AP News Digest 6:15 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.
———————————————
NEW & DEVELOPING
———————————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TELECOMMUTING CHANGES, which was listed on previous digest, will move at a later cycle.
Adds: VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDICAL SUPPLY SHORTAGE, VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HOME-INTERNET-Q&A, VIRUS OUTBREAK-IBUPROFEN, VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRAIN LIE AN ASTRONAUT.
————————-
ONLY ON AP
—————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNITED STATES-TROOPS —The first troops quarantined after their Middle East deployments were herded into buses, denied water or access to bathrooms, then placed in packed barracks, with little food or water. Frustrated soldiers turned quickly to social media, posting notes about the poor conditions. That has prompted military leaders to implement quick changes. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDICAL SUPPLY SHORTAGE — The Associated Press finds that the critical shortage of testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer can be tied to a sudden drop in imports of medical supplies. Disruptions in the supply chain half a world away and a lack of timely ordering are now leading to deadly delays in replenishing a rapidly dwindling stockpile. By Martha Mendoza and Juliet Linderman. SENT: 1,430 words, photos.
-------------———
-------------———
VIRUS OUTBREAK — New York state moved to join California on Friday in confining nearly all residents to their homes, as governors undertook their most sweeping efforts yet to contain the coronavirus and fend off the kind of onslaught of patients that has caused southern Europe to buckle. By Tim Sullivan and Nicole Winfield. SENT: 1.065 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-FAUCI — President Donald Trump and the government's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, publicly spar over whether a malaria drug would work to treat people with coronavirus disease. Trump is optimistic that the drug can be effective; Fauci says more scientific study is needed. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 900 words, photos, video. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-EDUCATION — The Trump administration says states can cancel federally required school testing this year if it's necessary to protect students and teachers. By Collin Binkley. SENT: 900 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Congressional leaders and the White House buckle down for high-stakes negotiations over a mammoth $1 trillion economic rescue package, as President Donald Trump lashes out over questions of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. By Lisa Mascaro and Andrew Taylor. SENT: 1,000 words, photos, video.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US TESTING — First, some of the coronavirus tests didn't work. Then there weren't enough to go around. Now, just as the federal government tries to ramp up nationwide screening, laboratory workers are warning of a new roadblock: dire shortages of testing supplies. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 885 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks sank to their worst week since the financial crisis of 2008 as traders went into full retreat out of fear that the coronavirus will plunge the U.S. and other major economies into deep recessions. The Dow industrials closed down more than 900 points, extending their weekly loss to 17%. By Alex Veiga. SENT: 890 words, photo. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FEDERAL-RESERVE — The Federal Reserve moved with unprecedented force and speed Friday to pump huge amounts of cash into the financial system to ease disruptions that have escalated since the viral outbreak. By AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 880 words, photos.
CONGRESS-SENATOR-STOCKS — Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr asks for an ethics probe in response to criticism that he sold off as much as $1.7 million in stocks just before the market dropped in February amid coronavirus fears. By Mary Clare Jalonick. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
————————————————————-
MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
————————————————————-
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY RECRUITING — The Army becomes the first military service to shut down all its recruiting stations in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. SENT: 310 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NO RENTER PROTECTIONS - President Donald Trump has announced a package that he says includes “immediate relief to renters and homeowners" by suspending evictions and foreclosures for 60 days. But the vast majority of renters, who are generally low income and disproportionately African American, Latino and other minorities, will not be covered. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Iran's leaders vowed to overcome the coronavirus outbreak in upbeat messages marking the Persian New Year on Friday, even as the Health Ministry announced 149 more fatalities, bringing the country's death toll to 1,433. SENT: 985 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY — Italy has recorded its highest day-to-day-rise in the number of deaths of people infected with the new coronavirus. Civil Protection Chief Angelo Borrelli said Friday the country recorded 627 more deaths in the 24 hours since Italy surpassed China on Thursday as the nation with the most COVID-19-related deaths. SENT: 250 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-EPICENTER — The northern Italian city of Bergamo struggles with a huge toll — some of it hidden — as the epicenter of Italy's coronavirus epidemic. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-UNITED STATES-MEXICO — Mexico and the U.S. restrict travel over their busy shared border as they try to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. By Ben Fox and Elliot Spagat. SENT: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-PROMISES — Almost daily, President Trump announces a dramatic new maneuver in the fight against the new coronavirus. Often, the reality falls short of the promise. By Deb Riechmann. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HOME-INTERNET-Q&A — With so much of the U.S. workforce — and their families — now cooped up at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, it's not a huge surprise that home internet is showing the strain. SENT: 540 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CASH — In a world suffering a pandemic, cash is no longer king. A growing number of businesses and individuals worldwide have stopped using banknotes in fear that physical currency, handled by tens of thousands of people over their useful life, could be a vector for the spreading the coronavirus. SENT: 735 words, photos.
