AP News Digest 2:10 p.m.
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.
—————————
ONLY ON AP
—————————
CHINA-UIGHURS-FORCED-TO-WORK — In a lively Muslim quarter of Nanchang city, a sprawling Chinese factory turns out computer screens, cameras and fingerprint scanners for a supplier to international tech giants such as Apple and Lenovo. The mostly Muslim ethnic Uighurs who labor in the factory are isolated within a walled compound that is fortified with security cameras and guards at the entrance. Their forays out are limited to rare chaperoned trips, they are not allowed to worship or cover their heads, and they must attend special classes in the evenings, according to former and current workers and shopkeepers in the area. By Dake Kang and Yanan Wang. SENT: 2,650 words, photos. With abridged.
ELECTION 2020-BLACK VOTERS — Black voters propel Joe Biden to huge victories in the South on Super Tuesday, giving his campaign a momentous boost and cementing his front-runner status in the Democratic presidential race. According to AP VoteCast surveys, black voters strongly aligned behind Biden over other candidates. By Kat Stafford and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 870 words, photos.
-------------———
-------------———
ELECTION 2020-WARREN — Elizabeth Warren, who electrified progressives with her “plan for everything” and strong message of economic populism, drops out of the Democratic presidential race, days after the onetime front-runner couldn't win a single Super Tuesday state, not even her own. The Massachusetts senator has spoken with Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and is assessing who would best uphold her agenda, but there’s no immediate endorsement. “I need some space and I need a little time right now,” she says, adding she has ``no regrets at all’’ about her White House run. By Will Weissert. SENT: 1,360 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 1200 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2020-WOMEN — Women who are Democratic voters are coming to terms with a new, and for some a painful reality: The top of the ticket seems certain to be male. If 2019 was the Year of the Woman, with a record number of women sworn into Congress and then a record number launching presidential campaigns, 2020 is another Year of the Man. By Jocelyn Noveck. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-PROGRESSIVES — As the Democrats’ nomination fight narrows to two candidates, the progressive movement’s leading groups and elected leaders have been slow to unify behind Bernie Sanders, and it could mean trouble ahead for his campaign. Elizabeth Warren declines to endorse her progressive ally immediately after leaving the race, in contrast to how the party’s moderate wing quickly coalesced behind Joe Biden after Super Tuesday. By National Political Writer Steve Peoples. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 4 p.m.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The global march of the new virus triggered a vigorous appeal from the World Health Organization for governments to pull out “all the stops” to slow the epidemic that has drained color from India's spring festivities, closed Bethlehem's Nativity Church and blocked Italians from visiting elderly relatives in nursing homes. By Matt Sedensky and John Leicester. SENT: 1,225 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING; VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (both sent).
SYRIA-SUMMIT — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, say they have reached agreements that could end fighting in northwestern Syria. They say a cease-fire will come into force in Idlib at midnight. Putin also voiced hope that the deal would end civilian suffering and help contain a humanitarian crisis. By Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks are sliding more than 3.5%, cutting another 1,000 points off the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as fear of the economic fallout from the spreading virus outbreak once again grips markets. By Stan Choe and Damian J. Troise. SENT: 1,000 words, photo, developing.
REL--RELIGION-MARION MARCH — As the 55th anniversary of the civil rights clash known as Bloody Sunday approaches, townspeople in Alabama want to remind the world that the road to Selma began in a place called Marion. In 1965, in what has become a footnote to history, a young black man by the name of Jimmie Lee Jackson was fatally shot at a protest in Marion. It was that killing that sent hundreds of people to Selma for a march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge two weeks later. By Gary Fields. SENT: 1,435 words, photos.
-------------—————————————
MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
———————————————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — An $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak should soon make its way to President Trump after expected Senate approval. The money would pay for a multifaceted attack on a virus that is spreading more widely and threatening major disruptions in the U.S. and across the globe. SENT: 530 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 1:45 p.m. Senate vote, 800 words by 4 p.m., photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE — Vice President Mike Pence visits Minnesota and Washington state as he coordinates the U.S. response to the new coronavirus. UPCOMING: Developing from afternoon events. UPCOMING: 600 words by 6 p.m., photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US — Scrambling to keep the coronavirus at bay, officials ordered a cruise ship to held off the California coast after a passenger on an earlier voyage died and at least one other became infected. Also, federal authorities announced an investigation of the Seattle-area nursing home that has been at the center of the outbreak in Washington state, which has reported 10 deaths. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEELINGS OF RISK — Emotion and other psychological factors determine how much people worry about catching the coronavirus. Experts say judgment isn't just a rational analysis, and the outbreak presents “hot buttons” that bump up our perceptions of the risk. These include its novelty and a sense that neither authorities nor individuals can control its spread. But there are ways that people can minimize the risk of overreaction. One of them is not to constantly scour the internet for information. By Science Writer Malcolm Ritter. SENT: 780 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-QUARANTINE MOTEL — An 85-room motel in suburban Seattle, a former Econo Lodge, has been purchased by officials dealing with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the nation. Authorities say they will have it prepped and ready to use as a hospital for COVID-19 patients within days, but some locals in Kent, Washington, aren’t happy with the decision. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RELIGION — A rising number of churches across the United States are making changes in response to the coronavirus outbreak, including a decision by numerous Catholic dioceses to suspend the serving of wine during Communion. By National Writer David Crary. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Palestinian officials announced Thursday the storied Church of the Nativity in the biblical city of Bethlehem was closing indefinitely over fears of the new coronavirus, weeks ahead of the Easter holiday that draws tens of thousands of visitors and worshippers. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CHINA-BACK-TO-WORK — Factories in China that make the world's smartphones, toys and other consumer goods are trying to protect their employees from a virus outbreak as they resume production. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO-EMERGENCY RESPONSE — In Dubai, seven World Health Organization workers are racing to sort, package and send out hundreds of shipments of medical supplies to countries around the world. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-JOBS — Companies and consumers have scrapped travel plans, and factories have endured broken supply chains from the coronavirus outbreak. But economists won’t really worry about lasting damage until businesses start cutting jobs -- the lifeblood of the economy. The timeliest such gauge is a weekly report on applications for unemployment benefits, which the government will issue Thursday morning. Economists will also closely monitor measures of confidence and retail spending. By Christopher Rugaber. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 3 p.m.
