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 h ttps://newsroom.ap.org.
-------------———
ONLY ON AP
Train passengers stand beside a sign showing precautionary measures against the new coronavirus in Manila, Philippines Monday, March 16, 2020. Many malls in Manila have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP PhotoAaron Favila)
-------------———
82nd AIRBORNE IN COLOMBIA — Under a covered pavilion near a steaming runway at Colombia's Tolemaida Air Base, dozens of American paratroopers lie sweating on a concrete slab. Green and brown camouflage face paint drips from their brows.The Associated Press was given rare access to accompany the group on its January joint training mission with Columbia, amid a humanitarian crisis in neighboring Venezuela that has sent thousands of refugees fleeing over the border. By Sarah Blake Morgan. UPCOMING: 920 words, photos, video at 9 a.m. This is the Tuesday spotlight.
-------------———
Former Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, participate in a Democratic presidential primary debate at CNN Studios in Washington, Sunday, March 15, 2020. (AP PhotoEvan Vucci)
TOP STORIES
-------------———
VIRUS OUTBREAK — People around the world began holing up at home, stocking up on supplies and keeping a wary eye on how close they got to friends and neighbors as fear of the fast-spreading coronavirus sunk in. While it's a reality Northeast Asia has been living with for months, there were signs across the region that the focus of the pandemic was shifting away from its former epicenter, even as countries urged vigilance against hard-won drops in infections. By Foster Klug. SENT: 1,270 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHAT'S HAPPENING (both sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-US — The CDC is recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more in US be canceled or postponed over the next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. That guidance came as the virus was already curtailing many elements of American life. Officials and businesses on Sunday took forceful measures to halt the virus's spread. By Terry Spencer and Mallika Sen. SENT: 940 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK-SCHOOLS — New York City will close the nation's largest public school system as early as Tuesday, sending over 1.1 million children home in hopes of curbing the spread of coronavirus. By Larry Neumeister. SENT: 520 words, photo.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets and U.S. futures have fallen after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to shore up economic growth as more governments imposed anti-virus controls that are shutting down business and travel. Sydney's benchmark plunged 7% on Monday and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 2%. Shanghai was down 0.5% and Tokyo was flat. SENT: 840 words, photo. WITH VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL RESERVE — The Federal Reserve has taken emergency action, slashing its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point to nearly zero and announcing it would purchase more Treasury securities to encourage lending to try to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 1,400 words, photo. WITH: AP EXPLAINS-VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL RESERVE — So what, exactly, did the Fed announce Sunday? And why? By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 860 words, photos.
Find more all-format coverage below and on the coronavirus outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-ANALYSIS — On the campaign trail, Joe Biden's moderate approach to governing often fails to excite his party's most passionate voters. But on the debate stage Sunday night, as the nation grappled with the consequences of a frightening pandemic, Biden's pragmatism shined. An AP News Analysis by National Political Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 820 words, photos. WITH: ELECTION 2020-DEBATE -- Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders sought in Sunday's Democratic debate to cast themselves as best-positioned to lead the nation through a global pandemic. By Julie Pace and Alexandra Jaffe. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. WITH ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-TAKEAWAYS; ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-FACT CHECK; ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-NO AUDIENCE; ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-RUNNING MATE; ELECTION 2020-DEBATE-MEDIA.
SYRIA-IDLIB ON THE BRINK — The city of Idlib is the last urban area still under opposition control in Syria, located in a shrinking rebel enclave in the northwestern province of the same name. Syria’s civil war, which entered its 10th year on Monday, has shrunk in geographical scope to a corner of the country but the misery wreaked by the conflict has not diminished. The Associated Press traveled to Idlib last week, witnessing the scale of the displacement and violence brought upon the area that's home to over 3 million people in a recent government offensive. SENT: 1,520 words, photos.
