AP News Digest 6:35 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.
---------------------------------—-
NEW/DEVELOPING
---------------------------------—-
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, which was listed on the 2 p.m. digest, will not move.
Adds VIRUS OUTBREAK-SICK LATIN LEADERS, FEDERAL EXECUTION, SINGAPORE-ELECTIONS, REL--VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS-CHRISTIAN GROUPS, MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON, HEALTH OVERHAUL-ABORTION, ELECTION-2020-INDIANA-ATTORNEY-GENERAL, PEOPLE-ARMIE-HAMMER-DIVORCE, MUSIC-LADY A-LAWSUIT, FACEBOOK-APP CRASHES, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA-CHURCH-SINGING, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRTUAL-OPERA, PEOPLE-JADA AND WILL SMITH
----------------—
ONLY ON AP
----------------—
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS LOANS-CATHOLIC — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid, with many millions going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups. By Reese Dunklin and Michael Rezendes. SENT: 2,320 words, photos. An abridged version of 940 words is also available. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SMALL-BUSINESS-LOANS-CATHOLIC-TAKEAWAYS
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SYRINGES -- When precious vats of COVID-19 vaccine are finally ready, the ability to jab the lifesaving solution into the arms of Americans will require hundreds of millions of injections. As part of its strategy to administer the vaccine as quickly as possible, the Trump administration has agreed to invest more than half a billion in tax dollars in ApiJect Systems America, a young company. Its injector is not approved by federal health authorities and the company hasn’t yet set up a factory to manufacture the unapproved devices. By Martha Mendoza and Juliet Linderman. SENT: 1,970 words, photos.
----------------—-
TOP STORIES
-------------------
VIRUS OUTBREAK — When President Donald Trump convened a recent coronavirus roundtable on how to safely reopen schools, the seats surrounding him were filled with parents, teachers and local health officials. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was relegated to secondary seating on the side. It was a telling indication of how Trump has sidelined and undercut federal health experts. By Jill Colvin and Mike Stobbe. SENT: 1,150 words, photos,
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — President Donald Trump’s planned reboot of his already rebooted reelection effort has hit another snag. Amid uncertainty he can still draw big and enthusiastic crowds to his signature rallies in the coronavirus era, Trump announced he was postponing a planned rally for Saturday evening in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, because of a tropical storm is threatening the area. By Jonathan Lemire and Bill Barrow. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SICK LATIN LEADERS — The COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping through the leadership of Latin America, with two more presidents and powerful officials testing positive this week for the new coronavirus, adding a destabilizing new element to the region’s public health and economic crises. SENT: 910 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-MOMENTOUS TERM — Justice Clarence Thomas spoke and Chief Justice John Roberts ruled. The Supreme Court’s most unusual term featured victories for undocumented immigrants, abortion rights, LGBTQ workers and religious freedoms. The usually quiet Thomas’ baritone was heard by the whole world when the coronavirus outbreak upended the court’s traditional way of doing business. When the biggest decisions were handed down, the chief justice was almost always in the majority and dictated the reach of the court’s most controversial cases. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
IMMIGRATION-STUCK IN MEXICO -- A Honduran family’s quest for asylum in United States shows how difficult it has become to seek asylum during the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the coronavirus, U.S. authorities wield extraordinary power to immediately expel Mexicans and Central Americans to Mexico, waiving laws that include rights to seek asylum. The father and 9-year-old son were whisked back to Mexico when encountered in San Diego. They were separated from the mother as she began going into labor. Two days later, she was also back in Tijuana — with her newborn son, a U.S. citizen. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA HOSPITALS -- Fighting a surge in coronavirus cases in the spring, Florida appeared to be “flattening the curve” as theme parks shuttered, sugar sand beaches closed and residents heeded orders to stay home. Now, it’s almost as if that never happened. By Adriana Gomez Licon and Kelli Kennedy. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
---------------------------------------------—-
----------------------------------------------—
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS — Urgent calls for field hospitals. Cars lined up for hours at drive-thru testing centers. Bars boarded up and grocery stores enforcing masks. Texas today resembles the state in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Except now, the outbreak is far worse. By Paul J. Weber. SENT: 730 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WEST VIRGINIA — The former West Virginia public health leader forced out by the governor says decades-old computer systems and cuts to staff over a period of years had made a challenging job even harder during a once-in-a-century pandemic. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS — In his push to get schools and colleges to reopen this fall, President Donald Trump is again taking aim at their finances, this time threatening their tax-exempt status. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS-CHRISTIAN GROUPS — Leaders of 12 Christian organizations on Friday urged the Trump administration to rescind a policy requiring international students to leave the U.S. or transfer if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall, saying it “falls short of American ideals.” SENT: 460 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SERBIA -- Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia’s parliament, clashing with the police during for the fourth night of protests against the president’s increasingly authoritarian rule. SENT: 520 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA-CHURCH-SINGING — Crossroads Community Church Senior Pastor Jim Clark wants to keep his 1,500 parishioners safe during the coronavirus pandemic but he’s drawing the line at a new California ban on singing or chanting at religious services. SENT: 930 words, photos.
