AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 12 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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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-DEADLY SHORTAGES — From the moment the coronavirus pandemic reached America’s shores, the country was unprepared. Hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities didn’t have the masks and equipment needed to protect their workers. Some got sick and spread the virus. Some died. An Associated Press investigation found that the medical supply chains that span oceans and continents and are the fragile lifelines between raw materials and manufacturers overseas and health care workers on COVID-19 front lines, collapsed. For decades, politicians and government officials ignored warnings about the risks associated with America’s overdependence on foreign manufacturing, and a lack of adequate preparation at home. By Juliet Linderman and Martha Mendoza. SENT: 3,825 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,1125 words is also available. WITH: Virus Outbreak-Deadly Shortages-5 Takeaways --5 takeaways, SENT: 575 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-AMERICA DISRUPTED-SUBURBS — Once firmly in Republican control, suburbs are increasingly politically divided — a rare common ground shared by Republicans and Democrats. As such, they are poised to decide not just who wins the White House this year but also who controls the Senate and the contours of the debate over guns, immigration, work, schools, housing and health care. By Angeliki Kastanis, Josh Boak and Dario Lopez-Mills. SENT: 1,790 words, photos, graphic.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Still sickened by COVID-19, President Donald Trump plunged back on Tuesday into playing down the disease that hospitalized him for three days and has so far killed more than 210,000 Americans. He compared it anew to the seasonal flu and signaled he plans to return soon to the campaign trail. By Zeke Miller, Jill Colvin and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. UPCOMING: developing throughout afternoon. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-THE LATEST.
ELECTION 2020 — President Trump’s return to the White House will change the dynamics of the campaign in the final weeks as aides debate the wisdom of sending an infected president out on the campaign trail. By Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos. With: ELECTION 2020-OHIO — Democrat Joe Biden is expanding his ad buys into every corner of Ohio as early voting begins Tuesday. By Julie Carr Smyth and Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 450 words,
Find more coverage of Trump virus in AP Newsroom.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHY WORRY — Should people fear the coronavirus? Public health experts say 1 million worldwide deaths are among reasons to be concerned, if not fearful, and take everyday precautions despite much rosier advice from the still recovering Trump. UPCOMING: 600 words by 3 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE-WHITE HOUSE -- The Food and Drug Administration has laid out its safety standards for developers of COVID-19 vaccines after the White House blocked their formal release. The move Tuesday is the latest example of the tug-of-war between Trump officials and government scientists over the review and timeline for upcoming vaccines. Specifically, the FDA documents make clear that companies must provide at least two months of safety data from participants before seeking emergency approval from the agency. That requirement would almost certainly preclude the introduction of a vaccine by Election Day on Nov. 3. By Matthew Perrone and Zeke Miller. SENT: 770 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY — Top military leaders are under self-quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, was among those affected, U.S. officials said. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 250 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing with 500 words by 4 p.m.
ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA-VOTERS -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis extended the state’s voter registration deadline Tuesday after he said heavy traffic crashed the state’s online system and potentially prevented thousands of enrolling to cast ballots in next month’s presidential election. DeSantis extended the deadline that expired Monday until 7 p.m. Tuesday. In addition to online registration, DeSantis ordered elections, motor vehicle and tax collectors offices to stay open until that hour for anyone who wants to register in person. By Brendan Farrington, Bobby Caina Calvan and Terry Spencer. SENT: 600 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Hurricane Delta rapidly intensified into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. The worst of the immediate impact was expected along the resort-studded northeastern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where hurricane conditions were expected Tuesday night and landfall early Wednesday. By By Luis Andrés Henao and Gabriel Alcocer. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
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ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — Vice presidential debates rarely receive much attention. But that may be different this year as President Trump recovers from the coronavirus. By Steve Peoples. UPCOMING: 900 words by 6 p.m., photos. With: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-QUESTIONS: Five questions heading into the vice presidential debate. By Steve Peoples. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m.
ELECTION 2020-ELECTION SECURITY — Four weeks ahead of Election Day, senior national security officials provide fresh assurances about the integrity of the elections, putting them at odds with President Donald Trump’s efforts to discredit the vote. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photo.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN -- Election officials said that they scrapped their plans to use the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers’ stadiums as early voting sites in the presidential battleground state of Wisconsin. SENT: 620 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY - The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and other top military leaders are under quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus, two U.S. officials said. SENT: 200 words, photos, developing.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEDIA — Trump’s return to the White House to recover from the coronavirus seems certain to raise the already heightened anxiety level of the journalists assigned to follow him. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GYMS — There’s little evidence of Americans’ passion for fitness at thousands of small and independent gyms around the country — the coronavirus outbreak has devastated these small businesses and put some in danger of closing permanently. By Joyce M. Rosenberg. UPCOMING: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW CAREERS — Service workers in New Orleans who were laid off because of the coronavirus’s impact on the economy are earning a living again by helping others survive during the pandemic. SENT: 495 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — Hundreds of public and private schools in New York City neighborhoods seeing flare-ups of COVID-19 infections were closed amid mixed messages from the mayor about how best to halt the spread of the coronavirus in the affected neighborhoods. SENT: 190 words.
OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-ULTRA-ORTHODOX — Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews make up roughly 10% of the population, yet account for over one-third of the country’s coronavirus patients. Segments of the community refuse to comply with safety regulations and insist on maintaining a tight-knit way of life. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst to build a stronger Britain led by private enterprise, and took aim at “potshot, snipeshot” opponents who want to prolong government bailout programs forever. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SANCTIONS — China and 25 other nations call for the immediate lifting of sanctions by the United States and Western countries to ensure an effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 350 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-MASK-ETIQUETTE — How do I politely ask someone to wear a mask? SENT: 240 words, graphic.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-ST. LOUIS COUPLE — The St. Louis couple facing felony charges for pointing guns at racial injustice protesters will be back in court next week, and their attorney expects a grand jury decision by then on whether they’ll face indictment. SENT: 435 words,.
OKLAHOMA JAIL-BABY SHARK SONG — Two former Oklahoma jail employees and their supervisor face misdemeanor charges after investigators found they played the children’s song “Baby Shark” on repeat to punish inmates. SENT: 235 words.
CENSUS TAKER-THREATENED — A Florida man was arrested for using an assault-style weapon to threaten a census taker who had come to his house for the nationwide count of every U.S. resident. SENT: 315 words, photo.
STUDENT ARRESTED-MASK — The lawyer for the family of a 16-year-old boy who was arrested last month after refusing to wear a mask at a Florida high school called the incident “government abuse” of a teen suffering from panic attacks. SENT: 435 words.
MASK ARGUMENT-DEATH — A New York man who confronted another patron at a bar for not wearing a mask and was shoved to the ground has died. SENT: 125 words.
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GERMANY-RUSSIA NAVALNY — The global chemical watchdog group has confirmed Germany and other countries’ findings that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was the victim of an attack with a Soviet-era nerve agent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said. SENT: 760 words, photos.
KYRGYZSTAN-PROTESTS --Officials in Kyrgyzstan nullified the results of a weekend parliamentary election after mass protests erupted in the capital of Bishkek and other cities, with opposition supporters seizing government buildings overnight and demanding a new vote. SENT: 525 words, photos.
CHINA VIEWS-POLL — Negative perceptions of China have increased sharply in many of the world’s advanced countries, especially in Australia and Britain, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. SENT: 645 words, photos.
EASTER-ISLAND-SIX-MONTHS-STRANDED — About 25 residents from remote Easter Island who have been stranded far from their loved ones for more than six months because of the coronavirus will finally be able to return home this week on a French military plane. SENT: 480 words, photo.
MALI HOSTAGES FREED — Islamic extremists have freed prominent Malian politician Soumaila Cisse after holding him hostage for more than six months, as well as a French aid worker who was kidnapped in 2016, a Malian official said. SENT: 385 words, photos.
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US ATTORNEYS DEMOGRAPHICS — The nation’s top federal prosecutors have become less diverse under President Donald Trump than under his three predecessors. White men are overwhelmingly in charge of federal law enforcement amid a national paroxysm over racial inequality and criminal justice. SENT: 1,670 words, photos. An abridged version of 970 words is also available.
POLICE SHOOTING-TEXAS — A white police officer has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Black man following a reported disturbance at a convenience store in a small East Texas town over the weekend, authorities said. Jonathan Price was walking away from Wolfe City Police Officer Shaun Lucas when Lucas opened fire Saturday night, killing Price, the Texas Rangers said. SENT: 400 words.
MACARTHUR FELLOWS -- An activist speaking out about inadequate waste and water sanitation in rural America, an author of young adult and children’s literature reflecting the world’s diversity, and a neuroscientist who used mathematics to study the brain’s development are among the 21 recipients of this year’s “genius grants.” SENT: 880 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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NOBEL-PHYSICS — Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics for advancing our understanding of black holes, the all-consuming monsters that lurk in the darkest parts of the universe and still confound astronomers. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS —Stocks were drifting in afternoon trading on Wall Street, as the market’s momentum slows following the S&P 500’s best day in more than three weeks and another rocky stretch of trading. SENT: 770 words, photos. WITH: TRADE GAP — The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to the highest level in 14 years. SENT: 295 words.
FEDERAL RESERVE — Strong financial support from the government and the Federal Reserve have spurred a solid recovery from the pandemic recession, but the rebound may falter without further aid, Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned. SENT: 695 words , photos.
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FILM-TIME — Garrett Bradley’s acclaimed documentary “Time” measures the pain of incarceration by a father’s absence. With home-video footage, “Time” spans nearly two decades, lending a powerfully intimate portrait of the toll of mass incarceration. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos, video by 3 p.m.
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BKN-NBA FINALS — It’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers looking for a 3-1 lead and the Miami Heat aiming to tie up the title series. Game begins 9:10 p.m. EST. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 11:45 p.m.
ALDS-ASTROS ATHLETICS — Lance McCullers Jr. starts for the Houston Astros against Chris Bassitt and the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the AL Division Series at Dodger Stadium. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Begins 4:07 p.m.
HKN-NHL DRAFT — The New York Rangers have the first pick in the NHL draft with an opportunity to add projected top prospect, Quebec forward Alexis Lafreniere, to a young roster. The Los Angeles Kings pick second, followed by the Ottawa Senators. By Hockey Writer John Wawrow. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Draft begins at 7 p.m.
BKL-WNBA FINALS — Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm are one victory away from winning a fourth WNBA championship. The Las Vegas Aces will look to avoid being swept. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 10 p.m.
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