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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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO-CHINA DELAYS — Throughout January, the World Health Organization publicly praised China for what it called a speedy response to the new coronavirus. But behind the scenes, it was a much different story, one of significant delays by China and considerable frustration among WHO officials over not getting the information they needed to fight the spread of the deadly virus, The Associated Press has found. SENT: 4,300 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,200 words is available. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-WHO-FACT CHECK.
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AMERICA PROTESTS— President Donald Trump stepped up the pressure on governors to crack down after a week of unrest set off by the death of George Floyd, demanding New York call up the National Guard to stop the “lowlifes and losers.” As cities around the U.S. witnessed a seventh straight night of both peaceful demonstrations and bursts of theft, vandalism and attacks on police, the president amplified his hard-line calls of a day earlier, in which he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it. By Zeke Miller and Matt Sedensky. SENT: 915 words, photos. WITH: AMERICA-PROTESTS-THE LATEST.
AMERICA PROTESTS-TRUMP — President Donald Trump turns the nation’s capital into the model for the overwhelming force he believes is necessary to crack down on sometime violent protests that have spread across the country. Trump claims a “silent majority” agrees with his tactics, which are decried by his presumptive Democratic opponent and criticized by even some Republicans. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 900 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 820 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
Find more coverage of America Protests in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK —As people flooded streets across America to protest the killing of George Floyd, public health experts say the crowds, teargas and arrests will likely lead to new transmissions of coronavirus. An Associated Press review found that in the last week, protests have been held in every one of the 25 American communities with the highest concentrations of new virus cases. Some have hosted major protests over multiple days.By Michelle R. Smith and Nicky Forster. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
Find more coverage of the Virus Outbreak in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN — Joe Biden blisters President Donald Trump a day after police drove back peaceful protesters near the White House so Trump could pose with a Bible before a damaged church. Biden said Trump’s “narcissism has become more important than the nation that he leads.” By Steve Peoples and Will Weissert. SENT: 500 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos, video
ELECTION 2020 — Nine states and the District of Columbia vote in the largest slate of presidential primaries in almost three months. Former Vice President Joe Biden needs to win 89% of all delegates at stake to formally clinch the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Pennsylvania, which President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016, is widely seen as a test case for the November general election. By Steve Peoples. SENT: 660 words. UPCOMING: 780 words by 6 p.m., developing from polls closing at various times from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. EDT.
Find more coverage of the 2020 U.S. Elections in AP Newsroom.
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AMERICA PROTESTS-CONGRESS — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls on President Donald Trump not to fan the flames of civil unrest as Democrats overwhelmingly criticized the use of force to disperse protesters at the White House as Democrats pursue investigations and legislation to address police violence and racial inequality at the heart of mass protests nationwide. By Lisa Mascaro. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos, video. WITH: AMERICA PROTESTS-CONGRESS-REPUBLICANS — GOP Sen. Ben Sasse criticizes the decision to have police clear protesters near the White House so President Donald Trump could pose with a Bible at a damaged church. UPCOMING: 600 words by 2 p.m., photos, developing.
AMERICA PROTESTS-FEDERAL RESPONSE — At least one police department pulls its officers out of the nation’s capital after law enforcement took aggressive action against peaceful protesters, using tear gas and flash bangs, before President Donald Trump walked across the park to pose for photos in front of a damaged church. The decision by Arlington County, Virginia, officials comes as the Trump administration floats the idea of taking over the Washington, D.C. police force after violent demonstrations. By Michael Balsamo and Matthew Barakat. SENT: 990 words. UPCOMING: 930 words by 4 p.m., photos, video.
