AP News Digest 7 a.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 4 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 - The coronavirus is touching all levels of society and increasing tensions as governments start to ease restrictions that health experts warn should be done gradually to avoid a resurgence of the illness that has killed more than 165,000 people. The mounting pressure was evident in the United States. The Trump administration says parts of the nation are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy. Yet some state leaders say woefully inadequate federal action, like a lack of testing supplies, is hindering their response to the illness.By Nick Perry and Will Weissert SENT: 700 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOME HOTSPOT — A nursing home in an upscale section of New York City’s Brooklyn borough with 55 deaths blamed on the coronavirus has become another example of the struggle to control such outbreaks amid shortages of staff, protective equipment and testing. SENT: 990 words, photos.
CANADA-SHOOTING - Canadian police say 16 people are dead plus the suspect after a shooting rampage across the province of Nova Scotia. It was the deadliest shooting in Canadian history. The suspect was identified as Gabriel Wortman, and authorities said he disguised himself as a police officer at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser. He was arrested by the RCMP Sunday in a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia. Police later said he had died. RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 16 people have been killed in addition to the shooter. By Rob Gilles. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NO SYMPTOMS — A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the new coronavirus without any symptoms. That means the virus may turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. But it also makes it tough to know who’s contagious because people who don’t feel sick can still spread the bug. By AP Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 900 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SYRIA — Nine years of war have broken Syria into three rival parts, and each is struggling to cope with a common enemy that knows no conflict lines. Unable to work together, their divisions are hurting frantic efforts to mobilize against the novel coronavirus in a country where the health sector is already devastated by war. Most U.N. help is going to the government of President Bashar Assad, which is not sharing the aid with the two non-government-held regions. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOSING FACE — Smile, they say, and the world smiles with you. Unless you’re wearing a mask. Then the world can’t see your smile, much less smile back. The rise of the protective face mask in our civilization — first in China, then across Europe and now in North America — has abruptly removed half the face from our human interactions. By Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
EARTH DAY-YOUNG CLIMATE ACTIVISTS -- Young climate activists galvanized their movement in 2019 with school strikes and massive global marches last September. The coronavirus pandemic has foiled plans for even larger marches on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. But they are vowing to continue the fight, using their digital devices until they can get back to their in-person organizing. By Martha Irvine and Christina Larson. 990 words, photos, video. This is the Tuesday spotlight.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELDERLY VISITS — Countries across Europe are struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic with whether to allow families to visit the elderly, especially when they’re dying. At nursing homes, everything is done to keep out visitors who might be infected. Many countries ban family members from seeing their loved ones. Belgium’s prime minister argues that “people can die of loneliness,” and even Pope Francis has weighed in on the issue. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY LIFESAVERS-PHOTO GALLERY — Every evening, when Pasqualina Conte returns home from a draining day as a nurse in a Milan emergency room for coronavirus patients, she longs to hold her 9-year-old son, Andrea. But for 50 days and counting, the two have not hugged. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NKOREA DEFECTORS’-VIEW — North Korea says it has zero coronavirus infections, but experts doubt it and say it’s likely the virus has already spread in the country. A former North Korean doctor and other defectors tell The Associated Press health workers didn’t have test kits when they dealt with past outbreaks and weren’t even asked to confirm or submit cases to the central government. Experts say the North’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is likely similar. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA — India has recorded its biggest single-day spike in the number of coronavirus cases as the nationwide lockdown eases to restart some manufacturing and agriculture. The health ministry reported 1,553 new cases, bringing the national total to more than 17,000. At least 543 people have died. India has been under the world’s largest lockdown for almost a month, halting all but essential services. SENT: 320 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Singapore and India both recorded their biggest single-day spikes in new coronavirus cases on Monday, as the crisis in parts of Asia intensifies. India’s spike came after the government eased one of the world’s strictest lockdowns to allow some manufacturing and agricultural activity to resume. An additional 1,553 cases were reported over 24 hours in the country, raising the national total past 17,000, including 543 deaths. SENT: 760 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Iran on Monday began opening intercity highways and major shopping centers to stimulate its sanctions-choked economy, gambling that it has brought under control its coronavirus outbreak — one of the worst in the world — even as some fear it could lead to a second wave of infections. SENT: 890 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST CHILDREN — The U.N. children’s agency has appealed for an additional $92.4 million to help fight the coronavirus in the Middle East and North Africa. The conflict-battered region had 25 million children in need of aid before the pandemic, the highest number anywhere. The economic downturn linked to the outbreak is expected to push an additional 4 million children into poverty. SENT: 290 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-MOTHER AND SON — For almost 30 years, a mother and son were inseparable. And death was no different. Carolyn Martins-Reitz died of the coronavirus last month, and just over a week later, so did Thomas Martins. The mother from Kearny, New Jersey, was the primary caretaker for her son, who had Down syndrome. SENT: 570 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARIJUANA HOLIDAY — The unofficial holiday saluting all things cannabis arrives at a challenging time for the nation’s legal marijuana industry. Monday is April 20, or 4/20. That’s the code for marijuana’s high holiday, which is usually marked with outdoor festivals and communal smoking sessions. But this year, stay-at-home orders have moved the party online as the marijuana market braces for an economic blow from the coronavirus crisis. