AP News Digest 7 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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UNITED NATIONS-CLIMATE REPORT — Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent. That’s according to a report released Monday that the United Nations calls a “code red for humanity.” Report co-author Linda Mearns of the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research says she sees nowhere that will be safe from climate change. But scientists also eased back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes. Change makes more precise forecasts for the 21st century than it did last time it was issued in 2013. By Seth Borenstein SENT: 1,140 words, photos. WITH: 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW UN REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE (sent)
CUOMO SEXUAL HARASSMENT — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces another day under fire Monday. CBS is scheduled to broadcast the first TV interview with Brittany Commisso, an executive assistant who accused the Democrat of groping her breast at the governor’s mansion in Albany. Later Monday, the state Assembly’s judiciary committee planned to meet to discuss how to wrap up an investigation into whether there are grounds to impeach the governor. Cuomo has denied touching any women inappropriately. SENT: 320 words, photos.
CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE -- The political center is holding steady in the Senate as a coalition of Democrats and Republicans pushes the $1 trillion infrastructure package toward final passage. Brushing off criticism from the left and right flanks, senators have resolved to overcome gridlock to deliver for public works projects back home. It’s one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. By Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro. SENT: 900 words, photos.
JAPAN-NAGASAKI — Nagasaki is marking the 76th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing. The city’s mayor in a speech at a memorial ceremony urged Japan’s government to lead in creating a nuclear-free zone in northeast Asia rather than staying under U.S. protection. SENT: 470 words, photos.
AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban have taken another provincial capital in Afghanistan, pressing on with their relentless offensive as American and NATO forces finalize their pullout from the war-torn country. The council chief of northern Sar-e Pul province said on Monday that the Taliban overran the provincial capital, the city of Sar-e Pul, meeting little resistance in their last few days of their advance. By Rahim Faiez .SENT: 710 words, photos.
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TOKYO OLYMPICS
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OLY-TOKYO-SUGA — Japan’s prime minister thanked people for helping the country safely hold the Olympics despite the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic. He noted the Games were delayed by a year and held under tight restrictions, but “I believe we were able to fulfill our responsibility as the host nation,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, thanking the people for their understanding and cooperation. SENT: 240 words, photos.
OLY-PINING FOR PARIS — Thickets of restrictions at the pandemic-hit Tokyo Games severely crimped the experience for Olympians. That also left athletes hankering to do it all again — but without limitations and social distancing — in Paris in 2024. If the coronavirus is tamed by then, the Paris Games could quickly become the party games. SENT: 880 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-US-CANADA — Canada is lifting its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians. The reopening Monday is part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK — Despite a sluggish start, the European Union’s COVID-19 vaccination drive has caught up to that of the United States, where the slowdown of the country’s once-vaunted campaign has contributed to the virus’s deadly comeback. SENT: 910 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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R-KELLY — After several delays, the first phase of the sex trafficking trial of R&B star R. Kelly is set begin with jury selection in New York City. SENT: 620 words, photos.
PAKISTAN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT — A Pakistani rescue official says a truck rammed into a minibus on a highway in eastern Pakistan, causing a fire that killed 10 passengers. SENT: 150 words.
INDONESIA-VOLCANO ERUPTS — Indonesian scientists say a volcanic eruption on the country’s turbulent Mount Merapi is sending out renewed flows of lava and hot ash. SENT: 250 words, photos.
OBIT-JANE WITHERS — The former child actor Jane Withers, who bedeviled Shirley Temple on the screen and went on to star in a series of B movies that made her a box-office champion, has died. She was 95. SENT: 910 words, photos.
OBIT-ROBERT RINGWALD — Robert Ringwald, the pianist who promoted jazz in California for more than half a century, has died at 80. He died Aug. 3, his daughter, the actor and musician Molly Ringwald, writes in an obituary for the Sacramento Bee. SENT: 360 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON
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GUNS-POLITICS-POLICE -- The latest push to loosen gun laws in states across the U.S. has put police officers at odds with Republican lawmakers who usually trumpet support for law enforcement. By Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 990 words, photos.
CONGRESS-HAGERTY -- Tennessee Republican Bill Hagerty is saying “no.” As the Senate nears passing a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, the freshman senator and staunch ally of former President Donald Trump has used the chamber’s procedural rules to single-handedly slow the pace of congressional action to a crawl. By Brian Slodysko. SENT: 750 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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CONFEDERATE SIDE STREETS — The names of Confederate leaders are being stripped from schools and major highways throughout Virginia. But when it comes to the many side streets in the state that carry Confederate names, it’s a different story. SENT: 860 words, photos.
NORWEGIAN CRUISES-VACCINE LAWSUIT — A federal judge on Sunday night granted Norwegian Cruise Line’s request to temporarily block a Florida law banning cruise companies from asking passengers for proof of coronavirus vaccination before they board a ship. A U.S. district judge granted the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the state’s “vaccine passport” ban, which was signed into law in May by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. SENT: 230 words, photos
WESTERN WILDFIRES — Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures began to clear Sunday from the scenic forestlands of Northern California as firefighters battling the largest single wildfire in state history braced for a return of fire-friendly weather. SENT: 910 words, photos.
ALASKA-MISSING PLANE -- Foggy, reduced-visibility conditions have delayed efforts to recover the wreckage of a sightseeing plane that crashed in southeast Alaska, killing six people. SENT: 920 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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DUBAI-STRANDED WAR CONTRACTORS — Some foreign contractors who powered the logistics of America’s forever war in Afghanistan have now found themselves stranded on an unending layover in Dubai without a way to get home. After nearly two decades, the rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has upended the lives of thousands of private security contractors from some of the world’s poorest countries. SENT: 860 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-INDIA — An Australian special envoy says a free trade agreement between his nation and India would signal the “democratic world’s tilt away from China.” Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited New Delhi last week as Australia’s special trade envoy for India as the Australian government gives priority to sealing a bilateral trade deal. SENT: 510 words, photos.
LEBANON — Lebanese media say one man was killed when a brawl at a gas station in the country’s north over scarce fuel turned deadly. The National News Agency says the violence erupted on Monday and involved knives and guns. Severe shortages of fuel have hit small Mideast nation, prompting long queues at gas stations and plunging the country, dependent on private generators for power, into long hours of darkness. SENT: 340 words, photos.
EGYPT-RUSSIA FLIGHTS — Russia has resumed flights to Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, ending a six-year ban following the bombing of a Russian airliner that killed all 224 people onboard. The local branch of the Islamic State group said it downed the plane over Sinai in October 2015. SENT: 640 words, photos.
CHINA-WANDERING ELEPHANT — An elephant herd that fascinated locals and people around the world by making a yearlong journey into urbanized southwest China, raiding farms and even a retirement home for food, appears finally to be headed home. SENT: 290 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBC--OBIT-BOBBY BOWDEN — Hall of Fame college football coach Bobby Bowden has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 91. SENT: 2,050 words, photos. With FBC--OBIT-BOBBY BOWDEN-REACTION — Bowden remembered as coaching legend on and off the field. SENT: 860 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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