapsed construction site in the southern city of Gwangju located a man amid a pile of debris and broken concrete on their third day searching for six missing construction workers, officials say. SENT: 440 words, photos.
SWITZERLAND-HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH — A top rights activist feels populist autocrats could be facing a turning point as people learn that stirring words don’t always translate into action, but he says democratic politicians will have to step up with “visionary leadership” to keep autocrats from getting a second chance. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mostly lower in Asia after the latest report of surging prices in the U.S. appeared to keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates in coming months. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 670 words, photos.
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman. UPCOMING: 130 words after release of report at 8:30 a.m., photo.
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SPORTS
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DOPING LAW-FIRST CASE — A doctor in Texas became the first person to be charged under a landmark U.S. law designed to add legal accountability to a global anti-doping system that has long struggled to regulate himself. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 900 words, photos.
49ERS-COWBOYS-COACHING REUNION — San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan and Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will always share the painful memory of coaching in the Super Bowl together with Atlanta five years ago. By Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon. SENT: 880 words, photos.
LIPINSKI DOCUMENTARY — Tara Lipinski, the 1998 Olympic gold medalist and now an analyst for NBC, partnered with husband Todd Kapostasy on a four-part documentary series on Peacock examining the impact judging misdeeds had on two figure skating pairs at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. By Sports Writer Barry Wilner. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
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OBIT-RONNIE-SPECTOR — Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ‘n’ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” as the leader of the girl group The Ronettes, has died. She was 78. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 870 words, photos. With OBIT-RONNIE-SPECTOR-REACTION — Musicians, friends react to the death of Ronnie Spector.
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HOW TO REACH US
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