TRUMP-WOODWARD BOOK

‘Deadly stuff’: Trump’s own words bring focus back to virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is acknowledging he played down the projected impact of the deadly coronavrius early this year and says he meant to avoid creating a panic. A new book by journalist Bob Woodward reveals that Trump told Woodward he had been warned in January that the virus had the potential to kill millions. Yet Trump reassured Americans publicly that the virus was “very well under control.” Today, around 190,000 have died in the U.S. so far and millions have been infected. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says Trump “lied to the American people” and failed to do his job.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CONGRESS

Senate GOP’s virus relief bill expected to fall in vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — A GOP coronavirus relief package is facing dire prospects in a Senate test vote. Negotiators involved in recent efforts to strike a deal for a bill that could pass before the November election say they see little reason for hope. Instead, it appears all Congress will do is pass legislation to avoid a federal shutdown as lawmakers head home to campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he is optimistic that Republicans will deliver strong support for the GOP’s $500 billion slimmed-down COVID-19 rescue package in Thursday’s procedural vote. But a filibuster is assured as Democrats indicate they will shelve the Republican measure as insufficient.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MASK-SHORTAGES

Scarcity of key material squeezes medical mask manufacturing

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — 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 — commonly referred to as N95 masks — and other protective gear started in March, when the pandemic hit New York. The American Medical Association’s president, Dr. Susan Bailey, says the tremendous pressure on the supply chain continues today. Mask makers say part of the problem is the Trump administration hasn’t committed enough long-term resources to making meltblown textile — the key ingredient in medical-grade masks.

AP-US-CALIFORNIA-WILDFIRES

California fire that killed 3 threatens thousands of homes

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California wildfire is threatening thousands of homes after winds whipped it into a monster that incinerated houses in a small mountain community and killed at least three people. The North Complex fire northeast of San Francisco exploded to six times its previous size between Tuesday and Wednesday thanks to gusting winds. The winds have subsided but only after flames critically burned several people and damaged or destroyed hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and other buildings. Some 20,000 people are under evacuation orders or warnings in three counties. Other large fires are burning around the state and the West.

AP-US-PACIFIC-NORTHWEST-WILDFIRES

High alert: Deadly Northwest fires burn hundreds of homes

ESTACADA, Ore. (AP) — Deadly windblown wildfires raging across the Pacific Northwest destroyed hundreds of homes in Oregon, prompting the governor to say it could be the greatest loss of life and property from wildfire in state history. Firefighters struggled to contain and douse the blazes fanned by 50 mph (80 kph) wind gusts and officials in some western Oregon communities gave residents “go now” orders to evacuate, meaning they had minutes to flee their homes. Destructive blazes were burning in a large swath of Washington state and Oregon that rarely experiences such intense fire activity because of the Pacific Northwest’s cool and wet climate.

BC-FINANCIAL MARKETS

Asian stocks gain after Wall Street rebounds from tech slump

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have gained after Wall Street rebounded from a slump for tech stocks. Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 2% for its best day in three months. Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies regained some ground. Investors were snapping up lower-priced shares and were encouraged by hopes of possible additional stimulus from the European Central Bank, analysts said. But they warned the recovery was fragile. Forecasters warn the stock price recovery might be too big and too early to be supported by uncertain economic activity as coronavirus infection numbers rise in the United States, Brazil and some other countries.

CHINA-RUSSIA-MILITARY EXERCISES

China, others to be part of joint military drills in Russia

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese and Russian forces will take part in joint military exercises in southern Russia later this month along with troops from Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan and others. China’s defense ministry says the country’s latest transport aircraft will be used to fly wheeled vehicles and light weaponry to the drill location. The exercises running Sept. 21-26 will focus on defensive tactics, encirclement and battlefield control and command. It says the exercises have special meaning for China-Russia ties while the world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic. China has seen no new domestic coronavirus cases in weeks, while Russia is continuing to see new cases and has reported more than 1 million people infected.

AP-EU-BREXIT

EU, UK in urgent meeting on lawbreaking British Brexit plan

LONDON (AP) — A senior European Union official is headed to London for an emergency meeting with U.K. officials over Britain’s plan to break part of the Brexit divorce agreement. Britain’s announcement that it plans to break international law by overwriting part of the Withdrawal Agreement has alarmed European leaders and threatens to scuttle already-fragile U.K.-EU negotiations on trade and future relations. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic was due to meet Michael Gove, Britain’s Brexit preparation minister, in a hastily arranged meeting. Sefcovic has said Britain must respect both the letter and the spirit of the legally binding agreement it signed up to less than a year ago.

UNITED STATES-IRAQ

US withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. general for the Middle East says the Trump administration will pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November. Gen. Frank McKenzie says the number of troops in Iraq will drop this month from about 5,200 to 3,000. And he says troop levels in Afghanistan will shrink to 4,500 by November. The general made the comments during a visit to Iraq on Wednesday. This development comes during the later stages of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign as he tries to make the case that he’s fulfilled promises of four years ago to bring U.S. combat troops home.

GEORGIA DEPUTY SHOT

Fugitive wanted in sheriff’s deputy shooting captured

DALTON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say a man wanted in the recent shooting of a Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been captured. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted late Wednesday that Texas fugitive Dalton Potter was in custody. Investigators have said Potter fired multiple shots at Whitfield County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Hackney around midnight Monday morning during a traffic stop in Dalton. Hackney was struck, but his ballistic vest saved him. Authorities say a man was shot in northwest Georgia after encountering Potter. Noah Cloer identified his father, Eddie Cloer, as the victim of the Wednesday evening shooting. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood had told reporters that Cloer who was hospitalized in stable condition.