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-LABOR DAY — Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris met with the family of a Wisconsin man shot by police last month to kick off her visit to the critical swing state, where Vice President Mike Pence was also visiting as the presidential race enters its final phase. By Noreen Nasir, Alexandra Jaffe and Kathleen Ronayne SENT: 750 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing, 850 words by 3:30 p.m.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — At the height of the coronavirus lockdown, President Donald Trump and his top health advisers trumpeted a new test that would help Americans reclaim their lives — one that would tell them if they already had the virus and were protected from getting it again. Months later, the U.S. is awash in the tests but the bold predictions about their usefulness have yet to materialize. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom and below.
BRITAIN-ASSANGE — A British judge rejected a request by lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to delay his extradition hearing until next year to give his lawyers more time to respond to U.S. allegations that he conspired with hackers to obtain classified information. The adjournment request came on the first day of a London court hearing where Assange is fighting American prosecutors’ attempt to send him to the U.S. to stand trial on spying charges. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 540 words, photos. With BRITAIN-ASSANGE-TIMELINE (sent)
SAUDI-KHASHOGGI KILLING — A Saudi court issued final verdicts in the case of slain Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi. The case continues to cast a shadow over the international standing of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose associates have been sanctioned by the U.S. and the U.K. for their alleged involvement in the brutal killing, which took place inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. By Aya Batrawy. SENT: 900 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Evacuation orders were expanded to more mountain communities as a huge wildfire churned through California’s Sierra National Forest, one of dozens of blazes crews battled during a heat wave that shattered records across the state. Firefighters working in steep terrain through the night saved the tiny town of Shaver Lake from flames that roared down hillsides toward a marina. By Marcio Jose Sanchez and Christopher Weber. SENT: 730 words, photos.
GERMANY-RUSSIA-NAVALNY — Poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s condition has improved, allowing doctors to take him out of an induced coma, the German hospital treating him says. Navalny, a fierce, high-profile critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was flown to Germany last month after falling ill on Aug. 20 on a domestic flight in Russia. German chemical weapons experts say tests show the 44-year-old was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent, prompting the German government last week to demand that Russia investigate the case. By Frank Jordans. SENT: 760 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-PANAMA-MIGRANTS — Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of migrants are stranded around the world because of border closures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Duperat Laurette is a 45-year-old migrant from Haiti. She has been stuck in Panama for seven months by the pandemic. She and her husband are trying to get to the United States, but the time lost in Panama has exhausted their money and their patience. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FOOD BANK — As demand continues to surge at food banks, the federal government is preparing to spend another $1.5 billion on a program that has provided a key source of fresh food to charities this summer as they work to feed the hungry. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MISSISSIPPI-BLACK DOCTORS — As a Black primary care physician, Dr. Janice Bacon has created a safe space for her Black patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Bacon works at an all-African American clinic in Hinds County, Mississippi, where the population is overwhelmingly Black and where there have been the most cases of coronavirus reported in the state. Black Americans are more likely to get better medical care from Black doctors and nurses, research shows. Yet, only 5% of doctors nationwide are Black, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA - India’s increasing coronavirus caseload has made the Asian giant the pandemic’s second-worst-hit country behind the United States. The rise comes as India’s efforts to head off economic disaster gain urgency. The 90,802 new cases reported by the Health Ministry pushed India’s total past Brazil with 4.2 million cases. It happened as the Delhi Metro rapid transit resumed operations after five months. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SOUTHERN-AFRICA-HUNGER — An estimated 45 million people in southern Africa are food insecure, with the number of people without access to adequate affordable and nutritious food up 10% from last year, the World Food Program says. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with climate change and the struggling economies of several countries, are the main causes of the food insecurity, international aid organizations say. SENT: 340 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN: The U.K. on Monday recorded nearly 3,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day running and unveiled a new “islands policy” that will require anyone returning to England from seven Greek islands, including Crete. Mykonos and Santorini, to self-isolate for 14 days. SENT: 550 words, photos.
THEME-PARKS-SLOW-REOPENING — U.S. theme parks are still finding it tough to bring back guests this summer despite the wide number of safety measures they’ve put in place. Attendance has been less than expected across the industry. And now there are worries over what the virus will bring this fall. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-NIGERIA TUTOR - A teacher from a Lagos public school is helping students across the country, and internationally, learn math virtually during coronavirus restrictions that have prevented most children from returning to class in Nigeria. Basirat Olamide Ajayi, 36, says the lockdown has shown just how much technology can be used as a tool for teaching in Nigeria. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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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INDONESIA-ROHINGYA — Almost 300 Rohingya Muslims were found on a beach in Indonesia’s Aceh province after months at sea, officials said. SENT: 380 words, photos.
WEST-AFRICA-FLOODING — Senegal’s capital gets year’s worth of rain in single night. SENT: 190 words.
