AP News Digest 2 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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — New surges of COVID-19 are disrupting the peak holiday season across much of Europe, where authorities in some countries are closing discos, banning fireworks displays and expanding mandatory mask orders even in chic resort areas. In France, thousands of vacationing Britons scrambled to return home to avoid having to self-quarantine for 14 days following Britain’s decision to reimpose restrictions on France because of a resurgence of infections there. By Sylvie Corbet, Frances D’Emilio and David Crary. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-DNC — Joe Biden is poised to unveil his vision for the modern Democratic Party in the first presidential nominating convention of the coronavirus era, an all-virtual affair that will test the former vice president’s ability to overcome unprecedented logistical challenges in an urgent mission to energize a winning coalition. By Steve Peoples and Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — A former FBI lawyer plans to plead guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation into the probe of ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign, his lawyer said. By Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 900 words, photos.
EMIRATES-ISRAEL -- Israel’s agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates marks a watershed moment in its relations with Arab countries, but the Palestinians say it puts a just resolution of the Middle East conflict even farther out of reach. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 900 words, photos.
LIBERTY-UNIVERSITY-FALWELL -- Jerry Falwell Jr. has been toppled, at least temporarily, from the presidency of evangelical Liberty University. But whether he could break permanently with the Christian institution that is synonymous with his family name is another matter. Falwell apologized after posting a vacation photo that showed him with his pants unzipped and his arm around the waist of his wife’s pregnant assistant. The image was enough to push the 58-year-old attorney into an indefinite leave of absence. Many people who know the school well have a hard time envisioning its governing board saying goodbye to the heir who helped transform it into a conservative Christian mainstay. By Sarah Rankin and Elana Schor. SENT: 969 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Lee County, deep in the Appalachian Mountains, is one of many rural school districts around the country where the decision over whether to bring students back into classrooms is particularly fraught. As in other places, parents and officials are concerned about the virus. But dramatically limited internet access here also means kids could fall seriously behind if the pandemic keeps them home again. Roughly 3 million students across the United States don’t have access to a home internet connection. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD OF THE RECOVERED — A new report suggests blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors may help coronavirus patients -- but it wasn’t a rigorous study and experts now wonder if it’s too late for science to get a clear answer on how and when plasma should be used. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLACK FUNERAL HOME — When the coronavirus pandemic hit California, for a few weeks the owner of Boyd Funeral Home in South Los Angeles declined to receive patients who had died from the virus. But the calls kept coming. SENT: 690 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANADA-US BORDER — The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month. SENT: 180 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — India’s coronavirus death toll overtakes Britain to become the fourth-highest in the world with another single-day record increase in cases. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN— British tourists scurried to get out of France by whatever means possible before a deadline that would require them to quarantine at home for two weeks. Families cut summer vacations short and other travelers made hasty plans to return to the U.K. by whatever means possible before the 4 a.m. Saturday deadline. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-ZEALAND — New Zealand’s government extends a lockdown of its largest city Auckland for another 12 days as it tries to stamp out its first domestic coronavirus outbreak in more than three months. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK-TRAVEL LAWSUIT — A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by an Arizona woman who claimed New York’s 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers from hotspot coronavirus states infringed on her “fundamental right to travel.” SENT: 220 words, photo.
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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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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R KELLY — R. Kelly’s manager has been charged with making telephone threats of gunfire at a Manhattan theater to shut down a documentary about the singer’s alleged sexual abuse of women and girls. SENT: 390 words, photos.
CHICAGO VIOLENCE-STORE -- Chicago convenience store ransacked twice since May. SENT: 175 words, photos.
MEXICO MISSING-BOY — A 2-year-old boy abducted in June in the Mexican state of Chiapas has been found and returned to his mother. SENT: 170 words, photo.
HELICOPTER SHOT — A man who fired at a Georgia State Patrol helicopter that he didn’t like flying near his Augusta-area house has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison. SENT: 250 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSTESS ASSAULT -- Louisiana authorities have arrested three women accused of assaulting a teenage restaurant hostess because they were upset they couldn’t all be seated together due to coronavirus distancing rules. SENT: 250 words.
WAYFAIR TOWEL-HINDU PROTEST — Online home goods retailer Wayfair has pulled a beach towel depicting the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha. SENT: 230 words.
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TRUMP-BROTHER HOSPITALIZED — President Trump’s younger brother, Robert Trump, has been hospitalized in New York, according to the White House. SENT: 300 words.
HOMELAND SECURITY-LEADERSHIP — The top two officials in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were improperly appointed to the posts under federal law by the Trump administration, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog said Friday. It was not immediately clear what effects the determination would have on DHS. SENT: 240 words.
