AP News Digest 2:15 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 5 months 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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TROPICAL WEATHER — Laura rapidly gained strength, growing into a menacing Category 4 hurricane with the potential for a 20-foot storm surge that forecasters said would be “unsurvivable” and capable of sinking entire communities. Authorities implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to flee. By Jeff Martin, John Mone and Stacey Plaisance. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, videos. With TROPICAL WEATHER-THE LATEST (upcoming)
Find more coverage of Hurricane Laura on the Tropical Weather featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
POLICE-SHOOTING-WISCONSIN — Illinois police arrested a 17-year-old after two people were shot to death in a possible vigilante attack following a protest in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Two people were killed Tuesday night in an attack carried out by a young white man who was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. By Mike Householder and Scott Bauer. SENT: 970 words, photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-RNC — As Republicans make the case for a second term for President Donald Trump, trouble is brewing outside their convention: A potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane is bearing down on Texas and Louisiana and will likely test the administration’s emergency response capabilities. California is battling some of the largest wildfires in its history. A city in the battleground state of Wisconsin is reeling after another night of violent protests. And the coronavirus pandemic — the worst public health crisis in a century — is raging. By Steve Peoples, Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 870 words. UPCOMING: Developing from events starting at 8:30 p.m. With ELECTION 2020-RNC-THE LATEST (sent), ELECTION 2020-RNC-TAKEAWAYS, ELECTION 2020-RNC-FACT CHECK (upcoming)
Find more coverage of the conventions and Election 2020 on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TROUBLED AID-FRONTLINE WORKERS — The coronavirus is exposing an inequality in the billion-dollar system that delivers life-saving aid for countries in crisis: Most donor money goes to international aid groups instead of local ones. Now local aid workers are exposed on the pandemic’s front lines with painfully few means to help the vulnerable communities they know so well. By Cara Anna. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Winter is ending in the Southern Hemisphere and country after country — South Africa, Australia, Argentina — had a surprise: Their steps against COVID-19 also apparently blocked the flu. But there’s no guarantee the Northern Hemisphere will avoid twin epidemics as its own flu season looms while the coronavirus still rages. By Andrew Meldrum, Mogomotsi Magome and Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 970 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The only Native American on federal death row is set to die for the slayings of a 9-year-old and her grandmother nearly two decades ago, though many Navajos are hoping for last-minute intervention by President Donald Trump to halt the execution. By Michael Tarm and Felicia Fonseca. SENT: 670 words, photos. UPCOMING: Execution scheduled for 6 p.m. ------------------------------------------------------
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TESTING-GUIDELINES — U.S. health officials have sparked a wave of confusion after posting guidelines that coronavirus testing is not necessary for people who have been in close contact with infected people. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LATIN AMERICA-EVANGELICALS — Throughout Latin America, a traditionally Catholic region with a surging evangelical presence in nearly every country, evangelical churches have kept spreading the Gospel despite government measures meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. In many countries, evangelical churches have flouted public health guidelines and held services or ministered to their congregations in other settings. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA-VACCINE — The mayor of Moscow invited residents to join trials of a coronavirus vaccine that Russia approved for use earlier this month. The world’s first vaccine against the coronavirus to receive a government go-ahead has caused unease among international medical experts, who called Russia’s fast-tracked approval and failure to share any data supporting claims of the vaccine’s efficacy a major breach of scientific protocol.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GREECE-RESURGENCE — Authorities in Greece are using free on-the-spot tests for ferry passengers and nightlife curfews on popular islands to stem a resurgence of the coronavirus after the country managed to dodge the worst of the pandemic. SENT: 960 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FRANCE — France’s prime minister says that reopening schools is “one of the essential conditions” for a restart of the country’s economy, which is hobbled like elsewhere by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite confirmed virus cases rising, Jean Castex insisted that France needs to return to work as well and avoid “falling into an economic and social crisis that would be much more dangerous than the health crisis.” SENT: 520 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK CULTURE REOPENS — Many cultural institutions in New York City are gingerly reopening their doors. They’re weighing the safety of visitors and staff with the need to educate, inspire and support the city’s recovery. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-PANDEMIC-DATING — If there’s one thing the pandemic hasn’t canceled, it’s the search for love. Throughout the health emergency, daters have taken to apps, websites and matchmaking services in search of connection, with more meeting in person as the crisis drags on at a time when every touch is calculated and fraught. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DIARY-INSPIRED-BY-BUFFETT — For this writer, the coronavirus pandemic is a time to dream of distant shores — Jimmy Buffett-style. Since he can’t do any traveling, or visit any tropical islands, he is leaning into Buffett songs to get through the quarantine and lack of travel that the COVID era has served up. And though he can’t change his latitude right now, he’s well past ready to change his attitude. SENT: 650 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage of the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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JOHN-LENNON’S-KILLER-PAROLE-HEARING — John Lennon’s killer denied parole for an 11th time. SENT: 150 words, photo.
