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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRUS-FREE-COUNTIES — As the coronavirus rages across the United States, mainly in large urban areas, more than a third of U.S. counties have yet to report a single positive test result for COVID-19 infections, an analysis by The Associated Press shows. Data compiled by John Hopkins University shows that 1,297 counties have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of 3,142 counties nationwide. By Morgan Lee and Nicky Forster. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden of the White House, Sunday, March 29, 2020, in Washington. (AP PhotoPatrick Semansky)
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The coronavirus outbreak could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, the U.S. government's top infectious-disease expert warned as authorities urged people in and around the nation's deadliest hot spot, New York City, to limit their travel to contain the scourge. By Matt Sedensky, Michael Sisak and Stefanie Dazio. SENT: 1,320 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON — Bracing the nation for a death toll that could exceed 100,000 people, President Donald Trump has extended restrictive social distancing guidelines through April, bowing to public-health experts who presented him with even more dire projections for the expanding coronavirus pandemic. It was a stark shift in tone by the president, who only days ago mused about the country reopening in a few weeks. By Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,260 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GAZA ON EDGE — Fearing a widespread coronavirus outbreak after nine confirmed cases, Gaza’s Hamas leaders are racing to build two massive quarantine complexes and prepare an overcrowded territory not equipped to deal with a new health crisis. By Fares Akram. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-JAPAN-TOKYO'S SPIKE — Before the Olympics were postponed, Japan looked like it had coronavirus infections contained, even as they spread in neighboring countries. Now that the games have been pushed to next year, Tokyo’s cases are spiking, and the city's governor is requesting that people stay home, even hinting at a possible lockdown. By Mari Yamaguchi SENT: 1,200 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELECTION 2020 — State and local leaders are struggling to navigate inconsistent federal guidance and fierce political tribalism that is complicating their responses to the coronavirus outbreak. Experts report that Republican leaders have been far more likely to resist strict social distancing restrictions than their Democratic counterparts. By National Political Writer Steve Peoples. SENT: 1,300 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-A SHARED EXPERIENCE? — Leaders and influential people are saying to Americans that they're all in this together. And even when at odds, Americans crave shared experiences. It's an understandable yearning for a nation assembled from a patchwork of backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. And shared adversity, after all, can be a force to unite people. But as it unfolds before us, is this period actually a genuinely shared American experience, a touchpoint that touches all? In an age of fragmentation, what might that mean? By AP National Writer Ted Anthony. SENT: 1,150 words, photos. This story is this week's Monday Spotlight.
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-FRANCE'S VOLUNTEERS-PHOTO GALLERY — They don't have to put themselves in harm's way, but the volunteers of France's well-known Civil Protection service have chosen the front line in the fight against the coronavirus. By Michael Euler. SENT: 450 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW YORK — New York state's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has surged above 1,000, less than a month after the first case was detected in the state. New York City reported that its toll had risen to 776. By Michael R. Sisak and Marina Villeneuve. SENT: 1,230 words, photos. WITH: MED—VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK NUMBERS — What to know about the coronavirus numbers in New York. By AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe. SENT: 350 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GRANDMA GONE — For grandparents all over the world, being protected from the coronavirus pandemic has meant a piercing distance from their loved ones. Children don't seem to be getting seriously ill as often, but likely spread the virus. Older adults are at higher risk of complications from the coronavirus. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 950 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SUBMARINES — Of a world in coronavirus turmoil, they may know little or nothing. Submariners stealthily cruising the ocean deeps, purposefully shielded from worldly worries to focus undividedly on their top-secret missions of nuclear deterrence, may be among the last pockets of people anywhere who are still blissfully unaware of how the pandemic is turning life upside down. By John Leicester. UPCOMING by 3:30 a.m.: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST — Jordan has begun releasing thousands of travelers who were quarantined for the last two weeks at five-star hotels on the Dead Sea in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. More than 4,200 Jordanians and 1,500 foreigners have been held at the hotels. By Omar Akour. SENT: 230 words, photos, developing.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ITALY-STRUCK AT 33 — Andrea Napoli didn’t fit the usual profile of a coronavirus patient. At 33, he was in perfect health, with no history of respiratory disease. Still, Napoli, a lawyer, was diagnosed with COVID-19 a week after Italy locked down the country and ended up spending time in intensive care. By Paolo Santalucia. SENT: 500 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HAWAII-TOURISM — Like many cities across the world, Honolulu came to an eerie standstill this weekend as officials implemented measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic throughout the islands. By Caleb Jones. SENT: 520 words, photos.
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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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TRUMP-ROYALS — U.S. President Donald Trump has offered his opinion on the future of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, insisting the United States government won’t pay for the couple’s security if they live in the United States. SENT: 310 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SESAME STREET — Elmo, Rooster and Cookie Monster are doing their part to help keep kids safe as the coronavirus pandemic grinds on. The beloved Sesame Street Muppets are featured in some of four new animated public service spots reminding young fans to take care while doing such things as washing hands and sneezing. SENT: 275 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-PLANE PHOTO — A photo of health care professionals from Georgia on a Southwest plane on their way to help with the coronavirus outbreak in New York is getting lots of love online. SENT: 190 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOOCH TURNED HAND SANITIZER — Several alcohol distilleries in Nevada unable to make liquor under current coronavirus shutdowns are turning their attention to another product to help soothe customers. SENT: 560 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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FACT CHECK-WEEK — For weeks, President Donald Trump carved out a trail of groundless assurances about the coronavirus pandemic as health officials, governors and local officials sounded alarm about what was coming — and already here. That sunlit trail now has hit a wall. By Calvin Woodward and Hope Yen. SENT: 2,020 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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HANUKKAH STABBINGS — A 72-year-old man who was among the five people stabbed during a Hanukkah celebration north of New York City has died three months after the attack that came amid a string of violence targeting Jews in the region. SENT: 350 words, photos.
