AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 7 months AGO
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-PERU’S-TESTING-TROUBLES -- In the early days of the pandemic, the harried health officials of Peru faced a quandary. They knew molecular tests for COVID-19 were the best option – yet they didn’t have the labs, supplies, or technicians to make them work. So they opted to go with a cheaper alternative: Antibody tests, mostly from China, that aren’t designed to diagnose cases at all. The result, according to interviews with ex-health officials and epidemiologists, is that the nation was never able to quickly identify and isolate cases. What’s more, a number of the tests imported have since been pulled from the market in other nations after being found faulty. By Christine Armario. SENT: 3,690 words, photos. An abridged version is planned.
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ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — As the coronavirus sweeps through the highest levels of U.S. government, Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, face off Wednesday night for a debate-stage clash that will highlight conflicting visions for a nation in crisis. By Steve Peoples and Kathleen Ronayne. SENT: 1090 words. UPCOMING: 1100 words by 9 p.m., with updates from 9 p.m. EDT debate, photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-5 THINGS, ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-VIEWERS GUIDE, ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-QUESTIONS, all sent. ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-THE LATEST, ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-TAKEAWAYS, ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-FACT CHECK, all developing.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — President Donald Trump remains out of sight for a second day as he recovers from COVID-19, but makes his presence known in a big way on social media with a flurry of posts lobbing broadsides at Democrats, floating unsubstantiated conspiracy theories and pushing lawmakers to take up piecemeal economic aid proposals after he nixed negotiations on a broader assistance package. By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1100 words. UPCOMING: 990 words by 4 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage of Trump and the virus in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TRUMP-STIMULUS — The White House tries to salvage its favorite items lost in the rubble of COVID-19 relief talks that President Donald Trump blew up – and limit the political damage just weeks before the election – as it presses for $1,200 stimulus checks and new aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 830 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m., photos.
TRUMP WALL STREET-LITTLE INVESTED — For a president who has obsessively tweeted about Wall Street and taken credit for its gains, Donald Trump doesn’t have much of his own money in the game. Newly reported tax documents show he dumped more than $200 million in stocks and bonds in the three years leading up to his inauguration, with smaller sales after he took office. That’s left him with a relatively modest stock portfolio ranging from as little as $693,000 to up to $2.2 million. Even the top end is less than one-tenth of 1% of his estimated fortune. By Bernard Condon. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 4 p.m.
FORT HOOD-VIOLENCE — Current and former soldiers at Fort Hood, a U.S. Army base in Texas, have taken to social media to report accounts of sexual assault and harassment following the disappearance and slaying this year of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose family members say was harassed by the officer who eventually killed her. Many victims have become connected by sharing their experiences using the hashtag #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN. By Acacia Coronado. UPCOMING: 1,135 words, photos.
TROPICAL-WEATHER —Hurricane Delta made landfall just south of the Mexican resort of Cancun, downing trees and knocking out power along the northeastern coast of Yucatan Peninsula, but without immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said satellite imagery, radar data from Cuba and surface observations in Mexico indicate that the center of the Category 2 storm came ashore around 5:30 a.m. local time, sustaining top winds of 110 mph. By Luis Andres Henao. SENT: 945 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-EXTREME POVERTY — Up to 150 million people could slip into extreme poverty, living on less than $1.90 a day, by late next year depending on how badly economies shrink during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank said in an outlook grimmer than before. SENT: 630 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WISCONSIN — Wisconsin’s governor has announced the opening of a field hospital at the state fairgrounds as a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals. According to the state Department of Health Services, only 16% of the state’s 11,452 hospital beds are available as of Tuesday afternoon. SENT: 455 words.
