AP News Digest 6:40 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-MEAT PLANTS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL SHIP-FEW PATIENTS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES-HONDURAS, CUBAN EMBASSY SHOOTING, VIRUS OUTBREAK-NASCAR, LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES, PEOPLE-GIGI-HADID-ZAYN-MALIK
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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST — Americans are grappling with an essential question as they try to get information they need to stay safe during the coronavirus crisis: Whom do you trust? Sixty-eight percent of Americans say they have high trust in the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sixty-six percent highly trust their doctor or health care provider, and 52% said the same about their state or local government, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published last week. By Aamer Madhani and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1339 words, photos. With: AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST-GLANCE — A look at the findings. SENT: 550 words; VIRUS OUTBREAK-MENTAL HEALTH-POLL — A new survey finds that the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on Americans’ mental health and stress levels. Roughly two-thirds of Americans say they felt nervous, depressed, lonely or hopeless at least one of the past seven days. SENT: 980 words, photos, graphic.
AMERICAN HOSTAGE — New light is being shed on efforts to locate a military contractor from Illinois who was captured in Afghanistan. The disappearance several months ago of 57-year-old Mark R. Frerichs has been shrouded in mystery. But The Associated Press has learned that in the days after Frerichs’ capture, Navy commandos raided a village and detained suspected members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while U.S. intelligence agencies tried to track the cellphones of Frerichs and his captors. By James Laporta and Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,440 words, photo. An abridged version of 1,030 words is also available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTELLIGENCE — U.S. intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory about the origins of the coronavirus, saying they have concluded it was “not manmade or genetically modified.” But they are still examining a notion put forward by President Trump and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: New approach by 7:30 p.m.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Bleak new figures underscored the worldwide economic pain inflicted by the coronavirus: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has climbed past a staggering 30 million, while Europe’s economies are in an epic slide. The statistics are likely to turn up the pressure on politicians to ease the lockdowns that have closed factories and other businesses. By David Crary, Christopher Rugaber and John Leicester. SENT: 1,220 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST, VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING (both sent)
VIRUS OUTBREAK WORKER ANXIETY — Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the coronavirus are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments. The decision is most pressing in states where governors have started allowing businesses such as restaurants to reopen with social-distancing restrictions.. By Jeff Amy and Adrian Sainz. 860 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOLDIERS HOME — Outrage is building among the families of nearly 70 military veterans who died of COVID-19 at a Massachusetts soldiers home, in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S. “From the very first positive case, they screwed up,” the daughter of one of the dead says. By Alanna Durkin Richer, SENT: 910 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL IN DENIAL — Egged on by President Jair Bolsonaro, who routinely scoffs at both the coronavirus and stay-at-home policies, Brazilians are heeding his call for revolt. Support for isolation is faltering, particularly among the wealthy, and more people are milling and mixing. From the sun worshippers to the Instagram influencers and pro-Bolsonaro protesters, quarantine is coming apart. But, unlike other nations looking to ease restrictions, Latin America’s largest nation is still weeks from the peak in its viral curve. By David Biller and Mauricio Savarese SENT: 990 words, photos.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — President Trump voiced strong support for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, raising speculation that a pardon may be coming after Flynn’s lawyers disclosed internal FBI documents they claim show the FBI tried to “intentionally frame” him. By Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-RELIEF CHECK -- In the latest installment of our “Viral Questions” fixture, we address: How do I get a relief check as part of the $2.2 trillion economic rescue package? Moved. 150 words, photo, video.
PEOPLE-GIGI-HADID-ZAYN-MALIK — Gigi Hadid expects first child with Zayn Malik in September. SENT: 170 words, photo.
KENTUCKY TURTLE DERBY — Seattle Slow headlines a field of turtles that will race in the Kentucky Turtle Derby. SENT: 570 words, photos.
STUDENT NAMES HELICOPTER-MARS — An Alabama high school student has named NASA’s first Mars Helicopter that will be deployed to the red planet later this summer. NASA says Ingenuity was chosen from among 28,000 names. SENT: 370 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LEBRON JAMES GRADUATION — LeBron James is putting together an all-star event to honor and celebrate the high school class of 2020, which has had its graduation season upended by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 230 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEAT PLANTS — The world’s largest pork producer has told a judge in Missouri that it’s working as quickly as it can to comply with federal guidelines that seek to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But Smithfield Foods says it it needs some flexibility in an industry where people typically work side by side. SENT: 730 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOSPITAL SHIP-FEW PATIENTS — The giant Navy hospital ship docked off Los Angeles was brought in to relieve pressure on hospitals expecting a surge of coronavirus patients. But hospitals did not become overwhelmed, and now the USNS Mercy has only nine patients for its 250 beds. The ship’s captain told The Associated Press that it’s ready to do more but it’s up to Los Angeles and California officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give new orders. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LAST-NORMAL-MOMENT — The coronavirus scare has done something to time. The days, weeks, and now the months, have blurred and stretched as talk of reopening the world has taken over for millions waiting and wondering at home. Like so many cataclysms before this one, memories are settling in of the old times, for better or worse. SENT: 1,750 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 760 words is also available.
