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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CHINA-MUSLIM BIRTH CONTROL — A state-orchestrated campaign is slashing births among the minority Uighurs of China’s far west Xinjiang region with brutal efficiency. The government is forcing IUDs, abortions and sterilizations on largely Muslim minorities, and punishing parents who violate family planning measures by detaining them in camps and prisons. 3,170 words, photos, video. There is an abridged version of this story. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
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SUPREME COURT-ABORTION — A divided Supreme Court strikes down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 650 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 850 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
With:
SUPREME COURT-ROBERTS — Chief Justice John Roberts has emerged as the central figure in the Supreme Court in major case decisions during the Trump era, often siding with liberals though he’s far from a liberal. By Jessica Gresko. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-CONSERVATIVES — Abortion opponents vent disappointment and fury over the Supreme Court abortion ruling, which could intensify interest in the election among religious conservatives who are a key part of President Donald Trump’s base. By Elana Schor. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL - Governments are stepping up testing and warily considering their next moves as the number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases surges in many countries. India reported more than 20,000 new infections on. The U.S. has confirmed more than 40,000 a day for three straight days. By Emily Schmall and Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 980 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK. — For months, experts have warned of a potential nightmare scenario: After overwhelming health systems in some of the world’s wealthiest regions, the coronavirus gains a foothold in poor or war-torn countries ill-equipped to contain it and sweeps through the population. Now some of those fears are being realized. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. And: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
GOLDEN STATE KILLER — A 74-year-old former police officer who terrorized the Sacramento region as a serial rapist and went on to kill more than a dozen people across California and evade capture for decades plead guilty to the first of 13 murders. He said he will plead guilty to the all charges in a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. SENT: 910 words, photos. WITH GOLDEN STATE KILLER-GLANCE (sent)
RACIAL INJUSTICE-RACIAL TRAUMA — As videos of Black people being killed at the hands of police make the rounds online, many Americans have felt called to protest racial injustice in recent weeks. For many Black Americans, those videos are also contributing to a sense of grief and pain. Psychologists call it racial trauma — the distress experienced because of the accumulation of racial discrimination, racial violence or institutional racism. SENT: 960 words, photos, video.
Find more coverage of Racial Injustice in AP Newsroom.
UNITED STATES-RUSSIA — President Donald Trump denies he was made aware of U.S. intelligence officials’ conclusion that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan, but lawmakers from both parties are demanding briefings about the revelations. By Zeke Miller, James Laporta and Deb Riechmann. SENT: 980 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 900 word by 6 p.m., photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ANTIVIRAL DRUG — The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed countries. SENT: 630 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONTACT TRACING — Health departments around the U.S. that are using contact tracers to contain coronavirus outbreaks are scrambling to bolster their ranks amid a surge of cases and resistance to cooperation from those infected or exposed. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUERTO RICO — Puerto Rico’s governor has extended a coronavirus curfew for three more weeks, marking the longest such curfew in any U.S. jurisdiction even as she authorized the re-openings of certain businesses and government agencies. SENT: 330 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FISHING SLOWDOWN — The amount of commercial fishing taking place worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it’s unclear if the slowdown will help jeopardized species of marine life to recover. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MOROCCO-REAWAKENS-PHOTO GALLERY — Moroccans are re-experiencing a taste of the life before. In newly opened public spaces, every sip of coffee in a cafe, every dip in a river with friends, every moment of outdoor intimacy is savored. In the capital Rabat, people welcomed the end of more than three months of virus lockdown starting Thursday with the joy of a religious holiday. They met friends, planned days at the beach, and visited relatives. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-PARK CONCERTS — What started as a way for two musicians to get out of the house during the pandemic has turned into nightly concerts at the boathouse in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The musicians, accustomed to playing their Haitian roots and jazz music in bars and restaurants that had been shuttered or limited to takeout by the lockdown, couldn’t be happier. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRUS DIARY-SOULLESS SOCCER — Watching the English Premier League with empty stadiums upon its return has been excitement-free — a bizarre feeling for someone who has spent decades following his team, Arsenal, at home and abroad. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONCERT CRITICISM — Musicians and fans alike are criticizing country artists who performed at outdoor concerts this weekend where social media pictures showed large crowds without masks. SENT: 340 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRELAND — Life became ever so slightly more normal in Ireland In Ireland as pints were pulled and locked-down hair was trimmed for the first time since the middle of March. And for the first time since March 13, the Blarney Stone was kissed — a hugely important moment for anyone looking to get the gift of the gab. SENT: 580 words, photos.
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MORE ON RACIAL INJUSTICE
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RACIAL INJUSTICE-MISSOURI — A white couple pointed guns at protesters in St. Louis, Missouri, as the group marched toward the mayor’s home, demanding her resignation after she publicly read the names and addresses of several residents who supported defunding the police department. SENT: 380 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-SEATTLE — One man has been killed and another was wounded in Seattle’s occupied protest zone. The shooting was the second fatal shooting in the area. SENT: 260 words, photos.
TRUMP — President Donald Trump tweets approvingly of a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power,” a racist term associated with white supremacists. He later deletes the tweet after the Senate’s lone Black Republican called it “indefensible.” The White House isn’t saying whether Trump condemns the supporter’s comment. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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AQUARIUM SWIM — Police in Louisiana were able to reel in a man captured on video swimming through a fish tank at a sporting goods store. SENT: 216 words.