VIRUS-ONE GOOD THING-POLAND — A popular Warsaw entertainment center looks empty and closed, but inside a cook is busy making savory pizzas for doctors at a nearby hospital who are doubling their efforts under the pressure of the spreading coronavirus. SENT: 845 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IBUPROFEN — The World Health Organization and other leading agencies say there is no evidence to support the suggestion that ibuprofen might worsen the symptoms of COVID-19. SENT: 500 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HAPPY-HOUR — With bars shuttered and stressed-out workers stuck at home, companies and friend groups across the U.S. are holding happy hours over video chat to commiserate and keep spirits high amid the new coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 600 words. Photos pursuing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRAIN LIKE AN ASTRONAUT — Isolated at home? Then train like an astronaut. That's the inspirational advice from a public engagement specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. SENT: 300 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK FLEEING CITIES — Some city folk have been fleeing to their second homes in resort areas to ride out the coronavirus outbreak near the beach or the ski slopes. But neighbors in many of those places are yanking the welcome mat — fearing infection and the overwhelming of already stretched resources in sleepy shore and mountain communities. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ORTHODOX JEWS — Orthodox Jewish representatives are urging congregants to heed social distancing rules designed to fight the coronavirus, a show of unity designed to underscore the importance of behavioral changes that create massive upheaval in their faith communities. SENT: 770 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EVOLVING VOCABULARY — Newscasts bring word of “hot zones” and “lockdowns.” Conversations are littered with talk of “quarantines” and “isolation.” Leaders urge “social distancing” and “sheltering in place” and “flattening the curve.” In an instant, our vocabulary has changed — just like everything else. By National Writer Matt Sedensky. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-QUIRKY GAMES — Welcome to the Marble Universe. With sports on hiatus, it's time for the quirky sports to shine. Marble racing has exploded in popularity. Toilet paper tennis and window sill football are among the ways people are passing the time. UPCOMING. 900 words, photos by 7 p.m.
——————————————————————
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
—————————————————————-
NOT-REAL-NEWS — AP's news verification experts have examined a range of false news around the coronavirus as officials took actions aimed at stemming its spread in the U.S. SENT: 1,440 words, photos.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-PLACIDO DOMINGO — Superstar Plácido Domingo has resigned from the U.S. union that represents opera singers and will contribute $500,000 to sexual harassment eradication programs and a fund that helps opera employees in crisis, the union said Friday. SENT: 330 words, photo.
WALMART CHILD BIRTH - Customers cheer at a Walmart in Missouri after a woman gave birth to a baby girl in the store's toilet paper aisle. SENT: 198 words.
BRITAIN JOHNNY DEPP — Johnny Depp’s libel suit against British tabloid The Sun has been put on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 275 words, photos.
NETHERLANDS-TRAM SHOOTING - A Dutch court convicted a radicalized Muslim man Friday of murder with a terrorist motive and sentenced him to life imprisonment for opening fire on a tram and killing four people last year. SENT: 360 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPELLING BEE — The Scripps National Spelling Bee won’t be held as scheduled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, SENT: 675 words, photos.
——————————————————
——————————————————
ELECTION 2020-BLOOMBERG — Mike Bloomberg is transferring $18 million from his presidential campaign to the Democratic National Committee in the largest single such transfer ever. It's the latest sign of the billionaire businessman’s continued involvement in the race since ending his own campaign this month due to a lackluster showing in the March 3 primaries. SENT: 760 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VOTER REGISTRATION — Coronavirus is idling a potentially powerful force in the Democratic Party — liberal canvassers who go door to door or cruise through public gatherings, clipboard in hand, to register new voters. SENT: 750 words, photos.
————————————-
—————————————
TV-NIALL FERGUSON -- Historian Niall Ferguson has a knack for timing his TV projects. He debuted his examination of the global financial system in “The Ascent of Money” just as the 2008 economic crisis was hitting. Now he has returned with a series that helps us better understand the coronavirus. SENT: 720 words, photo.
————————————-
BUSINESS
————————————-
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT — With the duration of the viral outbreak unknown, major corporations are piling up cash to ride it out. SENT: 1,900 words, photos.
——————-
———————
FBN--BUCCANEERS-BRADY — Tom Brady signs a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at $30 million a season, saying he’s “starting a new football journey” The 42-year-old quarterback spent 20 years with the Patriots and led them to six Super Bowl titles. By Fred Goodall. SENT: 700 words, photos.
BKC--AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM — In a college basketball season shut down in March, Dayton’s Obi Toppin is a unanimous AP All-American choice. He is joined on the first team by Iowa’s Luka Garza, Marquette's Markus Howard, Seton Hall’s Myles Powell and Oregon's Payton Pritchard. By Basketball Writer John Marshall. SENT: 800 words, photos.
OLY--TOKYO-TORCH ARRIVES — The Olympic flame completes its journey from Greece to Japan, a small, symbolic victory for the IOC and organizers. They maintain the Tokyo Games should go on in July amid a chorus of doubters urging a postponement or cancellation because of the coronavirus pandemic. By Haruka Nuga and Koji Ueda. SENT: 650 words, photos.
----------—————————
HOW TO REACH US
-------------————————
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.