AP News Digest 2 p.m.
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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VIRUS OUTBREAK-PSYCHOLOGICAL TOLL — The pressures on intensive care units in Italy and Spain may have eased in recent days as new coronavirus cases decline. But the psychological toll on doctors and nurses is only now beginning to emerge. Already, two nurses in Italy have killed themselves, and psychologists have made therapists available to give free consultations for medical personnel to cope with the emotional toll of seeing so much death. By Nicole Winfield, Maria Grazia Murru and Aritz Parra. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
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ELECTION 2020-SANDERS — Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the party’s establishment swiftly lined up behind rival Joe Biden, ends his presidential bid, leaving Biden as the presumptive nominee against President Donald Trump in a general election waged against the backdrop of the coronavirus epidemic. “The path toward victory is virtually impossible,” Sanders tells supporters, acknowledging Biden is too far ahead for him to catch up. By Will Weissert. SENT: 1020 words. UPCOMING: Developing, 990 words by 5 p.m., photos, video. WITH: ELECTION 2020-HARRIS — California Sen. Kamala Harris makes an unusual fundraising move that is sure to fuel speculation about her prospects to be Joe Biden’s running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket. SENT: 400 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Even as coronavirus deaths continue to mount across Europe, New York and other hot spots, the U.S. and other governments are slowly beginning to envision an exit strategy and contemplating a staggered and carefully calibrated relaxation of the restrictions designed to curb the scourge. By Marina Villenueve and Lori Hinnant. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VENTILATOR DEATHS — As health officials around the world push to get more ventilators to treat coronavirus patients, some doctors are moving away from using the machines. Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators, and some physicians fear the breathing machines could make certain patients worse. By Michael Stobbe. UPCOMING: 950 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — In a first, small step toward reopening the country, the government considers changing its guidelines on self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to the coronavirus to return to work if they are without symptoms. If positive trends pan out, “It makes sense to at least plan what a reentry into normality would look like,” says one top doctor. By Zeke Miller, Deb Riechmann and Mike Stobbe. UPCOMING: Developing, 890 words by 5 p.m., with update from 5 p.m. White House briefing, photos, video. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP-FACT CHECK — President Donald Trump offered a rosy portrait of a smoothly running federal emergency lending program for small businesses that didn’t match reality. UPCOMING: 850 words by 4 p.m., photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHINA-LOCKDOWN LIFTED — After more than two months indoors, Wuhan resident Tong Zhengkun was one of millions of people enjoying a renewed sense of freedom when the Chinese city’s 76-day coronavirus lockdown was lifted. “I haven’t been outside for more than 70 days,” an emotional Tong says as he watched a celebratory light display from a bridge across the broad Yangtze River flowing through the city. “Being indoors for so long drove me crazy.” By Sam McNeil. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CRIPPLING THE COURTS — The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the U.S. legal system, creating unprecedented challenges for judges and constitutional dilemmas for defendants. Courts have halted jury trials, suspended deadlines and shut their doors to the public to slow the spread of the virus. UPCOMING: 900 words by 3 p.m., photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-AN ESSENTIAL WORKER — Many essential workers are still going to the workplace every day while millions of Americans work from home or have lost their jobs. For those workers who live with partners, a day might look like this: a delicate dance at the door to minimize risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Shoes outside the door. A backpack sanitized. Clothes laundered aggressively. And a partner working at home who wonders whether the precautions even help — even as they relieve some anxiety. SENT: 650 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-DEFIANT-PLANNING — In the “new normal” that is America during the coronavirus pandemic, the act of making plans has taken on a complicated new meaning. People are craving structure amid the uncertainty and chaos, and for some, that means holding on to plans, both short-term and long-term, they had before the virus struck. Or it means making new plans — for a summer wedding or a fall vacation. But how can one make plans when nobody knows how long the current situation will last? By National Writer Jocelyn Noveck. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RELIGIOUS DEATHS-ORTIZ — The pastor of St. Brigid Church in Brooklyn was the first Catholic cleric in the U.S. to die from the coronavirus outbreak on March 27. He was 49. Just days before, he officiated a Mass where he said that he was healthy and told parishioners that “the only way to fight this virus” was to love God and serve others. UPCOMING: 810 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RELIGIOUS DEATHS-GLOBAL PROFILES — The Louisiana pastor who preached courage from his deathbed. The nun who always insisted that her order “get down to brass tacks,” and help people. The rabbi who made sure his students did not lack clothes or books. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 p.m.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ECUADOR-THE DEAD — Many of the dead in the hard-hit Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil are finally getting a burial -- but it’s a far cry from the livestream funerals seen in more developed countries. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ISRAEL PASSOVER — Israeli Jews have been forced to scale back or cancel beloved traditions and rituals marking the start of Passover, the holiday celebrating the Israelites’ freedom from Egyptian bondage. The measures come as Israel struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The week-long festival starts on Wednesday night with the Seder, a large meal that retells the Exodus story. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-PET COMFORT - Whether dog, cat or, yes, a hedgehog named Quillie Nelson, pets are proving themselves to be just what the doctor ordered in lockdown. Many pet owners are taking comfort in their animals as they shelter at home. They include the humans who have flooded animal shelters to adopt or foster as they seek to fill up their extra hours. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA CROPS — Mounds of harvested zucchini and yellow squash ripened and then rotted in the hot Florida sun. Juicy tomatoes were left to wither — unpicked — in farmers’ fields. Thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida are being plowed over or left to rot because farmers can’t sell to restaurants, theme parks or schools nationwide that have closed because of the coronavirus. SENT: 845 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PLASTICS — Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and requiring shoppers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee. The pandemic is quickly changing that. Massachusetts and Illinois just temporarily banned reusable bags in grocery stores, and Oregon this week put a pause on its new plastic bag ban as the coronavirus rages. The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying to overturn existing bans on single-use plastics. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS — Technological and bureaucratic snags are plaguing federal relief programs designed to save small businesses from the coronavirus economic crisis. Here’s a look at the problems, and what needs to happen for the programs to succeed. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
A separate wire advisory has been sent detailing AP’s complete coronvirus coverage.