————————————————————-
MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
————————————————————-
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is calling on people to stop hoarding groceries and other supplies as one of the nation's most senior public health officials urged Americans to act with more urgency to protect themselves and others against the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would like to see aggressive measures such as a 14-day national shutdown. By Hope Yen and Aamer Madhan. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRUMP'S MEANDERING MESSAGE; VIRUS OUTBREAK-TESTING.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE TRIAL — A clinical trial evaluating a vaccine designed to protect against the new coronavirus will begin Monday. A government official says the first participant in the trial will receive the experimental vaccine that day. The National Institutes of Health is funding the trial that is taking place at a Kaiser Permanente research facility in Seattle. Testing will begin with 45 young, healthy volunteers with different doses of shots co-developed by NIH and Moderna Inc. Public health officials say it will take a year to 18 months to fully validate any potential vaccine. SENT: 600 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BUSINESS-FALLOUT — United Airlines is cutting half of its flying capacity in April and May in response to the new coronavirus, which is ravaging airline bookings. United says it expects planes will be 20% to 30% full at best. United is talking to pilots and flight attendants about accepting less pay or fewer hours. And a growing list of retailers are closing stores or limiting hours as customers stay home because of the virus outbreak. SENT: 650 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SANITIZER —Thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and packs of antibacterial wipes and medical masks have been donated after a failed attempt by two Tennessee brothers to resell them for profit. News outlets report boxes were taken Sunday from a storage unit and the home of Matt Colvin of Hixson, Tennessee. The items were donated to a local church with some supplies heading to Kentucky where Colvin had cleared store shelves during the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. SENT: 420 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-OPERA IN THE APARTMENT — Joyce DiDonato and Piotr Beczala made sure the show went on, albeit in an unusual format and venue. The pair performed Sunday from the living room of DiDonato's New York City apartment. The American mezzo-soprano and Polish tenor had been scheduled to star in Massenet's "Werther" at the Metropolitan Opera starting Monday. The Met's shutdown because of the coronavirus outbreak caused the cancellation of the first five of six scheduled performances. SENT, 330 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BARS — The governor of Illinois orders all bars and restaurants in his state to close amid the threat of the new coronavirus, and officials elsewhere in the country have said they were considering similar restrictions after revelers ignored warnings against attending large gatherings. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PEACE CORPS — The Peace Corps is telling its volunteers around the world that it is suspending all operations globally and evacuating all volunteers in light of the spread of the new coronavirus. In an open letter to volunteers posted Sunday on its website, the federal agency's director, Jody Olsen, says the decision follows recent evacuations in China and Mongolia due to the outbreak. SENT: 200 words, photo.
-------------———————————————-
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
-------------———————————————-
JAPAN-KNIFE-ATTACK — A Japanese court sentenced a former care home employee to death Monday for killing several disabled people and injuring others four years ago in the deadliest mass attack in postwar Japan. SENT: 260 words, photos.
ROBERT-DURST-MURDER-TRIAL — The Los Angeles murder trial of multimillionaire New York real estate heir Robert Durst has been delayed for three weeks over fears of the transmission of the new coronavirus. SENT: 240 words.
—————————————————-
WASHINGTON/POLITICS
—————————————————
ELECTION 2020-OLD-NEW AMERICA -- Sharing the primary calendar Tuesday are Ohio, a largely white state that’s barely growing and looking to rebound from a decline in manufacturing, and Arizona, a state where one-third of the population is Latino and growth is exploding. One looks more like the nation's past while the other could be its future, a contrast that's also playing out politically as the presidential election approaches.By Kathleen Ronayne. SENT: 1,170 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-BIDEN-LATINOS -- In Joe Biden’s pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination, he’s run repeatedly into a wall in the West, where Bernie Sanders’ strength among Latinos propelled his campaign even as he struggled with other groups. Tuesday’s primaries in Arizona and Florida offer Biden a chance to show he can make up ground with a crucial group of voters he’ll need in in November. By Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 1,130 words, photos.
-------------——————
INTERNATIONAL
-------------——————
JAPAN-ECONOMY — Japan's central bank plans to expand its purchases of stocks, bonds and other assets and provide zero interest loans to companies running short of cash due to the virus outbreak. The measures, announced after an emergency policy meeting on Monday, followed the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to cut its key interest rate to 0.25% to help boost the availability of cash and credit. SENT: 400 words, photo.
————————
NATIONAL
————————
ANDREW GILLUM — Former Florida candidate for governor Andrew Gillum has disclosed he's entering a rehabilitation facility, saying he fell into alcohol abuse after losing his bid for the state's highest office. A statement Sunday night by the 40-year-old Democrat came days after Gillum was named in a Miami Beach police report that said he was “inebriated" and initially unresponsive in a hotel room where authorities found him with a male companion and baggies of suspected crystal methamphetamine. SENT: 540 words, photos.
————————————-
ENTERTAINMENT
————————————-
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TOM HANKS — An Australian television network entertainment editor has tested positive for the new coronavirus after meeting Tom Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, in Sydney. Hanks and Wilson have been isolated in an Australian hospital since they were both diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 12. SENT: 580 words, photos.
FILM-BOX OFFICE — Ticket sales have plunged to their lowest levels in at least 20 years at North American movie theaters amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to studio estimates Sunday, receipts totaled about $56 million in U.S. and Canada theaters. Data firm Comscore says that weekend box office revenue hasn't been so low since September 2000. More people went to the movies the weekend after Sept. 11, 2001. SENT: 930 words, photos.
----------—-
SPORTS
-----------—
SPORTS TV-TAPED WEEKEND: Networks scrambled to fill weekend sports programming. CBS aired championship games from past Big Ten and Atlantic 10 tournaments on Saturday and Sunday. During the hour that CBS was supposed to be showing the tournament selections, viewers in New York saw the news while Los Angeles aired an infomercial. NBC and Golf Channel showed the final two rounds of last year's Players Championship after the PGA Tour canceled the final three rounds on Friday. SENT: 620 words, photos.
----------—————————
HOW TO REACH US
-------------————————
At The Nerve Center, Shameka Dudley-Lowe can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, (ext. 7636). Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 877-836-9477.