AP News Digest 2 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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump prepares to unveil national guidelines on when and how the country can begin to recover from the sharp economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic. What’s already clear is that the return to normalcy will be a far longer process than Trump initially envisioned, with federal officials warning that some social distancing measures may be needed through the end of the year. By Zeke Miller and Kevin Freking. SENT: 840 words. UPCOMING: Developing throughout the day and from scheduled 5 p.m. White House news conference, 930 words by 6 p.m., photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WUHAN LAB — President Trump and some of his officials are flirting with an outlier theory that the new coronavirus was set loose upon the world by a Chinese lab that let it escape. Without the weight of evidence, they’re tapping an expedient moment to try to blame China for sickness and death in the United States. By Calvin Woodward. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The ranks of Americans thrown out of work by the coronavirus ballooned to at least 22 million in an unprecedented collapse that has fueled widening protests and propelled President Trump’s push to relax the nation’s social distancing guidelines. Trump planned to announce new recommendations later in the day to allow states to reopen, despite warnings from business leaders and governors that more testing and protective gear are needed first. By Christopher Rugaber and Lori Hinnant. SENT: 1,027 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Lawmakers face new pressure to break a stalemate over a Trump administration request for $250 billion to replenish a program keeping small businesses alive during the coronavirus epidemic, and which has now exhausted its funding. By Andrew Taylor. SENT: 850 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m., photos.
MED--VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONTACT TRACING — Before stay-at-home orders are lifted, the nation’s public health agencies want to be ready to douse any new sparks of coronavirus infection — a task they say could require tens of thousands more investigators to call people who test positive, track down their contacts and get them into quarantine. By Carla K. Johnson and Mike Stobbe. SENT: 1,047 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-CAMPAIGNING FOR VP — As presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden begins the process of choosing a running mate, managing the coronavirus pandemic has become its own version of an audition for potential picks. California Sen. Kamala Harris is talking about the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on African Americans. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is pushing a plan for rural areas to respond to the coronavirus. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been on TV pleading for help from President Trump in addressing the pandemic. By Sara Burnett and Bill Barrow. SENT: 997 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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FACEBOOK-MISINFORMATION WARNINGS — Have you liked or commented on a Facebook post about the COVID-19 pandemic that turned out to be a hoax? The social media company says it’s going to notify users if they liked, reacted or commented on harmful misinformation removed from Facebook’s news feed. SENT: 560 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WEDDING -- A delivery driver arrived just in the nick of time to a beach wedding in North Carolina with a critical piece of the ceremony. SENT: 234 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VETERAN'S THANKS — A 99-year-old World War II veteran has completed his quest to walk 100 laps of his garden and raised almost 13 million pounds ($16 million) for Britain’s National Health Service. SENT: 330 words, photos.
CACTUS-EAGLES NEST -- For the first time in decades, bald eagles have been found nesting in an Arizona saguaro cactus. SENT: 140 words.
VEHICLE BODY-MOTHER HELD -- An autopsy has confirmed that the body of a child found in March in his mother’s vehicle in northeastern Wisconsin is the woman’s 5-year-old son, who had been missing since late last year. SENT: 289 words, photo.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT — Dollars are flowing, but oversight of the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package has barely begun. The halting start to the oversight efforts is fueling questions about how effectively watchdogs can monitor the Trump administration as its spends an unprecedented sum rescuing the economy. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt Daly. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FOOD PANTRIES — The coronavirus pandemic has provoked a spike in demand for food pantries in the U.S. Providers have seen people lining up hours before pantries open, with cars stretching sometimes for miles. But while demand is up as much as 60% in some places, food donations have declined significantly. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOME DEATHS — An extraordinary number of deaths over the weekend appear to have overwhelmed a nursing home in northern New Jersey where police responding to an anonymous tip found more than a dozen bodies. SENT: 680 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-THE DOG — While millions of people are stuck in their homes, there are abandoned dogs and cats still looking for one. One writer is now living with a newly adopted 3-year-old dog who is helping him deal with the recent deaths of his father, a colleague and another dog who was very dear. He is already discovering how these animals can provide a ray of light amid the gloom. SENT: 592 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSES SUSPENDED — Ten nurses were suspended from their jobs at a Santa Monica hospital after refusing to care for COVID-19 patients without protective N95 face masks. They are among hundreds of doctors, nurses and other health care workers across the country who say they’ve been asked to work without proper protective equipment. SENT: 890 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL FLORIDA — For weeks, there had been chatter across Liberty County in Florida’s Panhandle about how the coronavirus could devastate the 8,300 people who live there. As the coronavirus spread across Florida, Liberty became the last county without a case. In the county’s only incorporated city, residents prided themselves on being friendly. But amid a deadly pandemic, outsiders aren’t entirely welcome these days. SENT: 913 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-OTHER-DISEASES — Doctors fear that the focus on the coronavirus pandemic could waylay efforts to combat other diseases. Resources to fight illnesses like tuberculosis, HIV and cholera that kill millions every year could be depleted by the pandemic’s toll on hospitals, medical workers and supplies. The first signs of the cascading impact of COVID-19 are showing up in countries with fragile health care systems, where experts fear “indirect” deaths from other diseases. