AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 4 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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ELECTION 2020 — During a season of pandemic, social unrest and joblessness, Joe Biden has consistently held a national lead against President Donald Trump, but the race remains far closer in the battleground states that will decide the election. That leaves Trump with an uphill, though feasible, path to reelection that requires him to energize his most loyal supporters – and attract some new ones – to claim the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House again. By Steve Peoples, Kathleen Hennessey and Jill Colvin. UPCOMING: 1500 words by 4 p.m. An abridged version will be available.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP FUNDRAISING — President Donald Trump’s campaign is putting out the word that he is weighing spending as much as $100 million of his own fortune on his reelection effort as campaign officials try to buck up key supporters and donors amid a deluge of daunting poll numbers and bad news. By Aamer Madhani and Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 790 words by 3:30 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES — Helicopters rescued more people from wildfires as flames chewed through bone-dry California after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people and ended with the state’s largest utility turning off power to 172,000 customers to try to prevent more blazes. California has already set a record with 2 million acres burned this year, and the worst part of the wildfire season is just beginning. By Marcio Jose Sanchez and Christopher Weber. SENT: 880 words, photos.
MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-PLEDGE — The top executives of nine drugmakers likely to produce the first vaccines against the new coronavirus signed an unprecedented pledge meant to boost public confidence in any approved vaccines. The companies say they will stick to the highest ethical and scientific standards in testing and manufacturing and will make the well-being of those getting vaccinated their top priority. The announcement comes amid worries that President Donald Trump will pressure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it’s proven to be safe and effective. SENT: 530 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom and below.
MYANMAR-ROHINGYA — Two soldiers who deserted from Myanmar’s army have testified on video that they were instructed by commanding officers to “shoot all that you see and that you hear” in villages where minority Rohingya Muslims lived, a human rights group says. The comments appear to be the first public confession by soldiers of involvement in army-directed massacres, rape and other crimes against Rohingya in the Buddhist-majority country. By Grant Peck. SENT: 800 words, photo.
REL-RACIAL INJUSTICE-GENESIS BE — Rapper Genesis Be recalls the first time that she saw the Confederate flag. She was 5 and her father took her to a Ku Klux Klan rally so she could see up close the people that hated them just for being Black. She saw the flag many times growing up in Mississippi. Until she had enough. In 2016, she draped herself in a Confederate battle flag and hung a noose around her neck during a performance . Her protest caused a backlash. But it also helped ignite a nationwide conversation around symbols of racism that eventually led to her home state rejecting its flag. By Luis Andres Henao and Emily Leshner. SENT: 1,000 words, photo, video.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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AUSTRALIA-SHARK ATTACK — A shark fatally mauled a surfer in Australia in a rare attack off a beach protected by shark netting. SENT: 270 words, photo.
MARIJUANA KILLINGS-CALIFORNIA — 7 fatally shot at illegal California marijuana growing site. SENT: 150 words.
TIKTOK-SUICIDE-VIDEO — TikTok scrambles to remove suicide video clips, ban users. SENT: 470 words, photo.
ENDANGERED GORILLA BABY — A critically endangered gorilla baby has been born at New Orleans zoo. SENT: 240 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-ARTS — Andrew Lloyd Webber warns arts ‘at point of no return.’ SENT: 220 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-OBESITY — Obesity seems to put people at higher risk for getting very sick if they’re infected with the coronavirus, and doctors are trying to figure out why. Excess weight already increases the likelihood of chronic health problems like diabetes that can make it more likely to get severely ill from the new coronavirus. But there’s evidence that obesity itself raises the risk of getting very sick. SENT: 740 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CENSUS-TRIBES — Millions of federal dollars for impoverished Native American communities are on the line in the U.S. census, and tribes are racing to avoid being undercounted again. There have long been challenges counting people on far-flung Native lands amid language barriers and distrust of the federal government. But the pandemic has dealt a devastating new setback. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — As millions of American youngsters start the school year with online classes at home because of the coronavirus, they are running into technical glitches and other headaches that have thrust many a harried parent into the role of teacher’s aide and tech support person. SENT: 670 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN-EDUCATION — The highly anticipated return to classrooms in Spain is becoming a nightmare for many families who face being charged with absenteeism if they don’t send their children to schools because they fear coronavirus contagion. By Sara Puig. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA-TOURISM — Africa’s tourism sector is struggling to cope with the drop in international travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates the drop in travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will see Africa lose between $53 billion and $120 billion in contributions to its GDP in 2020. By Gerald Imray. SENT: 855 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GAZA-HEALTH WORKERS — Dozens of health-care workers in the Gaza Strip have been infected by the coronavirus during an outbreak that was first detected last month. The infections have further strained an already overburdened medical system gutted by years of strife with Israel and intra-Palestinian feuding. By Fares Akram. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SCARCE-CANNING-SUPPLIES — It’s the time of year when gardeners are turning their ripe tomatoes into sauces and salsas and cucumbers into pickles but a boom in gardening and preparing food at home during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a scarcity of certain supplies with which to preserve them. SENT: 530 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-MIDNIGHT-INTERLUDE — One writer crossed the border between Taiwan and China with a cold, a risky undertaking at a time of pandemic. Health authorities in the Taiwan airport acted quickly, sending her to a centralized quarantine location an hour outside of Taipei to be kept under observation. She experienced the seriousness with which the Taiwanese government treats the coronavirus, which is also behind the success of the island’s fight against the pandemic. By Huizhong Wu. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-HAND SANITIZER — When picking a hand sanitizer, opt for one that contains mostly alcohol and has few other ingredients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hand sanitizers should be at least 60% alcohol. Health officials also say to watch out for hand sanitizers packaged in food and drink containers, since accidentally ingesting them could be dangerous. SENT: 230 words, photo.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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TRUMP — President Donald Trump tries to claim the mantle of environmental steward as he travels to Florida to highlight conservation and restoration projects in the critical battleground state. But his administration has eliminated or weakened dozens of rules that protect the nation’s air and water quality and lands essential for imperiled species. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 410 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing from 3 p.m. event, 790 words by 4 p.m., photos, video.
