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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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASKS — Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of requiring people to wear masks around other people outside their homes. The poll also shows increasing worries about infections, as well as increasing disapproval of the federal government’s response to the pandemic, as lawmakers nationwide struggle to find the right balance between preventing infections and saving local economies. By Michael Blood and Emily Swanson. SENT: 919 words, photo, graphic.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PEPCID STUDY -- The Trump administration pushed through a $21 million contract to study whether the active ingredient in Pepcid is an effective treatment for Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration gave the clinical trial speedy approval even as a top agency official worried that daily injections of high doses of famotidine for already sick patients pushed the levels of what was considered safe “to the limits,” internal government emails show. By Richard Lardner and Jason Dearen. SENT: 2,695 words, photos, 1,040-word abridged version.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The viral pandemic’s resurgence caused the weekly number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits to rise last week for the first time in nearly four months, evidence of the deepening economic pain the outbreak is causing. The increase in weekly jobless claims to 1.4 million served to underscore the outsize role the unemployment insurance system is playing among the nation’s safety net programs — just when a $600 weekly federal aid payment for the jobless is set to expire at the end of this week. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — The White House reluctantly drops its bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans labored over their $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan. Democrats said the emerging GOP proposal falls well short of what’s needed and dismissed calls to temporarily renew a $600 unemployment benefit as woefully inadequate. By Lisa Mascaro and Andrew Taylor. SENT: 860 words. UPCOMING: Developments expected, 890 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP-COGNITIVE TEST — It doesn’t have the ring of “Morning in America” and “I Like Ike.” But the phrase “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” is getting a moment in the spotlight as President Donald Trump takes a curious campaign detour into the politics of dementia three months before the election. By Jonathan Lemire and Seth Borenstein. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE POPULISM FACTOR — The countries that top the rankings of COVID-19 deaths globally are not the necessarily the poorest, the richest or even the most densely populated. But they do have one thing in common: They are led by populist, mold-breaking leaders. By John Daniszewski. SENT: 1,270 words, photos. An abridged version of 940 words has also been sent.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOCKBUSTERS IN WAIT — After several false starts, the film industry is hoping to bring new releases back into movie theaters in late August. But for blockbusters like the recently delayed “Tenet,” it may mean rethinking opening weekend and returning to a more gradual rollout through international territories and even U.S. cities. Gone for now are the days of massive global openings. It’s far from ideal but theater owners say if they don’t get new films soon, they may not make it to 2021. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING, 950 words, photos.
BBO—BASEBALL-THE SOUNDTRACK OF SUMMER — Major League Baseball is ready to start its most bizarre season ever. The virus-delayed opening day is set for Thursday night when the World Series champion Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees. No fans will be permitted at Nationals Park, part of the safety protocols put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Sound effects will be added at stadiums and on television and radio broadcasts to simulate crowd noise. By Ben Walker. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SENDING MONEY HOME — For as long as Mexicans have gone north to find work, money has gone in the opposite direction. Remittances from expatriates have been the lifeblood of many Mexican villages. But these days, fear accompanies the money that crosses the border. And it travels both ways. SENT: 2,100 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,000 words has also been sent.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIGRANT CHILDREN-HOTELS -- A court-appointed monitor for immigrant youth is calling on the U.S. government to stop detaining children as young as 1 in hotels before expelling them to their home countries. Andrea Ordin says the practice could lead to emotional and physical harm. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-BY THE NUMBERS -- When journalists are trying to explain a complicated story, they often start with raw data. How many? How much? How long? How far? One writer decided to use this same approach to document his life during the lockdown. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL PRISONS - A federal prison complex in California struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus because of staff shortages, limited use of home confinement and ineffective screening, the Justice Department watchdog said as it released the first results of remote inspections of facilities across the country. SENT: 496 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARGENTINA-HEALTH WORKERS -- Even before the new coronavirus hit, Argentina’s health care workers were struggling, most of them working more than 12 hours a day at multiple jobs to make ends meet amid the country’s overheated inflation. The pandemic has meant even tougher times on the job, providing medical care for the gravely ill and also giving what comfort they can to patients dying of COVID-19. SENT: 450 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TWO SMALL SHEIKHDOMS --The small, neighboring sheikhdoms of Bahrain and Qatar appear to have among the world’s highest per capita rates of confirmed coronavirus infections. In the two Mideast countries, COVID-19 epidemics initially swept undetected through camps housing healthy and young foreign laborers. In Qatar, a new study found that nearly 60% of those testing positive showed no symptoms at all. SENT: 1,115 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA — Global hot spot South Africa is seeing a “huge discrepancy” between confirmed COVID-19 deaths and an unusually high number of excess deaths from natural causes, while Africa’s top health official said Thursday the coronavirus is spreading there “like wildfire.” SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-PHILIPPINES BICYCLES — A year after he passed away at age 17, Benjamin Canlas is still making the world a better place — one bike at a time. SENT: 620 words, photos, videos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-COINS — The Federal Reserve has seen a significant decline of coins in circulation because businesses have either closed or are not accepting cash. SENT: 280 words, photo.
A separate wire advisory has been sent outlining the AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PEOPLE-DEMI LOVATO -- Singer-actors Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich announce their engagement on Instagram. SENT: 350 words, photos.
