AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 6 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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UNITED STATES-RUSSIA-CONGRESS — President Donald Trump comes under growing pressure from lawmakers to respond to allegations that Russia offered bounties for killing American troops in Afghanistan, with Democrats charging that he is bowing to Vladimir Putin and both parties demanding more answers about the intelligence. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1040 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 990 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP TWO RUSSIAS — Even before President Trump took office, questions about his approach to Russia abounded. Now, nearing the end of his first term with a difficult re-election ahead, they have resurfaced with a vengeance. The dizzying, often contradictory, paths followed by Trump, who sees Russia as a potential friend, and his hawkish aides, who see it as a dangerous foe, have created confusion among allies and enemies alike. By Matthew Lee. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4:30 p.m., photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The European continent is reopening to visitors from 14 countries but not the U.S., where some of the states that pushed hardest and earliest to reopen their economies are now in retreat because of a alarming surge in coronavirus infections. A leading infectious disease expert says coronavirus cases could grow to 100,000 a day in the United States if Americans don’t follow public health recommendations. By Lorne Cook and Tamara Lush. SENT: 840 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VIRUS SPREAD — The new coronavirus first hit Democratic areas, ravaging big cities and coastal areas. But the virus’ second surge is now tearing through Republican areas and places President Donald Trump won in 2016, according to an AP analysis that suggests the political divide on the virus may be shifting. By Bill Barrow. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-BATCH -- The nation’s top health officials are banking on a new approach to dramatically boost U.S. screening for the coronavirus: combining test samples in batches instead of running them one by one. The potential benefits include stretching laboratory supplies, reducing costs and expanding testing to millions more Americans who may unknowingly be spreading the virus. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 850 words, photos.
HONG KONG-CHINA SECURITY LAW — China approves a contentious national security law for Hong Kong that takes direct aim at some of the actions of anti-government protesters last year, in a move many see as Beijing’s boldest yet to erase the legal firewall between the semi-autonomous territory and the mainland’s authoritarian Communist Party system. By Zen Soo and Ken Moritsugu. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
OBIT-CARL REINER -- Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98. He was one of show business’ best liked men, the tall, bald Reiner was a welcome face on the small and silver screens, in Caesar’s 1950s troupe, as the snarling, toupee-wearing Alan Brady of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and in such films as “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming” and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” By Mike Stewart. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ATLANTIC CITY CASINOS -- Gamblers coming back to Atlantic City casinos this week will find a different world: No smoking, no drinking or eating inside. New Jersey Gov, Phil Murphy revealed the bans in a late-night press release Monday that landed like a bombshell in Atlantic City. Already, the Borgata casino scrapped its plans to reopen soon, and others were trying to decide what to do Tuesday. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARMY RECRUITING — COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on military recruiting, shuttering enlistment stations around the country and forcing thousands of recruiters to woo potential soldiers online. SENT: 960 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARIZONA GOVERNOR-TURNABOUT — After telling Arizonans that many public places were again being closed amid a surge of coronavirus cases, Gov. Doug Ducey ended a somewhat contentious news conference by imploring people to wear face masks. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA-FACTORY-DILEMMA — The United States, Japan and France are prodding their companies to rely less on China to make the world’s smartphones, drugs and other products, but few want to leave China’s skilled workforce and efficient suppliers of raw materials to move to other countries. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-INDONESIAN DOCTOR — An Indonesian doctor whose passion for music led him to his fiancée never got to marry because he succumbed to the coronavirus. SENT: 640 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-AIRLINES — Flying can increase your risk of exposure to the coronavirus, but airlines are taking precautions and you can too. SENT: 350 words, photo.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
A separate wire advisory has moved detailing the AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE
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RACIAL-INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE-FLAG — Long a symbol of pride to some and hatred to others, the Confederate battle flag is losing its place of official prominence 155 years after rebellious Southern states lost a war to perpetuate slavery. SENT: 850 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-ST. LOUIS MAYOR — St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson knows the pain of violent crime -- she and her two children were in the car when her first husband was shot to death in a 1995 carjacking. Her successful 2017 campaign was won partly on a pledge to address the violence, so it’s not surprising that calls to defund police wouldn’t sit well with her. Still, her response -- publicizing the names and addresses of some who called for defunding -- has thousands of St. Louisans calling for her resignation. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
Find more coverage of Racial Injustice in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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BOOKS-SIR PATRICK STEWART -- Sir Patrick Stewart is writing memoir, publisher announces. SENT: 275 words, photo.
DOORBELL CAMERA BIRTH -- A doorbell camera catches parking lot birth in Florida. SENT: 200 words.
NEAR SPACE BALLOON RIDES - A company wants to use an advanced balloon to fly customers from Earth’s surface in Alaska to the highest reaches of the planet’s atmosphere. SENT: 280 words.
SUPREME COURT-BOOKING.COM — The Supreme Court says travel website Booking.com can trademark its name, a ruling that also impacts other companies whose name is a generic word followed by “.com.” SENT: 150 words.
