AP News Digest 2 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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ELECTION 2020-AMERICA DISRUPTED-TRUMP VOTERS — President Donald Trump’s campaign has a bold theory for how he will win reelection: It can tap a universe of millions of supporters who did not vote for him in 2016 but will do so this time. This strategy will be tested in Pennsylvania. By Josh Boak. SENT: 2,020 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,080 words is available.
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ELECTION 2020 — Joe Biden said he’s “not running on the false promises of being able to end this pandemic by flipping a switch” but would prioritize science, while President Donald Trump used the race’s final days to keep up a whirlwind campaign schedule aimed at focusing on anything but the cornavirus. By Will Weissert, Aamer Madhani and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 780 words. UPCOMING: Developing from Trump afternoon rallies in Arizona, Biden midday speech in Delaware, 980 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. With: ELECTION 2020-THE LATEST, developing.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING-OUTSTANDING BALLOTS — Just days before the presidential election, millions of mail-in ballots have still not been returned in key battleground states. Many of those are due in county offices by Tuesday, but the latest Postal Service delivery data suggests it’s too late for voters to drop their ballots in the mail. That’s putting pressure on voters and the two major political parties to make sure ballots are returned on time. By Christina A. Cassidy. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4 p.m., photos. With AP data distribution, AP interactive.
ELECTION 2020-BLACK MEN — Get-out-the-vote efforts targeting Black men aren’t just about persuading them to choose former Vice President Joe Biden over incumbent Donald Trump. This year, following an unprecedented surge of protests against racial injustice and the killing of Black people by law enforcement, partisan and nonpartisan organizations have poured significant resources into increasing Black men’s participation in the election. Activists see an opportunity to keep the 14.4 million Black men of voting age politically engaged well beyond 2020. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,145 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — An alarming surge in coronavirus cases in Europe and the U.S. is wiping out months of progress against the scourge on two continents, prompting new business restrictions, raising the threat of another round of large-scale lockdowns and sending a shudder through financial markets. “We are deep in the second wave,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “I think that this year’s Christmas will be a different Christmas.” By Frank Jordans and John O'Connor. SENT: 665 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Hurricane Zeta was speeding toward storm-weary Louisiana and intensifying, with landfall expected as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday afternoon. New Orleans, where a pump system failure raised flood risks, was squarely in its way. Workers closed one of the last floodgates surrounding New Orleans as residents braced for the 27th named storm of a historically busy Atlantic hurricane season. By Kevin McGill, Stacey Plaisance and Rebecca Santana. SENT: 950 words, photos.
CONGRESS-SOCIAL MEDIA-CEOS — With the election looming, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google received a lashing from Republican senators at a hearing for alleged anti-conservative bias in their social media platforms and a warning of coming restrictions. By Marcy Gordon. SENT: 900 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 950 words by 4 p.m., photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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DENMARK HELICOPTER VISIT — What is a 104-year-old woman to do if she wants to visit family members but can’t sit in a car for a long period of time? Denmark resident Margrethe Hansen opted to take a helicopter to go see her 82-year-old son and her grandchildren. SENT: 180 words.
EARNS-TUPPERWARE — Tupperware relied on social gatherings for explosive growth in the mid 20th century. In the 21st century, it is social distancing that is fueling sales. SENT: 315 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA GOVERNOR — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn’t initially cast his ballot this week because someone changed his address online. The snafu that was quickly fixed and resulted in the arrest of the suspect on felony charges. SENT: 425 words, photo.
R-KELLY ATTACK — A convicted gang member who says he beat up jailed R&B singer R. Kelly in a Chicago cell has been sentenced to life in prison for a racketeering conviction that involved two 1999 murders. SENT: 270 words.
SCHOOL BUS CRASH-TENNESSEE — The Tennessee Highway Patrol says a school bus crashed head-on into a utility vehicle, killing a 7-year-old girl and her driver and injuring others. SENT: 220 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — Melbourne, Australia’s second largest city, emerges from nearly four months of lockdown, with restaurants, cafes and bars opening and outdoor contact sports resuming. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BELGIUM — Belgium has been hit hard again by the pandemic, and now presents some of the most worrying statistics in a continent reeling under a coronavirus resurgence. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-EU-SUMMIT — As European Union countries weigh tougher coronavirus restrictions, including possible new lockdowns, a top EU official urges the 27 member states to introduce common rules to test for the disease and track its spread to help prevent further damage to their economies. SENT: 460 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTH AFRICA-PRESIDENT QUARANTINE -- South African president Cyril Ramaphosa announces he’s gone into quarantine after coming into contact with a dinner guest who has tested positive for COVID-19. SENT: 475 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — India’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases is moving closer to 8 million, with 43,893 new cases reported in the latest 24-hour period. SENT: 270 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TIKTOK SUCCESS — What the pandemic has wrought, TikTok has gained for new content creators soaking up social media stardom at a perilous time for the world and the popular platform. Among the millions of newbies who took to the video sharing app amid the coronavirus scare are Ian Paget and Chris Olsen, gay partners in Los Angeles who have amassed a steady stream of fans. By Leanne Italie. SENT: 980 words, photos, video.
