AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 5 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-WASHINGTON PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL — Workers who had been exposed to the coronavirus at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital were herded into a small building to be tested. Inside, few wore masks. They were given test kits by people without gloves and told to swirl a swab inside their noses. The method was designed only for people showing symptoms, but the staffers said none of them did. Many told The Associated Press that the flawed testing process this month likely produced inaccurate results and exposed them to the virus again. By Martha Bellisle. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS— Facing the stark, startling reality that Congress may not be able to fully resume for a year, House leaders reach for new, remote options after lawmakers revolt over the health risks of convening in the coronavirus pandemic. House Democratic leaders abruptly shelve plans to bring the chamber’s 400-plus members back next week, as the virus disruption evokes those seen during the 1918 Spanish flu, a 1954 assault on the House chamber, and the Sept. 11 attacks. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 750 words. UPCOMING: 800 words by 5 p.m., photo. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defends his administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and meets with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he pledges steps to help states safely reopen their economies. SENT: 990 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m. photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Things were so much simpler when just about everything was locked down. Now, with states lifting their restrictions using their own step-by-step timetables, Americans are facing a multitude of decisions about what they should and should not do. Reopen for business? Get a haircut? Visit the parents? Go to the beach? Eat in a restaurant? In many cases, the less-than-satisfying answer from the experts: It depends. Many people are going to have to balance their own safety and financial security — and their tolerance for risk — with their responsibility to others. By Carla Johnson and Adam Geller. UPCOMING: 850 words, photos, by 3 p.m. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST and VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-OHIO PRIMARY — The first major test of an almost completely vote-by-mail election during a pandemic is unfolding in Ohio, offering lessons to other states about how to conduct one of the most basic acts of democracy amid a health crisis. By Will Weissert and Julie Carr Smyth. SENT: 830 words, photo. UPCOMING: Developing, polls close at 7:30 p.m., 900 words by 9 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-BATTLE FOR SENATE — The coronavirus, the resulting economic shutdown and President Trump’s stumbles addressing the crises have abruptly scrambled this fall’s battle for control of the Senate. Democrats suddenly have rising hopes of gaining the minimum three seats they’ll need to capture a majority. And Republicans who once banked on a robust economy and improving Trump approval ratings are showing fresh signs of nervousness. By Alan Fram and Matt Volz. SENT: 990 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
CANCER BLOOD TEST — For the first time, a blood test has been shown to help detect many types of cancer in a study of thousands of people with no history or symptoms of the disease. The test is still experimental. Even its fans say it needs to be improved and that Tuesday’s results are not ideal. Yet they show what benefits and drawbacks might come from using these gene-based tests, called liquid biopsies, in routine care -- in this case, with PET scans to confirm or rule out suspected tumors. By Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 792 words, photo.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL PRISON RELEASES — The federal Bureau of Prisons has begun releasing hundreds of inmates to home confinement in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus behind bars. But their methods are murky and contradictory, despite criteria from the attorney general on who is eligible. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NOWHERE NEAR NORMAL — Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal? As some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as Americans knew it might be returning. But plans emerging in many states indicate that “normal” is still a long way off. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK DIARY-CORE VALUES — He can’t go out, can’t see his friends. Gaming, he says, isn’t quite enough. So one 13-year-old kept home from school and kept away from his emerging social life came up with a plan. Like his grandfather before him, on third-generation property, he decides to plant something. The plan started with an accident, and with a neighbor’s help, but quickly became very deliberate. Now, maybe, it will end with a tree growing. SENT: 683 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK- THE DREAMERS — One person dreams about monsters trying to get his family, but in a the strange new world of the coronavirus, they are spaced a socially distant six feet apart. Another has such a vivid dream about having the new coronavirus that they wake up convinced they have it in real life. Powerful dreams about COVID-19 and its impacts on society are spreading almost as fast as the virus itself as anxiety rises. SENT: 1,054 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SAD SUMMER — Summer tourist destinations are worried what the pandemic and social distancing guidelines will mean for beaches, camps, and local businesses. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL REOPENING — Parts of the U.S. are starting to lift closures, and some of the quickest to reopen have been rural states like Montana, Vermont and Alaska. The effects of the pandemic in smaller, more remote towns can seem a world away from cities grappling with overwhelmed hospitals, packed morgues and economies pushed to the brink. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL - As Brazil careens toward a full-blown public health emergency and economic meltdown, President Jair Bolsonaro has managed to add a third ingredient to the toxic mix: political crisis. Even if it doesn’t speed his downfall, it will render Brazilians more vulnerable to the pandemic. SENT: 550 words. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 4:30 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAIDS — The coronavirus has upended the lives of Latin America’s household maids. The pandemic has left thousands of them without work or effectively trapped them inside the homes of their employers because of government-ordered lockdowns. Millions of domestic servants are woven into the fabric of family life throughout the region, where even lower middle-class families often have hired help. They are sometimes paid as little as $4 per day, under the table, with no benefits. SENT: 921 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING HUMAN TOUCH — Joy is visible during the pandemic, just not with the normal recognizable cues. The happiness derived from spending time with family members, loved ones, friends and colleagues remains but for most, is restricted due to sheltering-in-place regulations. Is a laugh or smile any less heartwarming if it’s hidden from view? Are eye crinkles the new prompts of a smile covered by a mask? A photo gallery of joyful and happy moments from the staff with text block.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-TAKE-OUT -- Is it safe to order food via take-out or delivery? Unlike some germs, there’s no indication the coronavirus can spread through food, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. UPCOMING: 150 words, photo
GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at the AP’s “Lives Lost” feature, an ongoing series of stories remembering people who have died from the coronavirus around the world. 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 advisory has been sent outlining AP’s complete coronavirus coverage.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-PIZZA’S BACK —Naples’ beloved pizza is back after virus shutdown eases. SENT: 444 words, photos.
