AP News Digest 5:35 a.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years AGO
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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IRAN-UKRAINE-PLANE CRASH — Iran has retrieved some data, including a portion of cockpit conversations, from the Ukrainian jetliner accidentally downed by the Revolutionary Guard forces in January, killing all 176 people on board, an Iranian official says. That’s according to a report on the website of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, which described the official’s remarks as part of the final report that Tehran plans to issue on the shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. By Nasser Karimi, SENT: 700 words, photos.
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SCHOOL LAPTOP SHORTAGE — Schools across the United States are facing shortages and long delays, of up to several months, in getting this year’s most crucial back-to-school supplies: the laptops and other equipment needed for online learning, an Associated Press investigation has found. The world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP and Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops, in some cases exacerbated by Trump administration sanctions on Chinese suppliers, according to interviews with over two dozen U.S. schools, districts in 15 states, suppliers, computer companies and industry analysts. By Jocelyn Gecker and Michael Liedtke. SENT: 1,690 words, photos, 880-word abridged version.
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ELECTION 2020-RNC — Republicans will aim to recast the story of Donald Trump’s presidency when they hold their national convention, featuring speakers drawn from everyday life as well as cable news and the White House while drawing a stark contrast with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-POSTAL SERVICE — With heated debate over mail delays, the House approved legislation that would reverse recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations and send $25 billion to shore up the agency ahead of the November election. Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled lawmakers to Washington over objections from Republicans dismissing the action as a stunt. President Donald Trump urged a no vote, including in a Saturday tweet, railing against mail-in ballots expected to surge in the COVID-19 crisis. He has said he wants to block extra funds to the Postal Service. By Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Daly. SENT: 900 words, photos, video.
Find more coverage of the conventions and Election 2020 on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDIA-RAPID-TESTS — India’s use of cheaper, faster but less accurate tests for the coronavirus highlights some of the inherent pitfalls of a strategy that the U.S. is now considering to scale up testing. Testing data from India suggest that some parts of the country have become over reliant on these faster tests, which can miss infections, and experts warn that safely using them requires frequent retesting. By Aniruddha Ghosal and Matthew Perrone. SENT; 890 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — An unwelcome change in the weather, with higher winds, temperatures and lightning that threatens to spark new wildfires is coming to parched Northern California, where firefighters have for nearly a week battled three huge “complexes” of fires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands to flee. By Daisy Nguyen and Adam Beam. SENT: 650 words, photos video. With CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES-DREAM HOUSE DESTROYED — California ‘dream house,’ decades in the making, is in ashes (sent).
LEBANON-COUNTDOWN-TO-DISASTER — Beirut residents were for years unaware of the massive “bomb” festering inside their seaport. They could not know about the stockpile of ammonium nitrate warehoused since 2013 along a busy motorway, in the heart of a densely populated residential area. They weren’t privy to warnings authorities had received, again and again, and ignored about the highly explosive chemical that’s used in fertilizer and sometimes to build bombs. They knew they lived in a dysfunctional country, its government rife with corruption, factionalism and negligence that caused so much pain and heartbreak. But they could not know that it would lead to the worst single-day catastrophe in Lebanon’s tragic history. By Bassem Mroue, Sarah El Deeb and Zeina Karam. SENT: 2,590 words, photos, 940-word abridged version.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDIA-3-MILLION — India’s coronavirus caseload topped 3 million, with the country leading the world in new infections as the disease marched through impoverished rural areas in the north and the wealthier but older populations of the south. Health authorities report 10,339 new cases and 912 deaths, bringing the total to 3,044,940. SENT: 140 words, photo. With AP EXPLAINS-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-INDIA — How India’s fast-growing cases topped 3 million (sent).
PORTLAND PROTESTS — Police forced protesters away from a law enforcement building in Oregon’s biggest city, as efforts to stop the demonstrators from gathering at the building seemingly fell apart. The protesters apparently had plans Saturday night to march from a park to the Penumbra Kelly public safety building, news outlets reported. But, a standoff between marchers and officers took place on a bridge along the way — and the demonstrators retreated. SENT: 430 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-SENATE-ARIZONA — Sen. Martha McSally has suggested that supporters could “fast a meal” to donate to the Arizona Republican’s campaign as she fights to fend off a tough challenge from Democrat Mark Kelly. SENT: 250 words, photo.
KANYE-WEST-LOUISIANA — Rapper Kanye West has filed paperwork to appear on the presidential ballot in Louisiana in November. SENT: 360 words, photo.
