AP News Digest 6 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.
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NEW & DEVELOPING
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Adds: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MIDEAST, MIDEAST-SAUDI-ARRESTS, UNITED NATIONS--INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, AP EXPLAINS-MEXICO-WOMEN PROTEST, OBIT-MCCOY-TYNER.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-PANDEMIC — As cases of the coronavirus surge in Italy, Iran, South Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere, many scientists say it's plain that the world is in the grips of a pandemic — a serious global outbreak. The World Health Organization has so far declined to use the word, saying it might spook the world further and lead some countries to lose hope of containing the virus. By Maria Cheng. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Cruise ships looked for safe harbor on four continents amid fears they're spreading the new coronavirus that has infected more than 100,000 people and tightened its grip on day-to-day life around the world. Iran declared a “sacred jihad” against the virus, Italy saw its biggest one-day jump in infections, and the Vatican decided to livestream the pope's Sunday blessing to prevent people gathering at St. Peter's Square. By Joe McDonald and Angela Charlton. SENT: 1,280 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST; VIRUS OUTBREAK-INFECTED CRUISES — A cruise ship with a virus outbreak can quickly find itself with no place to go, as countries from Japan to the U.S. have quarantined vessels for days. But the ventilation systems, communal settings and close quarters of cruise ships make them far from ideal spaces for sick and potentially sick people. “You’re going to amplify the infection," one expert says. SENT: 820 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the coronavirus outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-SUBURBAN SURGE — Nearly two years after suburbanites helped drive a Democratic surge, there are clear signs these voters are engaged and primed to vote Democratic again. That’s particularly good news now for Joe Biden, who's running as a moderate, consensus candidate. Many suburban Democrats said they are motivated by their desire to oust Trump and a fear that Bernie Sanders, Biden's chief primary rival, is a riskier bet. By Lisa Mascaro and Steve Karnowski. SENT: 1,170 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DEMOCRATS — The Democratic presidential primary is down to two major candidates, and it shows. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are spending their first weekend as their party's last top White House contenders increasingly taking aim at one another. SENT: 710 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-TRUMP'S ACT — The Donald Trump show has a consistent script, with villains, nicknames, grievances and the same hero: himself. At raucous rallies, mostly in states friendly to him, the president tells his audiences he could be presidential, even Lincolnesque, if he wanted to be. But that, he says, would be boring. For an incumbent seeking reelection with little variance from the themes that brought him to power, a central challenge will be to keep those audiences satisfied, to make sure, like a great entertainer, the act isn’t getting stale. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-JERUSALEM RAIDS — For the last nine months, Israeli police have raided the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya nearly every day. They've searched houses, issued fines and detained youths as young as 10 on suspicion of stone-throwing. The operations frequently ignite clashes, with local youths throwing rocks and firebombs, which police say justifies their heightened presence. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 980 words, photos. This story has moved as the Sunday Spotlight.
MARIJUANA BOOM-OKLAHOMA — When voters in conservative Oklahoma approved medical marijuana in 2018, many thought the rollout would be slow and burdened with bureaucracy. Instead, business is booming so much that cannabis industry workers and entrepreneurs are moving to Oklahoma from states with more well-established pot cultures, like California, Colorado and Oregon. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-HOTEL COLLAPSE — News reports say a hotel in southeastern China being used for medical observation of people who had contact with coronavirus patients has collapsed, trapping some 70 people. SENT: 240 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US — Thousands of people remain confined to a cruise ship circling in international waters off the San Francisco Bay Area after 21 passengers and crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. The Grand Princess is forbidden to dock in San Francisco. State and federal officials say they are working to bring the ship to a non-commercial port this weekend and test the 3,500 people aboard. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE — Pope Francis is further limiting his public appearances to prevent crowds from gathering as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus, which by Saturday had reached the tiny Mediterranean island nation of Malta. SENT: 890 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — A cruise ship on Egypt's Nile River with over 150 tourists and local crew was is in quarantine in the southern city of Luxor, as 45 people on board have tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities say. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOMELESS — Homeless people are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. They often don't have places to wash their hands, struggle with health problems and crowd together in grimy camps. Few communities that are trying to contain the spread of the virus have rolled out plans to protect the homeless and give them a place to recover in isolation. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRAN-PENITENT GUARD — In declaring war on the coronavirus, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard is now seeking absolution from a public still angry over it accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner. The Guard has been increasingly and publicly involved in the fight against the virus outbreak. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-ECONOMY — Italy is taking an almighty hit to its already weak economy from being the focal point of the coronavirus emergency in Europe. The country risks falling back into recession as spooked foreign tourists stay away from its cultural treasures and the global market shrinks for prized Italian products, from fashion to design. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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MELANIA TRUMP — Melania Trump is pushing back after photos she tweeted of herself overseeing a White House construction project generated an online backlash. SENT: 150 words, photo.
OBIT-MCCOY-TYNER — McCoy Tyner, the groundbreaking and influential jazz pianist and the last surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet, has died. He was 81. SENT: 210 words, photos.
SOC-RONALDINHO ARRESTED — Ronaldinho arrested in Paraguay in false passport case. SENT: 170 words, photo.
SPRING FORWARD — Like clockwork, daylight saving time strikes again this weekend. Don't forget to set your clocks an hour ahead to avoid being late for Sunday morning activities. SENT: 170 words, graphic.
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ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-CLYBURN — The Joe Biden bounce back began in South Carolina with Jim Clyburn. Political endorsements aren’t always significant, but the backing of the highest-ranking black member in Congress seems to have brought Biden’s candidacy back from the brink after lackluster performances in other early states. The kingmaking moment was a long time coming for Clyburn, a minister’s son whose congressional career began 27 years ago. SENT: 960 words, photos.
