AP News Digest 3:35 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.

----------------——-

TOP STORIES

-----------------——

VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The special treatment President Donald Trump received to access an experimental COVID-19 drug raises fairness issues that start with the flawed health care system many Americans endure and end with the public’s right to know more about his condition, ethics and medical experts say. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. revealed how rare it was for anyone to get the drug it gave Trump outside of studies testing its safety and effectiveness. The drug, which supplies antibodies to help the immune system clear the coronavirus, is widely viewed as very promising. By Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 890 words, photos

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-TRUMP-STIMULUS — Trump calls an abrupt end to negotiations with Democrats over additional COVID-19 relief, delaying action until after the election despite ominous warnings from his own Federal Reserve chairman about the deteriorating conditions in the economy. By Andrew Taylor and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.

Find more coverage of Trump and the virus in AP Newsroom.

ELECTION 2020-DEBATE — Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are poised to meet for a debate that will offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises. The faceoff in Salt Lake City is the most highly anticipated vice presidential debate in recent memory. By Steve Peoples, Kathleen Ronayne and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,180 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates throughout the day leading to 9 p.m. event. With ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-VIEWERS GUIDE — Coronavirus, race and the Supreme Court lead the topic list; ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-QUESTIONS.

ELECTION 2020-ELECTION WARNINGS — The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency have issued a series of advisories in recent weeks aimed at warning voters about problems that could surface in the election — as well as steps Americans can take to counter the foreign interference threat. By Eric Tucker and Ben Fox. SENT: 850 words, photo.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

TROPICAL-WEATHER — Hurricane Delta, a slightly weakened but still dangerous Category 3 storm, barrels toward Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula with winds of 120 mph for an expected landfall south of the Cancun resort before dawn. By Luis Andrés Henao. SENT: 770 words, photos.

TASMANIAN DEVILS — Tasmanian devils, the carnivorous marsupials whose feisty, frenzied eating habits won the animals cartoon fame, have returned to mainland Australia for the first time in some 3,000 years. By Victoria Milko. SENT: 640 words, photos, video.

------------------------------------------------

MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

------------------------------------------------

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — Trump, who is said to be making progress in his recovery from the coronavirus, expresses eagerness to return to the campaign trail even as the outbreak that has killed more than 210,000 Americans reaches ever more widely into the upper echelons of the U.S. government. SENT: 1,120 words, photos, video.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SRI LANKA — Authorities in Sri Lanka widen a curfew and warned of legal action against those evading treatment for COVID-19 after reporting an escalating cluster centered around a garment factory in the capital’s suburbs. SENT: 400 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA — Authorities issue guidelines for religious festivals in India, virus restrictions easing in New Zealand; VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — Australia considered a rollout of a coronavirus vaccine no sooner than mid-2021 a best-case scenario in its pandemic planning that would save the economy tens of billions of dollars, the treasurer says. SENT: 460 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BELGIUM-CIRCUS-SCHOOL-PHOTO-GALLERY — Circus school in full swing again, despite COVID. SENT: 330 words, photos.

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

-------------------------------------------—

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

—————————————————————-

RACIAL-INJUSTICE-ST.-LOUIS-COUPLE — St. Louis couple indicted for waving guns at protesters. SENT: 480 words, photos.

MICROSOFT-LABOR DEPARTMENT — Government probes Microsoft’s effort to boost diversity. SENT: 560 words, photo.

—————————————————

WASHINGTON/POLITICS

—————————————————

TRUMP TAXES-CONGRESS — An obscure function of Congress may have once put Trump’s tax information in the hands of congressional staff, but even if it did, that doesn’t mean staffers can give access to Trump’s tax returns to lawmakers, at least not legally. SENT: 940 words, photo.

ELECTION 2020 — Trump’s return to the White House changes the dynamics of the campaign in its final weeks as aides debate the wisdom of sending an infected president out on the campaign trail. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

SUPREME COURT-BARRETT-FAITH — As a young law student, Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett lived in a house owned by co-founders of People of Praise, a religious community that teaches that men are divinely ordained as the “heads” of both family and faith. SENT: 870 words, photo.

-----------------------------

INTERNATIONAL

-----------------------------

KOREAS-DIPLOMAT DEFECTS — A senior North Korea diplomat who had vanished in Italy in late 2018 lives in South Korea under government protection, a lawmaker says. SENT: 480 words, photos.

———————-

NATIONAL

———————-

JEFFREY EPSTEIN-ASSOCIATE — An investigation of financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls and women remains active, leading prosecutors to try to prevent lawyers for his incarcerated ex-girlfriend from learning too much about it until two months before her criminal trial next summer. SENT: 370 words.

TAP WATER TAINTED-BRAIN-EATING MICROBE — A boil-water notice is lifted from the drinking-water system of a Houston-area city where water tainted with a deadly, microscopic parasite was blamed for the death of a 6-year-old boy. SENT: 480 words, photo.

——————————————-

BUSINESS/TECH

——————————————

SUPREME COURT-GOOGLE-ORACLE — Tech giants Google and Oracle clash at the Supreme Court in a copyright dispute that’s worth billions and is important to the future of software development. SENT: 370 words, photo. UPCOMING: 650 words after 10 a.m. arguments.

FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks were mostly higher in Asia despite an overnight decline on Wall Street after Trump ordered a stop to talks on another round of aid for the economy. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 930 words, photos.

——————————

HEALTH/SCIENCE

——————————

NOBEL-CHEMISTRY — The 2020 Nobel Prize for chemistry is an award that has frequently honored work which led to practical applications in wide use today — such as last year’s win for the brains behind the lithium-ion battery. SENT: 200 words, photo. UPCOMING: Announcement at 5:45 a.m.

——————————

ENTERTAINMENT

——————————

OBIT-EDDIE-VAN-HALEN — Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock’s biggest groups and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He was 65. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,340 words, photos. With OBIT-EDDIE VAN HALEN-REAX — Jimmy Kimmel, Sammy Hagar react to death of Van Halen.

OBIT-JOHNNY NASH — Johnny Nash, a singer-songwriter, actor and producer who rose from pop crooner to early reggae star to the creator and performer of the million-selling anthem “I Can See Clearly Now,” has died. He was 80. By National Writer Hillel Italie. SENT: 970 words.

--------------------------

HOW TO REACH US

--------------------------

At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Wally Santana (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, Dien Magno (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.