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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ONLY ON AP
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NAVY SEAL-SEXUAL-ASSAULT — A former U.S. Navy sailor who was attached to a U.S. Navy SEAL platoon says the 2019 deployment to Iraq was marred by drinking and sexual misconduct. Colleen Grace is the first to give an in-depth view of what led up to an entire SEAL platoon being withdrawn from Iraq following a Fourth of July barbecue and the sexual assault of a sailor. By James Laporta and Julie Watson. SENT: 3,010 words, photos. An abridged version is also available.
TRUMP-SNOWDEN — Attorney General William Barr says he would be “vehemently opposed” to any attempt to pardon former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, after the president suggested he might consider it. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 430 words. UPCOMING: 650 words by 4 p.m., photos.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK — As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll. And half the dead were people of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans. That’s according to an analysis of government data by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization. By Anna Flagg and Damini Sharma of The Marshall Project and Mike Stobbe and Larry Fenn of The Associated Press
ELECTION 2020-POSTAL SERVICE — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, pressed by senators over campaign season mail disruptions, says he was unaware of some recent changes by his agency until they sparked a public uproar. But he has no plans to restore mailboxes or high-speed sorting machines that have been removed, raising fresh questions about how the Postal Service will ensure timely delivery of ballots for the November election. By Lisa Mascaro, Anthony Izaguirre and Christina A. Cassidy. SENT: 960 words. UPCOMING: 960 words by 4 p.m., photos, video.
ELECTION 2020-DNC-TRUMP — President Donald Trump spent the week of the Democratic convention failing to use what has historically been an incumbent’s greatest advantage: the fact that he holds the job his rival wants. By Zeke Miller. UPCOMING: 800 words by 6 p.m., photos. With: ELECTION 2020-RNC — President Donald Trump blasts Democrats for “four straight days attacking America as racist, a horrible country that must be redeemed.” By Darlene Superville and Zeke Miller. SENT: 522 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the conventions and Election 2020 on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FOOD TRUCKS-SUBURBS — Food trucks have long been seen as an urban treasure but are now being saved by the suburbs during the coronavirus pandemic. No longer able to depend on bustling city centers, these small businesses on wheels are venturing out to where people are working and spending most of their time — home. By Sally Ho. SENT: 960 words, photos.
BELARUS-PROTESTS — Authorities in Belarus have detained a leader of striking factory workers and threatened protesters with criminal charges in the latest response to massive post-election protests challenging the country’s authoritarian president. By Yuras Karmanau. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. With BELARUS-TELEGRAM —The Telegram messaging app has become an indispensable tool in coordinating the unprecedented mass demonstrations that have rocked Belarus. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
RUSSIA-NAVALNY — Doctors at the Siberian hospital where opposition politician Alexei Navalny lies in a coma after a suspected poisoning have agreed to allow his family to transport him to a top German medical facility. The reversal came after more than 24 hours of wrangling over Alexei Navalny’s condition and treatment. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With RUSSIA-NAVALNY PROFILE — Alexei Navalny has employed an astute understanding of social media and an accountant’s ability to wade through financial data as Russia’s most determined and durable opposition figure. SENT: 970 words, photos.
COLLEGE-ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY — Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli has been sentenced to five months in prison for paying half a million dollars in bribes to get his two daughters into the University of Southern California as rowing recruits. SENT: 900 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing. Sentencing hearing for Giannulli’s wife, Lori Loughlin, set for 2:30 p.m.
BANNON CASE — One was a triple-amputee Iraq war veteran who ran news sites that stoked right-wing rage. Another owned a company that sold Donald Trump-themed energy drinks. And the third was an ex-columnist for Breitbart whose career as an entrepreneur left a trail of debt and failed businesses. The three are charged along with former White House strategist Steve Bannon in an alleged scheme to skim hundreds of thousands of dollars from a crowd-funded project to build a border wall. By Jim Mustian and Bernard Condon. UPCOMING; 900 words, photos, by 3 p.m.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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SPAIN-HOTEL FIRE — French tourist dies, 9 injured in luxury hotel fire in Spain. SENT: 13O words, photos.
