AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT

As crisis deepens, congressional rescue deal teeters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top-level negotiations between Congress and White House teetered Sunday over a nearly $1.4 trillion economic rescue package, as the coronavirus crisis deepened, the nation shut down and the first U.S. senator tested positive for the disease.

President Donald Trump tweeted “many things to discuss” ahead of an evening press briefing.

At the otherwise emptied out Capitol, the draft aid package was declared insufficient by Democrats, who argued it was tilted toward corporations rather than workers and healthcare providers. The setback sent Republicans back to the negotiating table.

With a population on edge and shell-shocked financial markets poised to reopen Monday, all sides were hoping for an agreement that would provide some relief against the pandemic's twin health and economic crises, now believed likely to stretch for several months.

“Americans don't need to see us haggling endlessly,” warned Senate Majority Leader McConnell, his voice rising on the Senate floor. He wants passage of the package by Monday.

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What you need to know today about the virus outbreak

The death toll from the global coronavirus pandemic has surpassed 14,000 people worldwide, and it has sickened more than 328,000. Leaders in the U.S. are hammering out a rescue package that could be worth $1.4 trillion or more, while the death toll in Italy soars again.

Here are some of AP's top stories Sunday on the world's coronavirus pandemic. Follow APNews.com/VirusOutbreak for updates through the day.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

— Italy's coronavirus infections continue to soar, with 59,000 cases and 5,476 deaths.

— Congress and the White House still trying to craft a mammoth rescue package that could be worth $1.4 trillion or more.

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New York quiets as it becomes next virus hot spot

NEW YORK (AP) — An order barring most New Yorkers from congregating in groups or going to work was set to go into effect Sunday in an attempt to slow a pandemic that has swept across the globe and threatened to make the state one of the world's biggest coronavirus hot spots. Officials worldwide warned of a critical shortage of medical supplies.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered all non-essential businesses in the state to close and non-essential workers to stay home, but delayed formal implementation until 8 p.m. Sunday.

He and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called for getting everything from masks to gowns, as well as doctors and other medical workers to New York City, and asked President Donald Trump to have the U.S. military take over the logistics of making and distributing medical supplies.

“I can’t be blunt enough. If the president doesn’t act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,” de Blasio told NBC's “Meet The Press.”

The top infectious disease expert in the U.S. promised New York City and the other hardest-hit places that critical supplies will not run out.

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Rand Paul is 1st senator to report positive test for virus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Sunday that he had tested positive for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, becoming the first member of the Senate to report a case of COVID-19. He said in a tweet that he was feeling fine and was in quarantine.

Paul, an eye surgeon, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person.

Paul, a deficit hawk, was among eight Senate Republicans who voted against a House-passed bill last week that provided more than $100 billion to boost testing for the coronavirus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers. He also was only Republican senator who opposed an earlier bill authorizing $8.3 billion for initial response to the coronavirus.

The senator was on Capitol Hill this past week, including at a luncheon Friday among GOP senators. He spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday afternoon, addressing the cornonavirus and an amendment he sponsored that would pay for virus relief efforts by withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

A spokesman for Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Moran briefly saw Paul at the Senate gym Sunday morning and that he shared that information with GOP colleagues at a policy meeting. Moran “followed CDC guidelines and kept a safe distance between him and Sen. Paul,'' spokesman Tom Brandt said. Moran has spoken with the attending physician at the Capitol and has been told he does not need to self-quarantine, Brandt said.

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Chaos, inconsistency mark launch of drive-thru virus testing

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Drive-thru sites have been opening around the United States to make it quicker and safer to test people for the new coronavirus. But much like the rest of the U.S. response to the pandemic, the system has been marked by inconsistencies, delays, and shortages. Many people who have symptoms and a doctor’s order have waited hours or days for a test.

More than a week after President Donald Trump promised that states and retail stores such as Walmart and CVS would open drive-thru test centers, few sites are up and running, and they're not yet open to the general public. Some states are leaving it to the private sector to open test locations; others are coordinating the effort through state health departments.

Patients have complained that they had to jump through cumbersome bureaucratic hoops and wait days to get tested, then wait even longer for a result. Testing centers opened in some places only to be shut down shortly afterward because of shortages of supplies and staff. And while the drive-thru test centers that have opened are generally orderly, there have been long lines at some.

The slow ramp-up of the COVID-19 testing and the spotty nature now of the system makes it hard for public health officials to track the spread of the disease and bring it under control.

"We need to be testing more broadly to fully understand the scope of the public health situation we are facing," said Joseph Wendelken, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Health.

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Virus outbreak means (mis)information overload: How to cope

The coronavirus pandemic is leading to information overload for many people, often making it difficult to separate fact from fiction and rumor from deliberate efforts to mislead.

