AP News Digest 6:30 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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS, RACIAL INJUSTICE-FEDERAL REVIEW, ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, TRUMP-HOUSING, CONGRESS-DEFENSE, UNITED STATES-CHINA, UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-SPACE, BRIBERY INVESTIGATION-OHIO, ALABAMA PRISONS, CALIFORNIA COLD CASE SOLVED
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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASKS — Three out of four Americans favor requiring people to wear face coverings while outside their homes to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, including a solid majority of Republicans. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about half of Americans now say they’re extremely or very worried about themselves or family members becoming infected. By Michael Blood and Emily Swanson. SENT: 920 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: 2,690 words, photos. An 1,040-word abridged version is also available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The nation got another dose of bad economic news as the number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose last week for the first time since late March, intensifying concerns the resurgent coronavirus is stalling or even reversing the economic recovery. With the count of U.S. infections passing 4 million and the aid ending, nearly 30 million unemployed people could struggle to pay rent, utilities, or other bills and economists worry that overall consumer spending will drop, adding another economic blow. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS — Softening his earlier stance, President Donald Trump acknowledged that some schools may need to delay their reopening this fall as the coronavirus continues to surge. It marks a shift from Trump’s previous demand for a full reopening of the nation’s schools this fall. In recent weeks, Trump has said that it’s safe to open schools and that Democrats have opposed it for political reasons. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 220 words, photos. UPCOMING: 500 words by 8 p.m.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-FEDERAL REVIEW — Two government watchdogs say they have opened investigations into the conduct of federal agents responding to unrest in Portland, Oregon, following abuse of power allegations by members of Congress, local officials and the public. By Eric Tucker and Colleen Long. SENT: 420 words, photo. With RACIAL INJUSTICE-FEDERAL RESPONSE — Politics are helping drive how local leaders, demonstrators and anti-government groups have reacted to U.S. intervention in two very different Oregon standoffs. SENT: 1,200 words, photos; RACIAL-INJUSTICE-PORTLAND — Portland mayor gassed amid protest standoff with U.S. agents. SENT: 780 words, photos, videos.
ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION — President Donald Trump cancels the Republican National Convention scheduled to take place in Florida next month, citing a “flare-up” of the coronavirus. A small subset of GOP delegates will still gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, to formally renominate Trump. SENT: 300 words, photos. UPCOMING: 600 words by 7 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOCKBUSTERS IN WAIT — Hollywood has now gone more than four months without a major theatrical release. While some films have found new streaming homes, the biggest upcoming ones — “Tenet,” “Mulan,” “A Quiet Place Part II” — remain idled like jumbo jets on the tarmac. The leading chains are still shuttered. Recent coronavirus spikes have forced release dates to shuffle and chains to postpone reopening to August. Now, movie houses are saying that despite far from ideal circumstances, it’s time for new movies. Four months of near zero revenue has brought the $50 billion annual business to its knees. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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. With BBO—BASEBALL-THE SOUNDTRACK OF SUMMER — Major League Baseball is ready to start its most bizarre season ever. By Ben Walker. SENT: 980 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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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-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-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: 500 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: 480 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TWO SMALL SHEIKHDOMS — The small, neighboring sheikhdoms of Bahrain and Qatar appear to have among world’s highest per capita rates of confirmed coronavirus infections, a result of extensive testing and rapid, undetected spread through camps housing healthy and young foreign laborers, studies now show. SENT: 1,120 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 the coronavirus is spreading there “like wildfire.” SENT: 730 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-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-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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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. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
PEOPLE-DEMI LOVATO -- Singer-actors Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich announce their engagement on Instagram. SENT: 360 words, photo.
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: 410 words, photo.
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: 690 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA COLD CASE SOLVED — DNA identifies California 1968 homicide victim and suspect. SENT: 500 words.
