AP News Digest 3 am

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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-VACCINES — U.S. health regulators have authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in people with weakened immune systems to better protect them from the virus. The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who take immune-suppressing medicines because of organ transplants, cancer or other disorders. By Lauran Neergaard and Matthew Perrone. SENT: 640 words, photo.

2020 CENSUS — No racial or ethnic group dominates for those under age 18, and white people declined in numbers for the first time on record in the overall U.S. population as the Hispanic and Asian populations boomed this past decade, according to the 2020 census data. By Mike Schneider. SENT: 860 words, photos, graphic. With 2020-CENSUS-5-TAKEAWAYS.

AFGHANISTAN — Taliban insurgents entered a western provincial capital, an official says, hours after they captured the country’s second and third largest cities in a lightning advance just weeks before America is set to end its longest war. The seizure of Kandahar and Herat marks the biggest prizes yet for the Taliban, who have taken 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals as part of a weeklong blitz. By Tameem Akhgar and Rahim Faiez. SENT: 1,110 words, photos, graphic, videos. With CANADA-AFGHANISTAN-EMBASSY — Official: Canada sending forces to close Afghan embassy. Also see UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN below.

VIRUS OUTBREAK — The Tokyo Olympics are over, but it’s still vacation season in Japan and many people are ignoring government requests to avoid travel and gathering at bars and restaurants even as the coronavirus spikes. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is pinning his hopes on vaccinations to slow the infections. It’s a race between the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus and inoculation rates that are making better progress than expected. By Mari Yamaguchi. SENT: 990 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-YEMEN-HOUTHI DENIAL — In rebel-held northern Yemen, an information blackout has characterized the coronavirus response of the rebel Houthi authorities since the beginning of the pandemic. Rights groups and local health workers are now sounding the alarm about the campaign of denial that has not only obscured the scale of the problem, but also hindered the sick from being diagnosed and getting treatment. By Sam Magdy. SENT: 1,090 words, photo.

SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS — New York’s two-year “look-back window” allowing people who claim they were abused long ago to sue churches, hospitals, camps, scout groups and schools closes this week after a tidal wave more than 7,600 lawsuits that could deliver a financial blow to Catholic dioceses and other organizations. By Michael Hill. SENT: 890 words, photos.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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BRITAIN-PLYMOUTH — Police: Six dead, including suspected shooter, in U.K. city. SENT: 210 words, photos.

TEXAS EXECUTION-LAYING OF HANDS — Death-row inmate in Texas sues for pastor’s touch during execution. SENT: 260 words, photos.

VIDEO-CALL-WOMAN-KILLED — Police: Toddler fatally shot woman during work video call. SENT: 140 words.

NEW-ZEALAND-AMAZON-TV — New Zealand loses its precious “Lord of the Rings" series to Britain. SENT: 580 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEW-ORLEANS — People who want to enter New Orleans bars, restaurants, music halls — or any other inside venue — will soon have to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus or a recent negative test, according to new rules announced by the mayor amid a surge in virus cases. SENT: 560 words, photo. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-NEVADA — A coronavirus pandemic mask mandate in Nevada has drawn a federal lawsuit from attorneys seeking class-action status for claims that the constitutional rights of thousands of parents and children at Las Vegas-area schools are being violated. SENT: 550 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIDEN — President Joe Biden is becoming more aggressive in pressuring Americans to get vaccinated, but he has refrained from using all his powers. SENT: 970 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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CONGRESS-POLICING BILL — Prospects seem increasingly dicey for a bipartisan Senate deal on overhauling policing practices. The chief negotiators from both sides, Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Tim Scott, say they’re still working and haven’t abandoned hope, but many participants agree that time is not an ally. SENT: 920 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — Just weeks before the U.S. is scheduled to end its war in Afghanistan the Biden administration is rushing 3,000 fresh troops to the Kabul airport to help with a partial evacuation of the U.S. Embassy. SENT: 870 words, photos, video.

CALIFORNIA-RECALL-JENNER — Caitlyn Jenner kicked off a monthlong campaign tour in her bid to become California’s next governor and raised fresh questions about her motive for entering the contest. By Political Writer Michael R. Blood. SENT: 870 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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PACIFIC ISLAND WILDFIRES — While the brush, grass and forest fires that pop up on Pacific islands are not as big as the wildfires ravaging parts of the U.S. West, they often consume a proportionately significant chunk of land and take a tremendous toll on the environment and local communities. SENT: 1,300 words, photos, video.

NORTHWEST HEAT WAVE — Oregon volunteers scrambled to hand out water, portable fans, popsicles and information about cooling shelters to homeless people living in isolated encampments on the outskirts of Portland as the Pacific Northwest sweated through another heat wave. SENT: 620 words, photos, videos.

WESTERN WILDFIRES — Wildfires in Montana and California are threatening rural towns and ranchland while the West sees a continuing bout of dangerously hot, dry weather. SENT: 620 words, photos.

SUPREME-COURT-EVICTION-MORATORIUM-NEW-YORK — The Supreme Court blocked part of New York’s moratorium on evictions, put into effect because of the coronavirus pandemic, less than a month before it was supposed to expire anyway. SENT: 350 words, photo.

SEVERE-WEATHER-MIDWEST — Flooding brought by heavy rains shut down some freeways in the Detroit area as waves of thunderstorms made their way across large swaths of the Midwest, leaving nearly 1 million homes and businesses without power in Michigan at one point. SENT: 340 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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TROPICAL-WEATHER-ATLANTIC — Tropical depression Fred was slowly strengthening and could regain tropical storm status sometime on Friday, forecasters say. SENT: 340 words, photo.

TURKEY-FLOODS — Turkish officials say search-and-rescue crews have recovered 10 more bodies overnight, raising the death toll from the severe floods and mudslides that struck the north of the country to 27. SENT: 320 words, photo.

VENEZUELA-MEXICO — The government of Venezuela and its opposition are set to begin a new dialogue this week looking for a change in the South American nation's prolonged political standoff. SENT: 930 words, photos.

MEXICO-CONQUEST-500-YEARS — Walking for hours through the gritty streets in the center of Mexico City, you can hear the daily urban soundtrack. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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SKOREA SAMSUNG — Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong walked out of prison a year early in a parole decision demonstrating the conglomerate’s outsized influence in South Korea as well as continuing leniency for bosses who commit corporate corruption. SENT: 990 words, photos.

FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian stock markets were mixed ahead of more regional economic releases that could hint at how the delta variant is affecting growth. SENT: 370 words, photos.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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HYDROGEN-FUEL OF THE FUTURE? — Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is increasingly viewed, along with electric vehicles, as one way to slow the environmentally destructive impact of the planet’s 1.2 billion vehicles. UPCOMING: 1,300 words, photos by 10:30 a.m.

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SPORTS

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FIELD-OF-DREAMS — The New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox and fans all over were in awe at the scene at the Field of Dreams game. By Sports Writer Dave Campbell. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

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