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration and Congress expect an agreement Monday on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing. By Hope Yen and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING -- Scrambling to address voting concerns during a pandemic, election officials across the country are eliminating polling places or scaling back opportunities for people to cast ballots in person — a move raising concerns among voting rights groups and some Democrats who say some voters could be disenfranchised. By Christina A. Cassidy and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
FACT CHECK-WEEK -- President Donald Trump is falsely assigning blame to governors and the Obama administration for shortages in coronavirus testing. He says governors aren’t using all the testing capacity that the federal government has created. It’s not true. By Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward. SENT: 2,560 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-WATCH — The level of inconsistencies in President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response is evident as Democrats show new signs of unifying behind presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden. Heading into the weekend, the Republican president actively encouraged people to protest stay-at-home orders in a handful of battleground states led by Democratic governors. It was an extraordinary example of political strategy in the midst of a public health crisis at odds with his own health experts. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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ISRAEL-WORLD ANTISEMITISM — Israeli researchers say the global coronavirus outbreak has sparked a rise in anti-Semitic expression blaming Jews for the spread of the disease and the economic recession it has caused. A Tel Aviv University researchers’ annual report says attacks against Jews spiked 18% in 2019 as part of a steady rise in recent years. SENT: 560 words, photo.
AUSTRALIA MEDIA — The Australian government says global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will release draft rules in late July for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media. SENT: 510 words.
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DEEP WATER HORIZON-ECOSYSTEM RECOVERY - Ten years after the nation’s biggest offshore oil spill fouled its waters, the Gulf of Mexico sparkles in the sunlight and its fish are safe to eat. But scientists who have spent $500 million from BP researching effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster have found much to be concerned about. SENT: 1,330 word, photos, videos.
DALLAS BUS HIJACKED-GUNMAN KILLED - A passenger opened fire on a Dallas-area public bus before hijacking it and leading officers on a chase that ended in a shootout in which the passenger was killed and two officers were wounded, an official said. SENT: 300 words, photos.
SEVERE WEATHER-SOUTH - Severe storms raked a wide swath of the Deep South during the nighttime hours, and forecasters are warning of the possibility of tornadoes just a week after a deadly twister outbreak in the region. SENT: 340 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-SHAKE SHACK — The burger chain Shake Shack says it will return a small-business loan it got to help weather the coronavirus crisis after topping up its funding. The company’s CEO, Randy Garutti, and its founder Danny Meyer said in a statement they were able to get extra funding late last week through an “equity transaction” and decided to immediately return the $10 million paycheck protection loan obtained through the CARES Act. SENT: 320 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — World shares are mixed as last week’s rally on Wall Street fades and oil prices retreat. Stocks fell in Paris, Tokyo and Sydney but gained in London and Frankfurt. Japan reported its exports fell nearly 12% year-on-year in March as the pandemic hammered demand in the U.S. and China, its two largest markets. The weaker start to this week followed an advance that pushed the S&P 500 up 2.7% on Friday after the White House released guidelines for states to begin reopening their economies. SENT: 630 words, photos.
JAPAN-TRADE — Japan’s exports sank 11.7% in March as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto shipments to the U.S. The Finance Ministry said Monday that exports to the U.S. fell 16.5% in March from a year earlier, while those to China declined 8.7%. Trade has slowed precipitously recently due to travel restrictions and shutdowns aimed at curbing the outbreak of the coronavirus. SENT: 329 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDRIS ELBA — Idris Elba says he and his wife had their lives “turned around” after contracting the coronavirus. The British actor called the experience “definitely scary and unsettling and nervous.” Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba are recovering in New Mexico and are now focused on their new roles as United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors. They are working with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on farmers and food producers in rural areas. SENT: 529 words, photo.
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TOKYO-VIRUS THREAT — A Japanese professor of infectious disease says he is “very pessimistic” the Tokyo Olympics can be held next year. Kobe University professor Kentaro Iwata says the Olympics could only be held if Japan can control the COVID-19 infection and if all other countries control it. He says “you have to invite so many athletes from many, many places, which is not very compatible with this COVID-19 infection.” SENT 570 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS CUTS — College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. In tough times, athletic administrators often drop sports programs to save money. Some observers see the coming crisis as a chance for schools to consider radical changes to how athletic departments are run. By College Sports Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 850 words, photos.
SPORTS-WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN — The sign-stealing whistleblower would have returned to Houston and the NBA playoffs would have been in full swing. Those are among the live sporting events that will be missed this week with the national sports calendar still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. By Stephen Hawkins. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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