AP News Digest 6:25 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 SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-FACT CHECK, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MELANIA TRUMP, DEADLY SHOOTING-NEW YORK, 2020-CENSUS, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WISCONSIN, DENVER-PROTEST-SHOOTING, REL-VATICAN-SCANDAL, ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN, SCI-HOT-SEPTEMBER, RACIAL INJUSTICE-ST. LOUIS COUPLE, OBIT-BERNARD COHEN,BRITAIN-OBIT-KRETZMER, FBC-T25-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ALABAMA
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ONLY ON AP
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LOOKING-FOR-AMERICA-SUNDOWN-TOWNS — In an America struggling over questions of race, police brutality and justice, The Associated Press made its second stop in an Illinois town to look at an open secret of segregation that spilled across much of the nation. Tim Sullivan and Noreen Nasir. SENT: 2,360 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,070 words is available.
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SUPREME COURT-BARRETT — Amy Coney Barrett says repeatedly at her confirmation hearings that she’ll be her own judge if she’s confirmed to the Supreme Court. But she is careful not to take on the president who nominated her. By Mark Sherman, Lisa Mascaro and Laurie Kellman. SENT: 980 words, photos, video, audio. With SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-TAKEAWAYS — Health care, presidential power and malfunctioning audio. SENT: 1,180 words, photos; SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-FACT CHECK — Sen. Ted Cruz delivers a wildly inaccurate statement about how much health insurance premiums have risen since the inception of the Affordable Care Act. SENT: 440 words, photos; SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-TERMS TO KNOW; SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-THE LATEST (sent)
ELECTION 2020 — President Donald Trump tries to shore up support from constituencies that not so long ago he thought he had in the bag: Big business and voters in the red state of Iowa. Joe Biden has no public events, an unusual move just 20 days before the election. By Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani and Bill Barrow. SENT: 920 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words after 7 p.m. Trump rally.
ELECTION 2020-DUELING TOWN HALLS — NBC News agrees to put President Trump before voters in a town hall event Thursday, counterprogramming ABC’s town hall with Joe Biden on a night the two candidates were supposed to meet for their second debate. By David Bauder. SENT: 560 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-RACE-ON-THE-BALLOT — The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t named in any of the 120 statewide ballot measures up for a vote on Nov. 3. But this year’s nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice are major factors in the campaigns in several states for measures with distinctive racial themes. By National Writer David Crary. SENT: 990 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
2020-CENSUS — The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump administration to end the 2020 census this week put the brakes on a whiplashed census that had faced starts and stops from the pandemic, natural disasters and court rulings. The census also had faced confusion over when it was going to end and whether minorities and people in hard-to-count communities would be tallied accurately. SENT: 750 words, photos.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK VACCINES — Facing public skepticism about rushed COVID-19 vaccines, U.S. health officials are planning extra scrutiny of the first people vaccinated when shots become available — an added safety layer experts call vital. A new poll suggests those vaccine fears are growing. With this week’s pause of a second major vaccine study because of an unexplained illness — and repeated tweets from President Trump that raise the specter of politics overriding science — a quarter of Americans say they won’t get vaccinated. That’s a slight increase from 1 in 5 in May. By Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,015 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Coronavirus infections are surging anew in the northern Italian region where the pandemic first took hold in Europe, putting pressure again on hospitals and health care workers. At Milan’s San Paolo hospital, a ward dedicated to coronavirus patients and outfitted with breathing machines reopened this weekend, a sign that the city and the surrounding area is entering a new emergency phase of the pandemic. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WISCONSIN — A Wisconsin judge temporarily blocked an order from Gov. Tony Evers’ administration limiting the number of people who can gather in bars, restaurants and other indoor places, a move that comes as the state breaks records for new coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new strategy for combating COVID-19 seemed to unravel as regional leaders chose their own paths and the mayors of the cities facing the toughest restrictions accused Johnson of using the crisis to divide them for political advantage. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-INDIAN DOCTOR — An Indian doctor killed by the coronavirus embodied his family’s dreams. SENT: 850 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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FBC-T25-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ALABAMA — Alabama football coach Nick Saban says he has tested positive for COVID-19, but has no symptoms. SENT: 120 words, photos.
SCI-HOT-SEPTEMBER — Earth sweltered to a record hot September last month, with U.S. climate officials saying there’s nearly a two-to-one chance that 2020 will end up as the globe’s hottest year on record. SENT: 400 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-ST. LOUIS COUPLE — St. Louis couple who waved guns at protesters plead not guilty. SENT: 620 words, photos.`
BRITAIN-OBIT-KRETZMER — Herbert Kretzmer, lyricist of Les Miserables, dead at 95. SENT: 600 words, photo.
OBIT-BERNARD COHEN — Bernard S. Cohen, who won a landmark case that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of laws forbidding interracial marriage and later went on to a successful political career as a state legislator, has died. SENT: 760 words, photo.
BAR EXAM-MISTAKE — The dean of South Carolina’s largest law school is apologizing for forwarding an email that contained the names of students who failed the exam to become a lawyer and the confidential bar exam grades of every student. SENT: 200 words.
BROADWAY STREAMING PLAYS — Broadway theaters may be dark, but there will be plenty of new online productions of some of classic plays this fall with some starry self-isolating actors, including Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Patti LuPone, Laura Linney and David Alan Grier. SENT: 240 words, photos.
