AP News Digest 6 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: CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES, ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-GAZA, FLEA MARKET SHOOTING-TEXAS, STURGIS RALLY-SCUFFLE, THE-CROWN-PRINCESS-DIANA-CASTING.
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ONLY ON AP
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SOUTH-SUDAN-TROUBLED-PEACE — Here in crowded camps in South Sudan, former enemies are meant to be joining forces after a five-year civil war so they can help the shattered country recover. But they can barely find enough food. The Associated Press spoke to women, both former rebel fighters and government troops, who are among tens of thousands of people being trained as a unified security force. It’s meant to be a major step in the 2018 peace deal ending the war that killed nearly 400,000 people. By Maura Ajak. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
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ELECTION-2020-POSTAL-SERVICE — The Democratic-run House demands that leaders of the U.S. Postal Service testify at an emergency oversight hearing Aug. 24 on mail delays as concerns grow that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency during the coronavirus pandemic while states expand mail-in voting options for the November presidential election. With heightened scrutiny of its operations, the agency is now requesting a temporary rate increase, from mid-October through Christmas, though probably not for first-class letters. By Aamer Madhani and Matthew Daly. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-ATLAS — President Donald Trump has found a new doctor for his coronavirus task force — and this time there’s no daylight between them. Dr. Scott Atlas, a frequent guest on Fox News Channel, is the former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center but has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases. He has long been a critic of coronavirus lockdowns and has campaigned for kids to return to the classroom and for the return of college sports, just like Trump. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Around the U.S., office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the world of cubicles and conference rooms. But they face certain adjustments such as masks, staggered shifts, spaced-apart desks, daily questions about their health, closed break rooms and sanitizer everywhere. By Mae Anderson. SENT: 970 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
EMIRATES-ISRAEL — Telephone service between the United Arab Emirates and Israel began working Sunday as the two countries open diplomatic ties, part of a deal brokered by the U.S. that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex West Bank land sought by the Palestinians for a future state. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 580 words, photos. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a deal to establish full diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates proves that Israel doesn’t need to retreat from occupied land sought by the Palestinians in order to achieve peace and normalization with Arab states. SENT: 490 words, photo.
2020-CENSUS-DOOR-KNOCKERS — The workers at the front-lines of trying to get everyone in the U.S. counted in the 2020 census are facing unprecedented obstacles. People are wary of talking to strangers in a pandemic and distrustful of government. Staffers hired to knock on doors have faced a shortened schedule, administrative snafus and concerns about the quality of the protective equipment they’re received. Up to a half million census takers started hitting the streets last week to knock on the doors of around 56 million homes that haven’t yet responded to the 2020 census. SENT: 980 words, photos. This story is this week’s Monday Spotlight.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — A rare summer thunderstorm brought lightning that sparked several small blazes in Northern California and stoked a huge forest fire that has forced hundreds of people from their homes north of Los Angeles. More than 4,500 buildings remained threatened by the wildfire, which was burning toward thick, dry brush in the Angeles National Forest. SENT: 600 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-PORTLAND-RECKONING — More than two months of protests in one of the whitest major cities in America have prompted deep introspection in Portland, Oregon’s small Black community about the role of white protesters in the Black Lives Matter movement. Nightly protests feature overwhelmingly white crowds, from middle-aged mothers marching arm in arm to teenagers dressed in black smashing police precinct windows. The improbable position of Portland as a focal point in the Black Lives Matter movement has forced a reckoning over what it means to be a white ally as the nation navigates a critical moment for racial justice. By Gillian Flaccus. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. WITH: PORTLAND-PROTESTS — A riot was declared as protesters demonstrated outside a law enforcement building early Sunday, continuing a nightly ritual in Portland. SENT: 330 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GEORGIA — Georgia’s governor, who has opposed local mask mandates and even sued over one in Atlanta, has signed a new executive order that allows local governments to enact mask requirements to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 480 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOMELESS INFECTIONS — The coronavirus doesn’t appear to have devastated homeless people as initially feared. But researchers say there are many unknowns about how the pandemic is affecting people without a place to sleep. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ITALY-CRUISE-SHIP — Cruise ship passengers were having their temperatures checked and taking COVID-19 tests Sunday so they could set sail on what is being billed as the first Mediterranean cruise after Italy’s pandemic lockdown. SENT: 310 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GREECE — Business owners on the Greek island of Mykonos are up in arms against a government decision forcing them to shut down at midnight to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Owners angrily demand why their businesses are singled out and not the illegal, invitation-only parties in rented villas around the island. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has reported 279 new coronavirus cases in the highest daily jump since early March, as fears grow about a massive outbreak in the greater capital region. SENT: 850 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ITALY-GARBAGE — Italy produced 10% less garbage during its coronavirus lockdown, but environmentalists warn that increased reliance on disposable masks and packaging is imperiling efforts to curb single-use plastics that end up in oceans and seas. SENT: 610 words, photo.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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THE-CROWN-PRINCESS-DIANA-CASTING — Elizabeth Debicki will play the Princess Diana of Wales in seasons five and six of “The Crown,” the Netflix series has announced. SENT: 200 words, photo.
