AP News Digest 6 p.m.

Thursday 29 July 2021 23:03 BST

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NEW/DEVELOPING

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Adds: VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-FAVELA-VACCINATIONS; SYRIA; UNITED NATIONS-CYPRUS; BRAZIL-COLD SNAP; FILM-BLACK WIDOW-LAWSUIT; UAE-YEMEN-GUANTANAMO; TEXAS-DEMOCRATS-STAFF PAY; CAPITOL BREACH-SECURITY; PORTLAND-HOMELESS-WILDFIRES; SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-WEINSTEIN; VIRUS OUTBREAK-NATION'S CAPITAL; VIRUS OUTBREAK-CAPITAL; CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE-ELECTRIC-CARS; NAVY-SHIP-FIRE

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ONLY ON AP

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PANDEMIC-AFRICA-GUINEAN-WRESTLER — A West African wrestler’s dream of competing in the Tokyo Olympics came down to a plane ticket. Fatoumata Yarie Camara is the only Guinean athlete to qualify for these games. She was ready for Tokyo, but confusion over travel reigned for weeks. Guinean officials promised a ticket, but at the last minute announced a withdrawal from the Olympics over COVID-19 concerns. But under international pressure, Guinea reversed its decision. Now Camara is set to compete, fulfilling her Olympic dream. By Gerald Imray, Boubacar Diallo and Trisha Thomas. SENT: 1,790 words, photos. UPCOMING: Video. An abridged version of 1,050 words is also available.

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TOP STORIES

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VIRUS OUTBREAK — The nation’s millions of federal workers will be required to verify they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else face mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and other new rules, the Biden administration announced. The newly strict guidelines are aimed at boosting sluggish vaccination rates among the 4 million Americans who draw federal paychecks and to set an example for private employers around the country. By Alexandra Jaffe and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar. SENT: 1,050 words, photos. With: VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL WORKERS-GLANCE

EVICTION-MORATORIUM — The Biden administration announced it will allow a nationwide ban on evictions to expire Saturday, arguing that its hands are tied after the Supreme Court signaled it could only be extended until the end of the month. The White House said President Joe Biden would have liked to have extended the federal eviction moratorium due to spread of the delta variant. Instead, Biden called on “Congress to extend the eviction moratorium to protect such vulnerable renters and their families without delay.” By Michael Casey. SENT: 775 words, photos.

CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE — For President Joe Biden and senators working on the nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill there’s just one question: Can the Republicans get to yes? Seventeen GOP senators agreed to move ahead in a stunning bipartisan vote, but whether that number grows or shrinks in the days ahead will determine the outcome of Biden’s big priority. By Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Alan Fram. SENT: 1,045 words, photos. WITH: CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE-ELECTRIC CARS -The bipartisan compromise on infrastructure cuts in half President Biden’s call for $15 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging ports. SENT: 990 words, photos.

OLY-GYM-WOMEN’S-ALL-AROUND — Sunisa Lee is an Olympic champion. The 18-year-old gymnast from Minnesota edged Rebeca Andrade of Brazil for gold in the women’s Olympic all-around final. Lee’s total of 57.433 points was just enough to slip by Andrade. The Brazilian became the first gymnast from Latin America to win a medal in the all-around. Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova took bronze. Defending Olympic champion Simone Biles watched from the stands after opting out of the competition to focus on her mental health. SENT: 870 words, photos. WITH: OLY GYM LEE-MINNESOTA - Family and friends erupted with cheers and screams as Suni Lee captured the women’s gymnastics all-around competition. SENT: 900 words, photos, video

WATER-WARS-DRY-WELLS —Dozens of domestic wells have gone dry in an area near the Oregon-California border where the American West’s worsening drought has taken a particularly dramatic toll. At least 120 — and probably several hundred — domestic wells have dried up in the past few weeks, leaving homes with no running water. The news comes just a few months after the U.S. government shut off federally controlled irrigation water to hundreds of farmers in the area for the first time ever. By Gillian Flaccus and Nathan Howard. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.

FORGOTTEN WELLS-UNPLUGGED AND LEAKING — There are about 2 million abandoned oil and gas wells nationwide that haven’t been properly plugged with cement. Many of the wells are releasing methane, which is a greenhouse gas containing about 86 times the climate-warming power of carbon dioxide over two decades. Some are leaking chemicals such as benzene, which is a known carcinogen, into fields and groundwater. By Cathy Bussewitz and Martha Irvine. SENT: 2,280 words, photos. WITH: FORGOTTEN-WELLS-Q&A —Why it’s so hard and expensive to plug an abandoned well. SENT: 815 words, photos.

