AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 4 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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CLERGY ABUSE-BISHOP ACCUSED — The Roman Catholic bishop of Brooklyn, New York, already under a church investigation for alleged sex abuse, has been accused by a second man of abuse in the 1970s, when the bishop was a parish priest in New Jersey. By Michael Rezendes. SENT: 1,040 words, photos, video.
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AMERICA PROTESTS — Mourners converged in Minneapolis for the first in a series of a memorials to George Floyd, whose death at the hands of police has sparked turbulent protests around the world against racial injustice. The afternoon event was set for North Central University, where the civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton was scheduled to be among those eulogizing the 46-year-old Floyd. By Aaron Morrison, Nomaan Merchant and Matt Sedensky. SENT: 895 words, photos. WITH: AMERICA PROTESTS-THE LATEST.
AMERICA PROTESTS-MILITARY-RACE — The death of George Floyd in police hands has prompted soul-searching in the military, where many of the troops being called upon to help maintain order on protest-filled streets are African Americans who have experienced racial unfairness not only in American society but in the military. By Robert Burns. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4:30 p.m., photos, video.
Find more coverage of America Protests in AP Newsroom.
UNITED STATES-IRAN — A Navy veteran detained in Iran for nearly two years has been released and started making his way home, with the first leg on a Swiss government aircraft. “The nightmare is over,” his mother says. By Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker. SENT: 770 words, photos, developing. UPCOMING: 850 words by 4 p.m., photos.
TRUMP-ANALYSIS — In words and in actions, President Donald Trump is increasingly embracing the tactics of the strongman leaders he has long admired. Trump’s response to the protests over police brutality against minorities have alarmed America’s military leaders, both past and present, and sparked concerns about far he is willing to go in using his extraordinary federal powers in an election year. By Julie Pace. UPCOMING: 850 words by 4 p.m., photos.
GEORGIA CHASE-DEADLY SHOOTING — An investigator testifies that one of the white men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery was heard uttering a racist slur over the young black man’s body. The lead Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent in the case also testified that Arbery was repeatedly boxed in by two pickup trucks as he tried to escape. By Russ Bynum. SENT: 650 words, photos.
CHINA-HONG KONG-TIANANMEN -- Thousands of people in Hong Kong defied a police ban Thursday evening, breaking through barricades to hold a candlelight vigil on the 31st anniversary of China’s crushing of a democracy movement centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. With democracy all but snuffed out in mainland China, the focus has shifted increasingly to semi-autonomous Hong Kong. By Zen Soo and Ken Moritsugu. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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AMERICA PROTESTS-EIGHT MINUTES — All protest movements have slogans. George Floyd’s has a number: 8:46, for the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned to the ground under a white Minneapolis police officer’s knee before he died last week. SENT: 760 words, photos.
AMERICAN PROTESTS-FEDERAL RESPONSE — Hundreds of federal agents have descended on the nation’s capital aiming to quell violence that has erupted during nightly protests over the police death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Officials say in addition to crowd control, the agents are serving a vital role by helping to relieve the Metropolitan Police Department to handle other emergencies. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 620 words, photos, developing.
AMERICA PROTESTS-TRUMP — Yet another former military leader, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, is criticizing President Donald Trump’s response to the protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. SENT: 1,140 words, photos, video, audio.
AMERICA PROTESTS-CRISPUS ATTUCKS - As the nation confronts old demons, a black man gunned down in 1770 in colonial Boston has become a symbol of entrenched racism and oppression. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.
RELIGION-BLACK CLERGY’S CHALLENGES — For black clergy across the United States, the past 10 days have been a tumultuous test of their stamina and skills. For weeks, they had been striving to comfort their congregations amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has taken a disproportionately heavy toll on blacks. Then came a coast-to-coast upsurge of racial tension and unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd. SENT: 995 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-JOHN LEWIS — Civil rights icon John Lewis says the video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minnesota “made me cry.” “I kept saying to myself: How many more? How many young black men will be murdered?” SENT: 390 words, photo.
POLICE SHOOTING-BROOKLYN -- A New York City police officer on an anti-looting patrol was ambushed Wednesday in Brooklyn by a man who walked up behind him and stabbed him in the neck, police said, setting off a struggle in which the assailant was shot and two other officers suffered gunshot injuries to their hands. SENT: 575 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has moved detailing the AP’s complete protests coverage.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — Nearly 1.9 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, the ninth straight decline since applications spiked in mid-March, a sign that the gradual reopening of businesses has slowed the loss of jobs. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 950 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The British government is hosting a vaccine summit, hoping to raise billions of dollars to immunize children in developing countries and to discuss how any potential vaccine against the new coronavirus might be distributed globally — and fairly. The United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have urged that “a people’s vaccine” be developed for COVID-19 that would be freely available to everyone, calling it a “moral imperative.” SENT: 985 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT’S HAPPENING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOMES — With a White House goal of testing all nursing home residents and staff for COVID-19 unmet in many states, the government provides a detailed look at the ravages of the disease in facilities across the country. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4:30 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FARM TO TABLE -- Some food producers who supply everything from lobsters to vegetables are selling their products direct to consumers as a way to weather the coronavirus outbreak. The outbreak has stressed supply chains, shuttered restaurants and changed the way people buy food, leaving some producers scrambling for a new way to get food to the people. SENT: 700 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA — Harry Potter fans and roller coaster lovers are streaming back into Universal Orlando Resort this week. Universal Orlando reopened to passholders Wednesday and Thursday, and it will allow the general public back in Friday. The reopening marks one of the first major steps toward reviving Florida’s theme park industry after parks were closed in March to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LAS VEGAS CASINOS — The casino coronavirus closure has ended. Cards are being dealt, dice are rolling and slot machines flashed and jingled for the first customers who started gambling again early Thursday in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada. SENT: 625 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-HAMSTER AT HOME -- During a pandemic, what becomes of the classroom pets? For one writer, Mr. Rich the hamster became a fixture of their home after her daughter brought him home in March. But as the novelty faded and the weeks dragged on, it became clear that no end was in sight. SENT: 525 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK–ONE GOOD THING–VOLUNTEERS CONNECT -- What started with a simple spreadsheet created by a group of college students who wanted to help during the pandemic has become a national engine for volunteer work. In just two months, that spreadsheet has grown into an online platform that has connected would-be do-gooders with nearly 3,000 opportunities to volunteer across the United States. SENT: 370 words, photos.
