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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds: BIDEN-IRAN-SANCTIONS; CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE; BILLIONAIRES-TAXES-PRIVACY; BUDGET-DEFICIT; CAPITOL BREACH-ARRESTS; GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER TRIAL; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WORKER SAFETY; CALIFORNIA-RAIL YARD SHOOTING; MEDIA-CNN-TOOBIN; CALIFORNIA-ASSAULT-WEAPONS; REAL-HOUSEWIVES-ASSAULT-CHARGES; RUSSIA-SOCIAL MEDIA; SOUTH AFRICA-DECUPLET-MYSTERY; BIDEN-KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
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ONLY ON AP
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AP POLL-SOCIAL CAPITAL — Millions of Americans are struggling through life with few people they can trust for personal and professional help, a disconnect that raises a key barrier to recovery from the social, emotional and economic fallout of the pandemic, according to a new poll from The Impact Genome Project and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. By Alexandra Olson. SENT: 961 words, photo, graphic.
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TOP STORIES
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G7-BIDEN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Group of Seven nations will commit to sharing at least 1 billion coronavirus shots with the world. He says half of those doses will come from the U.S. and 100 million from the U.K. U.S. President Joe Biden has been urging allies to join in speeding the pandemic’s end. By Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani and Jonathan Lemire. SENT: 1,1300 words, photos, video. With UNITED STATES-WORLD IMAGE — The United States’ image around the world has improved sharply since Biden took office. SENT: 593 words, photo.
BIDEN-JOHNSON — President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson use their first meeting to highlight a commitment to strengthening their nations’ historic ties while setting aside, at least publicly, their political and personal differences. By Jonathan Lemire, Jill Lawless and Aamer Madhani. SENT: 1,170 words, photos, video. With JILL BIDEN — Jill Biden wears a black jacket with the word “love” on the back as she and the president meet with Johnson and his wife. SENT: 370 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK — Health officials and experts greeted U.S. plans to donate 500 million more COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries with both celebration and hesitation, amid questions over whether the effort would match the scale and urgency required to help poor regions desperate for doses right now. By Gerald Imray and Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 1,160 words, photos.
MED—VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINE-EXPIRATION — Johnson & Johnson said that U.S. regulators extended the expiration date on millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by an extra six weeks. The company said a Food and Drug Administration review concluded the shots remain safe and effective up to 4 and a half months. The shots were originally approved for just 3 months. By Matthew Perrone. SENT: 470 words, photos.
EL CHAPO’S WIFE — The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman pleads guilty to charges in the U.S. that alleged she helped her husband run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire. By Michael Balsamo. SENT: 470 words, photos.
CONSUMER-PRICES — American consumers absorbed another surge in prices in May — a 0.6% increase over April and 5% over the past year, the biggest 12-month inflation spike since 2008. The May rise in consumer prices that the Labor Department reported reflected a range of goods and services now in growing demand as people increasingly shop, travel, dine out and attend entertainment events in a rapidly reopening economy. By Martin Crutsinger. SENT: 1,285 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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MEDIA-CNN-TOOBIN — Jeffrey Toobin returns to CNN after Zoom call incident. SENT: 270 words.
SOUTH AFRICA-DECUPLET-MYSTERY — South Africa has been gripped by the mystery of whether a woman has, as has been claimed, actually given birth to 10 babies, in what would then be the world’s first recorded case of decuplets. SENT: 450 words, photos.
REAL-HOUSEWIVES-ASSAULT-CHARGES — A reputed mobster who assaulted the then-boyfriend and now husband of a former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member in exchange for a deeply discounted lavish wedding reception has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison.. SENT: 200 words.
SCI-SOLAR-ECLIPSE — The top of the world got a sunrise special — a “ring of fire” solar eclipse. This so-called annular eclipse began at the Canadian province of Ontario, then swept across Greenland, the North Pole and finally Siberia. SENT: 175 words, photos.
ODD-POST-OFFICE-GATOR — They say neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will stop the U.S. Postal Service, but an alligator could get in the way. A customer found the alligator inside a Florida post office. SENT: 120 words.
MACY'S-JULY-4TH-FIREWORKS — The traditional Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show will return to New York City this year after the pandemic forced changes to the celebration in 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. SENT: 170 words.
CALIFORNIA-OFFICER-HOMELESS-ASSAULTS — A California police officer has been charged with threatening and striking homeless people while on duty in two separate incidents last year, prosecutors said. SENT: 225 words.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-WORKER SAFETY — The Biden administration has exempted most employers from long-awaited rules for protecting workers from the coronavirus. The move has angered labor advocates who have have spent more than a year lobbying for the protections. SENT: 360 words.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VISITING-EUROPE — Europe is opening up to Americans and other visitors after more than a year of COVID-induced restrictions, in hope of luring back tourists — and their dollars — to the continent’s trattorias, vistas and cultural treasures. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic following a series of damaging allegations from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former top adviser. SENT: 625 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CALIFORNIA — California’s workplace regulators have withdrawn a controversial pending mask regulation while they consider a rule that more closely aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state will fully reopen from the pandemic on Tuesday. SENT: 900 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY-VACCINATION PASS — Germany has started rolling out a digital vaccination pass that can be used across Europe as the continent gears up for the key summer travel season. SENT: 400 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — A bipartisan group of senators is eyeing an infrastructure deal with $579 billion in new spending as part of a $1 trillion package, as negotiators try to strike a deal on President Biden’s top priority. SENT: 660 words, photos.
