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: NOT-REAL-NEWS, PENTAGON-CLOUD CONTRACT, POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN, TROPICAL-WEATHER-COAST, PROFESSOR-RACE, RACIAL INJUSTICE-LAWMAKER CHARGED, AMAZON-BELLEVUE.
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TRUMP-MILITARY — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden declares President Donald Trump “unfit” for the presidency, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump — who never served in uniform — allegedly mocked American war dead. Trump says the allegations published by The Atlantic are false. By Zeke Miller and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,180 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: Developing from news conference underway.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — U.S. unemployment dropped sharply in August from 10.2% to a still-high 8.4%, with about half the 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus outbreak recovered so far, the government said in one of the last major economic reports before Election Day. Employers added 1.4 million jobs last month, down from 1.7 million in July and the fewest since hiring resumed in May. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 890 words, photos. WITH: FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street stocks ended lower again, a day after the biggest sell-off since June. SENT: 860 words, photos.
PORTLAND-SUSPECT KILLED — A man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week after a caravan of Donald Trump backers rode through downtown was killed as investigators moved in to arrest him, the U.S. Marshals Service says. Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed as a federal task force attempted to apprehend him in Lacey, Washington, and a senior Justice Department official tells the AP that he was the prime suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson. By Michael Balsamo and Ted Warren. SENT: 910 words, photos. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. WITH: PORTLAND-PROTESTS-SHOOTING-SUSPECT — Suspect in shooting no stranger to protests, violence. SENT: 800 words, photos.
POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-ONLINE EXTREMISTS -- For months, the nationwide protests against racial injustice and COVID-19 lockdown orders have attracted all kinds of extremists using online platforms to plan, coordinate and drum up support for their activities. Facebook and other tech companies have banned accounts linked to anti-government extremists. But the recent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and elsewhere show how easy it can be for them to avoid the digital roadblocks. By Michael Kunzelman. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. WITH: POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN — Jacob Blake’s father said that his “happy-go-lucky” son is optimistic for his future, although he remains paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer. SENT: 810 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-MESSAGING — On the campaign trail with President Trump, the pandemic is largely over, the economy is roaring back, and murderous mobs are infiltrating America’s suburbs. With Joe Biden, the pandemic is raging, the economy isn’t working for the working-class, and systemic racism threatens Black lives across America. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Biden confirms he’s been tested for COVID-19 and promises he will be tested regularly. SENT: 550 words, photos; ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence will both be in Wisconsin on Labor Day. SENT: 300 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BARR — As President Trump sows doubt about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, he’s found a powerful partner in that effort in Attorney General William Barr. That Barr’s ominous warnings about November are in sync with Trump’s own views, and he leads a Justice Department with potentially significant roles to play in the election. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 990 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA VACCINE — Russian scientists belatedly publish first results from early trials into the experimental Sputnik V vaccine, which received government approval last month but drew considerable criticism from experts, as the shots had only been tested on several dozen people before being more widely administered. SENT: 880 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO VACCINES — The head of the World Health Organization says the U.N. health agency will not recommend any COVID-19 vaccine before it is proved safe and effective, even as Russia and China have started using their experimental vaccines before large studies have finished and other countries have proposed streamlining authorization procedures. SENT: 390 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LABOR DAY -- Americans are heading into Labor Day weekend amid warnings from public health experts that backyard parties, crowded bars and other gatherings could cause the coronavirus to come surging back. The rise in infections, deaths and hospitalizations over the summer was blamed in part on Americans behaving heedlessly over other long holiday weekends. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ITALY-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BERLUSCONI — Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week, has an early-stage lung infection but was breathing on his own after being hospitalized in Milan and hasn’t been intubated, his personal physician said. SENT: 570 words, photo.