ELECTION 2020-SENATE-TILLIS --North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says he made a mistake by taking off his face mask indoors last month at a White House event. He and many attendees later tested positive for COVID-19. SENT: 380 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HAWAII TRAVEL TESTING — Starting October 15, Hawaii will welcome visitors who test negative for the coronavirus within 72 hours of their departure. The pre-travel testing program marks the loosening of months of economically crippling virus restrictions, among them a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving travelers and two separate lockdown orders for locals. The new plan was postponed when infection rates soared over the summer. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — A New York City neighborhood erupted in protests after Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved to reinstate restrictions on businesses, houses of worship and schools in and near areas where coronavirus cases are spiking. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BOSTON SCHOOLS — The next phase of the Boston Public Schools reopening plan was delayed Wednesday because the city’s coronavirus positivity rate has climbed higher than 4%, Mayor Marty Walsh said. SENT: 415 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Iranian state TV said the country has hit its highest number of daily deaths from the coronavirus, with 239 new fatalities reported. The latest death toll brought the total number of fatalities to 27,658. SENT: 330 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY MASKS — Italy was expected to order a nationwide outdoor mask mandate with fines of up to 1,000 euros ($1,163) for violators. SENT: 580 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SRI LANKA — Authorities in Sri Lanka widen a curfew and warned of legal action against those evading treatment for COVID-19 after reporting an escalating cluster centered around a garment factory in the capital’s suburbs. SENT: 400 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — Australia considered a rollout of a coronavirus vaccine no sooner than mid-2021 a best-case scenario in its pandemic planning that would save the economy tens of billions of dollars, the treasurer says. SENT: 460 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche says that problems at a U.K. warehouse are delaying shipments of testing products to clinics and hospitals, triggering concerns that COVID-19 testing may be disrupted as infection rates rise around Britain. SENT: 300 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BELGIUM-CIRCUS-SCHOOL-PHOTO-GALLERY — Circus school in full swing again, despite COVID. SENT: 330 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-SUPERSPREADER EVENTS -- What do we know about superspreader events in the pandemic? We’re still learning, but it seems that much of the spread of the coronavirus has been caused by what disease trackers call superspreader events. SENT: 410 words, photos.
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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SCI-BOEING ASTRONAUT CHANGE — The commander of Boeing’s first astronaut flight has pulled himself off the crew. Chris Ferguson made the decision so he’s on Earth — and not the International Space Station — for his daughter’s wedding next year. SENT: 350 words, photos.
HONG KONG-STOLEN MAO SCROLL -- Hong Kong police say a calligraphy scroll by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong estimated to be worth millions of dollars was cut in half after it was stolen last month. SENT: 295 words, photo.
MASK ARGUMENT DEATH — A New York bar patron accused of shoving an 80-year-old during a confrontation about the need to wear a mask pleads not guilty to criminally negligent homicide. SENT: 335 words.
ANTI-KLAN RALLY SHOOTINGS — A city council in North Carolina has approved a resolution which apologizes for the shooting deaths of five demonstrators at a 1979 rally against the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party. SENT: 330 words.
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TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — President Trump is ordering the declassification of information about how the FBI and intelligence agencies investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, a move his critics say is a political stunt to help him defeat Democrat Joe Biden in this year’s election. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICANS _Vulnerable Republicans candidates are taking careful but clear, steps to distance themselves from President Trump, the latest sign of GOP anxiety that Trump’s crisis-to-crisis reelection bid is dragging down congressional candidates across the country. UPCOMING: 850 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-PELOSI-DISPUTED ELECTION — A single House race in Montana could determine the results of the presidential election. Or in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan or even Alaska. They are all districts where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set out to not only expand the House majority but to win control of the states’ congressional delegations. It’s an unusual strategy in case a disputed presidential election needs to be decided by the House. UPCOMING: 990 words by 3 p.m., photos.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT-ISLAMIC STATE — Two Islamic State militants from Britain are brought to the United States to face charges in a gruesome campaign of torture, beheadings and other acts of violence against four American hostages in Syria and other captives, the Justice Department said. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 900 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 950 words by 5 p.m., photos.
SUPREME COURT-GOOGLE-ORACLE — Supreme Court justices discuss restaurant menus, computer keyboards, songs and even the periodic table in trying to resolve a copyright dispute between tech giants Google and Oracle. The dispute is worth billions and important to the future of software. SENT: 400 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing from arguments, 600 words by 4 p.m., photos.
TRUMP TAXES — President Trump’s accountant must turn over his tax records to a New York state prosecutor, an appeals court ruled in a decision that likely sets up a second trip to the U.S. Supreme Court over the issue. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said in a written decision that a stay of a lower-court decision will remain in effect so Trump’s lawyers can appeal the ruling to the high court. SENT: 575 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TEXAS MAIL VOTING — The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that 2 million Houston voters can’t receive unsolicited mail ballot applications from local elections officials for November’s election. The Texas Supreme Court decision Wednesday is the latest defeat in a string of losses for Democrats whose efforts to change Texas voting laws during the coronavirus pandemic have largely failed. SENT: 625 words, photos.
VOTING MACHINES-GEORGIA — With the start of early voting less than a week away and a software update being installed to address a glitch in Georgia’s voting machines, a federal judge was still considering a request by voting integrity activists to sideline the new touchscreen voting machines in favor of hand-marked paper ballots for the November general election. SENT: 800 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA VOTERS — Florida officials say there is no indication that a cyberattack crashed the state’s online voter registration system just before the enrollment deadline for casting ballots in next month’s presidential election. SENT: 305 words, photos.