STURGIS RALLY-SCUFFLE — The police chief of Sturgis says one protester was arrested after kicking at a biker during the annual motorcycle rally in western South Dakota. SENT: 150 words.
CINCINNATI SHOOTINGS — Police: At least 18 shot, with 4 dead, across Cincinnati. SENT: 570 words, photos.
SOMALIA-ATTACK — At least 15 people killed in Somalia in extremist attack on Mogadishu hotel. SENT: 230 words.
GERMANY-BRANDS-RACIAL-INJUSTICE — German food company to change racist name of popular sauce. SENT: 520 words, photo.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-HARRIS—- The White House chief of staff says he accepts that Sen. Kamala Harris is eligible to serve as vice president, rejecting a false and racist conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump had promoted, and that it’s not an issue the campaign will pursue or encourage. SENT: 450 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-LATTER-DAY SAINTS — Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are deeply uncomfortable with President Donald Trump’s penchant for foul language, his tendency to pick on his enemies and his isolationist foreign policy. That could make a difference in Arizona, a potentially pivotal state in the 2020 election and home to a sizable population of church members. SENT: 980 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-SOUTH CAROLINA — There’s an unusual feeling emerging among Democrats in South Carolina: energy. The party can be almost an afterthought in this deeply conservative state where Republicans control the governor’s office, both chambers of the Legislature and all but two seats in the congressional delegation. But Democrats insist the GOP’s grip on this Deep South state is weakening. By Meg Kinnard. SENT: 740 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA-FELON VOTING — The effort to register Florida’s newly eligible felons to vote is being stymied by the coronavirus pandemic and a disputed requirement that felons pay a series of costs. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-DNC-SPEAKERS — The Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., who criticized President Donald Trump after he held a Bible aloft at a photo op at a historic church in her diocese, is among the diverse group of faith leaders selected by Democrats to speak at their presidential nominating convention. By Elana Schor. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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RACIAL-INJUSTICE-CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot praised city police for “fairly quickly” settling weekend protests that devolved into violent skirmishes while activists and other elected officials blasted police for unnecessary aggressive tactics. SENT: 370 words, photos.
PUERTO RICO-BOTCHED PRIMARIES — Thousands of Puerto Ricans got a second chance to vote for the first time, a week after delayed and missing ballots marred the original primaries in a blow to the U.S. territory’s democracy. SENT: 570 words.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Josephine weakened to a tropical depression Sunday morning and the system named Kyle became a post-tropical cyclone, forecasters said. SENT: 280 words.
FLEA MARKET SHOOTING-TEXAS — At least five people were wounded, including one critically, in a shooting at a flea market in San Antonio, police officials said. SENT: 150 words.
SOLDIER DEATH-TEXAS — The Texas Military Department says a Texas Army National Guard soldier has died during a training exercise at Fort Hood. SENT: 160 words.
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THAILAND-PROTESTS — Anti-government protesters gathered in large numbers in Thailand’s capital for a rally that suggested their movement’s strength may extend beyond the college campuses where it had blossomed. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BELARUS-PROTESTS — The embattled president of Belarus rejected any possibility of repeating the vote that gave him a sixth term, lashing out at the West and declaring that his country would “perish as a state” if the election were rerun. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 850 words, photos.
LEBANON — Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the probe into this month’s devastating blast in Beirut is “very complex” and would not be finished quickly. Responding to calls that he step down, Aoun told French TV station BFMTV that it would be “impossible” because it would create a power vacuum. SENT: 690 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-GAZA — Israel has closed the Gaza Strip’s offshore fishing zone following a night of cross-border fighting with Palestinian militants, the most intense escalation of hostilities in recent months. SENT: 360 words, photos.
ZIMBABWE-ARRESTS — Zimbabwe is embroiled in an economic and political crisis marked by human rights abuses, said the country’s Roman Catholic bishops, who were then criticized by the government as “evil” and trying to promote genocide. SENT: 390 words, photos.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-US — Luis Rodolfo Abinader has been sworn in as president of the Dominican Republic in a ceremony attended by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. SENT: 200 words, photos.
BRITAIN-EXAMS-FIASCO — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced mounting calls Sunday to sort out a crisis over how crucial final grades are being awarded to high school students in England during the pandemic. Hundreds of students took to the streets of London to protest what they consider a grave injustice. SENT: 650 words, photos.
SKOREA-US-MILITARY-DRILLS — The United States and South Korea will begin their annual joint military exercises this week, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says. But a spreading coronavirus outbreak has apparently forced the allies to scale back an already low-key training program mainly involving computer-simulated war scenarios. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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FBH-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HIGH-SCHOOL-FOOTBALL — High schools are facing the same tough choices colleges are about football season. About a dozen states have suspended their fall sports while Texas and others press on. There are concerns about the coronavirus and the potential long-term impact on the health of young athletes. Colleges that are still playing can throw massive efforts in testing and medical care into their programs. Experts say few high schools could even try to match those efforts. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Rob Jagodzinski can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (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.