AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 4 months AGO
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, 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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INVISIBLE ARMY — Public health workers fighting the coronavirus are facing growing threats from elected officials and members of the public frustrated with the lockdowns. They have at times turned the health workers into politicized punching bags, battering them with angry calls and physical threats. A review by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press finds at least 27 state and local health leaders have resigned, retired or been fired since April across 13 states. By Michelle R. Smith, Lauren Weber and Anna Maria Barry-Jester. SENT: 1,791 words, photos. An abridged version of 990 words is available.
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AMERICA PROTESTS-BLACK LIVES -- Before his death in police custody in Minneapolis two weeks ago, George Floyd was accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes from a grocery store. His story is similar to other African Americans who became martyrs of the Black Lives Matter movement over trivial or minor offenses. Activists say Floyd has created an invaluable and unprecedented moment for the national struggle against systemic racism and inequality. But some argue that valuing black lives requires not just reforming the police and criminal justice systems, but a deeper reckoning and reconciliation over slavery and racism. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
Full coverage of America Protests on AP News.
VIRUS OUTBREAK— There’s no turning back in Texas, and the governors of places like Arizona and Arkansas are pressing ahead, too, despite the flashing warning signs. They are increasingly reopening for business amid evidence coronavirus outbreaks are getting worse in nearly half the country. By Paul J. Weber and Andrew DeMillo. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOCIAL DISTANCING-POLL — Most Americans say they are wearing masks. They’re still mostly avoiding restaurants, and the vast majority are still staying at least 6 feet from others. A new poll finds most Americans aren’t ready to abandon precautionary measures in response to the coronavirus, even as states and metropolitan areas relax restrictions. By Tammy Webber and Emily Swanson. SENT: 940 words, photos, graphic.
MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SOCIAL GUIDELINES - U.S. health officials are releasing long-awaited guidance about how to reduce risk of coronavirus infection for Americans who are attempting some semblance of normal life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the guidelines along with advice for organizing and attending big gatherings. Among the tips: Take the stairs down from your hotel room, rather than riding in an elevator with others. Use hand sanitizer after using an ATM. Call ahead to restaurants and nail salons to make sure staff are wearing face coverings. By Mike Stobbe. SENT: 575 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOAN TRANSPARENCY — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is refusing to disclose what small businesses received coronavirus aid, insisting on secrecy for a $600 billion-plus loan program funded by taxpayers. Mnuchin claims the information is confidential, but advocates and some lawmakers see the move as an attempt to dodge accountability for how the money is spent. By Marcy Gordon and Mary Clare Jalonick. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos.
Full coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — A federal appeals court heard arguments Friday on whether it should order the dismissal of the Justice Department’s prosecution of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, wading into a politically charged legal question and a power struggle between two branches of government. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 390 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 850 words by 5 p.m., photos.
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AMERICA PROTESTS-POLICE MISCONDUCT -- In recent years, there have been dozens of examples of officers who had numerous complaints against them of excessive force, harassment or other misconduct before they were accused of killing someone on duty. But the public didn’t know about any of that until the victims’ deaths. Across the U.S., citizen complaints against police officers are largely kept secret, either under the law or by union contract. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
AMERICAN PROTESTS-POLICE TRAINING — With calls growing for police reforms across the U.S., instructors and researchers say officers lack sufficient training on how and when to use force. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, video.
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY-NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a sweeping package of police accountability measures that received new backing following protests of George Floyd’s killing, including one allowing the release of officers’ long-withheld disciplinary records. SENT: 230 words, photo.
AMERICA PROTESTS-POLICE UNION POST — The president of a Fraternal Order of Police chapter along Florida’s Space Coast has resigned after a social media post that encouraged officers linked to departments accused of using excessive force during recent protests to apply for jobs in Florida. SENT: 240 words.
