AP News Digest 2 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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CONFEDERATE FLAG-PENTAGON — After weeks of wrangling, the Pentagon is banning displays of the Confederate flag on military installations, in a carefully worded policy that doesn’t mention the word ban or that specific flag. Officials describe the policy as a creative way to bar the flag’s display without openly contradicting or angering President Donald Trump, who has defended people’s rights to display it. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 700 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-GINSBURG — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she is receiving chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer but has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court. The 87-year-old Ginsburg, who has had four previous bouts of cancer, says her treatment so far has succeeded in reducing lesions on her liver and she will continue chemotherapy sessions every two weeks. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 200 words, photos. UPCOMING: 500 words by 3 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Teams of military medics were deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by coronavirus patients, as Miami-area authorities began stepping up enforcement of a mask requirement — echoing efforts in many parts of the world to contain surging infections. In California, military doctors, nurses and other health care specialists were being deployed to eight hospitals facing staffing shortages amid record-breaking case numbers. By Freida Frisaro and David Crary. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-TESTING — President Donald Trump says the U.S. leads the world in coronavirus testing, but criticism of the nation’s response is mounting as states experience new spikes in cases. Long testing lines and processing delays are upending reopening plans and drawing complaints even from Republicans. By Zeke Miller. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECONOMY-BENEFITS EXPIRE— Anxiety is rising among people who have lost jobs, who have exhausted their government stimulus checks, who worry about unemployment benefits running out and about the growing possibility that their jobs are permanently lost. By Sarah Skidmore Sell and Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 950 words, photos.
MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENTS -- Fresh studies give more information about what treatments do or don’t work for COVID-19, with high-quality methods that give reliable results. British researchers published their research on the only drug shown to improve survival -- a cheap steroid called dexamethasone. The drug lowered the risk of death by up to 36% for patients needing help breathing but did not help less ill ones. By Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 750 words, photo.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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BRITAIN-JOHNNY DEPP — A #MeToo activist said in a court document released that she was “misquoted and misused” by a British tabloid newspaper in an article that accused Johnny Depp of physically abusing his ex-wife, Amber Heard. SENT: 625 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ROYALS-PRINCESS BEATRICE — Buckingham Palace says that Princess Beatrice married in a private ceremony, with her grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in attendance. SENT: 175 words, photos.
BRITAIN-WWII VETERAN — Queen Elizabeth II has made a knight of the 100-year-old World War II veteran who captivated the British public by walking 100 laps of his garden and raising some 33 million pounds ($40 million) for the National Health Service. SENT: 325 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-VEHICLE FIRE— Authorities say they’ve charged a Maryland man with setting fire to a police vehicle outside the U.S. Supreme Court in the nation’s capital. SENT: 120 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — A demand by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to award businesses, schools and universities sweeping exemptions from lawsuits arising from inadequate coronavirus protections puts Republicans and Democrats at loggerheads as talks finally begin next week on another COVID relief package. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECONOMY — Former Federal Reserve Chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen urge Congress to do more to help the economy deal with the devastating coronavirus pandemic, such as extending increased unemployment benefits and providing assistance to hard-hit states and local governments, something many Republicans oppose. By AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger. SENT: 420 words. UPCOMING: Developing from testimony by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE NURSING HOME — As normalcy returns to many segments of the U.S. that were locked down as the coronavirus spread, most nursing homes remain frozen in the same position since March. Though some states are inching toward normalcy for residents of those facilities, most are still barring visitors and severely curtailing activities inside. The result is the country’s 1.4 million nursing home residents, many of whom already struggle with loneliness and isolation, are being even more isolated. SENT: 2,950 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA --Georgia’s governor and the mayor of its largest city accused each other of playing politics Friday amid an escalating fight over face masks intended to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The battle over masks in a state with rapidly rising cases of COVID-19 erupted into a public fight in recent days as more than a dozen cities and counties defied Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and issued local orders requiring masks in their cities. SENT: 425 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people will no longer be told to work from home and avoid public transit. That move appears at odds with the views of his chief scientific adviser. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-DEATH TALLY — The British government ordered an urgent review Friday into how daily coronavirus death figures in England are calculated amid claims the current method overestimates the tally. SENT: 430 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Israel has announced new restrictions in response to a surge in coronavirus cases, including weekend closures of many businesses and limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-TURKEY-ROBIN HOOD DOCTOR -- An advocate for free health care, Dr. Murat Dilmener sometimes bent hospital rules in Istanbul to ensure people without health insurance got the treatment they needed. The professor and infectious diseases specialist frequently saw poor Turks for free at his private clinic and persuaded more affluent ones to sponsor medical scholarships. SENT: 900 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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MORE ON RACIAL INJUSTICE
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-FRANCE — Assa Traoré started by fighting for justice for her brother Adama, who died in police custody on his 24th birthday four years ago. But now she’s fighting for much more. She’s at the forefront of a new movement for Black rights in France. SENT: 890 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-PORTLAND — Federal agents in green camouflage uniforms have been taking into custody people in the streets of Portland, not close to federal property that they were sent to protect. The ACLU of Oregon says this “should concern everyone in the United States.” SENT: 700 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-INDIANA ATTACK — State investigators have released an incident report identifying six potential crimes in the reported assault on a Black man at a southern Indiana lake. SENT: 760 words, photos.
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REL--ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-FAITH —President Donald Trump’s appeal to religious conservatives is a cornerstone of his political identity. But Joe Biden is a different kind of foe than Trump has faced before: one for whom faith is a central part of his persona — often literally wearing it on his sleeve. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VP SEARCH — Joe Biden is closing in on the final weeks of his search for a running mate, which could be the most important decision of his four-decade political career. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW YORK —Former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman has toppled 16-term U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel in New York’s Democratic primary in another upset victory for the party’s insurgent wing. Many votes cast by mail in the race have yet to be counted, but an AP analysis of absentee ballots returned so far indicated that Bowman’s lead from votes cast in person is too large for Engel to overcome. SENT: 500 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-AMASH — Congressman Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who backed the impeachment of President Donald Trump, is officially not running for reelection. SENT: 130 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
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ISRAEL-A DIFFERENT PEACE — An influential American commentator has sent shock waves through the Jewish establishment and Washington policy-making circles by breaking a long-standing taboo: He has endorsed the idea of a democratic entity of Jews and Palestinians living with equal rights between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, arguing that a two-state solution — Israel and Palestine — is no longer possible. SENT: 1,170, words, photo
EUROPE-SUMMIT — European Union leaders acknowledge they are about as far apart from reaching a deal on an unprecedented $2.1 trillion EU budget and virus recovery fund as the seating distance imposed upon them for health reasons at their summit center. The challenges facing the 27 EU leaders — some of whom arrived masked, some unmasked — are formidable. SENT: 840 words, photos. With EUROPE-SUMMIT-MASKS AND ELBOWS — With all kinds of masks, social distancing rules, and new ways of greetings, some EU leaders reveled in the novelty of it all as they met in person for the first time since February (sent).
AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN SHUFFLE -- Taliban officials say the son of the movement’s feared founder has been put in charge of its military wing and added powerful figures to its negotiating team ahead of expected talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s decades of war, The moves mark one of the most significant shake-ups in years. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VATICAN-IRELAND-BABY HOMES — The Vatican has indicated its support for a campaign to provide a proper Christian burial for hundreds of babies and toddlers by first exhuming their bodies from the grounds of a Catholic-run home for unwed mothers in Ireland. SENT: 880 words, photos.
IRAQ-WATER CRISIS --Iraq’s minister of water resources says his country will face severe water shortages if agreements are not forged with neighboring Turkey over Ankara’s irrigation and dam projects that have decreased river inflows to Iraq’s parched plains. SENT: 700 words, photos.
