AP News Digest 6:20 p.m.

| March 3, 2020 3:30 PM

Here are the AP's latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EST. 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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ELECTION 2020-VOTECAST — Many Democratic voters in Super Tuesday's presidential primaries made up their minds in the last few days — a sign of fluidity in a race recently upended by Joe Biden's blowout in South Carolina. By Josh Boak and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 550 words, photos. UPCOMING: Updates throughout the night.

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NEW & DEVELOPING

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Adds: FINANCIAL MARKETS, UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN, CORONAVIRUS-ARMY RECRUITS, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HAND-SANITIZER-SHORTAGE, HONDURAS-DRUG TRAFFICKING.

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TOP STORIES

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ELECTION 2020 — Millions of voters from Maine to California cast ballots in a series of Super Tuesday primary contests that test the strength of starkly different visions for America's future as Democrats hurtle toward a November rematch with President Donald Trump. Progressive Bernie Sanders is fighting to beat back the sudden rise of moderate Joe Biden. By Jonathan Lemire, Steve Peoples and Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,280 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: First polls close at 7 p.m., 1,300 words by 8 p.m. WITH: ELECTION 2020-THE LATEST; ELECTION 2020-WHAT TO WATCH — While Super Tuesday won't necessarily determine who wins the nomination, it has historically been difficult for a candidate who performs poorly on the day to recover. A look at Tuesday's contests. SENT: 660 words, photos.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks fall sharply after an emergency interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve failed to reassure markets wracked by worries that the fast-spreading coronavirus will cause a recession. The Dow Jones Industrial average sinks 785 points, or 2.9%. By Stan Choe. SENT: 1,350 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECONOMY — In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-percentage point in an effort to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus. By Martin Crutsinger and Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — Tensions over how to contain the coronavirus escalate in the United States as the death toll climbs to nine and lawmakers express doubts about the government's ability to ramp up testing fast enough to deal with the crisis. The number of infections in the U.S. overall climbs past 100, scattered across at least 15 states, with 27 cases in Washington alone. By Gene Johnson and Carla K. Johnson. SENT: 900 words, photos.

Find more all-format coverage on the coronavirus outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

SEVERE WEATHER-TENNESSEE - Rescuers search through shattered Tennessee neighborhoods for bodies, less than a day after tornadoes ripped across Nashville and other parts of the state as families slept. At least 25 people were killed, some in their beds, authorities say. By Travis Loller and Kimberlee Kruesi. SENT: 1,250 words, photos, video.

ASYLUM-STRANDED AFRICANS - President Trump isn't the only world leader making it virtually impossible for many Africans to get asylum in the United States. He's getting plenty of help from allies in the Americas. Ecuador is closing its doors as one of the few countries in North and South America to welcome African visitors, depriving them of a starting point for their dangerous journeys north by land. If asylum-seekers make it to Mexico, they face a virtual barricade near its southern border with Guatemala. SENT: 1,177 words, photos.

MED--SENIORS-MEDICATION FOG - As the number of people with Alzheimer's disease rises, doctors increasingly are looking at improper medication use that can mimic dementia or make symptoms worse. More than 40% of older Americans take five or more medicines and the risk of side effects or drug interactions rises as the number does. Medicines that may have been OK when someone was younger can pose problems when used later in life. By Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 1,035 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HAND-SANITIZER-SHORTAGE — Fear of the coronavirus has led people to stock up on hand sanitizer, leaving store shelves empty and online retailers with sky-high prices set by those trying to profit on the rush. SENT: 770 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — — President Trump's latest take on the coronavirus is an optimistic one: “It's got the world aflutter, but it'll work out.” His breezy tone stands apart from the gravity and caution being expressed by federal scientists. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Lawmakers are finalizing a $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak in a burst of bipartisan cooperation that's atypical of today's Washington. SENT: 780 words, photos.

CORONAVIRUS-ARMY RECRUITS — The U.S. Army begins increased health screenings for new recruits. SENT: 330 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Iran put its armed forces on alert to assist health officials in battling the new coronavirus that's killed at least 77 people, an outbreak that has sickened top officials and pushed even its supreme leader into wearing disposable gloves while trying to reassure the nation. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE — France requisitioned protective masks and sent tens of thousands of students home from school, Norway blocked 1,200 passengers on a cruise ship and Spain isolated dozens of health workers as the new coronavirus spread further Tuesday into Europe. SENT: 690 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FORTRESS NORTH KOREA? — As a new and frightening virus closes in around it, North Korea presents itself as a fortress, tightening its borders as cadres of health officials stage a monumental disinfection and monitoring program. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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BKN--KNICKS-SPIKE LEE —Spike Lee still has his courtside seat, though the New York Knicks had to tell their superfan to find another way to get there. Lee said he won't be sitting there the rest of this season, anyway. SENT: 500 words, photos.