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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 assail a sexist culture of “accepting violence and violent language against women” whose adherents include President Donald Trump. By Alan Fram. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — President Trump reluctantly drops his bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans continue to stumble in their efforts to unite around a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package that is supposed to represent an opening bid in talks with top Democrats. By Lisa Mascaro and Andrew Taylor. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-OBAMA — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama step up their attacks on President Trump and defend their time in the White House in a new video showing their first in-person meeting since the coronavirus outbreak began. By Will Weissert and Bill Barrow. SENT: 880 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-HOUSING — The Trump administration revokes an Obama-era housing regulation designed to eliminate racial disparities in the suburbs. Fair housing advocates say the move amounts to an election-year appeal to white voters. SENT: 430 words, photo.
TRUMP-PARDONS — A House committee votes to try to rein in President Trump’s clemency powers, approving legislation to discourage pardons for friends and family and prevent presidents from pardoning themselves. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 620 words, photos.
CONGRESS-DEFENSE — The Senate joins the House in defying a veto threat from President Trump to approve defense legislation that would remove the names of Confederate officers from American military bases such as Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. SENT: 740 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-CHINA — The Trump administration takes a hammer to one of the most significant Republican foreign policy achievements in the past five decades, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declaring U.S. engagement with China a dismal failure. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 780 words, photos. With CHINESE SCIENTIST-US CONSULATE — The Chinese consulate in San Francisco is harboring a Chinese researcher who lied about her military background, the Justice Department says. SENT: 590 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-SPACE — The United States and Britain accuse Russia of threatening the peaceful use of outer space by launching a projectile from a satellite. SENT: 670 words, photo.
BRIBERY INVESTIGATION-OHIO — Gov. Mike DeWine reversed course and called for a nuclear bailout energy law to be repealed and replaced in the wake of a $60 million state bribery scandal implicating one of Ohio’s most powerful politicians. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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MICHAEL COHEN-PRISON — A judge ordered the release from prison of President Trump’s former personal lawyer, saying the government retaliated against him for planning to release a book critical of Trump before November’s election. SENT: 530 words, photos.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN-ASSOCIATE -- The judge presiding over the criminal sex abuse case against Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has refused to ban prosecutors or lawyers for alleged victims from commenting publicly.. SENT: 490 words, photo.
ALABAMA PRISONS — The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it believes Alabama’s prisons for men are unconstitutional because inmates are subjected to excessive force at the hands of prison staff. In its report, the Justice Department detailed a chilling litany of incidents, including a prison guard beating a handcuffed prisoner in a medical unit while shouting, “I am the reaper of death, now say my name!” as the prisoner begged the officer to kill him. SENT: 850 words, photo.
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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: 940 words, photos.
GERMANY-NAZI TRIAL — A German court has convicted 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. He was given a two-year suspended sentence. SENT: 880 words, photos.
SAUDI ARABIA — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman underwent a successful surgery that removed his gallbladder, the kingdom said just days after being admitted to hospital over an inflammation of the organ.. SENT: 390 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 rocket took off under clear skies from Hainan Island, south of China’s mainland, as space enthusiasts gathered on a beach across the bay from the launch site. SENT: 980 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Slumping stocks across most of Wall Street sent the S&P 500 to its worst loss in nearly four weeks, undercut by a report showing layoffs are picking up across the country with coronavirus counts. SENT: 860 words, photos, developing.
EARNS-AIRLINES — Two major airlines reported huge second-quarter losses and their leaders warned that the new surge in U.S. coronavirus cases has stalled the recovery in air travel and added to their industry’s disarray. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRLINES-FACE MASKS — Delta Air Lines will provide at-home coronavirus tests for some employees, while Southwest and American will tighten their rules on face masks by ending exceptions for medical reasons. SENT: 350 words, phoot.
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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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FBN-WASHINGTON-TEMPORARY-NAME — The NFL team formerly known as the Redskins will go by the Washington Football Team for at least the 2020 season, giving the organization time to choose a new, full-time name. SENT: 450 words, photos, developing.
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: 750 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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