AP News Digest 3 a.m.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK -- Some countries and U.S. states are starting to ease lockdown restrictions and focus on fixing their battered economies. In Spain, the streets echoed again with joyful cries as the nation let children go outside for the first time in six weeks. In Italy, the premier laid out a long-awaited timetable for getting back to normal, announcing that factories, construction sites and wholesale supply businesses can resume activity as soon as they put safety measures in place. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going back to work Monday at 10 Downing St. after being hospitalized with the coronavirus. By Nick Perry and Joseph Wilson. SENT: 670 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT’S HAPPENING (both sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVIGATING THE INVISIBLE — The surreptitious and the invisible are defining the human landscape during these weeks in ways we are only barely beginning to understand. That goes not only for the coronavirus itself but the attitudes and fears that are part of the battle against it. This is already an era whose entertainment and politics shout at people not to believe things even if they can be seen. Now an entire world’s well-being, its economy and its people’s livelihoods are being upended by something unseen and aggressive. By Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP -- In times of war and national strife, presidents typically try to unite a broken country and see their approval ratings soar. Not Donald Trump. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has instead escalated his decisive rhetoric, lashing out at critics, launching attacks on Democrats, and embracing hard-right strategies. By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. WITH VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP -- After two months of frantic response to the coronavirus, the White House is planning to shift President Donald Trump’s public focus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. By Zeke Miler. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FIRST RESPONDERS-BACK TO WORK -- The novel coronavirus has sickened thousands of America’s first responders, and killed dozens more. But many have recovered, and they’re going back to work — back to the crime scene, back into the ambulance, back to the jail. Five describe what it’s like to return to the pandemic’s front lines. By Stefanie Dazio, Michael R. Sistak and Jake Bleiberg. UPCOMING: 1,420 words with 25-photo gallery at 5 a.m. EDT. This is the Tuesday spotlight.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN MOSQUE-MORGUE — The holy month of Ramadan is underway, and the Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif should be full of worshippers. But this year, the main arrivals are the dead. While the mosque in the central England city of Birmingham has been closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, its parking lot has been transformed into a temporary morgue with room for 150 bodies. By Jo Kearney and Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
NKOREA-KIM - A train likely belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been parked at his compound on the country’s east coast since last week, satellite imagery showed, amid speculation about his health that has been caused, in part, by a long period out of the public eye. The satellite photos released by 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea studies, don’t say anything about Kim’s potential health problems, and they echo South Korean government intelligence that Kim is staying outside of the capital, Pyongyang. By Hyung-Jin Kim SENT: 840 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST OIL CRASH — The historic crash in oil prices in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic is reverberating across the Middle East as crude-dependent countries scramble to offset losses from a key source of state revenue. The economies of all the Arab Gulf oil exporters are expected to contract this year. Iraq faces the most dire situation, and officials are trying to find ways to cut spending. That could mean painful cuts in earnings for millions in the public sector. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GEORGIA — Georgia’s reopening is set to continue as more restrictions against the coronavirus are loosened in the big Southern state. Movie theaters on Monday can welcome customers and limited in-restaurant dining may resume. This comes after other businesses, including barbershops, gyms, tattoo shops and nail salons, were allowed to start seeing customers Friday. Many establishments gratefully opened their doors after a monthlong closure, but others didn’t feel ready yet amid the pandemic and remained shuttered. SENT: 380 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY CHAPLAINS — For the chaplains serving the storied Green Berets of Fort Bragg’s 3rd Special Forces Group, ministry is all about in-person connections. Trust is earned by training and deploying alongside soldiers who leave their families time after time for Afghanistan, Syria and other hot spots. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, many soldiers are spending more time at home, forcing chaplains to get creative with their outreach. SENT: 640 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ZULU FUNERAL — If Larry Arthur Hammond had died in a normal time, he would have had a funeral befitting a Zulu king. The New Orleans man, who died of COVID-19 in March at the age of 70, was Mardi Gras royalty, and would have had more than a thousand people marching behind his casket in second-line parades. That’s impossible now as the coronavirus pandemic forces social distancing. SENT: 720 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRTUAL PROMS — High schoolers undefeated by the coronavirus lockdowns are heading online for isolation proms. They’re dressing up in party gear already purchased, or sticking to street clothes on Zoom as they dance in their bedrooms. Their schools and familiar brands are helping out by hosting, including Teen Vogue. And celebrities are lending a hand, too. SENT: 800 words, photos.
