AP News Digest 2 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.
-------------———
-------------———
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-ONE BRIEFING — You could say the White House virus briefings have gone viral. For many Americans, President Donald Trump's briefings on the pandemic are compelling TV viewing. In the midst of the crisis, he's boasted of ratings comparable with “The Bachelor" as he steps forward with his public-health leaders to hold forth on latest developments. This, as the death toll arcs upward and cases spread around the country. By Cal Woodward. SENT: 1,020 words, photos. WITH: TRUMP-FACT CHECK.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 3,500, eclipsing China's official count, as the deepening crisis in New York hit close to home for the governor when he disclosed, teary-eyed, that his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, has become infected. “But there's a lesson in this,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of his 49-year-old brother, now quarantined in his basement. “He's an essential worker, a member of the press so he's been out there. If you go out there, the chance that you get infected is very high." By Colleen Long, Karen Matthews and David Rising. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PREGNANCY -Some pregnant women face giving birth with no loved ones by their side. Others fear getting sick with COVID-19 and being separated from their infants at birth. The coronavirus pandemic has injected anxiety and uncertainty to an already stressful time and while science about risks is mostly reassuring, doctors want clearer answers too. By Lindsey Tanner. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 5 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEXICO — Mexico has started to take tougher measures against the coronavirus after weeks of its president hugging followers and saying religious medals would protect him. Some experts warn that the sprawling country of 129 million is acting too late and testing too little to prevent the type of crisis unfolding across the border in the United States. By Maria Verza and Chris Sherman. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 4:30 p.m.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Just days after a near-unanimous Congress acted with lightning speed to flush over $2 trillion into the stalled economy, the prospects are unclear for a big, fourth package as President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top congressional Republicans all tout different approaches. That spells uncertainty at a time when Americans, businesses and governments may well need more help down the road. By Alan Fram. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
TRUMP-MILEAGE ROLLBACK — The Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era vehicle mileage standards means Americans will be able to continue buying their pick-up trucks and SUVs, but opponents and consumers say the tradeoffs are big -- more Americans dying yearly from harmful smog, tons more climate-changing emissions yearly, and more money spent gassing up. By Ellen Knickmeyer and Tom Krisher. SENT: 960 words. UPCOMING: 880 words by 3:30 p.m., photos.
-————————————————————-
MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
—————————————————————
VIRUS OUTBREAK- DIARY-LONGING FOR TRAVEL — For the first time in years, we’ve put our suitcases away. Flights have been canceled. The shared Google calendar where we tracked each other’s travel schedules is empty for the foreseeable future. For my husband and me, travel has been a constant of our more than decade together. Long multi-country trips with American presidents on Air Force One and weeks spent in political battleground states for me; Monday through Thursday consultant travel and, more recently, quick trips to a new employer’s London headquarters for him. By Julie Pace. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRCRAFT CARRIER — The captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier facing a growing outbreak of the coronavirus is asking for permission to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members on shore, which would take the warship out of duty in an effort to save lives. SENT: 350 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTROVERTS AND EXTROVERTS — The self-isolation designed to arrest the coronavirus' spread has turned the tables on many norms. There are changes in many ways people live life outside the four walls of home, from social gathering to having everyday social interactions. But even in pre-virus times, there were people for whom those things were more pressure than pleasure: introverts, those who largely get their energy from inside themselves and selected interactions with people, as opposed to extroverts, who obtain it from outside themselves. The quarantines and distancing have upended that. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IMPEACHMENT — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says President Trump's impeachment trial distracted the federal government from paying attention to the novel coronavirus as it reached the United States in January. SENT: 270 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-GRABBING POWER — In ex-communist Eastern Europe and elsewhere, rulers are assuming more power while they introduce harsh measures they say are necessary to halt the coronavirus spread. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WUHAN REVIVES — The reappearance of Wuhan's favorite breakfast noodles is a tasty sign that life is slowly getting back to normal in the Chinese city at the epicenter of the global cornavirus outbreak. SENT: 1,025 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPECIAL EDUCATION — Schools across the U.S. are scrambling to find new ways to provide remote instruction to students with disabilities as instruction moves online amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1,120 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK ONE GOOD THING-BAND —For members of the U.S. Army Field Band, it has never been merely about the music. Yes, they wanted to please the ear, but they played for the Army. For America. So earlier this month, when concert dates evaporated with the spread of COVID-19 and the band was ordered back to Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, there was never any question: The band would not stand down. The music would not stop. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VULNERABLE PRISONERS — In some cells in Iran, Syria and other countries in the Middle East, prisoners are crammed in by the dozens, with little access to hygiene or medical care. So if one infection gets in, the novel coronavirus could run rampant. SENT: 1,830 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,020 words has also been sent.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COUNTING THE DEAD — Governments in Europe’s hardest-hit countries have yet to systematically test the residents of nursing homes or those who receive in-home care. In Spain, Italy and France, which together account for 30% of the world’s confirmed coronavirus cases, no one knows for sure how many people have become sick and died in the coronavirus epidemic, especially among the elderly. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE'S HOSPITALS — As increasing numbers of European hospitals buckle under the strain of tens of thousands of coronavirus patients, the crisis has exposed a surprising paradox: Some of the world’s best health systems are remarkably ill-equipped to handle a pandemic. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at how health care officials are reviewing guidelines on how to ration limited resources as hospitals brace for a surge in patients. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.