DOG FOUND-TORNADO — Tennessee family finds dog 54 days after deadly tornadoes. SENT: 334 words, photo.
ODD-SPEEDY GONZALEZ-ARRESTED -- Mail fraud suspect named Speedy Gonzalez arrested in Georgia. SENT: 189 words.
HARVARD GRANT OVERCHARGES — Harvard University has agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to settle claims that a research team overcharged certain federal grants. SENT: 193 words.
REALITY SHOW ACTOR-DEADLY WRECK -- Ashley Ross of the Atlanta-filmed reality TV show “Little Women: Atlanta” dies in a Georgia car crash. SENT: 125 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-OPRAH COMMENCEMENT — Oprah will be the commencement speaker and Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles will offer words of wisdom to the Class of 2020 in a multi-hour graduation streaming event on Facebook and Instagram on May 15. SENT: 138 words.
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SUPREME COURT-LAWYERS PREPARE —Normally lawyers who argue before the Supreme Court are pretty uniform in their presentations: they stand at a wood lectern, wearing a dark suit, in front of the nine black-robed justices. But the court’s decision to hold arguments by telephone for the first time ever gives advocates more options and raises more questions. Among them: Do you put on a suit? By Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko. SENT: 840 words, photo.
TRUMP-MCGAHN SUBPOENA — The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., is giving the House another shot at forcing former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before Congress. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 413 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 600 words by 4 p.m., photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN ALLEGATION -- An associate of a former Senate aide to Joe Biden says the woman told her about her allegations of sexual assault against Biden — now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — in the 1990s. The account, which was published Monday in Business Insider, comes a little over a month after Tara Reade first accused Biden of sexually assaulting her in the basement of a Capitol Hill office building when she worked in his office in the spring of 1993. Biden’s campaign has denied the allegations. SENT: 860 words, photos.
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LEBANON — Hundreds of protesters in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli set fire Tuesday to two banks and hurled stones at soldiers who responded with tear gas and batons in renewed clashes triggered by an economic crisis spiraling out of control amid a weeks-long virus lockdown. SENT: 727 words, photos.
NKOREA-KIM-THE PUBLIC EYE — While Kim Jong Un’s two-week absence has inspired speculation and rumors that he is gravely ill, he is not the first member of North Korean’s ruling elite to disappear from public view. Some absences were caused by real trouble, including deaths, illness or purges. But frequently the so-called disappearances have simply shown the disconnect between insatiable curiosity about what’s happening inside the isolated, nuclear-armed nation and the thick cloak of secrecy surrounding its leadership. By Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 940 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MIDWEST FLOODING-BACK TO NATURE — For more than a century, flood control in the U.S. heartland has relied mostly on man-made structures such as levees and walls to keep rivers in place. Now, some communities are taking a different approach that lets rivers behave more naturally. SENT: 1,183 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS —Stocks are mixed on Wall Street, as former losers turn into winners and earlier stalwarts run out of momentum. SENT: 928 words, photos.
OIL PRICES-Q&A — The oil market continues to struggle as the price of a barrel of crude trades at punishing lows. The benchmark for U.S. oil extended its losses Tuesday, dropping $1.39 to $11.39 a barrel. A Q-and-A look at what’s happening in energy markets as investors become increasingly worried about oversupply at a time when storage space for crude is scarce. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOW SOME BUSINESSES ENDURE — Broadly speaking, the COVID-19 pandemic is an epic catastrophe for American business. Economic life is all but frozen. Businesses are idle. Many iconic American retailers are reeling. Yet by dint of circumstance, resourcefulness or just plain luck, some companies across the economy — and sometimes within industries — have positioned themselves to withstand, even thrive, in the crisis. SENT: 1,062 words, photos.
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FILM-PETER BOGDANOVICH — Legendary director Peter Bogdanovich talks about his new podcast with TCM, why he thinks the studio system produced the best films and actors, and how he’s keeping busy at 80. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RADIO STORYTIME — A library in small-town Alaska is closed but keeping kids connected in even the most remote communities as they become further isolated during the coronavirus pandemic. A popular children’s story hour lives on thanks to a AM radio station whose broadcast can reach homes with often unreliable internet. It’s also one way the nation’s libraries are dealing with closures during the pandemic. SENT: 635 words, photos
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BBO-DRAFT CHALLENGES — Major League Baseball front offices face some unusual obstacles in preparing for this year’s draft with college and high school games shelved because of the new coronavirus. What the picking will look like still isn’t clear, but it may be as short as five rounds, and a cap on bonus payments to undrafted players could affect whether prospects sign. Under an agreement, MLB has the right to delay the dates of the 2020 and 2021 drafts to as late as July 20. The Detroit Tigers have the No. 1 pick this year. SENT: 965 words, photos.
OLY-TOKYO=VACCINE - The medical community in Japan is moving toward a consensus that holding next year’s Tokyo Olympics may hinge on finding a coronavirus vaccine. The president of the Japan Medical Association says “it would be difficult to hold the Olympics unless effective vaccines are developed.” SENT: 950 words, photos.
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