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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TOP STORIES
Betty Chu adjusts her face mask before watching Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speak at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Yorba Linda, Calif. (AP PhotoAshley Landis, Pool)
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CHINA-US — China orders the United States to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu, ratcheting up a diplomatic conflict at a time when relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades. The move was a response to the Trump administration’s order this week for Beijing to close its consulate in Houston after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FACE-MASKS-GLOBAL-VIEW — House keys, wallet or purse, mobile phone and .... oh, yes: face mask. Reluctantly for many, but also inexorably in the face of a deadly invisible enemy, small rectangles of flimsy yet live-saving tissue have in mere months joined the list of don’t-leave-home-without-them items for billions around the world. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-FACE MASKS-GLOBAL VOICES — Voices of mask-wearers and opponents around the world.
President Donald Trump plays catch with former New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera as he greets youth baseball players on the South Lawn of the White House to mark Opening Day for Major League Baseball, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP PhotoEvan Vucci)
RACIAL-INJUSTICE-PORTLAND — A federal judge blocks U.S. agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at the ongoing Portland, Oregon, protests that have sparked confrontations between local officials and President Donald Trump over the limits of federal power. By Gillian Flaccus. SENT: 900 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-PORTLAND-MESSAGE — Black leaders and protesters say the surge in protest activity targeting the federal intervention in Portland, Oregon, hasn’t distracted from their anti-racist message. By Andrew Selsky. SENT: 860 words, photos.
TRUMP-EXECUTIVE POWERS — The Trump administration is relying on an outlier interpretation of a recent Supreme Court decision to assert broad new presidential powers as President Donald Trump prepares to sign a series of executive orders in the coming weeks. By Jill Colvin and Mark Sherman. SENT: 990 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION — Trump scraps plans for a four-night Republican National Convention scheduled for Florida next month, citing a “flare-up” of the coronavirus. By Zeke Miller and Brendan Farrington. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The nation gets another dose of bad economic news as the number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits rose for the first time since late March, intensifying concerns the resurgent coronavirus is stalling or even reversing the economic recovery. By Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,270 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Trump reluctantly drops his bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans stumble anew in their efforts to unite around a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEXICO — Mexico’s anti-monopoly commission says it is looking into possible price-fixing or monopolistic practices in the market for medical oxygen, after pharmacies reported a spike in prices and difficulties in getting tanks and refills. SENT: 330 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — South Korea says it will allow baseball fans to return to the stands beginning Sunday as health authorities outline a phased process to bring back spectators in professional sports amid the COVID-19 epidemic. SENT: 750 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRAQ CEMETERY-PHOTO ESSAY — Lonely burials for virus victims in Iraq’s Najaf. SENT: 430 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has been sent outlining the AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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CONGRESS-JOHN-LEWIS — Rep. John Lewis' funeral to be held at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist. SENT: 280 words, photo.
CHIRICAHUA LEOPARD FROG — Rare leopard frog found beyond its known range in Southwest. SENT: 260 words.
MISSISSIPPI DEPUTY DROWNS — Mississippi deputy dies after saving son at Florida beach. SENT: 160 words.
PROFESSOR-FOUND-DEAD-SOCIAL-MEDIA — North Carolina professor found dead weeks after backlash. SENT: 240 words.
BASKETBALL-COACH-FATAL-PUNCH — Former college basketball coach avoids jail for fatal punch. SENT: 400 words, photos.
PRISON-HEALTH-CARE-PROVIDER-LAWSUIT — Judge nixes Roc Nation subpoena in Centene shareholder suit. SENT: 500 words.
WORLDWIDE-INVESTMENT-FRAUD — California men charged with $10 million worldwide fraud scheme. SENT: 260 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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ELECTION 2020-BIDEN AGENDA — Joe Biden wants to address health care disparities, toughen gun control, overhaul policing, provide free community college, erase student loan debt, invest in green energy and improve the nation’s infrastructure. SENT: 990 words, photos.
TRUMP-COGNITIVE TEST — The phrase “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” gets an unlikely moment in the spotlight as Trump takes a curious campaign detour into the politics of dementia three months before the election. SENT: 1,070 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on AP Newsroom.