FACT CHECK-WEEK — As the stock market convulses, airline schedules buckle and businesses worry their overseas supply lines will snap, President Donald Trump is looking on the sunny side of an economy clouded by the coronavirus. He's suggesting that a robust jobs report might be explained in part by the prospect that Americans are hunkering down and focusing more of their spending in their own country. There's no evidence that the virus has juiced jobs. And Trump's plentiful and sometimes inaccurate comments on the outbreak this past week prompted a leading Republican senator to suggest that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stand back and “let the experts do the talking.” Trump paid that advice no heed. SENT: 1,580 words, photos. Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
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SEVERE WEATHER-TENNESSEE — North Nashville's historically African American neighborhoods were already suffering from decades of redlining and neglect before a devastating tornado hit. More recently, they have begun to feel the pressure of gentrification. Some are wondering if North Nashville can recover from this latest blow or if African American families will be permanently displaced. SENT: 830 words, photos.
RARE WILDFLOWER-NEVADA LITHIUM MINE — An Australian mining company says its pursuit of a huge lithium deposit in Nevada is critical to accelerating the manufacture of electric vehicles and reducing greenhouse gases. Opponents argue the mine can't be built without causing the extinction of the only known native population of a rare desert wildflower. SENT: 990 words, photos.
MISSING GIRL-TENNESSEE — Remains believed to be that of a 15-month-old girl were found in Tennessee, ending the 17-day search across three states for a missing toddler, authorities say. SENT: 550 words, photos.
EXPANDING MEDICAID-GOP LEADER'S SWITCH — A Kansas Senate leader is drawing criticism from some fellow Republicans for working with the state's Democratic governor to win support of a Medicaid expansion plan. SENT: 860 words, photos.
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UNITED NATIONS--INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY — Calling himself “a proud feminist,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lashed out at men who abuse power and declared before International Women’s Day that the fight for gender equality is “the biggest human rights challenge we face.” SENT: 820 words, photo. WITH: AP EXPLAINS-MEXICO-WOMEN PROTEST — Protests against gender violence in Mexico have intensified in recent years amid an increase in killings of women and girls. Women are expected to express their outrage in a march in Mexico City on Sunday, International Women's Day. SENT: 930 words, photos.
MIDEAST-SAUDI-ARRESTS — Two senior princes in Saudi Arabia are under arrest for not supporting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has consolidated control of all major levers of power with the support of his father, King Salman, two people close to the royal family say. SENT: 990 words, photo.
TURKEY-GREECE — A group of migrants tried to bring down a fence in a desperate attempt to bust through the border into Greece while others hurled rocks at Greek police. Greek authorities responded, firing volleys of tear gas at the youths. At least two migrants were injured. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
GREECE-BORDER PATROLS — Greek villagers who live near the border with Turkey are helping to locate migrants who manage to slip across despite the expanded police force guarding the divide. Border area residents used to offer the people they saw enter Greece illegally a bite to eat and directions. But the warm welcome is wearing off. SENT: 470 words, photos.
ISRAEL-POLITICS — A defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “not going anywhere” even after he again fell short of a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies in his country's third election in less than a year. SENT: 560 words, photos.
UNITED-NATIONS-UNITED-STATES — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed global hot spots, while America’s top diplomat again expressed “outrage” at the U.N.’s publication of companies it says are operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in violation of Palestinian human rights. SENT: 450 words.
POLAND-PUBLIC MEDIA — Poland's president signs a bill earmarking nearly $510 million to fund public television and radio, broadcast outlets that have become mouthpieces for the country's right-wing government and given the president positive coverage as he campaigns for reelection. SENT: 430 words, photo.
CYPRUS-VIRUS-PROTEST — Cyprus riot police used pepper spray on Saturday to thwart Turkish Cypriot protesters trying to shove their way through a barricaded crossing point in the heart of the ethnically divided island nation's capital. SENT: 330 words, photos.
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CHINA TRADE — China’s exports fell by double digits in January and February as anti-virus controls closed factories, while imports sank by a smaller margin. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 510 words, photos.
LEBANON-EUROBOND — Lebanon's prime minister says the government will suspend payment of $1.2 billion in loans, marking the crisis-hit country's first-ever default on its sovereign debt. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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SPACE STATION — SpaceX successfully launched another load of station supplies for NASA and nailed its 50th rocket landing. The Falcon rocket blasted off with 4,300 pounds of equipment and experiments for the International Space Station. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 470 words, photos.
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MUSIC-MEGAN THEE STALLION — Megan Thee Stallion says she works extremely hard in the studio writing music, and so became more than a little worried when she almost couldn’t release her new album because of a dispute with her record label. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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HKO--WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELED — The women’s world hockey championships in Canada are canceled because of the new coronavirus, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation tells the AP. The two-week tournament had been set for two venues in Nova Scotia and was to have opened March 31. SENT: 600 words, photos.
BBO--VIRUS OUTBREAK-MLB — Baseball teams are limiting fan and player interactions across spring training. The San Francisco Giants are taking extra steps to disinfect their complex. Players say their routines are still mostly intact, but they know this situation is changing quickly. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 580 words, photos.
BKN--NETS-ATKINSON OUT — Nets surprisingly split with coach Kenny Atkinson, with the general manager offering no details for the move. Brooklyn remains on track for a second straight playoff berth and hours earlier routed San Antonio. Assistant Jacque Vaughn is the coach the rest of the season. SENT: 700 words, photos.
IDITAROD — The Iditarod sled dog race begins with the second smallest field in the last two decades. Only last year’s field was smaller. Organizers are trying to blunt waning interest in the race by making it more esports friendly and investigating ways fans can bet. SENT: 900 words, photos, video. Race started at 2 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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