AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 years, 9 months AGO
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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA DELAY — In the six days after the Chinese government realized it likely was facing a pandemic from a novel coronavirus, the city of Wuhan hosted a mass banquet for tens of thousands of people, millions traveled through for Lunar New Year celebrations and an estimated 3,000 people were infected, documents obtained by the AP show. The Chinese government’s delay in warning the public only a week later was not its first mistake nor the longest lag, as governments around the world have dragged their feet for weeks and even months. SENT: 2,320 words, photos. An abridged version of 1,000 words is also available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-REPUBLICANS — President Donald Trump’s push to reopen the economy is being shaped and amplified by a potent alliance of big-money business interests, small-government activists and religious conservatives. Their voices are gaining currency in the White House, becoming a counterweight to the health professionals who warn there could be deadly consequences from easing coronavirus restrictions too soon. By Lisa Mascaro. UPCOMING: 950 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVARRO — Peter Navarro’s eagerness to confront, attack and be, as one former associate put it, “a real jerk to people” didn’t serve him well as a political candidate in the 1990s. But it fits what President Donald Trump was looking for to muscle companies to make critical supplies needed to fight the coronavirus. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Government relief checks began arriving in Americans’ bank accounts as the economic damage to the U.S. from the coronavirus piled up and the reopening of businesses in Europe and China made it clear that things won’t necessarily bounce right back when the crisis eases. With lockdowns and closings bringing factories and other businesses to a shuddering halt, American industrial output shriveled in March, registering its biggest decline since the U.S. demobilized in 1946 at the end of World War II. By Christopher Rugaber, Paul Wiseman and Jan M. Olsen. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK- FAITH VS SCIENCE — Most leaders of major religions around the world have supported governments’ efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic by limiting gatherings. But a minority of the faithful — in both religious and secular institutions — have not. No matter their reasons, that minority of voices calling for in-person worship to continue has been met with growing calls for the devout to protect each other’s physical well-being first. By Elana Schor and Mariam Fam. SENT: 1,166 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK -MEAT PLANT WORKERS —For Kulule Amosa, landing a job at the Smithfield Foods pork plant was vital to building a life in South Dakota. She and her husband met at the plant and depended on the income as they prepared to have their first child. The coronavirus that began rampaging through the plant this spring threw that comfortable life into chaos, with Amosa’s husband fretting that he might carry it home to his wife as she drew closer to giving birth. For the thousands of workers who package nearly 18 million servings of meat a day, the virus has turned a difficult job into something that could be deadly. By Stephen Groves. UPCOMING: 900 words by 4 p.m., photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-PROGRESSIVES — Tension emerges among progressives over next steps now that Bernie Sanders has exited the 2020 presidential campaign. Some aren’t ready to rally behind Joe Biden, while voters may be making a more practical calculation focused on defeating President Donald Trump. By Will Weissert and Sara Burnett. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-WARREN — Elizabeth Warren endorses Joe Biden, the latest of the former vice president’s onetime White House rivals to back him as the Democratic Party moves to project unity going into the November election. By Will Weissert. SENT: 600 words, photo.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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PEOPLE AYESHA CURRY — A celebrity branding company sued Ayesha Curry, the food and lifestyle personality and wife of NBA star Stephen Curry, seeking more than $10 million for breach of contract. SENT: 360 words, photos.
EU--VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-FAUCI -- Italian virus hospital offers Dr. Anthony Fauci work if President Trump fires him. SENT: 500 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-VETERAN’S THANKS — A 99-year-old British veteran who started a humble campaign to thank the National Health Service has surprised himself by raising millions of pounds. SENT: 410 words, photos.
CHICAGO EXPRESSWAY-PILEUP — Authorities say portions of a Chicago expressway left icy by a wintry blast led to a pileup involving of dozens of vehicles and sent 14 people to hospitals. SENT: 195 words, photo.
STOLEN TRUMP FLAG — Florida doctors who took down a campaign flag supporting President Trump were arrested. SENT: 155 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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WHO-TRUMP-PANDEMIC —Nations around the world reacted with alarm after President Trump announced a halt to the sizable funding the United States sends to the World Health Organization. Health experts warned the move could jeopardize global efforts to stop the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 1,020 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-STIMULUS CHECKS — President Trump’s name will be printed on the stimulus checks that the Internal Revenue Service will be sending to tens of millions of Americans around the country, in an unprecedented move finalized this week. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA EUROPE — The world’s richest countries agreed to freeze poor nations’ debt obligations, shortly after nearly 20 European and African leaders made a joint appeal for a massive international effort to boost Africa’s coronavirus response, saying that “only a global victory that fully includes Africa can bring this pandemic to an end.” SENT: 910 words, photos.
