AP News Digest 6 p.m.

| October 1, 2020 3:06 PM

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.

ADDS: QANON-SOCIAL MEDIA-SHORTCOMINGS, LOUISIANA POLICE DEATH-FEDERAL PROBE, ELECTION 2020-DETROIT-ROBOCALLS , ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN-TRUMP, VIRUS OUTBREAK-CRUISES, SNOWDEN BOOK LAWSUIT, ELECTION 2020-AL SMITH DINNER, ELECTION 2020-DEBATE.

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ONLY ON AP

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LOOKING FOR AMERICA-APPALACHIA — AP reporters have hit the road wanting to look at the issues that have exploded onto the national consciousness this year. First stop: the Appalachian foothills of southeast Ohio, looking for the echoes of a President Lyndon Johnson speech and the Great Society. It’s a region that has barely felt COVID-19 and protests for racial justice. Many people here view the rest of America from a distance as a place only explained with suspicion, anger and sometimes conspiracy theories. By Tim Sullivan. SENT: 3,150 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 980 words is also available.

ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-FLIGHTS — Major donors to President Donald Trump’s campaign have found a way to gain influence beyond writing massive checks. They’re lending their private jets, too. Records show the campaign has received more than $600,000 in private flights since July 2019. By Brian Slodysko and Michael Biesecker. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

LOUISIANA POLICE DEATH-FEDERAL PROBE — In graphic, matter-of-fact chatter picked up on his body-camera mic, a Louisiana State trooper implicated in the death of a Black man can be heard talking of beating and choking him before “all of a sudden he just went limp.” SENT: 700 words.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS -- The White House is backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and is dangling the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion as last-ditch, pre-election negotiations hit a critical phase Thursday. But pessimism is again seeping into the talks and the two sides switched back to attacking each other in public. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 900 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VOTING-LEGAL CHALLENGES — President Trump’s reelection campaign and his allies in the Republican Party are peppering local elections offices with complaints and demands as voting begins. Experts say it’s about limiting voting and blowing minor issues out of proportion so Trump can sow doubt about the election. By Nicholas Riccardi, Jonathan Drew and Scott Bauer. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-CANVASSING — After months of avoiding direct contact with voters because of the pandemic, Joe Biden’s campaign has decided to launch in-person canvassing efforts across several battleground states in the coming days. By National Political Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 890 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

SUPREME COURT-VACANCY — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett signed a 2006 newspaper ad sponsored by an anti-abortion group in which she said she opposed “abortion on demand” and defended “the right to life from fertilization to the end of natural life.” By Mark Sherman. SENT: 900 words, photos.

QANON-SOCIAL MEDIA-SHORTCOMINGS. Facebook and Twitter promised to stop encouraging the growth of the baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, which fashions President Donald Trump as a secret warrior against a supposed child-trafficking ring run by celebrities and government officials, after it reached an audience of millions on their platforms this year. But the social media companies haven’t succeeded at even that limited goal, a review by The Associated Press found. By Amanda Seitz and Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-THE CHURCH — The First Unitarian Church of Louisville has for months played a background role in the protest movement in a downtown square a mile away — dropping off ice, bandaging wounds. Congregants had humbled themselves with the hard self-reflection they believe all white Americans must undertake: They considered their church’s progressive actions throughout history, but also the times they had failed. This was an opportunity to quietly atone, to listen to Black voices, so in the background is where they wanted to remain. But then, a string of serendipitous events thrust them into the spotlight and into history. By Claire Galofaro. SENT: 1,460 words, photos. Eds: An abridged version will also be available.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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ELECTION 2020-DETROIT-ROBOCALLS — Two conservative activists, Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, have been charged with multiple felonies in Michigan for a series of false robocalls that aimed to dissuade residents in Detroit and other cities from voting by mail. SENT: 800 words.

CHRISSY TEIGEN-MISCARRIAGE —Chrissy Teigen said she and John Legend are in “deep pain” following her miscarriage, which she announced on social media. SENT: 255 words, photos.

SNOWDEN BOOK LAWSUIT — A federal judge has entered a judgement of more than $5 million against former security contractor Edward Snowden to recover money he received for writing a book and giving speeches about his disclosure of the government’s mass collection of emails, phone calls and internet activity. SENT: 300 words.