ROBINHOOD-CEO-AP-INTERVIEW — Robinhood has already changed how and which people trade stocks. Now its sights are on the rest of the financial industry. CEO Vlad Tenev says he wants Robinhood to be the only app that people use on their phones for money. That covers everything from depositing paychecks to paying bills to splitting payments with friends. By Stan Choe. SENT: 1,205 words, photos. WITH: ROBINHOOD-IPO — Wall Street gave Robinhood a cool reception in the online broker’s debut in the stock market that it helped reshape by bringing millions of new investors. SENT: 900 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MISSOURI-HOSPITAL — A Missouri hospital that had no people hospitalized with COVID-19 just two months ago is now dealing with an onslaught of patients. Among them is Daryl Barker, who was passionately against a COVID-19 vaccination. He and several relatives got sick, and Barker ended up in an intensive care unit fighting for his life. The 31-year-old is at Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach, where 22 people died from the virus in the first 23 days of July. SENT: 885 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ISRAEL — Israel’s prime minister announces that the country will offer a coronavirus booster to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FLORIDA — Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer’s surge. SENT: 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NATION'S CAPITAL — In the face of rising regional COVID-19 infection numbers, the nation’s capital is returning to mandatory indoor mask requirements, regardless of vaccination status. SENT: 480 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-FAVELA-VACCINATIONS — Brazilian authorities have begun the mass immunization of Rio de Janeiro’s Mare neighborhood in a novel bid to control COVID-19 in a poor community while studying vaccine effectiveness and the prevalence of worrisome variants. SENT: 560 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINATION-ON-VACATION — Europe’s famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break. Instead, with lockdowns easing despite concerns about variants and nations looking to breathe new life into their ailing tourism industries, vaccinations are being taken to vacationers. SENT: 840 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-JAPAN — Japanese officials sounded the alarm after Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for two straight days with the Olympics well underway. New cases are soaring not only in the Tokyo area but across the country. SENT: 600 words, photos.

MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-J&J-VACCINE-FACTORY — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the problem-plagued factory of contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions to resume production of COVID-19 vaccine bulk substance to resume, the company said. SENT: 420 words.

BRITAIN-EARNS-ASTRAZENECA — AstraZeneca says that it intends to seek U.S. authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of this year, offering a new timetable for the much-delayed application. SENT: 340 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-BREAKTHROUGH CASES — Although the vaccines are very good at protecting people from severe illness in “breakthrough” cases, it’s still possible to get infected with mild or no symptoms, or even to get very sick. SENT: 280 words, graphic.

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NATIONAL

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DEFROCKED-CARDINAL-CHARGED — Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults and children, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in the 1970s, court records show. SENT: 615 words, photos.

PORTLAND-HOMELESS-WILDFIRES — Portland, Oregon, has banned homeless people from camping in forested parks to both protect them from potential wildfires and prevent them from accidentally starting blazes during a summer of drought and record-breaking heat. SENT: 350 words, photo.

TEXAS-DEMOCRATS-STAFF PAY — Close to 2,000 legislative workers risk going unpaid after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott slashed their salaries from the state budget as punishment after Democratic lawmakers walked out in May to block restrictions on voting. Paychecks could be restored during an ongoing special legislative session. That’s currently at a standstill after many of the same 50 Democrats ratcheted up their political maneuver and fled the state to keep thwarting the GOP’s plans for reducing polling hours and ballot access in Texas’ already strict voting laws. SENT: 820 words.

CENSUS-SURVEY DATA — Because of quality concerns caused by the pandemic, data from an annual Census Bureau survey that provides a wide-ranging picture of the U.S. on everything from commute times to education levels won’t be released in its usual format this year, officials said. SENT: 480 words, photo.

CALIFORNIA-HOMELESS-VENICE-BEACH — The proliferation of homeless encampments on Venice Beach has sparked an outcry from residents and created a political spat among Los Angeles leaders. Now with a cleanup underway, the question remains whether it will be effective. Residents of the gritty bohemian neighborhood that is one of LA’s top tourist destinations are frustrated and angry over government inaction that allowed the camps to blossom during the pandemic. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.

SEVERE-WEATHER — Strong thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Wisconsin, left tens of thousands without power and triggered tornado warnings. The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan in northwestern Wisconsin. SENT: 315 words, photos.

