AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Eds: Adds AMERICA PROTESTS.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, 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-HOMES-FOR-DISABLED — Many homes for people with developmental disabilities were ill-equipped to protect the highly vulnerable population from the coronavirus pandemic, an AP investigation finds. And while nursing homes have come under the spotlight, little attention has gone toward thousands of other facilities for people with disabilities. By Holbrook Mohr, Mitch Weiss and Reese Dunklin. SENT: 2,530 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 870 words is available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — States are rolling back lockdowns, but the coronavirus isn’t done with the U.S. Cases are rising in nearly half the states, according to an Associated Press analysis, a worrying trend that could worsen as people return to work and venture out during the summer. In Arizona, hospitals have been told to prepare for the worst. Texas has more hospitalized COVID-19 patients than at any time before. And the governor of North Carolina said recent jumps caused him to rethink plans to reopen schools or businesses. By Mike Stobbe. SENT: 1,265 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks and bond yields are down sharply on Wall Street amid rising coronavirus cases in many U.S. states and countries. SENT: 725 words, photos, developing.
AMERICA PROTESTS-MILITARY — Army Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s top military officer, says he was wrong to accompany President Donald Trump on a walk through Lafayette Square that ended in a photo op at a church. He said his presence in uniform amid protests over racial injustice “created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” His words come amid tension between Pentagon leaders and Trump over Trump’s threat to use the military to quell unrest. By National Security Writer Robert Burns. SENT: 845 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS -- The movement to pull down Confederate monuments around the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death has extended to statues of slave traders, imperialists and explorers around the world, including Columbus, Cecil Rhodes and Belgium’s King Leopold II. By David Crary and Sarah Rankin. Developing. 800 words, with photos, by 4 p.m. Will incorporate CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS-TOPPLED.
AMERICA PROTESTS-CONGRESS — Senate Republicans are coalescing behind proposed changes in policing after the death of George Floyd, including creation of a national database of use-of-force incidents, increased use of police body cameras, changes to no-knock warrants and making lynching a federal hate crime. The emerging bill doesn’t go as far as a Democratic package unveiled this week, but shows how quickly the mass demonstrations over Floyd’s death have changed the political landscape on Capitol Hill. By Lisa Mascaro. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos. WITH: AMERICA PROTESTS-CONGRESS-CONFEDERATE SYMBOLS — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it’s time to remove symbols honoring Confederate figures from the U.S. Capitol building and military bases. SENT: 573 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-BLM MAINSTREAMED -- For much of its seven-year existence, the Black Lives Matter movement has been seen by many Americans as a divisive, even radical force. But suddenly it’s gone mainstream. In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney joined a Black Lives Matter march. Some NASCAR drivers have embraced the phrase. So have NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Many black activists welcome the developments but worry that businesses and politicians will hijack the slogan without any real commitment to doing the hard work needed to fight racism. By David Crary and Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,015 words, photos.
Full coverage of America Protests in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING — Political leaders, experts and elections officials are pointing to the chaos that plagued Georgia’s primary elections this week as a dire warning about the strength of the broader U.S. election system. By Steve Peoples and Christina A. Cassidy. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6 p.m., photos.
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TRUMP — President Trump prepares to discuss race relations and policing with a friendly audience in Dallas as his administration tries to piece together its own policy proposals in response to the national outcry following the death of George Floyd. UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m., developing from events starting at 4 p.m., photos, video.
AMERICA PROTESTS-LAFAYETTE PARK — The Trump administration’s use of smoke bombs and pepper balls to rout civil rights demonstrators from Lafayette Park near the White House has emboldened protesters and added a new chapter to the site’s storied history as soapbox for social and political unrest. SENT: 998 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-SEATTLE ZONE — Following days of violent confrontations with protesters, police in Seattle have largely withdrawn from an area of the Capitol Hill neighborhood that has been transformed into a festival-like scene featuring murals, street merchants and a rotating group of public speakers. SENT: 380 words, photos.