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-NEIGHBORHOOD PLEDGE — Jennifer Stamper thought having her children recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning would help them feel like it was a regular school day. It’s not, of course, because schools are closed and 9-year-old Zach and 7-year-old Juliette are doing their lessons online. Now the morning Pledge of Allegiance has become a tradition in their neighborhood in the Dayton suburb of Kettering. SENT: 568 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK - RAMADAN CELEBRATION -- Ramadan unites Muslims the world over in fasting and worship during a time of reflection. This year, it follows a string of religious holidays that have also unified the faithful from different religions in grappling with how to observe familiar rituals and celebrations in a time of unfamiliarity. SENT: 1,243 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SEARCHING FOR SEEDS — Home gardeners are feeling the need for seed. Vegetable packets are being gobbled up at stores, and shoppers have overwhelmed seed websites during the coronavirus pandemic. Some seed companies are scrambling to fill back orders. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SPAIN-FUNERAL-HOMES — Jordi Fernández’s 16-year-career as a mortician didn’t prepare him for the hundreds of bodies that are streaming into the Barcelona funeral home where he works. Many are victims of COVID-19, and Fernandez cannot truly do his job. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEXICO-BEER -- Perhaps one of the most heated debates in Mexico during the pandemic — after disagreements about personal protective equipment and testing — is the burning issue of whether beer should be considered an “essential” item during the lockdown. SENT: 589 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-MAIL — Is it safe to open mail and packages? Health officials say you should be fine opening up letters from your mailbox or packages on your doorstep. UPCOMING: 150 words, photo.
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TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — Newly released footnotes from a Justice Department watchdog report raise the possibility that Russian disinformation made its way into a dossier of opposition research that the FBI relied on when obtaining warrants to eavesdrop on a former Trump campaign adviser. SENT: 690 words, photo.
TRUMP-MERCURY ROLLBACK— Andrew Wheeler, the former coal lobbyist running the Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to announce the final scrapping of a rule credited with making the coal industry cut toxic mercury emissions. UPCOMING: 700 words by 2:30 p.m., with update from 5:30 p.m. announcement, 790 words, photos by 6 p.m.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-POLITICS — Israel’s president has asked the Knesset to choose a new prime minister, giving the parliament three weeks to agree upon a leader or plunge the country into an unprecedented fourth consecutive election in just over a year. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE — American Indian tribes and environmental groups are pressuring a federal judge to shut down work on the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Nebraska less than two weeks after it started. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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WESTERN MEGADROUGHT — Much of the U.S. West is in an emerging megadrought, one of the worst in at least 1,200 years, a new study says. UPCOMING: 680 words by 2 p.m., photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT — Airline traffic fell to levels last seen before the jet era weeks ago. It’s gotten worse. United Airlines says it will be at about 10% capacity for the next two months. CEO Oscar Munoz said in a letter to employees that the airline expects to fly fewer people during the entire month of May than it did on a single day in May 2019. And economic data has begun to reveal the depths of a potential economic crisis. Home construction collapsed last month. A growing number of construction sites are being abandoned, reminiscent of the housing crisis a decade ago. SENT: 796 words, photos, video.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks are mixed in trading on Wall Street. SENT: 730 words, photos. WITH: UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — The wave of layoffs that has engulfed the U.S. economy since the coronavirus struck forced 5.2 million more people to seek unemployment benefits last week. SENT: 1,086 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS — It’s not just A-list stars providing entertainment on social media. Musicians whose names are likely known to just local audiences are turning to livestreaming shows from living rooms and basements amid the coronavirus shutdown. By Brendan Farrington. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE SINGING SURGEON — Elvis Francois, the orthopedic surgery resident who has gone viral with his top-notch live performances at hospitals, knew from adolescence he wanted to help heal the world through medicine. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ATHLETES ON FRONT LINES — They are athletes on the front lines of a pandemic. And COVID-19 is stirring competitive fires the way games once did. These doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners tell the AP that approaching the coronavirus like an opponent makes complete sense to them. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FBN—DRAFT-WORKING IT — NFL prospects had been meeting coaches and checking team facilities until COVID-19 upended the all activities leading to next week’s draft. Players and teams must now make do with virtual visits. By Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-POSTCARD FROM CALIFORNIA - Summer in California won’t look the same. The governor has outlined a road map for easing coronavirus restrictions that would lead to empty stadiums, amusement parks and most beaches. Any broad reopening would depend on a vaccine that could be more than a year away. By Brian Melley and Amy Taxin. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, 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.