AP News Digest 3:20 a.m.
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THE OTHER EPIDEMIC-ST. LOUIS — Overdose deaths among Black Americans surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. In St. Louis deaths among Black people increased last year at three times the rate of whites, skyrocketing more than 33%. Dr. Kanika Turner describes the soaring death rate as a civil rights issue as pressing as any other. By Claire Galofaro. SENT: 3,180 words, photos, video.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-BIDEN — With the July Fourth holiday approaching, the White House acknowledged this week that President Joe Biden will fall shy of his 70% vaccination goal and an associated aim of fully inoculating 165 million adults in the same timeframe. The missed milestones are notable in a White House that from the outset has been organized around a strategy of under-promising and over-delivering for the American public. By Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — Biden is set to meet with members of a bipartisan group of senators that reached a framework for an infrastructure deal, one of his biggest domestic priorities. By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking. SENT: 700 words, photos.
PHILIPPINES-OBIT-AQUINO — Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, the son of pro-democracy icons who helped topple dictator Ferdinand Marcos and had troublesome ties with China, has died, a cousin and public officials say. He was 61. Former Sen. Bam Aquino said he was heartbroken by the death of his cousin. “He gave his all for the Filipino, he did not leave anything,” he said. By Jim Gomez. SENT: 1,280 words, photos.
JOHN-MCAFEE-OBITUARY — John McAfee, the outlandish security software pioneer who tried to live life as a hedonistic outsider while running from a host of legal troubles, was found dead in his jail cell near Barcelona. His death at age 75 came just hours after a Spanish court announced that it had approved his extradition to the United States to face tax charges punishable by decades in prison, authorities say. By Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay. SENT: 1,270 words, photos, video. With SPAIN-MCAFEE — Antivirus pioneer McAfee found dead in Spanish prison.
WESTERN-DROUGHT-VORACIOUS-GRASSHOPPERS — A punishing drought in the U.S. West is drying up waterways, sparking wildfires and leaving farmers scrambling for water. Next up: a plague of voracious grasshoppers. Federal agriculture officials are launching what could become their largest grasshopper-killing campaign since the 1980s amid an outbreak of the drought-loving insects that cattle ranchers fear will strip bare public and private rangelands. By Matthew Brown. SENT: 870 words, photos.
PEOPLE-BRITNEY-SPEARS — After 13 years of near silence in the conservatorship that controls her life and money, Britney Spears passionately told a judge that she wants to end the “abusive” case that has made her feel demoralized and enslaved. By Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton. SENT: 980 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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CHINA-TIBET-TRADITIONS TESTED-PHOTO GALLERY — Tibetan traditions threatened by politics, growth. SENT: 470 words, photos.
BIDEN-NOMINATIONS — Biden nominates Cindy McCain to U.N. food and agriculture post. SENT: 230 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-INCENTIVES — Ohio ends incentive lottery with mixed vaccination results. SENT: 930 words, photos.
ARKANSAS-DEPUTY-KILLS-TEEN — Arkansas deputy fatally shoots teen during traffic stop. SENT: 240 words.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA — Sydney is going through one the “scariest” times of the pandemic as a cluster of the highly contagious delta variant infects more people, an Australian state leader says. SENT: 410 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-DELTA-VARIANT — The delta variant of the coronavirus has been found in more than 80 countries since it was first detected in India and is responsible for 20% of infections in the U.S. By Science Writer Aniruddha Ghosal. SENT: 290 words, graphic.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CONGRESS-FILIBUSTER — The filibuster is here to stay, for now, and that’s posing a challenge to Biden and Democrats in Congress confronting a wall of Republican opposition led by Senate leader Mitch McConnell’s “100%” focus on stopping their agenda. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 930 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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TURKEY-TOURISM — Hotels in Turkey’s popular Antalya region are ready to reopen after Moscow announced it was lifting flight restrictions to Turkey. SENT: 680 words, photos.
HONG-KONG — Across Hong Kong, people lined up to buy the last print edition of the last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily. SENT: 610 words, photos.
UNITED NATIONS-SYRIA-HUMANITARIAN AID — Russia previewed a showdown with the West over the delivery of humanitarian aid to rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey, rejecting its warnings that closing the only border crossing will leave more than 1 million people without desperately needed food and cause people to die because they lack medicine. SENT: 680 words, photos.
INDONESIA-ISLAMIC-CLERIC — An influential firebrand cleric is sentenced to another four years in prison for concealing information about his coronavirus test result. SENT: 580 words, photos.
KASHMIR — India’s prime minister is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting with pro-India politicians from disputed Kashmir for the first time since New Delhi stripped the region’s semi-autonomy while jailing many of them in a crackdown. SENT: 360 words, photo.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL-MARKETS — Asian shares were mixed, trading in a narrow range as investors awaited new U.S. inflation data. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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TRANSGENDER-WEIGHTLIFTER — A U.S. expert on transgender rights and politics says the participation of New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard at the Tokyo Olympics might inspire other trans athletes but could also become a focus for conservative activists who oppose greater LGBTQ rights and freedoms. By Sports Writer Steve McMorran. SENT: 660 words, photo. With US TRACK TRIALS-TRANSGENDER — Testosterone rule keeps transgender U.S. runner out of trials.
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