AP EXPLAINS-VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA — In just three weeks, India went from the world’s sixth to the third-worst hit country by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. By Emily Schmall and Aniruddha Ghosal. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRTUAL-OPERA — The famed Santa Fe Opera is offering a series of virtual performances after being forced to cancel the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 770 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
---------------------------------------------
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
---------------------------------------------
PEOPLE-JADA AND WILL SMITH — With their marriage under social-media scrutiny, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith reaffirmed their commitment to each other as Pinkett Smith admitted to having a relationship with musician August Alsina when she and Smith were separated. SENT: 360 words, photo.
SCI--VISITING COMET -- A newly discovered comet is streaking past Earth, providing a stunning nighttime show after buzzing the sun and expanding its tail. SENT: 290 words, photos.
MUSIC-LADY A-LAWSUIT — Singer Anita White, who was sued by a country group over the use of the name Lady A, says the group is using their white privilege against her. SENT: 310 words, photo.
FACEBOOK-APP CRASHES — Facebook’s software kit to blame for popular apps crashing. SENT: 240 words.
PEOPLE-ARMIE-HAMMER-DIVORCE — Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers separate after 10 years. SENT: 130 words, photo.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN-ASSOCIATE -- Ghislaine Maxwell seeks jail release in Jeffrey Epstein abuse case. SENT: 520 words, photos.
—————————————————
——————————————————
TRUMP-CONGRESS — Donald Trump isn’t just changing the presidency during his first term in office. He’s also changed the Congress. More than most presidents in modern history, Trump has been willing to ignore and defy the legislative branch, asserting his own power in ways his predecessors would never dare. The dynamic was on stark display this week as the Supreme Court declined to rule on Trump’s defiance of congressional subpoenas in what it called “a clash between rival branches of government.” By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 950 words, photos.
FEDERAL EXECUTION — A federal judge in Indiana halted the first federal execution planned in 17 years, citing concerns over the coronavirus by the victims’ family. By Michael Balsamo, Colleen Long and Andrew DeMillo. SENT: 820 words, photos.
HEALTH OVERHAUL-ABORTION — A federal judge in Baltimore struck down a Trump administration rule that abortion rights advocates called a maneuver to restrict access but officials defended as merely following the law. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 500 words.
ELECTION-2020-INDIANA-ATTORNEY-GENERAL — Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s bid for reelection was scuttled Friday as he lost the Republican nomination following a monthlong suspension of his law license over allegations that he groped a state lawmaker and three other women during a party. SENT: 770 words, photos.