COLOMBIA-BICYCLES -- Cycling has long been a popular sport in Colombia, and the coronavirus pandemic is now pushing more people to commute by bike in the South American country, where only one city has a subway system and most people still go to work on buses or cars. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — The number of people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in India rose by another 80,000 and is near Brazil’s total, the second-highest in the world. SENT: 690 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAYOR’S DEATH — The death of a longtime mayor brings about a reckoning in the Alabama town where he spent his entire life. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-PREGNANCY POWERS -- It was an overpowering scent of plumeria flowers while setting out for a run that gave a Hawaii reporter the first hint she could be pregnant. Then she was able to run longer distances than normal. During previous pregnancies, she temporarily developed a superhuman sense of smell and a boost in running performance. She brushed it off as part of the constant longing for a third child. Also, with a pandemic raging, it just wasn’t a good time. But after sudden food cravings, a home test confirmed she’s pregnant. Despite the pandemic, the pregnancy brings a calming hope. SENT: 650 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has moved outlining our complete coronavirus coverage.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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NOT-REAL-NEWS — This week in Not Real News: Fake video of Joe Biden sleeping during interview, bogus claims that a virus vaccine alters DNA, and more. SENT: 2,200 words, photos.
ODD-GRAVE MISTAKE — Police in Maryland investigating reports of a casket photographed bobbing up and down in a river discovered the object was something far less macabre. SENT: 100 words.
TRAPPED BY TREE — Authorities say a man has been rescued after he was pinned under a tree for more than four days while working on his land in southern Minnesota. SENT: 290 words.
SERIAL KILLER ILLINOIS-BONES — Authorities are analyzing bones found in Illinois to determine if they are the remains of a woman whom a convicted serial killer imprisoned in Ohio claims he killed about 15 years ago. SENT: 285 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HISTORIC RESTAURANT — A restaurant built along a stagecoach route in 1784 has closed permanently — another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 195 words.
TIMES SQUARE PROTEST — The New York Police Department says it is trying to find a car that drove through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters blocking a street in Times Square. SENT: 75 words.
TROOPER FIRED-FACE MASK — A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper who was fired after a man filming a traffic stop accused him of ripping off his face mask has now been charged with assault. SENT: 200 words.
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PENTAGON-CLOUD CONTRACT — The Pentagon reaffirms tech giant Microsoft as winner of a cloud computing contract potentially worth $10 billion. SENT: 280 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-BALKANS — President Trump announces that Serbia and Kosovo have normalized economic ties as part of U.S.-brokered talks. Those discussions included Belgrade saying it was moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, and Israel and Kosovo agreeing to mutual recognition. By Deb Riechmann. SENT: 890 words, photos, video.
PENTAGON-NEWSPAPER — The Pentagon’s plan to shut down the military’s independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, hits a major roadblock, as President Trump announces he won’t allow it. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ENDANGERED SPECIES — U.S. wildlife officials are proposing to exempt some areas from habitat protections that are meant to save imperiled species. SENT: 400 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is confirming that he’s been tested at least once for the COVID-19 virus and promised he will be tested regularly during his campaign against President Donald Trump. SENT: 170 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-MAIL VOTING BEGINS — Mail voting starts in the presidential election as North Carolina begins to send out about 600,000 ballots to voters who have requested them. Those voters are overwhelmingly Democrats and independents. SENT: 990 words, photo.
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LEBANON — People throughout Lebanon observed a moment of silence marking one month since the devastating Beirut explosion, while rescuers dug through the rubble of a building destroyed in the blast, hoping to find a survivor. The split-screen images reflected the pain and anguish that persist one month after the Aug. 4 blast that killed 191 people, injured 6,000 others and traumatized Lebanon, which already was suffering under a severe economic crisis and financial collapse. SENT: 950 words, photos.
IRAN NUCLEAR — Iran continues to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium in violation of limitations set in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, but has begun providing access to sites where the country was suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency said. SENT: 500 words, photo.
RUSSIA-OPPOSITION-WITHOUT-NAVALNY — All the attempts over the years to stop the work of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have failed — so far. SENT: 1,260 words, photos. WITH: GERMANY-RUSSIA-NAVALNY — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has condemned the “appalling assassination attempt” on Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and said Moscow must answer “serious questions” from international investigators. SENT: 680 words, photos.
EL SALVADOR-GANG NEGOTIATIONS — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele is denying a report that his government has been negotiating with one of the country’s most powerful gangs to lower the murder rate and win their support in mid-term elections in exchange for prison privileges. SENT: 490 words, photos.