ELECTION 2020-NEW JERSEY -- New Jersey will move to a nearly all-mail election this November, following the model the state used in its July primary, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said. Murphy, a Democrat, said during an interview that all voters would get a ballot, but it’s not clear if people who aren’t registered will get an application to register. SENT: 440 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-POMPEO — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday called for the world to unite around a long-shot American bid to indefinitely extend a United Nations arms embargo on Iran. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 920 words, photos.
POSTAL SERVICES-VETERANS — Policy changes that slow delivery at the U.S. Postal Service are taking a toll on military veterans, who are reporting much longer wait times to receive mail-order prescription drugs, according to Democratic senators. By Hope Yen. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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GUN RIGHTS LAWSUIT — Appeals court throws out California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. SENT: 420 words.
GEORGE FLOYD-MINNEAPOLIS POLICE — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced plans to hold open 100 police officer positions next year as part of a hiring freeze to help manage a 2021 budget and as activists are clamoring to shift money away from traditional policing. SENT: 595 photos.
CLERGY ABUSE-PENNSYLVANIA -- Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have been hit with about 150 lawsuits from people who say they were sexually abused as children by priests and hope a state court decision last year has shown a way around time limits for legal claims. SENT: 810 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Bone-dry vegetation in California is fueling wildfires and forecasters are warning that the risk of new blazes erupting is very high as temperatures rise and humidity levels drop. SENT: 240 words, photos, video.
MISSISSIPPI POLICE-MURDER CHARGES — Three Mississippi police officers have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Black man last year. SENT: 260 words.
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LEBANON-INVESTIGATING THE BLAST — For many Lebanese, their greatest hope for credible answers about the massive explosion that wrecked their capital may lie with outsiders. French forensic police have joined the investigation and the FBI is expected to take part. The Lebanese government’s probe has gotten off to a shaky start, with political bickering over who will lead it, military threats to jail leakers and doubts about whether a panel appointed along sectarian lines could be fully impartial. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. WITH: LEBANON — Iran says that Western countries should not take advantage of the massive explosion in Beirut. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BELARUS-ELECTION — Authorities have freed at least 2,000 people detained amid demonstrations across Belarus after a disputed presidential election as they sought Friday to stem rising public anger over a brutal police crackdown on peaceful protests and avoid Western sanctions. SENT: 980 words, photos. With BELARUS-EUROPEAN REACTION — Lithuania is playing an outsized role among European Union nations amid a major crisis in neighboring Belarus. SENT: 890 words, photos.
PACIFIC WAR-75-CHILDREN OF WAR — For years, orphans in Japan were punished just for surviving the war. They were bullied. They were called trash and left to fend for themselves on the street. Police rounded them up and threw them in jail. They were sent to orphanages or sold for labor. They were abandoned by their government, abused and discriminated against. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 1,260 words, photos. With PACIFIC WAR-75-JAPAN-AI PHOTOGRAPHS — Melting “frozen memories,” AI helps Japanese recall war days.
BRITAIN-MAYFLOWER 400-STOLEN HISTORY -- On the 400th anniversary, of the Mayflower voyage, commemorations are focusing on both the Pilgrim settlers and the Native people whose lives were transformed by their arrival. An exhibition in England focuses on one casualty of colonization: a wampum belt taken from the Wampanoag people, brought to England in the 17th century, and then lost. SENT: 915 words, photos.
KENYA-WOMEN WILDLIFE RANGERS -- On the sweeping plains at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, a group of female wildlife rangers is making history by defying patriarchal norms. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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RETAIL-SALES — Americans spent more at retail stores and restaurants in July for a straight straight month, but growing evidence suggests that sales are now slowing with the expiration of government rescue aid that had previously put more money in people’s pockets. SENT: 860 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street was drifting after a report showed that sales for U.S retailers strengthened again last month. SENT: 600 words, photos, developing.
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PEOPLE-DEV PATEL -- Quarantine brought opportunities to Dev Patel’s front yard. From a safe distance, the British actor was able to enjoy his birthday and his relationship with India without leaving his L.A. home. SENT: 555 words, photo.
PEOPLE-NICHOLAS BRAUN — Actor Nicholas Braun, who plays fan favorite Cousin Greg on HBO’s “Succession,” has created a song for the age of COVID. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.
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BKN--RAPTORS-DEFENDING THE CROWN — Winning an NBA title last season satisfied one quest for Raptors star Kyle Lowry. Now, the defending champions return to the playoffs, with their on-court leader determined to win the whole thing again. SENT: 900 words, photos.
BKN—UNCERTAINTY AHEAD — NBA players have been safe in the Disney bubble, with daily coronavirus tests and no positive results. Now some players head home, faced with concerns about their safety and basketball futures. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BKN--BULLS-BOYLEN FIRED - The Bulls fire coach Jim Boylen, the new front office beginning its remake of a team that missed the playoffs again. The Bulls were 22-43 and were one of eight teams that didn’t qualify for the NBA’s restart in the Disney bubble. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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