SOC--EGYPT-MISSING TROPHIES — Egypt investigates disappearance of Africa Cup trophy. SENT: 220 words
REL-VATICAN-BISHOP-SEX-ABUSE — A priest recently tapped by Pope Francis to be made a bishop for a Minnesota diocese has resigned after an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor surfaced. SENT: 260 words.
MIDEAST-US NAVY-MISSING SAILOR - The U.S. Navy has searched through the night into Monday morning for a sailor who went missing from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during its patrol of the northern Arabian Sea amid tensions with Iran. SENT: 250 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-$500 TIPS - Jack Little has seen a lot of friends in the restaurant industry endure tough times during the pandemic. He figures a $500 tip can give some waiters and waitresses a boost, so he is accepting money from friends for big tips through the nationwide Venmo Challenge. SENT: 690 words, photos.
CZECH-OBIT-MENZEL - Jiri Menzel, a Czech director whose 1966 movie “Closely Watched Trains” won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film has died. He was 82. Menzel’s wife announced his death late Sunday. SENT: 340 words.
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ELECTION 2020-CONGRESS — The battle for control of Congress is solidifying into a race about one man as Republicans hitch their fortunes to President Donald Trump and Democrats position themselves as a bulwark against him — and partners in a potential Biden White House. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,070 words. Photos.
CONGRESS RETURNS — At least there won’t be a government shutdown. But as lawmakers return to Washington for an abbreviated preelection session, hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill — or much else. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 700 words. Photo
OFFSHORE-DRILLING-SOUTH-CAROLINA — Offshore drilling, an issue that has created some bipartisan unity in South Carolina among opponents who argue such expansion would mar the state’s pristine coastline, is surfacing in a political action committee’s effort to oust U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. SENT: 610 words, photos.
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ROCHESTER POLICE DEATH — Naked except for “spit hoods” in a reference to the killing of Daniel Prude, several protesters sat outside Rochester’s police headquarters to push for police accountability, local news outlets reported. SENT: 360 words.
PORTLAND-PROTESTS — A fire started outside a police precinct on Portland’s north side resulted in about 15 arrests during protests Sunday night into Monday morning, police said. SENT: 350 words, photos.
RECORD-HEAT-HOMELESS — Extreme temperatures across the Southwest and a record-breaking summer in Phoenix pose additional threats during the coronavirus pandemic, especially for people living on the street. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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BELARUS-PROTESTS — A leading opposition activist in Belarus and two other members of an opposition council have gone missing, raising fears they were detained as authorities seek to squelch nearly a month of protests against the re-election of the country’s authoritarian leader. SENT: 690 words, photos.
TURKEY-ISTANBUL-NIGHTCLUB ATTACH: A Turkish court has sentenced an Islamic State group suspect to life in prison over the New Year’s Eve attack on a nightclub in Istanbul that left 39 people dead in 2017. SENT: 240 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-US MARINE-KILLING — The Philippine president pardoned a U.S. Marine in a surprise move that will free him from imprisonment in the 2014 killing of a transgender Filipino woman that sparked anger in the former American colony. SENT: 660 words, photo.
EUROPE-SERBIA-KOSOVO — The European Union warned Serbia and Kosovo on Monday that they could undermine their EU membership hopes by moving their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement about the change left officials in Belgrade and Pristina scrambling to limit the political fallout. SENT: 890 words, photos.
BREXIT — The European Union warned the British government on Monday that any attempt to renege on commitments made ahead of its departure from the bloc earlier this year could put at risk the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland. The comments show growing signs that trust between the two sides is evaporating ahead of another round of Brexit trade talks Tuesday in London. SENT: 810 words, photos.
CHINA-US JOURNALISTS - China is delaying the renewal of press cards for at least five journalists working at four U.S. media outlets, an organization of foreign correspondents says, making them vulnerable to expulsion in apparent retribution for Washington’s targeting of Chinese reporters working in the United States. SENT: 640 words, photos.
ASIA-TYPHOON — A powerful typhoon damaged buildings, flooded roads and knocked out power to thousands of homes in South Korea on Monday after battering islands in southern Japan, killing one person and injuring dozens of others, before weakening as it passed North Korea. SENT: 740 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — European stocks rallied after a mixed close in Asia, while Wall Street remained closed for Labor Day after turning in its biggest weekly decline in more than two months. SENT: 440 words, photos.
CHINA-TRADE - China’s export growth accelerated in August while imports edged lower as the world’s second-largest economy extended its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Customs data showed exports rose 9.5% over a year earlier to $235.2 billion, up from July’s 7.2% growth. SENT: 450 words, photos.
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TEN--US OPEN-SHAKE IT OFF — Handshakes have been rare at this coronavirus-compromised U.S. Open. But they still happen occasionally — such as after Novak Djokovic was disqualified in the fourth round and extended his right arm toward his opponent. Much is unique at this Grand Slam tournament, including the ban on fans. The list of what is missing includes the up-at-the-net handshakes, a bit of human contact and show of sportsmanship and mutual respect. By Howard Fendrich. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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