AFRICA-COLONIAL STATUES — Statues honoring leaders of colonial rule have been pulled down over the years in Africa after countries won independence or newer generations said racist relics had to go. SENT: 810 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-CONFEDERATE STATUES-LIST — At least 12 figures in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection honor men who gave their allegiance to the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. In the eyes of their states, service to the Confederacy was not their only accomplishment. SENT: 740 words, photo, video.
AMERICA PROTESTS-RENAMING RHODE ISLAND — Critics say Rhode Island’s official name of The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations evokes the legacy of slavery and have revived a campaign to change it. SENT: 460 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has been sent detailing the AP's complete coverage of the protests.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-LAST RITES — The coronavirus pandemic is leaving India’s morgues piling up with the dead and graveyards and crematoriums overwhelmed. Like elsewhere in the world, the virus has made honoring the dead in New Delhi a hurried affair, largely devoid of the rituals that give it meaning for mourners. SENT: 800 words, photos, video. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — India’s virus caseload now fourth highest in world (sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD OF THE RECOVERED — Survivors of COVID-19 are donating their blood plasma in droves in hopes it helps other patients recover from the coronavirus. And while the jury’s still out, now scientists are testing if the donations might also prevent infection in the first place. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FARMWORKERS TOWN — Among the numerous rural areas across the U.S. that have recently experienced coronavirus outbreaks are migrant farmworker communities in Florida. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA REOPENING — California wineries popped open their bottles Friday and welcomed people to their tasting rooms as the state’s $145 billion tourism industry started gearing up with hotels, zoos, museums and aquariums allowed to reopen. SENT: 770 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-EDGING TOWARD MARRIAGE -- The couple met in Madrid, fell in love while covering the World Cup in Russia, and rearranged their lives so they could raise their daughter together in Sao Paulo. The coronavirus disrupted their plan to marry. Fear of catching COVID-19 and not having proper health coverage led them on a bureaucratic journey that ended in a legal union, just not the one they want: a wedding. SENT: 675 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-MASK WINDOWS -- Face coverings to curb the spread of the coronavirus are making it hard for people who read lips to communicate. That has spurred a slew of startups making masks with plastic windows to show one’s mouth. The companies are getting inundated with orders and not only from family and friends of deaf people. Those who work with English learners also want them to help them see the pronunciation of words as do hospitals that want their patients to be able to see smiles. SENT: 625 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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BRITAIN-ROWLING — The Sun newspaper says it did not intend to “glorify’’ domestic violence by giving a platform to Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s ex-husband just days after she revealed she had been a victim of domestic abuse. SENT: 470 words, photo.
CAMBODIA-EXPLOSIVE ORNAMENTS — Authorities in Cambodia scold a man for his lawn decorations — old land mines and other abandoned ordnance still containing live explosives. SENT: 325 words.
ALLIGATOR SEARCH KANSAS — Kansas authorities close a trail around a creek as they try to catch an alligator spotted there. SENT: 140 words.
AMERICA PROTESTS-POLICE MEMORIAL REMOVED -- A statue honoring police officers killed in the line of duty was removed from a park in Virginia’s capital city after it was covered in red paint. SENT: 220 words.
MOUNT RUSHMORE-FIREWORKS -- A fire expert says a fireworks display planned at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial is “ill advised.” SENT: 250 words.
NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING-FLORIDA — A ceremony commemorating the fourth anniversary of a massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida is being held virtually because of the coronavirus. SENT: 220 words.
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PENCE — It’s time to spread the good news. That’s the difficult job Vice President Mike Pence is undertaking as the Trump administration works to make voters feel better about the direction of the country in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest. UPCOMING: Developing afternoon roundtable event, 500 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-GOP PLATFORM — President Donald Trump says he wants “a new and updated” Republican Party platform for 2020, after the Republican National Committee votes to carry over the 2016 document. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m., photo.
MELANIA TRUMP — First lady Melania Trump delayed her move to Washington after Donald Trump became president to gain leverage in renegotiating her prenuptial agreement with her husband, according to a new book denounced by the White House. UPCOMING: 500 words by 3 p.m., photos.
