AP News Digest 6:20 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 10 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 TWITTER-CYBERCURRENCY SCAM, TWITTER-HACK-Q&A, VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ARKANSAS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-FAMILY SPREAD, BOLIVIA-PANDEMIC AND POLITICS, NETFLIX-RESULTS, MEDIA-FOX-FAULKNER, WAYFAIR-CONSPIRACY THEORY, DERSHOWITZ-BAR ASSOCIATION, ODD--KANGAROO CAPTURED,
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ONLY ON AP
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MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA VACCINE — In the global race to make a coronavirus vaccine, a state-owned Chinese company is boasting that its employees, including top executives, received experimental shots even before the government approved testing in people. By Sam McNeil and Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,220 words, photos, video.
PUBLIC HEALTH-MOSQUITO CONTROL -- In a normal year, the Delaware County, Ohio, health department would be setting out more than 90 mosquito traps a week. But this year, because of COVID-19, the mosquitoes will fly free. Staffers haven’t set a single trap yet because they are too busy dealing with the coronavirus. The same thing is happening across the country as public health officials focus on the pandemic at the expense of other efforts. By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Lauren Weber. SENT: 1,575 words, photos. This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KHN.
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VACCINE HACK — Western governments accuse hackers believed to be part of the Russian intelligence service of trying to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine, issuing an unusually detailed advisory aimed at publicly calling out the Kremlin and putting scientists and medical companies on notice about suspicious behavior. By Eric Tucker, Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Texas, Florida and South Carolina report record death tolls from the new coronavirus, and hospitals and morgue space are stretched further to the limit, prompting a Houston medical center to bring in Army medics to treat patients. By Jeffrey Collins, Nomaan Merchant and Aritz Parra. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. UPCOMING: New approach by 8 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PRISON RELEASES -- There has been a major drop in the number of people behind bars in the U.S. An analysis by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press found that between March and June, more than 100,000 people were released from state and federal prisons. That’s a drop of 8%. By comparison, the Vera Institute of Justice found that for all of 2019, the state and federal prison population fell by 2.2%. By Damini Sharma and Weihua Li of the Marshall Project and Denise Lavoie and Claudia Lauer of The Associated Press. SENT: 1,150 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP CAMPAIGN — The long-rumored Trump campaign shakeup that demoted Brad Parscale will likely do little to change day-to-day operations or the person who’s truly in charge: Jared Kushner. But the move, which comes as Trump lags in polls, shines a spotlight on Kushner’s expansive portfolio and the president’s growing frustration with him. By Jonathan Lemire, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller. UPCOMING: 890 words, photos by 7 p.m. With ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION — President Trump’s plans for a grand Republican National Convention keep shrinking in the age of the coronavirus. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL — A thousand deaths a day. Since late May, three months after Brazil’s first reported case of the coronavirus, it has recorded more than 1,000 daily deaths on average in a gruesome plateau that has yet to tilt downward. The federal health ministry reports that the country has passed 2 million confirmed cases of virus infections and 76,000 deaths. By David Biller and Mauricio Savarese. SENT: 930 words, photos.
TWITTER-CYBERCURRENCY SCAM — A breach in Twitter’s security that allowed hackers to break into the accounts of leaders and technology moguls is one of the worst attacks in recent years and may shake trust in a platform politicians and CEOs use to communicate with the public, experts say. By Zen Soo. SENT: 850 words, photo. With TWITTER-HACK-Q&A — Q&A: What’s behind the Twitter Bitcoin hack? SENT: 580 words, photo.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MEDIA-USA TODAY-NAVARRO -- USA Today says that a column that the newspaper solicited and published from presidential trade adviser Peter Navarro criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci was misleading and did not meet fact-checking standards. SENT: 350 words, photo.
BRITAIN-JOHNNY DEPP -- Johnny Depp’s security chief has alleged that Amber Heard physically abused Depp during the couple’s tempestuous marriage. SENT: 690 words, photos.
DERSHOWITZ-BAR ASSOCIATION — The selection of famed trial attorney Alan Dershowitz to deliver the keynote at this year’s Alaska Bar Association annual convention is being criticized by members upset over Dershowitz’s past defense of men like Jeffrey Epstein and O.J. Simpson. SENT: 410 words, photo.