BRITAIN-BRITISH AIRWAYS-JUMBOS RETIRED — The “queen of the skies” will no longer don the red, white and blue of the Union Jack after British Airways retired its fleet of Boeing 747s as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 470 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTION — A meth kingpin from Iowa who was convicted of killing two young girls and three adults is scheduled to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week, following a 17-year pause in federal executions. Dustin Honken, 52, was sentenced to death for killing government informants and children in his effort to thwart his drug trafficking prosecution in 1993. SENT: 840 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates throughout the day. Execution scheduled for 4 p.m. but could be delayed by court actions.
ILLINOIS HOUSE SPEAKER — The U.S. Attorney’s office says electric utility ComEd has agreed to pay $200 million to resolve a federal criminal investigation into a long-running bribery scheme that implicates Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. SENT: 930 words, photos.
OBIT-REV. C.T. VIVIAN — The Rev. C.T. Vivian, a civil rights veteran who worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and later led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has died. Vivian died at home in Atlanta of natural causes, his friend and business partner Don Rivers confirmed to The Associated Press. Vivian was 95. SENT: 575 words, photos.
DISMEMBERED BODY --A person was taken into custody in the killing of a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur who was found dismembered inside his luxury Manhattan condo, a law enforcement official said. The person in custody had worked as Fahim Saleh’s personal assistant, the official told The Associated Press. SENT: 450 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-NAME CHANGE --Rhode Island voters will get another chance to strip the words “and Providence Plantations” from the state’s formal name. Lawmakers on Thursday approved a joint resolution to put the question on the November ballot. Although the word “plantations” in Rhode Island’s name does not specifically refer to a place where slaves labored, the bill’s sponsors say it elicits such images. SENT: 350 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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HIGH PITCH-HUMMINGBIRDS — The Ecuadorian Hillstar hummingbird is capable of singing and responding to sounds beyond the range of pitches scientists had believed birds were capable of hearing, a new study says. UPCOMING: 480 words, photos by 4 p.m.
CLIMATE-COOLANTS — A U.N.-backed report claims making air conditioners and fridges more energy efficient and using more climate-friendly refrigerants can significantly slow global warming. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Wall Street was drifting following another set of mixed reports on the economy, as the S&P 500 closes in on its third straight weekly gain. SENT: 700 words, photos, developing.
ELDORADO RESORTS-CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT — A $17.3 billion buyout creating the world’s biggest casino company has final approval from regulators. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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PEOPLE-NICK CANNON-RABBI MEETING — An influential rabbi who met Nick Cannon for more than three hours says the television producer is “genuinely concerned about the hurt” that he caused with his anti-Semitic remarks questioning the identity of Jews. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s associate dean, says that he’s confident that Cannon will use his wide platform to talk openly about mistakes and reject hate messages that will have a big “impact on young people.” UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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GLF--MEMORIAL - Tony Finau has a one-shot lead going into the second round of the Memorial, with Tiger Woods playing in the morning and five shots behind in his first PGA Tour event since February. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.
BBO--BASEBALL RDP — Despite the rampant spread of coronavirus through many of the league’s markets, baseball remains on course toward its July 23 opening. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 7 p.m.
BBO--FAN ENGAGEMENT-CUTOUTS — How to stay engaged with fans with no fans in the ballpark? Here’s one plan gaining popularity around baseball: Cutouts, with a fan’s likeness, placed in stadium seats. Of course, the fans will have to pay for it. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FBN--NFL TRAINING CAMP — NFL and its players’ union have still not agreed on testing and other safety protocols as well as economic proposals, increasing the possibility that training camp will be delayed. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 6 p.m.
CAR--NASCAR-THE BLACK EXPERIENCE — An influential American commentator has sent shock waves through the Jewish establishment and Washington policy-making circles by breaking a long-standing taboo: He has endorsed the idea of a democratic entity of Jews and Palestinians living with equal rights between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, Some Black NASCAR fans have felt uncomfortable at the track. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. An ABRIDGED version of 950 words is also available.
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HOW TO REACH US
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