AP News Digest 2:20 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 2 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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CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES-POWER-SHUTOFFS — When Pacific Gas & Electric cut power to large swaths of wildfire-prone Northern California last fall, few of the emergency personnel managing the blackouts for the nation’s largest utility had learned the fundamentals of managing an emergency in their home state. Chaos ensued, but PG&E was more prepared this year. By Michael Liedtke and Justin Pritchard. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020 — President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden go on offense, each campaigning in states they’re trying to flip in the election that’s just over two weeks away. Trump is focusing on Nevada, which hasn’t swung for a Republican presidential contender since 2004. Biden is seeking support in North Carolina, where no Democrat running for the White House has prevailed since Barack Obama in 2008. By Jill Colvin, Will Weissert and Brian Slodysko. SENT: 450 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing; events scheduled to run past 7 p.m. EDT.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But the boom comes with a new challenge: keeping track of the results. All U.S. testing sites are legally required to report their results, positive and negative, to public health agencies. But state health officials say many rapid tests are going unreported, which means some new COVID-19 infections may not be counted. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 830 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-BLACK-OFFICERS-UNIONS — Police unions nationwide have largely supported President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism — but a number of Black law enforcement officers are speaking out against these endorsements, saying their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were ignored. By Claudia Lauer. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. This is the Monday Spotlight.
ELECTION 2020-ABORTION POLITICS — Some priests and pastors are making waves during this election year by telling their flocks that voting for Democrats who support abortion rights is an evil potentially deserving of eternal damnation. Their fierce, openly partisan rhetoric is attention-grabbing. But it remains the exception in America’s diverse religious landscape, even in this divisive campaign. By David Crary. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
2020-ELECTION-FACEBOOK-MISINFO-FIGHT — Ever since Russian agents and other opportunists abused its platform in an attempt to manipulate the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook has insisted — repeatedly — that it’s learned its lesson and is no longer a conduit for misinformation, voter suppression and election disruption. Is Facebook ready? Experts and even some of its own employees have their doubts. By Barbara Ortutay and David Klepper. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. With 2020-ELECTION-FACEBOOK-MISINFO-FIGHT-TIMELINE (sent)
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
AFGHANISTAN-ELUSIVE-PEACE — Unresolved grievances are plentiful in Afghanistan, a nation traumatized by four decades of war, and today they cast a long shadow on the intra-Afghan negotiations which are under way in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Washington, which signed a deal with the Taliban in February paving the way for the Doha talks, has championed the deal as Afghanistan’s best chance at a lasting peace, yet Afghans, who have seen the end of one war, marked by the start of another, are not so sure. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,090 words, photos. With AFGHANISTAN — Car bombing in western Afghanistan kills 13, wounds 120. SENT: 340 words, photos.
IRAN-ARMS EMBARGOES — A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets has expired as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States, which insists the ban remains in place. By Nasser Karimi. SENT: 890 words,.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RUSSIA — Popular bars and restaurants in Moscow’s city center are packed on a Friday night. No one except for the staff is wearing masks or bothers to keep their distance. There is little indication at all that Russia is being swept by a resurgence of coronavirus infections. The outbreak this month is breaking the records set in the spring, when a lockdown to slow the spread was put in place. But authorities in Russia are hesitant to shut down businesses again. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has loosened lockdown restrictions as new and active COVID-19 continue to decline. SENT: 580 words, photos.
FRANCE-VIRUS OUTBREAK — The streets of Paris and eight other French cities were deserted on the first day of the government-imposed 9 p.m. curfew that is scheduled to last for at least four weeks. SENT: 230 words, photos.
AIR-TRAVEL-TESTING-Q&A — Airlines are in trouble, and nowhere more than on international routes. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid tests of all passengers before they fly. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UGANDA-TAXI DIVAS — Uganda’s latest ride-hailing service, called Diva Taxi, is breaking the mold in the socially conservative country by hiring only female drivers. The pandemic has hit women especially hard, and many are looking for new opportunities. SENT: 790 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-ASTEROID-GRAB — After almost two years circling an ancient asteroid hundreds of millions of miles away, a NASA spacecraft this week will attempt to descend to the treacherous, boulder-packed surface and snatch a handful of rubble. SENT: 770 words, photos.
TITANIC-ARTIFACTS — Plan to retrieve Titanic radio spurs legal fight over human remains. SENT: 810 words, photos.
CRUISE SHIP RESCUE — Cruise ship rescues 24 people from boat off Florida coast. SENT: 140 words.
PAKISTAN-LANDSLIDE — Landslide in northern Pakistan buries bus; 16 killed. SENT: 240 words.
