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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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST —Americans are grappling with an essential question as they try to get information they need to stay safe during the coronavirus crisis: Whom do you trust? Sixty-eight percent of Americans say they have high trust in the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sixty-six percent highly trust their doctor or health care provider, and 52% said the same about their state or local government, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published last week. By Aamer Madhani and Hannah Fingerhut. SENT: 1339 words, photos. With: AP POLL-VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUST-GLANCE — A look at the findings. SENT: 550 words. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-MENTAL HEALTH-POLL — A new survey finds that the coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on Americans’ mental health and stress levels. Roughly two-thirds of Americans say they felt nervous, depressed, lonely or hopeless at least one of the past seven days. SENT: 980 words, photos, graphic.
AMERICAN HOSTAGE — In the days following the capture of an American contractor in Afghanistan earlier this year, Navy commandos raided a village and detained suspected members of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while the U.S. intelligence community tried to track the cellphones of the man and his captors, The Associated Press has learned. By James Laporta and Eric Tucker. SENT: 1,440 words, photo. An abridged version of 1,030 words is also available.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-INTELLIGENCE — U.S. intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory about the origins of the coronavirus, saying they have concluded it was “not manmade or genetically modified.” But they are still examining a notion put forward by President Donald Trump and aides that the pandemic may have resulted of an accident at a Chinese lab. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 730 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Bleak new figures underscored the worldwide economic pain inflicted by the coronavirus: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has climbed past a staggering 30 million, while Europe’s economies are in an epic slide. The statistics are likely to turn up the pressure on politicians to ease the lockdowns that have closed factories and other businesses. By David Crary, John Leicester and David McHugh. SENT: 800 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST, VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK WORKER ANXIETY — As governors in the U.S. begin reopening businesses amid record-high unemployment, there’s a big question: Do workers want to return? Employees who have been laid off or furloughed are wrestling with a host of anxiety-inducing concerns, from whether getting back on the job will expose them to the coronavirus to worries about getting laid off again if the virus comes roaring back. By Jeff Amy. 900 words, Photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOLDIERS HOME —Outrage is building among the families of nearly 70 military veterans who died of COVID-19 at a Massachusetts soldiers home, in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S. “From the very first positive case, they screwed up,” the daughter of one of the dead says. By Alanna Durkin Richer, SENT: 910 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE — President Donald Trump tweets his support for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, raising speculation that a pardon may be coming after Flynn’s lawyers released internal FBI documents they claim show the FBI was trying to entrap him. By Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin. SENT: 980 words. UPCOMING: Developments possible. WITH: TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE-STONE — Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Trump, is appealing his three-year prison sentence following his conviction as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. SENT: 390 words, photo.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN SANDERS — Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has agreed to let former primary rival Bernie Sanders keep hundreds of delegates he would otherwise forfeit by dropping out of the presidential race in a deal designed to avoid the bitter feelings that marred the party in 2016 and helped lead to Hillary Clinton’s defeat. By Stephen Ohlemacher and Bill Barrow. SENT: 920 words, photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LAST-NORMAL-MOMENT — The coronavirus scare has done something to time. The days, weeks, and now the months, have blurred and stretched as talk of reopening the world has taken over for millions waiting and wondering at home. Like so many cataclysms before this one, memories are settling in of the old times, for better or worse. SENT: 1,750 words, photos, video. An abridged version of 760 words is also available.
VIRUS OUTBREAK DIARY-RUNNING FROM HOME — For many, a morning run offers a quiet interlude in chaotic lives. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, they have become even more essential: an endorphin-rich routine that clears the mind for the day ahead. But this new normal means they are also more of a calculation: How do you social distance on narrow pathways? Does wiping away sweat count as touching your face? Can you wear a mask while doing cardio? SENT: 625 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-BROADWAY SERENADE —Theaters are shuttered, but somehow, Brian Stokes Mitchell has found a way to keep singing on Broadway. The veteran stage star with a velvety baritone opens his apartment window every night — fittingly on Broadway, a few miles up from the theater district — and sings his signature song, “The Impossible Dream,” to honor health-care and other front-line workers in New York. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL KANSAS —Dr. Beth Oller would like Kansas to remain under a stay-at-home order a while longer, even as some neighbors in her rural northwest county are restless to see business return to normal. Oller and her husband are family physicians in their late 30s in Stockton, a town of 1,300 people roughly halfway between Kansas City to the east and Denver to the west. SENT: 778 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SHAKY PLANS — A small Texas city got a dose of reality on how quickly the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be upended with an outbreak in a local nursing home. The city of Paris near the Oklahoma border scrambled to scrap plans for drive-thru testing and instead use its supply to test nursing home residents. The decision reflects the thin line officials must walk between moving forward to reopen economies and having one incident that can sink all their plans.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL IN DENIAL — Egged on by President Jair Bolsonaro, who routinely scoffs at both the coronavirus and stay-at-home policies, Brazilians are heeding his call for revolt. Support for isolation is faltering, particularly among the wealthy, and more people are milling and mixing. From the sun worshippers to the Instagram influencers and pro-Bolsonaro protesters, quarantine is coming apart. But, unlike other nations looking to ease restrictions, Latin America’s largest nation is still weeks from the peak in its viral curve. UPCOMING: 950 words, photos by 4:30 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLOMBIA-VIOLENCE —Lockdowns prompted by the pandemic may have slashed overall crime in Colombia, but the killings of ex-combatants like Astrid Conde have continued, and the COVID-19 crisis itself is putting yet more strain on the already fragile implementation of the 2016 accord that ended a half-century of conflict. SENT: 990 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL-PERFECTING PROTESTS — In a country known for its in-your-face mentality, Israeli organizers have been able to get thousands of protesters to stand in perfect geometric patterns of social distancing in a Tel Aviv square to express their anger over the continued rule of a prime minister charged with serious crimes. SENT: 915 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-RELIEF CHECK -- In the latest installment of our “Viral Questions” fixture, we address: How do I get a relief check as part of the $2.2 trillion economic rescue package? Moved. 150 words, photo, video.
