AP News Digest 2:25 p.m.

APTOPIX Afghanistan (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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US TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC — Tropical Storm Henri hit the coast of Rhode Island Sunday afternoon, packing high winds that knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and bands of rain that led to flash flooding from New Jersey to Massachusetts. By David Klepper, Michael Kunzelman and David Porter. SENT: 950 words, photos, video. With TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC-THE LATEST; TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC-EXPLAINER — Although Henri was downgraded from a hurricane before it hit and was weakening as it moved over land, it’s still packing a punch. The greatest threat from a storm this size is water. SENT: 900 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN — At least seven Afghans died in a panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport, the British military said, as thousands were still trying to flee the country in a chaotic exodus a week after the Taliban takeover. The Taliban moved to confront the first stirrings of armed resistance since capturing nearly all of Afghanistan in a matter of days earlier this month. By Ahmad Seir, Tameem Akhgar and Jon Gambrell. SENT: 1,150 words, photos. With CHINA-AFGHANISTAN — China is facing heightened risks, along with potential political and economic opportunities following the Taliban’s rapid rise to power. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

UNITED STATES-AFGHANISTAN — The U.S. military is considering “creative ways” to get Americans and others into the Kabul airport for evacuation from Afghanistan amid “acute” security threats, Biden administration officials said, and the Pentagon on ordered six U.S. commercial airlines to help move evacuees from temporary sites outside of Afghanistan. By Robert Burns and Darlene Superville. SENT: 920 words, photos. UPCOMING: Will be updated with Biden remarks expected at 4 p.m.

See AP's full Afghanistan coverage here.

TENNESSEE FLOODING — Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee has left at least ten people dead and dozens missing as record-shattering rainfall washed away homes and rural roads. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis says more than 30 people have been reported missing, many in the neighborhoods where the water rose the fastest. By Jonathan Matisse and R.J. Rico. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK - Japan, Australia and New Zealand all got through the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in relatively good shape — but now are taking diverging paths in dealing with new outbreaks of the fast-spreading delta variant. The difference in emphasis on lockdowns and vaccines could have far-reaching consequences for the economies of those nations and the health of their citizens. By Nick Perry, Mari Yamaguchi and Rod McGuirk. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

US EVICTION MORATORIUM-VIRGINIA — Until a few years ago, Virginia had been considered a civic embarrassment for its staggering rate of evictions, with five of the state’s cities ranking near among the country’s worst. But three years later, housing advocates say Virginia has transformed into a national model for how to offer stronger protections and assistance to renters whose lives have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. By Ben Finley. SENT: 950 words, photo. This is the Monday Spotlight

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TRENDING NEWS

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OBIT-DON-EVERLY — Don Everly, one-half of the pioneering Everly Brothers whose harmonizing country rock hits impacted a generation of rock ‘n’ roll music, has died. He was 84. SENT: 770 words, photos.

BRITAIN-AFGHANISTAN-BLAIR — The former British prime minister who deployed troops to Afghanistan 20 years ago says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the country has “every Jihadist group round the world cheering.” SENT: 540 words, photos.

FRANCE-PANTHEON-JOSEPHINE BAKER — The remains of American-born singer and dancer Josephine Baker will be reinterred at the Pantheon monument in Paris, making the entertainer who is a World War II hero in France the first Black woman to get the country’s highest honor. SENT: 330 words, photos.

GAETZ WEDDING — U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has gotten married. SENT: 270 words, photo.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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US--VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans was counting on the music playing again, recruiting The Rolling Stones to headline a rescheduled Jazz Fest in September. Then came delta, and the city's hospitals are overrun with infected people. Tourism spokeswoman Kelly Schultz says losing Jazz Fest for a second year should be a “giant wake-up call” to get vaccinated. SENT: 870 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-KENTUCKY GOVERNOR — Top Republican lawmakers are promising to work with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to fight COVID-19 after a court ruling cleared the way for new limits on the Democratic governor’s emergency powers. SENT: 630 words, photo.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-TEXAS GOVERNOR — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has tested negative for COVID-19, just four days after testing positive. SENT: 230 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ARIZONA-ELECTION REVIEW —A cybersecurity firm plucked from relative obscurity to conduct an unprecedented review of ballots in Arizona’s largest country is readying to present its findings to Republican lawmakers. Experts say there should be little anticipation about the revelations from the Maricopa County audit, and that whatever those revelations are, they can’t be taken seriously. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

