AP News Digest 4 a.m.

Thursday 19 August 2021 04:00 EDT

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ONLY ON AP

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AP-INVESTIGATION-TRACKED — Michael Williams a 65-year-old grandfather from Chicago, sat behind bars for nearly a year accused of murder. But the key evidence against Williams didn’t come from an eyewitness or an informant; instead prosecutors focused on a loud bang picked up by a network of surveillance microphones. Prosecutors said technology powered by a secret algorithm that analyzed noises detected by the sensors indicated Williams shot and killed a man. Last month, a judge dismissed the case against him at the request of prosecutors, who said they had insufficient evidence. By Garance Burke, Martha Mendoza, Juliet Linderman and Michael Tarm. SENT: 3,880 words, photos, video. An abridged version is also available.

JAPAN-NISSAN-KELLY — Nearly three years later, former Nissan executive Greg Kelly is still wondering why the questions that led to his arrest and trial in Japan weren’t simply taken up in the automaker’s corporate boardroom. By Business Writer Yuri Kageyama. SENT: 1,240 words, photos, video.

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TOP STORIES

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AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan’s Independence Day on Thursday by declaring it had beaten the United States but challenges to their rule ranging from running the country’s frozen government to potentially facing armed opposition began to emerge. By Ahmad Seir, Rahim Faiez, Kathy Gannon and Jon Gambrell. SENT: 770 words, photos.

CONGRESS-AFGHANISTAN — Democratic-led congressional committees are vowing to press President Joe Biden’s administration on what went wrong as the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan The anger from members of both parties is palpable. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-DOHA TRAP — President Biden and his national security team say former President Donald Trump’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban set the stage for the chaos that unfolded in Kabul. The claim has some merit, but it’s far from the full story. By Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker. SENT: 990 words, photos.

HAITI-QUAKE — Tensions have been growing over the slow pace of aid reaching victims of a powerful weekend earthquake that killed more than 2,100 people in Haiti and was trailed by a drenching tropical depression. By Mark Stevenson and Evens Sanon. SENT: 820 words, photos, video.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GULF-COAST — The U.S. Gulf Coast is glowing like a bad sunburn on maps that show COVID-19 trouble spots in red. Alabama’s coastal counties lead the state in new cases, and some events have been canceled in Florida and Louisiana because of the latest surge. Health officials believe the spike is due to a combination of some of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates, unabated tourism, a disregard for basic health precautions and the region’s carefree lifestyle. By Jay Reeves. SENT: 920 word, photos, video.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MYANMAR — Independent ethnic organizations that have been providing health care in Myanmar after the collapse of the country’s central health system are now facing serious challenges of their own. Among them: A fierce new wave of COVID-19 cases, a crackdown by the military government, and shrinking support from international donors. By Victoria Milko. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.

2020 CENSUS-COLORADO WATER — The northern Colorado city of Greeley is in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. But that growth may not be sustainable as the city encounters a problem common in the drought-ravaged West: There may not be enough water to meet future needs. By Matthew Daly. SENT: 1,310 words, photos.

RUSSIA-COUP ANNIVERSARY — The world held its breath 30 years ago when a group of top Communist officials ousted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and flooded Moscow with tanks. But instead of bringing a rollback of liberal reforms and a return to Cold War confrontations, the August 1991 coup collapsed in just three days and precipitated the breakup of the Soviet Union a few months later. By Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,130 words, photos. With AP-WAS-THERE-SOVIET COUP — AP WAS THERE: 1991 Soviet Coup; RUSSIA-C;RONICLING SOVIET COUP — As tanks rolled in 1991, AP photographer sprang into action (both sent).

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AP News Digest 4 a.m.

Your support helps us to tell the story