PHOENIX OFFICERS SHOT — A Phoenix police commander was killed and two other officers were injured Sunday night in a shooting on the city's north side during a domestic violence call. SENT: 430 words, photos.
TRACKING A BOY — Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Warden Austin Schumacher is being hailed for using old-school backwoods skills to rescue a boy lost in a freezing swamp. The boy fled his middle school in Edgerton in November and quickly vanished into the marsh, triggering a massive search. Alone, hungry and exhausted, Schumacher used his tracking skills to pick up the boy's trail while the rest of the search team headed off in the wrong direction. He carried the boy for a mile piggyback to safety as darkness fell and a looming snowstorm finally struck. By Todd Richmond. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
SERIAL KILLER DIES — Lonnie Franklin, the convicted serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" who preyed on the women of South Los Angeles for more than two decades, has died in a California prison at 67. At trial, Franklin was linked to 14 slayings. SENT: 400 words, photos.
DEMOLISHING THE DAMS — Plans to tear down four hydroelectric dams in rugged country along the Oregon-California border to save salmon are generating excitement from environmentalists and tribes, and fear and anger among those who want the dams to stay. SENT: 1,500 words, photos, 830-word abridged version.
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INTERNATIONAL
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SYRIA-IS PRISONERS — A Syrian Kurdish official says Islamic State militants rioted inside in a prison in northeastern Syria, wrestling control from guards on an entire floor in the facility from the guards while a number of prisoners managed to escaped. SENT: 440 words, developing.
PANAMA-CRUISE SHIPS — The Panama Canal Authority said Sunday that two cruise ships carrying more than 1,800 passengers and crew — some infected with COVID-19 — stranded off the Central American country and hoping to reach port in Florida had begun the process of transiting the canal. SENT: 580 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-PLANE CATCHES FIRE — A plane carrying eight people, including an American and a Canadian, burst into flames while attempting to take off from Manila’s airport on a flight bound for Japan, killing all those on board, officials said. SENT: 420 words, photos.
BUSINESS
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares are mostly lower as countries report surging numbers of infections from the coronavirus outbreak that has prompted shutdowns of travel and business in many parts of the world. SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK INSTACART — A possible strike by Instacart workers highlights the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the grocery delivery business, where workers are worried about their safety as they try to meet a surge in demand for online groceries. SENT: 960 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BUSINESS FALLOUT — An executive at New York-based investment firm Jefferies Financial Group has died from complications of the coronavirus, the company says. Jefferies announced the death of Peregrine “Peg” Broadbent, the chief financial officer of the investment bank Jefferies Group. SENT: 700 words, photos.
ENTERTAINMENT
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BENEFIT CONCERT — Alicia Keys sang softly from the piano — from her home — to kick off the hour-long “living room" benefit concert put on to raise money during the coronavirus crisis. Keys sang the song “Underdog" on Sunday, thanking first responders and others “risking their lives to keep us safe."By Mesfin Fekadu. SENT: 300 words, photos.
OBIT-MUSIC-JOE DIFFIE — Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping, rock-tinged singles such as “Home” and “Pickup Man” has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 61. SENT: 380 words, photos.
PEOPLE-JOHN PRINE — The family of John Prine says the singer-songwriter is critically ill and has been placed on a ventilator while being treated for COVID-19-type symptoms. SENT: 215 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-JAPAN-COMEDIAN DIES — Popular Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, who drew inspiration from the American comedic icon Jerry Lewis, has died from the coronavirus, becoming Japan's first known celebrity victim of the disease. He was 70. SENT: 460 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SONGWRITER DIES — Alan Merrill — who wrote the song “I Love Rock and Roll" that became a signature hit for fellow rocker Joan Jett — died Sunday in New York of complications from the coronavirus, his daughter said. He was 69. SENT: 325 words.
OBIT-JAN HOWARD — Singer-songwriter Jan Howard dies at 91, the Grand Ole Opry announced. SENT: 260 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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MMA—VIRUS OUTBREAK-BELLATOR — Bellator is still hopeful of running its next mixed martial arts card on May 9. That event could be in jeopardy after President Donald Trump extended federal guidelines recommending people stay home for another 30 days, until the end of April, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. By AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston. SENT: 540 words, photos.
CAR--NASCAR-Virtual Racing — Timmy Hill has won NASCAR's virtual race aired nationally during the sports shutdown caused by the new coronavirus. NASCAR has suspended its season and has worked with iRacing to create a 6-race series of the virtual competitions. By AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. SENT: 680 words, photos.
WOMEN OF BASEBALL — Rachel Folden figured something out early on during her first spring training with the Chicago Cubs — long before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out team activities. None of the players care all that much that one of their coaches is a woman. As for the girls she encounters, they care very much that one of the coaches is a woman. Major League Baseball is pushing the same message. Recognizing the importance of representation when it comes to growing the game, the commissioner's office continues to look at ways to bring more women and minorities into the sport. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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