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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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NURSING HOME HOTSPOT — A nursing home in an upscale section of New York City’s Brooklyn borough with 55 deaths blamed on the coronavirus has become another example of the struggle to control such outbreaks amid shortages of staff, protective equipment and testing. SENT: 990 words, photos.
CANADA-SHOOTING - Canadian police say 16 people are dead plus the suspect after a shooting rampage across the province of Nova Scotia. It was the deadliest shooting in Canadian history. The suspect was identified as Gabriel Wortman, and authorities said he disguised himself as a police officer at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser. He was arrested by the RCMP Sunday in a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia. Police later said he had died. RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 16 people have been killed in addition to the shooter. By Rob Gilles. SENT: 780 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SYRIA — Nine years of war have broken Syria into three rival parts, and each is struggling to cope with a common enemy that knows no conflict lines. Unable to work together, their divisions are hurting frantic efforts to mobilize against the novel coronavirus in a country where the health sector is already devastated by war. Most U.N. help is going to the government of President Bashar Assad, which is not sharing the aid with the two non-government-held regions. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK - The global health crisis is taking a nasty political turn as tensions worsen between governments locked down to hold the coronavirus at bay and those chafing to restart their economies and forestall fears of a depression. There was clear evidence of the mounting pressure in the United States, where the Trump administration insists that some areas of the country are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy. By Will Weissert and Jill Colvin. SENT: 1,300 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST (sent).
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NO SYMPTOMS — A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the new coronavirus without any symptoms. That means the virus may turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared. But it also makes it tough to know who’s contagious because people who don’t feel sick can still spread the bug. By AP Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione. SENT: 900 words, photo.
EARTH DAY-YOUNG CLIMATE ACTIVISTS -- Young climate activists galvanized their movement in 2019 with school strikes and massive global marches last September. The coronavirus pandemic has foiled plans for even larger marches on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. But they are vowing to continue the fight, using their digital devices until they can get back to their in-person organizing. By Martha Irvine and Christina Larson. 990 words, photos, video. This is the Tuesday spotlight.
Find more all-format coverage on the Virus Outbreak featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-IRAQ-REUTERS — The Reuters news agency says Iraq is allowing its reporters to go back to work after suspending the agency’s license earlier this month. SENT: 270 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-NKOREA DEFECTORS’-VIEW — North Korea says it has zero coronavirus infections, but experts doubt it and say it’s likely the virus has already spread in the country. A former North Korean doctor and other defectors tell The Associated Press health workers didn’t have test kits when they dealt with past outbreaks and weren’t even asked to confirm or submit cases to the central government. Experts say the North’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is likely similar. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDIA — India has recorded its biggest single-day spike in the number of coronavirus cases as the nationwide lockdown eases to restart some manufacturing and agriculture. The health ministry reported 1,553 new cases, bringing the national total to more than 17,000. At least 543 people have died. India has been under the world’s largest lockdown for almost a month, halting all but essential services. SENT: 320 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Sri Lanka’s government has partially lifted a monthlong curfew and declared the coronavirus outbreak under control. The Indian Ocean island nation had been under a 24-hour curfew since March 20. It was lifted during daytime hours in more than two thirds of the country Monday and will continue in the remaining districts including the capital, Colombo, until Wednesday. SENT: 730 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MIDEAST CHILDREN — The U.N. children’s agency has appealed for an additional $92.4 million to help fight the coronavirus in the Middle East and North Africa. The conflict-battered region had 25 million children in need of aid before the pandemic, the highest number anywhere. The economic downturn linked to the outbreak is expected to push an additional 4 million children into poverty. SENT: 290 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-MOTHER AND SON — For almost 30 years, a mother and son were inseparable. And death was no different. Carolyn Martins-Reitz died of the coronavirus last month, and just over a week later, so did Thomas Martins. The mother from Kearny, New Jersey, was the primary caretaker for her son, who had Down syndrome. SENT: 570 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MARIJUANA HOLIDAY — The unofficial holiday saluting all things cannabis arrives at a challenging time for the nation’s legal marijuana industry. Monday is April 20, or 4/20. That’s the code for marijuana’s high holiday, which is usually marked with outdoor festivals and communal smoking sessions. But this year, stay-at-home orders have moved the party online as the marijuana market braces for an economic blow from the coronavirus crisis. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELDERLY VISITS — Countries across Europe are struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic with whether to allow families to visit the elderly, especially when they’re dying. At nursing homes, everything is done to keep out visitors who might be infected. Many countries ban family members from seeing their loved ones. Belgium’s prime minister argues that “people can die of loneliness,” and even Pope Francis has weighed in on the issue. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ITALY LIFESAVERS-PHOTO GALLERY — Every evening, when Pasqualina Conte returns home from a draining day as a nurse in a Milan emergency room for coronavirus patients, she longs to hold her 9-year-old son, Andrea. But for 50 days and counting, the two have not hugged. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration and Congress expect an agreement Monday on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing. By Hope Yen and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 770 words, photos.