VIRUS OUTBREAK DIARY-RUNNING FROM HOME — For many, a morning run offers a quiet interlude in chaotic lives. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, they have become even more essential: an endorphin-rich routine that clears the mind for the day ahead. But this new normal means they are also more of a calculation: How do you social distance on narrow pathways? Does wiping away sweat count as touching your face? Can you wear a mask while doing cardio? SENT: 625 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-BROADWAY SERENADE — Theaters are shuttered, but somehow, Brian Stokes Mitchell has found a way to keep singing on Broadway. The veteran stage star with a velvety baritone opens his apartment window every night — fittingly on Broadway, a few miles up from the theater district — and sings his signature song, “The Impossible Dream,” to honor health-care and other front-line workers in New York. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL KANSAS — Dr. Beth Oller would like Kansas to remain under a stay-at-home order a while longer, even as some neighbors in her rural northwest county are restless to see business return to normal. Oller and her husband are family physicians in their late 30s in Stockton, a town of 1,300 people roughly halfway between Kansas City to the east and Denver to the west. SENT: 790 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SHAKY PLANS — Barely a week ago, rural Lamar County could make a pretty good argument for Texas’ reopening on Friday. Only a handful of the 50,000 residents in the county on the border with Oklahoma had tested positive for the coronavirus. None had died. Then an outbreak at a nursing home turned up over the weekend. Now at least 65 people are infected and one person is dead as the county becomes a cautionary tale of the fragility of the governor’s plan to get Texas back in business. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLOMBIA-VIOLENCE —Lockdowns prompted by the pandemic may have slashed overall crime in Colombia, but the killings of ex-combatants like Astrid Conde have continued, and the COVID-19 crisis itself is putting yet more strain on the already fragile implementation of the 2016 accord that ended a half-century of conflict. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-PERFECTING PROTESTS — Social distancing doesn’t come naturally in Israel. But the country, known for its informal, in-your-face mentality, seems to be setting a new standard for public demonstrations in the age of coronavirus. During the past two weekends, thousands of people have gathered in organized geometric patterns in Tel Aviv’s central square to comply with social distancing rules as they express their anger over the continued rule of a prime minister charged with serious crimes. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California Gov. Gavin Newsom closed beaches in Orange County, overriding some local officials who had rejected his pleas to limit access as the coronavirurs continues to spread throughout the state. SENT: 720 words, photos.
GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today is about efforts to reopen hard-hit France and Spain following their respective lockdowns. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage. Plan.
A separate advisory has been sent outlining AP’s complete coronavirus coverage.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — Trying to dispel economic gloom, President Trump says he’s anticipating a major rebound in coming months and a “spectacular” 2021. Trump allows that he’s going with his gut on some of this, saying “I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think.” SENT: 780 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE-MASK — This time, he wore a mask. Vice President Mike Pence donned a face covering as he toured a General Motors/Ventec ventilator production facility in Indiana after coming under fire. for failing to wear one earlier this week in violation of Mayo Clinic policy. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 640 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-HONDURAS — The Trump administration has finalized an agreement with Honduras that would allow some people seeking asylum in the United States to be sent to the Central American country instead. By Ben Fox. SENT: 550 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-ALLEGATIONS — A sexual assault allegation is Joe Biden’s first big challenge as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind. By Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULTS — Reports of sexual assaults across the military increased slightly last year, with the Air Force showing the biggest jump of all the services at 9%, according to a Defense Department report. SENT: 640 words, photo.
CUBAN EMBASSY SHOOTING — A man armed with an assault rifle opens fire outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington overnight, blasting bullet holes into the walls and pillars near the front entrance before he was arrested, authorities said. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 400 words, photos, video.
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NORTH KOREA-KIM-WORST-CASE SCENARIOS — North Korea’s collapse has been predicted — wrongly — for decades, so it is no surprise that unconfirmed rumors that current leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill have raised worries about what Washington and North Korea’s neighbors would do if things fall apart in any post-Kim North Korea. SENT: 860 words, photos.
ISRAEL-POLITICS — Israel’s attorney general said he sees no legal grounds for barring Benjamin Netanyahu from serving as prime minister while facing criminal charges, an announcement that came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing next week to decide whether to disqualify the embattled leader. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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BALTIMORE-AERIAL SURVEILLANCE — Starting this week, Baltimore will begin an aerial surveillance program, flying small planes with cameras over Maryland’s largest city at least 40 hours a week in an attempt to fight crime. The cameras will capture images of every resident who steps outside even though most residents have not broken the law. SENT: 890 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US DEATHS — The U.S. has seen at least 66,000 more deaths than usual so far this year, according to government data, and the new coronavirus accounts for much — but not all — of the increase. SENT: 610 words, photos.
MED—VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENT -- News that an experimental drug seems to be the first effective treatment for the new coronavirus has unleashed a flurry of interest from doctors and patients — and questions about how soon it might be available. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — A crush of dismal data about the economy helped send markets lower, a meek ending to a historic, juggernaut month for stocks.. SENT: 920 words, photos.
OFF THE CHARTS-COMMODITIES — The near shutdown of the economy in response to COVID-19 has reduced demand for oil, lumber and other commodities, sending their prices sharply lower. But the sharp drop in prices could pave the way for a long-term rally, analysts say. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TV-COMFORT VIEWING — With the future made uncertain by the coronavirus, TV viewers are finding comfort in cast reunions including for the movie “Goonies,” series reruns and much-seen films. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NASCAR — NASCAR announced that it will resume its season without fans starting May 17 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina with the premier Cup Series racing three more times in a 10-day span. NASCAR joins the UFC as the first major sports organizations to announce specific return to play plans since the coronavirus pandemic shut down U.S. sports in mid-March. By Jenna Fryer. SENT: 620 words, photos.
LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES — This year’s Little League World Series and the championship tournaments in six other Little League divisions have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Little League World Series has been held every August since 1947 and had never been canceled before. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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