A separate wire advisory has been sent detailing AP's complete coronavirus coverage.
—————————————————————-
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
—————————————————————-
VIRUS OUTBREAK- GOAT INVASION — Un-baaaaa-lievable: Goats invade locked-down Welsh town. SENT: 365 words, photos.
BRITAIN HARRY AND MEGHAN — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially make the transition from senior members of Britain’s royal family to — well, it’s unclear. International celebrities, charity patrons, global influencers? SENT: 880 words, photos.
TIGER KING-MISSING MAN — A Florida sheriff is asking for new leads in the disappearance of the former husband of a big cat sanctuary owner featured in the new Netflix series “Tiger King.” SENT: 325 words, photos.
APPRENTICE CONTESTANT-TRUMP — New York’s highest court has decided to leave a former “Apprentice” contestant’s defamation lawsuit against President Trump on hold for months at least. SENT: 400 words.
HOUSE FIRE SIX DEAD — The oldest of six siblings killed in a rural house fire in southern Indiana died trying to save the others, the family said. SENT: 190 words.
—————————————————
—————————————————
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE-SURVEILLANCE — The FBI has failed to follow its own policies for ensuring the accuracy of applications it submits to conduct wiretaps in national security investigations, including in some cases by not having documentation to support arguments made to judges, according to a letter released Tuesday. SENT: 648 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-VENEZUELA — The Trump administration is prepared to lift sanctions on Venezuela in support of a new proposal to form a transitional government representing allies of both Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, U.S. officials said. SENT: 1100 words, photos.
——————-
————————
CENSUS FOREIGN BORN — Almost half of the foreign-born who moved to the U.S. in the past decade were college-educated, a level of education greatly exceeding immigrants from previous decades, as the arrival of highly skilled workers supplanted workers in fields like construction that shrunk after the Great Recession. SENT: 700 words.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS-BRIBERY — A California woman was sentenced to seven months in prison for paying bribes to rig her two daughters' college admissions exams and get one of them into Georgetown University as a fake tennis recruit. SENT: 545 words.
KEYSTONE XL-PIPELINE — A Canadian company said it plans to start construction of the disputed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline through the U.S. Midwest in April, after lining up customers and money for the project that is bitterly opposed by environmentalists and some American Indian tribes. SENT: 570 words.
___________
___________
FINANCIAL-MARKETS — — Stocks are drifting in subdued trading, a rare calm day in what is likely to be Wall Street's worst quarter of performance since the 2008 financial crisis. SENT: 845 words, developing. WITH: CONSUMER CONFIDENCE — U.S. consumer confidence tumbled this month to its lowest level in nearly three years. SENT: 325 words, photo.
__________________
__________________
TV-AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN - "America's Test Kitchen" is marking its 20th year on PBS and mixing up a new batch of younger viewers who are drawn to the cooking show online. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. UPCOMING, 600 words, photos.
COMEDY-RADIO — The midst of a global pandemic might seem like an odd time to launch a radio channel devoted to women comedians, but executives at SiriusXM believe that it's precisely the right time. Listenership at the satellite radio company's eight current comedy channels has been up, and the company feels that it is filling a need with people stuck at home. SENT: 625 words, photo.
——————
——————
FBN--NFL PLAYOFFS — NFL team owners are expected to approve an expansion of the playoffs by one team in each conference when they hold a conference call. They also will discuss when the extra games would occur and who would televise them. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 5 p.m.
OLY—TOKYO-NEW COUNTDOWN - The countdown clock is reset and ticking again -- 479 days until the Tokyo Olympics. It’s not much time to reassemble the first Olympics to be postponed since the modern games began 124 years ago. SENT: 1,100 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.