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AP News Digest 7:10 a.m.

Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 5 months AGO
| April 10, 2020 4:27 AM

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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ONLY ON AP

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN’S MOST VULNERABLE -- The coronavirus pandemic has heightened the fragility of the elderly of Barcelona’s working class Poble Sec neighborhood. It has stripped away the safety nets that kept them fed and healthy, and exposed them to a daily threat of infection that they know will likely kill them.For two weeks, an Associated Press photographer accompanied Barcelona’s visiting health care workers and emergency medical personnel as they tended to Spain’s home-bound elderly, who have borne the heaviest toll in the pandemic here and around the globe. By Emilio Morenatti. 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BACK TO BATTLE -- The coronavirus has infected so many doctors, nurses and other health workers that some are now returning from their sick beds and heading back to the front lines. Health workers who have recovered from COVID-19 hope that they are now armed with some degree of immunity. By John Leicester. 870 words, photos, video.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GOOD FRIDAY — Christians are commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion without the solemn church services or emotional processions of past years, marking Good Friday in a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic. The chanting of a small group of clerics inside Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher echoed faintly through the heavy wooden doors, as a few people stopped and kneeled outside to pray. By Joseph Krauss. SENT: 850 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUBLIC TRANSIT — People who must continue working during the coronavirus pandemic are performing a quiet calculus each day as they try to stay safe while commuting. They let trains that look too crowded pass by. If they decide to board, they search for emptier cars to ride in. They say the requirement to keep at least 6 feet away from other people is nearly impossible in the New York City subway system. Despite the hardships, transit officials say they’re working harder than ever to protect riders and their own workers as well. By Tom Hays and Marshall Ritzel. SENT: 890 words, photos.

Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.

ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-VP SEARCH — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden expects to name a vice presidential vetting committee next week. He has already committed to picking a woman as his running mate, and he must consider the demands of a diverse party. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

ELECTION 2020-VOTING — As President Donald Trump rails against voting by mail, many members of his own political party are embracing it to keep their voters safe during the coronavirus outbreak. Republican state officials in Iowa, Ohio and West Virginia have all taken steps to ease access to mail-in ballots. By Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 980 words, photo. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELECTIONS — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to bolster mail-in voting and take other steps to make balloting easier this November. SENT: 650 words, photo.

Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.

OIL-MARKETS — OPEC says a proposed cut to oil production “is conditional on the consent of Mexico” after a marathon teleconference ended without a decision. The statement from OPEC confirmed figures earlier offered by Saudi Arabia. The proposal calls for a 10 million barrels per day cut until July, then an 8 million barrels per day cut through the end of the year. Beginning in 2021, a 6 million barrels per day cut will last for 16 months. By Jon Gambrell. SENT: 870 words, photo.

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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS OUTBREAK — People around the world have begun celebrating Good Friday and Easter from the safety of their homes while rare divisions surfaced in Japan over how to tackle the growing coronavirus outbreak there. Politicians and public health officials have warned that the hard-won gains against the pandemic must not be jeopardized by relaxing social distancing over the holiday weekend. SENT: 1,080 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SOCIAL-DISTANCE-POWWOW — The largest powwows in the country have been canceled and postponed amid the spread of the coronavirus. Tribal members have found a new outlet online with the Social Distance Powwow. They’re sharing videos of colorful displays of culture and tradition that are at their essence meant to uplift people during difficult times. SENT: 880 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — President Donald Trump’s new coronavirus aid request has gotten tied up in congressional politics. Democrats refused to rubber stamp Trump’s proposal for $250 billion more to boost small businesses, demanding modifications along with an additional $250 billion for health care providers and states. Republicans wouldn’t go along. SENT: 820 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL MEALS — Schools that feed millions of children from low-income families across the U.S. promised to keep providing meals during the coronavirus pandemic. But cities big and small quickly ran into problems when food workers, teachers and volunteers became infected or were too scared to report for duty. SENT: 820 words, photos, video.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDICAL SUPPLIES — With the federal stockpile drained of protective gear, states are turning to each other, private industries and anyone who can donate in a desperate bid to get respirators, gloves and other supplies to doctors, nurses and other front-line workers. SENT: 940 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-WAR VETERANS — In the final months of his life, Bill Chambers was no longer able to walk, but he found peace in motion. Three times a week, his oldest daughter, Patty Cooper, would meet him at the adult family home where he lived with four other World War II veterans, load him into her Volvo SUV, and take him on long drives through the evergreen forests, farmlands and suburbs east of Seattle. He knew the roads well. In about 30 years working for the county, he built most of them. The 97-year-old died on March 14 after contracting COVID-19. SENT: 780 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UN-SECURITY COUNCIL — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns the U.N. Security Council that the coronavirus pandemic is threatening international peace and security — “potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence that would greatly undermine our ability to fight the disease.” SENT: 780 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SINGAPORE-HOT SPOT — After managing to keep on top of the first wave of coronavirus outbreaks, Singapore is grappling with an alarming rise in infections among migrant workers housed in crowded dormitories. SENT: 770 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-HOWLING — From California to New York, some Americans are taking a moment each night at 8 o’clock to howl as a way of thanking the health care workers and first responders who are fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The nightly howl is an American twist on the balcony applause and singing for besieged health care workers in Italy and Spain. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Yemen’s internationally recognized government Friday announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the war-torn country, stoking fears that an outbreak could devastate an already crippled health care system. SENT: 710 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-PRIEST'S CRISIS — The circle of contagion around the Rev. Angelo Riva couldn’t have been tighter as the new coronavirus invaded northern Italy. Within two weeks of a lunch with his parents and a fellow priest who assisted him at three parishes above Lake Como, his father and his colleague were dead. As Easter approaches, Riva is preparing for his mother to die, too. He describes the crisis of faith and life he finds himself in as “an inner revolution. SENT: 700 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime minister Boris Johnson needs time to recover from the new coronavirus and is unlikely to be back at work soon, his father said Friday, as millions of Britons began an Easter holiday weekend in lockdown. SENT: 600 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-DOC ADOPTION — More than 10,000 people have responded to an Israeli woman’s Facebook plea to help overworked health-care professionals on the frontline of the country’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic. An army of volunteers is doing their grocery shopping, delivering home-cooked meals, babysitting for children and even walking pets. The “Adopt A Doc” venture mirrors the kinds of grassroots efforts the country is known for providing its soldiers during times of war and conflict. SENT: 550 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-UN-POOR COUNTRIES — More than 60 U.N. agencies and international organizations urged governments on Thursday to take immediate steps to address the unfolding global recession and financial crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the world’s poorest countries. SENT: 540 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SURPRISE BILLING — Hospitals taking money from the $2 trillion stimulus bill will have to agree not to send “surprise” medical bills to patients treated for COVID-19, the White House says. SENT: 470 words, photo.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SINGAPORE-ZOOM — Singapore has suspended the use of Zoom for online education after hackers hijacked a lesson and showed obscene images to students. In what is known as “Zoombombing,” two hackers interrupted a geography lesson a day after Singapore closed schools on Wednesday as part of partial lockdown measures to curb local transmissions of COVID-19. SENT: 370 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — Mosques usually filled for Friday prayers and streets normally clogged with cars and motorcycles were empty as authorities in Indonesia’s capital enforced stricter measures to halt the coronavirus’ spread after deaths spiked in the past week. SENT: 340 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ABORTION — A federal judge has ordered that Texas abortion clinics may continue to perform abortions in some cases, either those using medication or those involving patients for whom delays would pose an essential ban. SENT: 310 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASEAN — Southeast Asian foreign ministers endorse the setting up of a regional fund to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and discussed a planned video summit of their leaders with counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea. SENT: 270 words, photo.

