AP News Digest 6 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: BRITAIN-POLICE INCIDENT, CONFEDERATE STATUES-RALEIGH, VATICAN-PELL BOOK, RAC-BELMONT.
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MANHATTAN-FEDERAL PROSECUTOR — The Trump administration said it has fired the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, escalating tensions with the high-profile office that has overseen numerous investigations into President Donald Trump’s allies. Attorney General William Barr said Trump personally issued the order; the president denied he was involved. By Michael Balsamo and Larry Neumeister. SENT: 1,100 words. UPCOMING: New approach by 7 p.m.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP — President Donald Trump is looking to reverse a decline in his political fortunes by returning to the format that has so often energized himself and his base: a raucous, no-holds-barred rally before thousands of ardent supporters. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 900 words, photos. WITH: TRUMP RALLY-TULSA — Supporters of President Trump were lining up outside metal barriers surrounding the Tulsa stadium where the president will hold his first rally in months, ready to welcome him back to the campaign trail despite warnings from health officials about the coronavirus. By Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 420 words, photos, video. Developing.
TRUMP-BOLTON-BOOK A federal judge rules that former national security adviser John Bolton can move forward in publishing his tell-all book despite efforts by the Trump administration to block the release because of concerns that classified information could be exposed. It’s a victory for Bolton in a case that involved core First Amendment and national security. But the judge made clear his concerns that Bolton had “gambled with the national security of the United States” and may have left himself open to potential criminal prosecution. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 940 words, photos.
TRUMP-CULTURE WARS — President Donald Trump says he’ll win in November thanks partly to a ``silent majority” of voters worried about the cultural changes sweeping the country. It’s the same strategy Trump used in 2016, but seizing on these culture wars may prove more difficult this time. By Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 970 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-ATLANTA'S DIVIDE — The fatal shooting of a Black man by Atlanta police following angry protests over police brutality have rattled the Southern city’s image of racial harmony and Black prosperity. By Russ Bynum. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. See MORE ON AMERICA PROTESTS below.
See full coverage of Racial Injustice on AP News.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Tens of thousands of people from many states are converging on Tulsa for an indoor rally and other campaign events for President Donald Trump. That’s raising concerns that the gatherings could help fuel nascent spikes of coronavirus cases in many places. By Sean Murphy and Claudia Lauer. SENT: 650 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
BRITAIN-POLICE INCIDENT — British media say police are treating a stabbing attack in the English town of Reading as “terrorism-related.” Police say that several people have been taken to hospital after the attack in the city’s Forbury Gardens Park and one person is in custody. SENT: 270 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
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AMERICA-PROTESTS — Protesters have torn down more statues across the United States, expanding the razing in a San Francisco park to the writer of America’s national anthem and the general who won the country’s Civil War which ended widespread slavery. In Seattle, pre-dawn violence erupted in a protest zone largely abandoned by police, where one person was fatally shot and another critically injured. SENT: 1,005 words, photos, video. With AMERICA PROTESTS-THE LATEST; CONFEDERATE STATUES-RALEIGH — Crews have removed two Confederate statues outside the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh on order of the governor, the morning after protesters toppled two nearby statues. SENT: 510 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-RACIAL REFORMS — The racial reckoning sweeping the country after the killing of George Floyd in police custody has generated momentum at state capitols for widespread reforms addressing a range of inequities. Lawmakers have floated proposals to address affirmative action, racial disparities in school funding and health care, criminal justice reforms and even reparations for slavery. By Adam Beam and Farnoush Amiri. SENT: 960 words, photos. This story is the Sunday Spotlight.
UN-HUMAN RIGHTS-RACISM — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision by the U.N.’s top human rights body to commission a report on policing and race amid international protests spurred by George Floyd’s death “marks a new low.” SENT: 310 words, photos.
POLICE KILLING-ATLANTA — Investigators say they have issued an arrest warrant for a woman in the burning of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta during protests over the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks. SENT: 340 words.
AMERICA PROTESTS-BRITAIN — Anti-racism demonstrators are holding a fourth weekend of protests across the U.K., despite a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 460 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Authorities in China appeared to be winning their battle against an outbreak of coronavirus in Beijing, but in parts of the Americas the pandemic raged unabated. Brazil surpassed 1 million confirmed infections, second only to the United States. By Ken Moritsugu and Jill Lawless. SENT: 775 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TOURIST-HUNTERS — Volunteer sleuths are tracking down people who break Hawaii’s two-week quarantine order on travelers. During the coronavirus pandemic, former longtime television reporter Angela Keen is putting her people-finding skills to use by uncovering clues from social media and finding information about potential scofflaws. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VATICAN-DOCTORS — Pope Francis has welcomed doctors and nurses from the coronavirus-ravaged region of Lombardy to the Vatican to thank them for their selfless work and “heroic” sacrifice. SENT: 600 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ZIMBABWE — Zimbabwe’s health minister was charged with criminal abuse of duty as a public officer, accused of illegally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract for COVID-19 medical supplies to a shadowy company that sold the government $28 face masks and other materials at inflated prices. SENT: 340 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has reported 67 additional cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily jump in about three weeks amid an upward trend in new infections. SENT: 405 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN-US — The US State Department says COVID-19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital and the staff who are affected include diplomats, contractors and locally employed staff. SENT: 325 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHILE — The “COVID” is a coffin that eliminates precious woods, detailed carvings and glass viewing panes in favor of a plain box of cheaper wood that is fast to produce in quantity. It’s the perfect product for Chile, a country that has become a hot spot for the coronavirus despite aggressive government measures to control its spread. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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AMERICA PROTEST-SEATTLE — A pre-dawn shooting in a park in Seattle’s protest zone killed a 19-year-old man and critically injured another person, authorities said Saturday. SENT: 500 words, photos.
