AP News Digest 7:30 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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VIRUS-OUTBREAK - As the Trump administration pushes full steam ahead to force U.S. schools to resume in-person education, public health experts warn that a one-size-fits-all reopening could drive infection and death rates even higher. By AP Medical Writer Lindsay Tanner. SENT: 1400 words, photos. SENT: 870 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — With the United States grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world, Florida hit a grim milestone Sunday, shattering the national record for a state’s largest single-day increase in positive cases. Deaths from the virus have also been rising in the U.S., especially in the South and West, though still well below the heights hit in April. By Tamara Lush and Pablo Gorondi. SENT: 910 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELECTION ASSISTANCE -- The demand for mail-in ballots is surging, election workers need training, and polling booths might have to be outfitted with protective shields during the COVID-19 pandemic. As officials prepare for the Nov. 3 election, one certainty is clear: It’s coming with a big price tag. By Andrew Taylor and Christina A. Cassidy. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
POLAND-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who ran a campaign with homophobic and anti-Semitic overtones, narrowly won a second five-year term in a bitterly fought weekend election, defeating the liberal Warsaw mayor, according to a near-complete count of votes. SENT: 980 words, photos.
EGYPT-SEXUAL ASSAULT — More than 100 allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape against a former student at a top university have roiled Egypt for the past two weeks. It’s sparking a renewed #MeToo campaign in a country where sexual assault and harassment are rampant. The accused young man was arrested last week from his home in a gated community outside Cairo. By Samy Magdy SENT: 920 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Several Indian states imposed weekend curfews and locked down high-risk areas as its coronavirus cases surge. The number of infections neared 900,000 with a record 28,701 cases reported in the past 24 hours. The total is behind only the United States and Brazil. The Health Ministry also reported another 500 deaths, taking India’s total fatalities from COVID-19 up to 23,174. SENT: 470 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GENERATION GAP? — Millennials, you’re taking a big hit again. And you’re not OK, either, boomers. Sometimes at odds, America’s two largest generations have something to agree on: the coronavirus pandemic has smacked many at a pivotal time in their lives. By Dan Sewell SENT: 950 words and photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING - COOKED WITH LOVE — In Egypt, volunteers cook, donate food or make contactless deliveries to coronavirus patients’ homes. Fatma Youssef stuffs rice, chicken or meat and vegetables into boxes spread on her dining table. On some, she scribbles “Be well” in Arabic; on others, she writes “Together, we will get through this.” Youssef and others hope the meals will help nurse quarantined patients back to health and provide them with some respite. Says Basma Mostafa who thought of the idea: “I’m amazed.” SENT: 590 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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CHINA-US OFFICIALS BANNED— China says it will impose sanctions on three U.S. lawmakers and one ambassador in response to similar actions taken by the U.S. last week against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang region. SENT: 700 words.
OBIT-SOUTH AFRICA-ZINDZI MANDELA — Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of South African anti-apartheid figures Nelson and Winnie Mandela, has died aged 59. SENT: 110 words.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-CHILD KILLED — Atlanta police released images late Sunday of a second person of interest in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl on the Fourth of July. SENT: 210 words, photos.
OBIT-BENJAMIN KEOUGH — Grandson of Elvis Presley has died at age 27, agent says. SENT: 160 words, photo.
CAMPAIGN EVENT-CARIBOU HEART — Protesters in Alaska carrying a banner and a caribou heart interrupted a campaign event for a U.S. senator seeking reelection. SENT: 310 words.
RAPPER KILLED-ATLANTA — The Atlanta-based rap artist known as Lil Marlo has died, his record label said. SENT: 260 words.
TECH EXEC RESIGNS — The chief executive of a California technology company has resigned after the release of a video showing him using vulgar and racist language toward an Asian family at a restaurant. SENT: 230 words, photos.
INDONESIA FRANCE-CHILD ABUSE — Police say a French man accused of molesting over 300 Indonesian children has died after apparently trying to kill himself in detention. SENT: 260 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — The Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump’s campaign say they have now hired 1,500 field staffers, aiming to convert their financial advantage over Democrats into votes in November. SENT: 680 words, photos.
NATION’S CAPITAL-PSYCHEDELICS -- Despite pandemic conditions that made normal signature-gathering almost impossible, activists in the nation’s capital say they have enough signatures for a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize natural psychedelics such as mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms. By Ashraf Khalil. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-VOA -- Despite a barrage of criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, the new chief of U.S. global media is plowing ahead with changes to the Voice of America and other international broadcasters that are heightening concerns about their future as independent news organizations. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee. SENT: 900 words, photos.
