AP News Digest 2:25 p.m.
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PAKISTAN-MADRASSA ABUSE — A young Pakistani boy proudly writes his name, one letter at a time, grinning broadly as he finishes. He’s just 11 years old and had dreams of being a doctor. Now school frightens him. Earlier this year, a cleric at the Pakistani religious school he attended tried to rape him. The AP collected dozens of police reports from across Pakistan, traveling to remote regions to review files. The reports allege sexual harassment, rape and physical abuse by Islamic clerics teaching in madrassas, or religious schools, where many of the country’s poorest study. Police say the problem is pervasive, and the reports they’ve received are just the tip of the iceberg. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,790 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — New York’s coronavirus death toll topped 10,000 even as the absence of fresh hotspots in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world yielded a ray of optimism in global efforts against the disease, though a return to normal was unlikely anytime soon. Officials around the world worried that halting the quarantine and social distancing behaviors could easily undo the hard-earned progress. Still, there were signs that countries were looking in that direction. By Eric Tucker, Aritz Parra and Joseph Wilson. SENT: 1,350 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING, VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent)
US--ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-SANDERS — Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy as he made a joint online appearance with the former vice president. SENT: 100 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — President Trump asserts he is the ultimate decision-maker for determining how and when to relax the nation’s social distancing guidelines as he grows anxious to reopen the country as soon as possible. Governors and local leaders, who have instituted mandatory restrictions that have the force of law, have expressed concern that Trump’s plans to restore normalcy will cost lives and extend the duration of the outbreak. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 770 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 5 p.m. press briefing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRCRAFT CARRIER — A member of the crew of the coronavirus-infected USS Theodore Roosevelt died Monday of complications related to the disease, 11 days after the aircraft carrier’s captain was fired for pressing his concern that the Navy had done too little to safeguard his crew. The sailor was the first active-duty military member to die of COVID-19.. By National Security Writer Robert Buns. SENT: 810 words, photos.
SEVERE WEATHER-SOUTH — Severe weather has swept across the South, killing at least 20 people and damaging hundreds of homes from Louisiana into the Appalachian Mountains. Many people spent part of the night early Monday sheltering in basements, closets and bathroom tubs as sirens wailed to warn of possible tornadoes. By Emily Wagster Pettus. SENT: 770 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-OLD VACCINES — Scientists are dusting off some decades-old vaccines against other germs to see if they could provide stopgap protection against COVID-19 until a more precise shot arrives. It may sound weird: Vaccines are designed to target a specific disease. But vaccines made using live strains of bacteria or viruses seem to give the immune system an overall boost. And history books show that sometimes translates into cross-protection against other, completely different bugs. By Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DYING ALONE — Don Pijanowski was not surrounded by loved ones when he died. Instead, the 87-year-old father of four died in a New York hospital with a nurse who stood near him and passed on his sons’ final message. The new coronavirus is so contagious that health care facilities aren’t letting families and friends gather around the dying for fear of spreading the infection. By Jay Reeves. SENT: 790 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY-EXPOSED — For years, financial inequality has widened in the United States and elsewhere as wealth and income have become increasingly concentrated among the most affluent while millions struggle to get by. Now, the coronavirus outbreak has laid bear the human cost of that inequality, making it more visible and potentially worse. Congress’ rescue measures are far-reaching. But what happens once life begins to edge back to normal. Will the U.S. remain an outlier among wealthy countries in providing limited protections for the financially vulnerable? Or will it expand the social safety net, as it did after the Great Depression but largely did not after the Great Recession that ended in 2009? BY Paul Wiseman. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK- BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had strong praise for the country’s National Health Service and the medical workers who tended to him during his recent hospitalization for the coronavirus, saying they saved his life. That statement could mean the NHS has a powerful new advocate in the government as it seeks to reverse a decade of austerity that has left Britain’s doctors and nurses struggling. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK-OFF KILTER-PHOTO ESSAY: In its highest moments, New York City is dizzying. Today, it is dizzying in a different way. SENT: 750 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE APPLICANTS — Pandemic or not, the clock is ticking for high school seniors making up their minds about where to go to college. SENT: 660 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SWEDEN’S APPROACH — Sweden is pursuing relatively liberal policies to fight the coronavirus pandemic, even though there has been a sharp spike in deaths. SENT: 850 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-NEPAL ANIMALS — Every morning and evening, guards and volunteers at Nepal’s most revered Hindu temple gather to feed hundreds of monkeys, cows and pigeons. The animals, which normally are fed by thousands of devotees at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, had found themselves at a risk of starvation after Nepal’s government ordered a complete lockdown last month to stop the spread of the coronavirus. SENT: 350 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-HARBOR SEALS — Humans can’t always recognize each other in face masks, so imagine the confusion that wild animals in captivity must feel. At the New England Aquarium in Boston, workers who feed and train Atlantic harbor seals are working to get them used to seeing once-familiar human keepers in masks. SENT: 240 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TOO MANY DECISIONS — The notion of decision fatigue has been around for a long time — long before the virus came. But for many, it was often the fatigue of a consumer society. Selecting channels and streaming services and apps. Choosing tech. Swiping Tinder. The thing about these tiny decisions, though, was that we didn’t HAVE to make many of them. And if we did, and messed up, the stakes were generally lower. Now, though, the most fleeting of daily choices — no matter who or where you are — suddenly have potentially monumental consequences. