AP News Digest 2:20 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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ELECTION 2020-DNC — Joe Biden is poised to accept to the Democratic presidential nomination in a moment that marks the climax of his party’s unorthodox 2020 national convention and the pinnacle of a political career that has spanned almost a half century. The 77-year-old former vice president will be feted by family and former rivals as the Democratic Party’s best and only chance to defeat President Donald Trump in November. By Steve Peoples, Michelle L. Price and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1200 words. UPCOMING: 890 words by 4:30 p.m.. UPCOMING: Developing from 9 p.m. event; Biden expected to speak after 10:30 p.m., 1200 words by 11:30 p.m., photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DNC-THE LATEST, ELECTION 2020-DNC-TAKEAWAYS, developing.
ELECTION 2020-DNC-BIDEN — When Joe Biden steps to the podium as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, he will offer himself to a wounded, meandering nation as a balm — and as a bridge. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1200 words. UPCOMING: Developing from late evening Biden remarks.
ELECTION 2020-DNC-TRUMP — On Joe Biden’s big day, President Donald Trump is planning to show up in his rival’s old backyard. Trump is set to hold an event just outside the former vice president’s birthplace in Scranton, Pennsylvania, mere hours before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination for president. By Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 810 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 3 p.m. Pennsylvania event, 890 words by 5:20 p.m., photos, video.
Find more coverage of the conventions and Election 2020 on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
TRUMP ADVISER-ARREST — Former White House adviser Steve Bannon has been arrested on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme called “We Build The Wall.” The charges were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Federal prosecutors alleged that Bannon and three others “orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors” in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of the United States. By Larry Neumeister, Colleen Long and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the U.S. economy still in the grip of the outbreak five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL MARKETS — Most stocks are falling on Wall Street Thursday following some discouraging data about the economy, but more gains for tech companies are keeping the S&P 500 close to its record level. SENT: 800 words, photos, developing.
RUSSIA-NAVALNY — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is in a coma in a hospital in Siberia after falling ill from a suspected poisoning. His spokeswoman said Navalny felt unwell on a flight to Moscow and the plane made an emergency landing. Kira Yarmysh said Navalny lost consciousness and must have consumed poison in tea he drank before boarding his flight. By Daria Litvinova. SENT: 680 words, photo. WITH: RUSSIA-NAVALNY-POISONINGS - Toxic tea: Multiple Russians hit by suspected poisonings. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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ODD-MISSILE FOUND-AIRPORT — A live air-to-air missile discovered at a small central Florida airport has been secured in a munition storage facility at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. SENT: 200 words.
PEOPLE-MAX WEINBERG-PLANNING BOARD - Max Weinberg, the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the bandleader for Conan O’Brien’s Late Night and The Tonight Show, has been appointed to a local planning and zoning board in Delray Beach, Florida. SENT: 450 words, photos.
BRITAIN BABY FOOD — A sheep farmer in Britain has been found guilty of planting baby food laced with metal shards in stores as part of a plan to blackmail a supermarket chain. SENT: 230 words.
POLICE RAID INNOCENT FAMILY - Three Tennessee police officers have been decommissioned after they broke down the door of an innocent family Tuesday morning. SENT: 355 words.
DOLLHOUSE KILLING-KENTUCKY — A man has been arrested in connection to the fatal shootings of a 3-year-old Kentucky girl and her father. SENT: 155 words.
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TRUMP-TAXES — A federal judge cleared the way for Manhattan’s top prosecutor to get President Trump’s tax returns, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by his lawyers to block a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. Trump’s lawyers immediately appealed U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero’s decision to the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. SENT: 445 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-IRAQ — President Donald Trump reaffirms his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq as quickly as possible as he meets with the prime minister of Iraq to discuss ways to confront Iranian aggression in the region and counter threats from Islamic State sleeper cells. SENT: 614 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos, video.
SUPREME COURT-TRUMP-TWITTER LAWSUIT — President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to block critics from his personal Twitter account. SENT: 373 words, photo.
UNITED NATIONS-UNITED STATES-IRAN — The Trump administration is set to demand the restoration of all international sanctions on Iran in a move that will further isolate the United States at the United Nations, test the credibility of the Security Council and possibly deal a fatal blow to one of former President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements. SENT: 660 words. UPCOMING: Developing from Pompeo UN meetings, 3:30 p.m. news conference, 700 words by 5 p.m., photos.