ODD-LOTTERY JACKPOT FRIENDS -- A Wisconsin man will share his millions in lottery winnings with a longtime friend because of a promise they made to each other nearly three decades ago. SENT: 190 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK FIGHT --A Florida man is facing felony charges for pointing a gun at another Walmart shopper who had told him to wear a mask. SENT: 400 words.
BRITAIN-JOHNNY DEPP — Amber Heard insisted that she never wanted the world to know the details of her years of alleged abuse by Johnny Depp, as she concluded her evidence in her ex-husband’s libel case against a British tabloid. SENT: 620 words, photos.
POLAND-TIGER CUB -- Sumatran tiger cub learns to hunt from mother at Poland zoo. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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OCASIO-CORTEZ-CONFRONTATION — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s outrage over a Republican lawmaker’s verbal assault broadens into an extraordinary moment on the House floor as she and other Democrats assailed a sexist culture of “accepting violence and violent language against women” whose adherents include President Trump. SENT: 500 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 790 words by 4 p.m., photos.
CHINESE SCIENTIST-US CONSULATE — The Chinese consulate in San Francisco is harboring a Chinese researcher who the FBI says lied about her military background. SENT: 400 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-OBAMA — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama step up their attacks on President Trump and defended their time in the White House in a new video showing their first in-person meeting since the coronavirus outbreak began. SENT: 760 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-PARDONS — House Democrats are trying to rein in one of President Donald Trump’s biggest powers: the power of the pardon. SENT: 600 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 700 words by 4 p.m., photos.
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MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON --— A judge ordered the release from prison of President Trump’s former personal lawyer, saying he believes the government retaliated against Michael Cohen for writing a book about Trump. SENT: 465 words, photos.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN-ASSOCIATE -- The judge presiding over the criminal sex-abuse case against financier Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend has rejected a request for her to ban public comments by the government or her accusers. SENT: 325 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-FEDERAL RESPONSE — State leaders, protesters and anti-government groups have given different reactions to the way U.S. officials have responded to chaotic protests in liberal Portland, Oregon, and a 2016 armed standoff by states’ rights supporters. The divide shows the inconsistencies in how both sides view federal intervention, often based on the politics of who’s protesting and who’s cracking down. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
RACIAL-INJUSTICE-PORTLAND — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, was tear gassed by the U.S. government as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of protest against the presence of federal agents sent by President Trump to quell unrest in the city. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, videos.
CT VIVIAN FUNERAL --The nation paid its final respects to the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a pioneer of the civil rights movement who helped end segregation across the South and left an abiding imprint on U.S. history. SENT: 325 words, photos.
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BRITAIN-AMBASSADOR — Allegations that President Donald Trump’s envoy to Britain made inappropriate remarks about women and minorities and may have violated federal ethics rules are roiling the U.S. Embassy in London. SENT: 875 words, photos.
TURKEY-GREECE — Greece warned it will do “whatever is necessary” to defend its sovereign rights in response to plans by neighboring Turkey to proceed with an oil-and-gas research mission south of Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean. SENT: 550 words, photos.
GERMANY-NAZI TRIAL — A German court convicts a 93-year-old former SS private of being an accessory to murder at the Stutthof concentration camp, where he served as a guard in the final months of World War II. SENT: 890 words, photos.
SAUDI ARABIA -- Saudi Arabia says that 84-year-old King Salman has undergone a successful surgery to remove his gallbladder. The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the surgery took place at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. The report says the king will remain in the hospital for some time after the procedure to recover and be observed by doctors. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MARS-CHINA — China launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet. Engines blazing orange, a Long March-5 carrier rocket took off under clear skies around 12:40 p.m. from Hainan Island, south of China’s mainland. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks are stalling on Wall Street, undercut by a discouraging report showing that layoffs are picking up across the country with coronavirus counts. SENT: 825 words, photos, developing.
EARNS-AIRLINES — Two major airlines reported huge second-quarter losses and warned that the recovery in air travel seen in April has stalled as coronavirus cases surge in the U.S. American posted a loss of more than $2 billion, and Southwest lost $915 million. SENT: 825 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRLINES-FACE MASKS — Southwest tightens face-mask rule, Delta steps up testing. SENT: 350 words.
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MUSIC-TAYLOR SWIFT — While in isolation, Taylor Swift has created a new album and is releasing it Friday. The pop star made the surprise announcement on Instagram. “Folklore,” her eighth record, comes less than a year after she dropped “Lover.” SENT: 250 words, photos.
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BBO--YANKEES-NATIONALS — The pandemic-delayed Major League Baseball Season gets started nearly four months after it was supposed to, with Max Scherzer and the World Series champion Washington Nationals taking on Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. By Howard Fendrich. Starts at 7:08 p.m. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
BBN-GIANTS DODGERS — Clayton Kershaw extends his franchise record with his ninth opening day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers against Johnny Cueto and the rival San Francisco Giants as the shortened baseball season finally gets underway four months late. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Begins 10 p.m.
HKN-SEATTLE KRAKEN — The NHL’s newest team finally has its name: the Seattle Kraken. The expansion franchise unveiled its nickname, ending 19 months of speculation about whether the team might lean traditional or go eccentric with the name for the league’s 32nd team. SENT: 480 words.
FBN-WASHINGTON-TEMPORARY-NAME --A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins will go by the Washington Football Team until a new name is chosen. SENT: 300 words, photos, developing.
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HOW TO REACH US
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