ELECTION 2020-VOTING -- Scrambling to address voting concerns during a pandemic, election officials across the country are eliminating polling places or scaling back opportunities for people to cast ballots in person — a move raising concerns among voting rights groups and some Democrats who say some voters could be disenfranchised. By Christina A. Cassidy and Nicholas Riccardi. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
FACT CHECK-WEEK -- President Donald Trump is falsely assigning blame to governors and the Obama administration for shortages in coronavirus testing. He says governors aren’t using all the testing capacity that the federal government has created. It’s not true. By Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward. SENT: 2,560 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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AUSTRALIA MEDIA — The Australian government says global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will release draft rules in late July for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media. SENT: 510 words.
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NATIONAL
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DEEP WATER HORIZON-ECOSYSTEM RECOVERY - Ten years after the nation’s biggest offshore oil spill fouled its waters, the Gulf of Mexico sparkles in the sunlight and its fish are safe to eat. But scientists who have spent $500 million from BP researching effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster have found much to be concerned about. SENT: 1,330 word, photos, videos.
DALLAS BUS HIJACKED-GUNMAN KILLED - A passenger opened fire on a Dallas-area public bus before hijacking it and leading officers on a chase that ended in a shootout in which the passenger was killed and two officers were wounded, an official said. SENT: 300 words, photos.
SEVERE WEATHER-SOUTH - Severe storms raked a wide swath of the Deep South during the nighttime hours, and forecasters are warning of the possibility of tornadoes just a week after a deadly twister outbreak in the region. SENT: 340 words.
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BUSINESS
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares are mixed in Asia after Chinese banks cut a key interest rate to help cushion the impact of the pandemic on its economy. Shares rose Monday in Hong Kong and Shanghai but fell in Tokyo. Oil prices fell back. Trading was quiet after a rally on Wall Street on Friday that lifted the S&P 500 by 2.7%. Optimism rose after the White House released guidelines for states to reopen their economies. SENT: 670 words, photos.
JAPAN-TRADE — Japan’s exports sank 11.7% in March as the coronavirus pandemic slammed auto shipments to the U.S. The Finance Ministry said Monday that exports to the U.S. fell 16.5% in March from a year earlier, while those to China declined 8.7%. Trade has slowed precipitously recently due to travel restrictions and shutdowns aimed at curbing the outbreak of the coronavirus. SENT: 329 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDRIS ELBA — Idris Elba says he and his wife had their lives “turned around” after contracting the coronavirus. The British actor called the experience “definitely scary and unsettling and nervous.” Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba are recovering in New Mexico and are now focused on their new roles as United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors. They are working with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on farmers and food producers in rural areas. SENT: 529 words, photo.
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SPORTS
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE SPORTS CUTS — College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. In tough times, athletic administrators often drop sports programs to save money. Some observers see the coming crisis as a chance for schools to consider radical changes to how athletic departments are run. By College Sports Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 850 words, photos.
SPORTS-WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN — The sign-stealing whistleblower would have returned to Houston and the NBA playoffs would have been in full swing. Those are among the live sporting events that will be missed this week with the national sports calendar still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. By Stephen Hawkins. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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