UNITED STATES-FORCED LABOR — Accounts of abusive conditions and forced labor have prompted the U.S. to ban imports of fish from a Taiwan-based fishing vessel that has supplied one of the largest tuna trading companies in the world and the new owner of Bumble Bee Seafoods. It is the second time in recent months that the Trump administration has imposed the trade penalty against a vessel in the Taiwanese fleet, evidence of what human rights groups say are ongoing abuses that taint the global fishing industry. UPCOMING: 750 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-DNC-WISCONSIN -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a stark reminder to Wisconsin Democrats about the importance the battleground state plays in the presidential election less than 11 weeks away. SENT: 500 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING-POSTMASTER — Louis DeJoy is the first postmaster general in two decades who is not a career postal employee. That doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with the agency. The logistics company that helped him build a personal fortune and allowed him to become a Republican megadonor had highly lucrative contracts with the Postal Service as well as with its direct competitors. That has led critics to question whether those financial ties create a conflict of interest. UPCOMING: 900 words by 3:30 p.m., photos.
UNITED STATES-SYRIA — The Trump administration has announced new sanctions against six Syrian military, government and financial officials. SENT: 350 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-NEW YORK -- New York will allow voters to request absentee ballots for the general election because of coronavirus under a new state law signed Thursday. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOMES — Months after the first stories of nursing homes ravaged by the coronavirus, 1 in 5 U.S. facilities say they still don’t have enough protective equipment like N95 masks, according to a study of federal data that also finds deficiencies in staffing. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GRANDPARENT-HELPERS -- Gone, for now, are the days when retirees Bill and Mary Hill could do whatever they please. Since school started for their only grandchild, 8-year-old Will, they greet him at the gate of their residential community in suburban Phoenix. Sometimes, they roll up in their golf cart. As the school year gets under way for many kids with working parents, more grandparents have jumped into daily caregiver roles. SENT: 1,175 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VOTING MACHINES -- A North Carolina judge has ruled certain touch-screen ballot-marking machines will remain in use in the state this fall. The judge rejected a request by the state NAACP and voters who wanted ExpressVote machines barred from future elections. They’re used in roughly 20 counties. SENT: 480 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL METRICS — As schools across the U.S. decide whether to reopen this fall, many are left wondering how to know if it’s safe. Public health experts say virus rates in the community should be low, but there’s little agreement on a specific threshold or even a measurement. SENT: 910 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — India counted another record high of new coronavirus infections as it ramped up testing to more than 900,000 a day. The 69,652 new cases pushed India’s total past 2.8 million, of which 2 million have recovered, the Health Ministry says. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LIVES-LOST-YEMEN DOCTOR — For five decades, Yassin Abdel-Wareth was one of a handful of epidemiologists in Yemen, hunting for disease outbreaks that are as endemic as armed conflicts in the Middle East’s poorest nation. He had seen cholera, malaria, Rift Valley fever and, in early June, he was worried about the new coronavirus. Weeks later, the 72-year-old doctor-turned-epidemiologist was dead from COVID-19. SENT: 990 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AMERICAN AIRLINES -- American Airlines is dropping flights to 15 U.S. cities in October, when a federal requirement to serve those communities expires. American said that it will consider other changes unless the federal government provides more money to the embattled airline industry. SENT: 640 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FAUCI — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, underwent surgery to remove a growth from his vocal cord that was causing his notably raspy voice during interviews and briefings about the coronavirus. SENT: 180 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONE-GOOD-THING-EVERYDAY-MUSEUM — Humble, everyday items like takeout leaflets and directions for attending a funeral offer surprisingly valuable glimpses into life during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s the idea behind a project at the Historical Museum of Urahoro, in Hokkaido, northern Japan, a town of just 4,500 residents that has no McDonald’s or movie theater. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-OFFICES — How will office life be different in a pandemic? The office you once knew is likely to look vastly different. To keep people a safe distance apart, companies are taking steps such as staggering shifts or having employees come in on alternating days. SENT: 270 words. photo.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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COLLEGE ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY — “Full House” star Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are keeping silent as they await sentencing in the college admissions bribery case. The famous couple has not made any public statements since they were charged with paying half a million dollars to get their daughters into the University of Southern California, or surprisingly decided to plead guilty despite their lawyers’ repeated claims that they were innocent. SENT: 805 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Wildfires raged through Northern California, threatening thousands of homes and blackening the skies near San Francisco as crews struggled to surround them despite steep terrain and blistering heat. SENT: 910 words, photos. WITH: SCIENCE-SAYS-WHY-CALIFORNIA-BURNS — Lots of factors make California burn so much, and people figure in many. SENT: 810 words, photos.
SEPT. 11 MUSEUM-REOPENING — Nearly six months after the coronavirus forced its closure, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will be reopening on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks next month. The anniversary day re-opening will be reserved for families of those killed in the 2001 attack and the 1993 World Trade Center attack. SENT: 320 words, photos.
FLINT WATER-SETTLEMENT --Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says a proposed $600 million deal between the state of Michigan and Flint residents harmed by lead-tainted water is a step toward making amends. Officials announced the settlement Thursday, which must be approved by a federal judge. SENT: 800 words, photos. With FLINT-WATER-TIMELINE (sent).