TRUMP-RELIGION — Cloaking himself in religion for the second time in 24 hours, President Donald Trump tries to claim moral authority as he takes a hard line against protesters enraged by the killing of another black man in police custody and at the same time to mobilize his religious conservative base. By Jill Colvin and Elana Schor. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
AMERICA PROTESTS-WORLD REACTION — From Sydney to Paris, world outrage at George Floyd’s death in the U.S. was growing as the European Union’s top diplomat said the bloc was “shocked and appalled” by it and thousands marched in Australia’s largest city. Chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe,” about 3,000 protesters held an impassioned but peaceful march through central Sydney demanding fundamental change in race relations. SENT: 1,025 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS -- The base of a Confederate monument in Alabama is all that remains Tuesday morning in Birmingham’s Linn Park. Live video recorded overnight shows crews worked into the early morning hours dismantling the top portion of the obelisk in pieces. It comes about a day after protesters tried to remove the monument themselves during a protest over police brutality, including the death of George Floyd. The stone pieces were hauled off on a flatbed truck. It’s unclear where they were taken. Crews were expected to return later Tuesday to finish removing the monument. SENT: 520 words, photos, video.
AMERICA PROTESTS-ATLANTA-EXCESSIVE FORCE -- Six Atlanta police officers have been charged over excessive use of force during a protest arrest incident involving two college students, a prosecutor said. SENT: 500 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-NYC -- New York’s mayor extended an 8 p.m. curfew all week in hopes of stopping destruction that continued overnight despite the city’s efforts to stop protests over George Floyd’s death from devolving into lawless mayhem. SENT: 550 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-BLACK OUT TUESDAY -- Though Black Out Tuesday was originally organized by the music community, the social media world also went dark in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining voices around the world outraged by the killings of black people in the U.S. Instagram and Twitter accounts, from record labels to everyday people, were full of black squares posted in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Most of the captions were blank, though some posted #TheShowMustBePaused, black heart emojis or encouraged people to vote. Seven states and the District of Columbia host the largest slate of primary elections in months. But some on social media question if posting black squares diverts attention. SENT: 570 words.
AMERICA PROTESTS-SPLIT SCREEN — Is President Trump a thug, or a heroic defender of the constitution? It depends where you watch television. Following the president’s law-and-order speech and walk to nearby church through streets forcibly cleared of protesters, the rhetoric was only hotter on Monday. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 475 words, photos.
AMERICA PROTESTS-WASHINGTON-PHOTO GALLERY -- AP PHOTOS: A jarring scene in park near White House. SENT: 215 words.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FRANCE-CAFES-REOPEN — Parisians who have been cooped up for months with takeout food and coffee will be able to savor their steaks tartare in the fresh air and cobbled streets of the City of Light once more — albeit in smaller numbers. SENT: 430 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-DALLAS RESTAURATEUR — Chef Chad Houser opened his downtown Dallas restaurant five years ago to help give teens coming out of juvenile detention stability and a push toward success. When the coronavirus pandemic threatened that mission, he found a way to not only keep the teens working but also give them a chance to help others. “Our kids need us to begin with,” Houser said, “but they need us even more now.” Within a week of Cafe Momentum closing to dining in March because of the pandemic, the teens who normally cycle through every job at the upscale restaurant — from cooking to dishwashing to bussing tables to serving to working as a hostess — had started building meal kits for needy families. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-THE DRAWINGS -- For one writer in London, lockdown means caring for an autistic son while working. She finds that the playbook for autism never covered virus isolation. And she’s finding, too, that some of the moments that provide the greatest stress for adults are handing her child opportunities to express himself that no one expected. That includes drawing, which is opening entire new worlds for him. SENT: 675 words, photos.
A separate wire advisory has moved detailing the AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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ODD-ALLIGATOR FIGHT-FLORIDA — A woman in route to get her morning coffee was jolted awake with pounding on her front door she later discovered to be two alligators fighting in front of her home in Florida. SENT: 225 words.
JOE EXOTIC-ZOO -- A federal judge in Oklahoma awards ownership of the zoo made famous in Netflix’s “Tiger King” docuseries to Joe Exotic’s chief rival. SENT: 190 words, photo.
