AP News Digest 7 a.m.
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TOP STORIES
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BUILDING COLLAPSE-MIAMI — Rescuers are resuming their search for victims at a collapsed South Florida condo building after demolition crews set off a string of explosives that brought down the structure in a plume of dust. The crews were given the all clear not long after the 12-story high rise came tumbling down around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Crews began clearing the new debris so rescuers could start making their way into parts of an underground garage of particular interest in the search for 121 people still unaccounted for. By Rebecca Santana and Bobby Caina Calvan. SENT: 920 words, photos, videos, developing. WITH: BUILDING COLLAPSE-VOLLEYBALL PLAYER — When 16-year-old rising volleyball star Deven Gonzalez was pulled from the rubble of her Miami condo building, her initial reaction amid the shock was to tell firefighters that she was competing in a major tournament in a few days. From her hospital bed where she’s undergone multiple surgeries for a broken femur, she apologized profusely to her coach for missing their final practice. Gonzalez and her parents lived on the ninth floor of Champlain Towers South, where two dozen have died. By Kelly Kennedy. SENT: 710 words, photos.
Find more on the building collapse in the AP Newsroom hub.
US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK — President Joe Biden celebrated the second July Fourth holiday of the coronavirus pandemic by declaring that “America is coming back together.” Service members and first responders were among more than 1,000 guests at a White House event Sunday marking the nation’s birthday. Biden highlighted the success of the vaccination campaign he has championed but also warned that the fight against COVID-19 isn’t over. By Zeke Miller and Josh Boak. Sent 910 words, photos.
VATICAN-POPE SURGERY — The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert and breathing on his own,” a day after he underwent a three-hour operation that involved removing half his colon. Francis, 84, is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, for about seven days “barring complications,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. By Frances D'Emilio. SENT: 490 words, photos.
TROPICAL WEATHER-ATLANTIC — Cuba has evacuated 180,000 people amid fears that Tropical Storm Elsa could cause heavy flooding as it passes over the island Monday, after battering several Caribbean islands, killing at least three people. By Andrea Rodriguez. SENT: 590 words, photos.
CYBERSECURITY-INSURANCE-RANSOMWARE PAYMENTS -- The cyber insurance industry, once a profitable niche, is now in the crosshairs of ransomware criminals. Skyrocketing extortion demands and a rise in ransomware attacks has the industry teetering on the edge of profitability. By Frank Bajak. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
LEBANON TOURISM — The dual shocks of the coronavirus pandemic and a devastating financial crisis have gutted the hospitality sector of Lebanon, known for its beaches, mountain resorts and good food. Hundreds of businesses across the country have been forced to close. But as pandemic restrictions ease, the country opens up and Lebanese expats begin arriving again for the first time in two years, those businesses that remained open are hoping the dollars they bring this summer, along with an increase in domestic tourism, can get the wheels of the economy moving a little again. By Aj Naddaff. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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COUNTRY CLUB SHOOTING — Authorities say a professional golfer and two other men were killed in a shooting at an Atlanta-area country club and the suspect is still at large. SENT: 260 words, photos.
THAILAND FACTORY EXPLOSION — A massive explosion at a chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok early Monday killed at least one person, injured dozens more and damaged scores of homes, while prompting the evacuation of a wide area over fears of poisonous fumes and the possibility of additional denotations. SENT: 770 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LUXEMBURG — Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has been hospitalized and is under observation “as a precautionary measure” after testing positive for COVID-19 a week earlier. SENT: 140 words, photos.
NEW ZEALAND-WARMEST JUNE — New Zealand has recorded its warmest June since recordkeeping began, as ski fields struggle to open and experts predict shorter southern winters in the future. SENT: 430 words, photos.