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ELECTION 2020-DNC-TRUMP — President Donald Trump spent the week of the Democratic National Convention forsaking what has historically been an incumbent’s greatest advantage: He’s in the job his challenger wants. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 830 words, photos.
PEBBLE-MINE-TRUMP-ADMINISTRATION — The Trump administration plans to block a proposed copper and gold mine near the headwaters of a major U.S. salmon fishery in Alaska, six people described as familiar with its plans told Politico. The administration’s rejection of the Pebble Mine project is expected to come after Trump faced pressure to stop it from GOP mega-donor Andy Sabin, Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris and the his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., Politico reports. SENT: 760 words, photos.
TRUMP-RECORDINGS — President Donald Trump’s older sister, a former federal judge, is heard sharply criticizing her brother in a series of recordings, at one point saying of the president, “He has no principles.” Maryanne Trump Barry was secretly recorded by her niece, Mary Trump, who recently released a book denouncing the president, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” Mary Trump says she made the recordings in 2018 and 2019. SENT: 560 words, photo.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea has added 397 new cases to its coronavirus caseload in a 10th day of triple-digit increases, as the speed of viral spread nears the levels last seen during the worst of the outbreak in spring. The resurgence, which began in the densely populated capital area before spreading to practically every major city and provincial town over the past week, is a major setback for the country that had been eager to tout its hard-won gains against the virus. SENT: 710 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SKOREA — Beaches and churches are closed and baseball games will be played in empty stadiums after South Korea added hundreds to its growing coronavirus caseload amid concerns the epidemic is getting out of control. The 397 new cases reported by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention marked the 10th day of triple-digit increases and indicated that the speed of viral spread was nearing the levels last seen during the worst of the outbreak in spring. SENT: 760 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SPAIN-POOLS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Splash! Virus spawns portable pool fad in Spain. SENT: 330 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-POLICE SHOOTING-LOUISIANA — The mother of a man fatally shot by Louisiana police said her son was intelligent, shy and had sought therapy for social anxiety. Her lawyers say they plan to sue over the death of Trayford Pellerin, who police said had a knife and was trying to enter a convenience store. SENT: 780 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Marco is swirling over the Gulf of Mexico heading for a possible hit on the Louisiana coast as a hurricane, while Tropical Storm Laura knocked utilities out as it battered Hispaniola, following a track forecast to take it to the same part of the U.S. coast, also as a hurricane. It would be the first time two hurricanes appear in the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously, according to records dating to at least 1900, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher says.. SENT: 660 words, photos. With TROPICAL WEATHER-DUAL THREAT — 2 tropical storms heading for double blow to US Gulf Coast. (sent).
CHARLOTTE DEMONSTRATION-ARRESTS — Protesters returned to the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, to demonstrate for a second night as GOP officials gathered in the city for the Republican National Convention. Police used bicycles to block protesters Saturday night from gathering close to the Charlotte Convention Center, the site of the convention. The Secret Service set up a perimeter, news outlets reported. SENT: 280 words, photos.
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NEW-ZEALAND-MOSQUE-SHOOTING-SENTENCING — More than 60 survivors and family members will confront the New Zealand mosque gunman this week when he appears in court to be sentenced for his crimes. Twenty-nine-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism in the worst atrocity in the nation’s modern history. He could become the first person in New Zealand to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. By Nick Perry. SENT: 780 words, photos.
TAIWAN-US — The U.S. envoy to Taiwan joined President Tsai Ing-wen at a military memorial service in a fresh show of warming relations that threatened to add to irritants in Washington’s relations with Beijing. SENT: 350 words, photos,
INDONESIA VOLCANO — A rumbling volcano in western Indonesia unleashed an avalanche of scorching clouds down its slopes. Authorities are closely monitoring Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, one of Indonesia’s main islands, after sensors picked up increasing activity in past weeks. SENT: 240 words, photo.
ISRAEL-PROTESTS — Thousands of Israelis protest outside the prime minister’s official residence as summer-long demonstrations against Benjamin Netanyahu maintained their momentum. SENT: 330 words, photos.
BRAZIL-PIPELINE RUPTURE — About 2,000 people in northeastern Brazil were living away from their homes after a pipe in a water diversion project ruptured, damaging a dam and flooding the project’s power plant, authorities say. SENT: 180 words.
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CAR--INDY 500-ANDRETTI — Marco Andretti has hard a rough racing career in which he’s never answered the expectations of his famous racing family. He has two victories in 15 seasons and hasn’t won a race since 2011. He will try to snap the so-called “Andretti Curse” in the Indianapolis 500. By Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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