GEORGE FLOYD-DEATH INVESTIGATION — The four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd are due in court for a hearing that could deal with bail amounts and other issues. SENT: 440 words.
BRITAIN-JOHNNY DEPP — A U.K. High Court judge has ruled that Johnny Depp violated a court order by failing to disclose evidence relating to his drug use to lawyers for British tabloid The Sun. SENT: 375 words, photo.
FEDERAL JUDGE-REMARK-CONTROVERSY — The chief judge of the federal Central District of California told fellow judges and court staff he is stepping down from his post because of a remark he made about a Black woman who is the court’s top administrative official. SENT: 475 words.
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ELECTION 2020-TRUMP —A growing number of Republicans are indicating they won’t always be in lockstep with President Donald Trump when it comes to the biggest issues facing the nation: the pandemic and systemic racism. By Steve Peoples. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6 p.m., photos.
CONGRESS-HEALTH CARE — Democrats push an expansion of “Obamacare” toward House passage that has no chance of surviving in the Senate but that underscores that health care looms as a potent campaign battlefield for this fall’s presidential and congressional elections. By Alan Fram. SENT: 430 words. UPCOMING: Developing, late-afternoon vote expected, 800 words by 6 p.m., photos.
SUPREME COURT-FEDERAL EXECUTIONS — The Supreme Court refuses to block the execution of four federal prison inmates who are scheduled to be put to death in July and August. The executions would mark the first use of the death penalty on the federal level since 2003. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 690 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-CONSUMER AGENCY — The Supreme Court makes it easier for the president to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, striking down restrictions on when the president can remove the bureau’s director. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 500 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-BORDER WALL — The Supreme Court leaves in place a decision that rejected environmental groups’ challenge to sections of wall the Trump administration is building along the U.S. border with Mexico. SENT: 190 words, photo.
SUPREME COURT-PROSTITUTION PLEDGE — The Supreme Court upholds a provision of federal law that requires foreign affiliates of U.S.-based health organizations to denounce prostitution as a condition of receiving taxpayer money to fight AIDS around the world. SENT: 189 words, photo.
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PATRIOTS OWNER-PROSTITUTION CHARGE — Prosecutors charging New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft with buying sex from massage parlor prostitutes are trying to save their case. They will argue before a Florida appellate court on Tuesday that police legally made secret video recordings of Kraft having paid sex at a massage parlor in January 2019. SENT: 760 words, photos.
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ISRAEL-ANNEXATION — Israel’s top two leaders appear to be feuding over the timing of the country’s planned annexation of occupied West Bank land, complicating the task of American officials who are in Jerusalem trying to finalize a plan. SENT: 820 words, photo.
PAKISTAN-ATTACK — Militants attacked the stock exchange in the Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least three people — two guards and a policeman, according to police. Special police forces deployed to the scene of the attack and in a swift operation secured the building, killing all four gunmen. SENT: 500 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — Afghan officials say at least 23 people, including children, have been killed in a car bomb and mortar attack at a busy market in the southern Helmand province. SENT: 415 words, photos.
YEMEN-CHILD HUNGER — A displaced Yemeni fisherman looks at his 7-month-old baby boy, who weighs less than half the average weight for his age and has wafer-thin skin and emaciated limbs. The father is helpless, in despair. The little boy’s fate mirrors those of so many other children across Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS-LENDING DEADLINE — Many small businesses are feeling left behind as a key government coronavirus relief program prepares to stop accepting applications for loans Tuesday. While the Small Business Administration has approved more than 4.7 million loans worth over $517 billion, as of late Friday there was still more than $140 billion in available money. Despite the program’s success, it has created obstacles that stopped many business owners from applying. UPCOMING: 600 words by 2 p.m., photo.
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BET AWARDS - The 2020 BET Awards served as an extension of the voices of Black people protesting in the streets about Black life and the inequalities Black people face daily, as artists used their performances to highlight the Black Lives Matter movement, civil rights and the lives of those lost in the hands of police officers, including George Floyd. By AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 900 words, photos. WITH BET AWARDS-MOMENTS Beyoncé said voting in the upcoming election could help end a “racist and unequal system” in America while accepting the humanitarian award at the BET Awards. By AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. SENT: 780 words, photos. BET AWARDS-LIST (sent)
BROADWAY-REOPEN — The shutdown on Broadway has been extended again — until at least early January. Although an exact date for performances to resume has yet to be determined, Broadway producers are now offering refunds and exchanges for tickets purchased for shows through Jan. 3. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 370 words, photo.
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WIMBLEDON-NO TOURNAMENT — Monday should have been the the first day of the two-week Wimbledon tennis tournament. But instead of the usual hustle and bustle there was silence at the All England Club. SENT: 680 words, photos.
US—SPORTS-WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN — There would have been a World Series rematch July 4 in the national’s capital if not for the coronavirus pandemic. Major League Baseball this week would have reached the halfway point of its usual 162-game schedule. Wimbledon would have also been getting started this week. By Stephen Hawkins. SENT: 495 words, photos.
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