AP News Digest 7 a.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 — A tentative easing around the world of coronavirus lockdowns gathered pace with the reopening in India of neighborhood stores that many of the country’s 1.3 billion people rely on for everything from cold drinks to mobile phone data cards. The relaxation of the super-strict Indian lockdown came with major caveats. It did not apply to hundreds of quarantined towns and other hotspots that have been hit hardest by the outbreak that has killed at least 775 people in India and terrified its multitudes of poor who live hand-to-mouth in slum conditions too crowded for social distancing. By Ashok Sharma and John Leicester. SENT: 980 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-SCIENCE — President Donald Trump’s comment about injecting disinfectant to fight coronavirus is just the latest in a long list of comments and actions that run contrary to mainstream science. He’s gone against scientific and medical advice by staring at an eclipse without protection, calling climate change a hoax and saying wind turbines cause cancer. By Science Writer Seth Borenstein. SENT: 750 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP — Trump’s tendency to toss out unproven ideas for fighting COVID-19 triggers an outcry from public health officials. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOMBERG — Nearly two months after ending his presidential campaign, Mike Bloomberg is again deploying his massive personal fortune – this time to combat the coronavirus. The billionaire businessman is spending tens of millions on a variety of local and international initiatives aimed at halting the spread of the virus and supporting first responders. By Alexandra Jaffe and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA-ISLAMOPHOBIA — India’s government is blaming an Islamic missionary meeting for a surge in coronavirus cases, triggering a wave of violence, business boycotts and hate speech toward Muslims that experts warn could worsen the pandemic in the world’s second-most populous country. By Aniruddha Ghosal, Sheikh Saaliq and Emily Schmall. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PEACE CORPS — The Peace Corps has evacuated about 7,000 volunteers from 60 countries because of the global pandemic. Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen says the decision to suspend operations was difficult and says the organization is already planning for the time when operations can resume. By Jacquelyn Martin. SENT: 870 words, photos.
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-GAZA-MASKS-FOR-ISRAEL — For the first time in years, sewing factories in the Gaza Strip are back to working at full capacity — producing masks, gloves and protective gowns, some of which are bound for Israel. SENT: 840 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DISABLED CHILDREN — Coronavirus lockdown is proving a particularly tough ordeal for children with disabilities and their families. Special schools and support programs have been shut down. After weeks of lockdown, a 14-year-old French boy with autism took a pickax to the wall of his house with the hope that he could finally go out. SENT: 940 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-YOU TALKIN' TO ME? — Hey, they’re talkin’ here! With New York City at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and its native-born among those offering crucial information to the nation in televised briefings, the New York accent has stepped up to the mic — or maybe the megaphone. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRCRAFT CARRIER — Officials say the top Navy officer has recommended the reinstatement of the aircraft carrier captain fired for sending a fraught email to commanders pleading for faster action to protect his crew from a coronavirus outbreak. By Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Sri Lanka has reimposed a countrywide 24-hour curfew after a surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, most of them navy sailors who were hunting those evading quarantine. The 46 new infections were the highest in a day. They brought to 420 the number of COVID-19 patients in the Indian Ocean island, including seven deaths. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL — Cases of the new coronavirus are overwhelming hospitals, morgues and cemeteries across Brazil as Latin America’s largest nation veers closer to becoming one of the world’s pandemic hot spots. Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities have warned that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse, or already too overwhelmed to take any more patients. By David Biller, Diane Jeantet and Leo Correa. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA-SUBSIDIZED-MEALS — California restaurants will get taxpayer money to feed millions of seniors during the coronavirius pandemic, but only if they can offer meals with fresh fruit, vegetables and no sugary drinks. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BURKINA FASO-CHALLENGES — Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s nations hardest hit by the coronavirus with 39 deaths, one of the highest number of fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the country’s 609 cases are the U.S. and Italian ambassadors as well as at least six government ministers. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RED-CROSS — The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network urged governments Friday to start thinking about tackling the economic damage from the coronavirus with something like the Marshall Plan used by the United States to help countries recover after World War II. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHISTLEBLOWER — A management breakdown led to some federal employees being sent to help American evacuees from the coronavirus epidemic in China without proper protective equipment, federal investigators have concluded. Friday’s report from investigators at the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed central allegations from a government whistleblower who complained in February that some HHS employees were deployed without adequate protection while others arrived with full gear. SENT: 490 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — Britain’s government defends the independence of the scientists advising it on coronavirus after it emerged that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial chief aide had attended meetings of the group. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ITALY-LIBERATION DAY-PHOTO GALLERY — Veterans of Italy’s anti-Fascist World War II resistance have held marches throughout Italy every April 25 since 1945, to honor the uprising that helped end their country’s Nazi occupation. SENT: 310 words, photos.
