AP News Digest 2 p.m.
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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOUSTON — Texas is seeing a surge in the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus since it began aggressively loosening restrictions on gatherings in May. To see the effect of the surge on hospitals, Associated Press journalists visited United Memorial Medical Center in north Houston. The hospital says 88 of its 117 beds are devoted to coronavirus patients — and it may soon turn over the whole facility to treating those with from the virus. By Nomaan Merchant. SENT: 1,200 words, photos, video.
MED-RACING FOR A REMEDY-DESPERATION SCIENCE — Desperate to solve the deadly conundrum of COVID-19, the world is clamoring for fast answers and solutions from a research system not built for haste. The ironic, and perhaps tragic, result: Scientific shortcuts have slowed understanding of the disease and delayed the ability to find out which drugs help, hurt or have no effect at all. By Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 2,100 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 1,110 words is available.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GLOBAL — Four months, 3 million confirmed infections and over 130,000 deaths into the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, Americans confronted with an alarming resurgence of the scourge are facing long lines at testing sites and going a week or more without receiving a diagnosis. By Christopher Weber and Sophia Tulp. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REOPENING SCHOOLS — President Donald Trump threatens to withhold federal funding if schools don’t reopen in the fall, and he lashes out at federal health officials over school reopening guidelines that he says are impractical and expensive. He also claims Democrats want to keep schools closed for political reasons and not because of any risks associated with the coronavirus. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 974 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 970 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK -- Most New York City students will return to their physical schools two or three days a week and learn online the rest of the time under a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio. SENT: 325 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-CONTRACEPTION — The Supreme Court upholds Trump administration rules allowing some employers to decline to provide contraceptive coverage on religious or moral grounds, which could leave more than 70,000 women without cost-free birth control. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 540 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 850 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP BIDEN — President Donald Trump is attacking Democratic rival Joe Biden’s alleged connection to the “radical left,” his relationship with China, his record on criminal justice, his plans for the pandemic and even his son’s business dealings. But in a kitchen-sink offensive backed by a mountain of campaign cash, the Republican president is actively investing in one line of attack above all: the charge that Biden is too old and mentally weak to be an effective president. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5:30 p.m., photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-BLACK LIVES STRIKE -- A national coalition of labor unions, along with racial and social justice organizations, will stage a mass walkout this month to protest against systemic racism. Dubbed the “Strike for Black Lives,” tens of thousands of workers will walk off their jobs on July 20, according to details shared exclusively with The Associated Press. Workers across the economy, including fast food, ride-share services, nursing homes and airports, in more than 25 cities will strike to demand action from corporations and the government to dismantle white supremacy and to ensure the health, safety, and economic well-being of every worker, organizers said. By Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
CRIME WAVE -- Exhausted American cities are facing yet another challenge in addition to the coronavirus and the street protests over the police killing of George Floyd. A surge in shootings in recent days has left dozens of dead, including young children. President Trump and his conservative allies are warning that a push for police reform, drastic cuts in law enforcement funding and an effort to put fewer people in prison have unleashed a crime wave. But experts say the spike defies easy explanation, pointing to a toxic mix of problems: high unemployment, the pandemic, rising anger over police brutality, intense stress, even the weather. By Tom Hays and Colleen Long. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOST PARISHIONERS — Two New York City churches ravaged by the coronavirus are taking different approaches to reopening as they mourn, between them, the loss of at least 134 members of their congregations. By David Crary and Luis Andres Henao. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS — Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar international students from staying in the U.S. if they take classes entirely online this fall. SENT: 480 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNITED-JOBS --United Airlines will send layoff warnings to 36,000 employees - nearly half its U.S. staff - in the clearest signal yet of how deeply the virus outbreak is hurting the airline industry. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RENT - American renters are nearing the end of their financial rope as the assistance and protections given to them during the pandemic run their course. About 30% of renters polled by the U.S. Census say they have no confidence or slight confidence in their ability to pay rent next month. While renters don’t have the same protections and support as homeowners, there are some resources available. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he is confident that he will swiftly recover from the new coronavirus thanks to treatment with hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that has not been proven effective against COVID-19. SENT: 925 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PHILIPPINES -- Confirmed coronavirus infections in the Philippines are soaring past 50,000 in a troubling milestone for a country that has reopened an economy on the brink of recession while still struggling to combat the pandemic. SENT: 670 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PALESTINIAN WEDDINGS — The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is grappling with a renewed coronavirus outbreak that authorities blame on the summer wedding season. By Mohammed Daraghmeh. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA -- Africa now has more than a half-million confirmed coronavirus cases. The continent-wide total is now over 508,000 after South Africa recorded another day of more than 10,000 confirmed cases as a new global hot spot. The true number of cases among Africa’s 1.3 billion people is unknown as its 54 countries continue to face a serious shortage of testing materials for the virus. SENT: 375 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLOMBIA-DELIVERY DOG --An 8-year-old Labrador retriever named Eros has become an essential worker in Medellin, Colombia, amid the pandemic. He trots through the streets of this hilly city several times a day with a straw basket in his jaws, taking vegetables, fruit and packaged foods to customers of the El Porvenir mini-market. SENT: 290 words, photos.
