AP News Digest 6:30 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 3 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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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds VIRUS OUTBREAK-SERBIA, VIRUS OUTBREAK-OKLAHOMA, PEOPLE-KANYE WEST, VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS GOP CONVENTION, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GEORGIA, MEDIA-CNBC-SMITH, SUPREME COURT-TRUMP TAXES, RACIAL INJUSTICE-CHILD KILLED, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MCCONNELL-MASKS, ELECTION 2020-BIDEN, FACEBOOK-CIVIL RIGHTS AUDIT-TAKEAWAYS, FACEBOOK-TAKEDOWNS, ST. LOUIS-NAME, IVORY COAST-PRIME MINISTER, NIELSENS
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOUSTON — Texas is seeing a surge in the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus since it began aggressively loosening restrictions on gatherings in May. To see the effect of the surge on hospitals, Associated Press journalists visited United Memorial Medical Center in north Houston. The hospital says 88 of its 117 beds are devoted to coronavirus patients — and it may soon turn over the whole facility to treating those with from the virus. By Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, video.
MED-RACING FOR A REMEDY-DESPERATION SCIENCE — Desperate to solve the deadly conundrum of COVID-19, the world is clamoring for fast answers and solutions from a research system not built for haste. The ironic, and perhaps tragic, result: Scientific shortcuts have slowed understanding of the disease and delayed the ability to find out which drugs help, hurt or have no effect at all. By Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 2,100 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,110 words is available.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Four months, 3 million confirmed infections and over 130,000 deaths into the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, Americans confronted with an alarming resurgence of the scourge are facing long lines at testing sites and going a week or more without receiving a diagnosis. By Christopher Weber and Sophia Tulp. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS — President Donald Trump threatens to withhold federal money if schools don’t reopen in the fall. He says the guidelines his own federal health officials have created for schools to reopen are impractical and expensive. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 980 words, photos, video. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a hybrid back-to-school plan Wednesday with most students inside their physical schools just two or three days a week, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it’s up to him to decide whether schools can open at all.. SENT: 700 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-CONTRACEPTION — The Supreme Court rules in favor of the religious rights of employers in two cases that could leave more than 70,000 women without free contraception and tens of thousands of people with no way to sue for job discrimination. In the more prominent case, the justices greenlight changes to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul that would allow more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control coverage. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 810 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP BIDEN — President Trump is pushing hard in one attack against Joe Biden, arguing that his Democratic rival is too old and mentally weak to be an effective leader. The attack has drawn charges of ageism and there is evidence it may be ineffective. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 970 words, photos. With ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Political task forces Joe Biden formed with Bernie Sanders recommend that Biden embrace sweeping proposals to combat climate change and institutional racism. SENT: 890 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-BLACK LIVES STRIKE -- A national coalition of labor unions, along with racial and social justice organizations, will stage a mass walkout from work this month, as part of an ongoing reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality in the U.S. Dubbed the “Strike for Black Lives,” tens of thousands of fast food, ride-share, nursing home and airport workers in more than 25 cities are expected to walk off the job July 20 for a full day strike.. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
CRIME WAVE -- Exhausted American cities are facing yet another challenge in addition to the coronavirus and the street protests over the police killing of George Floyd. A surge in shootings in recent days has left dozens of dead, including young children. President Trump and his conservative allies are warning that a push for police reform, drastic cuts in law enforcement funding and an effort to put fewer people in prison have unleashed a crime wave. But experts say the spike defies easy explanation, pointing to a toxic mix of problems: high unemployment, the pandemic, rising anger over police brutality, intense stress, even the weather. By Tom Hays and Colleen Long. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GEORGIA — Atlanta’s mayor says she will sign an executive order mandating masks in Georgia’s largest city Wednesday, defying Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to strongly encourage but not require face coverings. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-OKLAHOMA — President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa that drew thousands of people in late June, along with large protests that accompanied it, “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said. SENT: 350 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SERBIA — Police fired tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters in Serbia’s capital on Wednesday as violence erupted for the second day in a row during demonstrations against the president’s handling of the country’s coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOST PARISHIONERS — Two New York City churches ravaged by the coronavirus are taking different approaches to reopening as they mourn, between them, the loss of at least 134 members of their congregations. By David Crary and Luis Andres Henao. SENT: 1,0900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS GOP CONVENTION — Houston officials have canceled the Texas Republican Party’s in-person convention, saying the spread of the coronavirus made it impossible to hold the event as scheduled. SENT: 630 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS — Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar international students from staying in the U.S. if they take classes entirely online this fall. SENT: 480 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNITED-JOBS — United Airlines is warning 36,000 employees - nearly half its U.S. staff - they could be furloughed in October, the clearest signal yet of how deeply the virus pandemic is hurting the airline industry.. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RENT — American renters are nearing the end of their financial rope as the assistance and protections given to them during the pandemic run their course. About 30% of renters polled by the U.S. Census say they have no confidence or slight confidence in their ability to pay rent next month. While renters don’t have the same protections and support as homeowners, there are some resources available. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who said he is infected with the coronavirus, defended his government’s handling of the pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of Brazilians and touted his use of a contentious anti-malaria drug. SENT: 890 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PEOPLE-KANYE WEST — Kanye West breaks with Trump, claims 2020 run is not a stunt. SENT: 200 words, photos.
MEDIA-CNBC-SMITH — Shepard Smith, who abruptly quit Fox News Channel last October amid the ascendancy of opinionated programming, will bring a nightly newscast to CNBC this fall. SENT: 420 words, photo.
