AP News Digest 3:15 a.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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SUPREME-COURT-GINSBURG — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, dies at her home in Washington at the age of 87. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 1,520 words, photos, video. With SUPREME COURT-GINSBURG-A LIFE — Ginsburg repeatedly showed a steely resilience in the face of personal loss and health problems. SENT: 1,530 words, photos; SUPREME COURT- GINSBURG-MOURNERS — Hundreds gather outside the Supreme Court to mourn Ginsburg. SENT: 390 words, photos. SUPREME COURT-GINSBURG-QUOTES — Reaction from across the political spectrum. SENT: 600 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-VACANCY — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vows to bring to a vote whomever President Donald Trump nominates to fill the crucial Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. By Jonathan Lemire and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,340 words, photos. With SUPREME COURT-VACANCY-AP EXPLAINS — What happens next? SENT: 1,180 words, photos; SUPREME COURT-VACANCY-TRUMP’S LIST — 20 names Trump has added to his list of Supreme Court candidates. SENT: 1,930 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-SUPREME COURT — A presidential campaign that was already tugging at the nation’s most searing divides is jolted by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, potentially reshaping the election at a moment when some Americans were beginning to cast ballots. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 820 words, photos. With SUPREME COURT-TRUMP RALLY — Minutes into yet another Donald Trump campaign rally, the world got word that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. But no one told the president. SENT: 880 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-NUCLEAR STRATEGY — Democrat Joe Biden leaves little doubt that if elected he would try to scale back President Trump’s buildup in nuclear weapons spending. Although the former vice president has not fully detailed his nuclear priorities, he says he would make the U.S. less reliant on the world’s deadliest weapons. By National Security Writer Robert Burns. SENT: 990 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Efforts to fashion a temporary spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month run aground amid a fight over farm bailout funding that’s a key priority of President Trump and Capitol Hill Republicans. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — India has maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours. The Health Ministry has raised the nation’s caseload to more than 5.3 million out of the nearly 1.4 billion people. It said 1,247 more people died in the past 24 hours for a total of 85,619. The country has over a million active cases with about 80% recovery rate. SENT: 390 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CANADA-PARTY LEADER — The new leader of Canada’s main opposition party has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Conservative party announced its leader, Erin O’Toole, received a positive test and was feeling well. His family tested negative. The party elected him as its new leader last month. He will face Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the next general election. SENT: 160 words.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TESTING GUIDELINES — U.S. health officials are dropping a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and telling all those who have been in close contact with infected people to get tested. SENT: 200 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WISONSIN-RESIGNATION — Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development’s top leader has resigned after failing to find a way to address a massive backlog of unprocessed unemployment benefit claims sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 390 words.
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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TROPICAL WEATHER — A hurricane watch has been issued for coastal Texas as Tropical Storm Beta gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico. SENT: 340 words, photo.
JAPAN-ABE-WAR-SHRINE — Japan’s ex-PM Abe visits controversial Tokyo shrine. SENT: 200 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS/2020 ELECTION
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PUERTO RICO-HURRICANE MARIA — President Trump announces the release of $13 billion in assistance to repair the damage in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria three years ago, casting aside his bitter treatment of the island and its leaders as he courts voters, particularly in the crucial swing state of Florida. By Ben Fox. SENT: 740 words, photos, video.
UNITED STATES-SYRIA — The U.S. has deployed additional troops and armored vehicles into eastern Syria after a number of clashes with Russian forces, including a recent vehicle collision that injured four American service members. SENT: 520 words.
ELECTION 2020-SENATE-SOUTH CAROLINA — A poll showing a tightening contest between Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison in South Carolina is pushing a surge of donations toward the Democrat’s campaign account. By Meg Kinnard. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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WESTERN WILDFIRES — Homes were destroyed by an unrelenting wildfire that reached a Mojave Desert community and was still growing on several fronts after burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender. SENT: 670 words, photos.
TEXAS SHERIFF'S OFFICE-INVESTIGATION — Two former employees of a Texas sheriff’s office say leaders rewarded officers with gift cards when they used force on the job. SENT: 450 words.
RACIAL JUSTICE-POLICE DEATH — A grand jury in Louisiana has charged four police officers in the city of Shreveport with negligent homicide in the April death of a 44-year-old Black man. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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GUYANA-US — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the small nation of Guyana looking to shore up support for Trump administration efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and build ties with the booming oil producer. During the brief visit, Pompeo and President Irfaan Ali signed agreements to strengthen U.S. investment and cooperation on energy and infrastructure while vowing to deepen cooperation on maritime security and drug trafficking interdiction. SENT: 830 words, photos.
THAILAND-PROTESTS — Protesters gathered Saturday in Bangkok for the most ambitious rally so far in a pro-democracy campaign that has shaken up the government and Thailand’s conservative establishment. Organizers predicted as many as 50,000 will show up and march over two days in an area of the capital historically associated with political protests. An estimated 10,000 people turned out for the last major rally on Aug. 16, and this time, opposition political parties are expected to join and mobilize supporters from other provinces. SENT: 650 words, photos.
TAIWAN-LEE — China sent more warplanes toward Taiwan for the second day as the island’s leader, senior government officials and a high-level U.S. envoy paid tribute to the man who led Taiwan’s transition to democracy, former President Lee Teng-hui. Keith Krach, the U.S. undersecretary for state, kept a low profile at the service. His presence at the event and on the island has drawn a strong rebuke from China, which sent 18 warplanes across the midline of the Taiwan Strait Friday in an unusually large display of force. SENT: 690 words, photos.
CHINA-UNRELIABLE-ENTITIES — China’s Ministry of Commerce on Saturday issued regulations for its “unreliable entity” list, aimed at foreign companies it says endanger its national sovereignty, security or development interests. Companies that end up on the list could be banned from importing or exporting from China, and may be barred from investing in the country. SENT: 260 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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RARE WILDFLOWER-PLANTS DESTROYED — State and federal authorities are investigating the mysterious loss of a significant swath of an extremely rare desert wildflower that’s being considered for U.S. protection at a contentious mine site in Nevada with some of the largest untapped lithium deposits in the world. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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WECHAT-TIKTOK-BANNED -- The U.S. Commerce Department says it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S. — a move that could effectively wreck the operation of both Chinese services for U.S. users. By Tali Arbel, Matt O’Brien and Matt Ott. SENT: 940 words, photos.
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SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DANNY MASTERSON — “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, charged with raping three women, has made his first appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom, where his attorney declared his innocence and denounced the charges against him as “politicized.” SENT: 630 words, photos.
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GLF--US OPEN — Now this is the U.S. Open at Winged Foot everyone expected. Patrick Reed made enough birdies to account for the inevitable bogeys He was particularly strong making pars. He shot an even-par 70 for a one-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau. They were among only six players who remain under par in the U.S Open. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. SENT: 950 words, photos.
BKN--NUGGETS-LAKERS — Slow starters in the first two rounds, the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be in a hurry to put away the Denver Nuggets. It was a strong statement to their opponent — and maybe to the NBA’s MVP voters. Anthony Davis had 37 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James added 15 points and 12 assists hours after finishing a distant second in the MVP voting, and the Lakers rolled to a 126-114 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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