BILLIONAIRES-TAXES-PRIVACY — Republicans in Congress are alarmed by the leak of confidential IRS data to the investigative news organization ProPublica, enabling it to reveal that famous billionaires including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg at times paid little in U.S. income tax. SENT: 940 words, photos.
BIDEN-IRAN-SANCTIONS — The U.S. levels sanctions against a Yemeni network that it alleges was working with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to transfer tens of millions of dollars to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. By Ellen Knickmeyer and Matthew Lee. SENT: 800 words, photo.
CAPITOL BREACH-ARRESTS — Six California men described as members of the Three Percenters anti-government extremist movement have been indicted on conspiracy charges in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. UPCOMING: 400 words, photo by 7 p.m.
FBI-RANSOMWARE — FBI Director Christopher Wray says the bureau discourages ransomware payments to hacking groups even as major companies in the past month have participated in multimillion-dollar transactions aimed at getting their systems back online. SENT: 410 words, photos.
CRIME-SPIKE-MISINFORMATION — Some police organizations and Republican politicians are blaming Democrats and last year’s defund the police effort for a troubling rise in homicides in many cities across the country. But the claims by Republicans overlook the fact homicides are up in many cities, including ones that increased police spending or have GOP mayors. Experts say the real reason homicides are up and many other kinds of crime are down are complicated. SENT: 1,090 words, photo.
DEMOCRATS-SALES PITCH — Democrats have a sales job of their own this summer. Facing a daunting battle to retain both chambers of Congress, the virus rescue package that passed without a single Republican vote may be an opportunity for Democrats to argue their work in Washington had a positive, tangible effect on communities across the country during a time of historic crisis. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
ILHAN OMAR-DEMOCRATS-ISRAEL — Rep. Ilhan Omar tries edging away from a bitter fight with Jewish Democratic lawmakers who’d accused her of likening the U.S. and Israel to Hamas and Afghanistan’s Taliban, saying her remarks were “in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries.” By Alan Fram. SENT: 820 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — The U.S. military has already begun conducting combat operations and surveillance in Afghanistan from outside the country’s borders, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tells Congress, as the troop withdrawal continues. By Lolita C. Baldor. SENT: 910 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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BIDEN-KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE — The Keystone XL is dead after a 12-year attempt to build the oil pipeline. But the fight over Canadian crude rages on as emboldened environmentalists target other projects and pressure President Joe Biden to intervene. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
HUNGER-IN-AMERICA-FOOD-ALLERGIES — For the millions of Americans newly experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic, a particular crisis is hitting those with food allergies and intolerances: Most charitable and government food programs offer limited options. While some pantries maintain gluten-free shelves or post allergen information, most were forced to limit clients' choices last year, instead turning to contactless models where clients drive up and take a pre-made bag of food. SENT: 890 words, photos.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DOCTOR-SEXUAL ASSAULT — One of legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler’s sons and two of his former players have described in detail how they were molested by the team’s longtime doctor and how Schembechler turned a blind eye when they told him about it. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
CALIFORNIA-RAIL YARD SHOOTING — A gunman who killed nine co-workers at a California rail yard last month was the subject of four investigations into his workplace conduct, and after one verbal altercation a colleague worried that the man could “go postal,” according to internal documents. SENT: 430 words.
CALIFORNIA-ASSAULT-RULING — California’s governor denounced in starkly personal terms a federal judge’s upending of the state’s restrictions on assault weapons as officials announced the filing of a formal notice that they will appeal the decision. SENT: 830 words.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER TRIAL — One of the jurors who convicted Derek Chauvin of murder in George Floyd’s death says expert testimony about asphyxiation and the former Minneapolis police officer’s own body camera video convinced her he was guilty. SENT: 440 words.
GEORGE-FLOYD-OFFICER-TRIAL-EXPLAINER-NEW-TRIAL — The defense attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd is seeking not only a new trial but also a hearing to “impeach the verdict” by investigating potential juror misconduct. Eric Nelson’s request for a new trial for Derek Chauvin is fairly routine, but the request to investigate the jury is not. SENT: 960 words, photos.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES — Prominent attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic, along with the Atlanta massage business shooting that left six Asian women dead, have spurred expanded conversations about Asian American identity and history. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.
SUPERMARKET SHOOTING-FLORIDA — A man fatally shot a woman and a child inside a Florida supermarket before killing himself, authorities said, causing dozens to flee the store in panic. SENT: 270 words.