FILM-THEATER-SAFETY-PROTOCOLS — Movie theater trade group establishes COVID-19 protocols. 500 words, photos.
MURDER PLOT-SWEETIE PIE'S — Nelly producer charged with fraud in Sweetie Pie’s case. SENT: 500 words.
CORPUS CHRISTI-EXPLOSION — 6 hospitalized after pipeline explosion at port in Texas. SENT: 130 words, photos.
NIGERIAN BALLET BOY — A talented 11-year-old Nigerian boy says he is pleasantly surprised after a cellphone video of him dancing in the rain went viral. SENT: 550 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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KAMALA-HARRIS-BIRACIAL — Kamala Harris’ historic nomination for U.S. vice president on the Democratic ticket is challenging multicultural, race-obsessed America’s emphasis on labels. While her Indian and Jamaican heritage represents several slices of the minority experience in America, many have puzzled over how to define her. And that in turn has prompted people of multiracial backgrounds to think about how they define themselves. SENT: 1,100 words, photos, video.
PENCE-QANON — Vice President Mike Pence is dismissing QAnon as a “conspiracy theory,” drawing a line of distinction between himself and President Donald Trump, who earlier this week suggested he appreciated supporters of the theory backing his candidacy. SENT: 333 words, photo.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — Former CIA Director John Brennan is scheduled to be interviewed by U.S. Attorney John Durham’s team as part of its inquiry into the investigators and intelligence officials behind the 2016 Russia election interference probe, according to people familiar with the matter. SENT: 480 words. UPCOMING: Developments possible.
TRUMP-TAXES — A federal judge turned down President Donald Trump’s newest move Friday to keep New York City prosecutors from getting his tax records, but Trump’s lawyers have already asked higher courts to step in. SENT: 510 words, photos.
TRUMP-BROTHER — President Donald Trump and his family hold a private memorial service for the president’s younger brother, Robert, who died last week at 71. SENT: 560 words. UPCOMING: Developing from afternoon event, which is closed, 600 words by 5 p.m., photo.
PROTESTS-HELICOPTER — A Pentagon report concludes that the use of National Guard reconnaissance planes in four U.S. cities to monitor the widespread protests earlier this year didn’t violate rules against the military collecting intelligence on Americans. SENT: 430 words.
ELECTION 2020-SENATE-MAINE — Former President George W. Bush backs Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in his first public endorsement of the 2020 election cycle. SENT: 424 words. UPCOMING: 550 words by 4 p.m., photos.
INDIANA-VOTE BY MAIL — A federal judge has struck down Indiana’s process of rejecting absentee ballots because of differing voter signatures, since the process didn’t require voters to be told about such decisions or offer a way to contest them. SENT: 430 words.
HOUSE-GAETZ TWEET — The House Ethics Committee says Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz broke House rules, but not federal law, when he tweeted a warning to President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen. SENT: 210 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS: Frightening calls from the school nurse. Waiting in vain for guidance from school officials. Canceled sports practices. A marching band under quarantine. For countless families across the country, the school year is opening in disarray and confusion, with coronavirus outbreaks triggering school closings, mass quarantines and deep anxiety among parents. 600 words by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGES — Syracuse University has suspended 23 students following a large on-campus gathering, the latest example of college crackdowns on the kind of socializing that can spread the coronavirus and sink plans for in-person learning this semester. SENT: 440 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WWII-SURRENDER-VETERANS — Several dozen aging U.S. veterans, including some who were in Tokyo Bay as swarms of warplanes buzzed overhead and nations converged to end World War II, will gather on a battleship in Pearl Harbor next month to mark the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, even if it means the vulnerable group may be risking their lives again amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA-JOBS — California added more than 140,000 jobs in July, lowering its historic high unemployment rate to 13.3% amid a coronavirus pandemic marked by stops and starts of the workplace that have plunged the world’s fifth largest economy into chaos. SENT: 580 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HONG KONG — Hong Kong will offer free coronavirus tests to all of its residents starting Sept. 1 as it grapples with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. SENT: 400 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GERMANY-SCHOOLS — At least 41 schools in Berlin have reported that students or teachers have become infected with the coronavirus not even two weeks after schools reopened in the German capital. SENT: 560 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Lebanon begins a two-week partial lockdown and nighttime curfew after coronavirus cases increased sharply following an explosion in Beirut that killed and injured thousands of people. SENT: 510 words, photo.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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NATIONAL
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GOLDEN-STATE-KILLER — A former California police officer who became known as the Golden State Killer told victims he was “truly sorry” before he was sentenced to life imprisonment for a decade-long string of rapes and murders across a wide swath of California. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said 74-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo will die in prison for his guilty pleas to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges between 1975 and 1986. SENT: 780 words, photos.