FACEBOOK-TAKEDOWNS — Facebook takes down accounts tied to Roger Stone. SENT: 390 words, photo.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-CHILD KILLED — Tyler Perry to pay funeral expenses for girl shot in Atlanta. SENT: 250 words.
ST. LOUIS-NAME — St. Louis name change? Not happening, governor tells Trump. SENT: 200 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLOMBIA-DELIVERY DOG -- Doggy deliveries help Colombians shop during pandemic. SENT: 290 words, photos.
BRITAIN CRANE COLLAPSE — Crane collapses in east London, killing 1, injuring 4. SENT: 130 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The Justice Department plows ahead with its plan to resume federal executions next week for the first time in more than 15 years, despite the coronavirus pandemic raging both inside and outside prisons and stagnating national support for the death penalty. By Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-TRUMP TAXES — The Supreme Court is expected to rule Thursday on whether Congress and the Manhattan district attorney can see President Trump’s taxes and other financial records he has fought hard to keep private. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 530 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MCCONNELL-MASKS — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell emerges as the GOP’s mask spokesman, proselytizing in his home state about the importance of wearing a face covering during the pandemic. SENT: 710 words, photos.
UNITED STATES-MEXICO — President Trump, who has taken shots at Mexican migrants and threatened crippling tariffs, welcomes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to the White House with lofty language calling America’s southern neighbor a cherished partner and declaring the U.S.-Mexico economic and security relationship is soaring to new heights. By Deb Riechmann and Jill Colvin. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.
TRUMP-RUSSIA-VINDMAN — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the national security aide who played a central role in President Trump’s impeachment case, announces his retirement from the Army in a scathing statement that accuses the president of running a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation.” By Jill Colvin and Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 890 words, photos.
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RAPE KIT TESTING-VIRGINIA -- Virginia has eliminated a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits, becoming only the seventh state in the country to do so, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said. Herring said the project to test rape kits — some decades old — began in 2015. Since then, 2,665 rape kits have been tested, 851 new DNA profiles have been uploaded into a national DNA database and 354 “hits” have been sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. SENT: 430 words.
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LEBANON-NO DOLLARS -- Lebanon’s financial meltdown has thrown its people into a frantic search for dollars as the local currency’s value evaporates. Long, raucous lines mass outside exchange bureaus to buy rationed dollars. Many try to rescue their dollars trapped in bank accounts frozen by the government. Purchases of real estate have shot up as Lebanese search for places to save their wealth from spiraling exchange rates. SENT: 1,095 words, photos.
IVORY COAST-PRIME MINISTER — Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the presidential candidate of Ivory Coast’s ruling party, died just days after returning from two months of medical treatment in France, where he previously had undergone a heart transplant. SENT: 390 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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NIGERIA-RARE GORILLAS — Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria’s Mbe mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing amid protection efforts. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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BROOKS BROTHERS BANKRUPTCY — Brooks Brothers, the 200-year-old company that dressed nearly every U.S. president, has filed for bankruptcy protection, the latest major clothing seller to be toppled by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 410 words, photos.
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street’s rally got back on track after more gains for big technology stocks helped pull the S&P 500 to its sixth gain in seven days. SENT: 820 words, photos.
FACEBOOK-CIVIL RIGHTS AUDIT — A two-year audit of Facebook’s civil rights record found “serious setbacks” that have marred the social network’s progress on matters such as hate speech, misinformation and bias. Its 100-page report outlines a “seesaw of progress and setbacks” on everything from bias in Facebook’s algorithms to content moderation, advertising practices and voter suppression. SENT: 540 words, photo. With FACEBOOK-CIVIL RIGHTS AUDIT-TAKEAWAYS
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NIELSENS — Disney+’s streaming of “Hamilton” was surely the biggest event on television screens over the holiday weekend. Just how big, however, remains a mystery. Disney knows, but it’s not telling. Data is coming in to the Nielsen company, too, but won’t be released until Disney gives the go-ahead. “Hamilton” is the poster boy for how the science of measurement is not keeping up with how entertainment content is being consumed. By David Bauder. SENT: 600 words, photos.
BRITAIN JOHNNY DEPP — Johnny Depp denied an allegation by ex-wife Amber Heard that he is a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” monster who turned violent when he drank and took drugs, though he acknowledged in a London court on Wednesday that he may have done things he can’t remember while he was under the influence. SENT: 920 words, photos.
BOOKS-JIM CARREY — Jim Carrey’s new book, “Memoirs and Misinformation,” is not an easy book to label. It opens with Carrey binge-watching Netflix while nursing a split from Renee Zellweger, pleading for his home security system to “Tell me I’m safe and loved” and craving the box-office success that brought him “closer to god.” There’s much that’s straight from Carrey’s life, but it’s an inflated version of his persona, “a hyperactive child making yuk-yuks,” as the book describes him. By AP Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS -- The Ivy League became the first Division I conference to say it will not play sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The league left open the possibility of moving some seasons to the spring if the outbreak is better controlled by then. By Doug Feinberg and Jimmy Golen. SENT: 450 words, photos.
FBN—OFFSEASON UPDATE-STUCK AT HOME — The NFL’s version of a stay-at-home order is interrupting the fading but still time-honored tradition of teams traveling for training camp. The pandemic forced the league to tell clubs they had to stay in their own facilities for camp. By Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon. SENT: 960 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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