AP-AP News Digest 3 a.m.

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 07 September 2021 08:08 BST
Afghanistan Database Nation
Afghanistan Database Nation (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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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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AFGHANISTAN-DATABASE NATION - Over two decades, the United States and its allies spent hundreds of millions of dollars building databases for the Afghan people. The nobly stated goal was to promote law and order and government accountability, and to modernize a war-ravaged land. But in the Taliban’s lightning seizure of power, most of that digital apparatus fell into the hands of an unreliable ruler. Built with few data-protection safeguards, that system now risks becoming a high-tech tool of a surveillance state. As the Taliban get their governing feet, many Afghans worry the databases, including biometrics for tracking individuals, will be wielded to enforce social control and punish perceived foes. By AP Technology Writer Frank Bajak. SENT: 1300 words, photos. With: AFGHANISTAN.

SEPT 11-MUSLIMS IN AMERICA -Muslim Americans in their 20s and 30s who grew up amid the aftershocks of 9/11 came of age in a world not necessarily attuned to their interests, their happiness and their well-being. How did the attacks affect the trajectory of their lives, and the shape of their communities. By Mariam Fam, Deepti Hajela And Luis Andres Henao. SENT: 2,000 words, photos, videos.

HURRICANE-IDA-BIDEN - President Joe Biden will survey damage in parts of the northeast that suffered catastrophic flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Biden is set to tour Manville, New Jersey, and Queens, New York, on Tuesday. Ida’s soggy remnants are blamed for at least 50 deaths in the region. More than two dozen people died in New Jersey. In New York City, 13 people lost their lives, including 11 in the borough of Queens. Ida wreaked havoc on Louisiana before it moved up north. Biden says Ida and other storms make federal spending on infrastructure an urgent priority. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 600 words, photos. With: HURRICANE IDA. - New Orleans: Seniors left in dark, hot facilities after Ida. (SENT.)

FRANCE ATTACKS TRIAL - Survivors of Islamic State group’s 2015 attack on Paris and those who mourn the 130 people killed that night are bracing for a long-awaited trial that starts this week in Paris. A cell of nine Islamic State militants armed with automatic rifles and explosive vests left a trail of dead and injured at the national stadium, Paris bars and restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall on Nov. 13, 2015. Nearly all the attackers were from France or Belgium as were the cell’s 10th member who is the only one still alive. He is the chief defendant among 20 people charged in a trial that is expected to last nine months. A special secure court in Paris was constructed just to hold the trial.. By Lori Hinnant and Nicolas Vaux-Montagny. AP Photos, Video, Graphic. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.

FLORIDA SHOOTING-FAMILY KILLED - Florida investigators say they may never know why a Marine veteran killed a Lakeland family of four he had no connection with. Authorities say Bryan Riley confessed to killing a 40-year-old man, his 33-year-old girlfriend, their 3-month-old son and the woman’s 62-year-old mother. An 11-year-old girl was critically wounded. By Terry Spencer and Freida Frisaro. SENT: 900 words, photos.

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WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

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OBIT-MICHAEL-K.-WILLIAMS — Actor Michael K. Williams who as Omar Little on “The Wire” created one of the most popular characters in television in recent decades, has died at 54. Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse, and his death was being investigated as a possible drug overdose, New York City police said. SENT: 270 words, photos.

BRAZIL-ARGENTINA-EXPLAINER - The pitch intruders claimed to have very good reason to be confronting players only seven minutes into Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina. The game was halted on Sunday and chaos ensued as Argentina great Lionel Messi and Brazil star Neymar watched on. Four Argentina players from English Premier League clubs were accused by agents of Brazil’s health agency of breaching coronavirus restriction rules by not declaring on arrival in Brazil that they’d been in England within the previous 14 days. Brazilian federal police say they’re investigating the four players for allegedly providing false information upon arrival in Sao Paulo. The players were allowed to return to Buenos Aires on Sunday night after giving written statements. SENT: 950 words, photos.

FRANCE-OBIT-BELMONDO -- Jean-Paul Belmondo star of the iconic French New Wave film “Breathless,” whose crooked boxer’s nose and rakish grin went on to make him one of the country’s most recognizable leading men, has died. He was 88. SENT: 850 words, photos.

SPAIN-PANDA TWINS -- Wiggling twin panda cubs are born at the Madrid Zoo. SENT: 220 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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TROPICAL-WEATHER-ATLANTIC-DAIRY-FARM - The morning after one of the most intense tornadoes recorded in New Jersey history all but demolished the largest dairy farm in the state, owners Marianne and Wally Eachus looked at each other and just cried. An EF3 tornado ripped through Mullica Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia, and nearly demolished Wellacrest Farms. More than a dozen cows have died and several more remain missing days after the remnants of Hurricane Ida tore through the Northeast. At least eight tornadoes were recorded in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Dozens of people have died. Now, the Eachus family must rebuild. But it’s a massive effort that starts with clean-up. By Christina Paciolla. SENT: 570 words, photos.

WESTERN WILDFIRES - Crews are still fighting wind-swept flames in some parts the wildfire south of Lake Tahoe, but officials said Monday that they’re planning to prepare to repopulate parts of the resort community that remain under evacuation order. SENT: 600 words, photos.