ELECTION 2022-VETERAN VS VETERAN — With midterm election season rapidly approaching, Republicans and Democrats have something in common when it comes to recruiting candidates they hope will deliver majorities in Congress: a preference for military veterans. SENT: 1,140 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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NEW-YORK-GOVERNOR — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will resign in disgrace this week. His departure comes after a state investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. It’s a stunning reversal for a powerful politician who not that long ago was considered a possible contender for the White House. SENT: 1,230 words, photos.

BUS DRIVER SHORTAGES — A shortage of bus drivers is complicating the start of a new school year already facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and conflicts over whether masks should be required in school buildings. School districts are offering hiring bonuses, training to get commercial driver's licenses and pay increases in an effort to attract more drivers. SENT: 1,050 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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HAITI-QUAKE — Haitians have resumed services in or outside damaged churches, sometimes for the first time since the devastating Aug. 14 earthquake. The country’s Civil Protection Agency now says 2,207 died in that temblor. SENT: 380 words, photos.

GREECE-WILDFIRES-RESIN — Residents in the north of the Greek island of Evia have made their livings from the dense pine forests surrounding their villages for generations. Tapping the pine trees for resin has been a key source of income for hundreds of local families. But hardly any forests are left after one of Greece’s most destructive single wildfires in decades rampaged across northern Evia for days. SENT: 930 words, photos.

UKRAINE-CRIMEAN TATARS — Erfan Kudusov fled Crimea together with his wife and four children after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula in 2014, like many other Crimean Tatars who resented Moscow’s rule. For Kudusov and others in Crimea, the Russian takeover evoked tragic family memories of the 1944 mass deportation of Crimean Tatars on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s order, raising fears of discrimination and persecution. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.

ROMANIA-LGBT RIGHTS — The 20th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Romania provided cause for celebration during the gay pride parade and festival held in Bucharest this month. People danced, waved rainbow flags and watched performances at an event that would have been unimaginable a generation earlier. Yet many members of Romania’s LGBT community remain frustrated by the Central European nation’s failure to go further and legalize same-sex unions or marriages. SENT: 520 words, photos.

ISRAEL-FESTIVAL-STAMPEDE — An Israeli government commission investigating a deadly accident at a Jewish pilgrimage site in April held its first day of hearings almost four months after the stampede at Mount Meron left 45 people dead. SENT: 360 words, photos.

MALAYSIA-POLITICS — Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob struck a conciliatory tone in his first national address Sunday, saying he would embrace the opposition in an effort to tackle the runaway pandemic and revive a slumping economy. SENT: 480 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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SMALL BUSINESS-POP-UP RESTAURANTS — Pop-up restaurants, many started as stopgap measures by struggling chefs and owners, may have staying power as consumers continue to embrace takeout and delivery and the delta variant threatens to make dining in less of an option. SENT: 940 words, photos.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-BOX OFFICE — Four new films with major stars from Hugh Jackman to Michael Keaton opened in North American movie theaters this weekend and only the one with animated puppies fared well. But it wasn’t enough to beat out Ryan Reynolds’ action-comedy “Free Guy,” which topped the charts for the second weekend running. SENT: 750 words, photos.

FALL BOOKS — The fall book season will be packed with new works by such high-profile authors as Jonathan Franzen, Sally Rooney and Colson Whitehead. It will also include novels and stories that refer to or center on the coronavirus. SENT: 1,450 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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FBC-SEASON PREVIEW — The 2021 college football season holds the promise of a return to normal after a pandemic-wrecked fall led to cancellations, postponements and headache after headache. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.

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