AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 7 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.
———————————
ONLY ON AP
———————————-
VENEZUELA-SANCTIONS EVASION — One of Asia’s biggest asphalt companies is helping Venezuela skirt harsh U.S. sanctions by moving hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of the state-run oil company PDVSA, according to an Associated Press investigation. Internal documents obtained by the AP show that Thailand’s Tipco Asphalt has been making payments to dozens of third parties at PDVSA’s instructions in exchange for cheap oil. By Joshua Goodman. SENT: 3,600 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,045 words is also available.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UKRAINE — Coronavirus infections in Ukraine began surging in late summer, and the ripples are hitting towns like Stebnyk in the western part of the country. The chief doctor at the only hospital in the town of 20,000 people is watching the rise with alarm and anguish. The hospital is supposed to hold 100 patients but is treating 106 patients with COVID-19. Ukraine imposed a tight lockdown in March, slowing the number of cases, but they started rising again and the government closed the borders at the end of August. By Mstyslav Chernov and Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 920 words, photos.
----------------——-
-----------------——
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-BIDEN DEBATE - President Donald Trump rejects a virtual debate with Democrat Joe Biden, then counters with a proposal to delay it – giving him time to address debate organizers’ concerns over his bout with COVID-19 and shift focus away from a virus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans. It’s also recognition that time is running out for opportunities to address millions of voters before Election Day. By Zeke Miller and Will Weissert. SENT: 900 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 980 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. With ELECTION 2020-THE LATEST, sent, developing.
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT — Michigan’s attorney general has charged seven people with plotting to target law enforcement and attack the state Capitol building. The announcement came soon after six others were charged in federal court with plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home. By Ed White. SENT: 375 words, photo, developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — President Trump says he’s ready to hold campaign rallies and he credited an experimental drug treatment with helping his recovery from COVID-19, although there is no way for the president or his doctors to know whether the drug had any effect. By Aamer Madhani, Jill Colvin and Matthew Perrone. SENT: 1021 words. UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ANTIBODY DRUGS — They’re not cures and it’s not likely that everyone will be able to get them as President Trump has suggested. But experimental antibody drugs like the one Trump was given are among the most promising therapies being tested for treating and preventing coronavirus infections. By Marilynn Marchione and Matthew Perrone. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DISBELIEVING -- Doctors and nurses treating those sick and dying from the coronavirus say the politics of the crisis are complicating treatment efforts. In Springfield, Missouri, the families of some of those hospitalized with the virus don’t believe it is real. At a Wisconsin hospital, some refuse to be tested. In Georgia, hospital visitors try to get in with fishnet masks. By Heather Hollingsworth. SENT: 1,065 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING INDECISION — For many voters the hardest decision this election isn’t who to vote for but how to cast their ballots. Expanded mail-in and early vote options, worries about security and postal delivery and misinformation spread by the president are causing confusion that election officials worry may create new problems. By Nicholas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 900 words by 3 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to a still-high 840,000, evidence that job cuts remain elevated seven months into the pandemic recession. The latest sign of a flagging recovery comes two days after President Trump cut off talks over a new rescue aid package that economists say is urgently needed for millions of unemployed Americans and struggling businesses. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 665 words, photos.
-------------------------------------------—
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
—————————————————————-
ODD-GERMANY CRAB INVADER — Police in southern Germany say a woman got a shock while airing out her home when a 10-inch Chinese mitten crab scurried in from the terrace through the open door. SENT: 135 words, photo.
FAKED DEATH — A West Virginia woman who conspired to fake her death has pleaded guilty to a federal charge, authorities said. SENT: 190 words.
ELECTION 2020-DETROIT ROBOCALLS — A Detroit judge has set bond at $100,000 for two conservative political activists who are accused of using false robocalls to dissuade Black residents in Detroit and other Democratic-leaning U.S. cities from voting by mail. SENT: 260 words, photo.
MISSING MAN ARRESTS-KENTUCKY — Two years after an Kentucky man was reported missing, his former wife and a former sheriff’s deputy have been charged with murder. SENT: 125 words.