WALMART-BLACK FRIDAY — Walmart is spreading out its traditional one-day Black Friday deals over three weekends in November in an effort to reduce crowds. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MELANIA TRUMP — First lady Melania Trump says her 14-year-old son, Barron, tested positive for the coronavirus but has since tested negative. SENT: 300 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-AP EXPLAINS — A simmering storyline involving Joe Biden and Ukraine resurrects itself in the pages of the New York Post. What is known and not known about the bizarre saga. By Eric Tucker and Stephen Braun. UPCOMING: 850 words by 7 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-KENTUCKY SENATE — Amy McGrath was in elementary school when Mitch McConnell was first elected to the Senate. Now, 36 years later, the Democrat who reached her dreams of becoming a military aviator has set her sights on a mission no one else has achieved — ending the Republican leader’s career. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BLACK VOTERS-EARLY VOTING -- They came by the thousands to vote early, descendants of slaves, children of the civil rights era and other Georgians standing in line for hours when all could have been somewhere else. Yet in a year when issues including prejudice, racial justice and voter suppression are at the forefront, the Black voters saw giving up time to cast a ballot for the next U.S. president as worth the trade - even early in the voting process and during a pandemic that made merely going to a polling place a risky act. SENT: 970 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-MONTANA SENATE CASH DELUGE — Political groups fighting for control of the U.S. Senate have poured more than $118 million into the contest between Montana’s Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and Republican incumbent Steve Daines. It’s a record shattering figure for the sparsely-populated state and dwarfs spending on a per-voter basis in all other Senate battleground states. SENT: 930 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-AMERICANS RELEASED — An American humanitarian worker and U.S. businessman held captive by Iranian-backed militants have been released in Yemen as part of a trade that sent about 250 Houthi rebels back to the embattled Mideast nation. SENT: 460 words, photo.
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ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated as both sides exchanged accusations and claims of new attacks over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, where heavy fighting continues for a third week despite a Russia-brokered cease-fire deal. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
REL-VATICAN-SCANDAL — The Vatican’s latest corruption scandal already had all the elements of a spy thriller: One cardinal who was fired during a “surreal” nighttime audience with the pope. Another cardinal, the nemesis of the first, who returned triumphantly to Rome after being acquitted of sexual abuse in Australia. And a fabulous luxury apartment building in London where the Holy See sank tens of millions of euros in donations from the faithful. SENT: 770 words, photo. With VATICAN-SEX ABUSE — For the first time, a clergy sex abuse trial opened in the Vatican’s criminal tribunal, with one priest accused of molesting an altar boy in the Vatican’s youth seminary and another priest accused of covering it up. SENT: 815 words, photos.
BRAZIL-CAT ISLAND — All the locals knew the island just west of Rio de Janeiro was teeming with cats. They left food and even brought tourists. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and human support dried up, resulting in a gruesome scene witnessed by fishermen: a group of cats devouring others’ corpses. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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DEADLY SHOOTING-NEW YORK — It’s the big question looming over one of this year’s bloodiest mass shootings: Who opened fire at a crowded house party in Rochester, New York, on the last weekend of summer, killing two teenagers and wounding 14 other people? Nearly a month after gunshots rang out just after midnight on Sept. 19, there have been no arrests, no rewards offered and little word from authorities on where the investigation stands. SENT: 780 words, photos.
DENVER-PROTEST-SHOOTING — Video from a Denver television station shows that a pro-police demonstrator who was fatally shot by a security guard hired by the station was apparently angry that he was being filmed as he argued with another man just seconds before the shooting. SENT: 610 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-CENTRAL PARK — Amy Cooper, the white woman charged with filing a false police report for calling 911 during a videotaped dispute with a Black man in New York’s Central Park in May, could resolve the case by participating in a program to educate her and the community “on the harm caused by such actions,” a prosecutor said. Cooper appeared by video at an arraignment but did not enter a plea to the misdemeanor charge. SENT: 770 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Fire crews from across the state were being deployed to Northern California, where hot, windy conditions renewed fire threats in the region where massive blazes already have destroyed hundreds of homes and killed or injured dozens of people this year.. SENT: 780 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks gave up early gains and closed lower Wednesday, adding to Wall Street’s losses from a day earlier. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% after spending the morning swaying between small gains and losses. Companies that rely on consumer spending, banks and technology and communication stocks bore the brunt of the selling. SENT: 930 words, photos.
BANK EARNINGS — Unemployment remains high, many small businesses are struggling, and there are few signs that Congress and the White House can soon agree on another stimulus package to help the U.S. economy in the pandemic. But Wall Street banks are on the rebound after slumping the first six months of the year. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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TV-WEST WING SPECIAL — While “The West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin was gratified to bring an episode of the drama series to life on the stage, he’d rather discuss the bigger return he wants to see. “We’re just trying to push fans of ‘The West Wing’ to the polls,” Sorkin said. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 600 words, photos.
BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS — The 2020 Billboard Music Awards will air live on NBC and feature performances by BTS, Alicia Keys and top nominee Post Malone. Kelly Clarkson will host the show. By Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 600 words, photos. Will be updated after start of show around 8:15 p.m.
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BBN-NLCS — The Atlanta Braves send Kyle Wright, another rookie right-hander, to the mound when they try to take a 3-0 lead over the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. Julio Urias pitches for Los Angeles. By Stephen Hawkins. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts 6:05 p.m.
BBA-ALCS - Gold Glove outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and towering right-hander Tyler Glasnow look to deliver the Tampa Bay Rays their first AL pennant in 12 seasons when they face Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series. The defending AL champion Astros have been hurt by second baseman José Altuve’s errors and a lack of timely hitting. By Bernie Wilson. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts 8:40 p.m.
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