AP News Digest 7:05 a.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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TOP STORIES
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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: 1,160 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
TRUMP-STONE — President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of his longtime political confidant Roger Stone, intervening in extraordinary fashion in a criminal case that was central to the Russia investigation and that concerned the president’s own conduct. By Jill Colvin and Eric Tucker. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WORKERS’ COMP — Lauded for their service and hailed as everyday heroes, essential workers who get the coronavirus on the job have no guarantee in most states they’ll qualify for workers’ compensation to cover lost wages and medical care. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 900 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-DIVERSITY CAMPAIGN — Amid a summer of racial unrest and calls for more diversity in leadership, President Donald Trump lags Democratic rival Joe Biden in the percentage of people of color on their campaign staffs, according to data the campaigns provided to The Associated Press. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 990 words, photos.
ZIMBABWE-BIRD SANCTUARY — Kuimba Shiri, Zimbabwe’s only bird park, has survived tumultuous times, including violent land invasions and a devastating economic collapse. Now the outbreak of COVID-19 is proving a stern test. With Zimbabwe’s inflation currently at more than 750%, tourism establishments are battling a vicious economic downturn worsened by the new coronavirus travel restrictions. However with the relaxation of some restrictions the bird sanctuary is able to open to small numbers of visitors. By Farai Mutsaka. SENT: 680 words, photos.
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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. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — The beleaguered Australian state of Victoria received a small amount of good news with health officials reporting 216 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from the record 288 the previous day. SENT: 640 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: 710 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — Certain nursing homes in New York can allow visitors — with restrictions — starting July 15 as the state eases a ban aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable elderly residents. SENT: 600 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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TROPICAL WEATHER — Fay becomes post-tropical cyclone over eastern New York. SENT: 230 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DISNEY — Disney World to reopen as coronavirus cases surge in Florida. SENT: 200 words, photos.
EGYPT-MASS DROWNING — 11 people drowned at rocky beach in northern Egypt. SENT: 230 words, photo.
BOSNIA-SREBRENICA-ANNIVERSARY — Survivors mark 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre. SENT: 260 words, photos.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BRIBERY — California couple agrees to guilty pleas in college scam. SENT: 440 words, photo.
FATAL POLICE SHOOTING-DETROIT — Chief: Video shows man killed by Detroit police fired first. SENT: 410 words, photos.
FACEBOOK-APP CRASHES — Facebook’s software kit to blame for popular apps crashing. By Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 240 words.
NOT-REAL-NEWS — A look at what didn’t happen this week. SENT: 2,370 words, photos.
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TRUMP-CONGRESS — Donald Trump isn’t just changing the presidency during his first term in office. He’s also changing Congress. More than perhaps any president in modern history, Trump has been willing to ignore, defy and toy with the legislative branch, asserting power and breaking norms in ways his predecessors would hardly dare. SENT: 950 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — Friday was supposed to be the day President Donald Trump’s campaign reboot itself got a reboot. Instead, it hit another snag. Amid uncertainty over whether he can still draw big and enthusiastic crowds to his signature rallies in the coronavirus era, Trump postponed a planned Saturday rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, citing a tropical storm expected to hit a swath of the Eastern United States. SENT: 775 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-MOMENTOUS TERM — The Supreme Court’s most unusual term featured victories for immigrants, abortion rights, LGBTQ workers and religious freedoms. The decisions in some of the biggest cases came with majorities of six or seven justices, a blurring of the stark 5-4 divide between conservatives and liberals. By Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko. SENT: 1,050 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.
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TURKEY-LAWYERS — Turkey’s parliament passes controversial legislation amending laws governing attorneys and bar associations, despite protests from critics who say the move could limit the independence of lawyers and reduce the professional associations’ clout. SENT: 480 words, photos.
SKOREA-OBIT-PAIK SUN-YUP — Former South Korean army Gen. Paik Sun-yup, who was celebrated as a major war hero for leading troops in several battle victories against North Korean soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, has died. He was 99. SENT: 490 words.
BRAZIL-BOLSONARO-EDUCATION — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Friday his second pick to head the education ministry in 11 days, naming a college professor and church pastor to the post. Milton Ribeiro, a former deputy dean of Mackenzie University in Sao Paulo will be in charge of one of the government’s most desired jobs. SENT: 290 words, photo.
INDIA-REBELS KILLED — India’s security forces kill six separatist Naga militants in an exchange of gunfire in a northeastern state bordering Myanmar, police say. SENT: 160 words.
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MISSING SOLDIER-TEXAS — U.S. Army officials announce they will begin an independent review of the command climate at Fort Hood following calls from members of Congress and community activists for a more thorough investigation into the killing of a soldier from the Texas base. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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BULGARIA-CROATIA-EURO — Croatia and Bulgaria took a big step toward joining the shared euro currency, underlining the currency bloc’s attraction despite its 2010-2015 debt crisis and the continuing debate about how to strengthen it against possible future trouble. By Business Writer David McHugh. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS — The Big Ten and Pac-12 became the first leagues to shift to an all-conference fall schedule as the college sports world faces difficult decisions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More Power Five conferences could follow, causing a ripple effect on small-conference schools across the country. If more big conferences ditch nonconference games, smaller schools who rely on “buy games” to help fund their athletic departments will take huge financial hits at a time when they’re already facing ugly bottom lines. By John Marshall. SENT: 760 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NHL — Pro hockey’s return is potentially three weeks away, and with it an assurance of labor peace through September 2026. In separate votes announced Friday, the NHL board of governors and members of the NHL Players’ Association ratified a return-to-play plan slated to have games begin in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, on Aug. 1. The voting process also included both sides approving a four-year extension to the current collective bargaining agreement. By Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.
OBIT-JACK-CHARLTON — Jack Charlton, an uncompromising central defender who played alongside his brother, Bobby, in England’s World Cup-winning side in 1966 before enjoying coaching success with Ireland, has died. He was 85. By Sports Writers Steve Douglas and Rob Harris. SENT: 880 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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