CLERGY ABUSE-NEW ORLEANS-DEACON — A longtime Roman Catholic deacon and schoolteacher awaiting trial on rape charges in New Orleans has died. SENT: 380 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK POLITICS — In Republican circles -- with the notable exception of the man who leads the party -- the debate about masks is over: It’s time to put one on. As a wave of infections hammer the South and West, GOP officials are now pushing back against the notion that masks are about politics, as Donald Trump argues, and telling Americans they are a vital tool that can save lives. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plans to blister President Donald Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic as he tries to demonstrate to voters how he’d handle the public health and economic crisis if he were in the White House. SENT: 478 words. UPCOMING: Developing from early afternoon remarks, 800 words by 4:30 p.m. photos, video.
SUPREME COURT-SCHOOL CHOICE — The Supreme Court makes it easier for religious schools to obtain public funds, upholding a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling. The court’s 5-4 ruling, with conservatives in the majority, came in a dispute over a Montana scholarship program for private K-12 education that also makes donors eligible for up to $150 in state tax credits. SENT: 650 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION-2020 KENTUCKY SENATE — Former Marine pilot Amy McGrath overcame a bumpier-than-expected Kentucky primary to win the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, fending off progressive Charles Booker to set up a bruising, big-spending showdown with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. SENT: 470 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the 2020 U.S. Elections in AP Newsroom.
CONGRESS-CLIMATE CRISIS — House Democrats unveil a plan to address climate change that would set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while pushing renewable energy such as wind and solar power and addressing environmental injustice that harms low-income and minority communities. SENT: 690 words, photos.
IRAN-US — Calling Iran “the world’s most heinous terrorist regime,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the U.N. Security Council to extend the U.N. arms embargo against Tehran, which expires in October, and reject “extortion diplomacy.” SENT: 730 words, photos.
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RUSSIA-PUTIN’S VOTE -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is just a step away from bringing about constitutional changes that would allow him to extend his rule until 2036. A nationwide plebiscite on amendments that would reset the clock on Putin’s tenure and enable him to serve two more six-year terms is set to wrap up Wednesday. Polls were open for six days of early voting to help reduce crowds and to bolster turnout amid the coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VENEZUELA-OIL CARGO SEIZURE — U.S. federal marshals are getting ready to auction off a cargo of 100,000 barrels of gasoline that have been floating in a tanker off the Gulf Coast of Texas for two months amid a high-stakes legal fight over American sanctions on Venezuela. The dispute pits one of Greece’s most powerful businessmen and owner of popular soccer club Olympiakos against a fellow shipping magnate from Venezuela who has a history of helping out the country’s socialist leaders. By Joshua Goodman. SENT: 1,490 words, photos.
PAKISTAN PLANE CRASH — The European Union’s aviation safety agency said that Pakistan’s national airline will not be allowed to fly into Europe for at least six months after the country’s aviation minister revealed that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. SENT: 560 words, photos.
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GOLDEN-STATE-KILLER — The former police officer dubbed the Golden State Killer pleads guilty to 13 counts of murder in exchange for a life sentence instead of a possible death penalty. SENT: 1,400 words, photos.
MICHIGAN PIPELINE — A Michigan regulatory panel refused to grant quick permission to run a new oil pipeline beneath a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes, deciding instead to conduct a full review. SENT: 415 words.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Wall Street were mixed on Wall Street, a quiet coda for a rocking quarter that sent the U.S. stock market screaming back toward its record heights. SENT: 925 words, photos. WITH: CONSUMER-CONFIDENCE — US consumer confidence rises to 98.1 in June. SENT: 225 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW THREAT TO JOBS — The spike in reported infections across the South and West is forcing businesses to consider closing again just days after reopening. Though the government is expected to issue a solid jobs report Thursday, the number may already be outdated because of layoffs forced by the resurgence in reported infections. By Paul Wiseman. UPCOMING. 950 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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FILM-HAMILTON — The normal hallmarks of Independence Day weekend will be muted this year but there’ll still be fireworks on Disney+. Friday will see the debut “Hamilton,” a film that captures the Broadway production and one of the most anticipated releases to ever go directly to streaming. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail talk about making “Hamilton,” the movie. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING: 900 words by 3 p.m, photos.
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BBO--RACIAL INJUSTICE-MVP PLAQUES -- As monuments, statues and memorials around the world come under increased scrutiny, some former Most Valuable Players in Major League Baseball are saying they’d like to see a change in future MVP plaques. The trophy is engraved with the name of Kenesaw Mountain Landis in large letters. Landis was baseball’s first commissioner and there were no Black players in the majors during his reign from 1920 until his death in 1944. His name has been on every American League and National League MVP plaque since then. Barry Larkin, Terry Pendleton and Mike Schmidt say they’d like to see it pulled off. SENT: 880 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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