IRELAND SUBWAY-BREAD — Ireland’s Supreme Court has ruled that bread sold by the fast food chain Subway contains so much sugar that it cannot be legally defined as bread. SENT: 180 words, photo.

POLAND GERMANY WWII WRECK — A team of Polish divers say they have found almost intact wreckage of German steamer Karlsruhe that was bombed by Soviet planes and sunk in the Baltic Sea in April 1945. SENT: 345 words.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK — An ambitious humanitarian project to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the world’s poorest people is facing potential shortages of money, cargo planes, refrigeration and vaccines themselves — and is running into skepticism even from some of those it’s intended to help most. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE-PFIZER-TRUMP — The head of Pfizer, one of the drugmakers racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, told employees he was disappointed that its work was politicized during this week’s presidential debate and tried to reassure U.S. staff that the company won’t bend to pressure to move more quickly. SENT: 550 words.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS-VIRUS-TESTS — The two largest school districts in the U.S. are rolling out ambitious and costly plans to test students and staff for the coronavirus, bidding to help keep school buildings open amid a rise in infections among the nation’s school-age children. SENT: 980 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CRUISES — Carnival Cruise Line is canceling most U.S. sailings through the end of this year. It’s the latest sign that the cruise industry’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic could still be many months away. SENT: 290 words.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SPAIN - Madrid and its suburbs are preparing to enter a soft lockdown that restricts trips in and out of the Spanish capital following a weeks-long political turf fight over Europe’s latest infection hot spot. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TURKEY — Turkey’s government is being accused of hiding the true extent of the country’s coronavirus outbreak after the health minister revealed that the daily COVID-19 figures published by his ministry reflect only patients with symptoms and not all positive cases. SENT: 390 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — India reports 86,821 new coronaviruses cases and another 1,181 fatalities, making September its worst month of the pandemic. SENT: 600 words, photos.

BBO-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONE-GOOD-THING-FOUL-BALL-GIFTS —It began when lifelong baseball fan Kimberlee MacVicar mentioned that at age 52 she had never corralled a treasured foul ball. By the next day, she had a foul hit by Oakland slugger Mark Canha, fresh from a game her Athletics won over the Angels. This sparked an idea: share foul balls and spread some joy to those who can’t go to the ballpark. SENT: 630 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-AEROSOLS — Can the coronavirus travel more than 6 feet in the air? Research indicates it can. SENT: 220 words, graphic.

Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

A separate wire advisory has moved outlining our complete coronavirus coverage.

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WASHINGTON

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CONGRESS-BIG TECH — A Senate committee authorizes subpoenas to compel testimony from the CEOs of social media giants Facebook, Google and Twitter as lawmakers open a new front in fights over hate speech, misinformation and perceived political bias on internet platforms. By Business Writer Marcy Gordon. SENT: 790 words, photos.

TRUMP'S REFUGEE QUOTA — Refugee advocates are calling on Congress to halt the Trump administration’s plans to lower the limit on the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. to a record low. SENT: 800 words, photos.

TRUMP-FAMILY PLANNING — The nation’s largest doctors’ group asks the Supreme Court to strike down a Trump administration on rule that’s had a far-reaching impact on family planning by prohibiting taxpayer-funded clinics from referring women for abortions. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 690 words, photo.

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NATIONAL

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RACIAL JUSTICE-FUNDING THE POLICE — The racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd earlier this year prompted calls to “defund the police” in cities across the country, a priority for activists that has now become a central point in the presidential contest. A review by The Associated Press finds that while local governments have trimmed police budgets over the past four months, the cuts have been mostly modest. They have been driven as much by shrinking government revenue related to the coronavirus pandemic as from the calls to rethink public safety. By Geoff Mulvihill. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

REL-CATHOLIC CHURCH-SEX ABUSE — Child-protection policies adopted by Roman Catholic leaders to curb clergy sex abuse in the United States are inconsistent and often worryingly incomplete, according to a think tank’s two-year investigation encompassing all 32 of the country’s archdioceses. SENT: 870 words. photos.

CLERGY ABUSE-LONG ISLAND BANKRUPTCY — New York’s Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because of financial pressure from lawsuits over past sexual abuse by clergy members. It is now the largest diocese in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy amid the clergy abuse scandal. SENT: 515 words, photos.