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ELECTION 2020-THE UNDECIDEDS — Four years ago, undecided voters’ late decisions to support Donald Trump helped push him to victory. While there are fewer on-the-fence voters this time around, a small but potentially significant group of people say they remain truly undecided less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 election. Some are still wrestling with what they see as a choice between two candidates they dislike for very different reasons. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-TRUMP — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Donald Trump is inciting “domestic terrorism” following “lock her up” chants at his rally in the state. SENT: 430 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-GOVERNOR-NORTH DAKOTA — North Dakota’s status as one of the hottest spots in the nation for the coronavirus has prompted some sharp questions about Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s stressing individual responsibility over mandates and enforcement actions. Even some supporters of Burgum would like to see a tougher approach. SENT: 810 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-NEVADA — Democrats have kept Nevada in their column in every presidential election since 2004. In the 2018 midterm election, Democrats delivered a “blue wave,” flipping a U.S. Senate seat and bolstering their dominance of the congressional delegation and Legislature. But this year, political strategists and organizers warn Nevada is still a swing state. And it could swing. SENT: 940 words, photos.
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TULSA MASSACRE-MASS GRAVES — A second excavation begins Monday at a cemetery in an effort to find and identify victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and shed light on violence that left hundreds dead and decimated an area that was once a cultural and economic mecca for African Americans. SENT: 700 words, photos.
ROCKIES-WILDFIRES — Nearly 3,000 people were forced to flee from a fast-moving fire in north-central Colorado and authorities believe some buildings were lost. SENT: 350 words.
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ISRAEL-BAHRAIN — A high-level delegation of American and Israeli officials landed in Bahrain on a mission to cement an agreement to establish formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the Gulf Arab state.. SENT: 790 words, photo.
FRANCE-TEACHER-DECAPITATED — France’s prime minister joined demonstrators who rallied across the country in tribute to a history teacher who was beheaded near Paris after discussing caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad with his class. SENT: 520 words, photos.
NEW ZEALAND-ELECTION — A day after winning a second term in a landside victory, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she sees the election result as an endorsement of her government’s efforts to stamp out the coronavirus and reboot the economy. SENT: 400 words, photos.
CYPRUS-TURKISH CYPRIOTS-ELECTION — A hardliner who favors even closer ties with Turkey and a tougher stance with rival Greek Cypriots in peace talks has defeated the leftist incumbent in the Turkish Cypriot leadership runoff. SENT: 660 words, photos.
BOLIVIA-ELECTIONS — Bolivians voted in a high-stakes presidential election meant to end a year of political turmoil — a vote that could bring a return of socialism at a time when it is struggling with a raging pandemic and protests over last year’s annulled ballot. SENT: 740 words, photos.
GUINEA-ELECTIONS — Guinean President Alpha Conde is seeking to extend his decade in power, facing off against his longtime rival Cellou Dalein Diallo for the third time at the polls. SENT: 650 words, photos.
THAILAND-PROTESTS — Thousands of mainly young Thais have gone back to the streets of Bangkok for a fifth straight day of protests demanding sweeping political change, with demonstrations also taking place at several other locations around the country. SENT: 850 words, photos.
BRITAIN-UAE-ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS — The chair of Britain’s Hay literary festival says the event will not return to Abu Dhabi after one of the festival’s curators alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the tolerance minister of the United Arab Emirates while working with him. SENT: 340 words, photo.
HONG-KONG-CLUB-71 — Hong Kong bar Club 71, known as a gathering place for pro-democracy activists and intellectuals, is closing. Owner Grace Ma blames government-mandated bar closures and coronavirus restrictions for its financial strain.SENT: 610 words, photos.
ROMANIA-HOLOCAUST-PLAY — The latest premiere at the Jewish State Theater in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, explores the horrors of the Holocaust via a survivor’s memories of the Auschwitz and Plaszow concentration camps. SENT: 470 words, photos.
JAPAN-SUGA — Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, left on his first overseas foray since taking over from his former boss Shinzo Abe last month, heading to Vietnam and Indonesia. SENT: 990 words, photos.
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BBN--NLCS — The Los Angeles Dodgers forced a Game 7 in the NL Championship Series by winning two in a row facing elimination. To get to their third World Series in four years, they have to beat the Braves one more time. Atlanta starts a rookie that hasn’t allowed a run this postseason. By AP Baseball Writer Stephen Hawkins. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Game starts 8:15 p.m. ET.
FBC-T25-COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL — Clemson easily held off Alabama to retain the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press college football poll, extending its longest run atop the poll to seven weeks. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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