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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DEVELOPING
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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DANNY MASTERSON — Prosecutors say “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been charged with the rapes of three women in the early 2000s. SENT: 280 words, photos. Developing.
ADDS: AMERICA PROTESTS-BLM FUND, TRUMP-BOLTON BOOK, KOBE-BRYANT CRASH, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARS MISSION, NETFLIX CEO-DONATIONS
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ONLY ON AP
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VOICES OF PROTEST — They are nurses and doctors, artists, students, construction workers, government employees; black, brown and white; young and old. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in big cities and tiny towns in every U.S. state to protest the killing of George Floyd. AP journalists talked to protesters across the U.S., and beyond, about why they are protesting. By Claire Galofaro. SENT: 4,700 words, photos, video. With AMERICA PROTESTS-THE LATEST.
AP POLL-RACE AND POLICING — A dramatic shift has taken place in the nation’s opinions on policing and race. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that more Americans today than five years ago believe police brutality is a very serious problem that too often goes undisciplined and unequally targets black Americans. By Kat Stafford and Noreen Nasir. SENT: 960 words, photos, graphic
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AMERICA PROTESTS — Prosecutors brought murder charges Wednesday against the white Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back, saying that the black man posed no deadly threat and that the officer kicked him and offered no medical treatment for over 2 minutes as he lay dying on the ground. By Kate Bumback. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — When the coronavirus flared up again in China this week, the country canceled flights, suspended reopenings and dubbed it “extremely grave.” With cases rising in some U.S. states, local officials are defying urgent pleas from doctors to require people to wear masks. The coronavirus is stubbornly tearing through places around the world where it was thought to have been tamed, and the spikes have been especially harsh in places throughout the U.S. that are reluctant to require masks. By Curt Anderson, Ken Moritsugu and Lisa Marie Pane. SENT: 950 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent)
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-BOLTON BOOK — A new book by former national security adviser John Bolton says President Donald Trump asked China’s president during a 2019 summit to help his reelection prospects by purchasing more American farm products. By Zeke Miller, Deb Riechmann and Jill Colvin. SENT: 800 words, photo. With UNITED STATES-CHINA-POMPEO — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with a top Chinese official in Hawaii. SENT: 500 words, photo; UNITED STATES-CHINA-UIGHURS — Trump signs legislation that seeks to punish China for its crackdown on Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. SENT: 630 words, photo.
AMERICA PROTESTS-CONGRESS — Senate Republicans unveil proposed changes to police procedures and accountability, countering Democratic policing legislation with a bill that stays clear of federal mandates. The “Justice Act” is the most ambitious GOP policing proposal in years, a direct response to the massive public protests over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 990 words, photos, video. With AMERICA PROTESTS-POLICING BILLS-WHAT’S DIFFERENT — A look at how the Democratic and Republican policing bills differ. SENT: 1,020 words, photo.
PROTECTED MONUMENTS-SOUTH CAROLINA - Despite a South Carolina law protecting monuments, officials in the historic city of Charleston announced Wednesday that they plan to remove a statue of slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from a downtown square. Mayor John Tecklenburg announced he will send a resolution to the City Council to remove the statue at a news conference on the fifth anniversary of the slaying of eight black church members and their pastor in Dylann Roof’s racist attack at a downtown Charleston church. SENT: 800 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-WASHINGTON-ANALYSIS — The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the nationwide demonstrations that followed have roused once-reluctant lawmakers and even the president, who preaches law and order, to now push for police reforms. By Colleen Long. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
For coverage of the death of Racial Injustice on AP News.
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TRUMP RALLY-RACIAL TENSION — A two-day celebration of Juneteenth is planned in a section of Tulsa that was burned to the ground by a white mob during a massacre of black residents nearly 100 years ago, and while black city leaders expect the event to be peaceful, they also fear the arrival of thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump for his first rally in months could spark violence in a city with strained race relations. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos, by 5 p.m.
AUNT JEMIMA — America’s painful struggles over racism have finally caught up with Aunt Jemima, that ubiquitous fixture served up at breakfast tables for 131 years. Aunt Jemima’s downfall is the latest signal of the powerful cultural moment unleashed by the Black Lives Matter protests, which have spread around the world and prompted companies to rethink their policies, from hiring practices to giving employees off for Juneteenth, the anniversary of the end of the slavery in the U.S. SENT: 700 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-BLM FUND — The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has established a fund worth more than $12 million to aid organizations fighting institutional racism, in the wake of the George Floyd protests. SENT: 935 words.
