AP News Digest 2 p.m.
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 3 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-TRUMP-100,000 DEATHS — A U.S. virus toll of 100,000 deaths is coming on the watch of a president whose communication skills, potent in a political brawl, are not made for a moment like this. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama were a diverse lot on the scale of eloquence and empathy but each had his own way of piercing the noise of catastrophe and reaching people. President Donald Trump asserts the numbers would be worse without his leadership. By Calvin Woodward. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange reopened in a largely symbolic step toward economic recovery, and stocks surged at the opening bell, even as the official U.S. death toll from the coronavirus closed in on 100,000, a mark President Donald Trump once predicted the country would never see. By Matt Ott, Ted Shaffrey and Lisa Marie Pane. SENT: 950 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE LATEST and VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WHAT’S HAPPENING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL DENIAL — Manaus is one the cities in Brazil hardest hit by the new coronavirus. The number of deaths has nearly tripled in April and May, but due to the lack of testing, just 5% of the burials in the last two months were confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the absence of evidence proving otherwise, families of the dead are quick to deny the possibility that the virus claimed their loved ones. Further fueling the collective denial at the grassroots is misinformation and conflicting messages from the country’s leaders. By Renata Brito. SENT: 2,245 words, photos, video. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-CORRUPTION -- Brazil’s Federal Police searched the official residence of Rio de Janeiro Gov. Wilson Witzel, part of an investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public resources in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 425 words, photos.
MED-VIRUS OUTBREAK-BLOOD CLOTS — Dangerous blood clots that can cause strokes and other life-threatening problems are increasingly being reported in coronavirus patients. Even tiny clots that can damage tissue throughout the body have been seen in hospitalized patients and in autopsies. This feature of the disease is confounding doctors’ understanding of what was once considered mainly a respiratory infection. It’s also raising questions about prevention and treatment. By Lindsey Tanner. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE-DEATH - A black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis was seen on video pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer knelt on his neck and stayed there after the man stopped moving. The death drew comparisons to the case of Eric Garner, a black man who died in New York after he was placed in a chokehold by police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe. By Amy Forliti. SENT: 950 words, photo.
MEDICARE-INSULIN — Medicare recipients will be able to get prescription plans that limit their copays for insulin, a potential savings of hundreds of dollars, the White House announces in a pivot to pocketbook issues that could affect November’s election. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 870 words. UPCOMING: Developing from 4 p.m. White House event, 890 words by 5 p.m., photos, video.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-PENCE AIDE - Vice President Mike Pence’s chief spokeswoman says she’s recovered from the coronavirus and is back at work. SENT: 125 words, photos.
DOG DISPUTE-VIDEO - A video of a verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog off a leash and a black man bird watching in Central Park is sparking accusations of racism. SENT: 430 words.
GERMANY TAINTED-COOKIES — A nurse at a German hospital has been convicted of causing dangerous bodily harm for twice serving homemade cookies laced with tranquilizers to her colleagues. SENT: 110 words.
BRITAIN-J.K. ROWLING — J.K. Rowling is publishing a new story called “The Ickabog,” which will be free to read online to help entertain children and families stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 225 words, photos.
ITALY MAFIA CEMETERY - Italian police arrest 10 people while investigating the alleged control by mobsters of a cemetery in northern Italy. SENT: 135 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-MEAT PLANTS-IMMIGRANTS — The meat and poultry industry has historically relied on immigrant labor to do some of the most dangerous jobs in America, from employing refugees to a notorious record of hiring immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Now that reliance and uncertainty about the pandemic is fueling concerns about possible labor shortages to meet demands for beef, pork and chicken. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SHOPPING -- Some people have gone shopping mad during the pandemic. Blame it on worry, haste, technical glitches. Or the need for retail therapy, or shopping amnesia. Online retail sales have surged as consumer spending fell rapidly. Wacky purchases range from rubber chickens to luxury items financed with refunds from canceled events. A man in Germany paid 50 cents a piece for squares of toilet paper. Others went for fancy espresso makers, new furniture and shoes, with nowhere to go. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY=THE-FRIENDLY-EX— Embarrassing to admit but oddly comforting: My ex-husband’s husband and I share a slight crush on our state epidemiologist. Frankly, I never thought I’d have an ex-husband, let alone one who has a new husband. And I certainly never imagined he’d become a main source of support during a global pandemic. SENT: 595 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN GRIEF -- Spain will be observing its longest mourning period in democratic times starting Wednesday to recognize the nearly 27,000 people who have died with the novel coronavirus in Spain. During the 10 days of official mourning the Spanish government ordered Tuesday, flags will fly at half-staff at more than 14,000 public buildings and on Spanish naval vessels until June 5. SENT: 635 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY-STRANDED TOURISTS --An American couple waited a lifetime plus 2 ½ months to visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii together. Retirees Colleen and Marvin Hewson were the first in line when the archaeological site in southern Italy reopened to the public on Tuesday. The Michigan couple’s long-delayed visit capped an unlikely adventure that had left them stranded by Italy’s coronavirus lockdown since early March. SENT: 575 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-7TH-INNING STRETCH --With no baseball at Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox ballpark organist Josh Kantor has been offering a livestreamed virtual seventh-inning stretch every day on Facebook. The 47-year-old Cambridge resident plays “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and fan requests during the sessions that last 30 minutes to an hour. SENT: 625 words, photos, video.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-SYMPTOMS — What are the symptoms of COVID-19? The most common symptoms of the coronavirus are fever, a dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. But as the virus spreads around the world, additional symptoms are being identified. UPCOMING: 150 words, photo
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TRUMP-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION — Georgia’s governor offers up his state to host the Republican National Convention if President Donald Trump pulls the convention out of North Carolina because that state’s governor can’t guarantee the August gathering can go forward amid the coronavirus. SENT: 617 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 790 words by 5 p.m., photos
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RUBIO — Misinformation campaigns about the coronavirus pose a threat to the United States, according to the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio predicted in an interview with The Associated Press that foreign actors will seek to amplify American conspiracy theories about the virus and find new ways to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. UPCOMING: 860 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — Legislation to give businesses more time to use federal subsidies for payroll and other overhead costs tops the agenda as the Democratic-controlled House returns to Washington amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 880 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 830 words by 5 p.m., photos.
ELECTION 2020-STEVE KING -- Iowa congressman Steve King is on the outs with a significant bloc of his long-reliable conservative base, but not for almost two decades of incendiary utterances about abortion, immigrants and Islam. Instead, the nine-term congressman known for his nativist politics is fighting to prove he can still deliver for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. Since Republican leaders stripped him of his committee assignments, King has been dogged by questions over whether he’s lost his effectiveness. King faces a potentially career-ending GOP primary on June 2. But should he eke out victory next week, there are Iowa Republicans who believe it could spell trouble for holding the GOP-heavy district in November. SENT: 1,025 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS —Stocks surged on Wall Street in afternoon trading, driving the S&P 500 to its highest level in nearly three months, as hopes for economic recovery overshadow worries about the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 570 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated through trading, about 800 words by 5 p.m.
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FILM-METOO DOCUMENTARY — The new #MeToo documentary “On the Record” was plagued by early controversy after Oprah Winfrey withdrew her backing, but the film, which arrives Wednesday, has clearly moved on. It’s a powerful look at rape accusations against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and one woman’s agonizing decision to go public, and an exploration of misogyny and sexual harassment in the music industry. By AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck. SENT: 990 words, photos, video.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-BASEBALL - Baseball owners are expected to make an economic proposal to the players’ association for the resumption of the season around the start of July. By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos, by 8 p.m.