FUNERAL HOME-WOMAN ALIVE — A suburban Detroit fire chief said he still can’t explain why a 20-year-old woman declared dead at her home was discovered alive hours later at a funeral home. SENT: 300 words, photos.
JAPAN-MASS GRAVE — Remains dug from Japan mass grave suggest epidemic in 1800s. SENT: 430 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-VERMIN-SUPREME — Vermin Supreme, the perennial presidential candidate who wears a boot on his head and promises every American a free pony, is mounting a write-in campaign for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. SENT: 250 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-RNC-MIKE PENCE — Vice President Mike Pence has shown fleeting moments of independence from his boss. But he’s never flat-out crossed President Donald Trump, a calculation that could help preserve his own options in 2024. The former Indiana governor speaks Wednesday to the Republican National Convention in an address that’s expected to be heavy on accomplishments — Trump’s, not Pence’s. By Laurie Kellman and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1247 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing from evening remarks.
ELECTION 2020-RNC-NOEM — Since the beginning of the pandemic, President Donald Trump has called on the nation’s governors to “liberate” residents, reopen schools and get back the economy back to normal. No governor has followed that advice more closely — and with more attention-seeking dazzle — than South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. By Stephen Groves. SENT: 1097 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing from evening remarks.
ELECTION 2020-RNC-HARRIS — Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris plans a speech condemning President Donald Trump, hours before he is set to accept his party’s nomination for a second term, for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 555 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-RNC-HATCH ACT Q&A. — It’s called the Hatch Act, the law that restricts partisan activity by federal employees to ensure the U.S. government functions fairly and effectively. It symbolizes how America is different from dictatorships, but few fines are ever levied so why should anybody care about it? By Deb Riechmann. UPCOMING: 750 words, photo by 4 p.m.
TRUMP-RUSSIA-VINDMAN — House Democrats ask a Pentagon watchdog for an investigation into what they say was a “concerted effort” by the Trump administration to retaliate against a key impeachment witness, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, and his twin brother. The Democrats say a new government complaint filed by Vindman’s brother alleges possible ethical violations and sexist behavior by top White House officials, including now-National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien. By Mary Clare Jalonick. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 5 p.m.
UNITED STATES-CHINA — The State Department hits an unspecified number Chinese officials and business executives responsible for the militarization of disputed South China Sea areas with travel bans. Immediate family members of those targeted may also be barred from travel to the United States, the department said. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 300 words, photo.
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RACIAL-INJUSTICE-AL-SHARPTON — This week’s commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom will focus on police violence, and its ever-expanding roll call of victims. But at the center will be the Rev. Al Sharpton, the protest’s organizer. While so many other lions of the civil rights movement are gone, Sharpton is still standing. He reaches multitudes on television and on radio. The man who helped popularize the 1980s cry, “No justice, no peace,” is putting himself at the center of a new wave of activism, in a new millennium. SENT: 2,190 words, photos. An abridged version of 990 words is available.
CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — Firefighters hard-pressed by some of the largest wildfires in California history scrambled Wednesday to take advantage of cooler weather and an influx of aid as they carved and burned containment lines around the flames to prevent more land from burning. SENT: 890 words, photos.
EX-ASSEMBLY SPEAKER — Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, once one of the most powerful politicians in the state, started his prison sentence after years of fending off going behind bars. SENT: 380 words, photos.
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IRAN-NUCLEAR — Iran has agreed to allow inspectors in to two sites where the country is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency says. SENT: 590 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-STAYING-THE-COURSE — In three decades of failed peace efforts, the Palestinians have never faced a more hostile U.S. administration, a more self-assured Israel or a more ambivalent international community. But even as their hopes for statehood have never seemed so dim, there’s no indication their aging leadership will change course. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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FACEBOOK-APPLE-REVENUE — Facebook is pushing back on Apple’s new privacy rules for iOS users — and putting developers in the middle. The social network says new policy by Apple that requires apps to ask users for permission to collect data on what devices they are using — and let ads follow them around on the internet — could lower the amount of money apps will make advertising through Facebook. SENT: 310 words, photo.
MCDONALD’S-CEO-INVESTIGATION — An internal investigation by McDonald’s of potential misconduct has extended beyond its former CEO who was forced out late last year. SENT: 320 words, photo.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — More blowout profit reports from big tech companies are pushing the S&P 500 toward another record. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-NFL — Players throughout the NFL speak out about racial injustice and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. Jets defensive back Bradly McDougald says: . This is something real in our community that we’re dealing with. And I’m going to deal with it for the rest of my life, and my kids are going to deal with it. ” By Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 6 p.m.
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