AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TRUMP

White House turns on Fauci as Trump minimizes virus spike

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is working to undercut its most trusted coronavirus expert as President Donald Trump continues to play down the threat posed by the virus and pushes to reopen the economy before the election. Trump and other White House officials have been ramping up their attacks against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, who has been sounding alarms about spiking cases. Trump suggests the severity of the pandemic that has killed more than 135,000 Americans is being overstated by critics to damage his reelection chances.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA

California shuts bars, indoor dining and most gyms, churches

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has extended the closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and has ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising. On July 1, Newsom ordered many counties to close bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centers like bowling alleys and miniature golf. On Monday, Newsom extended that order statewide and closed additional parts of the world’s fifth-largest economy, including indoor malls and offices for noncritical industries. California confirmed 8,358 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Hospitalizations have increased 28% over the past two weeks.

AP-US-TULSA-MASSACRE-MASS-GRAVES

Search resumes for mass graves from 1921 Tulsa race massacre

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A team of researchers and historians are resuming test excavations of potential unmarked mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. A backhoe operator began slowly moving dirt Monday at Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery. Oklahoma State Archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck says researchers plan to open up a 6-by-3-meter excavation area where ground scans determined there was an anomaly consistent with mass graves. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum says they hope to identify victims and notify their descendants. On May 31 and June 1 in 1921, white residents looted and burned Tulsa’s black Greenwood district to the ground, killing as many as 300 people.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-PENNSYLVANIA

Protest in Pennsylvania after cop uses knee to restrain man

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Activists in Pennsylvania are pressing their demand for police accountability after bystander video emerged over the weekend of an officer placing his knee on a man’s head and neck area. Activists say Allentown police appeared to violate their own use-of-force policy against neck restraints when an officer used his knee to bear down on the man’s head. Police launched an internal probe and promised to release additional video of Saturday’s incident. A protest dubbed “Demands Will Be Met” was scheduled for Monday night, with demonstrators planning to march to Allentown City Hall and police department headquarters.

MISSING TV STAR

‘Glee’ star Naya Rivera found dead at California lake

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say “Glee” star Naya Rivera has been found dead at a Southern California lake. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a news conference that the body found floating in Lake Piru earlier Monday was the 33-year-old Rivera. The discovery came five days after Rivera’s 4-year-old son was found alone on a boat. Ayub says the boy told investigators his mother helped him get back aboard before he looked back and saw her go under. She is the third star of the Fox musical-comedy series “Glee” to die in their 30s. Her death was confirmed exactly seven years after co-star Corey Monteith died.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE FLAG-MISSISSIPPI

Group seeks ideas for Mississippi flag without rebel emblem

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The public can submit proposals for a new Mississippi flag, using two requirements in a state law. The designs cannot include the Confederate battle emblem, and they must have the phrase, “In God We Trust.” Mississippi recently retired the last state flag in the U.S. with the Confederate symbol that many see as racist. A commission will design a new flag, and voters will be asked to approve it Nov. 3. The state Department of Archives and History says Monday that it will collect flag proposals from the public until Aug. 13. It says designs should be simple and meaningful.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK

New York outlines the when and hows of a return to school

New York parents and school administrators are getting long-awaited answers to their back-to-school questions. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said schools will be allowed to open for the fall in areas where the coronavirus is under control. Education officials, meantime, outlined a draft of guidance for whether that happens in-person, remotely or a combination of both. Districts have until July 31 to detail school-by-school reopening plans. Cuomo says they’ll be able to move forward with them in regions that are both in phase four of the state’s overall reopening and have seen average daily infection rates of 5% or less for two weeks.

UNITED STATES-CHINA

US rejects nearly all Chinese claims in South China Sea

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is escalating its actions against China by stepping squarely into one of the most sensitive regional issues dividing them and outright rejecting nearly all of Beijing’s significant maritime claims in the South China Sea. In an announcement on Monday, the administration presented the decision as an attempt to try to curb China’s increasing assertiveness in the region with a commitment to recognizing international law. But it will almost certainly further infuriate the Chinese, who are already retaliating against numerous U.S. sanctions and other penalties on other matters.

BC-FINANCIAL MARKETS

Stocks slam into reverse as virus keeps scarring economy

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks gave up an early gain and turned lower Monday in another day of roller-coaster trading. The S&P 500 fell 0.9% after being up 1.6% earlier. Technology companies, which led the market higher in the morning, led it lower in the afternoon. Investors were discouraged to see that California extended a shutdown of bars and indoor dining and ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising. The renewed volatility came as companies prepare to tell investors how much money they made, or lost, in the spring as the pandemic pounded the economy.

BC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST

The Latest: Arizona sees record number of virus ICU patients

Arizona is reporting all-time highs in coronavirus patients using ventilators and occupying beds in intensive-care units. The state Health Services Department said more than 650 COVID-19 patients were on ventilators and about 930 were in intensive care as of Sunday. Hospitals were hovering around 90% capacity as the state ranks first in the U.S. for new per capita cases over the past two weeks. Last week, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey closed gyms and bars and capped restaurants at half capacity but declined to shut down indoor dining entirely or issue a statewide mask mandate. Ducey said the state will increase testing and pay for a private lab to increase its capacity.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

×