AP News Digest 3:35 a.m.

APTOPIX Myanmar (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE YEAR — It happened gradually, then all at once. On March 11, 2020, weeks and months of warning signs — a mysterious infection, spreading across the globe — culminated in the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a pandemic. Few could foresee the long road ahead or the many ways in which they would suffer — the deaths and agonies of millions, the ruined economies, the disrupted lives and near-universal loneliness and isolation. As the world marks one year of the global emergency, people are looking back on that time, assessing their lives now and looking to the future. By Michelle R. Smith and Andrew Meldrum. SENT: 1,610 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,030 words is also available.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Congress is poised to approve a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. That puts President Joe Biden on the cusp of a triumph that advances Democratic priorities yet also showcases the unity his party will need for future victories. By Alan Fram. SENT: 950 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after House vote, timing uncertain.

BIDEN-50 DAYS-PROMISES — Biden laid out an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days in office, promising swift action on everything from climate change to immigration reform to the coronavirus pandemic. As he hits his 50th day in office, Biden has made major strides on a number of his key campaign pledges, but others are still awaiting action. By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.

RACIAL-INJUSTICE-REPARATIONS — A New England college town is among hundreds of communities nationwide weighing how to provide reparations to Black residents for slavery and systemic racism. The town council in Amherst, Massachusetts, recently passed a resolution committing the town to the effort amid the country’s latest and ongoing racial reckoning. By Philip Marcelo. SENT: 1,070 words, photos, video.

MYANMAR — Myanmar security forces raided a neighborhood in the country’s largest city that is home to state railway workers who have gone on strike to protest last month’s military coup. Police sealed off the Mingalar Taung Nyunt neighborhood in Yangon where the Ma Hlwa Kone train station and housing for railway workers are located. Photos and video on social media showed officers blocking streets and what was said to be people escaping. SENT: 620 words, photos.

MEGHAN AND HARRY-THE COMMONWEALTH — In countries with historic ties to Britain allegations by Prince Harry and Meghan that an unnamed member of the royal family had “concerns” over the color of their unborn baby’s skin have raised a thorny question: Do those nations really want to be so closely connected to Britain and its royal family anymore? By Gerald Imray. SENT: 870 words, photos. With BRITAIN-ROYAL TITLES-EXPLAINER — Why is Harry and Meghan’s son not a prince?

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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GIRLS-STABBING PLOT — Teen committed in Slender Man stabbing to seek release. SENT: 200 words, photo.

ROMANCE-SCAM — Man who bilked “black-ish” star in romance con sentenced. SENT: 210 words.

MOTHER-CHRISTMAS-EVE-KILLING — Prosecutor: Man propped dead wife on sofa in front of kids. SENT: 290 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RELUCTANT-UKRAINE — After receiving its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine, Ukraine found itself in a new struggle against the pandemic — persuading its widely reluctant people to get the shot. SENT: 910 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CONGRESS-SMALL-BUSINESS — Restaurants devastated by the coronavirus outbreak are getting a lifeline from the pandemic relief package that’s awaiting final approval in the House. By Business Writer Joyce M. Rosenberg. SENT: 620 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ALASKA — Alaska has become the first state to drop eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and allow anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state to get a vaccine. SENT: 360 words, photo. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LOS-ANGELES-SCHOOLS — Students in Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, could return to class next month under a tentative deal announced with the powerful teachers union. SENT: 390 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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REPUBLICANS-BIDEN — Conservatives’ relentless focus on “culture war” issues like Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head highlights both their strategy for regaining power in Washington and their challenge in doing so. SENT: 980 words, photos.

CONGRESS-UNION BILL — The House approves Democratic legislation that would invigorate workers’ unions following decades of court defeats and legislative setbacks. SENT: 800 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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LEBANON-BURNING TIRES — It’s an expression of anger but also of helplessness: Anti-government protesters in Lebanon are burning tires to block key roads, releasing dense palls of smoke that rise above the capital Beirut and other parts of the country. SENT: 670 words, photos.

CHINA-IN-DEPTH-REJUVENATION-ANALYSIS — The catchword “rejuvenation” encapsulates China’s ruling Communist Party’s overriding long-term objective: To build the nation into a truly global power, one that commands respect from the rest of the world. By Ken Moritsugu. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

JAPAN-TSUNAMI-ANNIVERSARY-OLYMPIC-TORCH-RUNNER — When Noriyuki Suzuki runs in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay, he won’t be alone. SENT: 330 words, photos. With JAPAN-TSUNAMI-ANNIVERSARY-NO-GO-ZONE-PHOTO-GALLERY — No-go zone near nuclear plant once hosted picnics.

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NATIONAL

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GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICER-TRIAL — Jury selection opens its second day in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death last May. SENT: 970 words, photos, video.

POLICE-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA — An 18-year-old from Illinois accused of killing two people and wounding a third during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin is due back in court to go over final preparations for his trial. SENT: 300 words, photo.

HAWAII-FLOODING — Catastrophic flooding from a stream swollen by heavy rains prompted officials to order evacuations from a town north of Honolulu, just one day after fears of a dam breach resulted in the same on the island of Maui. SENT: 620 words, photos, video.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian stock prices followed Wall Street higher following a rally for major tech companies. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 560 words, photos, video.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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CHINA-RUSSIA-SPACE — China and Russia said they will build a lunar research station, possibly on the moon’s surface, marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between the two countries. SENT: 410 words, photo.

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TV/MEDIA

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OBIT-ROGER MUDD — Roger Mudd, the longtime political correspondent and anchor for NBC and CBS who once stumped Sen. Edward Kennedy by simply asking why he wanted to be president, has died. He was 93. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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