AP News Digest 7 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-GLOBAL — New coronavirus outbreaks, even in places as far flung as China’s western Xinjiang region, are prompting worldwide moves to guard against the pandemic, as the number of confirmed cases globally approaches 14 million. India says it had surpassed 1 million cases, third only to the United States and Brazil, with more than 25,000 deaths. That followed Brazil’s announcement the country had passed 2 million confirmed cases and 76,000 deaths — 1,000 fatalities a day, on average, since late May on a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward. By Elaine Kurtenbach and Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
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. By National Writer Matt Sedensky. SENT: 2,950 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-ANALYSIS — President Donald Trump hopes a late change in his campaign leadership team can get his reelection bid back on track, as a similar shakeup did in 2016. But 2020 is very different: Trump is no longer an outsider, and he is leading at a time of extraordinary national crises. An AP News Analysis by Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 970 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-TRUMP CAMPAIGN — Trump’s long-in-coming campaign shakeup isn’t likely to change the identity of the person truly in charge of day-to-day operations: Jared Kushner. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
FEDERAL EXECUTION — A convicted killer from Iowa whose five victims included two young girls 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. By Michael Tarm. SENT: 690 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates throughout the day. Execution scheduled for 4 p.m.
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. By Josef Federman. 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. By Raf Casert and Mike Corder. SENT: 840 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA-QUAKE — A strong earthquake shook inland Papua New Guinea and officials say they had yet to confirm reports of damage to coastal villages. SENT: 290 words.
VENEZUELA-IMPRISONED AMERICANS — Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said he met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday but was unable to win the release of several Americans jailed in the South American nation. SENT: 260 words, photo.
CHINA-FLOODS — Engorged with more heavy rains, China’s mighty Yangtze River is cresting again, bringing fears of further destruction. The seasonal floods that already have left 141 people dead or missing have grown in force since last month. SENT: 460 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 served as head of the organization co-founded by the civil rights icon, has died. SENT: 320 words.
SOUTH AFRICA-MANDELA'S LEGACY — Former South African President Nelson Mandela’s fight for freedom and human rights makes him the most influential person among Africa’s youth, according to a survey conducted across the continent. SENT: 270 words, photos.
RACIAL JUSTICE-REPORTER ARRESTED — A prosecutor who is pursuing charges against an Iowa newspaper reporter who was arrested while covering a protest in May told a judge his office shouldn’t have to give body-camera footage and other evidence to the journalist’s lawyer because his office was too busy. SENT: 400 words, photo.
BRITAIN-PIER-FIRE — Firefighters have put out an overnight blaze at one of the piers in the northwest England seaside resort of Blackpool. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service says 10 fire engines were used to bring the fire under control after they were called. SENT: 160 words, photo.
WAREHOUSE-PARTY-FIRE — Oakland will pay $32.7 million to settle lawsuits filed over a 2016 fire at an illegally converted warehouse dubbed the Ghost Ship that killed 36 people, the city announces. SENT: 490 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-ONE MILLION CASES — India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country’s feeble health care system. A surge of 34.956 new cases in the past 24 hours took the national total to 1,003,832. SENT: 840 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-PHOTO GALLERY — India fights virus as cases cross 1 million (sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korean health officials were optimistic the country’s COVID-19 outbreak is coming under control despite a spike in infections tied to international arrivals. Senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho says during a briefing that the spread of the coronavirus was clearly stabilizing in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area and other major cities, where transmissions had spiked since late May. SENT: 730 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Israel announces sweeping new restrictions in response to a new surge in coronavirus cases, including weekend closures of many businesses and limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery. SENT: 370 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced 3 billion pounds ($3.8 billion) in funding on Friday to help the country’s health service cope with a possible second wave of the coronavirus this winter. SENT: 300 words, photos,
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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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 that aims to wipe out systemic racism in policing and challenge the country’s official vision of itself as a colorblind society. SENT: 790 words, photos.
SOUTH ASIA-FLOODS — Floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 221 people across South Asia over the past month, officials say. More than 1 million people have been marooned in Nepal, Bangladesh and India and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes for higher ground. SENT: 520 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-PILOT-LICENSES — Pakistan’s government has validated most of the licenses it issued to pilots working abroad, but more than 200 others accused of obtaining tainted licenses were still being investigated, an aviation spokesman said Friday, in a move aimed at addressing the concerns of global airlines. SENT: 450 words, photo.
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MARIJUANA-CALIFORNIA ARREST — The number of felony marijuana arrests in California continued to decline in 2019 in the age of legalization, but another trend remained unchanged: those arrests fell disproportionately on Hispanics and Blacks, state data showed. 440 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SPACE TELESCOPE — The launch of NASA’s successor to the Hubble Space Telescope faces seven more months of delay, this time because of the pandemic and technical issues. Officials announced the James Webb Space Telescope — the space agency’s top science priority — is now scheduled to launch on Oct. 31, 2021. The previous target date was March 2021. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 450 words, photo.
CHINA-MARS MISSION — China has moved a rocket into position to launch a rover to Mars next week in one of three upcoming missions to the red planet, one from the U.S. and another from the United Arab Emirates. The Long March-5 carrier rocket is China’s heaviest-lift launch vehicle and has been launched experimentally three times, but never with a payload. Dubbed Tianwen-1, China’s first-ever mission to Mars aims to land a rover to gather scientific data. SENT: 510 words, photos.
JAPAN-UAE-MARS — The liftoff of a United Arab Emirates’ Mars orbiter, postponed due to bad weather at the launch site in southern Japan, is now set for Monday. The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. SENT: 290 words, photo.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Global stock markets were mixed after Wall Street slipped on uncertainty about the U.S. economic outlook. Frankfurt, Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced while London and Tokyo declined on a day with no major market-moving news. By Business Writer Joe McDonald, SENT: 390 words,
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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. They’re worried about hearing racial slurs or feeling unwelcome from a predominantly white fan base. The catalyst for change has come. Bubba Wallace prodded NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag. There is hope the ban opens the doors to more fans. By Dan Gelston. SENT: 1,390 words, photos. An ABRIDGED version is also available.
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HOW TO REACH US
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