A woman wears protective face mask at the Peak, a popular tourist spot in Hong Kong, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. COVID-19 viral illness has sickened tens of thousands of people in China since December. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
The Associated Press
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. CHINA VIRUS TOTALS SPIKE China reports 254 new daily deaths and an increase in new daily virus cases of 15,152 after new methodology was applied in the hardest-hit province of Hubei as to how cases are categorized.
2. CANDIDATES SET SIGHTS ON SUPER TUESDAY Nevada votes next, then South Carolina, but Democrats vying for their party's presidential nomination are already looking ahead to the biggest prize on the primary calendar.
3. '~I WAS SHOCKED THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE BABY' Environmental reports obtained by the AP detail accounts of 'œalarming'ť birth defects, miscarriages and other health problems among residents living in South Sudan's oil regions.
4. PRO-TRUMP EFFORT RAISES TENS OF MILLIONS IN A MONTH AP learns that groups backing the president raised more than $60 million in January and have more than $200 million on hand for November's election, shattering fundraising records.
5. POMPEO, ESPER FACE PIVOTAL TRIP With tensions between the U.S. and Europe running high over numerous issues, the secretary of state and defense secretary are heading to Germany for an annual security forum.
6. WHO REACHED A DEAL WITH USS COLE FAMILIES Sudan says it's reached a settlement with relatives of the victims of the attack on USS Cole in Yemen which killed 17 sailors, part of an effort by Khartoum to have the country taken off the U.S. terrorism list.
7. BUFFETT'S DRUG WAR Howard Buffett, the eldest son of the billionaire investor, is spending $200 million to help Colombia kick its cocaine curse.
8. MEDIA SEEK OPEN HEARING ON SAINTS, CHURCH EMAILS News outlets in New Orleans want access to a hearing on the confidentiality of emails between Roman Catholic officials and the city's NFL franchise concerning clergy sex-abuse scandals.
9. SNOOP DOGG SAYS HE'S SORRY After days of blistering criticism, the rapper apologizes to CBS' Gayle King for attacking her over her interview with former basketball star Lisa Leslie about the late Kobe Bryant.
10. ROENICK OUT AT NBC SPORTS The NHL analyst won't return to the network after he was suspended for making sexually suggestive comments about his co-workers during a podcast.
A shop offers a Valentines flower arrangement, center, which they called "anti-nCoV bouquet" in Alabang, metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Shop owner Mary Jane Villegas said she placed protective face masks, alcohol, soap, toothpaste and gloves in her bouquet to remind people that flowers are not the only things you can give during Valentines but also protection against the COVID-19. The "anti-nCoV" bouquet is sold for P1,300 or U.S.$26. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
The Associated Press
A doctor takes a swab from a woman to test for the COVID-19 virus at a fever clinic in Yinan county in eastern China's Shandong province on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. China on Wednesday reported another drop in the number of new cases of a viral infection and 97 more deaths, pushing the total dead past 1,100 as postal services worldwide said delivery was being affected by the cancellation of many flights to China. (Chinatopix Via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo taken Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, containers used for hazardous chemicals lie exposed and piled up at a junkyard run by the Chinese-led Dar Petroleum Operating Company in Gumry, near Paloch, in South Sudan. The oil industry in South Sudan has left a landscape pocked with hundreds of open waste pits with the water and soil contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, and accounts of "alarming" birth defects, miscarriages and other health problems, according to four environmental reports obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)
The Associated Press
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, works with his staff to craft an amendment as the Senate advanced a bipartisan resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Associated Press
In this Jan. 29, 2020 photo, Colombia's President Ivan Duque, center, takes a selfie with Howard Buffet, left, and cocoa farmers, in La Gabarra, Colombia, Wednesday. The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has committed to spending $200 million over the next few years to transform the impoverished municipality into a model of comprehensive state building. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
The Associated Press
A man fishes behind the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Life on board the luxury cruise ship, which has dozens of cases of a new virus, can include fear, excitement and soul-crushing boredom, according to interviews by The Associated Press with passengers and a stream of tweets and YouTube videos. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Associated Press
Contestants dance during a competition to elect the three main beloved Carnival characters: Chuta, Pepino and Chola, all of whom represent gaiety, in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. The winning trio of Carnival royalty must be adept at spreading happiness and never tire of dancing as they attend all official Carnival events. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
The Associated Press
A member of the Venezuelan National Militia holds a copy of the book, "Chavez Nuestro" with the cover featuring the late leader Hugo Chavez, during an event at the Miraflores Presidential Palace to mark Youth Day, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
The Associated Press