AP News Digest 6:35 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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Adds VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRIVE-THRU TESTS, MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENTS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD-DONORS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDIA, VIRUS OUTBREAK-FAMILY DEATHS, VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, VIRUS OUTBREAK-MONACO, VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-EUROPEAN CAREGIVERS, IRAQ-US, RED SOX-SALE-SURGERY
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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Concern among Americans that they or a loved one will be infected by the coronavirus rose dramatically in the past month, with two-thirds of the country now saying they’re at least somewhat concerned about contracting the COVID-19 illness. That’s up from less than half who said so in February. Still, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about 3 in 10 Americans say they’re not worried at all about the coronavirus. By Sara Burnett and Emily Swanson. SENT: 850 words, photo, graphic. With: AP POLL-VIRUS GLANCE — A summary of poll findings. SENT: 390 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak eclipsed China’s as the scourge extended its march across the West, where the United States and other countries increasingly enlisted the military and improvised at every turn to get ready for an onslaught of patients. By Nicole Winfield and Tim Sullivan. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — President Trump says the government should take an equity stake in companies bailed out in the coronavirus pandemic, a step that would mark an extraordinary federal reach into the private sector. He also holds out hope that treatments for COVID-19 might be at hand, voicing far more optimism about quick therapies than federal scientists have expressed. By Deb Riechmann and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,160 words, photos, video. With UNITED STATES-TRAVEL — U.S. warns Americans against all overseas travel. SENT: 310 words, photo. MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENTS; VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING (both sent).
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PROFITEERING — One store advertised hand sanitizer at $60 a bottle. Another was accused of hawking it at $1 a squirt. Chain stores were accused of selling $26 thermometers and face masks at the “everyday low price” of $39.95 a pair, while a convenience store offered toilet paper at $10 a roll next to a sign reading: “This is not a joke.” Across a country where lines are long, shelves are empty and patience thin, complaints about people trying to cash in on the coronavirus crisis with outrageous prices, scams and phony cures were multiplying as fast as the illness itself. By Reese Dunklin and Justin Pritchard. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-QUARANTINE SHAMING — There's a new type of social policing out there that's developed almost as quickly as the viral disease that spurred its arrival. It's called “quarantine shaming,” calling out those who are leaving the house for daily activities or who aren't abiding by social distancing rules. And it's part of a new reality for Americans who must navigate a world of rapidly evolving social norms in the age of COVID-19. By Gillian Flaccus. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020 — JJoe Biden has emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting — with the emphasis on “waiting.” With several states delaying their primaries to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Biden can’t reach the required majority of pledged convention delegates until May or June. By Bill Barrow, Alexandra Jaffe and Will Weissert. SENT: 960 words, photo. With ELECTION 2020-GABBARD — Gabbard ends long-shot 2020 bid, throws support to Biden. SENT: 820 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-STREAMING — Sports are on hold, theaters are closed and so are amusement parks, a disaster-movie scenario that has Hollywood reeling. But Americans held captive at home by the coronavirus can turn to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services, outliers in an entertainment industry brought to an unprecedented standstill. By Lynn Elber. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNEQUAL TESTING - Celebrities, politicians and professional athletes faced a backlash this week as many revealed that they had been tested for the coronavirus, even when they didn’t have a fever or other tell-tale symptoms. That’s fueling a perception that the wealthy and famous have been able to jump to the head of the line to get tested while others have been turned away or met with long delays. SENT: 1,480 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposes direct payments of $1,200 per person and $2,400 for couples as Congress works urgently to fashion a $1 trillion measure to prop up households and the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Keeping paychecks flowing for idled workers as jobless claims skyrocket is a top priority for Republicans and Democrats. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE — U.S. seeks $3 billion to boost oil producers as prices plunge. SENT: 630 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GOVERNORS — U.S. governors say their states are in dire need of federal help as they struggle to contain the new coronavirus, with Louisiana's governor saying his state's health system could be overwhelmed in a week. SENT: 560 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CUOMO — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s matter-of-fact and slightly scolding demeanor as his state has become an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic emerges as a stark contrast to the often haphazard and hyperbolic messages delivered by President Trump. By Jonathan Lemire. UPCOMING: 980 words, photos by 8 p.m
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DRIVE-THRU TESTS — Cars lined up for more than a mile outside a Houston hospital as the nation's fourth-largest city began drive-thru testing for the coronavirus, but officials warned they don't have enough kits or protective gear to meet demand. SENT: 510 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD-DONORS — The U.S. surgeon general urged healthy Americans, especially younger ones, to donate blood as supplies dwindle amid the coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 280 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDIA — News organizations across the United States are lifting paywalls to share coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, a public service many hope will convince more readers to eventually become paying customers. SENT: 620 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CLEANING WORKERS — Cleaning workers are often the first line of defense against the global COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning and disinfecting homes, medical facilities and public spaces where the novel coronavirus could spread. But the people doing this all this cleaning earn low wages, often lack sick leave and paid days off, and can lose their jobs with no warning. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VETERANS AFFAIRS — The Department of Veterans Affairs is bracing for a possible surge of 1 million veterans infected by coronavirus and at the same time rapidly preparing for the possibility it may have to absorb overflow civilian patients should private hospitals become overrun by the pandemic. UPCOMING: 950 words by 4 p.m., photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AMERICAN PRISONER RELEASES — Two Americans imprisoned in the Middle East are released, one a Navy veteran granted medical furlough as Iran struggles to curb the spread of coronavirus. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-EUROPEAN CAREGIVERS — At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude. They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they know their intended audience is too busy to listen. The adulation is for the doctors, nurses and other health care workers putting themselves at risk on the front lines of the pandemic that is forcing most residents to stay home. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE-FAKE NEWS — Russian state media and news outlets supporting President Vladimir Putin are waging a fake news campaign aimed at undermining public confidence in the ability of European health care systems to cope with the coronavirus, according to a European Union analysis. SENT: 600 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FAMILY DEATHS — Coronavirus kills 4 in a single family in New Jersey; several remain ill. SENT: 280 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TV-CONAN - With iPhones and Skype, Conan O'Brien is going back on the air. The late-night host said he will resume putting out new episodes of TBS' “Conan” on March 30. SENT: 285 words, photo.