LAS VEGAS SHOOTINGS-MEMORIALS — Las Vegas is marking the third anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak told a sunrise ceremony that victims and families “will forever be in our hearts.” The names of the 58 dead are slated to be read at a nighttime memorial at the time the shooting started. SENT: 735 words, photos.

TV-LINCOLN MYSTERY — The image is haunting, depicting a gaunt-faced man with a familiar beard, staring ahead lifelessly. Some experts are convinced the man is Abraham Lincoln, captured hours after he succumbed to an assassin’s bullet. The Discovery network is trying to unravel the mystery. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.

TRAFFIC DEATHS — Traffic deaths in the U.S. fell for the third consecutive year in 2019, the government’s road safety agency reported. The downward trend is continuing into this year with people driving fewer miles due to the pandemic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. SENT: 450 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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GERMANY-RUSSIA-NAVALNY —Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his poisoning with a Soviet-era nerve agent. attack. In his first interview since he fell ill on an Aug. 20 domestic flight in Russia, Navalny told Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine that in his mind, “Putin was behind the attack. SENT: 950 words, photo.

CENTRAL AMERICA-MIGRANTS — About 2,000 Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States have entered Guatemala on foot. Immigration authorities say they crossed through the newly reopened frontier that had been shut by the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities had hoped to register them, but officials on hand were outnumbered, and the migrants hustled through without registering. The caravan’s departure was reminiscent of one that formed two years ago shortly before U.S. midterm elections. SENT: 840 words, photos.

MALAYSIA-US-PALM-OIL — Malaysian palm oil producer FGV Holdings Berhad vows to “clear its name” after the U.S. banned imports of its palm oil over allegations of forced labor and other abuses. SENT: 590 words, photos.

BREXIT — The European Union takes legal action against Britain over its plans to pass legislation that would breach parts of the legally binding divorce agreement the two sides reached late last year. SENT: 670 words, photos.

BOLIVIA-SKATEBOARDING-AYMARA-STYLE —The traditional bowler hats, blouses and long, plaited “pollera” skirts of the young women contrast with the skateboards under their feet as they swoop back and forth on the ramp in Bolivia’s largest city. The girls in the collective “ImillaSkate,” a mixture of Aymara and English, wear the Indigenous dress of their grandmothers to showcase their culture and promote the sport among women. SENT: 320 words, photos.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MED-FLU VACCINE — Health officials are urging Americans to seek a flu vaccine this month, hoping to avoid twin epidemics as COVID-19 continues to circulate. Europe is gearing up for flu vaccinations, too. Manufacturers have produced record numbers of doses, with as much as 198 million expected in the U.S. But they’re not all shipped at once, and there are sporadic reports of a drugstore or clinic temporarily out of stock. Vaccine makers say shipments still are coming. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

SCI-SPACE POTTY — NASA’s first new space potty in decades — a $23 million titanium toilet better suited for women — is getting a not-so-dry run at the International Space Station before eventually flying to the moon. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined last week to a still-high 837,000, evidence that the economy is struggling to sustain a tentative recovery that began this summer. SENT: 850 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stocks climbed on Thursday, but only after pinballing through another shaky day of trading, as Wall Street waits to see if Washington can get past its partisanship to deliver another economic rescue package. SENT: 770 words.

GLOBAL-ECONOMY-JOBS — Unemployment rose for a fifth straight month in Europe in August and is expected to grow further amid concern that extensive government support programs won’t be able keep many businesses hit by coronavirus restrictions afloat forever. SENT: 600 words, photo.

BOEING 787-PRODUCTION — Boeing says it will build all of its larger 787 jetliners in South Carolina and shut down an assembly line in the Seattle area next year. SENT: 240 words.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MUSIC-RIHANNA — It’s been four years since Rihanna released an album but the singer tells The Associated Press she is working hard on recording new music. By Entertainment Writer Leanne Italie. SENT: 365 words, photos, video.

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SPORTS

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FBN-VIRUS OUTBREAK-NFL — The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode, hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday. Their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is now postponed until later in the season because of the league’s first COVID-19 outbreak. SENT: 800 words, photos.

BKN-NBA FINALS — The Miami Heat are down one game and possibly two players. It was a disastrous start to the NBA Finals for the Eastern Conference champions, who got rolled by the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 and spent Thursday dealing with injuries to Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 4 p.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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