GEORGE FLOYD-DEATH INVESTIGATION — 2nd ex-officer charged in George Floyd’s death posts bail. SENT: 200 words.
BRITAIN-FATAL FIRE — Police say 3 children dead in apartment fire in Scotland. SENT: 120 words.
BBO-VIRUS OUTBREAK-MLB-NY — The Yankees and Mets would train in New York if Major League Baseball and its players try to start the coronavirus-delayed season. SENT: 360 words, photo.
BLACK ARTISTS FOR FREEDOM — John Legend, Gabrielle Union and Ava DuVernay are some of the many black cultural leaders who have signed a letter to fight against racism, promote equal pay and ask industries to disassociate from police. SENT: 225 worlds.
SAN FRANCISCO-MOUNTAIN-LION — A mountain lion that was captured roaming the streets of San Francisco this week may have killed three animals at the city zoo. SENT: 155 words.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-FUNDRAISING — Trump was outraised by Biden in May, taking in $74 million for his reelection, but he maintains a sizable advantage in cash on hand. SENT: 220 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-KENTUCKY SENATE-BOOKER — For months Charles Booker languished in the shadows, talking about racial and economic justice in a long shot bid to take on Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Then came a national eruption over the deaths of Black Americans by police. Now Booker’s campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination from the left wing of Kentucky politics is on the rise and gaining some mainstream support against the party-backed favorite in Tuesday’s primary. By Bruce Schreiner and Laurie Kellman. SENT: 850 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-COLORADO SENATE — In a sign of mounting concerns among the party establishment about former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s standing in the Colorado Democratic Senate primary, a new political group is spending at least $1 million on a scathing attack ad against Hickenlooper’s rival in the race. SENT: 380 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW YORK — The U.S. House district once represented by Chris Collins is on two separate ballots Tuesday: a special election to fill out the convicted former congressional member’s fourth term and a Republican primary for the November’s general election. SENT: 610 words, photos.
FACT CHECK WEEK — As President Donald Trump takes credit for various accomplishments and assails the Obama administration on multiple fronts, an AP Fact Check finds some striking errors in his remarks. He says the veterans’ suicide rate has come down on his watch, and that he’s ensured veterans can get same-day mental health counseling when essential. Both achievements were secured by the Obama administration. Trump also says “nobody” had heard of Juneteenth until he made it famous. The day symbolizing the end of slavery is commemorated by almost all states and the White House itself. By Calvin Woodward and Hope Yen. SENT: 2,000 words, photos. Find AP Fact Checks at https://apnews.com/APFactCheck
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INDIA-CHINA-HIMALAYAN STANDOFF — China said the Galwan Valley high up in the Himalayan border region where Chinese and Indian troops engaged in a deadly brawl this week falls entirely within China, boldly renewing claims on the disputed area as the Asian giants continued using military and diplomatic channels to try to reduce tensions. By Emily Schmall. SENT: 460 words, photos.
CHINA-HONG KONG-POLITICS — China plans to establish a special bureau in Hong Kong to investigate and prosecute crimes considered threatening to national security, as state media reported some details of a highly controversial national security law for the city. SENT: 670 words, photos.
CLIMATE-GRETA THUNBERG — Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg says world leaders queued up to have their picture taken with her last year even as they shied away from acknowledging the scientific facts about global warming. The 17-year-old told Swedish public radio that her trip by train, boat and electric car brought home the impact that climate change is already having, particularly on the most vulnerable. SENT: 690 words, photos.
VATICAN-PELL BOOK — The former Vatican finance minister who was convicted and then acquitted of child sexual abuse in his native Australia is set to publish his prison diary musing on life in solitary confinement, the Catholic Church and other topics. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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GEORGE FLOYD-MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE — A special session of the Minnesota Legislature has ended without agreement on changes to policing in the wake of George Floyd’s death. SENT: 740 words, photos.
NEVADA-SENATOR-STATUE — Democratic members of Nevada’s congressional delegation are renewing a proposal to remove a statute of a former Nevada Sen. Patrick McCarran from the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall, saying that he left a “legacy of racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia.” SENT: 325 words, photo.
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MUSIC-BEYONCE — Beyoncé did not let Juneteenth pass without dropping one of her signature surprises in the form a new single called “Black Parade.” The singer’s website says the song released late Friday will benefit Black-owned small businesses. It arrived on Juneteenth, an annual celebration of African Americans’ liberation from slavery. SENT: 515 words, photo.
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RAC-BELMONT — New York-bred Tiz wins 152st Belmont Stakes in Triple Crown opener. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 6:15 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WAIVERS — American universities have begun the process of playing sports through a pandemic. SMU is having its athletes put a signature on a waiver, acknowledging the risks for COVID-19. Ohio State and Missouri have pledges they are requiring athletes or their parents to sign before the players can take part in voluntary workouts. Legal experts say athletes may be signing away some of their rights. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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