BOOKS-JOHN BOLTON — The publisher of John Bolton’s memoir has pushed back the release date from March 17 to May 12. SENT: 180 words.

WORLD CHEESE CONTEST — The largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the world starts in Wisconsin, with a record 3,667 entries from 26 nations. SENT: 180 words.

FATAL CRASH-FRISBEE PLAYERS — Authorities say three professional Frisbee players have died after they were involved in car crash en route to a team practice in Detroit. SENT: 210 words.

FALLING ICE-DEATH — A woman was fatally struck in the back of her head by a piece of ice that fell off her roof. SENT: 130 words.

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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS

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KLOBUCHAR-JUVENILE-LIFER — As a teenager, Myon Burrell lost his identity, his voice and his name. For much of the past 17 years, he's been trying to understand how it happened. Burrell was sentenced to life after a girl was killed by a stray bullet. Sen. Amy Klobuchar cites his story as an example of her tough-on-crime record as a Minneapolis prosecutor. But a yearlong Associated Press investigation discovered major flaws in the case, raising questions about whether the 16-year-old shooting suspect was wrongly convicted. SENT: 2,100 words, photos. An Abridged version of 1,040 words is also available.

UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — President Trump says he spoke with the leader of the Taliban on Tuesday, days after both parties signed an agreement calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan after more than 18 years. SENT: 500 words, photo.

SUPREME COURT-CONSUMER AGENCY — The Supreme Court wrestles with whether to make it easier for the president to fire the head of the agency that enforces federal consumer financial laws. By Jessica Gresko. SENT: 590 words, photo.

LACOSTE-XINJIANG — A U.S.-based labor rights group says gloves made last fall for chic French clothing company Lacoste appear to have been sewn by ethnic minorities locked inside a factory at a Chinese internment camp. The worker abuse in Lacoste's supply chain is alleged by Washington, D.C.-based Worker Rights Consortium. SENT: 566 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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ISRAEL-ELECTION — Israel's embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced an uncertain path to staying in office, even as preliminary results showed his Likud party pulling ahead of its opponents in the country's third election in less than a year. Exit polls on Israeli TV stations showed Likud and its allies capturing 59 seats out of the 120 in parliament. That would still put Likud and its ultra-religious and nationalist bloc two seats short of the parliamentary majority required to form a government. SENT: 985 words, photos.

NKOREA-KIM'S SISTER — In her first known official statement, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un levels diatribes and insults on South Korea for protesting over her country's latest live-fire exercises. SENT: 675 words.

AFGHANISTAN-PEACE DEAL-IMPACT — Now that the U.S. has signed a deal with the Taliban to eventually leave Afghanistan, it will soon be up to Afghans on both sides of the conflict to decide what peace will look like. The stakes are high. By Kathy Gannon. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

SYRIA - Turkey has shot down a Syrian fighter jet in Syria's Idlib province, marking the third such incident in as many days, as steady clashes between the two national armies continued over a Russia-backed Syrian government offensive near the Turkish border. SENT: 775 words, photos.

HONDURAS-DRUG TRAFFICKING — U.S. prosecutors say that Honduras' president met a drug trafficker around 2013 and took $25,000 in exchange for protecting the trafficker from law enforcement. SENT: 520 words, photos.

AUSTRALIA-NEWS AGENCY — The national news agency Australian Associated Press said Tuesday it will close in late June, its 85 years in business vanquished by a decline in subscribers and free distribution of news content on digital platforms. SENT: 875 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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UNIVERSITY SEXUAL ABUSE-PLAYBOOK - As mass sexual assault scandals, some dating back decades, roil universities across the country, the schools are seemingly drawing from the same playbook in their responses. Whether a large state school like the University of Michigan, or a private one like Baylor University in Texas, the typical moves include hiring an outside law firm to investigate, usually with a promise of some level of transparency; a hotline for victims to relate their stories; and an offer of free survivor counseling. SENT: 1,125 words, photo.

ABORTION-MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi's Republican-led Legislature is trying to restrict the reasons women may seek abortion, after federal courts blocked time limitations that the state tried to put on the procedure the past two years. SENT: 620 words, photo.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MEDIA-SEAN SPICER — While Sean Spicer says he expects his old boss, President Donald Trump, to be re-elected, he doesn't view his new television talk show as a vehicle for helping accomplish that end. Trump's first presidential press secretary launches “Spicer & Co.” on the conservative cable network Newsmax TV. The show will air at 6 p.m. Eastern each weekday and his “company” includes co-host Lyndsay Keith. SENT: 530 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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OLY--TOKYO-POSSIBLE POSTPONEMENT — Japan's Olympic minister says the contract to hold the Tokyo Games only specifies the event has to be held during 2020. Seiko Hashimoto's response to a question in the upper house of parliament implies the Olympics could be held later in the year and would not have to start on July 24 as planned. The Paralympics open on Aug. 25. SENT: 700 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Rob Jagodzinski can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (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.