CAMBODIA-DOG MEAT BAN -- The Cambodian province that is home to the famous Angkor Wat temple complex, a major destination for foreign tourists, has outlawed the trade in dog meat. SENT: 360 words, photo.
BROOKS BROTHERS BANKRUPTCY — The storied New York clothier Brooks Brothers is filing for bankruptcy protection. SENT: 190 words, photos.
BRITAIN CRANE COLLAPSE — A 65-foot crane collapsed onto a block of apartments under development and two houses in east London, injuring four people and leaving one person missing. SENT: 115 words, photos.
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FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The Justice Department is plowing ahead with its plan to resume federal executions next week for the first time in more than 15 years, despite the coronavirus pandemic raging both inside and outside prisons and stagnating national support for the death penalty. By Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 1040 words, photo
UNITED STATES-MEXICO — President Trump’s meeting with Mexico’s Andrés Manuel López Obrador is billed as a celebration of economic ties and a chance to showcase the new North American trade agreement, but critics in Mexico worry their president is being used a political pawn to bolster Trump’s reelection bid. SENT: 818 words. UPCOMING: Developing from events starting at 2 p.m., 890 words by 4:30 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP-RUSSIA-VINDMAN — Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the national security aide who played a central role in President Trump’s impeachment case, announces his retirement from the Army Wednesday in a scathing statement that accused the president of running a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation.” SENT: 570 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 700 words by 4 p.m., photos.
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE STATUES -- Work crews have taken down the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors statue, the sixth Confederate monument to be removed in Richmond amid national protests against police brutality and symbols many see as racist icons. SENT: 300 words, photos, video.
RAPE KIT TESTING-VIRGINIA -- Virginia has eliminated a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits, becoming only the seventh state in the country to do so, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said. Herring said the project to test rape kits — some decades old — began in 2015. Since then, 2,665 rape kits have been tested, 851 new DNA profiles have been uploaded into a national DNA database and 354 “hits” have been sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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LEBANON-NO DOLLARS -- Lebanon’s financial meltdown has thrown its people into a frantic search for dollars as the local currency’s value evaporates. Long, raucous lines mass outside exchange bureaus to buy rationed dollars. Many try to rescue their dollars trapped in bank accounts frozen by the government. Purchases of real estate have shot up as Lebanese search for places to save their wealth from spiraling exchange rates. SENT: 1,095 words, photos.
FRANCE RAPE ALLEGATIONS — Paris police are investigating accusations by 26 women that a street artist in the historic Montmartre neighborhood raped or sexually assaulted them, in what their lawyers describe as a systematic, years-long pattern of targeting and manipulating teen girls and young women. SENT: 430 words
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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NIGERIA-RARE GORILLAS — Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS —U.S. stock indexes were drifting up and down, as a continued rally for big tech companies makes up for weakness elsewhere across Wall Street. SENT: 600 words, photos, developing.
FACEBOOK-CIVIL RIGHTS AUDIT — A two-year audit of Facebook’s civil rights record found “serious setbacks” that have marred the social network’s progress on matters such as hate speech, misinformation and bias. Its 100-page report released Wednesday outlines a “seesaw of progress and setbacks” on everything from bias in Facebook’s algorithms to content moderation, advertising practices and voter suppression. SENT: 540 words, photo.
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BRITAIN JOHNNY DEPP — Johnny Depp denied hitting ex-wife Amber Heard in a jealous rage, dangling her tiny dog out a car window and being a Jekyll-and-Hyde monster, as he was cross-examined for a second day Wednesday by a lawyer for British tabloid The Sun. The newspaper is defending a libel claim after calling the Hollywood star a “wife beater.” SENT: 715 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS LOANS-ENTERTAINMENT — From a Godfather of cinema to Kermit the Frog, the U.S. government’s small business lending program sent money into every corner of the entertainment industry. While legendary names like Francis Ford Coppola and Jim Henson hardly evoke the image of “small” business, the leaders of the companies that bear their names say the funds were essential to keeping ordinary workers afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 3 p.m.
BOOKS-JIM CARREY — The main character in Jim Carrey’s debut novel, “Memoirs and Misinformation,” is named Jim Carrey. He’s a huge movie star with a fragile ego, trying to get over his break-up with Renee Zellweger. In an interview, Carrey discusses his equally surreal and real book. By AP Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 p.m.
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SPORTS
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS -- The Ivy League announces plans for its football season, a decision that could have a ripple effect on other sports conferences. By Jimmy Golen. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 6 p.m.
FBN—OFFSEASON UPDATE-STUCK AT HOME — The pandemic forced the NFL to abandon for one year the fading but still time-honored tradition of teams traveling to training camp. The order ends the latest California run for the Cowboys and stops the 54-year streak for the Steelers in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. By Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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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.