POLICE-EXCESSIVE FORCE SUIT — A federal appeals court has vacated part of a finding that cleared five West Virginia police officers on qualified immunity grounds in an excessive force lawsuit. SENT: 470 words.
AMERICA-PROTESTS-BLACK-EMPLOYEES — After hitting the streets to protest racial injustices, Sharon Chuter was disillusioned by the number of corporate brands posting “glossy” messages spouting support for black lives. The 33-year-old founder of Uoma Beauty launched the #pulluporshutup campaign on Instagram to push brands to reveal the racial makeup of their corporate workforce and executives. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-AFRICA’S POLICE — Collins Khosa was killed by law enforcement officers in a poor township in Johannesburg over a cup of beer left in his yard. The 40-year-old black man was choked, slammed against a wall, beaten, kicked and hit with the butt of a rifle by the soldiers as police watched, his family says. Two months later, South Africans staged a march against police brutality. But it was mostly about the killing of George Floyd in the United States, with the case of Khosa, who died on April 10, raised only briefly. SENT: 880 words, photos
A separate wire advisory has been sent detailing the AP's complete coverage of the protests.
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RELIGION-CATHOLIC SCHOOL CLOSURES — Catholic schools have faced tough times for years, but the pace of closures is accelerating dramatically amid economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, sparking heartbreak and anger in scores of affected communities. SENT: 965 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEAT PROCESSING — Meatpacking plants have instituted new safety measures and managed to restore production to about 85% of the capacity they had before repeated coronavirus outbreaks this spring, but that improved level still could mean a backlog of hogs and cattle, creating headaches for producers and potentially higher prices at grocery stores. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 4 p.m.
PUERTO RICO-MISSING MEALS — A judge has given Puerto Rico’s education secretary 24 hours to open all school cafeterias in the U.S. territory or face arrest as impoverished students struggle to obtain free meals amid the pandemic. SENT: 410 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — In a city famous for its lack of patience, some businesses have jumped ahead on what’s supposed to be a slow emergence from coronavirus lockdown. SENT: 615 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-FINALLY CAMPING -- For someone who grew up on the sandy beaches and the urban jungle that is coastal South Florida, camping – real camping, as this writer imagined it – was the stuff you’d see in the movies: the ones where friends gathered around a fire somewhere in the woods, ate marshmallows and told ghost stories or listened for bears. The adult, pandemic version of this childhood dream finally came true, even if nothing about it was how he imagined it. SENT: 645 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-MEXICO DOCTOR --The health effects of COVID-19 often persist long after discharge from a hospital. So when Juan Antonio Salas finishes his shifts at two coronavirus wards in Mexico City, he follows up with those who made it. SENT: 625 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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AMERICA PROTESTS-MUSIC-LADY A -- Grammy-winning country group Lady Antebellum is changing its name to Lady A, with members saying they are regretful and embarrassed for not taking into consideration the word’s associations with slavery. SENT: 225 words, photos.
BRITAIN-QUEEN-VIDEO CALL -- Queen Elizabeth II has taken part in her first public video conference call to chat to four carers about the challenges they face looking after people close to them during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 375 words, photos.
COMMISSIONER-MIDDLE FINGER ZOOM — A Florida town commissioner displayed two middle fingers during an online meeting after the mayor muted her during a contentious discussion about a proposed anti-discrimination resolution. SENT: 200 words.
PAKISTAN PLANE SCARE — Airport officials and a witness say panic gripped passengers when a Pakistan International Airlines plane made unusual noises while returning to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia. SENT: 325 words.