MUSIC-ACM AWARDS - The Academy of Country Music had to postpone their upcoming awards show because of the spreading coronavirus, but CBS will air a new television special featuring country stars performing from their homes. SENT: 200 words, photo.
CENTRAL PARK FIVE-PROSECUTOR - Former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein has sued Netflix and director Ava DuVernay over her portrayal in the streaming service's miniseries about the Central Park Five case. SENT: 310 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MONACO — Monaco's head of state Prince Albert II contracts new virus. SENT: 170 words, photos.
SEAL RELEASED - The National Aquarium says it released a harp seal rescued from Ocean City, Maryland, after severe dehydration. SENT: 145 words, photos.
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COLD CASE ARREST- DNA - A Florida police department says it solved a 35-year-old homicide by using DNA to find a relative of the alleged killer and then created a family tree to track him down. Pensacola detectives arrested 57-year-old Daniel Wells and charged him with the slaying of Tonya McKinley, 23, whose body was found before dawn on New Year's Day 1985. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. SENT: 500 words, photo.
POLICE SHOOTING-MINNESOTA — A Minnesota sheriff's deputy was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter in the 2018 fatal shooting of a suicidal man who held a gun to his own head as he knelt in the street during a 40-minute standoff with police. SENT: 650 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-DEMOCRACY — Israel appeared to be barreling toward a constitutional crisis as opponents took to the streets and turned to the Supreme Court to fight a series of unprecedented steps taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while confronting the coronavirus pandemic. In recent days, Netanyahu and his surrogates have shut down the court system, approved the use of sophisticated phone-surveillance technology on the general public and temporarily suspended the activities of parliament. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.
IRAQ-US — Troops from the U.S.-led coalition pulled out from a base in western Iraq on Thursday as part of a planned drawdown, Iraqi and coalition officials said, while training activities by the coalition were suspended amid concerns about the coronavirus. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks capped a wobbly day on Wall Street with solid gains, reflecting cautious optimism among investors that emergency action by the U.S. government and central banks will cushion the global economy from a looming recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 930 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT — Airlines fear failure, delivery in demand. SENT: 1,530 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LAYOFFS — The shuddering halt in the nation’s economy has unleashed what seems sure to become an accelerating wave of layoffs that will leave millions out of work or in a state of limbo that will imperil Americans’ financial lives. Some have already been laid off and others are waiting for the ax to fall. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 1,160 words, photos by 3 p.m. WITH: UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS - Jobless claims jump by 70,000 as virus starts to take hold. SENT: 425 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CANNES FILM FESTIVAL — France's Cannes Film Festival, arguably the world’s most prestigious film festival and cinema’s largest annual gathering, has postponed its 73rd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 570 words, photos.
TV-THE ENGLISH-GAME - With global soccer shut down these days, fans desperate for a fix of the beautiful game may find it from a rather unlikely source — the creator of the stately “Downton Abbey.” Julian Fellowes has created and co-written the new Netflix series “The English Game,” a six-part look at the origins of a onetime British gentleman's game that has become the most popular sport on the planet. The series begins Friday. SENT: 825 words, photos.
VIRUS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHAT'S HAPPENING — They may only play doctors on TV, but they're giving real-life help to hospitals that have taken a hit from the coronavirus outbreak. The Fox medical series “The Resident” has donated some of its on-set masks and gowns to a hospital in Atlanta, where it shoots, and the ABC show “The Good Doctor” is moving to do the same in its home base of Vancouver, Canada.. SENT: 690 words, photos.
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RED SOX-SALE-SURGERY — Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, an operation that would keep him out the entire 2020 baseball season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 140 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing.
BKC—NCAA-NO MADNESS — The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament deprived fans of what could have been an epic bracket. Maybe Markus Howard squaring off against Myles Powell? Or Bobby Hurley coaching against Mike Krzyzewski? March Madness frenzy must wait another year. By Basketball Writer John Marshall. SENT: 850 words, photos.
OLY--TOKYO-FLAME ARRIVAL — The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Japan from Greece even as the opening of the Tokyo Games in four months is in doubt with more voices calling for the event to be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 700 words, photos.
BKW--AP WOMEN’S ALL-AMERICA TEAM — Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon joins an elite group, becoming a three-time AP All-America. Also on the squad in this truncated season are Oregon teammate Ruthy Hebard, Baylor's Lauren Cox, Kentucky's Rhyne Howard and UConn's Megan Walker. By Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. SENT: 940 words, photos.
BBO—BASEBALL BEFORE THE TWILIGHT ZONE — To many people, Rod Serling is known as the foreboding figure who created “The Twilight Zone” television show. But not as well known is that Serling loved baseball. And thanks to a long-lost script, many fans are about to hear it for themselves. Next week, a public radio station in Cincinnati will broadcast a comedy that Serling wrote in 1955 involving the Reds and the Russians. . By Baseball Writer Ben Walker. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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