AP News Digest 6:20 p.m.
AP 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.
———————————————
NEW & DEVELOPING
———————————————
Adds: MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTS-LAKE STREET, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-MISSISSIPPI MAYOR, FEDERAL OFFICER KILLED, AMERICA PROTESTS-JOURNALISTS INJURED, OBIT-CHRISTO, TROPICAL WEATHER.
-------------------
--------—---------
AMERICA PROTESTS — America’s cities are boarding up windows, sweeping up glass and covering graffiti after the country’s most significant protests in a half-century. The demonstrations are spilling into another day of unrest, fueled by killings of black people at the hands of police. The turbulence was sparked by the death of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes. Dozens of protests are underway or expected Sunday, from Miami to Kansas City to San Francisco. They were largely peaceful, but sparks of crime persisted. By Tim Sullivan and Stephen Groves. SENT: 1,250 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
AMERICA PROTESTS-BEHIND-THE-PROTESTS — U.S. officials assessing the increasingly violent protests are trying to determine whether extremist groups may be infiltrating the large crowds of demonstrators and fueling their rage or whether a foreign disinformation campaign could be amplifying false narratives across social media. Or perhaps there’s a more straightforward explanation: Pandemic-weary American are just plain mad — about the tens of millions thrown out of work, about being cooped up for months, about the continued killing of African Americans by police. By Colleen Long, Zeke Miller and Michael Balsamo. SENT: 850 words, photos.
PROTESTS-WORLD REACTION — Nations around the world have watched in horror at the five days of civil unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing. But racism-tinged events no longer startle even America’s closest allies, though many have watched coverage with concern. By Danika Kirka. SENT: 880 words, photos.
REFLECTION-ONE-BLACK-JOURNALIST — For many Americans, “space” means leaving the Earth’s atmosphere and exploring the galaxy. They think of this weekend’s SpaceX launch. Or going where no one has gone before on “Star Trek.” But the concept of space has a different meaning for African Americans. It’s about finding places in American society — white society — where we are free to just be. Those spaces have been shrinking in recent months. With the flames lit in Minneapolis spreading to other cities after yet another black man’s death, it felt like only an airhole was left. By AP Deputy Managing Editor Amanda Barrett. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The mayor of Atlanta, one of dozens of U.S. cities hit by massive protests after the police killing of a black man, has a message for demonstrators: “If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a COVID test this week.” As emergency orders are lifted and beaches and businesses reopen, add protests to the list of concerns about a possible second wave of coronavirus outbreaks. By Brian Melley and John Seewer. SENT: 920 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
SCI--HOME LAUNCH — SpaceX has delivered two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. The Dragon capsule arrived Sunday morning, hours after a historic liftoff from Florida. It’s the first time that a privately built and owned spacecraft has delivered a crew to the orbiting lab. By Marcia Dunn. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. WITH: HOME LAUNCH-CREW — Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken join NASA’s exclusive inner circle by catching a ride on a SpaceX rocket and capsule. SENT: 460 words, photos.
AMERICAN FLASHPOINTS — For Americans of a certain age, these past few days feel like an unsettling mashup of various moments from the 1960s, in particular 1968 But it’s more than that. The year 2020, not yet half done, contains threads of some of the most powerful social and political flashpoints in American history. And they’re all flowing together into a raging river that serves up unimaginable challenges. By Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.
—————————————————————————
MORE ON MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTS
—————————————————————————-
MINNEAPOLIS PROTESTS-LAKE STREET — Along the miles-long Minneapolis street where more than a century of migrants have found their American footholds -- Germans, Swedes, Vietnamese, Somalis, Mexicans -- a new history can be traced. There’s the smoldering police station torched early Thursday morning by protesters enraged by the death of George Floyd while in custody. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
FEDERAL OFFICER KILLED — A federal law enforcement officer who was shot and killed while providing security at the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest has been identified. Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, died from gunshot wounds sustained after someone fired shots from an unidentified vehicle Friday night, the FBI said. SENT: 350 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-JOURNALISTS INJURED — In the past 48 hours of protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, journalists covering the story have become targets for protesters and police in cities across the country. SENT: 900 words, photos.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-MISSISSIPPI MAYOR — A white Mississippi mayor who caused an outrage with his tweets about the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has apologized but says he won’t resign, prompting protesters to return to City Hall for a third day to insist the mayor leave office. SENT: 230 words, photos.