ONE GOOD THING-CAKE LADY — Cake Lady helps wounded soldiers heal, one treat at a time. SENT: 650 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA BATTLEGROUND COUNTRY — The farther north you go in Florida, the saying goes, the deeper South you’ll get. For generations, the Old South flourished in Duval County, a sprawling metropolis in the state’s northern Atlantic coast that is home to Jacksonville and was once a reliable Republican bastion. But when the Democratic gubernatorial candidate won the county two years ago, it energized Democrats aspiring to turn Jacksonville into another hub in the new, more Democratic South. The fight between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will test their progress. UPCOMING: 1090 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-MEDIA — Media planners are preaching caution as they plan election night coverage for a contest that features a surge in early voting, high anxiety levels and a president who raises the specter of a disputed election. By David Bauder. SENT: 970 words, photos.
TRUMP-IMPACT ON IMMIGRATION ASYLUM — President Trump’s vast reshaping of U.S. immigration policy may be most widely felt in his undoing of asylum. With immigration laws temporarily suspended at the border during the coronavirus pandemic, people who enter the U.S. illegally are immediately expelled without even a piece of paper, generally within two hours and with no chance to plead for protection from persecution. UPCOMING: 1,600 words, photos by 3 p.m.
A separate wire advisory has moved outlining our complete Election 2020 coverage.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
UNITED STATES-ASIA — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the Trump administration’s anti-China campaign to two Indian Ocean island nations considered particularly at risk for what American officials allege is Chinese exploitation. In one significant step, Pompeo announced that the United States would for the first time open an embassy in the Maldives. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 998 words, photos.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-CHINA — The Justice Department has charged eight people with working on behalf of the Chinese government in which officials say was an illegal operation to locate Chinese dissidents and political opponents in living in the U.S. and coerce them into returning to China. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 155 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-MINNESOTA MARIJUANA CANDIDATE — Adam Weeks was never going to win Minnesota’s 2nd District seat in Congress, but the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate has had an outsize effect on the race. Weeks’ death in September from an apparent fentanyl overdose set off a legal battle over whether the election should be delayed until February. Now, there’s a report that Weeks left a voice mail for a friend in May in which he says he was recruited to the race by Republicans solely to hurt Democratic Rep. Angie Craig. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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IRAN-NUCLEAR — Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, satellite images show, just as the U.N. nuclear agency acknowledged Tehran is building an underground advanced centrifuge assembly plant after its last one exploded in a reported sabotage attack last summer. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 840 words, photo.
BRITAIN-ISOLATED BORIS JOHNSON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’ is battling both the coronavirus pandemic and a long list of political foes. His opponents include the European Union, a resurgent political opposition, angry English mayors and a beloved soccer star who wants to feed poor children. Even previously loyal lawmakers are growing restive. SENT: 935 words, photos.
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN — Deadly fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh showed no signs of abating Wednesday despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire that took force just two days ago and has so far failed to halt the flare-up of a decades-old conflict. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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PHILADELPHIA POLICE SHOOTING — A tense Philadelphia braced for more demonstrations over the police killing of a Black man following two nights of protests that set off clashes with police and break-ins of stores on the other side of the city. The death of Walter Wallace Jr., who was fatally shot by police Monday after authorities say he ignored orders to drop a knife, came amid already heightened tensions in the battleground state just days before the election. SENT: 960 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — Calmer weather allowed firefighters to beat back twin blazes that drove nearly 100,000 Southern California residents from their homes amid fierce winds and extremely dry conditions. SENT: 530 words, photos.
LIGHTS OUT-MISSISSIPPI TOWN — The lights may go out for all 1,800 residents in Itta Bena, Mississippi. It’s a small impoverished city in the Mississippi Delta. Because of long-standing debt with its wholesale electrical provider, the city faces complete disconnection Dec. 1. As of August, Itta Bena owed more than $800,000. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks around the world are tumbling on worries the worsening pandemic will mean more restrictions on businesses and drag down the economy. SENT: 950 words, photos, developing.
ECONOMY-GDP-FADING GROWTH — Americans may feel whiplashed by a report Thursday on the economy’s growth this summer, when an explosive rebound followed an epic collapse. The government will likely estimate that the economy grew faster on an annualized basis last quarter than in any such period since record-keeping began in 1947. Just be forewarned: The sizzling pace won’t last. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 800 words, photo.
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FILM-ELECTION YEAR DOCUMENTARIES — The presidential election has brought with it a wave of documentaries, maybe more so than any election before. A rundown of the many films that are seeking to inform, sway and entertain voters ahead of Election Day. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 900 words, photos.
MUSIC-WHITNEY HOUSTON — The late Whitney Houston has earned her third diamond-certified album, becoming the first Black artist to achieve the feat. By AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 230 words, photo.
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BBO-WORLD SERIES-TURNER-CORONAVIRUS — Justin Turner being forced from World Series Game 6 after seven innings was not the positive note Major League Baseball hoped to end on, By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 7 p.m.
FBC-WISCONSIN-NEBRASKA — No. 9 Wisconsin has canceled its game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused all team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst tested positive for COVID-19. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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