CONGRESS RETURNS — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, under pressure from GOP senators in tough reelection races, sets up a vote on a trimmed-down –and doomed -- Republican coronavirus relief package with far less aid than Democrats are demanding. It’s what passes for action in Congress as bipartisan talks on a fifth rescue package remain stalled. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 960 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m.
TRUMP-POSTMASTER GENERAL — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faces increased scrutiny as House Democrats investigate allegations that he encouraged employees at his former business to contribute to Republican candidates and then reimbursed them in the guise of bonuses, a violation of campaign finance laws. DeJoy was already under fire amid allegations that the operational changes he made since taking the postal job in June have delayed mail and sparked concern over the agency’s ability to process a flood of mail-in ballots expected this fall. By Matthew Daly. SENT: 400 words, photo. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m.
ELECTION 2020-SUPREME COURT JUSTICES — President Donald Trump is preparing to release a list of potential Supreme Court nominees to give voters something to compare to rival Joe Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court if given the chance. By Jessica Gresko. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 4 p.m.
ELECTION-2020-DOUBLE-VOTING-GEORGIA — Georgia’s top elections official says his office has identified about 1,000 cases of double voting in the June primary election -- a felony he’s determined to see prosecuted. SENT: 960 words, photo.
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PORTLAND-PROTESTS — Pro-Trump supporters and counter-protesters clashed at Oregon’s Capitol. The right-wing crowd rushed a smaller group of Black Lives Matters counter-demonstrators, firing paint-gun pellets at them. There were skirmishes, and the Black Lives Matter group dispersed shortly after local police arrived on the scene. Earlier Monday, hundreds of people gathered in a small town south of Portland for a pro-Trump vehicle rally. By Andrew Selsky. SENT: 510 words, photos.
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BELARUS-PROTESTS — A leading opposition activist in Belarus was held on the border with Ukraine after she resisted an attempt by authorities to deport her as part of government efforts to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 910 words, photos.
BREXIT — The U.K. indicated that it was prepared to break an international agreement as post-Brexit trade discussions with the European Union resumed on an increasingly acrimonious tone. With concerns mounting that the talks could be just weeks from collapse, the U.K. urged the EU to show “more realism” in the discussions, while the 27-nation bloc noted that it was a “world power” that would stand its ground and not yield to threats. SENT: 740 words, photos.
SOUTH AFRICA-TRUMP-MANDELA — The report that U.S. President Donald Trump made crude, disparaging remarks about Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning former leader, has drawn an angry response from South Africa’s ruling party and others. SENT: 490 words, photo.
AUSTRALIA-CHINA-JOURNALISTS — The last two journalists working for Australian media in China have left the country after police demanded interviews with them and temporarily blocked their departures, marking a further twist in China’s increasingly troubled relationship with the foreign media. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
CHINA-INDIA-DISPUTED-BORDER — India and China are accusing each other of making provocative military moves and firing warning shots along their disputed border despite talks on ending the escalating tensions. SENT: 680 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Big tech stocks are continuing their Icarus-like flight path, and more sharp declines for them are dragging Wall Street toward a third straight loss. SENT: 830 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
HOME NETWORKS-SECURITY — Home digital security is about much more than just antivirus programs on the home computers you may rely on for remote work and online school. The average U.S. home has about a dozen connected devices, many vulnerable to hacking. If you don’t want cyber cat burglars using them to traipse into your home network and loot your data you probably want to pay for a network-protection service. By Frank Bajak. SENT: 800 words, photo
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TOKYO-FUTURE — The International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers are trying to convince the public that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will take place next year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. By Stephen Wade. SENT: 420 words, photos.
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