Posts Thumbnails & Featured Image — og Google Topics

See
https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-0mgswyb6yAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvtJoLMMm-sgMwk5zyBg?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
There is a thumbnail image that Google Publications detects which is below the BODY tag. The image is inline in the post and is 500px.
It is listed as the Meta og:image
There is no featured image for this post.

Here is another example
https://kioskindustry.org/bitcoin-atms-grocery-stores/
No featured image. Just the image inline.

Problem for me is duplicity. In order to have a thumbnail show up in sidebar posts using Iconic widget, I have to have a featured image.
https://kioskindustry.org/
Look on the right and there is a blue square for that grocery store image.

I need a featured image for Iconic thumbnails, but I also need almost identical image in the body for Google Publisher.

Is there a way for the iconic widget to act the same as Google Publisher is my question.