DD--KANGAROO CAPTURED — Police capture kangaroo hopping through Fort Lauderdale. SENT: 210 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Rising coronavirus infections across dozens of states are threatening the U.S. economic recovery, forcing businesses and consumers to freeze spending and keeping the unemployment rate stubbornly high. The government reported that retail sales rose a sharp 7.5% in June, but the positive trend was undercut by more recent data showing that credit card spending has stalled. A separate report showed that more than a million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week – a sign that companies continue to cut jobs as the virus slashes through the heavily populated Sunbelt. By Josh Boak and Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sues Atlanta over the city’s requirement to wear masks in public, other COVID-19 restrictions. Mayors in Atlanta and other Georgia cities say they want their requirements for people to wear masks in public to remain in place, even after the Republican governor explicitly forbade cities and counties from mandating face coverings. SENT: 860 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ARKANSAS — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued an order requiring people to wear face masks in public throughout the state, which has had a surge in coronavirus cases over the past several weeks. SENT: 680 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compares President Trump to “the man who refuses to ask for directions.” She is pleading with the White House to seek input from the nation’s scientific leaders to reverse the rise in coronavirus cases and deaths. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FAMILY SPREAD — A Florida businessman is fighting COVID-19 at a hospital intensive care unit after likely being infected by his son. The case highlights the outcome dreaded by authorities. As the virus infected more young Floridians, it inevitably spread to older and more vulnerable people at a higher risk. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK FASHION - Masks made of cotton and other washable materials have become a big seller and fashion item as face coverings have been increasingly mandated to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Sales are expected to get another boost after Britain and France announced this week that they will require masks in public indoor spaces. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TARGET-MASK MANDATE — Target, CVS Health and Publix Super Markets have joined the growing list of national chains that will require customers to wear face masks regardless of where cities or states stand on the issue. SENT: 290 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-SHAKESPEARE TO YOU —Some of the actors with the Vermont Shakespeare Festival are keeping the bard in peoples’ minds this summer by doing free, short performances of some of Shakespeare’s most memorable works. So far the actors participating in the Shakespeare to You have done about 30 performances, most outside peoples’ homes, but they will also do it by Zoom or even by telephone. SENT: 575 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-PANDEMIC PREGNANCY -- Whether it was for travel or a wedding, everyone’s plans have been upended with the breakout of the coronavirus. For one writer, plans for a well-timed pregnancy have proven fruitless. She’s navigating being sick, being isolated from her support system and taking care of a toddler and newly adopted dog with nowhere to go. SENT: 635 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-PREGNANCY — Can a pregnant woman spread the coronavirus to her fetus? Probably, but it seems to happen rarely and there’s a good explanation for why that is. SENT: 340 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-ANALYSIS — In the summer of 2016, Donald Trump was trailing in the polls, so he changed up his campaign leadership team. Four years later, in the midst of another summer slump, Trump is hoping a similar campaign shakeup will help put him on the path to another come-from-behind victory. But 2020 is a very different campaign year. By Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. SENT: 970 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
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BOLIVIA-PANDEMIC AND POLITICS — Bolivia is grappling with two crises: the pandemic and bitter political discord ahead of elections scheduled for September, nearly a year after the chaotic ouster of the former president, Evo Morales. SENT: 490 words, photos.
REL--VATICAN-SEX ABUSE -- The Vatican told bishops around the world they should report clergy sex crimes to police even when not legally bound to do so, in its latest effort to compel church leaders to protect minors from predator priests. SENT: 850 words, photos.