BC-Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY is no longer moving. For full virus coverage, visit the AP Newsroom coronavirus hub.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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BREES-SOCIAL MEDIA -- Drew Brees has apologized for his comments on “disrespecting the flag” when reiterating his opposition to kneeling during the national anthem. The New Orleans Saints quarterback now says the comments were “insensitive and completely missed the mark.” SENT: 700 words, photos.
PEOPLE-BRIAN-COX — “Succession” may be temporarily shut down, but star Brian Cox is still finding projects to keep him busy. SENT: 380 words, photos.
NORWAY-LANDSLIDE -- A powerful landslide in Arctic Norway sweeps away eight homes, but no injuries were reported. SENT: 200 words, photos.
RAP MUSIC VIDEO-SHOOTING - Police in Atlanta say a 15-year-old boy was injured after gunfire rang out during the filming of a music video in Atlanta. SENT: 115 words, photos.
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REPUBLICANS-DEFENDING TRUMP — Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she’s “struggling” over whether she can support President Donald Trump given his handling of the virus and race crises roiling the U.S. SENT: 900 words, photos.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE-CONGRESS — Two Republican-led Senate committees are launching election-year investigations into the Justice Department’s Russia probe, resurrecting the issue that has plagued President Donald Trump’s presidency and the partisan hostility that comes along with it. In two Senate meetings, tensions boiled over among members of both parties as the panels considered a raft of subpoenas for current and former Justice Department officials. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photo.
TRUMP-JUDICIAL NOMINEE — The Senate Judiciary Committee advances the nomination of a 38-year-old judge and protégé of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to serve on a federal appeals court, despite Democrats’ objections that he’s inexperienced and biased against the Obama health care law. UPCOMING: 700 words by 4 p.m., photo.
UNITED STATES-VOICE OF AMERICA — The Senate is expected to confirm President Trump’s choice to head the Voice of America, created during World War II to air independent news and promote American values to the world. Democrats fear Trump has criticized the outlet for its coverage of China’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. UPCOMING: Developing from 1:30 p.m. vote, 500 words by 4 p.m., photo.
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ISRAEL-SHOOTING OUTCRY -- The fatal shooting of an unarmed Palestinian man with autism by Israeli police has drawn comparisons to the death of George Floyd in the United States and prompted a series of small demonstrations in Israel. The calls for justice have crossed Jewish-Arab lines, a rarity in this deeply polarized society. Yet for the Palestinian man’s devastated family, such gestures have provided little comfort and even less hope that the officers who shot him will be punished. Israel’s Justice Ministry said two officers have been placed under house arrest, but gave no further details. By Josef Federman. SENT: 1,195 words, photos.
BRITAIN-MISSING GIRL -- Madeleine McCann’s family is hoping for closure in the case after a key suspect was identified in Germany and as authorities there say they believe the missing British girl is dead. McCann was 3 at the time of her disappearance while she was on vacation with her family in Portugal in 2007. U.K. and German authorities haven’t named the suspect but said he is 43 and was in and around the Praia da Luz resort area on the Algarve coast at the time Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007. SENT: 625 words, photos.
LIBYA — A Libyan spokesman for forces allied with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli says they have regained control of all entrance and exit points of the capital, thereby ending a siege by rivals who have been trying to take the city for over a year. SENT: 960 words, photo.
SYRIA-ASSAD’S COUSIN — Syrian President Bashar Assad is seeking to strengthen his grip on his country’s war-wrecked economy, and he’s doing it by going after his close cousin. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS-RICHMOND — Virginia’s governor says a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee will be removed as soon as possible from Richmond’s Monument Avenue. SENT: 870 words, photos.
INMATE DEATH-NYC — The federal Bureau of Prisons says an inmate at a federal jail in New York City died after being pepper sprayed by officers in his cell. SENT: 510 words, photo.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks are flipping between small gains and losses on Wall Street, as a rally this week takes a pause. SENT: 725 words, photos, developing.
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SOCIAL MEDIA-YOU’RE FIRED — A TV writer from a “Law & Order" spin-off and the play-by-play broadcaster for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings found themselves out of jobs after social media posts this week that their bosses deemed inappropriate, highlighting what seems to be a surge in such firings from many lines of work. SENT: 620 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA — AP source says NBA Board of Governors approves 22-team format in major step to league restarting its virus-delayed season. UPCOMING: Developing, 750 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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