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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WESTERN WILDFIRES — Choking smoke posing a health hazard to millions blanketed the West Coast states on Saturday as firefighters battled stubborn and deadly wildfires that obliterated some towns and displaced tens of thousands of people, the latest in a series of calamities this year. Crews were making progress but there is concern that the death toll could mount as they reach devastated areas. By Andrew Selsky and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 850 words, photos, video. Developing. With WILDFIRES-REBUILDING AMID FLAMES -- A California town is slowly rebuilding from wildfires even as new blazes threaten it. Most of the buildings in Paradise were destroyed in a 2018 wildfire. This week, smoke from a nearby fire darkened skies and prompted some residents to flee. By Adam Beam. SENT: 940 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-UKRAINE -- Heavily edited recordings of conversations between Joe Biden and Ukraine’s former leader represent a new front in foreign election interference. The audio was disclosed in May by a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker, and an Associated Press analysis shows how it’s been watched and shared millions of times since then. But while Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have taken steps to prevent foreign disinformation campaigns, their policies don’t prevent foreign troublemakers from launching an influence campaign built on material that wasn’t stolen and isn’t inherently false, even if the purpose is to mislead voters. By Amanda Seitz and Eric Tucker. SENT: 960 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP -- President Donald Trump is pushing to expand his electoral map as he makes a trip west this weekend. He’ll go on offense in Nevada, which hasn’t supported a Republican presidential candidate since 2004, and confront local authorities holding public events after his initial plans for rallies in Reno and Las Vegas were blocked for violating coronavirus health guidelines. By Jonathan Lemire and Scott Sonner. SENT: 970 words, photos. Will be updated from event in Nevada after 10 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-LEADERSHIP -- In times of crisis — wars, hurricanes, pandemics — effective leaders strike a balance between inspirational rhetoric and leveling with the public about the tough times ahead. Facing the coronavirus, Trump chose a different path, acknowledging that from early on he was intentionally “playing down” the threat from an outbreak that has gone on to kill more than 190,000 Americans. His rosy assessment spotlights the struggles he has faced in trying to steer the United States through the challenge of a pandemic even as he claims company with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill as capable crisis stewards. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Coronavirus infections in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation, fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic. The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings, South Dakota, as the city council considered requiring face coverings in businesses. By Stephen Groves and Dave Kolpack. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
ANTARCTICA-KEEPING-COVID-FREE — Antarctica remains the only continent without COVID-19. Now, as nearly 1,000 scientists and others who wintered over on the ice are seeing the sun for the first time in weeks or months, a global effort wants to make sure incoming colleagues don’t bring the virus with them. By Cara Anna and Nick Perry. SENT: 1,270 words, photos. This story moved as the Sunday spotlight.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom and below.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOMELESS WAITER --Jeff Lello suddenly found himself unemployed in Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic. Laid off from a restaurant, he soon couldn’t afford his apartment and became homeless. He ended up living in a tent. Advocates estimate 20 million Americans spend more than 30% of income on rent and are likely to experience homelessness. They predict numbers will rise during the pandemic. SENT: 1,005 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VACCINE -- Oxford University said it was resuming a trial for a coronavirus vaccine it is developing with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, a move that comes days after the study was suspended following a reported side-effect in a U.K. patient. SENT: 575 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — India’s confirms coronavirus tally has crossed 4.6 million after a record surge of 97,570 new cases in 24 hours. India also reported another 1,201 deaths, taking total fatalities to 77,472.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TURKEY — The governor of Istanbul has banned boating companies from hosting weddings and similar gatherings as part of new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Turkey’s most populous city. SENT: 170 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE PARTY — A college student house held a party over the Labor Day weekend that included people who had recently tested positive for the coronavirus, according to police body camera footage. SENT: 300 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-INDIGENOUS FESTIVAL — AP PHOTOS: Brazil Indigenous group celebrates 6 months without COVID-19. SENT: 700 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has been sent outlining AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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TROPICAL WEATHER-FLORIDA — A tropical depression is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico and strengthen into a tropical storm, while Tropical Storm Paulette is expected to intensify into a hurricane. SENT: 290 words.
FRANCE-YELLOW VESTS — Activists have relaunched France’s yellow vest movement after the disruptive demonstrations against French President Emmanuel Macron tapered off during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 190 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-BRINGING TROOPS HOME -- President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden both say they want to pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq. But their approaches differ, and the outcome of the election could have long-term consequences not only for Americans troops, but also for the wider region. SENT: 940 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-QANON FUNDRAISER -- Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event’s hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. SENT: 330 words, photos.
CHINA-US — China has announced new restrictions on the activities of U.S. diplomats working in mainland China and Hong Kong, in what it called a justified response to similar measures imposed on Chinese diplomats in the U.S. last year. SENT: 500 words, photo.