PORTLAND-PROTESTS — Demonstrators returned to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, for a second consecutive night and faced off with law enforcement. SENT: 250 words, photos.
2020 CENSUS-DOOR KNOCKERS — A watchdog agency says the U.S. Census Bureau is short by more than 25% of the door knockers needed for the 2020 census. SENT: 800 words, photo.
CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — Wildfires that have claimed at least six lives and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes are still raging in California. SENT: 990 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-GAZA — Palestinian militants fired 12 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip overnight, nine of which were intercepted, and Israel responded with three airstrikes on targets linked to the territory’s militant Hamas rulers, the Israeli military says. SENT: 370 words, photos.
MALI-CRISIS —Hundreds of people marched in the streets of Mali’s capital to celebrate the ouster of the former president, who was overthrown by a military coup earlier this week. The international community continues to express alarm about the coup. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
GREECE-TURKEY-UAE — The United Arab Emirates is sending warplanes to the southern Greek island of Crete for joint training with Greece’s air force, officials in Athens said as military tensions continued to simmer between Greece and neighboring Turkey over offshore energy rights. SENT: 300 words.
TURKEY-ENERGY — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the discovery of a large natural gas reserve off the Black Sea coast that will help ease the country’s dependence on imports. SENT: 600 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Two newly formed tropical depressions at opposite ends of the Caribbean are expected to become tropical storms, with forecasters projecting potential tracks for both that could take them toward the United States, possibly as hurricanes. SENT: 460 words, photos.
BRITAIN-ECONOMY — Britain’s government debt has breached the 2 trillion-pound ($2.6 trillion) mark for the first time after heavy borrowing to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 500 words, photos.
ISRAEL-MASKED BODYBUILDERS-PHOTO ESSAY — Wearing face masks and not much else, dozens of Israeli bodybuilders greased up their bodies as they prepared to flex their muscles under the scorching Mediterranean sun to compete for the title of Mr. Israel and other categories. SENT: 270 words, photos.
LIBYA — Libya’s U.N.-supported government announces a cease-fire across the country and called for demilitarizing the contested strategic city of Sirte, which is controlled by rival forces. SENT: 180 words.
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BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY
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US-HOME SALES — Spurred by ultra-low mortgage rates, home buyers rushed last month to snap up a limited supply of existing houses, causing the pace of purchases to jump by a record-high 24.7%. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MEGAN-THEE-STALLION-SHOOTING — More than a month after she was shot in the feet after a party in the Hollywood Hills, Megan Thee Stallion says for the first time that fellow hip-hop star Tory Lanez was the person who pulled the trigger. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. SENT: 450 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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BKN--THE BUBBLE BATTLE — They fished and golfed. They documented their exploits on social media. After some six weeks inside the bubble, the fun part has worn off for NBA players. Now it feels like work. SENT: 950 words, photos.
FBC--VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS — The NCAA is expected to approve another year of eligibility for athletes who compete in fall sports, including football, over the next 10 months. That’s great news for current players, but it comes with complications. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.
FBN--OLD COACHES-NEW TRICKS — This NFL season is especially challenging for the dozens of coaches of retirement age. They’re not only at greater risk for coronavirus but have had to upend routines and adapt to high-tech protocols. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 7 p.m.
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