MISSOURI LAWMAKER-INVESTIGATION — A former Missouri police officer campaigning for a state House seat last year repeatedly told a woman to deny that they had sex years ago while she was drunk and he was on duty, the woman told The Associated Press. SENT: 800 words, photos.
WESTMINSTER-DOG-SHOW — There will be plenty of tradition, pup and circumstance at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show this weekend. But for the first time in its 145-year history, the storied canine competition is trading the buzz of the Big Apple for the airy grounds of a suburban riverfront estate, one of many changes prompted by pandemic precautions. SENT: 845 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISRAEL-NETANYAHU — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not leaving the political stage quietly in what appear to be the final days of his historic 12-year rule. The longtime Israeli leader is accusing his opponents of betraying the nation. He calls them liars and says he is the victim of a “deep state” conspiracy. He speaks in apocalyptic terms when talking about the country without his leadership. SENT: 1,040 words, photo.
LEBANON-HOSPITALS — Hospitals in Lebanon are warning that they may be forced to suspend kidney dialysis amid severe shortages in supplies. It’s the latest fallout from Lebanon’s accelerating financial crisis and collapsing health sector. SENT: 600 words, photos.
G7-BACK-IN-THE-ROOM — When leaders of some of the world’s richest nations meet Friday at the English seaside for a three-day Group of Seven summit, much of the choreography will be familiar. But the world has changed dramatically. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-ETHIOPIA-FAMINE — A high-level committee that focuses on rapid responses to humanitarian crises estimates that some 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region are in famine conditions. SENT: 470 words, photos.
IRAN-NAVY-MISSION — An Iranian destroyer and support vessel are now sailing in the Atlantic Ocean in a rare mission far from the Islamic Republic, Iran’s state TV reported, without offering the vessels’ final destination. SENT: 580 words, photos.
VATICAN-GERMAN-CARDINAL — Pope Francis refused to let German Cardinal Reinhard Marx resign over the sex abuse scandal in the German Church, but said a process of reform was necessary and that every bishop must take responsibility for the “catastrophe” of the crisis. SENT: 790 words, photos.
FRANCE-MACRON SLAPPED — A French court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to four months in prison for slapping President Macron in the face. SENT: 610 words, photos.
FRANCE-SAHEL — French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the future reduction of France’s military presence fighting Islamic extremism in Africa’s Sahel region. SENT: 300 words, photos.
ARGENTINA-PRESIDENT — Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández might want to get on a boat and hide. The left-leaning leader has been ridiculed across Latin America and beyond for trying to emphasize his country’s European roots during a meeting this week with Spain’s prime minister. SENT: 320 words, photo.
RUSSIA-SOCIAL MEDIA — Russian authorities ordered Facebook and the messaging app Telegram to pay steep fines for failing to remove banned content, a move that could be part of growing government efforts to tighten control over social media platforms amid political dissent. SENT: 400 words, photo.
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HEALTH/SCIENCE
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SCI-CLIMATE-SPECIES-LOSS — To save the planet, the world needs to tackle twin crises of climate change and species loss together, using solutions that fix both, not just one, two different teams of United Nations scientists said. SENT: 460 words, photos.
COLORADO RIVER-DROUGHT — A key reservoir on the Colorado River is shrinking to record low levels, prompting concerns throughout the drought-stricken U.S. West about future water supply. SENT: 280 words, photos.
BIRD-MIGRATION-SPACE-STATION — A new antenna on the International Space Station and receptors on the Argos satellite — combined with the shrinking size of tracking chips and batteries — are allowing scientists to remotely monitor small animal and songbird movements in much greater detail than ever before. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, video.
MEDICARE-ALZHEIMER’S DRUG — The new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer’s drug would raise Medicare premiums broadly and some enrollees prescribed the medication could face copayments of about $11,500 annually, researchers estimate. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 610 words, photos, video.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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BUDGET-DEFICIT — The U.S. budget deficit hit a record $2.06 trillion through the first eight months of this budget year as coronavirus relief programs drove spending to all-time highs. SENT: 320 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT-BENEFITS — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy, held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic, reopens rapidly. Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000 from 385,000 the week before. SENT: 325 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-DANNY ELFMAN — When Danny Elfman started creating music during quarantine, what came out was a surprise to even him. “When I opened my mouth to sing more venom than I ever knew that I had in me came pouring out,” he said. SENT: 900 words, photos.
TV-JEOPARDY HOST SEARCH — The producers of “Jeopardy!” are using every tool possible to find the right host to succeed the beloved Alex Trebek. SENT: 860 words, photos,
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SPORTS
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TEN--FRENCH OPEN — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will play for the French Open title after beating unseeded Tamara Zidansek to become the first Russian woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Maria Sharapova at the 2015 Australian Open. In the other semifinal, it’s Maria Sakkari vs. Barbora Krejcikova. SENT: 350 words, photos. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 5 p.m.
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HOW TO REACH US
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