GROUND GAME — AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today is about efforts to reopen hard-hit France and Spain following their respective lockdowns. 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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KENTUCKY TURTLE DERBY — Seattle Slow headlines a field of turtles that will race in the Kentucky Turtle Derby. SENT: 570 words, photos.
CUBAN EMBASSY SHOOTING — Someone opened fire using an assault rifle outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington and was arrested, authorities said. SENT: 350 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE-MASK — Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, defends his decision to not wear a mask during a recent visit to the Mayo Clinic. SENT: 530 words, photo.
CAR VIDEO-CHILD ON HOOD -- A woman who allegedly recorded a video of herself driving a car while her 5-year-old child was sitting on the hood of the vehicle has been arrested in South Carolina. SENT: 150 words.
STUDENT NAMES HELICOPTER-MARS — An Alabama high school student has named NASA’s first Mars Helicopter that will be deployed to the red planet later this summer. NASA says Ingenuity was chosen from among 28,000 names. SENT: 370 words, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LEBRON JAMES GRADUATION — LeBron James is putting together an all-star event to honor and celebrate the high school class of 2020, which has had its graduation season upended by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 230 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says up to $1 trillion is needed to shore up state and local governments for coronavirus costs, a stunning benchmark for the next aid package that’s certain to run into opposition from Senate Republicans. SENT: 820 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — Trying to dispel economic gloom, President Trump says he’s anticipating a major rebound in coming months and a “spectacular” 2021. Trump allows that he’s going with his gut on some of this, saying “I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think.” SENT: 718 words, photo.
MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULTS — Reports of sexual assaults across the military increased slightly last year, with the Air Force showing the biggest jump of all the services at 9%, according to a Defense Department report. SENT: 550 words, photo.
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NORTH KOREA-KIM-WORST-CASE SCENARIOS — North Korea’s collapse has been predicted — wrongly — for decades, so it is no surprise that unconfirmed rumors that current leader Kim Jong Un is seriously ill have raised worries about what Washington and North Korea’s neighbors would do if things fall apart in any post-Kim North Korea. SENT: 860 words, photos.
ISRAEL-POLITICS — Israel’s attorney general said he sees no legal grounds for barring Benjamin Netanyahu from serving as prime minister while facing criminal charges, an announcement that came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing next week to decide whether to disqualify the embattled leader. SENT: 370 words, photos.
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BALTIMORE-AERIAL SURVEILLANCE— Starting this week, Baltimore will begin an aerial surveillance program, flying small planes with cameras over Maryland’s largest city at least 40 hours a week in an attempt to fight crime. The cameras will capture images of every resident who steps outside even though most residents have not broken the law. SENT: 895 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US DEATHS —New government data shows the U.S. has already seen tens of thousands of more deaths than usual so far this year, with the new coronavirus likely accounting for at least half of the increase. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.
MED—VIRUS OUTBREAK-TREATMENT -- A Q&A on the experimental drug remdesivir that showed promise against COVID-19 in a recent study. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Wall Street pulled back after more reports made clear the worldwide devastation the coronavirus outbreak is causing for the economy. SENT: 900 words, photos, developing.
OFF THE CHARTS-COMMODITIES — The near shutdown of the economy in response to COVID-19 has reduced demand for oil, lumber and other commodities, sending their prices sharply lower. But the sharp drop in prices could pave the way for a long-term rally, analysts say. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TV-COMFORT VIEWING — With the future made uncertain by the coronavirus, TV viewers are finding comfort in cast reunions including for the movie “Goonies,” series reruns and much-seen films. By TV Writer Lynn Elber. UPCOMING by 3 p.m. 750 words, photos.
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FBN—BENGALS-DALTON RELEASED — The Bengals clear the way for Joe Burrow to lead the team by releasing quarterback Andy Dalton, who holds several of the franchise’s passing records but couldn’t lead Cincinnati deep into the playoffs. The move gives Dalton, who had a year left on his deal, a chance to compete for a job with another team. By Joe Kay. SENT: 600 words, photos.
NCAA-COMPENSATING ATHLETES-Q&A — By this time next year, college athletes may be permitted to be earn money for their names, images and likenesses without compromising their eligibility. There are plenty of questions left to answer for the NCAA. By College Sports Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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