AMERICA-PROTESTS-NYC — New York City officials were looking for a peaceful way forward after three days of protests against police brutality that left police cars burned and led to the arrest of hundreds of people. SENT: 600 words, photos.
MINNEAPOLIS-POLICE-DEATH-FAITH LEADERS — Twin Cities faith leaders and police chaplains who minister to communities historically ravaged by racial injustice know their neighborhoods are also the most vulnerable to poverty and crime. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
AMERICA-PROTESTS-TARGET-CLOSURES — Target is temporarily closing 105 stores in 10 states after several were broken into during the recent protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The company is closing 46 stores in California and 33 in Minnesota. SENT: 240 words, photos.
POLICE DEATH-CALIFORNIA PROTESTS — The Los Angeles mayor says National Guard troops were being sent in to the nation’s second-largest city after a fourth day of violent protests saw demonstrators clash repeatedly with officers, torch police vehicles and pillage businesses. Mayor Eric Garcetti says he asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for 500 to 700 members of the Guard to assist the 10,000 Los Angeles Police Department officers. SENT: 1,250 words, photos.
AMERICA-PROTESTS-POLICE PRAISE — Police officers in one of New Jersey’s largest and most violent cities are getting praise on social media for marching alongside protesters in rallies over George Floyd’s death. SENT: 350 words, photos.
MINNEAPOLIS-POLICE-DEATH-OUTSIDERS — State and federal officials seem to agree that groups of “outsiders” are responsible for the most destructive protesting in U.S. cities. But those officials have offered differing assessments of who those outsiders are. They’ve blamed left-wing extremists, far-right white nationalists and even suggested involvement of drug cartels. These leaders have offered little evidence to back up those claims, and the chaos of the protests makes verifying identities and motives exceedingly difficult. SENT: 1,030 words, photo.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-CHICAGO — Squad cars damaged, protesters struck with batons in Chicago. SENT: 370 words, photos.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-SPORTS REAX — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says “there remains an urgent need for action” following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the protests around the country that have followed. SENT: 790 words, photo.
Find more AP coverage of Minneapolis Police Custody Death at AP Newsroom:
Minneapolis Police Custody Death (stories with linked content)
--------------------------------------------———
--------------------------------------------——
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHILD CARE — The coronavirus pandemic has created a staggering child care crisis that threatens to undermine the tentative reopening of the U.S. economy, forcing many parents to choose between work and looking after their kids. By Alexandra Olson and Sally Ho. SENT: 1.100 words, photos. This story has moved as the Monday Spotlight.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SKOREA-AI-SPEAKERS — Elderly South Koreans are using voice-enabled smart speakers that allow a telecom company to listen to them 24 hours a day for signs of rising loneliness or insecurity. Trigger words lead to a recommendation for a visit by local public health officials. The experimental remote care service that was launched in April 2019 has taken a new urgency during the coronavirus pandemic but also raised worries that privacy is being sacrificed for epidemiological gains. SENT: 990 words, photosl.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — India reports more than 8,000 new cases of the coronavirus in a single day, another record high that topped the deadliest week in the country. Confirmed infections have risen to 182,143, with 5,164 fatalities, including 193 in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry says. Overall, more than 60% of the virus fatalities have been reported from only two states — Maharashtra, the financial hub, and Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new cases are largely concentrated in six Indian states, including the capital New Delhi. SENT: 720 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DISPATCHES FROM YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park has been closed to the public for nearly three months and a few dozen lucky kids have had it mostly to themselves. They are student journalists who put out the Yosemite Valley School newspaper. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-GRIEVING TOGETHER — The plywood wall that surrounds a building site, painted with the words ``WE GRIEVE″ in massive letters, has become a focal point for people of the Stamford Hill neighborhood. It is there that they gather each Thursday to remember those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. It might seem an odd venue. But it’s central and there’s space for social distancing — a place for civic grief. SENT: 680 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Tens of thousands of mosques across Saudi Arabia reopen for the first time in more than two months, but worshipers have been ordered to follow strict guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as Islam’s holiest site in Mecca remained closed to the public. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site for Muslims after Saudi Arabia’s Mecca and Medina, also reopened for prayers for the first time since it was closed since mid-March. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RETAKING WAIKIKI — The locals are taking Waikiki back. In pre-pandemic days, Oahu residents tended to avoid the tourist mecca’s congested streets and herds of slow-moving visitors. But now that they’re gone and Waikiki is a ghost town, locals are enjoying wide sidewalks for running and walking. They’re swimming in waters that are normally clogged with awestruck and sunburned tourists. SENT: 520 words, photos.
