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Sep 24, 2020 
AP MORNING WIRE Good morning. In today's AP Morning Wire:
TAMER FAKAHANY
The Rundown 
AP PHOTO/BINSAR BAKKARA Exclusive: Palm oil labor abuses linked to world’s top food and cosmetic brands, banks
An AP investigation into the invisible workforce of millions of laborers toiling in the palm oil industry in Malaysia and Indonesia found many suffering from exploitation — including child labor, outright slavery and allegations of rape.
The workers from some of Asia's poorest corners tend the heavy reddish-orange palm oil fruit that feeds supply chains for many iconic food and cosmetics companies like Unilever, L’Oreal, Nestle and Procter & Gamble, report Margie Mason and Robin McDowell.
Together, the two countries produce about 85% of the world’s estimated $65 billion palm oil supply.
VIDEO: AP probe uncovers abuses in palm oil industry.
VIDEO: Palm oil in products often obscured by many names.
One Indonesian man trapped on a Malaysian plantation run by government-owned Felda, one of the world’s largest palm oil companies, told AP in a desperate phone call: “I am not a free man anymore. I desperately want to see my mom and dad. I want to go home!”
The AP interviewed more than 130 current and former workers from two dozen palm oil companies who came from eight countries and labored on plantations across Malaysia and Indonesia. Almost all had serious complaints about their treatment, with some saying they were cheated, threatened, held against their will or forced to work off unsurmountable debts. 
AP PHOTO/JOHN MINCHILLO Dismay over lack of charges for Breonna Taylor's death spills into America's streets; Gunfire in Louisville
It has happened before on numerous occasions when justice was sought in the U.S. for the loss of a Black person's life at the hands of white police.
Anger, frustration and sadness over the decision not to charge Kentucky police officers for Breonna Taylor’s death has poured into America’s streets. Protesters lashed out at a criminal justice system they say is stacked against Black people.
Violence seized the demonstrations in Taylor's hometown of Louisville as gunfire rang out last night and wounded two police officers, report Dylan Lovan, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and John Minchillo.
Activists, celebrities and ordinary Americans have been calling for charges since Taylor was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home during a narcotics investigation in March.
A grand jury returned three charges of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison over shooting into a home next to Taylor’s with people inside.
Hundreds of demonstrators chanted Taylor’s name and marched in New York, Portland, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
VIDEO: Protests in Louisville, reaction.
VIDEO: Protesters in New York demand justice.
Kentucky’s Black attorney general, Daniel Cameron, choked up when explaining why a grand jury didn't seek criminal charges against police officers for Taylor’s death — but his sympathetic words fell on many deaf ears.
Q&A: What were the results of Breonna Taylor investigation?
Charging Cops: The outcome in the Taylor case demonstrates the vast disconnect between the public’s perception of what justice should look like and the limits of the law when police use deadly force. Activists and others have been calling for months for the officers who shot at Taylor to be charged with murder. But in the end none were. The long-awaited decision came amid calls for police reform across the U.S. spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other Black Americans by law enforcement, Alanna Durkin Richer reports.
Breonna Taylor Reaction: For months, actors, sports stars, musicians and other celebrities have been calling for justice for Breonna. Here are some of their quotes decrying the decision. 
AP PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI Trump won’t commit to peaceful transfer of power if he loses November election
President Donald Trump has again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 presidential election.
Trump told reporters he would “have to see what happens" when asked about the matter.
Trump's Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, responded by asking, “What country are we in?”
It is highly unusual that a sitting U.S. president would express less than complete confidence in the American democracy’s electoral process. But Trump also declined four years ago to commit to honoring the election results if rival Hillary Clinton won, Aamer Madhani and Kevin Freking report.
VIDEO: Trump won't commit to peaceful transfer of power.
VIDEO: Biden slams Trump for 'politicizing' Justice Dept.
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's untruths on court pick, Biden's flubs.
Voter Voices: The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has set off a contentious political fight in Washington. But talking with dozens of voters in battleground states since then, many cited health care, the economy and personal complaints about Trump and Biden before mentioning the Supreme Court vacancy, Jill Colvin reports.
Ginsburg Memorial: She was remembered at the court in front of grieving family, colleagues and friends as a prophet for justice who persevered against long odds to become an American icon. Crowds grew outside as thousands waited for a chance to pay their respects.
On Friday, Ginsburg will lie in state at the Capitol, the first woman to do so and only the second Supreme Court justice after William Howard Taft, who had also been president. Rosa Parks, a private citizen not a government official, is the only woman who has lain in honor at the Capitol. 
AP PHOTO/MARY ALTAFFER Coronavirus Pandemic
World leaders have used their speeches at this year's virtual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly to slam the haphazard response to a microscopic virus that has taken nearly 1 million lives and unleashed economic havoc in its relentless march across the globe.
Kazakhstan's president called it “a critical collapse of global cooperation.”
The pandemic and its consequences topped the list of concerns on the second day of prerecorded speeches at the General Assembly’s first virtual high-level meeting, reports Edith M. Lederer.
Countries large and small spoke about struggling to deal with the impact of the pandemic without international coordination, issuing pleas for the world to work together to combat the scourge and other global problems.
Global Vaccine Pleas: If the U.N. was created from the ashes of World War II, what will be born from the global crisis of COVID-19? Many world leaders at this week’s virtual summit hope it will be an affordable vaccine made available to all countries, rich and poor.
But with the U.S., China and Russia opting out of a collaborative effort to develop and distribute a vaccine, and some rich nations striking deals with pharmaceutical companies to secure millions of doses, the U.N. pleas are likely in vain, Cara Anna reports.
U.S. Vaccine: A huge study of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is getting underway as U.S. health officials seek to assure a skeptical public they can trust any shots the government ultimately approves. Trump is pushing for a fast decision, but the Food and Drug Administration's chief has pledged that action will be based on science, not politics.
Hopes are high that answers about at least one of several vaccine candidates could come by year's end. The one-dose contender from Johnson & Johnson will be tested in 60,000 people in the U.S. and several other countries, Lauran Neergaard and Ricardo Alonso- Zaldivar report.
How can I tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19? The AP is answering Viral Questions in this series. Other Top Stories South Korea says North Korean troops shot a South Korean official who may have attempted to defect, and set his body on fire after they found him in waters near the rivals’ disputed sea boundary. According to Seoul, the man disappeared from a government ship that was checking on potential unauthorized fishing. A defense official says the man might have tried to defect to North Korea and may have been shot in line with the North's stringent anti-coronavirus rules. The high-profile case of an alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at a luxury Cairo hotel in 2014 has morphed into a government crackdown against potential witnesses to the crime. Several people have been detained and the developments have worried rights activists. The activists fear the Egyptian government is making an example of those who came forward with information about the alleged rape and say this will discourage other victims and witnesses from speaking out. Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation’s most celebrated wine regions. The resulting ashy flavor could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage. The smoke from this year’s blazes has been especially bad — thick enough to obscure vineyards, which are drooping with clusters of grapes almost ready for harvest. Growers are trying to assess the extent of the smoke damage in California, Oregon and Washington. Authorities now say 70 pilot whales have been rescued from Australia’s worst mass stranding and the focus is shifting to removing 380 carcasses from Tasmania state waters. Another 20 surviving whales could potentially still be saved and vets are considering euthanizing four others. An estimated 470 whales had beached themselves along the remote west coast of the island state. 
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