HUMAN RIGHTS-US-RACISM — The brother of George Floyd made a heartfelt plea to the U.N.’s top human rights body, urging it to launch intense international scrutiny of systemic racism, the killing of black people by police and violence against peaceful protesters in the United States. SENT: 910 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-ANTI-COLUMBUS ITALIANS — Generations of Italian Americans embraced Christopher Columbus with little thought to the dark side of his legacy. But as the nation grapples with racial injustice, some Italian Americans in Massachusetts are publicly casting the explorer as a symbol of white supremacy who touched off centuries of European oppression and the decimation of indigenous peoples. SENT: 700 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY — Regional officials in western Germany said Wednesday that the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to a large meatpacking plant has risen to 657, a higher figure than many recent daily increases for the entire country. SENT: 530 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY DEPLOYMENT — For Fort Bragg soldiers deploying to the Middle East, the usual predeparture fanfare has been replaced with a mandatory two-week quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 710 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ZIMBABWE-SEX WORKERS — Forced to stay home for weeks without any source of income, Zimbabwe’s sex workers, like many other informal traders, are beginning to defy the country’s lockdown and return to the streets. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-WOODEN MONEY — A small city in Washington state is taking an unusual approach to helping residents and businesses in need during the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic: It’s printing its own money. The wooden currency in Tenino is modeled on a program the city used to help its people get through the Great Depression, and it’s even printed on the same 1890s-era printing press. Residents who qualify get up to $300 per month, and businesses can redeem them for real money at City Hall. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DIARY-BEYOND-THE-MICROWAVE — When you’ve worked the night shift for 25 years, staying home because of the coronavirus can present a few unexpected challenges — like cooking. Especially when you don’t have many options as far as what to cook with, and in. For one writer, the pandemic gave him a nudge forward in his cooking — a small one. SENT: 570 words, photo.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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KOBE BRYANT- CRASH — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday. SENT: 500 words.
JUNETEENTH-HOLIDAY-NEW-YORK — New York declares Juneteenth a holiday for state employees. SENT: 130 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARS MISSION — NASA’s next Mars rover is honoring all the medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus battle around the world. SENT: 300 WORDS.
DEA MONEY LAUNDERING — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration failed to effectively oversee and manage undercover money laundering operations that move tens of millions of dollars of illegal drug proceeds each year through a network of government-approved fronts, according to a watchdog report. SENT: 970 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA-PUTIN — Kremlin installs special antiseptic tunnels to protect Putin. SENT: 310 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS-MASKS — Speaker Nancy Pelosi is requiring that House members were masks when attending committee hearings. SENT: 480 words, photo.
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SOCIAL MEDIA-LEGAL PROTECTIONS — The Justice Department proposes that Congress roll back legal protections for online platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter that generally could not be held legally responsible for what people post on the sites. By Michael Balsamo and Marcy Gordon. SENT: 570 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-SYRIA — The Trump administration ramps up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his inner circle with new economic and travel sanctions for human rights abuses. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 990 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-IOWA — In 2016, Donald Trump carried Iowa by a large margin, and its status as a swing state seemed questionable. But now, there are signs that Iowa may be competitive again as the president’s popularity has waned. By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 910 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Joe Biden unleashes a stinging critique of President Trump’s response to the coronavirus, calling on him to “wake up” to the havoc caused by the pandemic and do more to prevent further harm. By Will Weissert and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 690 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-SANDERS-TRUMP RALLY — Bernie Sanders accuses Trump of jeopardizing the health of thousands simply “to hear cheers from his supporters” at a rally in Oklahoma this weekend. SENT: 510 words, photo.
CONGRESS-PUBLIC LANDS — The Senate approves a bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. By Matthew Daly. SENT: 810 words, photos.
TRUMP-VETERANS-SUICIDE — President Trump unveils a national plan to stem a persistently high number of veteran suicides, proposing wide-ranging initiatives from firearm safety and wellness programs to added barriers near railroads and bridges. By Hope Yen. SENT: 850 words, photos, video.
DRUG PRICES-TV ADS — In a major legal setback for President Trump on a high-profile consumer issue, a federal appeals court rules that his administration lacks the legal authority to force drug companies to disclose prices in their TV ads. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 570 words, photo.
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KOREAS-TENSIONS-ANALYSIS — Only two years ago the leaders of North and South Korea shared drinks, laughs and vows for peace during three highly orchestrated summits that lowered fears of war that had risen as Pyongyang pursued an arsenal of nuclear missiles. That’s all gone, for now, and it ended this week with a bang. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 920 words, photos. With KOREAS-TENSIONS — North Korea says it’s sending soldiers to joint border sites.
INDIA-CHINA-HIMALAYAN STANDOFF — China and India accused each other Wednesday of instigating deadly border clashes between their forces along the disputed Himalayan frontier, pledging to safeguard their territory but also to try to end a standoff that has dramatically raised the stakes between the nuclear-armed Asian giants. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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MUSIC-JOHN-LEGEND-COLLABORATORS — John Legend has formed a musical version of The Avengers to help him with his new album “Bigger Love.” His all-star team of collaborators include Grammy-winning songwriters and producers, as well as lead artists in their own right, including Raphael Saadiq, Anderson.Paak, Charlie Puth, Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean, Julia Michaels, Ricky Reed, Tayla Parx, Teddy Geiger and more. By Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 1,170 words, photos, video.
NETFLIX CEO-DONATIONS — Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million toward student scholarships at historically black colleges and universities. SENT: 270 words.
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ENGLISH SOCCER RETURNS — English soccer’s longest suspension since World War II came to an end Wednesday, bringing some relief to a nation deprived of its most popular sport during one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. SENT: 930 words.
SOC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARGENTINA — Soccer in Argentina has been cancelled for more than 80 days now, with no restart in sight. That has cut off thousands of young players in the poorest neighborhoods from what many felt was their only shot at a better life. SENT: 990 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Leon Drouin-Keith 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.