------------------------------------------------
MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
------------------------------------------------
VIRUS OUTBREAK — A surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin and the Dakotas is forcing a scramble for hospital beds and raising political tensions, as the Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as one of the nation’s most troubling hotspots. The three states now lead all others in new cases per capita, after months in which many residents and politicians shunned mask requirements while downplaying the risks of the disease. It is increasingly apparent that those choices have come with costs. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDIA — Medical experts at news organizations have been asked to assess Trump’s condition before millions of people without being able to examine him or see a complete medical chart. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL — Brazil has surpassed 5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and is verging on 150,000 dead. However, Brazilians are burned out on quarantine. The somewhat slower pace of COVID-19′s spread, combined with less media coverage after it moved beyond Brazil’s two biggest cities, has helped people put the disease out of mind. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — The British government is mulling fresh restrictions on everyday life in England amid mounting fears that hospitals in some parts of the country may soon be overwhelmed by growing numbers of patients laid low by the coronavirus. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ISRAEL — The Israeli government extends an emergency provision that bars public gatherings, including widespread protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for an additional week. SENT: 400 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GERMANY — Germany is seeing a sharp jump in new coronavirus infections, a development that is raising fears the pandemic is picking up pace in a country that so far has coped better than many of its European neighbors. SENT: 475 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE — France’s health authorities have ordered Paris hospitals to activate emergency measures to cope with fast-rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-YORK — Hundreds of businesses in New York City neighborhoods where COVID-19 cases have spiked were closed Thursday as city and state officials moved to quash a coronavirus uptick before it spread more widely. SENT: 250 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP CHIEF-WEDDING — An Atlanta newspaper is reporting that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows hosted a large wedding for his daughter that appeared to violate a Georgia order and city of Atlanta guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. SENT: 450 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK DIARY-THE TREES — When the virus was raging in New York City, one writer found solace on the arm of a flowering tree. She feared for her family, her community and herself and thought of the thousands hooked to ventilators when the pandemic was at its worst. As the city recovered she observed the trees as they moved through the seasons. Now in fall, she hopes the city may hold the virus steady and reminds herself and others to take heart, be generous, be kind and hug a tree. SENT: 650 words, photo.
ONE GOOD THING-TUTU GIRLS — Four young cancer survivors who met while in treatment in Florida didn’t let the pandemic keep them from their annual reunion. Known as the tutu girls for their matching outfits, the 6- and 7-year-olds held their meetup on Zoom instead. SENT: 630 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-IMMUNITY -- Am I immune to the coronavirus if I’ve already had it? You have some immunity, but how much and for how long are big unanswered questions. SENT: 290 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
—————————————————
—————————————————
2020 ELECTION UNREST — Law enforcement officials are bracing for the possibility of massive unrest at the polls on Election Day, running drills, setting up command centers and warning the public ahead of Nov. 3. UPCOMING: 1,000 words by 2:30 p.m., photos.
UNITED STATES-IRAN — The Trump administration is poised to announce that it will blacklist Iran’s entire financial sector, dealing another blow to an economy that is already reeling under U.S. sanctions. The move could deepen tensions with European nations over Iran. SENT: 542 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 750 words by 5 p.m., photo.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — U.S. military officials were struggling to decipher President Trump’s assertion that all U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, with U.S. officials saying they are not aware of such a plan and have gotten no actual order to accelerate the more gradual pullout they’ve been doing. UPCOMING: 790 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP WISCONSIN — President Trump’s once-comfortable advantage in the pivotal region of Wisconsin around the blue-collar hub of Green Bay has dwindled. In suburban Milwaukee, long a Republican-dominated area, it has thinned as well. By Thomas Beaumont. SENT: 960 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-ARIZONA — Arizona was known just a decade ago as the epicenter of the Republican push against illegal immigration. But it’s now the nation’s newest political battleground thanks to the confluence of demographic and political changes. By Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 808 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN-ABSENTEE — A federal appeals court has blocked a decision to extend by six days the deadline for counting absentee ballots in Wisconsin. Democrats will almost certainly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. SENT: 330 words.
ELECTION 2020-FLORIDA-VOTERS — A federal judge is weighing whether to extend Florida’s voter registration deadline after a computer meltdown that could prevent thousands of potential voters from taking part in November’s presidential election. SENT: 640 words, photo.