A separate advisory has been sent detailing AP's complete pandemic coverage.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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OBIT-HAROLD REID — Harold Reid, Statler Brothers bass singer, dies at 80. SENT: 280 words, photos.
RACIAL KILLINGS TRIAL — California man guilty of killing 4 in race-related rampage. SENT: 380 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEXICO-US PLANTS — Mexico says auto factories to reopen with virus safeguards. SENT: 300 words.
AUSTRALIA-ANZAC DAY — On Anzac Day, services in lockdown replaced by home vigils. SENT: 530 words.
MEXICO VIRUS OUTBREAK-CUBAN DOCTORS — Mexico receives 2nd group of Cuban doctors for virus help. SENT: 160 words, photos.
RUSSIA SPACE STATION — Russian cargo ship docks with space station. SENT: 70 words, photos.
CRI-GOING LIVE IN VANUATU — A rarity: cricket goes live in Vanuatu in the South Pacific. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHITE HOUSE BRIEFINGS — briefing on Friday without taking any questions from reporters. It may not be the last time. There have been discussions within the White House about changing the format of the briefings to curtail the president’s role, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. SENT: 460 words, photos.
ABORTION-KENTUCKY — Kentucky’s Democratic governor vetoed legislation that would have given the state’s anti-abortion attorney general new authority to regulate abortion clinics. The measure cleared the GOP-dominated legislature in the waning hours of this year’s legislative session. As a result, lawmakers won’t have an opportunity to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. SENT: 610 words, photos.
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POLAND-POSTAL VOTING — The Polish government’s determination to move forward with a scheduled presidential election next month by making it an all-postal vote has sparked anxiety and anger amid the coronavirus pandemic, with critics slamming the plan as a threat to the health of both the public and Poland’s democracy. SENT: 770 words, photos.
TAIWAN-HONG KONG-POLITICAL BOOKSTORE — The part-owner of a Hong Kong bookstore specializing in texts critical of China’s leaders reopened his shop in Taiwan after fleeing Hong Kong due to legal troubles, saying he was grateful for the chance to make China’s Communist rulers “less than happy.” SENT: 620 words, photos.
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BOYS SCOUT BANKRUPTCY-HAWAII — Eight men were sexually abused when they were Boy Scouts in Hawaii in the 1960s and 1970s, they alleged in a lawsuit as the state’s window closed on allowing child sex abuse claims that would have been barred under a statute of limitations. SENT: 570 words.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEDIA — President Donald Trump’s suggestion that doctors look into injecting disinfectant as a potential coronavirus treatment went unchallenged on Fox News Channel until the morning after he made it. By Media Writer David Bauder. SENT: 650 words, photo.
FILM-SUPERHERO-RELEASE-DATES — Hollywood studios are shuffling more release dates as a result of the coronavirus, including sequels to “Doctor Strange,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Into the Spider-Verse.” Both Sony Pictures and The Walt Disney Co. announced updated theatrical release schedules that significantly delay some of their marquee superhero films. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. SENT: 180 words, photos.
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FBN—NFL DRAFT — While only one quarterback, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, was taken in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, the guys who haul in passes were everywhere. Starting with the top two selections on Day 2 — Clemson’s Tee Higgins to Cincinnati and Southern California’s Michael Pittman to Indianapolis — seven wideouts were drafted. Add that to the six who went in the opening session, and it set an NFL record through two rounds. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner. SENT: 820 words, photos.
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