Already, text messages predicting a nationwide lockdown have circulated, along with social media posts telling people that one way to get tested for the virus is by donating blood or warning that mosquitoes can carry it. All are untrue. Such falsehoods can endanger public health, sow confusion and fear, and prevent important information from reaching people during a crisis. The Associated Press has debunked many such claims, including one about bananas supposedly preventing people from catching the virus and another on “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe testing positive.

COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, has stricken thousands across the globe but usually presents only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For older adults and people with other health problems, it can cause complications or sometimes death. Most people recover.

Here are some things you can do to separate fact from misinformation:

LOOK FOR THE SOURCE

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Whiplash: All at once, a steady US economy screeches to halt

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three weeks ago, EmpireCLS was heading toward a second straight year of record business. A car service company in New Jersey, Empire couldn’t even find enough chauffeurs and office workers to meet its needs.

Now? With stunning speed, business in the United States — as well as in Europe and elsewhere — has collapsed in the face of the coronavirus and warnings for everyone to stay home. Suddenly, no one needs a chauffeur.

“We went from full throttle to 90% revenue loss in three weeks,’’ said CEO David Seelinger. “We’ve been through 9/11. We’ve seen recessions. We’ve never seen anything like this.’’

Seelinger spent last Sunday laying off 750 of his 900 employees.

“It was the most difficult day of my career,’’ he said.

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Virus rebels from France to Florida flout lockdown practices

PARIS (AP) — Young German adults hold “corona parties" and cough toward older people. A Spanish man leashes a goat to go for a walk to skirt confinement orders. From France to Florida to Australia, kitesurfers, college students and others crowd the beaches.

Their defiance of lockdown mandates and scientific advice to fight the coronavirus pandemic has prompted crackdowns by authorities on people trying to escape cabin fever brought on by virus restrictions. In some cases, the virus rebels resist — threatening police as officials express outrage over public gatherings that could spread the virus.

“Some consider they're little heroes when they break the rules," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said. "Well, no. You're an imbecile, and especially a threat to yourself.”

After days of noncompliance by people refusing to stay home and venture out only for essential tasks, France on Friday sent security forces into train stations to prevent people from traveling to their vacation homes, potentially carrying the virus to the countryside or beaches where medical facilities are less robust. The popular Paris walkway along the Seine River was closed and a nightly curfew was imposed in the French Mediterranean city of Nice by Mayor Christian Estrosi, who is infected with the virus.

Florida officials closed some of the state's most popular beaches after images of rowdy spring break college crowds appeared on TV for days amid the rising global death toll, which surpassed 13,000 on Sunday. Australia closed Sydney's famous Bondi Beach after police were outraged at pictures of the crowds.

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Virus mutes happy hours in senior haven, but golf goes on

THE VILLAGES, Fla. (AP) — Up until a few days ago, residents of The Villages retirement community went about their busy lives filled with spirited happy hours and incessant socializing at what some dub “Disney World for adults."

There were the hundreds of clubs to attend — French lessons, Carolina shag dancing, light-saber fencing — pickleball tournaments to play and Pilates classes to take at this Republican stronghold built on former cow pastures in central Florida.

Even as many Americans isolated themselves against the coronavirus threat, residents of one of the largest concentrations of seniors in the U.S. at first blew off concerns, despite data showing the elderly are particularly susceptible to serious symptoms from COVID-19. But their attitude shifted this week as President Donald Trump, who earlier had downplayed the coronavirus threat, gave warnings to avoid crowds of more than 10 people, some residents of The Villages say.

“This place is Republicanville and too many people believe what the president is saying, and they were out in the streets and out in the squares," said Alan Stone, as he sat in one of The Villages' ever-present golf carts outside a supermarket, waiting for his wife. “They don't realize that they're playing with death."

Starting Tuesday, all regularly scheduled indoor activities at The Villages were canceled through the end of the month. Pool activities were called off, and the library and fitness clubs closed their doors. Perhaps most distressing for residents, outside gatherings of more than 50 people were outlawed, putting an end to the nightly happy hour drinking and dancing in the three town squares.

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IOC looking at postponing Tokyo Olympics in 4 weeks of talks

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC will look at postponing the Tokyo Olympics during four weeks of talks announced Sunday amid mounting criticism by athletes and sports officials during the coronavirus pandemic.

Consultation with Japanese public authorities, global sports officials, broadcasters and sponsors will deal with “scenario planning” for the July 24-Aug. 9 games, the International Olympic Committee said.

This includes "the scenario of postponement,” the IOC said in a statement, adding “cancellation is not on the agenda.”

“These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on July 24, 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games.” the Olympic body said.

The change in strategy followed IOC president Thomas Bach leading a conference call with executive board members.