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EMIRATES-ISRAEL-ANALYSIS -- A U.S.-brokered deal that saw Israel and the United Arab Emirates begin to open diplomatic ties may end up with Abu Dhabi purchasing advanced American weaponry. That could potentially upend both a longstanding Israeli military edge regionally and the balance of power with Iran. SENT: 1,025 words, photos.
BELARUS-PROTESTS — Prosecutors in Belarus have opened a criminal probe against opposition activists who set up a council to negotiate a democratic transition of power amid massive protests of the country’s disputed presidential election. SENT: 880 words, photos. With: BELARUS-DISSIDENT OFFICIAL — A former culture minister and ambassador is the most well-connected member of a new council established by the political opposition in Belarus to facilitate a transition of power amid massive protests challenging the the country’s authoritarian five-term president. SENT: 920 words, photos; BELARUS-STRIKING JOURNALISTS — In a new challenge to Belarus’ authoritarian ruler, hundreds of employees of state television have gone on strike amid a rising tide of protests calling for his resignation after a vote the opposition saw as rigged. SENT: 490 words, photos.
EGYPT-NILE-WATERS — Egypt’s farmers already face severely stretched water resources due to years of mismanagement and increasing population. Now they worry about the impact of Ethiopia’s massive dam project on the Blue Nile, the main tributary feeding the Nile River. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
BRITAIN-STUDENTS IN LIMBO -- Thousands of graduating high school students in Britain are scrambling for university spots following the government’s disastrous decision to award final grades using an algorithm. The process was intended to replace exams canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but unfairly lowered the marks of many students and froze them out of their chosen schools. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
BRITAIN-MANCHESTER BOMBING — The brother of the suicide bomber who set off an explosion at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds, has been sentenced to a minimum of 55 years. SENT: 490 words, photos.
MALI-CRISIS — Allies of ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita called for his immediate release two days he was forced to resign in a coup. SENT: 900 words, photos.
BELGIUM-DETENTION DEATH — A top Belgian police official has stepped aside a day after the emergence of a 2018 video showing an officer sitting on top of a Slovak man in custody at a Brussels airport and another officer apparently making a Hitler salute. SENT: 400 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Hurricane Genevieve has weakened into a tropical storm after lashing Mexico’s Los Cabos tourist resorts with high winds and heavy rains. And two new tropical depressions have formed in the Atlantic Basin. SENT: 500 words.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL AT HOME -- As hospitals care for people with COVID-19 and try to prevent its spread, more patients are opting to be treated where they feel safest: at home. Across the U.S., “hospital at home” programs are taking off amid the pandemic, reducing strains on medical centers and easing patients’ fears. Communications technology, portable medical equipment and teams of doctors, nurses, X-ray techs and paramedics make this possible. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
MED-WHO RUSSIA VACCINE — The World Health Organization’s Europe office said it has begun discussions with Russia to try to obtain more information about the experimental COVID-19 vaccine the country recently approved. SENT: 350 words, photo.
SCI--GREENLAND RECORD MELT -- A new satellite study finds that Greenland lost 586 billion tons of ice in a record melt last year. That’s 140 trillion gallons of water or enough to cover all of California in more than four feet of water. The study says it’s due to a combination of climate change and an occasional weather effect that sends warm air from North America into Greenland instead of cooler Arctic air. SENT: 545 words, photos.
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CALIFORNIA-RIDE HAILING LAWSUIT — Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft are saying they will shut down their California operations if a new law goes into effect overnight that would force both companies to classify their drivers as employees. SENT: 500 words, photo.
VILLAGE VS. FACEBOOK — Facebook’s effort to build a landing site in a village on the Oregon coast for a fiber optic cable linking Asia and North America has run into serious trouble. First, a drill pipe snapped under the seabed. Workers left 1,100 feet of pipe, 6,500 gallons of drilling fluid, a drill tip and other materials under the seabed as they closed down the site, aiming to try again next year. UPCOMING: 895 words.
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FILM-AMC THEATER — The nation’s largest theater chain, AMC, opens many of its doors Thursday after being closed for five months due to COVID-19. AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr reports from the opening of a Pittsburgh multiplex. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos.
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BKN--NBA DRAFT LOTTERY — Golden State, Cleveland and Minnesota have the best chance of winning the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery. The Warriors are locked into a top-five pick for a draft with a whole lot of uncertainty. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos. Lottery starts 8:30 p.m.
CAR--INDY 500-DESERTED STREETS — It sure doesn’t feel or sound like the Indianapolis 500. Campgrounds and parking lots are deserted. Grandstands are empty. And the pomp of Sunday’s race will be missing, too. The historic Brickyard is not the same. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 5 p.m.
GLF--NORTHERN TRUST — The FedEx Cup playoffs begin with The Northern Trust, featuring Tiger Woods, PGA champion Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas among those at the TPC Boston. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FBN--NFL-LINEUP CONTINUITY — An NFL offseason centered on Zoom meetings, an abbreviated training camp and absence of exhibition games will put a premium on continuity this season. No team has as much stability as the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar (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.