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AMERICA PROTESTS-TRUMP JUNETEENTH — President Trump’s plan to resume campaign rallies with a Tulsa event on Juneteenth, the day African-Americans mark the end of slavery, is a “slap in the face” and “an insult,” in the view of some African American community leaders in Oklahoma. UPCOMING: 700 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Joe Biden releases an eight-point plan to reopen the U.S. economy in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, pledging to dramatically expand testing, guarantee federal paid leave for all who get sick and create a national task force to better track the spread of the disease. SENT: 610 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing, 800 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE-CONGRESS — The Senate Judiciary Committee is swiftly moving forward with its investigation of the Justice Department’s Russia probe, voting to allow dozens of subpoenas over Democratic objections that it’s an effort to help President Donald Trump’s reelection. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, said the investigation is “not going to be stopped.” SENT: 740 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-INTERNATIONAL COURT — President Trump lobs a broadside attack against the International Criminal Court by authorizing economic sanctions and travel restrictions against court workers directly involved in investigating American troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan. SENT: 970 words, photos, video.
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CALIFORNIA-DEPUTY SHOT — California authorities are hunting for a gunman who ambushed officers outside a police station and shot a sheriff’s deputy in the head. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.
IRAN-VENEZUELA SANCTIONS -- A New York federal judge has scolded prosecutors for potentially withholding evidence against an Iranian businessman convicted of being a key nexus in growing ties between the Islamic republic and fellow U.S. adversary Venezuela. SENT: 590 words, photos.
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SYRIA — Syrian President Bashar Assad fired his prime minister, a month ahead of elections and as the economic crisis worsens and public anger rises in the territory under his control. SENT: 725 words, photos.
IRAQ-IRAN’S INFLUENCE — Iran is struggling to maintain its influence over Iraqi militias since the killing of a top Iranian general and top militia leader in a U.S. drone strike in January. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
BELGIUM-PROTESTS-REVILED KING -- When the Black Lives Matter protests reached Belgium, they targeted the bloodstained legacy of King Leopold II. He’s the monarch who held the Congo as his personal property and may have been responsible for the deaths of millions of Congolese more than a century ago. Yet across Belgium, his name is still found on streets and tunnels, and cities are dotted with his statues and busts. Now a reckoning seems to be at hand. SENT: 1,175 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-LUNG TRANSPLANT — Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus. SENT: 280 words, photos
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE STUDY — A U.S. company says it’s on track to begin a huge study next month to prove if its COVID-19 vaccine candidate really works. Moderna Inc. is developing the experimental shot with the National Institutes of Health. SENT: 350 words.
FOOD PRIZE — A soil scientist whose research led to improved food production and a better understanding of how atmospheric carbon can be held in the soil to help combat climate change was named this year’s recipient of the World Food Prize. SENT: 565 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as the economy appears to be slowly recovering with more businesses partially reopening. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 900 words, photos.
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MUSIC-SINGING NURSES — Nurses at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s palliative care unit are using music and songwriting to help them express the complexity of emotions they experience during a time of pandemic. SENT: 700 words, photos, video.
COMCAST-BYRON ALLEN — Comcast and Byron Allen have settled a long-running a long-running racial discrimination dispute and the cable giant will add three of the black media mogul’s channels to its cable packages. SENT: 260 words, photo.
ITALY-RECOVERED BANKSY — Stolen Banksy honoring Bataclan victims found in Italy. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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FBN-OFFSEASON-UPDATE KNEELING — NFL players who want to kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism have far more support than Colin Kaepernick did four years ago. Still, it won’t be a simple decision for a few reasons. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 5 p.m.
BBO-FIELD OF DREAMS GAME —Spurred by a voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come,” the Iowa farmer played by Kevin Costner dutifully carved a baseball field out of his cornfield and then watched players stride out of the stalks and onto the Field of Dreams. Major League Baseball is building another field a few hundred yards down a corn-lined path from the famous movie site in eastern Iowa but unlike the original, it’s unclear whether teams will show up for a game this time as the league struggles during a coronavirus-shortened season. UPCOMING: 900 words by 7 p.m.
BBO—BASEBALL DRAFT-DAY 2 — The Major League Baseball draft resumes with teams selecting players in rounds two through five, after the first round was held Wednesday night. Teams will likely focus on players who are potential impact pitchers and hitters but, perhaps more importantly, are likely to sign pro contracts rather than head to college or return to school. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Draft resumes at 5 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.