AP News Digest 2 p.m.

| September 18, 2020 11:27 AM

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.

——————————

ONLY ON AP

——————————-

IMMIGRATION DETENTION-GEORGIA -- An Associated Press review of medical records for four detained immigrant women and interviews with lawyers have revealed growing allegations that a gynecologist performed surgeries and other procedures that the women never sought or didn’t fully understand. Dr. Mahendra Amin was linked this week to allegations of unwanted hysterectomies done on immigrant women at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Although some procedures could be justified based on problems noted in the medical records, lawyers and medical experts say the women’s lack of consent or knowledge raises severe legal and ethical issues. By Nooman Merchant. SENT: 1,475 words, photos.

POLL-VOTE BY MAIL — A majority of President Donald Trump’s supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Biden’s backers plan to vote by mail. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that finds 54 percent of voters say they will vote before polls open on Election Day. By Nicholas Riccardi and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1,000 words, photo, graphic.

--------------———

TOP STORIES

-------------------

ELECTION 2020-MINNESOTA — Minnesota has backed Democratic presidential candidates for nearly half a century and rarely receives much attention during the final stages of the race. But the state will feel like a genuine battleground on Friday when President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, campaign there to mark the beginning of early voting. By Will Weissert and Kathleen Hennessey. SENT: 800 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: Developing from Biden afternoon event/Trump 7 p.m. remarks. WITH: ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-BLACK VOTERS — Joe Biden’s campaign unveils a series of nationwide digital events Friday targeting Black voters in swing states. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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

WESTERN WILDFIRES-FIREFIGHTERS — Firefighters trying to contain the massive wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington state say they are constantly on the verge of exhaustion. They work 50 hours at a stretch and sleep on gymnasium floors. And they sometimes have to run for their lives from advancing flames. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 940 words, photos. WITH: WESTERN WILDFIRES — A firefighter has died battling a wildfire in California that officials say was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby’s gender. SENT: 360 words, photos.

MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Companies are struggling to recruit diverse volunteers in final U.S. tests of possible COVID-19 vaccines. Minority enrollment in studies of two shots has inched up in recent weeks, but even more is needed this fall as additional vaccine testing gets underway over the next two months. By Lauran Neergaard and Frederica Narancio. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. With MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENT — A drug company says that a medicine it sells to tamp down inflammation has helped prevent the need for breathing machines in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the first large study that primarily enrolled Hispanics and Blacks. SENT: 375 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — House Democrats are crafting a government-wide temporary spending bill that’s needed to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month -- and one that would allow lawmakers to leave Washington to campaign. It comes as some Democrats are increasingly upset that an impasse over virus relief is reflecting poorly on the party, and as President Donald Trump agitates for a deal that’s more generous than other Republicans like. By Andrew Taylor. UPCOMING: 850 words by 5 p.m., photo.

TROPICAL WEATHER — A second death from Hurricane Sally was reported in Alabama on a day that also saw the National Hurricane Center have to resort to using the Greek alphabet for storm names in a record-setting season. Baldwin County coroner Dr. Brian Pierce said the death in the Foley area and was of someone who was involved in storm cleanup. He gave no other details on the death. SENT: 365 words, photo.

WECHAT-TIKTOK-BANNED -- The U.S. Commerce Department said it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will saddle the apps with technical restrictions that could seriously limit their functionality in the U.S. The order, which cited national security and data privacy concerns, follows weeks of dealmaking over the video-sharing service TikTok. By Tali Arbel, Matt O'Brien and Matt Ott. SENT: 700 words, photos.

------------------------------------------------