AP News Digest 6:15 p.m.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds LEBANON-EXPLOSION-GLANCE, UNITED-STATES-IRAN, ELECTION 2020-NEW YORK, DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE, TWITTER HACK, BALLOONS CRASH, UNITED-STATES-IRAN, HERBIVORES-EXTINCTION RISK, OBIT-SHIRLEY ANN GRAU.
GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — Meeting began at 5 p.m.
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LEBANON — Investigators probing the deadly blast that ripped across Beirut focus on possible negligence in the storage of tons of a highly explosive fertilizer in a waterfront warehouse, while the government orders the house arrest of several port officials. Public anger mounted against the ruling elite that is being blamed for the chronic mismanagement and carelessness that led to the disaster that killed 135 people and injured about 5,000 others. By Bassem Mroue, Zeina Karam and Sarah El Deeb. SENT: 1,170 words, photos. With LEBANON-WORLD REACTION — World responds to Lebanon’s plight, France’s Macron to visit. SENT: 680 words, photos.
LEBANON-DEVASTATED BEIRUT — The single, horrific instant hit people across Beirut with the same blunt force: First, they watched a heavy fire down by the Lebanese capital’s port sending a pall of smoke into the air. Then with a stupendous mushroom cloud, a wave of destructive energy suddenly raced across the city at them like a freight train. By Sarah El Deeb and Bassem Mroue. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With LEBANON-EXPLOSION-PHOTO GALLERY — Beirut images show shattered, dust-covered city. SENT: 150 words, photos.
See more LEBANON coverage below.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test and days or weeks to find out the results. By Matthew Perrone, Nicky Forster and Michelle Liu. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA — Florida tops 500K virus cases as testing resumes after storm. SENT: 450 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-CONVENTIONS — Democratic challenger Joe Biden joins President Donald Trump in scrapping plans to accept his party’s presidential nomination in-person. It’s yet another striking demonstration of how the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the 2020 presidential race, denying Trump and Biden coveted experiences with party faithful and leaving their campaigns looking for alternative ways to capitalize on a moment that still can reach millions of Americans. By Bill Barrow and Zeke Miller. SENT: 990 words, photos, video. With ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-ADS — Biden campaign announces $280 million ad buy through fall. SENT: 680 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL BUSES — School districts nationwide puzzling over how to safely educate children during a pandemic have a more immediate challenge — getting 26 million bus-riding students there in the first place. Few challenges are proving to be more daunting than figuring out how to maintain social distance on school buses. By Mark Scolforo. SENT: 930 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-PROGRESSIVES — Progressive Democrats say their most recent wins show their movement is growing, buoyed by protests over George Floyd’s death, the coronavirus pandemic and new urgency to fix longstanding racial and economic injustices. Victories Tuesday by Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a member of “the squad,” and Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush of Missouri are the latest proof, progressives say. By Sara Burnett. SENT: 770 words, photos.
JAPAN-HIROSHIMA-SURVIVORS — Survivors of the U.S atomic bombing share a growing sense of urgency as Hiroshima marks its 75th anniversary on Thursday. They want younger generations to learn their lessons while they are still around. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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FACEBOOK-TIKTOK-CLONE — Facebook’s Instagram is officially launching its answer to the hit short video app TikTok — Instagram Reels. SENT: 710 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-COGNITIVE TEST — Joe Biden on cognitive test: “Why the hell would I take a test?"SENT: 570 words, photos.
PEOPLE-JAKE PAUL — FBI raids California home of YouTube star Jake Paul. SENT: 360 words, photo.
SOCIAL INJUSTICE-WNBA — WNBA players urge people to vote against Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler, a Republican U.S. senator running to keep her seat in Georgia. SENT: 620 words, photo.
MAR-A-LAGO INTRUDERS — Florida police say three teenagers fleeing officers while carrying a semiautomatic gun inadvertently jumped a wall at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. SENT: 540 words.