GEORGE-FLOYD-AMERICA-PROTESTS-MEDIA - Court testimony shows that the Minnesota State Patrol purged emails and text messages immediately after protests over the death of George Floyd during which the agency is accused of targeting journalists. Attorneys for the Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union say the purge of messages has made it nearly impossible to track the State Patrol’s behavior, as investigators try to determine whether law enforcement used improper force on demonstrators. SENT: 500 words, photos.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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HURRICANE-IDA-CONGRESS-INFRASTRUCTURE - Lawmakers from both parties say haunting images of surging rivers, flooded roads and tornado damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida show the need to upgrade the nation’s aging infrastructure network. As the deadly storm moved from the Gulf Coast through the Northeast — killing over 65 people from Louisiana to Connecticut — members of Congress said the storm offered irrefutable evidence that the nation’s power lines, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are deteriorating even as storms and other extreme weather are strengthening. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

JILL BIDEN - Jill Biden is going back to her whiteboard. After months of teaching writing and English to community college students in boxes on a computer screen, the first lady resumes teaching in person on Tuesday from a classroom at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has worked since 2009. She is the first first lady to leave the White House and log hours at a full-time job. SENT: 930 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BRAZIL INDEPENDENCE DAY DEMONSTRATIONS - Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have broken through police roadblocks that sought to prevent access to the capital’s central mall on the eve of a demonstration scheduled to coincide with the nation’s Independence Day. The Federal District’s security secretariat said late Monday that officers have been deployed to try to control the situation. Forced entry into the mall known as the Esplanade of Ministries heightens a sense of alert ahead of Tuesday’s planned demonstration, which some analysts have warned runs the risk of resembling the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. SENT: 300 words, photos.

MYANMAR RESISTANCE - Myanmar’s National Unity Government, an underground body coordinating resistance to the military regime, has called for a nationwide uprising. The opposition group’s acting president called for revolt “in every village, town and city in the entire country at the same time.” He also declared a so-called ”state of emergency” in a speech posted on Facebook Tuesday. Myanmar’s military seized power in February from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The country has been wracked by unrest ever since, with a low-level insurrection in many urban areas. The National Unity Government was established by elected legislators who were barred from taking their seats when the military seized power. SENT: 300 words, photos. With: MYANMAR-FIREBRAND MONK.

VIRUA OUTBREAK-HONG KONG - Travelers arriving in Hong Kong from China will no longer need to quarantine, Hong Kong’s top official said Tuesday, easing curbs imposed after summer outbreaks of the coronavirus on the mainland. SENT: 290 words, photos.

GUINEA JUNTA – Guinea’s new military leaders are seeking to tighten their grip on power and are ordering the deposed president’s soldiers to join them. Col. Mamady Doumbouya also barred government officials from leaving the West African nation, ordering them to hand over their passports and government vehicles. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VENEZUELA TALKS - Representatives of Venezuela’s government and opposition say they have agreed to find ways to deal with the pressing needs of Venezuelans, especially in combatting the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 300 words, photos.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS: Israel’s military says it has launched airstrikes on what it said was a Hamas military site in the Gaza Strip. The strikes early on Tuesday came after incendiary balloons were sent into Israeli territory. An army statement says that fighter jets struck a Hamas military compound in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza that makes cement to build tunnels used for terror attacks. SENT: 300 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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UNEMPLOYMENT-BENEFITS-EXPLAINER - Two critical jobless benefit programs have expired, leaving only a handful of economic options for millions who are still financially impacted by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic. One program provided jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers and another provided benefits to those who have been unemployed more than six months. Further the Biden administration’s $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ran out on Monday. Americans still financially struggling in the pandemic will find a smaller patchwork of social support programs, including food stamps, eviction protection in some states and a pause on federal student loan repayments. But economists say none will come close to replacing the money lost through unemployment benefits. By AP Business Writer Ken Sweet. SENT: 640 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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US OPEN - Novak Djokovic tries to move closer to the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969 when he plays 20-year-old Californian Jenson Brooksby in the U.S. Open’s fourth round Monday night. Others in action including Tokyo Olympics gold medalists Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev, 2019 U.S. Open champ Bianca Andreescu, and 18-year-old Emma Raducanu. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos. Play starts at 11 a.m. ET; night session starts at 7 p.m. ET. With: — TEN--US Open-The Latest. Real-time updates. — TEN--US Open-Glance By HFENDRICH. UPCOMING: 800 words , By 11:00 p.m. EDT.

PARALYMPICS-A DIFFERENT BATTLEFIELD - Twenty years after the attacks of Sept. 11, and just days after the Taliban took control of Kabul, some American combat veterans are competing in the Tokyo Paralympics -- a corps of elite athletes who have triumphed over the catastrophic injuries they suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are a disparate group. Some are relentlessly optimistic. Others spent years wrestling emotional demons. Some insist they emerged from their personal battlefields without emotional scarring. Others insist that’s impossible. Their stories are tangles of adversity and redemption, loss and achievement. By Tim Sullivan. UPCOMING, By 11:00 a.m. EDT, photo.

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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

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FILM-FALL PREVIEW - A preview to the fall film season. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING, photos. UPCOMING, By 3:39 p.m. EDT.

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