AP News Digest 3:50 am

APTOPIX Colombia Migrants (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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BIDEN-EUROPE — President Joe Biden’s decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. They’re feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era. By Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee SENT: 1,060 words, photos. Also see AUSTRALIA-SUBMARINES below.

AUSTRALIA-SUBMARINES — Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected Chinese criticism of Australia’s new nuclear submarine alliance with the United States and said he doesn’t mind that Biden might have forgotten his name. By Rod McGuirk. SENT: 410 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IDAHO — In another ominous sign about the spread of the delta variant, Idaho public health leaders expanded health care rationing statewide and individual hospital systems in Alaska and Montana have enacted similar crisis standards. By Rebecca Boone. SENT: 1,060 words, photos.

CAPITOL BREACH-RALLY ORGANIZER — The architect of an upcoming Washington protest that aims to rewrite history about the violent January assault on the U.S. Capitol is hardly a household name. Matt Braynard toiled in obscurity in Republican politics for decades, but his fortunes changed with Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat. By Brian Slodysko. SENT: 1,230 words, photo. With CAPITOL BREACH-INVESTIGATIONS —

COLOMBIA-DANGEROUS DARIEN GAP — As borders open around the world after months of pandemic related lockdowns some illegal migration routes are also seeing an uptick in crossings. Muddy paths across the Darien jungle, where people can be swept away by rivers, have long been used by smugglers to take migrants from South America to Central America, as they make their way to the United States. Officials say the number of people crossing the gap has reached record levels, with 70,000 migrants making the dangerous trek so far this year. By Astrid Suarez. SENT: 1,110 words, photos.

KOREAS TENSIONS EXPLAINER — North Korea’s recent sword-rattling after months of relative quiet makes clear that leader Kim Jong Un is working on expanding his weapons arsenal. By Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung. SENT: 770 words, photos.

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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-FLORIDA — Florida surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began, health officials reported, with more than one fourth of those succumbing this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant. SENT: 580 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.

CUBA-VACCINATING CHILDREN — Cuba begins a massive vaccination campaign for children between the ages of 2 and 10, becoming one of the first nations to do so. SENT: 470 words, photos.

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CAMBODIA — Cambodia begins vaccinating 6-to-11-year-olds so students can safely return to schools that have been closed for months due to the coronavirus. SENT: 270 words, photos.

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TRENDING NEWS

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INVESTMENT-FIRM-ROARING-KITTY — MassMutual fined for failing to monitor GameStop saga star. SENT: 460 words, photo.

OBIT-JANE POWELL — Jane Powell, Hollywood golden-age musicals star, dies at 92. SENT: 910 words, photos.

CHINA-EGG-FREEZING —Woman sues for right to freeze her eggs in Beijing. SENT: 400 words, photos.

NEW ZEALAND-TRIPLE HOMICIDE — Police investigate deaths of three young children in New Zealand. SENT: 240 words, photos.

HARD KNOCKS-COLTS — “Hard Knocks" to showcase Colts for first in-season episodes. SENT: 270 words, photos.

MET-OPERA-MALCOLM-X — Met Opera to stage Anthony Davis’ “X" on Malcolm X in 2023. SENT: 160 words.

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WASHINGTON

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ELECTION-2022-CONGRESS — One of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol announced he will not seek reelection in Ohio next year. SENT: 430 words, photo.

CONGRESS-BUDGET-DEMOCRATS — Opposition from some leading moderate Democrats over a $3.5 trillion budget proposal championed by the party’s most liberal wing leaves the party grappling with deeper ideological questions. SENT: 1,210 words, photos.

BIDEN-FACT CHECK — Biden is going too far in taking credit for job growth since taking office and he has also made a dubious suggestion that wrongdoing is behind higher gasoline prices. SENT: 880 words, photos, video.

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NATIONAL

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POLICE SHOOTING-WISCONSIN-KENOSHA — A judge was set to decide whether jurors at the trial of a man accused of killing two men and wounding a third during a police brutality protest in Wisconsin last year will see video that prosecutors say shows him talking about wanting to shoot people. SENT: 570 words, photo. UPCOMING: Hearing scheduled for 11 a.m.

WESTERN WILDFIRES — Firefighters wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket as they tried to save a famous grove of gigantic old-growth sequoias from wildfires burning in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada. SENT: 730 words, photos. With WESTERN-WILDFIRES-BURNOUTS-EXPLAINER — Fighting fire with fire to protect sequoia trees.

MISSING-TRAVELER — Police video shows a Florida woman who disappeared during a cross-country journey in a converted camper van had an emotional fight with her boyfriend in a Utah tourist town before she vanished. SENT: 930 words, photos.

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-DEBATE — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin clashed over abortion and vaccination policies in Virginia’s first gubernatorial debate of the general election season, as each sought to cast the other as extreme. SENT: 880 words, photos. With VIRGINIA-GOVERNOR-DEBATE-TAKEAWAYS.

MOTHER-AND-SON-KILLED — Instead of a suit and tie, lawyer Alex Murdaugh found himself in a jail jumpsuit in a cramped South Carolina courtroom, struggling to wipe tears from his eyes with handcuffed wrists as his lawyer detailed how his life crumbled over the past three months. SENT: 930 words, photos.

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INTERNATIONAL

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GERMANY-ELECTION-EXPECTATIONS — A crowded race to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after she decided not to extend her 16 years in office has left many Germans uninspired and undecided ahead of the Sept. 26 parliamentary election. SENT: 900 words, photos.

JAPAN-POLITICS — Official election campaigning kicks off for the new head of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, a role that typically signals the next prime minister. SENT: 420 words, photos. With JAPAN-POLITICS-EXPLAINER — Japanese ruling party race to determine next leader.

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HEALTH/SCIENCE

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CHINA SPACE — A trio of Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after a 90-day stay aboard their nation’s first space station in China’s longest mission yet. SENT: 510 words, photos.

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Asian shares were mixed after a hodge-podge of economic data led Wall Street to close mostly lower. By Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach. SENT: 500 words, photos.

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SPORTS

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GIANTS-WASHINGTON — Given a second chance, Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal on an untimed down and Washington rallied to defeat the New York Giants 30-29. By Sports Writer Noah Trister. SENT: 840 words, photos.

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HOW TO REACH US

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