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ISRAEL-SARA NETANYAHU — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife may have violated the country’s coronavirus lockdown by inviting a hairdresser into the official residence last week to prepare her for a public service video advocating the wearing of masks. SENT: 480 words, photos.
GREECE-GOLDEN-DAWN — A Greek court ruled that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organization, following a politically charged five-year trial against dozens of defendants, including former lawmakers of what had become Greece’s third largest party. SENT: 750 words, photos.
MALI HOSTAGES-FREED — Relatives and supporters anxiously awaited the return of a prominent Malian politician and a French aid worker released by Islamic extremists, after families were notified of their release. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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GEORGE FLOYD INVESTIGATION — The former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd posted bail and was released from prison. According to court documents, Derek Chauvin posted $1 million bond, and the Department of Corrections confirmed he was no longer in custody at the state’s facility in Oak Park Heights, where he had been detained. SENT: 170 words, developing.
REL-COPTIC-CHURCH-CLERICAL-ABUSE -- For years, Sally Zakhari says she has told priests and leaders in the Coptic Orthodox Church her childhood nightmare: how a Coptic priest abused her at her Florida home. She also told police. Zakhari went public with her allegations on social media in July and the church removed the priest from priesthood days later. For the ancient Coptic Church, which is usually closed about its inner workings, the unusually public sequence of events has been followed by some announcements of anti-abuse efforts — as well as questions about the handling of Zakhari’s allegations. SENT: 2,220 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,390 words is available.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-TOPEKA — A debate over policing is roiling the Kansas cradle of the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision against school segregation. Some advocates in Topeka see long-standing tensions between the police and the city’s 125,000 residents, particularly minorities. SENT: 865 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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NOBEL-CHEMISTRY — Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing “molecular scissors” to edit genes, offering the promise of one day curing a host of inherited diseases. Working on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Frenchwoman Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer A. Doudna developed a method known as CRISPR-cas9 that can be used to alter the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms. SENT: 995 words, photos. WITH: NOBEL-PEACE PRIZE-PREVIEW— The Norwegian Nobel committee will announce the winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. SENT: 775 words, photos.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK ANTIBODY-DRUG — A drug company says it has asked the U.S. government to allow emergency use of an experimental antibody therapy based on early results from a study that suggested the drug reduced symptoms, the amount of virus, hospitalizations and ER visits for patients with mild or moderate COVID-19. SENT: 285 words, photos.
TASMANIAN DEVILS — Tasmanian devils, the carnivorous marsupials whose feisty, frenzied eating habits won the animals cartoon fame, have returned to mainland Australia for the first time in some 3,000 years. “Seeing those devils released into a wild landscape — it’s a really emotional moment,” said Liz Gabriel, director of conservation group Aussie Ark, which led the release effort in partnership with other conservation groups. SENT: 640 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks were recovering on Wall Street after President Trump appeared to backtrack on his decision to halt talks on another rescue effort for the economy. SENT: 965 words, photos.
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FILM-THE 40-YEAR-OLD VERSION — Radha Blank wrote, directed and stars in her debut film, “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” a heavily autobiographical tale, shot in black-and-white and on 35mm, about a middle-aged playwright in Harlem struggling to fulfill her career’s earlier promise. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 900 words, photos.
TV-ADVANCING DIVERSITY — Four women of color working behind the camera in the entertainment industry discuss what’s helped and hindered their careers. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos.
MUSIC-LINDA RONSTADT -- Growing up close to U.S. border, Linda Ronstadt was exposed to the music of Mexico from an early age. It’s something that stuck with her even decades after establishing her professional career in the mid-1960s. In 1987, she recorded “Canciones de mi Padre,” her iconic Mariachi album. Now at 74, the 10-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has been recognized as a “Legend” at the 33rd annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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FBN-VIRUS OUTBREAK-NFL — Tennessee will not be returning to the team’s facility after two more players tested positive amid the NFL’s first COVID-19 outbreak, and the New England Patriots have canceled practice amid reports that a third player has tested positive for the coronavirus. By Teresa M. Walker. SENT: 830 words, photos.
ALDS-RAYS-YANKEES — Charlie Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays try for a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, who counter with Masahiro Tanaka in a matchup of playoff veterans. By Bernie Wilson. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts 7:10 p.m.
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