AP’s coronavirus podcast, “Ground Game: Inside the Outbreak,” today looks at how a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York contracted COVID-19 and what that mean for virus transmission between humans and animals and vice versa. Listen to the podcast after 3 p.m. at https://appodcasts.com/category/ground-game/. Embed code is available on AP Coverage Plan.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CELEBRITY CHEFS RESPOND— Celeb chefs unite to feed hungry, help bleeding restaurants. SENT: 845 words, photos.
BOOKS MELANIA TRUMP — A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Washington Post has written an unauthorized biography of first lady Melania Trump. Mary Jordan’s “The Art of Her Deal” draws upon more than 100 interviews. SENT: 324 words, photos.
ITALY BRIDGE COLLAPSE — A huge bridge section collapses in Tuscany, the latest case of Italy’s infrastructure crumbling after years of neglect. SENT: 165 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS — The next coronavirus aid package is taking shape as President Donald Trump seeks $250 billion for small businesses and Democrats propose adding another $250 billion for protective equipment, help for small communities and food stamps. SENT: 360 words. UPCOMING: 700 words by 4 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DEMOCRATS — Less than seven months from Election Day, Democrats are wrestling over how to talk to voters about the coronavirus pandemic and the economy’s collapse, even as both parties sail into political waters as unpredictable as they are unfamiliar. The party is still deciding how to compete with President Donald Trump’s bully pulpit, and whether it’s best to attack him aggressively now and risk being accused of using a catastrophe for political reasons, or wait and risk letting him define himself as a wartime president. UPCOMING: 900 words by 5 p.m., photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MELANIA TRUMP — Melania Trump is spreading some Easter cheer and popping some color — even if the annual White House Easter egg roll is off for this year. She’s sending 25,000 wooden eggs that would have gone to guests at the egg roll instead to hospitals, aid groups and others “working on the frontlines of COVID-19.” UPCOMING: 250 words by 4 p.m., photos.
Find more coverage on the 2020 U.S. Elections featured topic page on APNewsroom.
ELECTION-2020-WISCONSIN — Anyone needing proof of the power and significance of the Wisconsin state Supreme Court need look no further than the lines of mask-wearing voters that stretched for hours in Milwaukee earlier this week. An election-eve decision by the court overturning the governor’s order to postpone the vote made the state an outlier in pushing ahead with voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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VATICAN WOMEN — The Vatican said that Pope Francis has created a new commission of experts to examine whether women can be deacons, an ordained role in the Catholic Church currently reserved for men. The 10-member commission, the second of Francis’ pontificate to study the fraught issue, includes equal numbers of men and women representing the United States and six European countries. SENT: 370 words, photos.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS-SYRIA — The global chemical weapons watchdog issued a report Wednesday blaming the Syrian air force for a series of chemical attacks using sarin and chlorine in late March 2017 on the central town of Latamneh. SENT: 595 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners, claiming they were among 5,000 detainees to be freed under a deal between insurgents and the U.S. The Taliban said, however, they have yet to verify those released were on the list they handed over to Washington during negotiations. SENT: 500 words, photo.
BRITAIN TRUCK BODIES — A truck driver accused in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found inside a refrigerated container that had been hauled to England pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, entered the plea at Central London Criminal Court. Robinson appeared in court via video link alongside four co-defendants. SENT: 415 words, photos.
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Stocks are climbing again on Wall Street. Maybe this time it will last. The S&P 500 was up more than 2% in midday trading, a day after an even bigger gain suddenly vanished in the afternoon. SENT: 895 words, photos.
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-TV HOME WORK: Television morning shows, dependent on fostering a sense of family among their personalities, are trying to preserve that even though “family” members now appear in boxes onscreen, originating from makeshift home studios. By AP Media Writer David Bauder. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.
FILM-TIGERTAIL: “Master of None” co-creator Alan Yang makes his feature directorial debut with “Tigertail,” on Netflix on Friday, which is loosely based on his father’s immigration story. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING: 750 words by 4 p.m., photos.
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SPORTS-DESERTED ICONS-AUGUSTA — Life in Augusta is so intertwined by the Masters that they even added a day to spring break, just so all the residents who rent their homes to out-of-town guests would have a chance to settle back in before the kids return to school. Postponing the tournament that traditionally takes up the first full week of April has caused quite a stir in a city that hugs the Georgia-South Carolina line. By National Writer Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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