NAVY-SHIP-FIRE — The U.S. Navy said it charged a sailor with starting a fire last year that destroyed a warship docked off San Diego. The amphibious assault ship called the USS Bonhomme Richard burned for more than four days and was the Navy’s worst U.S. warship fire outside of combat in recent memory. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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CAPITOL-BREACH-REPUBLICANS — Conservative lawmakers want to boot Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger out of the House GOP. That’s because the two defied party leaders and joined the chamber’s special committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. SENT: 600 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-SECURITY — Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.. SENT: 830 words, photo.

SANDERS-OUR REVOLUTION — The progressive advocacy group Our Revolution is rebranding now that Bernie Sanders is no longer the undisputed leader of the left. SENT: 1,090 words, photo.

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INTERNATIONAL

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UNITED NATIONS-CYPRUS — The U.N. Security Council again demanded that Turkey and Turkish Cypriots immediately reverse all actions to reopen the abandoned resort of Varosha and backed further talks “in the near future” on reunifying the divided Mediterranean island. SENT: 780 words, photos.

SYRIA — Clashes between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters in the country’s southern province of Daraa escalated this week, with reports saying three civilians were killed there, as well as eight government troops and five rebel fighters. SENT: 330 words.

UAE-YEMEN-GUANTANAMO — The United Arab Emirates has sent six Yemeni detainees who were first held at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then in the Gulf Arab federation, to their home nation of Yemen. The transfer comes amid concerns that the former detainees could face significant dangers at home in Yemen, which is largely lawless after years of civil war. SENT: 670 words.

CHINA-FLOODING-LOSSES — The night the rains came, all Yu Ruiping could do was huddle at her market stall. The electricity went out. Her phone went dead. And the water just kept rising. When the skies cleared, the market was surrounded by chest-high water. Yu and her husband were trapped for two days with nothing to eat but a few packages of instant noodles. SENT: 850 words, photos.

NICARAGUANS-FLEEING — The U.S. government has encountered thousands of Nicaraguans at the border over the last few months. Customs and Border Protection figures show a big jump in arrivals from the Central American country, which is in turmoil and the focus of international criticism over arbitrary arrests and the restriction of fundamental rights ahead of elections in November. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

BANGLADESH-ROHINGYA REFUGEES — Days of heavy rainfall have pelted Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, destroying dwellings and sending thousands of people to live with extended family or in communal shelters. SENT: 410 words, photos.

BELARUS-OPPOSITION INTERVIEW — The leader of Belarus’ embattled opposition hopes the United States and Europe will impose new sanctions on money-making government enterprises that will lead to the collapse of President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and a peaceful transition that pro-democracy supporters are preparing for because “it can happen very fast.” SENT: 990 words, photo.

AFGHANISTAN-FLOODING —Flash flooding killed 150 people in a remote area in Afghanistan’s mountainous northeastern Nuristan province controlled by the Taliban, a spokesman for the insurgents said. The provincial government appealed to the Taliban to allow rescue teams into the area to help. SENT: 330 words.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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RUSSIA-SPACE-STATION — Russia’s long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. SENT: 285 words, photo.

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BUSINESS/TECH

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ECONOMY-GDP — Fueled by vaccinations and government aid, the U.S. economy grew at a solid 6.5% annual rate last quarter in another sign that the nation has achieved a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession. The total size of the economy has now surpassed its pre-pandemic level. SENT: 980 words, photos. WITH: VIRUS-OUTBREAK-UNEMPLOYMENT-BENEFITS — U.S. jobless claims down 24,000 to 400,000 as economy recovers. SENT: 395 words, photos.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-THE SUICIDE SQUAD — Writer and director James Gunn has stepped up to breathe new, irreverent life into the misfits of The Suicide Squad, who had an inglorious launch just a few years ago. Who better for the job than the guy who turned D-listers like “The Guardians of the Galaxy” into A-listers? SENT: 1,115 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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BKN-NBA-DRAFT — The Detroit Pistons hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and are widely expected to grab Oklahoma State one-and-done star Cade Cunningham. USC’s Evan Mobley and Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs are also expected to go early in the draft along with a pair of preps-to-pros players from the G League in Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. By Aaron Beard. Draft starts at 8 p.m.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, Courtney Dittmar (ext. 1900). For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from http://newsroom.ap.org. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport(at)ap.org or call 844-777-2006.

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