———————-
———————-
TROPICAL-WEATHER —Louisiana residents still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH: TROPICAL-WEATHER-THE-LATEST.
POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN MALL — Residents of a Milwaukee suburb where protests turned violent after a Black police officer was cleared in the fatal shooting of a Black teenager outside a shopping mall are cleaning up debris from overnight damage to businesses. On Wednesday night, about 100 protesters confronted police officers wearing tactical gear and carrying shields. SENT: 980 words, photos.
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL-HOLOCAUST — A Florida high school principal who was fired last year after telling a student’s mother “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened” was rehired after a recommendation by an administrative law judge. SENT: 490 words.
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
PAKISTAN-FRANCE-ASSAILANT — Ali Hassan was only 15 when he left Pakistan to be smuggled to Europe, following the path of his older brother and many other young men from his home country dreaming of a better life. Nearly three years later, Hassan is today in a Paris jail after allegedly attacking and seriously wounding two people with a meat cleaver. Before the Sept. 25 attack, he proclaimed in a video he was seeking vengeance after the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo published caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.
GREECE-GOLDEN DAWN — A Greek court adjourned the sentencing procedure for 18 former lawmakers of the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party and others convicted in the case, a day after the three-member panel of judges delivered a landmark verdict deeming the party a criminal organization. SENT: 600 words, photos.
NKOREA-MILITARY PARADE — Speculation is rampant North Korea will hold a massive military parade and unveil powerful new missiles this weekend to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its ruling party’s founding. SENT: 930 words, photos.
REL-VATICAN SCANDAL — Pope Francis has told European anti-money laundering experts that the Vatican was committed to “clean finance” amid a spiraling corruption investigation within the heart of the Holy See. SENT: 560 words, photos.
—————————————-
HEALTH & SCIENCE
—————————————-
WHALES OF NEW YORK — If you’re young and hungry, the place to go is New York City — even if you weigh 25 tons and have a blowhole. Whale watch captains and scientists around America’s most populous city say recent years have seen a tremendous surge in the number of whales observed in the waters around the Big Apple. SENT: 660 words, photos, video.
CLIMATE CHANGE-WOLVERINE — U.S. wildlife officials are withdrawing proposed protections for the snow-loving wolverine. The move comes after government biologists determined the rare and elusive predator is not as threatened by climate change as once thought. SENT: 450 words, photos.
——————————————-
——————————————
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks are mostly rising on Wall Street as hope remains that Washington can approve more aid for the economy and after a report suggested the pace of layoffs is slowing a bit, though it remains incredibly high. SENT: 800 words, photos, developing.
————————————-
————————————-
NOBEL-LITERATURE — American poet Louise Glück won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her “candid and uncompromising” work, which looks unflinchingly and with biting humor at loss and trauma, especially in family life. SENT: 800 words, photos.
MUSIC-STEVIE NICKS — Rock icon Stevie Nicks on her new concert film, new single and the pandemic preventing her from touring. By Music Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 800 words, photos.
PEOPLE HENSON-MENTAL HEALTH — “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson has enjoyed wealth, celebrity, a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination. But behind the scenes, she’s battled anxiety and depression. On Thursday, the 50-year-old actress and filmmaker — who has spoken publicly and powerfully about her private struggles — was honored by the Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation for her work to end the stigma around mental illness. SENT: 430 words, photo.
———————
———————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NFL — The Tennessee Titans have had another new positive test result Thursday, raising their outbreak to 23 cases. Also, an inconclusive positive from Wednesday now is positive. The Titans’ facility remains closed and the team remains prohibited from any in-person activities, putting Sunday’s game with Buffalo (4-0) at risk of at least being postponed. The Patriots also missed a second straight practice Thursday with two starters now on the reserve/COVID-19 list. SENT: 465 words, photos, developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-STRUGGLING OFFICIALS — College football officials are finding the pandemic is making their their jobs even harder than usual. They had fewer opportunities to hone their craft at game speed in the offseason, and the strategy of assigning officials to games within driving have disrupted continuity of crews. 900 words, photos.
--------------------------
HOW TO REACH US
--------------------------
At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Phil Holm (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.