FACT CHECK-WEEK -- President Donald Trump’s administration is providing misguided assurances on the safety of kids in school during a coronavirus epidemic. Trump himself continued to spread falsehoods about how well the U.S. is doing with the coronavirus even as the U.S. is taking a disproportionate hit from it globally and does not have it under control. By Calvin Woodward, Hope Yen and Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 2,220 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-GAY COUPLES — When Russian voters approved a package of changes to the country’s constitution on July 1, among the provisions was a stipulation that marriage is only between a man and a woman. That has dashed hopes of LGBT couples that they might someday enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. Although Russia decriminalized homosexuality decades ago, animosity against the LGBT community remains high, gay rights parades have been banned and adoption by same-sex couples is forbidden. SENT: 870 words, photos.
NORTH MACEDONIA-ELECTION — North Macedonia holds its first parliamentary election under its new country name this week, with voters heading to the polls during an alarming spike of coronavirus cases in the small Balkan nation. Opinion polls in the run-up to Wednesday’s vote indicate a close race between coalitions led by the Social Democrats and the center-right opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. SENT: 890 words, photos.
SOUTH KOREA-SEOUL MAYOR-FUNERAL — Mourners wept and deeply bowed before the coffin of Seoul’s mayor during his funeral Monday, while a lawyer came forward with details about sexual harassment allegations against the late politician. The allegations have split many in South Korea over how to remember Park Won-soon, who was found dead Friday in a wooded area in northern Seoul. SENT: 550 words, photos.
IRAN-PLANE CRASH - Iranian investigators are blaming a misaligned missile battery and miscommunication between soldiers and their commanders for the Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner in January, killing 176 people. SENT: 780 words, photo.
NEW ZEALAND-MOSQUE SHOOTING — The Australian white supremacist who admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has dismissed his lawyers and will represent himself when he is sentenced next month. SENT: 350 words, photos.
CHINA-DEADLY FLOODS — The Yangtze River region has seen its second highest rainfall in more than a half-century so far this year as deadly flooding strikes much of China. Around 28,000 homes have been damaged and 141 people have died or are missing in the floods since last month. SENT: 310 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTION -- The first federal execution in nearly two decades is set for Monday in spite of the objection of the family of the victims and after a volley of legal proceedings over the coronavirus pandemic. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 860 words, photos. Execution scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-PENNSYLVANIA — Video posted on social media that shows a Pennsylvania police officer with his knee on a man’s neck trying to restrain him has prompted protests and a demand from the local Black Lives Matter group to suspend the officers involved. SENT: 420 words.
MISSING TV STAR - A magazine reports that a member of a team searching a Southern California lake for a missing TV star said that he’s confident his crew is getting a clearer idea of where in the lake to find her. SENT: 280 words, photos.
NAVY SHIP FIRE — Twenty-one people suffered minor injuries in an explosion and fire on board a ship at Naval Base San Diego, military officials said. SENT: 420 words, photos.
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MARS MISSIONS — Mars is about to be invaded by planet Earth — big time. The U.S., China and the United Arab Emirates are sending spacecraft to Mars in quick succession beginning this week. It’s the most sweeping effort yet to seek signs of ancient microscopic life at Mars while scoping out the place for future astronauts. By AP Science Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares are rising in Asia, cheered by upbeat projections on a global economic rebound from pandemic shocks but tempered by caution over worsening virus outbreaks. SENT: 530 words, photos.
INSIDER Q&A HYUNDAI AMERICAS CEO — The past five years have been rough for Hyundai in the U.S. as it scrambled to catch up with a shift in consumer preferences from cars to trucks and SUVs. The South Korean auto company ran through multiple leaders as it added utility vehicles to a car-heavy lineup. SENT: 710 words, photos.
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OBIT-KELLY PRESTON — Kelly Preston, who played dramatic and comic foil to actors ranging from Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire” to Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Twins,” died Sunday, husband John Travolta said. She was 57. SENT: 580 words, photos.
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SPORTS-WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN — There will be no Midsummer Classic in baseball this season. There hasn’t even been a regular season MLB game yet because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of baseball’s best gathering this week at Dodger Stadium for the All-Star Game, players are at their home ballparks for summer camp to prepare for the start of the season July 23-24. SENT: 530 words, photos.
HKN-TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW - NHL teams return to the ice Monday for the first time since March as the 24 that qualified for the expanded playoffs open two-week training camps. Mixed with the excitement is the uncertainty of which and how many players might opt out and how the long layoff could contribute to injuries. It’s a training camp unlike any in history, with players coming back from a four-month absence to compete for the Stanley Cup. SENT: 710 words, photos.
CAR-NASCAR-KENTUCKY - Cole Custer became the first rookie regular to win in the NASCAR Cup Series in nearly four years, surging to the lead in a four-wide, final-lap scramble Sunday at Kentucky Speedway. SENT: 730 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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