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MINNESOTA LYNCHING-PARDON -- Minnesota has issued a posthumous pardon to a black man in a century-old case that became notorious for the lynchings of three other black men. SENT: 575 words, photos.
STUDENT FUGITIVE-KILLINGS — A University of Connecticut student who spent six days as a fugitive during a crime spree that included the killings of two men, was back in the state to face charges including murder. SENT: 425 words, photo.
ARIZONA WILDFIRES — Hundreds of foothills homes on the outskirts of Tucson remain under an evacuation notice as firefighters work to keep a wildfire from moving downhill from canyons and ridges in mountains in a national forest. SENT: 420 words, photos.
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SYRIA-ECONOMIC MELTDOWN — The toughest U.S. sanctions yet on Syria start to come into effect next week, and they are likely to hit hard on a country whose economy is already melting down. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
IRAN 1953-COUP QUEEN — A new cache of documents found by historians shows the U.S. ambassador to Iran mistakenly told the shah in 1953 that Britain’s newly enthroned Queen Elizabeth II backed a plan to overthrow the country’s elected prime minister. The State Department cables also show that America maintained the fiction even after realizing the error. SENT: 970 words, photos.
RUSSIA-PUTIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown up at a ceremony marking the national holiday — the first big public event he has attended since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 500 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-MOUNTAINS RENAMED — Australian prime minister apologizes for wrongly saying "there was no slavery" in the country. SENT: 470 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street, recouping some of their losses a day after the market had its biggest rout since mid-March. SENT: 640 words, photos.
FEDERAL-RESERVE-CONGRESS — The Federal Reserve is promising to use its “full range of tools” to pull the country out of a deep recession caused by a global pandemic, signaling that it would keep interest rates low through 2022. SENT: 400 words, photos.
TWITTER-CHINA-DISINFORMATION -- Twitter has removed a vast network of accounts that is says is linked to the Chinese government and was pushing false information favorable to the country’s communist rulers. Beijing denied involvement and said the company should instead take down accounts smearing China. SENT: 350 words, photos.
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ACADEMY-AWARDS — The Oscars are implementing some big changes, including having a set number of best picture nominees and to-be-determined representation and inclusion standards for eligibility. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says that there will be 10 best picture nominees beginning with the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. SENT: 400 words, photos.
BRITAIN-FAWLTY TOWERS — One of the most memorable episodes of one of the most popular British sitcoms of all-time has been withdrawn from a streaming service because of numerous racial slurs. UKTV, a streaming service owned by the BBC, confirmed Friday that it was temporarily removing the 1975 Fawlty Towers episode “The Germans.” SENT: 475 words, photo.
TV-THE BACHELOR — ABC has named Matt James as its first black “Bachelor” to lead the network’s long-running dating competition show. SENT: 220 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-DAVE CHAPPELLE — An angry and emotional Dave Chappelle spoke on the killing of George Floyd in a surprise Netflix special, saying America was being punished for its mistreatment of black men. SENT: 380 words, photo.
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BBO--VIRUS OUTBREAK-MLB — Major League Baseball is expected to make another counteroffer to the players’ union to start the pandemic-delayed season. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, by 6 p.m.
BKN--VIRUS OUTBREAK-NBA — The NBA gives teams a more definitive timetable for the restart to the pandemic-interrupted season. Mandatory coronavirus testing is to begin this month, with individual workouts in early July before training camp. SENT: 500 words, photos.
NCAA-COMPENSATING ATHLETES -- Florida passes a law allowing college athletes in the state to earn money from endorsements. By the time the law takes effect July 2021, there could be national legislation lifting restrictions on payment for the athletes’ names, images and likenesses. SENT: 200 words, photos. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 5 p.m.
GLF—COLONIAL - Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are among those in the mix on the second day at Colonial. The Charles Schwab Challenge is being played without fans, and one person is stopped after trying to sneak onto the course. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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