PAKISTAN-PERSECUTED MINORITIES — Analysts and activists say minorities in Pakistan are increasingly vulnerable to Islamic extremists as Prime Minister Imran Khan vacillates between trying to forge a pluralistic nation and his conservative Islamic beliefs. In just the last month, a Christian was gunned down because he rented in a Muslim neighborhood. Another Christian, this one a pastor, his wife and 12-year-old son were beaten by their Muslim neighbors in eastern Punjab and told to leave their village. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-BRITAIN STATUE — Officials in the English city of Bristol removed a statue of a Black Lives Matter activist that was installed on a pedestal once occupied by a monument to a 17th-century slave trader. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTION — The United States carries out its second federal execution in three days following a hiatus of nearly two decades, killing by lethal injection a Kansas man whose lawyers contended he had dementia and was unfit to be executed. By Michael Balsamo and Jessica Gresko. SENT: 850 words, photo. With FEDERAL EXECUTION-METH KINGPIN - A ruthless Iowa meth kingpin who killed five people, including two young girls, in 1993 to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking is set to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week. SENT: 900 words, photos.
CENSUS CITIZENSHIP — Iowa, South Carolina and South Dakota have now joined Nebraska in agreeing to share state driver’s license information with the U.S. Census Bureau to help the Trump administration to determine the citizenship status of every U.S. resident. SENT: 800 words, photos.
WAYFAIR-CONSPIRACY THEORY — Self-proclaimed internet sleuths are matching up names of Wayfair’s products to those of missing children as part of a bizarre, baseless conspiracy theory that claims the retail giant is using storage cabinets to traffic children. SENT: 960 words, photo.
NAVY SHIP-FIRE — The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego Harbor has been extinguished, ending one of the worst infernos to rip through a U.S. warship outside of combat in recent years, the Navy says. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SCI--SUN EXPLORER — A European and NASA spacecraft has snapped the closest pictures ever taken of the sun and revealed countless tiny “campfires” flaring everywhere. Scientists released the first images taken by Solar Orbiter, launched from Florida in February. The orbiter was about halfway between Earth and the sun when it took the pictures last month. SENT: 410 words, photos.
SCI--SPACE STATION — Spacewalking astronauts completed their part of a three-year power upgrade to the International Space Station on Thursday, replacing six more outdated batteries with powerful new ones. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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NETFLIX-RESULTS — Netflix added a flood of new subscribers amid the coronavirus pandemic and also offered clues to a possible successor for founding CEO Reed Hastings by naming the company’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, as co-CEO. SENT: 480 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Wall Street stumbled after a report showed layoffs continue to sweep the country at a stubbornly steady pace, one of several mixed reports to highlight the uncertain path ahead for the economy.. SENT: 740 words, photos.
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PEOPLE-LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA -- You’ve probably seen the highly scripted side of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Now see the unscripted one. The playwright, actor and songwriter this month follows up the streaming live capture of his triumphant Broadway musical “Hamilton” with a documentary showing his impressive hip-hop improv skills in “We Are Freestyle Love Supreme.” Miranda describes the group as a crucial creative spark to his more formal stage shows. By Mark Kennedy. SENT: 740 words, photos.
MUSIC DR LUKE — Controversial music producer Dr. Luke was once pop music’s top hitmaker, crafting hits for virtually every female pop star, from Katy Perry to Kelly Clarkson to Britney Spears. He’s returned to the charts in 2020, working on songs for rising and established rap stars, including Lil Wayne, Juice WRLD, Saweetie and Doja Cat. By Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 530 words, photo.
MEDIA-FOX-FAULKNER — As a Black journalist at Fox News Channel, Harris Faulkner is used to people who make presumptions about her. She uses it as a motivating force. She’s one of the few Black hosts with a prominent role at Fox, and in all of cable news, and is hosting a weekend special about the nation’s racial reckoning. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 1135 words, photos. WITH MEDIA-FOX-FAULKNER-ABRIDGED: 839 words.
FILM-GLAAD STUDY — Last year saw record representation of LGBTQ characters in the 118 films released by major studios, according to a new study by GLAAD. But for the third straight year, the racial diversity of LGBTQ characters has waned and transgender characters again went unseen. SENT: 420 words.
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BBO-BASEBALL-RDP — One week before Major League Baseball launches its unprecedented 60-game season, teams are shaping their rosters around injuries and the unpredictable COVID-19. By David Ginsburg. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 6:30 p.m.
GLF-MEMORIAL — Tiger Woods returns for the first time in five months at the Memorial, which features nine of the top 10 in the world. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 7 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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