------------------———
--------------------——
TURKEY-HAGIA SOPHIA -- The president of Turkey has formally converted Istanbul’s sixth-century Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and declared it open for Muslim worship, hours after a high court annulled a 1934 decision that had made the religious landmark a museum. The decision sparked deep dismay among Orthodox Christians. Originally a cathedral, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after Istanbul’s conquest by the Ottoman Empire but had been a museum for the last 86 years, drawing millions of tourists annually. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
SINGAPORE-ELECTIONS — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s long-governing party comfortably won general elections that took place amid the coronavirus pandemic, but faced a setback as the opposition made minor gains. SENT: 690 words, photos
NETHERLANDS-UKRAINE-PLANE — The Dutch government says it is taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights for its alleged role in the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine six years ago. SENT: 560 words, photos.
—————————
—————————
MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON — President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, has been transferred to the same federal lockup in Otisville where he was serving time for tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance crimes before the coronavirus pandemic prompted his early release, his attorney says. SENT: 340 words, photos.
AMAZON-HOMELESS SHELTER — A homeless shelter built on Amazon’s perfectly manicured urban Seattle campus is a major civic contribution that pushes the company to face the crisis and criticism in the hometown it has rapidly transformed. Believed to be the first homeless shelter built inside a corporate office building, Amazon’s partnership housing a local nonprofit could be seen as the company’s answer to criticism that it hasn’t given back enough to the city. But the Mary’s Place family homeless shelter also serves as a stark display of have-and-have-nots. Some blame Amazon’s explosive growth for making living in Seattle too costly. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Fast-moving Tropical Storm Fay made landfall in New Jersey on Friday amid heavy, lashing rains that closed beaches and flooded shore town streets. SENT: 610 words, photo.
——————————————
——————————————-
AMAZON-TIKTOK BAN — Roughly five hours after an internal email went out to employees telling them to delete the popular video app TikTok from their phones, Amazon appeared to backtrack, calling the ban a mistake. SENT: 930 words, photo.
GOYA-TRUMP BACKLASH — The CEO of food company Goya is facing an uproar over his praise for President Donald Trump, with some Latino families purging their pantries of the products and scrambling to find alternatives to the beloved beans, seasoning and other products that have long been fixtures in their cooking. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Optimism returned to Wall Street on Friday, and stocks rallied to cap a shaky week dogged by worries that rising coronavirus counts may halt the economy’s recent upswing. SENT: 710 words, photos.
————————————
————————————
MUSIC-THE CHICKS — The Dixie Chicks are no more. Breaking their ties to the South, The Chicks are stepping into a new chapter in their storied career with their first new music in 14 years. The Texas trio of Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines have been teasing new music for a year, and “Gaslighter” finally drops on July 17 when the nation is embroiled in divisive politics, cancel culture and reckoning with inequality. The timing is right for their voices to be heard again. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
PEOPLE-BOB GELDOF — The legendary Live Aid concerts 35 years ago did a lot of good — helping reduce African famine and putting a spotlight on the world’s poorest nations. But it wasn’t always good for one of its key organizers. Irish rock star Bob Geldof may have earned awards and cheers for pulling off 1985′s transcontinental music event, though it took a toll on his personal life and career. SENT: 610 words, photos, video.
——————
——————-
BBO--VIRUS OUTBREAK-COPING WITH CORONA — High-fives, fist bumps and hugs are out. And, like crying, there’s no spitting in baseball. Things will be different when games start in two weeks. And it’s not just empty stands and a 60-game schedule. Players face a new normal after nearly four months away. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BBO--BASEBALL RDP —Giants catcher Buster Posey is the latest major leaguer to skip the shortened season, citing health concerns after he and wife just adopted premature twin girls. But one week into its summer camp, MLB is cautiously optimistic as it rolls toward a July 23 opening day. SENT: 750 words, photos.
CAR--NASCAR--JOHNSON-CORONAVIRUS — Jimmie Johnson is confused and frustrated after his coronavirus scare. A positive test caused the seven-time NASCAR champion to miss a race for the first time. He is now cleared to race this weekend in Kentucky. SENT: 700 words, photos.
—————————————-
HOW TO REACH US
----------------------————
At the Nerve Center, Dave Clark can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Daniel P. Derella (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (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.