AP News Digest 3:35 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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EUROPE-FLOODS — The death toll from devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium rose above 90 on Friday, as the search continued for hundreds of people still unaccounted for. SENT: 170 words, photos, video. UPCOMING: Developing.
For more on Europe flooding, visit AP's Newsroom here.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Britain is bracing for acrimony on Monday, when the government lifts a legal requirement to wear face coverings in most indoor settings, including shops, trains, buses and subways. Donning a mask in many places will stop being an order and become a request. By Jill Lawless. SENT: 1,010 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IRAQ — Iraq’s doctors say they are losing the battle against the coronavirus. And they say that was true even before a devastating blaze killed scores of people in a COVID-19 isolation unit earlier this week. The country is suffering a third surge in coronavirus infections and hospitals are facing shortages of beds, medicine and ventilators. By Abdulrahman Zeyad and Samya Kullab. SENT: 750 words, photos.
CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pressures lawmakers to reach agreement by next week on a pair of massive domestic spending measures, signaling Democrats’ desire to push ahead aggressively on President Joe Biden’s multitrillion dollar agenda. By Alan Fram and Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 990 words, photos.
OLY-TOKYO-BACH — IOC President Thomas Bach got a mixed reception in his visit to Hiroshima to mark the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce. Such a visit would ordinarily be routine but the Olympics are set to open next week with Tokyo under a state of emergency and with much of the population opposed to the games being held during the pandemic. By Haruka Nuga and Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 490 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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DEMOCRATIC-HEADQUARTERS — 2 charged with plotting to blow up Democratic headquarters. SENT: 440 words, photos.
NAVY COMMANDO-FIRST FEMALE — First female sailor completes Navy special warfare training. SENT: 700 words, photo.
MOVIE-PRODUCER-ARREST — Movie producer charged with operating prostitution service. SENT: 300 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — Los Angeles County residents will again be required to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status, while the University of California system said that students, faculty and staff must be inoculated against the coronavirus to return to campuses. SENT: 910 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON & POLITICS
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BIDEN-SANDERS — It’s an unlikely yet understandable partnership between two former rivals — Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Together, they are trying to unite the Democrats in Congress around the president’s national rebuilding proposal. By Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
VOTING BILLS-TEXAS LAWMAKERS — Sheltered in a downtown D.C. hotel, the Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to block a restrictive voting bill are living a life of scrutiny, stress and secrecy. The more than 50 state legislators find themselves balancing a punishing schedule of political lobbying, outside work and family obligations, all under a national spotlight. By Ashraf Khalil. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
BIDEN-CRIME — The Biden administration convenes the first meeting of its community violence intervention collaborative, a group of mayors and administration officials who will work together to reduce gun violence. By Alexandra Jaffe. UPCOMING: 470 words, photo by 7 p.m.
TRUMP — Former President Donald Trump insists he’s “not into coups!” after a new book revealed the country’s top military leader feared Trump might try to stage one after losing the 2020 election. By Jill Colvin. SENT: 800 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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CANADA-US BORDER — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September. SENT: 600 words, photo.
IRAN — Protesters angry over water shortages marched through streets late Thursday in an oil-rich, restive province in southwestern Iran and police apparently fire weapons to disperse the crowds, online videos showed. SENT: 310 words, photos.
HUNGARY-WRITERS-LGBT-LAW — Some bookstores in Hungary placed notices at their entrances this week telling customers that they sell “non-traditional content.” The signs went up in response to a new law that prohibits “depicting or promoting” homosexuality and gender transitions in material accessible to children. SENT: 820 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-AFGHANISTAN-WOMEN — Women’s rights supporters and faith leaders are calling for a United Nations peacekeeping force for Afghanistan to protect hard-won gains for women over the last two decades as American and NATO forces complete their pullout from the war-torn country and a Taliban offensive gains control over more territory. SENT: 800 words, photo.
VATICAN-SEX ABUSE TRIAL — A prosecutor for the Holy See has asked a Vatican court to convict and sentence an Italian priest for the alleged sexual abuse of a former altar boy on Vatican City property. SENT: 290 words.
RUSSIAN-OBIT-MAMONOV — Russian rock musician, poet and actor Pyotr Mamonov has died at the age of 70. Mamonov died at a Moscow hospital after two weeks in artificial coma on a ventilator after testing positive for the coronavirus. For decades, Mamonov was a prominent figure in Russia’s cultural scene. SENT: 200 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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WESTERN-WILDFIRES — Firefighters scrambled on Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that’s spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous conflagrations across the U.S. West that are straining resources. SENT: 750 words, photos.
NEWSPAPER SHOOTING-TRIAL — More than three years after the attack on the Capital Gazette newspaper that left five dead, survivors and family members of victims embraced in relief and applauded the jury for quickly rejecting the gunman’s plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. SENT: 740 words, photos.
SERIAL-KILLINGS-TRIAL — Nearly two years after a jury recommended execution for a man prosecutors called “The Boy Next Door Killer,” a judge is set to hand down a sentence. SENT: 410 words, photos.
MISSING COUPLE — The son of a Wisconsin couple who went missing last week was formally accused of killing his father and dismembering his body, while authorities announced that additional human remains were found in another location. SENT: 310 words.
CALIFORNIA-CHILD DEATH INVESTIGATION — Detectives have arrested a man in the death of his 18-month-old son this week in a motel in South Los Angeles, according to authorities and the boy’s mother. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.
POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY-ERIC GARNER — A New York appeals court ruled that a judicial inquiry is warranted into the investigation of Eric Garner’s 2014 police chokehold death, denying the city’s push to cancel the proceeding. SENT: 500 words.
BUILDING COLLAPSE-MIAMI — The recovery efforts for a South Florida condo building that collapsed last month might be coming to an end soon. Miami-Dade police identified four more victims of the Surfside condo collapse, meaning that 90 of the 97 confirmed dead have been identified. SENT: 340 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/TECH
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Shares were mostly lower in Asia after Wall Street benchmarks extended losses amid uncertainty over rising coronavirus cases and the risks to pandemic recoveries. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 640 words, photos.
PFIZER-LAWSUIT — Pfizer Inc. and two of its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $345 million under a proposed settlement to resolve litigation over EpiPen price hikes. SENT: 340 words.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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WWE-LIVE RETURN — WWE is ready to hit the road and start a summer tour this weekend in Texas. WWE has held only one live show since March 2020. WWE hunkered down in Florida and set up a virtual ThunderDome for fan interaction. But it wasn’t the same. WWE is set to resume touring starting Friday night with “Smackdown” from Houston. By Sports Writer Dan Gelston. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
FILM-GLAAD STUDY — The year 2020 saw welcome growth in racial diversity of LBGTQ characters in films released by major studios, according to a new study by the advocacy group GLAAD. But for the fourth year in a row there were no transgender or other non-binary characters in those films. SENT: 520 words.
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SPORTS
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GLF--BRITISH OPEN — Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth are leading the way at the British Open. That’s not the only thing giving the majors a degree of normalcy at Royal St. George’s. The biggest golf crowd since the coronavirus outbreak were cheering on the world’s best players. By Steve Douglas. SENT: 970 words, photos.
RICHARD SHERMAN ARRESTED — A Seattle judge has ordered former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers star Richard Sherman released without bail following his arrest on suspicion of trying to break in to his in-laws’ home. By Gene Johnson. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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