AP News Digest 3:25 a.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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ONLY ON AP

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MASK SHORTAGES — White House officials say the United States has all the medical supplies needed to battle COVID-19, but health care workers, hospital officials and even the FDA say that’s not the case. Shortfalls of medical N95 respirators and other protective gear started in March, and the American Medical Association’s president says the tremendous pressure on the supply chain continues today. By Martha Mendoza, Juliet Linderman, Thomas Peipert and Irena Hwang. SENT: 2,070 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,000 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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TRUMP-WOODWARD BOOK — President Donald Trump’s own words are redirecting attention to his handling of the pandemic when he can least afford it — less than two months before Election Day. “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump said of the threat from the virus in a March conversation with journalist Bob Woodward. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 830 words, photos, video. With TRUMP-WOODWARD BOOK-GLANCE — Trump’s thoughts on Kim Jong Un, racial unrest and a mysterious new weapon; TRUMP-WOODWARD BOOK-TIMELINE.

CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES — A Northern California wildfire threatened thousands of homes after winds whipped it into a monster that incinerated houses in a small mountain community and killed at least three people. Several other people have been critically burned and hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and other buildings are believed to have been damaged or destroyed by the North Complex fire northeast of San Francisco, authorities say. By Terence Chea and Brian Melley. SENT: 680 words, photos. With WILDFIRES-RAPID-SPREAD — California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST-WILDFIRES — Numerous wildfires burned in Oregon’s forested valleys and along the coast, destroying hundreds of homes and causing mass evacuations. Farther north, flames devoured buildings and huge tracts of land in Washington state. Officials say the number of simultaneous fires and perhaps the damage caused was unprecedented. By Andrew Selsky and Gillian Flaccus. SENT: 860 words, photos, video.

HOMELAND SECURITY-WHISTLEBLOWER — An official at the Department of Homeland Security says he was pressured by agency leaders to make his intelligence reports reflect the priorities of the Trump administration. Brian Murphy says he was demoted for refusing to alter his reports on such matters as Russian interference in the election and the extent of the threat posed by white supremacists. By Ben Fox. SENT: 840 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-POLITICAL-PANDEMIC — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long cultivated a symbiotic relationship with the country’s ultra-Orthodox parties, doling out generous subsidies and leaving their insular way of life unperturbed in exchange for ironclad backing that has helped crown him Israel’s longest serving leader. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic raging and the Jewish High Holidays approaching, Netanyahu finds himself caught between his ultra-Orthodox partners and the need to drive down surging infection rates. By Tia Goldenberg. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom and below.

SEPT-11-ANNIVERSARY — In a year when the coronavirus pandemic has reshaped countless American rituals, even the commemoration of 9/11 could not escape unchanged. The 19th anniversary of the terror attacks will be marked by dueling ceremonies at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza and a corner near the World Trade Center, reflecting a divide over the memorial’s decision to suspend a cherished tradition of relatives reading victims’ names in person. By Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

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