FACT CHECK-WEEK -- It’s been an intense week of politicking as the campaign for the Nov. 3 election heats up in the homestretch. An AP Fact Check examines the rhetoric of the presidential candidates in recent days. Among other things, it finds that both President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden exaggerated their influence in reviving the auto industry. SENT: 2,500 words, photos. Find AP Fact Checks at https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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HISTORIC FIRE-SOUTH CAROLINA -- An early morning fire has devastated an iconic building whose architectural beauty and past as South Carolina’s state mental institution have long been features of both the capital city’s skyline and historic lore. SENT: 600 words, photos.
CONFEDERATE MONUMENT PROTEST — A crowd cheered Saturday as workers in Charlottesville removed a Confederate statue near the site of a violent white nationalist rally three years ago. SENT: 330 words, photo.
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AFGHANISTAN-PEACE-TALKS — Afghanistan’s warring sides started negotiations for the first time, bringing together the Taliban and delegates appointed by the Afghan government for historic meetings aimed at ending decades of war. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the opening ceremony in Qatar, where the meetings are taking place and where the Taliban maintain a political office. SENT: 1,090 words, photos. With AFGHANISTAN-PEACE-TALKS-GLANCE (sent).
GREECE-MIGRANT CAMP BLAZE — Thousands of asylum-seekers have spent a fourth night sleeping in the open on the Greek island of Lesbos, after successive fires destroyed a notoriously overcrowded migrant and refugee camp during a coronavirus lockdown. SENT: 975 words, photos.
IRAN — Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country’s authorities has executed a wrestler for allegedly murdering a man after President Donald Trump asked for the 27-year-old condemned man’s life to be spared. SENT: 425 words, photo.
IRAN-CURRENCY — Iran’s currency dropped to its lowest value ever against the dollar, and has seen its value fall by 30% since June amid severe U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran. SENT: 225 words.
IRAN-ISRAEL-BAHRAIN — Iran on Saturday strongly condemned Bahrain’s plan to normalize relations with Israel, calling it a shameful and ignominious move by the Gulf Arab country. SENT: 380 words, photos.
BREXIT — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has strongly defended his government’s plan to override sections of the Brexit deal that he negotiated with the European Union and accused the EU of having an “extreme” interpretation of the treaty that could jeopardize the U.K.’s future. SENT: 780 words, photos.
CONGO-GOLD MINE COLLAPSE — Officials say more than 50 people are dead after landslides caused the collapse of three artisanal gold mines near the city of Kamituga in eastern Congo’s South Kivu province. SENT: 220 words, photos.
ITALY-BEATING DEATH — Hundreds of people in Italy have joined a funeral procession for a young Black man whose brutal beating death has shaken up the country and drawn condemnation from the highest levels of government. SENT: 520 words, photos.
BELARUS-PROTESTS — About 10,000 women have marched noisily through the Belarusian capital, beating pots and pans and shouting for the resignation of the country’s authoritarian president in the 35th consecutive day of large protests. SENT: 440 words, photos.
REL--VATICAN-ENVIRONMENT-SLOW FOOD -- Pope Francis has formed an unusual partnership with the agnostic Italian founder of the Slow Food movement while doubling down on calls to protect the environment from profit-driven development that he says most harms the poor. SENT: 425 words, photos.
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OBIT-TOOTS HIBBERT -- Toots Hibbert, one of reggae’s founders and most beloved stars who gave the music its name and later helped make it an international movement through such classics as “Pressure Drop,” “Monkey Man” and “Funky Kingston,” has died. He was 77. By Hillel Italie. SENT: 1,225 words, photos.
ITALY-VENICE FILM-FESTIVAL — The Venice Film Festival is wrapping up the first in-person COVID-era international cinema showcase, with critics, filmmakers and actors cheering organizers for having dared to hold the festival amid a pandemic and for demonstrating how to go to the movies again safely. SENT: 690 words, photos.
BRITAIN-OBIT-TERENCE CONRAN — Terence Conran, the pioneering British designer, retailer and restaurateur, who built a furniture empire around the world and founded The Design Museum in London, has died at 88. SENT: 620 words, photos.
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TEN--US OPEN — Naomi Osaka plays Victoria Azarenka in the U.S. Open women’s final, both seeking a third Grand Slam title. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Final starts 4 p.m.
FBC--FIRST BIG WEEKEND — The first big weekend of college football is stripped of the pageantry and packed stadiums that are at the heart of the game. The stands are empty, or attendance is limited, because of a pandemic that has upended the season. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos, by 7 p.m. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS (sent); COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY.
BKN--ROCKETS-LAKERS -- LeBron James and the Lakers can reach the Western Conference finals by beating the Rockets in Game 5. Houston, which survived an elimination game in the first round, needs far better shooting from James Harden. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts 9 p.m.
HKN--GOLDEN KNIGHTS-STARS — The Dallas Stars, riding the play of journeyman goaltender Anton Khudobin, lead the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 entering Game 4 of the Western Conference final. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts 8 p.m.
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