-------------———————————————
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
-------------———————————————
PEOPLE-KATY PERRY — Katy Perry has revealed she's pregnant in a very show business way. The 35-year-old pop star showed off her growing baby bump at the end of the video for her latest song “Never Worn White.” SENT: 125 words, photo.
R KELLY — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to an updated federal indictment that includes sex abuse allegations involving a new accuser. SENT: 285 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PETS — Pet cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owner. SENT: 355 words, photos.
FRANCE TRAIN-DERAILS — One of France's vaunted high-speed trains derailed on a trip to Paris, injuring the driver and 20 other people, officials said. SENT: 260 words, photos.
OBIT-GOLER — Wendell Goler, a longtime White House correspondent for Fox News Channel who reported on government since the presidency of Ronald Reagan, has died at age 70. SENT: 200 words, photos.
FACE BITING-ATTACK — A prosecution psychiatrist has concluded that a Florida college student was legally insane when he fatally attacked a couple and chewed off the man's face. SENT: 780 words.
—————————————————-
——————————————————
TRUMP — President Trump fields questions at a rare television town hall in the battleground state of Pennsylvania that will air on his favorite TV network, Fox News. UPCOMING: Developing from 6:30 p.m. event, 700 words by 7:30 p.m., photos, video.
SUPREME COURT-ROBERTS-SCHUMER — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says he “should not have used the words I used” when he declared in front of the Supreme Court that two justices would “pay the price” for their decision in an abortion case. Republicans chastised Schumer for the remark and Chief Justice John Roberts in a rare rebuke said the words were “inappropriate" and “dangerous." SENT: 600 words, photos.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY-IDAHO — Idaho last year was the fastest-growing state in the nation, with close to 37,000 new residents boosting its population to nearly 1.8 million. In the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the deeply conservative state has seen a population jump of more than 200,000. Studies indicate many have come from liberal-leaning California, Oregon and Washington. SENT: 675 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE — Four years after Russia-linked groups stoked divisions in the U.S. presidential election on social media platforms, a new report shows that Moscow's campaign hasn't let up and has become harder to detect. The report from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Young Mie Kim found that Russia-linked social media accounts are posting about the same divisive issues — race relations, gun laws and immigration — as they did in 2016, when the Kremlin polluted American voters’ feeds with messages about the presidential election. SENT: 890 words, photo.
IMMIGRATION-SEPARATING FAMILIES — The Trump administration's effort to track children separated from their families at the border is plagued by communication problems that raise questions about the accuracy of the data, a watchdog reports. SENT: 870 words, photo.
———————-
———————-
SEVERE WEATHER-TENNESSEE — In the Tennessee community hardest hit by devastating tornadoes, the few houses still standing have become beacons of hope. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DOCTOR - Three unidentified former athletes at the University of Michigan are suing the school, contending a late doctor sexually assaulted them when they played on the football and hockey teams. They say the university retained the doctor despite multiple complaints. SENT: 500 words, photos, video.
TRANSFORMED ON RUNWAY-PHOTO GALLERY - On a winter’s night, 40 people -- transmen, transwomen and others who do not fit easily into any category, models ranging in age from 8 to 78 -- walk the runway at a fashion show where the focus is on the models more than the clothes they wear. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BOSTON MASSACRE-ANNIVERSARY — Tributes and a protest are marking the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, which helped spark the Revolutionary War. SENT: 480 words, photos.
-------------——————
-------------——————
ISRAEL-ELECTION — The final results from Israel's election have confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again fallen short of a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies. The results, released late Thursday, signal further political deadlock. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BRITAIN-DUBAI PRINCESS — The ruler of Dubai conducted a campaign of fear and intimidation against his estranged wife and ordered the abduction of two of his daughters, a British judge ruled in documents that were unsealed Thursday. SENT: 720 words, photos.
TURKEY-GREECE — Turkey's interior minister says 1,000 elite special operations police are being sent to the border to counter officers in Greece from driving back people attempting to cross over to Europe. SENT: 990 words, photos.
—————————
—————————
UAW-CORRUPTION — Federal prosecutors have charged the former president of the United Auto Workers with corruption. SENT: 540 words, photos.
—————
—————
BKN--RAPTORS-WARRIORS — Stephen Curry is set to return for Golden State after missing more than four months and 58 games. The two-time NBA MVP broke his left hand Oct. 30. This is the first time the Warriors are playing Toronto since the Raptors won the NBA title last June. By Janie McCauley. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Game starts 10:30 p.m.
BBO--OLD FACES-NEW PLACES — Some of baseball's biggest names have new addresses. Anthony Rendon won a World Series in Washington, then joined the Angels. Gerrit Cole now tries to out the Yankees over the top. Mookie Betts and Corey Kluber were shipped out by cash-cutting teams. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 900 words, photos.
------------————————
HOW TO REACH US
-------------————————
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, Phil Holm (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.