A separate wire advisory has also been sent detailing AP’s complete coronavirus coverage.

GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today is an interview with three AP reporters who worked on “24 Hours: The Fight for New York,” a multi-format package following 10 New Yorkers as they negotiate life in a city utterly transformed by the virus. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.

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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

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CHAD-BOKO HARAM — Chad says 1,000 Boko Haram killed during week of fighting. SENT: 110 words.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NOTRE-DAME — Still scarred, Notre Dame lives anew in coronavirus crisis. SENT: 150 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-BOMBING — Roadside bomb kills 2 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border. SENT: 180 words.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MCCONNELL-POLIO — As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell flashes back to an earlier crisis that gripped the nation, and his own life, when he was a boy. He was stricken with polio. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 970 words, photos.

TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — Attorney General William Barr tells Fox News he believes the Russia investigation that shadowed President Donald Trump for nearly two years was started without any basis and was intended to “sabotage the presidency.” SENT: 650 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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AFRICA-LOCUST OUTBREAK — Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years. Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains. SENT: 750 words, photos.

PAKISTAN-ISLAMIC STATE — Pakistan has asked neighbor Afghanistan to extradite a leader in the local Islamic State group affiliate who was arrested in an Afghan intelligence operation in southern Afghanistan earlier this month. SENT: 480 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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CLERGY-ABUSE-NEW-ORLEANS-SAINTS — Hundreds of emails detailing the New Orleans Saints’ efforts to conduct damage control for the area’s Roman Catholic archdiocese amid its clergy sexual abuse crisis should remain shielded from the public, a court official recommends. SENT: 340 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are steady in quiet Good Friday trading after Wall Street closed out its best week in 45 years thanks to the Federal Reserve’s titanic effort to support the economy through the coronavirus crisis. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 470 words, photos.

JAPAN-VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUTOS — Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda promises that the Japanese auto industry would seek to protect jobs worldwide as it endures the coronavirus pandemic. By Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 340 words, photo.

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SPORTS

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TIM DAHLBERG-NO GOLF — Before Nevada’s governor decided this week to close golf courses, the idea of people playing golf during the pandemic was already being debated on social media. So on the day the Masters was supposed to open, golf courses around the Silver State were being closed. The same thing was happening in New York and across the country. Golf is good, but it’s not essential. By Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg. SENT: 740 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPORTS-FAMILY REUNIONS — Few vocations require more missed time with loved ones than big league and major college sports. Elite athletes and coaches enjoy privileges and rewards, but family time is one part of life that can’t be priced out. The COVID-19 pandemic that put sports on pause has given them time with loved ones. By Dave Campbell. SENT: 750 words, photos .

EISEN-NBCSN — NBC Sports Network announces that “The Rich Eisen Show” will air on the channel beginning Monday at 1 p.m. EDT. That will be the last two hours of the show, which begins at noon on a network of national radio affiliates, including Sirius/XM, as well as on PodcastOne. By Sports Writer Joe Reedy. SENT: 240 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma 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.