AP News Digest 6:30 p.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.
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-FACT CHECK, VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRIVE-IN CHURCH, LIBYA, VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS ABORTION, MEXICAN CHURCH LEADER-CHILD RAPES, UNIVERSITY ARBORETUM-DOUBLE HOMICIDE, OIL SPILL-WILDLIFE, VIRUS OUTBREAK-EMISSIONS REDUCTION, VIRUS OUTBREAK-FILM-VIRTUAL VIEWING PARTIES.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — Polls close 9 p.m.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus rises past 3,200, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care, believed to be the first major world leader hospitalized with the virus. The twin developments come even as the crisis seems to be easing or at least stabilizing, by some measures, in New York and parts of Europe. By Marina Villeneuve and Lori Hinnant. SENT: 1,100 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — UK’s Johnson in ICU, was given oxygen in battling virus. SENT: 1,100 words, photos; VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — NY has biggest 1-day jump in virus deaths. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — Thousands of Wisconsin voters wait hours in long lines outside overcrowded polling stations, ignoring federal health recommendations so they can participate in a presidential primary election that is testing the limits of electoral politics in the midst of a pandemic. By Scott Bauer and Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,230 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: Developing, polls close 9 p.m. ET, 990 words by 11 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INSPECTORS GENERAL — President Donald Trump is moving aggressively to challenge the authority and independence of agency watchdogs overseeing his administration, including removing the inspector general tasked with overseeing the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package that passed Congress with bipartisan support. By Eric Tucker, Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 980 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-LOCKDOWN LIFTED — The lockdown that served as a model for countries battling the coronavirus around the world is set to end after 11 weeks: Chinese authorities are moving to allow residents of Wuhan to once again travel in and out of the sprawling city where the pandemic began. By Sam McNeil. SENT: 880 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-BEIJING SPRING — In Beijing, finally, a tentative spring blooms. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRCRAFT CARRIER — Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the acting civilian leader of the Navy, Thomas Modly, has resigned. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for a profanity-laced upbraiding of the officer he fired as captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. By Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns. SENT: 970 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING — The messy fight over Wisconsin’s primary is just the beginning. Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for a series of state-by-state court battles over how to safely hold elections during a pandemic. The fights are certain to affect voter turnout — and the outcome — in hundreds of races across the country, including the race for the White House. By Nicholas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 800 words by 7 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPLIT FAMILIES — The coronavirus is wreaking havoc on families’ custody arrangements. New plans have had to be made as parents get sick or exposed to the illness and already-feuding former couples are battling over each other’s approach to stay-at-home orders. By Amy Taxin. SENT: 910 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARTIN SHKRELI — “Pharma Bro” wants out of prison to research coronavirus. SENT: 310 words, photo.
R KELLY — A federal judge denies R Kelly’s request to be released from jail because the singer was concerned he might contract the coronavirus behind bars. SENT: 250 words, photo.
OBIT-EARL GRAVES SR — Earl Graves Sr., founder of the first African American-owned magazine focusing on black entrepreneurs, has died. He was 85. SENT: 280 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING RIO-FIREFIGHTER — Rio firefighter trades hose for horn to extinguish the blues. SENT: 630 words, photos, video. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-A FORTUNATE LADY — A 90-year-old survivor of COVID-19 has a message for the rest of us: Do not be afraid, and do not despair. SENT: 550 words, photos, video.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Congress is racing to craft the next coronavirus rescue package, but President Trump’s sudden request to pump $250 billion more into a just-launched payroll program for small businesses may hit roadblocks. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LAST STATES — Most governors have imposed stay-at-home orders. But leaders in a handful of states have steadfastly refused to take the action, arguing it’s unneeded and potentially harmful. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-REMITTANCES — The devastation wrought by COVID-19 across the developed world in cutting into the financial lifelines for people in Latin America, Africa and Asia. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-VENEZUELA PARTY — A beach party thrown by children of Venezuela’s ruling elite has led to a cluster of coronavirus cases. SENT: 960 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOBBYING — Business is booming in the Washington lobbying world despite the coronavirus pandemic. Companies, interest groups and entire industries are seeking help from lobbyists as they navigate a chaotic environment to secure a piece of the massive stimulus package. By Richard Lardner and Brian Slodysko. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRIVE-IN CHURCH — With virus prevention measures shuttering houses of worship, pastors are using that ultimate tool of social distancing — cars — to safely bring their communities together. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN-STATE-OF-EMERGENCY — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus. SENT: 700 words, photos.
AP’s CORONAVIRUS PODCAST, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting law enforcement in the United States, from police departments to courts and prisons. Listen to the podcast at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.
Eds: A separate wire advisory has been sent detailing AP’s complete coronvirus coverage.
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TRUMP-PRESS SECRETARY — President Trump shakes up his communications team, replacing his press secretary and adding new staffers as the White House grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. By Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin. SENT: 670 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-LEWIS — Civil rights icon and Georgia Rep. John Lewis is backing Joe Biden for president. SENT: 840 words, photo. With ELECTION 2020-OHIO-BROWN ENDORSES — Ohio’s most prominent Democrat endorses Biden. SENT: 970 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY — A federal appeals court sides with the Trump administration in its effort to resume executing inmates, but sends the matter back to a lower court for further review. SENT: 520 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-FACT CHECK — President Trump falsely asserts that travelers at U.S. airports are being routinely tested for COVID-19 and makes groundless accusations of political bias against a government watchdog. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS ABORTION — A federal appeals court sides with Texas and allows the state to ban most abortions while under an emergency order limiting non-essential surgeries during the pandemic. SENT: 200 words.
MEXICAN CHURCH LEADER-CHILD RAPES — A California appeals court dismisses the criminal case against a Mexican megachurch leader on charges of child rape and human trafficking. SENT: 300 words, photos.
1976 SLAYING DNA TESTING — A judge orders DNA testing on a hat left at the scene of a fatal 1976 shooting that an Iowa inmate hopes will prove he has been wrongly imprisoned for decades. SENT: 210 words, photo.
UNIVERSITY ARBORETUM-DOUBLE HOMICIDE — Prosecutors charge a teenager with fatally shooting a University of Wisconsin physician and her husband, who were the parents of his girlfriend, and leaving their bodies at the school’s arboretum. SENT: 370 words.
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AUSTRALIA CARDINAL-CHARGED — Cardinal George Pell welcomes Australia’s highest court clearing him of child sex crimes. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
LIBYA — Rockets rain down on Libya’s capital Tripoli, authorities say, in the second day of heavy bombardment by eastern-based forces that struck one of the city’s largest hospitals. SENT: 300 words.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — A rally on Wall Street evaporates after the price of crude oil takes a sudden turn lower, deflating gains in the energy sector. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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OIL SPILL-WILDLIFE — A decade after the nation’s worst offshore oil spill, a wildlife advocacy organization says dolphins, turtles and other wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico are still seriously at risk. SENT: 470 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EMISSIONS REDUCTION — A new report projects Americans will burn off 7.5% less climate-damaging fossil fuel emissions this year, as the coronavirus disrupts travel and business. SENT: 340 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FILM-VIRTUAL VIEWING PARTIES — Movie theaters may be closed, but friends are still finding ways to watch together while staying apart thanks to applications like Netflix Party. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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SPORTS-DESERTED ICONS — Augusta was supposed to host golf’s first major championship this week. But the Masters has been put off until at least November, dealing the Georgia city a huge financial blow. By National Writer Paul Newberry. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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