ML--VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST -- Iran’s parliament says the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is likely nearly double the officially reported figures due to undercounting and because not everyone with breathing problems has been tested for the virus. SENT: 800 words, photos.
SCI-VIRUS OUTBREAK-US SURVEILLANCE — As countries around the world edge toward ending lockdowns and restarting their economies and societies, citizens are being more closely monitored. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PUERTO RICO — Puerto Rico officials say data that show COVID-19 cases on the island are much lower than in some U.S. states constitute proof they are containing the new coronavirus, but a series of missteps is raising concerns it could be more widespread than believed. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA FOOD — Lockdowns in Africa limiting the movement of people in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus are threatening to choke off supplies of what the continent needs the most: Food. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EXTRA UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS —Across the U.S., most of the newly jobless are still waiting for the additional $600 a week Congress approved more than two weeks ago as part of its coronavirus stimulus package. Less than a dozen states have so far started distributing the money. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-SILENT BATS -- The pandemic has brought blissfully hectic lives to a full stop. That means the loss of baseball and softball seasons for boys and girls. Sacrificing a season is not asking for much given the toll of the coronavirus outbreak. Yet it is also bittersweet. And the beauty of the game is that when people are ready, when things are safe, it will be there. SENT: 675 words, photo.
GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today focuses on an AP interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, and the daily press briefings at the White House. 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 outlining the AP’s complete coronavirus coverage.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Negotiations on President Trump’s $250 billion emergency request to shore up a paycheck subsidy program are revving up as the program – part of the government’s coronavirus relief package – faces a crush of businesses rushing to apply for aid. By Andrew Taylor. UPCOMING: 800 words by 4 p.m., photos
PENTAGON-CLOUD COMPUTING— The Defense Department releases a watchdog’s findings in the awarding of a major cloud computing contract to Microsoft after rival tech giant Amazon protested what it called a flawed bidding process. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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FRANCE NOTRE DAME —A year after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral has been halted by a lockdown in Paris to battle the coronavirus. The April 15, 2019, blaze gutted its interior, toppled its famous spire and horrified the world. The medieval landmark that is the jewel of Paris remains locked in a dangerous web of twisted metal scaffolding, erected for an earlier renovation. Plans to start removing the 250 tons of scaffolding are on hold amid the pandemic and all of the workers have been sent home. SENT: 1,025 words, photos.
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LOST APPLES-NEW FINDS — A pair of so-called “apple detectives” has rediscovered 10 apple varieties in the Pacific Northwest that were planted by long-ago pioneers and had been thought extinct. SENT: 1,O20 words, photos. WITH: LOST APPLES-NEW FINDS-LIST.
FBI BOMB SUSPECT-DEATH -- A Missouri man who investigators say was planning to bomb a Kansas City-area hospital was distressed by the government’s response to the coronavirus crisis and motivated by racial, religious and anti-government animus, according to newly unsealed court documents. SENT: 485 words, photo.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks swung back down after more signs piled up of the economic damage being caused by the coronavirus outbreak.WITH: RETAIL SALES — U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, an unprecedented decline. SENT: 480 words, photo. WITH: INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION — American industry collapsed in March as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy. SENT: 250 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TECH VS MISINFORMATION — Facebook, Google and other platforms are taking unprecedented steps to rid their platforms of potentially dangerous coronavirus misinformation. They’re using new rules and algorithms to remove the content, while also pointing users to credible sources of information. Still, challenges remain as posts promoting conspiracy theories and unproven remedies continue to crop up daily. By Barbara Ortutay. UPCOMING; 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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FILM-KIDS MOVIES TO STREAM — Weeks of quarantine with kids have a way of burning through a movie collection. Even with the libraries of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus and others, there are plenty of households that have already had their fill of “Frozen” and overdosed on “Onward.” By Film Writer Jake Coyle. SENT: 897 words, photos.
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FBN-DRAFT SMALL — Kyle Dugger made Hickory, North Carolina, a must stop for NFL scouts last fall. The Lenoir-Rhyne safety continued making strong impressions at the Senior Bowl in January and the NFL’s annual scouting combine in February. He’s not the only small-school draft prospect hoping to hear his named called next week. But he might be the first one off the board. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos by 4 p.m.
SPORTS-DESERTED ICONS-LLWS — Little League has been benched. The youth baseball program that boasts more than 2.5 million kids spread over 6,500 programs in 84 countries is on hold at least until May 11. The fate of its signature event, the Little League World Series in August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is unclear. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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