LIVES LOST-DOUBLE TRANSPLANT SURVIVOR — A double-lung transplant patient from New Hampshire who went on to become a daredevil has died from the coronavirus. Joanne Mellady died in March after becoming a symbol of what was possible after people receive organ transplants. She got hers in 2007 and went on to complete a bucket list that included extensive travel and sports ranging like hang gliding and skateboarding. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PREVENTING STARVATION — The head of the World Food Program says he has been telling leaders of some of the world’s richest nations that the coronavirus pandemic is impacting the economies of vulnerable and conflict-torn countries where millions of people will face starvation and death if the U.N. agency’s funding is cut. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — China’s ambassador reportedly is warning the Australian government its pursuit of a coronavirus inquiry could set off a boycott by Chinese consumers, who may no longer travel and study in Australia or buy major exports including beef and wine. Ambassador Cheng Jingye said in a newspaper interview that Australia’s push for an inquiry was “dangerous” and predicted it would fail to gain traction. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDAHO PLAYGROUND — An anti-vaccine activist who was arrested in Idaho after she repeatedly refused orders by police to leave a playground that had been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic has apologized to the police officer. SENT: 220 words, photo.
POLICE SHOOTING — Authorities say a man in a camouflage hat fired a military-style rifle at some neighbors inside their Maryland home before he was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy. SENT: 240 words.
MET OPERA-AT-HOME GALA - The Met Opera overcame a stage silenced by the coronavirus pandemic to link singers for an at-home global gala. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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SYRIA-ISRAEL — The Syrian military says Israeli warplanes flying over Lebanon have fired missiles toward areas near the Syrian capital of Damascus. It says the country’s air defenses shot most of the missiles down. The military statement was carried by state media and it says that some missiles that made it to the target early on Monday caused material damage but no casualties. SENT: 220 words, photos.
YEMEN — A Saudi-led coalition mired in a yearslong war in Yemen has urged Emirati-backed separatists to honor terms of a Riyadh peace deal and return control of Aden to the country’s internationally recognized government. The statement comes after the separatists’ Southern Transitional Council again claimed sole control Sunday of Aden. SENT: 420 words, photos.
GREECE MIGRANTS — Fires have broken out at a migrants’ camp on the Greek island of Samos, leading to its partial evacuation, and firefighters say they are still fighting the flames though they are under control. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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FELONS VOTING-FLORIDA — A federal trial opening Monday could help settle whether impoverished Florida felons can be denied the right to vote. Voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment in 2018 that allowed felons to regain the right to vote. But the Florida Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill that was later signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis stipulating that felons must pay all legal financial obligations before their voting rights can be restored. A consolidated class action suit before a U.S. District judge in Tallahassee will consider the constitutional merits of that law. In a state that holds great sway in national politics, the case could have wide ramifications. SENT: 690 words, photo.
LOUISIANA-POLICE SHOOTING — Police say a shooting in the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge has left a police officer dead and a second officer wounded and fighting for his life. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul told media outlets the two were shot Sunday while investigating reports of gunfire. SENT: 380 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ALASKA GIRL SCOUTS — Selling Girl Scout cookies is normally a foolproof business model, but the coronavirus outbreak has cooled sales of the treats in Alaska. The Girl Scouts of Alaska sought assistance, and the organization is expected to receive a federal recovery loan to help compensate for lost cookie sales. SENT: 363 words, photos.
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FACT CHECK-WEEK -- President Donald Trump is exaggerating the availability of coronavirus tests in the U.S. as he urges governors to consider lifting stay-at-home orders and help get the economy moving again. By Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward. SENT: 1,660 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets are higher after Japan’s central bank promised to buy more assets to shore up financial markets and more governments prepared to revive struggling economies by reopening businesses. Tokyo’s market benchmark surged 2.5% and Shanghai, Hong Kong and Australia advanced. Investors are looking ahead to meetings of U.S. and European central bankers this week for more measures to reverse the biggest global slump since the 1930s. SENT: 690 words, photos.
DIAMONDS OFFSHORE-BANKRUPTCY — Contract driller Diamond Offshore has filed for bankruptcy, as the industry is hammered by crashing oil prices. Court documents show Houston-based Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. filed the petition in Houston on Sunday. The global economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has devastated the oil industry in the U.S., which pumps more crude than any other country. SENT: 270 words.
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STEPHEN SONDHEIM-CONCERT — Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was honored on Sunday with a starry online 90th birthday concert stuffed with his songs but delayed by technical difficulties. The concert featured performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kelli O’Hara, Lea Salonga, Josh Groban and Jake Gyllenhaal. SENT: 630 words, photo.
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TOKYO-FUTURE-Q&A — The Tokyo Olympics were postponed a month ago. But there are still more questions than answers about the new opening on July 23, 2021, and what form the Olympics will take. Will the Olympics really start in 15 months? If so, in what form? Will there be fans? Will it be without fans? Can the Olympics open without a vaccine? TV broadcasters and sponsors provide 91% of the income for the International Olympic Committee. How much pressure will they exert on the form these Olympics take? There are also questions about the Beijing Winter Olympics, opening in February 2022. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
NFL DRAFT-TV - NFL draft averages record 8.4M viewers across 3 days. SENT: 910 words, photos.
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