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MORE ON VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK—TAIWAN VACCINES — Taiwan is planning to take a regulatory shortcut that would allow vaccines currently under development to be given out before the final stage of testing is finished. Supporters say the shortcut is necessary because Taiwan is in a real crunch, scrambling to get vaccines amid its worst outbreak of the pandemic. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-INDONESIA — Indonesia’s pandemic response leader says parts of the country lack oxygen supplies as the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients who need it increases. The statement came after dozens of sick people died at a public hospital that ran out of its central oxygen supply over the weekend. SENT: 350 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MALAYSIA WHITE FLAG — A white flag campaign is gaining traction to help Malaysians facing economic devastation during the coronavirus pandemic. It encourages people to hoist a white flag to signal they need help “without having to beg or feel embarrassed.” SENT: 700 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil plans to scrap mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing in England in two weeks’ time. The move comes despite surging infections driven by the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. Johnson said he would set out Monday how the country would “learn to live with this virus.” That’s a major shift in tone from a leader who has previously painted COVID-19 as an enemy to be defeated. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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SENATE-GEORGIA-WARNOCK -- On Capitol Hill, Sen. Raphael Warnock blasts Republicans’ push for tighter voting rules as “Jim Crow in new clothes,” while his campaign operation blasts emails bemoaning dire risks to democracy. Back home, Georgia’s first Black senator is more subtle, pitching a “comprehensive view of infrastructure” and avoiding talk of a looming reelection fight. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
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NATIONAL
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DROUGHT RAFTING — As the drought parches much of Colorado, people are rafting, kayaking and enjoying other water sports wherever they still can. The Cache La Poudre River in the northern part of the state still has healthy water levels and vacationers are flocking to it. SENT: 530 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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JAPAN MUDSLIDE — Rescue workers slogged through mud and debris Monday looking for dozens feared missing after a giant landslide ripped through a Japanese seaside resort town, killing at least three people. Eighty people were still unaccounted for, according to Shizuoka prefectural disaster management official Takamichi Sugiyama. Officials were preparing to release their names, hoping to reach some who might not have been caught in the landslide. SENT: 860 words, photos.
PHILLIPINES MILITARY PLANE CRASH — Philippine troops found the last five dead from the crash of a transport aircraft in the south, raising the death toll to 50 in the military’s worst air disaster. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was carrying combat troops, many of the new recruits, who were being deployed in the battle against Abu Sayyaf militants. By Jim Gomez. SENT: 660 words, photos.
EL-SALVADOR DEMOCRACY — In El Salvador, most are not bothered by President Nayib Bukele’s dictatorial maneuvers -- sending armed troops into congress to coerce a vote, or ousting independent judges from the country’s highest court, paving the way to control all branches of government. They praise his relentless attacks on the politicians who governed El Salvador for nearly 30 years before him, and the elites who benefited from their rule. Bukele’s presidency so far is the story of one of Latin America’s newest populist autocracies in the making: spending big to hand out goodies, branding opponents as enemies, raising the profile of the military. SENT: 2,550 words, photos.
ISRAEL DISCRIMINATORY LAW — Israel’s parliament is to vote on whether to renew a temporary law first enacted in 2003 that bars Arab citizens of Israel from extending citizenship or even residency permits to spouses from the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Critics say it’s a racist measure aimed at preventing the growth of Israel’s Arab minority, while supporters say it’s needed for security purposes and to preserve Israel’s Jewish character. SENT: 820 words, photos.
MALAYSIA POLITICS — Malaysia’s government says Parliament will resume July 26, caving into pressure from the king to lift the legislature’s suspension under a coronavirus emergency imposed in January. SENT: 310 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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FILM-BOX-OFFICE — Although the box office has yet to fully recover from the pandemic, one studio has good reason to celebrate this Fourth of July weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, Universal Pictures currently has the top three films at the domestic box office with “F9” in first, “The Boss Baby: Family Business” in second and “The Forever Purge” in third. By Lindsey Bahr. 854 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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AIR TRAVEL-ROUGH SUMMER — If you’re planning to fly this summer, bring plenty of patience. Airlines are already struggling to keep up with the rising number of passengers. Travelers are posting pictures of crowded airports online, and they’re recounting horror stories about long delays, some of them because airlines are understaffed. By AP Airlines Writer David Koenig. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, (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.. SENT: 710 words, photo.