AP News Digest 3:50 a.m.

APTOPIX Election 2020 Trump (Copyright 2020 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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ELECTION 2020 — President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are locked in tight races in battleground states across the country. Trump won Florida, Ohio and Iowa, but races are too early to call in other fiercely contested states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. By Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,090 words photos, video.

ELECTION 2020-NO WINNER YET — It looked going into Election Day like Americans might not know who won the presidential race before they went to bed that night. Now we know for sure that they didn’t. By Will Weissert. SENT: 520 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VOTING — Fears of clashes at the polls, chaos caused by the coronavirus and confusion over swiftly changing voting rules failed to materialize on Election Day, as voters across the U.S. decided one of the contentious presidential elections in memory. About 103 million votes were cast before Tuesday. Though the casting of ballots was relatively tranquil, legal storm clouds hang over the counting of those votes. By Christina A. Cassidy and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1028 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VOTECAST — Voters in the U.S. presidential election faced a public health crisis and a wounded economy, but neither candidate emerged as the clear choice to handle both of those issues. That’s according to AP VoteCast, an expansive nationwide survey. By Josh Boak and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1,090 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-VOTECAST-GLANCE — Supporters of Trump and Biden find little common ground.

Find more coverage below and on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is reaching record highs in several U.S. states, as Americans vote for their next president under the shadow of a resurging pandemic. While daily infections are rising in all but three states, the surge is most pronounced in the Midwest and Southwest. Officials in Iowa and Missouri warned bed capacity could soon be overwhelmed. The resurgence loomed over candidates and voters, fearful about both the virus and its economic toll. By Alexandra Olson. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

TROPICAL WEATHER — Hurricane Eta continues spinning across northern Nicaragua after lashing the country’s Caribbean coast for much of the day, isolating already remote communities and setting off deadly landslides in at least two countries. At least three people in Nicaragua and Honduras have been killed in landslides. Eta came ashore south of the Nicaraguan city of Bilwi as a powerful Category 4 hurricane after stalling just off the coast for hours. SENT: 620 words, photos.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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ELECTION 2020-FLOYD’S BROTHER — George Floyd’s brother rallies voters on Election Day. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-MISSISSIPPI FLAG — Mississippi will fly a new state flag with a magnolia and the phrase “In God We Trust,” with voters approving the design. SENT: 840 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-SING ALONG — For a brief and unexpected moment as election tensions escalated, there was harmony. SENT: 230 words, photos.

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MORE ON ELECTION 2020

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ELECTION 2020-GLOBAL VIEW — For multitudes of people across the globe, the U.S. election is not a far-away happening in a faraway land but an impossible-to-ignore big deal for the entire planet. That’s especially true this year, after the coronavirus scythed through lives and jobs and drove home the need for humanity to work together on solutions. By John Leicester. SENT: 830 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-LOOKING AT AMERICA — Nation by nation, the world watches Election Day in the U.S.

ELECTION 2020-SENATE — The battle for control of the Senate tightens after Democrats pick up a seat in Colorado but suffer a setback in Alabama, and Republicans hold their own in high-profile races in South Carolina, Texas and Kansas. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-HOUSE — Democrats drive toward extending their control of the House for two more years, but their expectations of expanding their majority seem tenuous as they lose three incumbents and fail to oust any Republican lawmakers in initial returns. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-LEGAL CHALLENGES — Republicans are keeping their legal options open to challenge absentee ballots in Pennsylvania, if the battleground state proves critical to Trump’s reelection. SENT: 1,310 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-BALLOT MEASURES — A nationwide push to relax drug laws took a significant step forward. SENT: 910 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-STATE POLITICAL POWER — Governors and legislative races will determine which party wields political power at the state level.

EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-BIDEN TALKS — Biden addresses his supporters, not to give an acceptance or concession speech, but to plead for their patience while the votes are being counted. SENT: 290 words, photo.

EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-KNOWING THE RESULTS — There’s a good chance that Americans won’t know the winner of Tuesday’s presidential election while it’s still Tuesday — or maybe even Wednesday. SENT: 470 words, photo.

ELECTION 2020-PROTESTS — More than 1,000 people protesting Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through parts of downtown Washington, at times blocking traffic and lighting off fireworks. SENT: 310 words, photos. With EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-PROTESTS.

EXPLAINING ELECTION 2020-PATIENCE — On Election Day, patience a necessary virtue. SENT: 300 words, photo.

ELECTION 2020-AMERICA VOTES-PHOTO GALLERY — AP photographers fan out across the U.S. to capture voting on Election Day. SENT: 160 words, photos.

A separate wire advisory has moved outlining our complete Election 2020 coverage.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK EUROPE — Coronavirus levels have hit new daily highs this week in Russia, and Germany and the U.K. have announced plans to expand virus testing as European countries battle rapidly increasing infection and hospitalizations. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK ASIA — Health officials in South Korea have approved a test to detect both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza from the same samples, which would help prevent disruption at hospitals as the pandemic stretches into the flu season. SENT: 470 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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UNITED-STATES-TAIWAN — The Trump administration has notified Congress that it has approved the sale of $600 million in armed drones to Taiwan, the latest in a series of arms transfers for the island. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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AUSTRIA-VIENNA-ATTACK — A man who had previously tried to join the Islamic State group rampaged in Vienna armed with an automatic rifle and a fake explosives vest, fatally shooting four people before he was killed by police, Austrian authorities say. With BRITAIN-TERROR-THREAT — U.K. raises terror threat level to severe after Europe attacks.

KOREAS-TENSIONS — South Korea says its military has captured a North Korean man who crossed the heavily fortified border. SENT: 320 words, photos.

TURKEY-EARTHQUAKE — The death toll in last week’s Aegean Sea earthquake has risen to 116 as rescuers in the Turkish city of Izmir focus on the final two collapsed buildings. All but two of the victims were killed in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. SENT: 300 words, photos.

ETHIOPIA-MILITARY-CONFRONTATION — Ethiopia’s prime minister has ordered the military to confront one of the country’s regional governments after he says it attacked a military base overnight. SENT: 540 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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ELECTION 2020-STATE POLITICAL POWERS — Montana has elected a Republican governor for the first time in 16 years, but it’s status quo for party control of the governor’s seats in 10 other states where the office was on the ballot. SENT: 540 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-GOVERNORS — Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has been elected to a third term in Washington state, beating Republican challenger Loren Culp. SENT: 1,350 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. futures are higher and most Asian markets also posted gains as investors worldwide awaited results from the U.S. presidential election. By Business Writers Alex Veiga and Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 880 words, photo.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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ELECTION 2020-MEDIA — For weeks, media outlets warned a frazzled nation that it would have to be patient waiting for a decision in the bitter campaign between Trump and Biden. That’s one prediction that turned out to be true. SENT: 940 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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ELECTION DAY-NO SPORTS-VOTING & ACTIVISM — Athletes are embracing activism like never before and so there was vivid symbolism in the use of team arenas and stadiums as voter registration and polling sites on this Election Day. By Sports Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Emily Wang can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Wally Santana (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(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.