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “stay home” message has fueled anger and accusations that he was insensitive to people who cannot rest at home. Japan’s social distancing measures are voluntary and don’t come with compensation. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUSSIA-PUTIN'S PLANS — Spring is not turning out the way Russian President Vladimir Putin might have planned it. A nationwide vote on April 22 was supposed to finalize sweeping constitutional reforms that would allow him to stay in power until 2036 if he wished. But after the coronavirus spread in Russia, that election had to be postponed. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BACKUP HOSPITALS — The inclusion of a Memphis, Tennessee, shopping center on a list of potential locations for makeshift coronavirus hospitals has some neighborhood residents concerned. SENT: 870 words, photos.
GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today is about the many different sounds we are hearing during this pandemic. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-STEPHANOPOULOS — “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos revealed that he’s tested positive for the coronavirus, but has been relatively symptom-free. SENT: 130 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ONLINE-MARIJUANA-SALES — Virus fuels pot industry’s push for online sales, delivery. SENT: 690 words.
OBIT-SPORTS REPORTER — Anthony Causi, a highly skilled and exceedingly popular sports photographer for The New York Post who covered the city’s teams for 25 years, died Sunday from the new coronavirus. He was 48. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-WISCONSIN — Municipal clerks across Wisconsin are tallying votes from last week’s chaotic presidential primary, a count that was delayed for several days by the legal struggle over whether to postpone the election due to the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 520 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP UNINSURED — The Trump administration’s unrelenting opposition to “Obamacare” could become an obstacle for millions of uninsured people in the coronavirus outbreak, as well as many who are losing coverage in the economic shutdown. By Ricardo Alonso Zaldivar. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUPREME COURT — The Supreme Court will hold arguments by teleconference in May in key cases, including President Trump’s bid to shield his tax and other financial records. The court will make live audio of the arguments available for the first time. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 450 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHELE OBAMA — A voter initiative led by Michelle Obama announces support for making it easier for people to register to vote and cast ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 540 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PRISONS — Prisoner rights advocates accused the federal Bureau of Prisons of “slow walking” the release of federal inmates at a Louisiana lockup where the coronavirus has killed six prisoners and infected dozens of others. By Jim Mustian. SENT: 680 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP-FUNDRAISING — President Trump’s record-setting fundraising pace slowed slightly amid the coronavirus outbreak but remained strong as he maintains a massive cash advantage over Democrats. By Zeke Miler. SENT: 410 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-PROGRESSIVES — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she wants to hear Democratic hopeful Joe Biden speak in detail on how to provide health care for everyone. The freshman congresswoman from Queens, New York tells The Associated Press that Biden is “struggling” with millennials and people of color and needs to describe how he’d preserve Medicare, for example, for people who won’t need it for decades. By Laurie Kellman. UPCOMING: 500 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-CALIFORNIA SPECIAL ELECTION — The fight for an open U.S. House seat in a swing district north of Los Angeles provides Republicans with a rare opportunity to gain ground in heavily Democratic California, and the outcome could send a message about where voters place their trust during the coronavirus crisis. The voting in the special election will take place under highly unusual circumstances, with public campaigning halted last month and government stay-at-home orders in place across the state. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT __________________
TV-INSIDE QUIBI — They were skeptical. The name was weird. The concept was a little crazy — but it was intriguing. Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz and rising star Stephan James each overcame initial reluctance to become pioneers in Quibi. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. UPCOMING by 3 p.m., 700 words, with photos.
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SPORTS-WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN — There will be no Major League Baseball players wearing No. 42 this week. The sports calendar is going into its second month on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. Among the events that would have been scheduled this week was Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday. That is the annual day marking the anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Every player wears Robinson’s retired No. 42 on that day. SENT: words, photos. SENT: 520 words, photo.
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