INDIA-MUDSLIDES -- Three mudslides triggered by overnight rains buried homes in northeastern India’s Assam state, killing 20 people and injuring at least seven others, authorities said. SENT: 155 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER — A Tropical Storm Cristobal formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico, threatening to bring deadly flooding in parts of southern Mexico and Central America. SENT: 190 words, photos.
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UNITED STATES-CHINA-TIANANMEN SQUARE — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is marking this week’s anniversary of China’s deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square — a day after federal forces used tear gas to clear peaceful protesters from a park in front of the White House. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 330 words. UPCOMING: 600 words by 4 p.m., photo.
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BURKINA FASO-HUNGER — Islamic extremists chased Adama Drabo and his family from their land in western Burkina Faso, forcing them to abandon a year’s worth of crops. Now that food is rotting in storage in the village, too dangerous for him to retrieve, even as the family is forced to survive on meager government rations. Drabo already has lost his 20-year-old son, who was killed by a roadside bomb. UPCOMING: 785 words, photos by 3 p.m.
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RURAL-CHILDHOOD-DISPARITIES-REPORT — Childhood disparities around malnutrition, graduation rates, and early deaths are worst among rural, black-majority counties in the American South and isolated counties with Native American populations, according to a new report. SENT: 495 words, photos.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINES-ANIMALS — The global race for a COVID-19 vaccine boils down to some critical questions: How much must the shots rev up someone’s immune system to really work? And could revving it the wrong way cause harm? Even as companies recruit tens of thousands of people for larger vaccine studies this summer, behind the scenes scientists still are testing animals in hopes of clues to those basic questions — steps that in a pre-pandemic era would have been finished first. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
SCI--ASTRONAUTS-NASDAQ -- The astronauts launched into orbit by SpaceX joined in the ringing of the opening bell for the Nasdaq to mark “a pivotal moment” for the space economy. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took part in the ceremony from the International Space Station. SENT: 300 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — U.S. stock indexes are moving mostly higher, following broad gains in global markets as investors hope that the gradual lifting of coronavirus lockdown mandates will put economies ravaged by the outbreak on the path to recovery. SENT: 550 words, photos, developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECONOMY-US TRAVEL INDUSTRY — U.S. air travel down almost 90% from a year ago. A ghostly emptiness at Hawaii’s tourist hotels. Deserted Las Vegas casinos counting the days to reopening. Few sectors of the economy have endured as much devastation from the coronavirus as the travel business. Surveying the wreckage, economists and company leaders say it will take years to regenerate the $1.1 trillion the industry produced last year, potentially leaving many airlines, hotels, rental car companies and restaurants in peril. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE FUNNY PAPERS — The funny papers this Sunday will have more than laughs. More than 70 strips — ranging from Garry Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” to Jim Toomey’s “Sherman’s Lagoon” and Jeff Keane’s “Family Circus” — will each have six symbols hidden to honor frontline workers dealing with the pandemic. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BKN-OBIT UNSELD — Wes Unseld, the workmanlike Hall of Fame center who led Washington to its only NBA championship and was chosen one of the 50 greatest players in league history, died Tuesday after a series of health issues, most recently pneumonia. He was 74. By Howard Fendrich. SENT: 700 words, photos; UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 3 p.m.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK STADIUMS-DISTANCING — It used to be that empty seats caused palpitations in team owners and college administrators relying on ticket sales and concessions to beef up the profit margins. Now, those empty seats – and short lines and clear concourses – will be the norm for a while as sports grapples with social distancing requirements. SENT: 875 words, photos.
HKN-HOCKEY AFTER QUARANTINE — No sport relies on chemistry and cohesion among teammates like hockey, and the potential of several months without practices will undoubtedly affect what the NHL looks like if it returns this season. General managers and coaches believe players will adapt. By Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno. UPCOMING: 700 words, file photos by 3 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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