MARYLAND-GOVERNOR-AP-INTERVIEW — The nation’s governors were priming for battle against the coronavirus as early as February, but Trump’s lackadaisical approach to the spreading disease hindered a national response, according to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Association. An AP Interview. By Brian Witte. SENT: 730 words, photos, video.
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NATIONAL
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PUERTO RICO-HOUSING CRISIS — Nearly three years after Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico, tens of thousands of homes remain badly damaged, many people face a hurricane season under fading blue tarp roofs and the island’s first major program to repair and rebuild houses hasn’t completed a single one. SENT: 930 words, photos.
CHINESE SCIENTIST-US CONSULATE — The Chinese consulate in San Francisco is harboring a Chinese researcher who lied about her military background, the Justice Department says as it announced charges against that scientist and three others accused of concealing their government ties. SENT: 600 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to make landfall over the weekend, threatening to bring heavy rain, rough waters and strong winds to the Gulf Coast, all while another tropical storm continued to approach the Caribbean. SENT: 410 words. With HAWAII-HURRICANE — Hurricane Douglas bears down on Hawaii as pandemic flares.
TRAVELER PROGRAM SUSPENDED — Five months after it kicked New Yorkers out of trusted traveler security programs in a spat over immigration policy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reversed itself and told a court it had misrepresented the facts in a lawsuit over the matter. SENT: 550 words, photos.
ILLINOIS-HOUSE-SPEAKER-Q&A — Federal prosecutors recently made clear that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is a subject of a criminal investigation into influence peddling to benefit an energy utility. By Legal Affairs Writer Michael Tarm. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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TURKEY-HAGIA SOPHIA — Hundreds of Muslim faithfuls are making their way to Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia to take part in the first prayers in 86 years at the structure that once was one of Christendom’s most significant cathedrals, then a mosque and museum before its reconversion into a Muslim place of worship. SENT: 480 words, photos.
THAILAND-RED BULL HEIR — Charges have been dropped against a Thai heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune who was accused in a 2012 car crash that killed a Bangkok police officer, police in Thailand say. SENT: 490 words, photos.
IRAN-ISRAEL — An Iranian passenger plane flying from Tehran to Beirut was “harassed” by fighter jets over Syria, Iranian state TV reported, saying the plane managed to safely land in the Lebanese capital. SENT: 780 words.
ISRAEL-PROTESTS — Israeli police used water cannons to disperse protesters in central Jerusalem and arrested at least 55 of them as clashes broke out overnight after thousands staged a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. SENT: 340 words, photos.
NEW ZEALAND-REFUGEE — A journalist who fled Iran and then exposed Australia’s degrading treatment of asylum-seekers while being held against his will for six years has been granted refugee status in New Zealand. SENT: 650 words, photo.
SUDAN-MASS GRAVE — Sudanese authorities have found a mass grave believed to contain the bodies of 28 army officers shot in a foiled coup attempt against former President Omar al-Bashir in 1990, the public prosecutor says. SENT: 460 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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RARE WILDFLOWER-NEVADA LITHIUM MINE — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says there’s enough scientific evidence that two rare plants in Nevada’s desert could go extinct to warrant a year-long review of whether to list them as endangered species, including one at the center of a fight over a proposed lithium mine. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Worsening friction between China and the U.S., worries over aid to Americans and U.S. businesses and a stumble on Wall Street combined to push shares in Asia lower. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 710 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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HARRY-MEGHAN-PHOTO LAWSUIT — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sue to stop the sale and publication of a photo of their son Archie that they say was shot at their Los Angeles-area home in invasion of their privacy. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. SENT: 620 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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MOTOR CITY MISERY — There will be no fans in the stands when the Detroit Tigers host their first home game because of the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s another blow to businesses that depend on their business before and after they play. By Sports Writer Larry Lage. UPCOMING: 830 words, photos, video by 3 a.m.
TIM DAHLBERG-SEASON OPENS — Baseball got the opening day many thought might never come, and yet there was a grim reminder that the coronavirus will overshadow anything that happens on the field this season. By Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg. SENT: 830 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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