SPACEX-MARS TEST — SpaceX’s Mars test rocket makes 1st flight, landing upright. SENT: 280 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE BEIRUT EXPLOSION
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TRUMP-LEBANON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper says most people think the deadly explosion in Lebanon that killed at least 100 people was an accident. That contradicts President Trump, who said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb. SENT: 650 words, photos.
LEBANON-US RISKS — A massive explosion in the Lebanese capital is hitting close to home in a rural Texas town partly leveled by a similar ammonium nitrate blast in 2013. Tommy Muksa, the mayor of West, Texas, says he worries that lessons will continue being discarded when it comes to storing the dangerous chemical. SENT: 900 words, photos.
LEBANON-EXPLOSION-GLANCE — A look at some deadly explosions involving ammonium nitrate. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Some clarity begins to emerge from bipartisan Washington talks on a huge COVID-19 response bill. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TEXAS-BORDER — “We are no less American": Deaths pile up on Texas border. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI-CHOCTAW-INDIANS — As confirmed coronavirus cases rise in Mississippi, the state’s only federally recognized American Indian tribe has been hit hard. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHICAGO-SCHOOLS — Chicago’s mayor announces that the nation’s third-largest school district will rely only on remote instruction to start the school year. SENT: 600 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LONG LOCKDOWNS — Colombia’s long virus lockdown fuels anxiety and depression. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
A separate wire advisory has moved outlining our complete coronavirus coverage.
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INSPECTOR GENERALS-STATE DEPARTMENT — The State Department’s acting inspector general resigns abruptly following the firing of his predecessor in circumstances now being investigated by Congress. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 700 words, photos.
CONGRESS-BIG TECH-HOT DOCUMENTS — A U.S. House committee has obtained more than a million internal documents from Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple in its yearlong investigation of Big Tech’s market dominance. By Business Writer Marcy Gordon. SENT: 950 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-NEW YORK — After six weeks of delays and fights over disputed ballots, New York City Council member Ritchie Torres and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney are certified as the winners of Democratic congressional primaries in New York City. SENT: 680 words, photos.
Find more AP coverage of the 2020 U.S. Elections.
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GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — A Minneapolis commission votes on a proposal to change the city charter to allow the police department to be dismantled in the wake of George Floyd’s death and replaced with a new public safety department. UPCOMING: Developing from meeting, which began at 5 p.m.
DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE — A federal appeals court panel reverses an order to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline pending a full environmental review. SENT: 510 words.
POLICE SHOOTING-ATLANTA — The former Atlanta police officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks is suing the mayor and interim police chief, saying his firing violated his constitutional rights and the city code. SENT: 550 words, photos.
TWITTER HACK — An online bond hearing for a Florida teen accused of hacking prominent Twitter accounts is interrupted by rap music and pornographic videos from users who apparently disguised their names. SENT: 400 words.
BALLOONS CRASH — Three sightseeing hot air balloons crashed this week in western Wyoming because of an unexpected downdraft during a freak storm, according to the balloon company owner. SENT: 400 words.
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UNITED-STATES-IRAN — The Trump administration presses ahead with efforts to extend a United Nations arms embargo on Iran despite widespread opposition to such a move at the world body. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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ECONOMY-PERMANENT JOB LOSSES — Stark evidence of the damage the resurgent viral outbreak has caused the U.S. economy could come Friday when the government is expected to report that the pace of hiring has slowed significantly. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 990 words, photo.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street’s big rally keeps rolling, with the S&P 500 rising for a fourth straight day to sit just 1.7% below its record. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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HERBIVORES-EXTINCTION RISK — Although scientists often worry most about the loss of the world’s predators, a comprehensive new study finds that plant-eating herbivores are the animals most at risk of extinction. By Seth Borenstein. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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OBIT-PETE HAMILL — Pete Hamill, the self-taught, street-wise newspaper columnist whose love affair with New York inspired a colorful and uniquely influential journalistic career, has died at 85. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
OBIT-SHIRLEY ANN GRAU — Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Shirley Ann Grau dies at 91. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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UCONN-SEASON CANCELED — UConn cancels its 2020-2021 football season, becoming the first FBS program to do so because of the pandemic. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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