——————————————————————
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
——————————————————————
OBIT-CHRISTO — Christo, known for massive, ephemeral public arts projects, has died. He was 84. SENT: 300 words, photos.
TRUMP-WARNINGS-FACEBOOK-V.-TWITTER — Silicon Valley is far from a united front when it comes to the way tech companies react to political decisions. SENT: 980 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — The first tropical storm of the Eastern Pacific season is drenching parts of Central America and officials in El Salvador say at least seven people have died in flooding. SENT: 280 words, photos.
————————————————-
———————————————-
ELECTION 2020-WOMEN — More Republican women than ever are seeking House seats this year after the 2018 election further diminished their limited ranks in Congress. But so far it appears that any gains this November could be modest. The next test comes Tuesday when multiple states hold primaries. There’s concern that failing to elect more women will hurt the party as female voters increasingly are supporting Democrats. By Sara Burnett. SENT: 970 words, photos.
———————————
———————————-
POLAND-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE — Warsaw’s liberal mayor Rafal Trzaskowski has made a late entry in Poland’s presidential election and has quickly become the main challenger to the conservative incumbent, Andrzej Duda. His entry has brought real competition and suspense into a race that Duda had seemed certain to win. SENT: 770 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — The Islamic State group takes responsibility for a roadside bomb attack against a bus belonging to a local TV station that killed two employees. Marwa Amini, the deputy spokeswoman for the Afghan interior ministry, says four other station employees were wounded in Saturday afternoon’s attack in Kabul. SENT: 370 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli police shot dead an unarmed autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City after saying they suspected he was carrying a weapon. The shooting drew broad condemnations and revived complaints alleging excessive force by Israeli security forces. On social media, some compared the shooting to police violence in the U.S. SENT: 710 words, photos.
CHINA-HONG KONG-US — The mouthpiece newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party says the U.S. decision to end some trading privileges for Hong Kong “grossly interferes” in China’s internal affairs and is “doomed to fail.” The Hong Kong government called President Donald Trump’s announcement unjustified and said it is “not unduly worried by such threats,” playing down concern that they could drive companies away from the Asian financial and trading center. SENT: 760 words, photos.
EGYPT-SINAI — The Egyptian military says it has killed at least 19 militants in raids and airstrikes against an Islamic insurgency in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, in clashes that also left at least five casualties among its troops. SENT: 250 words.
-——————
———————
RELIGION-TWIN-TRAUMAS — American religious leaders across faiths are grappling with the heavy burden of helping to heal two active traumas: rising civil unrest driven by the police killing of George Floyd and the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 890 words, photos.
——————
SPORTS
——————
BKN—MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-SEFALOSHA — Thabo Sefolosha’s anger and frustration roared back last week when he saw the video of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. It was five years ago when the NBA veteran says he was attacked by New York Police Department officers who were arresting him. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sefolosha gives his thoughts on what happened the night his leg was broken in the fracas and the distrust that he still has for law enforcement. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. SENT: 900 words, photos.
CAR--NASCAR-BRISTOL — NASCAR’s top Cup Series races for the fifth time in 14 days with an event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski starts from the pole based on a random draw. By Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. Race underway at 3:30 p.m. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos.
———————————-——
HOW TO REACH US
—————————————-
At the Nerve Center, Rob Jagodzinski can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives 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.