BRITAIN-AUSTRALIA-ABBOTT — The British government has named former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to an unpaid trade advisor position, ignoring criticism of the politician’s views on women, gay rights and the environment. SENT: 340 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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2020-CENSUS — A day after the U.S. Census Bureau said that it has already taken steps to wind down operations for the 2020 census, a coalition of cities, counties and civil rights groups is trying to stop the statistical agency in its tracks. SENT: 550 words, photos.
ROCHESTER-POLICE-DEATH-POLICE-TACTICS — Not five minutes after police slipped a “spit hood” over Daniel Prude’s head, the 41-year-old Black man went limp. A week later, he was taken off life support. Prude’s suffocation in Rochester, New York, in March draws new attention to the hoods — mesh bags that have been linked to other deaths — and the frequent reliance on police to respond to mental health emergencies. SENT: 1,020 words, photos. WITH: ROCHESTER-POLICE DEATH — A police union leader says the officers involved in the suffocation death of Daniel Prude were just following their training. SENT: 490 words, photos, video.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-PORTLAND-100 DAYS -- Portland was once hailed as one of the most livable U.S. cities. But now Oregon’s largest city is grappling with an uncertain future as it reaches a stunning benchmark of 100 consecutive nights of Black Lives Matter protests. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
TROPICAL-WEATHER-COAST — Scientists have been combing through satellite imagery and drone footage and doing site surveys of regions affected by Hurricane Laura to assess what has happened to the coast. SENT: 830 words, photos.
PROFESSOR-RACE — George Washington University is investigating the case of a history professor who allegedly admitted to fraudulently pretending to be a Black woman for her entire career. SENT: 390 words.
OFFICER SHOT-CLEVELAND — Officials say a Cleveland detective who had just joined a federal violence task force was killed in a shooting along with another person while working undercover as part of a drug operation. SENT: 400 words.
SOLDIER DEATH-TEXAS TRAINING — A Texas soldier died this week after collapsing during a training exercise at a U.S. Army base. SENT: 210 words.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-LAWMAKER-FACEBOOK — A New Hampshire lawmaker is being investigated over a Facebook post that advocated for burning and looting houses displaying Black Lives Matter signs. SENT: 310 words.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-LAWMAKER CHARGED — The police chief in Portsmouth, Virginia, is on paid leave nearly three weeks after her department charged a state senator and several others from the city’s Black community with conspiring to a damage a Confederate monument. SENT: 300 words.
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BUSINESS
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AMAZON-BELLEVUE — Amazon says it's expanding its workforce footprint in Bellevue, Washington, with new office space plans that will host a total of 25,000 employees in the next several years. SENT: 460 words.
EX-NISSAN BOSS-ESCAPE-ARRESTS — Two American men accused of smuggling Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan while he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges can be extradited, a federal judge rules. SENT: 540 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-VISUAL ARTISTS — Affected by the global pandemic, many visual artists are taking refuge in their work in search of sense and solace. Some have suffered the horror, the sickness and the loss firsthand. Others, are channeling their anguish and their fear, their feelings of loneliness. UPCOMING: 1,010 words, photos.
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RAC--KENTUCKY DERBY PREVIEW — Tiz the Law enters the Kentucky Derby as the first odds-on favorite since 1992. The out-of-sequence Triple Crown race was postponed four months because of the pandemic and will be run Saturday without its usual crowd of 150,000. SENT: 700 words, photos.
TEN--US OPEN — Two up-and-coming players, Denis Shapovalov and Taylor Fritz, meet for a spot in the U.S. Open’s fourth round. Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic also play. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Night session starts at 7 p.m.
BKN—BUCKS-HEAT — Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat try to go up 3-0 on Milwaukee in an Eastern Conference semifinal. The Bucks, with the NBA’s best record during the season, have never won a series after losing the first two games (0-18). UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts 6:30 p.m.
GLF—TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP — Dustin Johnson is the top seed and starts the Tour Championship at 10-under par and with a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm in the field of 30 players at East Lake. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 7 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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